Sebastien's Birth Story

Here are both full versions of Sebastien's birth story. Implied nudity in some pictures. Placenta pictures too!

Getting ready for baby!

I have been working on quite a few projects for our baby (due tomorrow, 10/15/13!) and I don't think I have posted any pictures!

Product Review- Green Gobbler The Drain Opener *update*

I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my own experience.

More cakes!

We're getting better at this cake thing!

My grandparents 50th wedding anniversary was a couple of weeks ago. They decided to renew their vows, and my cousin got married the same day, right after my grandparents' renewal.

My mom and I made the cakes. I think they turned out pretty well.

What I've been up to (Cake pictures!)

A friend of mine was getting married, and we found out that she didn't have a cake, so we offered to make one. This is our first big cake, but we wanted it to be nice. She liked it.

The wedding cake is by no means perfect. This was my first time covering a tiered cake in fondant. As you can see, there are some flaws. I did better with the baby shower cake. One of the issues with the wedding cake was that my crumb coat was much too thick. I thinned it out with the baby shower cake and it looked much better. 

Anniversary tier

There are dowels in each layer of the cake to help support the weight. Cakes were left on cake boards to ensure easy removal.

The ribbon is not edible. It is crafting ribbon from Joann's. 

The larger flowers are hand piped in royal icing. Smaller flowers are from a press. We took the smaller flowers and used them as the inside for the larger flowers. The small flowers had a small dot of royal icing piped in with a small star tip.

The topper is made of royal icing roses with small flowers placed in between to cover gaps. We piped icing in the middle to attach them and keep them stable. 

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We made a baby shower cake for a friend. All decorations are made out of fondant. The cake was white cake with raspberry filling. Very light buttercream crumb coat, obviously covered in fondant. We did not make the fondant, it's boxed Wilton fondant.

Blocks were made by taking a toothpick and dipping it in food tint (gel color) mixed with a very small amount of water. Then we pressed the toothpick down in the block to make letters. 

Decorations were attached using buttercream frosting in a piping bag. Flowers are from a fondant mold by Wilton.

Allergy Free Treats

Food allergies can be very serious. The worst reactions medically are the life threatening ones, but even "minor" allergies are no fun for the person suffering from them. You  have to be careful what you eat when you have a food allergy. Exposure to the allergen can cause the allergic reaction to get worse over time. Something that was a minor allergy can transform into a major, life threatening allergy without warning, and allergens can come from surprising places.

I also will try to avoid common allergens when making treats for large gatherings. It's not fun to be at a gathering and not able to eat any of the food sitting out! If you've left out common allergens, label the dish. Include the ingredients.

Some people don't have an allergy to the foods, but are sensitive. Sensitivities usually indicate that the person has a difficulty processing the food. This can have unpleasant side effects, so a lot of people with sensitivities avoid the foods in question.

Here are a few tips for how I deal with making allergen free treats when I know someone suffers from them, or if making for a gathering with unknown allergens.

1. Do not use wood utensils. Wood is porous, and can hold on to things you don't think are lurking. Only use hard plastic, glass, or metal utensils. If using plastic, make sure that it is not scratched. Scratches can hide allergens. For people with serious allergies, even the tiniest amount of the thing the are allergic to can cause them to have a reaction.

2. Use metal or glass mixing bowls. Make sure if you are making something that will have a reaction to metal to use a glass bowl instead.

3. If you have to prepare on a porous surface, make sure you clean the surface very well, and cover it with something such as aluminum or waxed paper.

4. Consider having a special set of allergen free bakeware and utensils. If you will be making allergen free treats frequently, this is definitely a good idea. Store them separately from your regular bakeware to avoid cross contamination.

5. Make sure that you understand the allergy of the person you are making the treats for. It is always better to go a little overboard than to risk a reaction, especially anaphylaxis. This link will take you to a website that explains some of the common food allergies, and lists (most) of the triggers. 

6. Prepare AND package any allergen free treats before any treats you will be making that contain allergens. Make sure to carry them in separate containers to their destination.

7. If you are going to be giving out or selling the foods (such as at a bake sale) then make sure that you label everything. List EVERY ingredient, even water. If it is allergen free, label what it doesn't have in it (like labeling a treat Gluten Free). Even a hand written note is better than no ingredient list. Some schools are actually requiring an ingredient list for all bake sales, on each individually wrapped goody. If you have a printer, you can make some very cute labels for them. Tie them on with a ribbon, or print on address labels so you can stick them directly to the package.

Please let me know if I forgot anything, and how you make treats that can be enjoyed by everyone in the comments.

Valarie