Thursday, November 25, 2010

Traditions, gratitude, and a Red Velvet cake...

         This year I'm thankful for so much...

         My health, my family and friends, a wonderful home, so much happiness I could burst! I could go on and on with the list, but these things stand out above all else.

         Oh, yes, there is one more thing....I am thankful for CAKE!! I love to bake it, eat it, share it, and decorate it! When I am asked to bring a dessert somewhere, I don't just bake and frost something (well, I used to, but I was lazy!) My brain, ever busy dreaming up designs, gets all happy thinking of an appropriate, even simple design to add that something extra to the end of a meal.

         Thanksgiving is no exception! There's pumpkin, pecan, any kind of pie. There's cheesecake too, sure.
But how do you dress these up? Nice crust cut-outs, a little sanding sugar, egg wash, check! Fruit coulis, chocolate sauce, softly whipped cream, check. Tasty yes, and in their own rights, a feast for the eyes. I like making them. I just don't get the same level of joy out of it. I GOTTA decorate!! But honestly, other than us cakers, how many of you serve cake with your turkey dinner? Not many that I see.

         We were invited again this year to Thanksgiving dinner at the home of my former boss and his family. Chef Paul makes an INCREDIBLE spread! His daughter asked me last year to bring a Red Velvet cake, so I whipped one up, with Seven Minute frosting. No decorations then. That recipe for RV cake is extraordinary! I didn't think it needed anything else. Everyone loved it. When I was asked again this year to bring the RV cake, I wanted to up the ante. Here's the result







        I'm a detail freak, so I had fun creating the turkey's dinner plate first. T-bone steak, half a baked potato with butter, sour cream and chives, and peas. I LOVE miniatures, and this 1.5" plate qualifies as my favorite thing about this cake!






        I hope you all have had a wonderful day, full of loved ones, laughter, gratitude, and joy!


5 comments:

  1. Oh Em Gee, Scott! That plate, turkey, and cake look amazing! I'm sure the whole meal was, considering it was at Chef Paul's!
    Thanks for sharing the pics, it's really wonderful.

    Cheers,
    Krista

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  2. Very cute Scott; I also brought a cake to Thanksgiving, but I was lazy and brought a Pumpkin bundt cake with just a ganache glaze. Love the tiny baked potatoe

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  3. Krista,
    Thank you for your comments! It was a wonderful evening as always...he and Jan are some of the best hosts I know. Always a great time, and the food's out of this WORLD, of course ;)
    Julie, thank you so much. And lazy doesn't apply to anything baked with love! :)

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  4. That is INCREDIBLY cute!!! I bet you get dozens of invitations for Thanksgiving next year! ;)

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  5. Thank you, Bridget! If we don't do turkey at home, we always go to Chef Paul & Jan's home. Standing traditions, 3 years running. BEST of times :)

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