A Not-So-Bad First Birthday Cake

In my quest to make a cake that didn't contain *so* much sugar (and butter or oil), I experimented and it came pretty good! It's not the lightest fluffiest thing around, but it sure isn't a hockey puck. So, in case you're interested...

A Not-So-Bad First Birthday Cake

Cake

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup orange juice
1/3 cup applesauce
1 egg

Heat oven to 400F. Grease 8" x 8" pan. While dog licks Pam up off the floor, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix well. In a separate bowl combine orange juice, applesauce, and egg; blend well. Put baby in a carrier on your back and combine wet and dry ingredients. The batter will be lumpy and works up more like a quick bread than a cake. I like to mound up the batter toward the edges so it bakes a little flatter since te middle always rises more. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and flip over onto a cooling rack. Once it's cool enough to work with, hack at it with a bread knife until it only has right angles.


Filling

1 cup frozen strawberries

Place strawberries in a covered bowl in the refrigerator and forget about them for a few days. Remove them from the juice in the bowl and finely chop the ever living daylights out of them, or puree with a fancy kitchen device of your choice. Return them to the juice and mix.


Frosting

1/4 package (2 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese
1/8 cup sugar (I used a bit less)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cups heavy cream

Blend cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until mixed well. Give the baby on your back some scraps of cake as entertainment. Slowly add cream and whip until you have whipped cream but stop before you have butter.


Putting it all together

Very carefully cut cake in half horizontally with a bread knife. Layer on the strawberry filling, and return top half of cake. Plop all of the frosting on top and spread it over onto the edges with a spatula. Lick every spoon, beater, and bowl while the baby pushes cake scraps into your hair.


Ta-da!


Stop trying to wait for your husband to get home and eat a small piece already.


Patch it with some more frosting--like nothing ever happened :)


I will definitely be baking this again in a few weeks! (OMG my baby is going to be a year old in a few weeks!)

Knit bib and crocheted baby toy

These are really simple patterns that I just made up as I went along. Anyone could likely just look at these and make them without even reading further :)



Cabled Bib (knit)

Size 9 needles
Worsted weight cotton yarn
Tapestry needle

Cast on 30

P1, K4, P1 - K2, P2 across - P1, K4, P1 (front)

K1, P4, K1 - P2, K2 across - K1, P4, K1 (back)

Continue with the P1, K4 cable, P1 on either side of the K2, P2 ribbing for 5 rows (ending with a back side row)

Cross the 2 by 2 cable every other knit row, stockinette after 5 rows of ribbing

Continue until bib is square, end with K2, P2 ribbing for 5 rows

Cast off 24 stitches, continue right side cable - P1, K4, P1

Continue until neck strap is 1" less than desired length, knit button hole (2 stitches)

Finish two more rows, cast off, weave in ends


To make button: http://www.ehow.com/how_4862520_make-yarn-buttons.html

I used plastic from some packaging and cut it to my desired diameter instead of buying rings. Stitch it on, and voila!



Ring Toy (crochet)

Size F hook
Worsted weight cotton yarn
Tapestry needle

Ch 6

Join together to form circle

Sc in front loops only until piece is approximately 6" long (or until yarn pattern repeats evenly)

Fasten off, stitch together to form circle with tapestry needle, weave in ends

Babies Don't Keep

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo,
but I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
For children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

Cable Without Cable Needles Face Cloth

I wanted to learn to knit cables. I do not own cable needles. No worries, I didn't need them! I also like quick little projects while I learn so that gratification comes quick.


Cotton yarn, worsted weight
Size 9-ish knitting needles
Tapestry needle to weave in ends


Cast on 24

Rows 1 - 4: K1, P1 across, repeat (4 rows total).

Row 5: K1, P1, K1, P1 (border). P4, K2, P4, K2, P4 (middle). K1, P1, K1, P1 (border).

Row 6: Border, K4, P2, K4, P2, K4, border.

Rows 7 & 8: Repeat rows 5 & 6.

Row 9: Border, P4. Slip 2 stitches off left needle (keep them in front of your work), purl next stitch on left needle, put slipped stitches back on left needle, knit those 2 stitches (first left cable movement!). P2. Slip 1 stitch off left needle (keep it behind your work), knit the next 2 stitches, put the slipped stitch back on the left needle and purl it (first right cable movement!). P4, border.

Row 10: Border, K5, P2, K2, P2, K5, border.

Row 11: Border, P5, left cable (slip 2 off needle, P1, knit 2 slipped stitches), right cable (slip 1 off needle, K2, purl slipped stitch), P5, border.

Row 12: Border, K6, P4, K6, border.

Row 13: Border, P6. Slip 4 stitches off of left needle (number 1, 2, 3, 4 from left to right), keep 1 and 2 in front of your work, put 3 and 4 back on left needle, then put 1 and 2 onto left needle too (new order: 3, 4, 1, 2), knit all 4 stitches (first left-over cable!). P6, border.

Row 14: Border, K6, P4, K6, border.

Row 15: Border, P6, K4, P6, border.

Row 16: Repeat row 13.

Row 17: Border, K6, P4, K6, border.

Row 18: Border, P5, right cable (slip 1 off needle, K2, purl slipped stitch), left cable (slip 2 off needle, P1, knit 2 slipped stitches), P5, border.

Row 19: Border, K5, P2, K2, P2, K5, border.

Row 20: Border, P5, right cable (slip 1 off needle, K2, purl slipped stitch), left cable (slip 2 off needle, P1, knit 2 slipped stitches), P5, border.

Row 21: Border, K4, P2, K4, P2, K4, border.

Row 22: Border, P4, K2, P4, K2, P4, border.

Rows 23 & 24: Repeat rows 21 & 22.

Rows 25 - 29: K1, P1 across, repeat (4 rows total). Cast off, weave in ends.

Felt name book

I had this craft idea stuck in my head like a cheesy 90s pop song. I couldn't NOT do it, and it was burning to just get done quickly. So I started it last night and finished just now. I'm pretty pleased considering how much hand stitching was involved!



The cover is actually deep purple, despite looking black here








Close ups...











In action...



More fun to eat for now