Just Give it A Try

All I need it to hear about this cake was that it was very difficult to make.  Enough reason for me to give it a try!  I must admit I was a little hesitant about the combination of cake and flan.  To me it did not seem like a good combination, but boy was I wrong! This can be a fantastic dessert to impress your family and friends at your Thanksgiving table.

                                                                 Flan Cake

Ingredients:                                           Yield: 12 servings

Caramel Sauce


For the flan:

1 can condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 tbs vanilla

What makes this cake really special (my humble opinion) is the homemade caramel sauce.

In a medium bowl, whisk  all flan ingredients until well combined. Set aside.

For the cake:

1 box of yellow cake (follow instructions in the box)  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

I recommend making the caramel sauce first, that way it will cool down while you prepare flan and cake batter.

1. In a bundt cake mould, pour 1 cup caramel sauce making sure it covers the whole bottom. Place caramel sauce on the side for later use.

2. Pour cake batter over caramel sauce and level with spatula.

3. Pour flan mixture over batter nice and slowly.

4. This cake will bake in a water bath, therefore make sure you have a larger baking dish to place bundt mould inside. About four inches of water is good. Bake for 60 minutes.

5. Carefully, remove bundt from water dish and cool for 5 minutes. Invert cake to serving platter. Now, of course the flan will be on top and cake on bottom. Inverting tip:  place a large serving plate on top of bundt and and a thick kitchen towel on bottom. 

6. Pour remaining caramel sauce over flan cake and refrigerate overnight.

Enjoy and have a wonderful Harvest Season!

Texas Bound

Hello my lovelies,

As I write these lines, I am aboard a plane destination Texas.  I feel very emotional and yes, scared.  After much thought, sleepless nights and indecisions, we have decided to make the big move.  We are moving to Texas! Yes, I cannot believe it, it feels surreal.
This time, we are going to look for homes. I am hoping to find a house with a wow factor.  You know, we placed our home for sale and it was sold within a week. I knew it would sell, but never thought so fast!
But, the big deal is I am leaving my home. The home where I have been for nineteen years. The home where we raised our children.
As I write, I pause and reminisce about all the Christmases, Thanksgivings, birthdays, laughter, crying, happiness, cooking and baking. I will take all these memories inside my heart. And the house will remain for a new family to create their own memories.

The Cat In The Hat

Look at me!

Look at me!

Look at me now!

It is fun to have fun

But you have to know how

-Dr. Seuss- The Cat In The Hat

Our Precious Minds

Our minds is the most powerful element we own.  It enables us to be aware of the world and its experiences, to think, feel and it provides us  consciousness and thought.  It is also synonym of intelligence, intellect, understanding, reasoning, judgement and sense.

A couple of days ago, we lost a comedic genius and my favorite comedian, Robin Williams. There was no one like him and there will never  be. He was one of a kind.

Our minds can be our friend or our worst enemy and sometimes it can be a struggle to mandate our minds. It's ok to be sad and it's ok to be depressed, too, but if you feel you are inside a dark hole and cannot come out, don't be afraid to express yourself and seek help.

When my son, Andy passed, I tried so hard not to fall inside that dark hole. It might sound crazy, but I didn't want him to worry about me.  I wanted nothing to disturb his peace, so I kept on with my enormous pain and here I am.  I am just here.  Attaching myself to little things, memories, my family and to things I enjoy doing.

I've been in dark places, but I cannot imagine how deep in sadness Robin Williams was, that ending it all became his ultimate option. Let's take care of ourselves, let's take care of our loved ones.
If you are having suicidal thoughts or know someone who is,  call the National Suicide Prevention line 1800-273-8255.

Rest in peace, Mr. Williams and thank you for making us laugh so hard.

Is Age Only A Number?

Hello, my lovely people!

It's about time to address you and do what I do, tell a story. Talk about life, family, sweets and more. I have many topics in my mind, so I'll let my fingers do the talking.

I am 54 years old, yep. I don't feel physically old, but I can sure write a trilogy about my life. When I think back, look at pictures and share with the younger crowd, I realize how long I've been around.  Long is the time when I went dancing to the New York clubs. You know, once I tried to get into Studio 54; after standing in line for some time, the bouncer did not allow me in. I guess I was not dressed funky enough or did not own the vibe required! It was the time when Michael Jackson, Brooke Shields and the cream of the crop would frequent such club.  I wonder what made think I was going to be allowed in.

When I see pictures of myself, I see how much I have changed and I really do not mind  much the physical aspect as much as the glow in my eyes. That young glow that screams youth, young life, dreams and hopes. That glow, I miss that glow.

I see my children with their own families and I am so happy that they are happy and working towards achieving their own dreams. I think I did a good job raising  them, at least the best way I knew how. It's a great satisfaction to see our children all grown up and to realize, us, parents were such a big part of that puzzle.

Next time I will share some Flan Cake, but for the mean time, I will leave you with this picture. It was 1987.  Can you see the glow? Of course, I was also pregnant with my third child, Andy, one of the best gifts in my life.


                                                         My husband and I. December 1987

One Thing I Know For Sure

Hello, dear friends!

In my last post I asked you, "Are you doing the best you can in life or is life doing the best it can with you?"  It's only fair I should answer my own question and the answer is: I am doing the best I can in life.  I have to admit it is easier when we let life do the best it can with us, but I have never taken the easy road, it's just not my nature.  Boy, my life has been quite a roller coaster since my son's passing.  You know, tomorrow will mark 15 months.  The first year I felt like I was walking on sponges; I know it sounds weird, but that is how I felt.  I did not know whether I was coming or going.  I was desperate and sometimes even insane.  It's a long, long road.  One that has no end, yet we keep on living and learning to cope each day. It never gets better, you just live, that's all.

I try to keep myself extremely busy, it's the only way for me.  My life has changed tremendously also after my grandchildren moved away.  No more cupcakes for Girl Scouts meetings, no more planning their birthdays, no more school pick ups and hardly ever bake cookies just because. So I've had to adapt to too many things in a very short period of time.  One thing I know for sure,  and that is that my son is helping me put one foot in front of the other, there is just no other explanation.  Our love and bond was too strong and that will for ever remain.

Just because I don't write as much does not mean I have lost my enthusiasm with my blog.  I have changed, but my passion has not.

This is my last creation.

                                                         Airplane Birthday Cake

My love to all,

Rosy

Under The Sea

Hello lovely ones!  How are you all doing? Are you doing the best you can in life or is life doing the best it can with you? Something to think about, huh! I will think about it, too and let you know.

I wanted to share my latest sugar adventure. An Under The Sea theme birthday cake for a little girl, who just turned 1. I love Miss Octopus!  She is so feminine and sweet.  Her head, I made of marzipan and covered it in fondant.

Happy Sweet Birthday, little darling!