On the Way to the Voting Booth...

March 20, Illinois primary elections.  Our polling place was a new location, the elementary school at the end of our street.  Since it was in the 80s that day, we decided to walk down and cast our votes.

It was so nice to see all the flowers and budding/blooming trees this early in spring!

Your typical polling place...

I carried my camera in to the polling place with me.  Ellie is a large camera, and she was hanging around my neck.  It's kind of hard to miss seeing her!  So here's the story...

We walked inside the school gymnasium and up to the tables.  The polling judges took our names and handed us our ballots.  I announced to them, "We have a first-time voter (Danny) with us today; I'm going to take his picture.  I will stand over there (way out of the way)."  One of the judges (a woman) said, "Okay."  Joseph, Danny, and Jacob each chose a booth and began to mark their ballots.  There were two other voters there, and they were almost finished with their ballots.

I walked over to my "spot" and held the camera up.  I even said, "Hey, Danny, vote slowly!"  (I had to adjust the camera settings.)  Then I pressed the shutter--snap, snap.

Immediately, an election judge (a man) got up and started walking toward me.  He said, "You can't take pictures in here!"  I told him I had announced that I was going to do so, and that another election judge said it was okay.  (At that point she interjected weakly, "I didn't know.")  The man told me, "Well, you can't.  Only press is allowed.  You can shoot from outside the building, if you want."

I told him, "Fine," while trying to be cooperative with him, and just took my ballot and voted.  I had already gotten the below shot.

The crazy thing is, is that there is no ordinance or statute against photography in the polling place in the state of Illinois.  The only thing mentioned in the statutes is that the election judges can take control of the polling place to avoid disruption.  But, we were pretty much the only voters there at the time, and I stood out of the way of any potential voters or anywhere people could have walked--it was a gymnasium!  And, if I had stood in the doorway like the one judge suggested, I would have been obstructing other potential voters from voting--which is in the statutes regarding polling places!

So goes another voting experience.  At least it was legal to shoot outside on the way home, so we stopped by the neighborhood pond and spotted a couple of turtles on some rocks.

The geese were pretty bold, paddling right up to the shoreline and even "posing" for me.

And to further calm my spirit, the Lord provided flowers along the way home for me to photograph.  That made me happy.

To top off the day, Danny and Thomas completed the upgrades to their computer so that my photography software could run more quickly.  Aren't they great?

Back to life,
Christine

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Cookie? Cake? Both!

I recently posted my recipe for my chocolate cake (and its companion frosting recipe).  Today I'm going to share how to make a special cake that uses those cake layers (but not the frosting).  It's so nice to be able to pull cake layers out of the freezer and quickly whip up something amazing--especially when it involves chocolate.  :)

Made with Trader Joe's Candy Cane JoJo's (super yummy during the holidays!).

I took this recipe from an old Kraft Food & Family magazine, and completely modified it with healthier (organic) ingredients; sorry, Kraft!  Also, since I usually make things from scratch, be warned--there are a few more steps involved!

Giant Cookie Cake

Two prepared 9" chocolate cakes (get the recipe here)

Filling
1 8-oz. package cream cheese
1/2 cup cane juice crystals (or sugar)
2 cups prepared whipped cream*
12 (or more) cream-filled sandwich cookies (I use Trader Joe's Jo-Jo's, or their Peppermint Jo-Jo's available at Christmas; yum!) -- chop these into chunks

*To whip cream, pour about 1 cup of heavy whipping cream into a small mixing bowl.  Add two tablespoons cane juice crystals (or sugar).  Beat with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form.  I sometimes double this to have extra whipping cream to decorate the top of the cake.

Glaze
4 squares of semi-sweet baking chocolate
1/4 cup butter, cut up



To prepare the filling, beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.  Gently fold in whipped topping and chopped cookies (I mix them both in at the same time).



Place one of the cake layers on a service plate, top side down.  Spread top of cake layer evenly with cream cheese/cookie mixture.  Use all of the mixture--it will be a thick layer!  Place remaining cake layer, top side up, on top of the filling.



With a frosting spreader, smooth the filling around the edge.

For the glaze, melt chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently.  Before chocolate is completely melted, turn off burner and continue stirring until it completely melts.  Set aside to cool for at least five minutes.

Gently pour glaze over top of finished cake, and spread to edges with a frosting spreader.

Sometimes I chop some extra cream-filled cookies to decorate the top of the cake.

Back to life,
Christine

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Jump, Grill, Jump!

I've taken so many pictures of my boys jumping--trying to figure out camera settings to get good action shots for a photography class assignment--that I need to go ahead today and feature them in this blog post.  So, in honor of Daylight Savings Time (a little late!), jump ahead!!

