Greg decided to try out something with Zoey. “This side is heads, this side is tails. This is a memory test. Roll the quarter down your face and I’ll ask you a question when you finish. If you answer correctly, you get to keep the quarter.”
You know the trick, right? Where you put some pencil lead on the edges of a coin.
She grossed out herself (and me) with the popping sounds her roots made as they broke apart from her tooth.
On a strange side note, Nathan hasn’t lost this set of teeth yet.
This is the last week for the “Whip It Up Challenge“. It has been a fun experience trying completely new recipes each week. The theme for this week is desserts. Even though I made the Lemon Sandwiches last week, I knew there would be no complaints about having more desserts from the household. Since I wanted it to be a good one, I decided to go with The King.
Zoey and I have already determined that made from scratch cakes are far superior to box cakes, so I first had to find a white cake mix. All Recipes always comes to the rescue.
Elvis Presley Cake
Ingredients:
For the cake (one 9×9 square cake or one batch of cupcakes)
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk
For the topping
This makes enough for two cakes
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
2 cups white sugar
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, softened plus 1 tbls
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
Directions
For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour (or sugar if you are me) a 9×9 inch pan or line a muffin pan with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.
Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well.
Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth.
Pour or spoon batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven. For cupcakes, bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back to the touch. Allow to cool.
For the topping:
Combine pineapple and sugar in saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer until sauce thickens slightly. Allow to cool. I drained off the juice from the pineapples to save for something later (maybe sweet and sour sauce?).
Melt remaining tablespoon of butter in small skillet. Add pecans and brown 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
In a large bowl, cream 1/2 cup butter and cream cheese until smooth.
Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add vanilla.
Spread pineapples across the cake.
Spread cream cheese frosting over pineapples.
Sprinkle pecans over top of cake.
Dig in.
The recipe was easy to follow. The topping was super simple to make. I don’t know why I didn’t realize it sooner, but pineapples and cream cheese are such a good combination. While this cake was pretty good, it wasn’t exceptional. I may make it again if someone requests it, but it won’t go into our favorites.
Zoey’s makeshift robot holding antenna flag.
Shot from the top.
I can fly twice as high.
Bookmarks made for an exchange.
Quick report on school. Everyone had a great day.
Allison told us that she took a nap on her mat and that she would happily take a nap every day if we take her up to the school. She made some new friends but can’t remember their names. Right now they are just this boy and that girl.
Zoey’s school has a new principal with new ideas. Zoey is super excited because they will be going to Fine Arts once a week. Of course she loves her class, it is filled with some of her softball teammates and she has the same teachers Nathan had last year.
Nathan’s first day went well. He found his way around the school and has fun classes (like band and tennis) with his friends. The only hangup is that he got bumped from his AP math class because there were too many people signed up for it. Seems early to start AP classes right? I get to be one of “those” parents and call the school to find out why he was bumped. Bump him from one of the other AP classes, not his best subject! He tried to convince me to let him stay in the regular math class. “I like the reward system. Whoever gets done first with the most correct answers gets a prize. I’ll win it ever time.”
First day of school and everyone cooperated for a picture.
There is something about middle school. Classes are broken down into specific periods and some homework becomes too challenging for parents to help. It’s when kids really start paying attention to who wears what. When cliques become formed. When boys start liking the girls back. When the real peer pressure begins.
Last week at meet the teacher, we received Nathan’s schedule. Instructions were given by me to put it in his notebook when we got home, so that he would have it for the first few days of class. This morning, in the driveway, he realized that he didn’t have it with him. A quick run into the house and a search for the schedule yielded no results. No big deal, really. I’m sure his homeroom teacher can get another copy for him.
As we were dropping Nathan off at the designated Student Drop Off section, he felt a quick surge of panic. “I don’t know how to get to my classes from here.” Now there are images of Nathan spending the day in the wrong classes, just for the fun of it. I guess there is no better day to do it than the first day of school.
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