Veggies vs kids

Having trouble getting your kids to eat healthy? Yeah I do too. My two year old wants nothing to do with eating anything in any shade of green. He has also slowly started to turn his nose at fruit. After many failed attempts of basically forcing the food on him, I've learned to be creative. 

First, lets start with breakfast. Amazingly, my son loves yogurt and oatmeal. So, I mix in small pieces of fresh fruit like blueberries, strawberries or peaches and he eats it up. Not rocket science but it works. I also add tons of fruit to home made pancakes and waffles. It's the same with Cheerios or shredded wheat. Luckily, he's a pretty good breakfast eater. It all goes down hill after that. 

For lunch, Mac and cheese or grilled cheese are always a hit (but for whatever reason he won't touch a cheese quesadilla). Using either Annies mac and cheese or home made with whole wheat pasta, I add some spinach or peas. Most of the time it works but occasionally I find peas on the floor once lunch is done. Adding slices of tomato or avocado to whole wheat grilled cheese works too. I've also been able to sneak in slices of turkey breast on occasion. Sometimes peanut butter and jelly work sometimes it doesn't. Usually I find the sandwich taken apart with the peanut butter and jelly scooped out I always use all natural peanut butter and organic jams. It's not a vegetable but it's better than a burger and fries. 

Dinner is always an experiment, and adventure. What worked a few nights ago may not work again. He's pretty much turned his nose at any meat or fish except chicken nuggets. I would much rather him eat fresh chicken or fish instead of processed meats. I've made home made fish and chips but cut up the cod or haddock into smaller 1 or 2 inch pieces before cooking, basically making them look like a nugget. He ate it up! Now I know how to get him to eat fish! I do something similar with chicken, baking it and looking like a chicken nugget. Alfredo noodles are very popular in our house. I've found mixing spinach in with the noodles works too. It sticks to the noodles and becomes very difficult to pick off and it gets eaten. 

As for snacks or beverages, we've had to get creative. We add just a splash of chocolate almond milk to his milk for a treat of "chocolate milk". We never have to worry about him finishing his milk. We also found a neat squeeze bottle that he thinks is just the coolest thing and can't wait to drink water from it.  My son loves chips. What kid doesn't? I thought making kale chips would be such an easy way to get him to eat some veggies. Boy was I wrong. I tried giving them to him fresh from the oven. Nope, he saw the green and turned away. I tried putting them on his plate, in a bowl, nothing worked. What ended up working? Putting the kale chips in a tostitos bag. He thought they were real chips and almost ate the whole bag! Such trickery...

My son loves baked goods. Breads, sweets, you name it. I feel bad with my line of work. All he wants to do is sample everything I make! I've used this to my advantage. I don't feel quite so bad giving him our home made zucchini or squash bread, chocolate zucchini cake or pumpkin bread. Each batch has atleast 2 cups of veggies and I know there are no preservatives or high fructose corn syrup. 

I know there are tons of other ideas out there on how to get kids to eat. What have you found works for you? 

Saving the anniversary tier

When working with couples on determining the size and design of their wedding cake, a question that frequently comes up is "Should I save the top tier for my anniversary?" 

Well, why do we save the top tier? Most couples freeze the cake with the intention of sharing it on their first wedding anniversary. The tradition has its roots in the late 19th century when grand cakes were baked for christenings. It was assumed that the christening would occur soon after the wedding ceremony, so the two ceremonies were often linked, as were the cakes. With wedding cakes becoming more and more fancy and elaborate, the christening cake quickly took a back seat to the wedding cake. When three-tiered cakes became popular, the top tier was often left over. A subsequent christening provided a perfect opportunity to finish the cake.  As the time between the weddings and the christenings widened, the two events became disassociated, and the reason for saving the top tier changed.

( In researching the history behind saving the top tier I came across an old tradition where the groom would break the cake over the brides head, symbolizing the grooms dominance over her. Glad we don't follow this tradition anymore!!)

So, should you save it? Well, it depends on your budget and personal preference. If you are on a tight budget, utilizing your top tier as cake servings for your wedding can save you anywhere from $50-$100. (Or more depending on how intricate your cake is and who is making it). Saving the top tier may also end up leaving you with more cake than you need. One bride I worked with was set on saving her top tier and wanted a 3 tiered cake. However, in doing so, she was ending up with atleast 50 servings more than she needed. This left her with not only extra cake, but extra cost. Utilizing her top tier gave her just enough servings and saved her quite a bit of money. And lucky for her, she got her cake at Frost This Cakes. All of our couples that get their wedding cake with us get a discounted anniversary cake in any flavor they wish. It's made fresh and tastes better than a cake that was frozen for a year :) 

Here is the proper way to store your cake, should you decide to save it. First, wrap cake tightly in Saran Wrap. Then wrap in foil, place in a ziplock bag or air tight container and place in your freezer. Just a few simple steps to store it! And when you are ready to eat it, all you need to do is leave the cake on the counter at room temperature for a few hours. Just remember, your cake may get freezer burn after three months or so, so if you don't want it to go to waste, you might want to dig in early!!

