Confessions of a Mediocre Cook: Old-Fashioned Chocolate Layer Cake

Miss Priss's 14th birthday was last month. (I know! Fourteen!) As per our tradition, she and I perused cookbooks looking for the perfect birthday cake for this year. I've made several of her cakes over the years, and some were triumphs, I must admit. (As a mediocre cook, I'll take any triumph I can get.)

Alas, we couldn't seem to find just the right recipe. She wanted a chocolate cake this time, so when our cookbooks and a few cookbooks from the library did not satisfy, I began to search the web. You might ask why I didn't start there in the first place; I actually enjoy thumbing through cookbooks.

I found this recipe; I don't recall exactly how I found it. But I pinned it, so I will always know where it is when I need it in the future!

I didn't have the required number of squares of unsweetened chocolate, which led me to call my chef friend in a panic. As ever, she solved my problem: unsweetened cocoa powder and shortening. It worked like a charm. You can see the Crisco in the photo above.

I also made one other alteration to the recipe: instead of plain water, I used strong coffee. I simply stirred a heaping teaspoon of instant coffee crystals (which I keep around for recipes) into the measured hot water. I like the added depth that coffee provides to chocolate recipes.

For those of you who are culinarily challenged, a caveat: making this cake is a real production! It's not at all difficult, but it takes some time investment. And it IS an investment because the result is SO worth it.

Doesn't the batter look luscious? That's because it is, my friends. It is.

Making the frosting is also quite a production. But it is a major sin to make such a wonderful, perfect cake and then smear it with cloying, chemical-laden canned frosting. I loathe canned frosting.

Here's the recipe for the frosting, by the way. This is one of the best frostings I've ever had the pleasure of eating from a spoon. Which I did. Twice.

Recommendation: If you have a chocolate lover in your house or a big celebration in the future (or both), this is THE cake for you. A+

We Need a Little Real Christmas

Since we bought the new house, I've been spending a lot of time (some might say too much time) browsing home decor and lifestyle blogs for inspiration in our updating projects. I am decor-challenged. Here's my philosophy: Either you have the gift, or you copy someone else.

However, around October, I began to feel unequal to even the task of copying other ladies. Time to decorate for the autumn season! Time to get ready for Thanksgiving!

Folks were gussying up their porches, sunrooms, kitchens, fireplace mantels, dining rooms, and front doors in ways I'd never imagined. Pumpkins were everywhere: orange pumpkins, white pumpkins, glitter pumpkins, blue pumpkins. And the table settings! I'd never heard the term "tablescape" before then. Now I am among the informed.

And I pinned like mad.

The Christmas season is now upon us, and these talented bloggers are pulling out all the stops. Again, I pinned like crazy. I headed to Hobby Lobby before Thanksgiving to purchase a few items to deck our own halls. I began to mull over mantel decor possibilities (mantelscapes?). Tablescapes, too.

On December 1, Himself and Tiny Girl put up on Christmas tree. Miss Priss was eager to begin decorating, so she and I hung a few ornaments. And I had an epiphany.

I just don't have it in me.

I don't have the time or energy to throw myself into creating a mini Biltmore Estate at Christmastime. My home will not be part of any Christmas home tour, virtual or otherwise. Moreover, I don't have the inclination, now that I've done some soul-searching. Although I have enjoyed looking at others' Christmas decor and whatever-scapes, I can't successfully replicate their efforts. It's just not my gift, so I don't enjoy it as much as they do.

Because for me to even copy what these talented and dedicated bloggers do in their homes, which so clearly brings them joy, I'd have to channel Martha Stewart -- on speed. Or at least Red Bull. And I'd also have to change my focus to outward appearances instead of inner peace. It's true that we need a little Christmas, as the song goes. But all the holly, candles, tinsel, and fruitcake won't make a bit of difference in our lives in the long run.

So will I ditch the Christmas decor (besides the tree) altogether? No. I like pretty things. But there's a difference between opulence and richness, and I want more richness for myself and my family. I know myself pretty well, and if I choose to focus on things this season, if I get caught up in the Christmas busy-ness, I will miss the blessings. That's not true for everyone, but it's true for me.

In the next few days, I'll share the little things we're doing for Christmas in our new home, things that add to our joy but not our must-do list. I'll call it "Christmas Decor for the Uninspired." Or some such. If you're the inspired type, there are plenty of fabulous blogs out there to get your Christmas decoration juices going! But if you lean more toward my type, check back in this week and next. And let me know what you're doing at your home, too!

