Easter Adventures and Keara's Birthday

(Somehow this post didn't post when I scheduled it to.  In fact, in never posted at all.  It's status went from 'scheduled' to 'draft' so it didn't post.  Anyone else have problems with that?  Anyway, that's why this post is so old.  Sorry!)

This year's Easter was SO fun!  Although we were sad to miss Uncle Bob's Easter Party, we sure enjoyed spending Easter and General Conference weekend with Shaun and Susan's family.  We started things out Friday evening with their annual egg rolling.  More like egg THROWING.  They go to the biggest hill they can find and "roll" their eggs down the hill.  Whosever goes the furthest wins.  Well, no one really rolls theirs.  You just chuck it as absolutely hard as you can.  If it doesn't break or crack, it's still in the game.  I am amazed at how much abuse a hard boiled egg can withstand!  We had to throw some of those little devils a dozen times before they got a scratch on them.

Sweet Jonathan knew about Taryn's egg allergy and that she can't even touch them, so he made her a special egg...entirely wrapped in electrical tape.  She felt REALLY special and loved throwing her little cat down the hill. 

After that, we went to S&S's house for a little party they threw for new members of the ward.  Talk about fun times!  They have the greatest house and it was really fun to meet other people in the ward. 

The next day, we got together in between sessions for Keara's birthday party.  We did homemade pizzas, root beer, and strawberry cupcakes.  I tried a new homemade cake recipe and LOVED it!  It turned out SO yummy!  I added crushed strawberries and a little red dye to make them pink and strawberry flavored. Honestly, delicious.  I can't wait to make another cake in another variation.

BASIC CAKE MIX

2 cups all purpose flour + 1/3 cup cornstarch (or 2 1/3 cups cake flour)

1 Tbs baking powder

¾ tsp salt

2 cups sugar

½ cup oil

2 eggs

1 ½ cups milk

1 tsp vanilla

Combine ingredients according to variations below. Pour batter into greased and floured pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes (less for cupcakes, more for deeper pans) until cake is set in the center.

*YELLOW CAKE: Sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In a mixing bowl, combine oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Slowly add in dry ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes, scraping the sides frequently.

*WHITE CAKE: Use 3 egg whites instead of 2 whole eggs. In a separate bowl, beat egg WHITES ONLY until stiff. Sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In a mixing bowl, combine oil, milk, and vanilla. Slowly add in dry ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes, scraping the sides frequently. Fold egg whites into batter.

*CHOCOLATE CAKE: Sift together flour, cornstarch, ¼ cup cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In a mixing bowl, combine oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Slowly add in dry ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes, scraping the sides frequently.

*SPICE CAKE: Sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground cloves, and ¼ tsp ground allspice. In a mixing bowl, combine oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Slowly add in dry ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes, scraping the sides frequently.

*STRAWBERRY CAKE: Sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Mash 1 cup whole strawberries. In a mixing bowl, combine oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Add berries and a few drops red food coloring. Slowly add in dry ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes, scraping the sides frequently.

*LEMON CAKE: Sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In a mixing bowl, combine oil, eggs, 1 cup milk, ½ cup lemon juice and vanilla. Slowly add in dry ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes, scraping the sides frequently.

*VANILLA CAKE: Sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In a mixing bowl, combine oil, three eggs, milk, and vanilla. Slowly add in dry ingredients. Add one packet vanilla pudding and 1/3 cup sour cream. Beat for 2 minutes, scraping the sides frequently.

*OTHER VARIATIONS: Instead of milk, use flavored coffee creamer for any flavor you like.

After cake, Keara opened her presents from S&S's family.  She was totally spoiled with girly things like froo-froo skirts and dresses.  She had asked for a pink dress, and that's just what she got!

 

There was this totally funny moment while opening presents when she was opening a roll of paper for her new painting easel.  It took her a really long time to open it (it was wrapped well) and I could tell that she had NO clue what in the world it was.  So I asked her, "Do you know what that is?"  She replied, "Yes, toilet paper."  Okay!  Obviously, she wasn't deterred by receiving toilet paper as a gift and figured it was still exciting.

We then watched the second session of conference, then hurried out the door to the underwater adventure place at Mall of America.  Fun!  You walk thru an underground tunnel with glass ceilings so you can watch the fish and sharks and rays swimming above and around you.  They also had a jelly fish room filled with hundreds of different types of jellyfish as well as a sea horse room.  Cool!

The next day, we went over for Easter dinner then watched the last session of conference and played games.  It was a great weekend.