While they were jumping, Fernando grilled for dinner.

Danny and Thomas decided that one sawhorse wasn't challenging enough, so they tried two.  They're very athletic.  :)

Fernando is the ultimate Grill Master.  I don't even know how to light his grill.  I like it that way.

Thomas is very flexible.  I don't know how he achieves these positions!

A beautiful sunset with an incoming storm ended our day of jumping and grilling.

Back to life,
Christine

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Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

This not-too-sweet chocolate frosting recipe is an excellent combination with my chocolate cake (find the recipe here).  Creamy and rich--but not too rich--chocolate with just the right amount of sweetness complements the moist and delicious chocolate cake to create an incredible chocolate sensation.

Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
Makes about 4 1/2 cups

one 12-ounce package (2 cups) semisweet chocolate pieces
1/2 cup butter
8-oz. carton sour cream
4 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar

In a large sauce pan, melt the chocolate pieces and butter over low heat, stirring frequently.  Cool for five minutes.  Stir in sour cream.  Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until smooth.  This will frost tops and sides of two two three 8- or 9-inch cake layers.

Pair this with:  My Very Best Chocolate Cake

My Very Best Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

Back to life,
Christine

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My Very Best Chocolate Cake

I have tried different recipes for chocolate cake, but many years ago I found one to beat out all others.  I use this recipe for any other recipe that calls for a chocolate cake.  Today, I will share (and show) you how I make my very best chocolate cake.  I'll blog separately for the different cakes I make with this recipe.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting.

There are a lot of steps in the preparation of this yummy recipe.  However, this is the world of baking--ingredients need to be measured more carefully, and steps need to be followed for a beautiful and delicious result.  And spending the time is sooo worth it for this particular recipe!

The below recipe is for the plain cake only; there's also a link to an awesome frosting recipe that goes perfectly with this cake (pictured above).  Also, as you look at my pictures, please note that I have doubled the recipe.  I bake two 9" rounds and three 8" rounds to make five layers for two different cakes.  I usually make one kind of cake with one set of layers, and freeze the other set of layers for making the other kind of cake (I'll post that recipe, too!).

I apologize for the directions coming mingled with photos--I know I personally like to have the recipe all in one spot, and photos in another.  But this way worked out to better show you step by step how I put this recipe together.  So, here goes...

My Very Best Chocolate Cake

3/4 cup butter, softened
3 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour (I use organic white-wheat pastry flour)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups milk

Frosting recipe:  Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Then prepare two 9" round cake pans, or three 8" round cake pans.



First, cut out rounds of waxed paper to fit in the bottoms of the pans.  Rip off two (or three) sheets of waxed paper from the roll, then stack them together.  Then, turn the cake pan upside down on the stack of waxed paper.



I press my kitchen shears along the edge of the cake pan and drag the point all the way around the stacked sheets.  This leaves a line which I use as a guide for cutting.  When I do this, the sheets of waxed paper stick together a bit, and I can pick them up and cut out the three-ply circles all at once.



I then place the waxed paper rounds in the bottoms of the pans to make sure they fit.  I trim them if needed.



Once the waxed paper rounds are cut for the pans, grease the bottoms of the pans with coconut oil (or use your own method of greasing).





Then, place a round of waxed paper on the bottom of each pan, pressing to make it stick.



Once the waxed paper is placed in the pans, grease and flour the bottoms and sides of the pans.



Prep all the ingredients:  crack the eggs into a bowl or measuring cup, and measure the vanilla into a prep bowl.



In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.  Measure out the sugar into another bowl, and measure out the milk into another bowl with a spout, or into a large measuring cup.



In a mixing bowl (I use my Bosch Universal Mixer), beat butter on medium to high speed for about 30 seconds.  Gradually add sugar (I pour it in a slow stream), beating on medium speed until well combined (3-4 minutes).  Scrape sides of bowl; continue beating on medium speed for two minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition (about one minute total).  Beat in vanilla.



Add flour mixture and milk alternately to beaten mixture, beating on low speed just until combined after each addition.  Then, beat on medium to high speed for about 20 more seconds.





Spread batter evenly into prepared pans.



Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool cake layers in pans for ten minutes; remove cakes from pans onto cooling racks.



Carefully peel off waxed paper.  I make sure I don't pull the paper up; I gently peel it back.  Allow cakes to cool thoroughly on a wire rack, then frost with your favorite frosting.



My cake is ready to frost!



Pair this with:  Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
Use this cake for:  Giant Cookie Cake


Back to life,
Christine

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