Weekly farmers market

If you have followed any of our website updates or our Facebook status's, you should know we are at the Salem Farmers Market (www.salemnhfarmersmarket.com) every Sunday until October. I have frequented farmers markets in the past but this is the first market I have ever worked. Let me tell you, it's hard work! 

I'm sure you're thinking, how hard can it be, sitting outside, breathing in fresh air? Well a few hours worth of work actually takes awhile to prepare for. We bake everything fresh for the market the day before and we have to transport everything we make to the market along with everything else we need, like chairs, tables, tents, etc. Then setting everything up and taking it down in the summer weather takes its toll. 

Luckily, there are tons of great vendors and farms at the market where you can not only pick up your fresh fruits and vegetables but also get your lunch from the Blue Ox Food Box or cool off with some ice cold New Hampshire made soda. 

When you visit our table you can sample some of our great products. This past week our samples included lemon cake with raspberry buttercream, white chocolate raspberry with cream cheese frosting, strawberry vanilla made with our homegrown organic strawberries and chocolate zucchini cake made with homegrown organic zucchini. In addition to these great flavors, we also carry a variety of whoopie pies and cake pops. 

So come stop by and see us any Sunday. You never know what yummy goodies we might have that day! 

Cupcake decorating parties

Something new we recently launched here at Frost This Cakes are cupcake decorating parties! These parties are an easy way to keep kids entertained at a birthday party or a fun way to start girls night out or a bachelorette party.  We come to your location of event, saving you the trouble of driving anywhere. We bring everything you need, from the cupcakes and the frosting, to fondant and candy toppers. 

We start with freshly baked cupcakes, in a flavor of your choosing. We bring a variety of colored frostings in piping bags with various frosting tips, which create a plethora of different design options. We provide general guidance and direction on proper techniques, as well as one on one assistance if needed/requested. 

We provide all sorts of fun stuff to top off your cupcake: sugar sprinkles in a variety of colors, m&m's, Reese's pieces, Reese's peanut butter cups, mini snickers, candy eyeballs, and more. We also have fondant toppers, made by you! We provide a variety of colors of fondant as well as the fondant tools needed. You will be able to make large and small flowers, butterflies, stars and other small toppers for your cupcake.  The rest is up to you. With creativity and a fun imagination, anything is possible!

The parties are fun for anyone of all ages. If you have any questions in this, feel free to ask! 

Grocery store vs bakery cake

So why go to a bakery or home baker instead of using a boxed mix or getting one from your local grocery store? With the many choices available in your local grocery store, a boxed mix surely makes it easy (and cheap) to whip up any flavored cake. From vanilla and chocolate to carrot and german chocolate, most mixes are under $2 per box. Then for another $2, you can get a can of pre made frosting including shelf stable and non-refrigerated cream cheese frosting? Add some oil, eggs and water and presto, you have a cake. But, have you looked at the ingredients in a box mix?

In a world where so many of us are concerned with processed foods and high fructose corn syrup, I am amazed at the amount of people that still opt for boxed mixes. Here is the list of ingredients off a box of Betty Crocker chocolate cake mix: enriched bleached flour, sugar, corn syrup, cocoa processed with alkali, baking side, sodium aluminum phosphate, mono calcium phosphate, corn starch, modified corn starch, nonfat milk, partially hydrogenated soybean oil and/or cottonseed oil, propylene glycol mono and diesters of fatty acids, salt, distilled monoglycerides, dicalcium phosphate, sodium stearoyl lactylate, xanthan gum, cellulose gum and artificial flavor. Phew! I think I counted 21 ingredients... For a cake... Not including the oil, water and eggs. Not including the frosting or any fillings. I'm curious what ingredients are in the cream cheese frosting.

Can I tell you what goes into a Frost This chocolate cake? Unbleached flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, brown sugar, butter, eggs, milk and cocoa powder. 10 ingredients. And we try to use local, fresh ingredients when available. That's just one of the reasons...

If you get your cake at your local supermarket, yes, you will save a few bucks. You can pick up a dozen cupcakes for $6 where you are looking to spend atleast $20 from your local bakery. So why spend the extra funds at a bakery when the supermarket is just so cheap? Because you will get the personal touch. If your son is really into science, do you think the local grocer will take the time to research science cakes, find out their favorite flavors and colors and make it come to life like this cake?

Or if your unique 10 year old has an odd obsession with rubber ducks, mustaches and the color purple, will the local baker take the time to make this cake?

