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 |   Blog Challenge And Other Tidbits |
| An opinion or two...or three or four... |
PROMPT May 7th Start your entry today with the words: “I used to believe...” I used to believe that any recipe, either published or hand-written, was simply a roadmap to a tasty treat or a successful meal. Organized and methodical, they were written with absolute truth, honesty, and the promise of outstanding results. I used to believe a recipe could make me look like a superhero when I presented such a delight. Yep, I used to believe that... Take for instance, the matter of...THE EASTER CAKE... One afternoon as I was perusing a cooking magazine and I found a recipe for a delightful Easter cake. It was shaped like a flower pot and on top there was an arrangement of beautiful flowers. Pansies, nasturtiums, lilacs and mums. All edible and all beautiful. The colors were really spectacular and screamed of spring and Easter and lovely weather. Underneath the flowers there was even some dirt to make it look real. And it was wrapped in a wonderful yellow bow. It simply took my breath away. As I sat and stared at the cake my mind started to think. What a great cake! Something like that would be wonderful for my own Easter table! The recipe seems simple enough. How hard could it be? It was that last thought that got me in trouble. How hard could it be? Right, famous last words. Over the next day or two, I kept thinking about that cake. It was a beautiful cake. And I knew pretty quick that I MUST MAKE THAT CAKE! After all, how hard could it be? So I set out to make the cake. I did what every good baker does. I checked the recipe. I checked my ingredients. I checked for the freshness of the ingredients. I checked my utensils. I checked my pans. I checked the stove. And I checked the time. Ha! Just enough time to get to the store and start on the cake. The recipe promised it would take only four hours to make and because it was only 8:00 a.m. I could have an Easter Masterpiece by early afternoon. Oh heck, 2:00 at the latest. The plan was perfect! Off to Safeway I went. I gathered stuff like vanilla and eggs and pre-sifted cake flour. I grabbed chocolate and sugar and and food dye. I ran to the produce department to pick out my flowers. I ran to the check-out with my armful of goodies and a smile on my face. I opened my wallet and waited for the total...and was suddenly shocked by what the cashier said. "It comes to $68.29." For a cake? My smile suddenly faded. But I handed over the money just the same. When I got to the car I checked my list. I still needed pans and fondant and a couple more flowers. So off to Hobby Lobby I went. I gathered the pans. I found the fondant. No flowers in sight, but that was okay. I could always find more later on. I got to the check-out with my wallet in hand. I nearly fainted when the cashier, bless her little heart, told me the total was $50.13." I must have been staring because she asked me if something was wrong. Something was wrong all right. I just found myself committed to a most expensive cake. $100 all in. Seriously? But it wasn't the sweet little cashier's fault. So I handed over the money and took my bag to the car. I wasn't so happy then but I was committed and I felt it would be sinful to let everything go to waste. I convinced myself that even though expensive I would have a lovely masterpiece at the end. I pictured myself beaming with pride as I presented my cake. I donned my best apron and readied the kitchen. Oven on. Counters cleared. Ingredients gathered. Recipe out. Time checked. 10:00 a.m. Piece of cake I thought to myself. And yes, I was pleased with my little pun. I jumped right in with pleasure and bliss. First the pans. Greased and floured. Then the cake batter. Wet ingredients added one at a time with love and care into my trusty Kitchenaid. Then the dry ingredients. Sifting required first. Oh what a bother but this was a masterpiece I was making so I begrudgingly got out a sifter. And... Poof! Flour everywhere! On the counter. On the floor. In my hair. All over the dog. It was just everywhere! But not to worry. This was a masterpiece I was making. So I cleaned up the mess and tried one more time. And... Success! So I spooned it into the Kitchenaid a little at a time. And... Poof! Another dusty mess. The paddle of the Kitchenaid was whirling too fast. But I was making a masterpiece so I had to keep going. Finally the pans were into the oven. And finally the pans were out on the counter to cool. And finally the cakes were ready to decorate. Finally the fun part was about to begin. I was so excited. It was time to make the pot. I had to stack three layers of cake with frosting between each chocolatey layer. Milk chocolate frosting I whipped up by hand. Then I had to carve the cake to resemble a flower pot. Once again the thought ran through my head. How hard could it be? Well...after shaving and shaving and carving and carving I ended with a lop-sided mass that didn't resemble a pot at all. But not to worry. I was making a masterpiece. So I dubbed my pot perfect and called it an ode to life's imperfections. It would just have to do. And next was the fondant. I knew fondant existed. But I'd never used it before. I never tasted it before. I had no idea what to expect. But not to worry. I was making a masterpiece. So I tackled the fondant. Just like the recipe said. And... It was a lumpy tasteless mess that nearly made me cry. It looked like a rag I retrieved from the trash. But I held back the tears. Because I was making a masterpiece. And I had to keep going. Somehow I managed to cover my cake. Lumpy and lop-sided and not attractive at all. But I decided that once I added the flowers the cake would be perfect. So I began the final step. And...the edible flowers I purchased had wilted and faded. They weren't usable at all. But not to worry. I was making a masterpiece. So I went to my garden to pick flowers of my own. I picked roses and lilies and anything else I could find. They would just have to do. I went back to my cake and arranged all my blossoms on top with the most love and care I could muster. And...finally my cake was done. I stood back to observe the masterpiece I'd made. It leaned to one side and was lumpy in spots. The flowers were wilting and the fondant was ragged. It was the ugliest edible thing I'd ever made. It was so horrible I couldn't even cry. The tears I tried to shed only made me laugh. And before I knew it everyone in the house was laughing along with me. It wasn't a masterpiece after all. And absolutely no one wanted to eat that cake. And I learned a lesson. Not every recipe is trust-worthy on time and skill. For this recipe cost me just over $100 and 10 hours of my time. A "simple 4-hour" cake nearly destroyed me. But it's something I'll always remember and something I'll always treasure. Because...I was making a masterpiece. |
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