Big Change Number Two

After six years pf homeschooling, the girls are attending private school this year. It's been a big adjustment for all of us, and, like most big changes, has not been without its trials.

So why did we make this change?

Well. It's a bit of a story.

Miss Priss has been interested in this particular school for about two years. One of the girls' best friends attends, and some other friends from their drama group do, too. I've always put the kibosh on the idea because I love Ambleside Online, I love the homeschooling lifestyle, and I loved what AO held for us in upcoming years.

However, one day when I was at the library in Maine, looking for houses online, I had a thought: It doesn't hurt to look at the school's website.

Whenever I have thoughts that are different (or, in this case, completely opposite) from my mindset at the time, I go along with them because my thoughts are not your thoughts.

And emblazoned across the top of one of the pages: Still accepting applications for eighth grade.

Of course they were! And this meant I had to explore further.

And thus began the application process. In Maine. With no internet access except in the library. And no fax machine. Or scanner. I had to use the fax machine in the copy center ($1 per page!). Everything I printed out at the library cost me 25 cents per page! And we were on RUSH time. If she were to be accepted, Miss Priss would be starting school after the first day.

Not to mention the fact that we were negotiating a house offer.

After that, everything went like clockwork. It turns out they even had an opening for Tiny Girl in seventh grade.

So we lived in a residence hotel for a week while we closed on our new house AND the girls started school. We had to do their schoolwork at the library even after we moved in because we had to wait for the cable company to install our internet, phone, and TV service. To say we were frazzled is putting it mildly. But everything worked out fine.

The girls' school holds classes two days a week, and the other three days they have assignments to do at home. There are lots of quizzes, some projects, tests, and other school-like stuff that's new to my daughters. Studying for a test is a new concept for them. Lots of new required skills to learn, study questions to answer, worksheets to do. You know. School.

Now, they are getting more into the swing of it. They don't require my constant presence or assistance any longer. They are feeling more confident about their abilities. It's good.

I have to be honest, though. When I think about everything they will miss from Ambleside Online's later years, my heart hurts. So many wonderful books! And I also miss the freedom of homeschooling.

Everything has its drawbacks and benefits, right?

On the other hand, the teachers at the new school are committed Christians who they love the students. And that means a lot to me.

Hello, Stranger! Big Change Number One: Our New House

Big things have been happening in our lives. If you've been here before, you know that we were gearing up for a move this past summer. Himself had the unenviable job of picking out our new home without me. Most of my friends thought I was crazy to leave him with such a responsibility, but our agent and my dear friend, Becky, was on the job with him, so I felt okay. Also, Himself rose to the occasion and picked out a winner.

This photo crops out the garage, which is to the left, and sports new, fancy garage doors. Oh, and the sparkling new driveway is lovely, too.

Honestly, I love it.

However. The interior is nothing like the exterior. Almost everything needs to be updated.

The first week after closing, we all lived in the (finished) basement while we had the floors redone. We put hardwoods everywhere except for three of the bedrooms and the bonus room, which is the schoolroom/study. We put hardwoods in the master. There's nothing like the pervasive odor of polyurethane to make sleeping a challenge.

After we moved in, Himself painted the dining room and the living room. (Photos to follow. Soon.) I started painting the kitchen cabinets in ASCP Old White. This has turned out to be a much bigger job than I thought. My kitchen cabinet doors and drawers have multiplied, it seems. Also, I tried an antiquing treatment that failed miserably, so I had to repaint some of what I'd already painted. Live and learn.

Of course we suffered your garden-variety moving disasters, which no one escapes:

- Our lovely vintage secretary desk cracked down the side and needs repairing.
- A drain on the water heater clogged, causing water to flood into the basement storage room, where we were temporarily storing all our rugs. Our gorgeous wool dining room rug --which we'd had for years -- was ruined.
- The piano seriously needs to be tuned.
- A few items broke, including a coin bank Himself had received as a gift when he was a child.

And now the dishwasher is spewing water all over the floor.

Strangely enough, I'm still happy.

I've been perusing decorating blogs for weeks now, because I need inspiration and help. I know what I like but have trouble making it happen. Our new house needs real help. I'm excited about the prospect, but have unrealistic expectations, like wanting everything done NOW.

Check me out on Pinterest to see what I've been pinning. I've been really busy on my Gorgeous Home board. You might see something you like, too!

We are still living amid boxes and general disarray. Funny how life goes marching on, isn't it, whether you're ready or not.

And in the middle of all this, we also underwent a major lifestyle change, which I'll tell you about in a couple of days. Hang tight.