(this year’s birthday cake)
Yesterday was my daughter’s 29th birthday. I cannot believe the time has gone by so fast. I know this sounds so cliché but it really only seems like yesterday that she was just born. And in her case, she was. Being in the kitchen, and creating foods together was something she was raised on. She loved mixing ingredients and rolling out dough. The older she got the more she could do. It was so much fun to have her in the kitchen with me.
Every year I made a special birthday cake with a theme that varied depending on where we had her party. One year her party was at the NYS museum. The cake had a camping theme complete with campers with sleeping bags of fondant and a fire as well. I even made a little snake that crawled out from the bushes.
Her birthday on Thursday was no different. We had no party, but I did make a yummy Kahlua Chocolate Mousse cake in her honor that was enjoyed by our family!
One of my favorite memories and special times my eldest and I had was when she was about 4 years old. I made pizza dough and was planning on making a large pizza for the family. My daughter had other plans. She insisted on making her very own individual pizza.
I gave her a small piece of the dough and she went to work at her own work area. She pounded and pulled that poor piece of dough for at least an hour, clearly having a blast! When I approached her saying that her dough was ready for the sauce and cheese, she insisted she needed just a few more minutes to shape it.
Shaping was the operative word, since the gluten in the dough was beaten into submission and just fell apart. After I explained that her dough needed to rest for a few minutes, I quickly helped her form a small, yet tough pizza crust.
She topped it, and it was off to the oven. I must admit the kid had SOME attention span, even at 4. I was very impressed.
She enjoyed that pizza so much, and I am sure that her investment in its’ creation had a lot to do with it.
Bake or cook with your kids. It is well worth it. For you and for them!
Happy Baking!
Chef Gail