Let Me Toot....My Own Horn, That Is.

I'm not a fan of boasting. You know...tooting your own horn, patting yourself on the back. It's just so...unbecoming. I know I can have the tendency myself; and I try hard not to boast on my accomplishments. (Not that there are a whole lot of them.)

Today, however, I must make an exception. And here is why. I love to cook and bake. (No, that's not why I'm tooting my horn.) I love to bake cakes. (Nope, still not why.) I can whip up a yummy frosting. (Okay...maybe a mini-toot there.) I am, though, the world's worst cake decorator. Sure, my cake and frosting are delish, but the appearance? Lacking. Always. I have tried and tried to decorate cakes. I've bought the fancy Pampered Chef decorating kit that promises I'll be whipping out delectable AND fancy decorated cakes in no time. Needless to say, the kit isn't fail proof. I even tried practicing on a cardboard sheet, like the instructions showed me. Still no success. I end up with frosting gob flowers and crooked, smushed basket weave. So, I tucked my decorating kit away in defeat; buried deep in the "excess drawer" of my kitchen cupboards. (Doesn't everyone have on of those drawers? You know...the kind where you shove all the things you don't really use in? Am I the only one?) Well, today I decided to give it one more attempt. My sister called and asked if I'd make a cake for her daughter's first birthday. "Pink", she says. "Anything pink." If that's not vague. I was honored, yet concerned about the task that lay before me. A cake for around thirty-five people. Hmmm...sheet cake with store bought candy decor? Nah, too tacky. Layered cake with a giant "Happy Birthday, Lauren" on top? No. My "frosting print" looks like a four year old's scribbles. It had to be creatively easy. I rolled up my sleeves, dug out my dusty decorating kit, and whipped up some frosting. Heck, I even borrowed a decorating book from the library. I meant business. Serious business. Confectionery sugar flying, pink frosting from one counter top to another (and even some on the floor...but I think the girls "cleaned" that up for me...), dirty bowls and measuring cups piled high to the ceiling. It took some sweat, prayers, and an occasional "oh, stink!", but here's what I ended up with in the end....

Now, I know that it's nothing el supremo. It won't make it to the cover of a bridal cake magazine anytime soon. (Well...maybe a redneck one...) But for me, it's good. Actually, for me, it's better than good. It's pretty dang good. There. Horn tooted.