The local supermarket has one or 2 decorators that need to whip out 50 cakes, that all look the same and the most personalization you will get is happy birthday (insert name here)

On those occasions that are special enough to you that you want to celebrate with cake, why not choose someone that can help you make your child's face light up with excitement, or your dad be even more excited to retire.

Fondant vs buttercream

Wedding season is coming! One of the most frequent questions I get asked when meeting with brides is, "what is fondant?" Fondant is sugar and water mixed with gelatin and food-grade glycerine, which keeps the sugar pliable and creates a dough-like consistency. It's basically an edible sugar play dough.

So how does fondant work? I don't make my own fondant (yet) I buy it pre-made, called rolled fondant. (It's called rolled because you have to roll it out like pie crust to use it). You have to really knead it to make it soft and pliable. You can color it any shade using gel colors, but for wedding cakes, most brides opt for white. Once the fondant is rolled out large enough to cover the cake, it is placed gently over the cake, then smoothed over, removing the excess. The cake itself has a thin layer of buttercream frosting to allow the fondant to adhere to the cake.

Most people think fondant is the only option when it comes to decorating cakes, especially wedding cakes. From Cake Boss to My Fair Wedding, every cake show on TV uses fondant on their cakes. But fondant isn't the only way to go.

I am finding more and more brides are opting for buttercream or cream cheese frosting over fondant because fondant really doesn't taste that good. Although it is edible, fondant should really be treated like an orange. You peel the orange peel back and eat what is inside. This is the same with fondant. You peel the exterior fondant back and eat the moist cake and buttercream frosting inside. Why aren't cupcakes covered in fondant? Because people like the sweet creamy taste and texture of frosting.

For anyone that doesn't know, buttercream frosting is confectioners sugar and butter or shortening mixed with a few other ingredients. Choosing buttercream or any other frosting over fondant is usually a good way to help save money and stay within your budget. Fondant is more expensive than buttercream, costing $20 for a 5 pound box from your local craft store. Sometimes using fondant is more difficult than buttercream because of the physical work of kneading and rolling it out, causing prices to increase. Ombré cakes are all the rage right now and it's very easy to pull this look off using buttercream instead of fondant. Using buttercream is an affordable way to personalize your cake and make it unique.

Wedding Cake Basics

Wedding season is just around the corner and with that also comes our busiest time. In speaking with brides, we have learned that most really don't know what they want. I have found that the consultation is key in helping the happy couple decide on what cake they want and how to make their cake fit their budget. First, we (the bride and myself) decide on where to have the consultation and tasting. Some choose to come to the bakery but most decide on having it in their own home. Having this done at their home can help them feel at ease and not pressured. But don't worry, I bring everything with me, including the cake, plates, forks and napkins.

The bride can bring up to 3 additional guests and can choose 4 different cake flavors. She can choose something off our menu, or something else, as long as we have time to perfect the recipe in time for the tasting. We want this cake to be as unique as the couple that is getting married. Why be stuck with the standard menu if there is something else that you are dying to try? In addition to the 4 cake flavors, she can choose 4 additional frostings. The cake and frosting is served separately. To explain, 4 individual cupcakes are baked, served unfrosted, then 4 individual servings of frosting and/or fillings. Everyone can mix and match to decide on what flavor works for them. I find this process works best as the couple can choose THEIR cake, not have the cake chosen for them. I have had brides choose a flavor combination that I never would have put together, but once I tasted it she was right on...it was delicious!

Then once all the deliciousness has been tasted, we start to work on a cake. I use the cake serving guide by icedjems.com as a guide in determining the right size cake. In this economy, most brides and grooms are very budget conscious. Is a 4 tiered cake right for their budget or would a smaller cake with a sheet cake be better? Are cupcakes a better fit to side step the caterers cake cutting fee? All of these options are explained fully at the tasting and hopefully one fits their budget. For example, some caterers can charge upwards of $3/slice for a cake cutting fee. This is an additional $300 charge for a wedding of 100 guests. This fee does not apply to cupcakes.

All of the cakes we do start at $3.25/slice, whether its a wedding or birthday cake. Just because we are making a wedding cake over a birthday cake doesn't give us the right to increase our price. This cost includes a basic buttercream cake with minimal detailing and decoration. Prices do increase, however, depending on the decoration and detail of the cake. A fondant covered cake is $4.25/slice. Want sugar flowers instead of fresh flowers? The cost is $5/slice. Sugar flowers are very time consuming and sometimes painstaking work, which is why they cost more. Fondant vs buttercream, sugar flowers vs fresh flowers, fresh fruit filling or jam? Again, these are my prices. I can't speak for other bakers, but all of these options need to be considered when deciding on the cake and having it fit in your budget.