This year, my friend and I have entered into an unspoken, good-natured "cake competition." We are both amatures, with a few cakes under our belts, wanting to practice our skills, and so we have been jumping at the chance to make a cake for anyone and anything. My most recent entry was the Fish Cake, made for my avid icefishing husband's birthday. I thought it turned out pretty good, but there is still alot I would change about it.
Just this Sunday, my friend made a darling cake for a baby shower, in which she modeled a baby from gum paste. She just upped the ante again! Always keeping me on my toes... So now I have something new to try, and with my brother's birthday just around the corner, looks like I've found my chance! So, now I just need to come up with a good design for a cake for a 20 year old guy. Any suggestions? He loves video games (natch) and works in fast food, is in college, and is musically inclined. Give me your ideas!
Last month, I made a castle cake for our daughter's 4th birthday, and that, too turned out quite well. I think it would also be wonderful as an enchanted wedding cake, or a fairytale wedding cake. I had an idea to create a "pumpkin carriage" from a cake mould I have that is shaped like a pumpkin, which we used this past fall for a wedding. But I ran out of time, and couldn't figure out how to engineer wheels for the carriage. I would love to figure it out, though, so if you want a castle cake, and a carriage, I would love to make you one!!
But even as I speak about having all this time to kill, the phone is ringing, and we are starting to fill our spring and summer calendar quite rapidly. We already have two weddings and three rehearsal dinners, as well as a Brownie troup graduation, and a bridal shower, and a few other small parties...all just in May. Oh, boy!! I'm actually looking forward to it. The weather will be warm, the flowers will be blooming, and making the menus and the cakes and the decor for all these parties just sounds so wonderful right now!! Oh, Spring, where are you?! I'm ready to get cracking!!
On another note about spring, this spring and summer we are going to be trying something new that I definitely think will be worth checking out. If you have ever visited us here at the Kimmell House Inn, either for our Bed and Breakfast, or for a meal in our restaurant, Bistro in the Country, you know generally what our menu is like: cafe fare, soups, salads, sandwiches- all homemade, and in the warm months, generally homegrown. This year, we are going to try a new menu item at least once a month. It will be a special item, maybe a new salad, or a new sandwich, or maybe something entirely different, unlike anything we normally serve. We are going to try and keep this going all summer, and we want your feedback on it. If it's really good, we might keep it around. Our desserts will continue to be specials daily, usually subject to our whimsy and mood and what we think sounds good today (I'm thinkin' some more Peanut Butter Pie sounds good right about now...) so always ask about that. And did you know? If you call us a few days before you head in here, and you know there's something special for dessert you want, you can just tell us- we'll make sure to have it fresh and ready for you. We love doing that! If you just love the Cinnamon Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce, well, by all means- tell us!! When you are here, we will make sure to have a piece (or maybe the whole pan) warm and ready for you!! There's nothing we like more than knowing someone really enjoys our cooking.
Spring is just around the corner (hopefully), and you should make sure to stop on in. Check out the latest cake I'm working on, and sample some of the new menu ideas we're creating!! Keep me busy so I can make it until warmer weather (finally) gets here!! :)
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