Spring Hike

It was a beautiful spring day so instead of our normal routine of heading to the gym we drove to the hills. Falcon Park is our favorite park that is close enough to drive to, but feels like we got away a little bit.

















Tyler took this picture!

Eastering

I think it is truly impossible to get pictures of these boys in nice clothes. They both looked very dapper for Easter but they had stripped out of their clothes faster than I could blink when we got home.

Tyler kept asking me if he could go eastering, a.k.a. easter egg hunting. They truly thought they were being tortured when I made them wait 'til I was done eating and Steve had finished watching his basketball game. We had to know what teams were going to be in the final game.









A squirrel ate through this egg and then was snooty enough to reject the candy. I didn't realize M&Ms were so common.

Easter Eggstravaganza

Denver First Church hosted a very fun kids day. Easter egg hunting, Easter Bunny, cooking decorating, bounce castles, obstacle course, puppet show, petting zoo and face painting. The fun just kept going and going.


They got to find 15 eggs each. We had to cut Tyler off!





















Matthew, did you know there's a Sssssnake on your face?


I kept telling Tyler the snake was going to slither up his arm and bite his neck.

Easter Eggs

We added the vinegar to the color tablets and it started fizzing. Matthew told me we were making a chemical reaction. It's Matthew the Science Boy! What's up with those color pellets? Why does a red looking tablet make blue?!?! We came up with a couple funky colors!






Thunk - Uh, oh!!! Egg on the floor.

Jump Street

We had heard a lot about Jump Street from friends and decided to go check it out on Friday as part of our Spring Break extravaganza. The jumping castles, trampolines, games, and roving Panda were lots of fun.
Just 50 cents gave Tyler a 2 minute ride on this drivable panda. He had a blast and was the envy of the kids watching him. Unfortunately I ran out of quarters.





A little refreshment before heading back to play. They look so grown up in their own little chairs.

Park Break

Spring break for Denver County meant we needed to find something fun. For Wednesday that meant finding a new park. They both brought their scooters and had a blast. Of course Matthew kept hiding from the camera so Tyler got a few more pics. They got Jamba juice for lunch and then another park by our house. What a great day.






















































I think they were trying to look "cool" by sporting 'tudes, but I'm not sure.








Thanks to Matthew Mom got her picture taken too!

Bakuwhat?

Matthew loves cards of any kind. He decided he needed a picture of this collection.

Lemon Meringue Cake

I think all this research into gluten-free is going to make me a better baker! This cake turned out terrific!! I had some leftover egg yolks from another recipe and really wanted to make dairy free lemon curd. Then one thing led to another and before I knew it I was making Lemon Meringue Cake. It's so cute, and so delicious, that I had to capture it all in one place so I wouldn't forget and would be able to recreate this delectable delight for another special occasion. I made this one for Easter. So even though this post is out of order chronologically, I don't care because it was that good!

Gluten-free White Cake
1/2 C. White Rice Flour
1/2 C. Sorghum Flour
2/3 C. Tapioca Flour
1/3 C. Potato Starch
1/2 C. Xylitol 1/2 C. Coconut sugar
2 t. Baking Powder
1/2 t. salt
1 t. xanthan gum
3/4 C. (12 T) softened earth balance "butter"
3 eggs
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 C. milk-any type

Pre-heat oven to 350. Grease pans-this recipe makes 16-18 cupcakes, 2 6-inch round layers, 9-inch square, or a 10-inch round. I used 2 6-inch round pans. Place parchment paper in bottom of pan(s) and grease the top of the paper.

Thoroughly combine the first 9 dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Place softened butter in mixer bowl and beat until fluffy. Add flour mix to butter, blending on lowest setting until combined, then changing to setting "2" on the mixer until mixture is crumbly, about 1 minute.

In small bowl, lightly whisk eggs and vanilla together. Add eggs to mixer and mix until smooth and thick, about 1 minute.
Add milk and mix for 1 more minute.

Pour into prepared pan and bake until toothpick is clean. Time will depend on the shape of your pan, but should be about 24 minutes for cupcakes, 45 minutes for a loaf pan. Allow to cool in pans for about 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack. The 6 inch rounds took about 40 minutes.

Honey Lemon Curd
5 large organic egg yolks
1 large organic egg
2/3 cup fresh organic lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely grated organic lemon zest 1/3 cup honey
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1. In a medium stainless steel bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and egg with the lemon juice and honey.

2. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water and cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until it becomes pale and thickened, between 7 and 10 minutes.

3. Remove the bowl from the heat and add the lemon zest. Pour through a fine strainer to remove any lumps. Whisk the butter in until it has melted.

4. Lay saran wrap on the top of the curd to prevent a skin from forming and let cool to room temperature.

Meringue Frosting
3 egg whites
1/8 t cream of tartar
dash of salt
3/4 C agave syrup 1
t vanilla

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, heat the agave syrup until boiling. Lower temperature and simmer 4 to 8 minutes until the syrup becomes slightly darker then the amber color.
2. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the whisk, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar at medium-high speed until they hold soft peaks. With the machine on, drizzle 1/4 cup of the boiling syrup very slowly (drip by drip) down the side of the mixing bowl, avoiding the whisk. Slowly add the rest of the syrup in a steady stream, and beat at low speed for 3 minutes until stiff, glossy peaks form when the whisk is lifted. Beat in the vanilla and let cool for 10 minutes. Use the Meringue Frosting as soon as possible.

Assembly
Horizontally slice both 6 inch round cakes to create 4 layers.

Spread a heaping tablespoon of lemon curd on each cake half spreading to a 1/4 inch from the edge and layer one on top of each other.

Spoon another large tablespoon or more on the top to make a thick layer.

Frost the sides of the cake with the meringue frosting.

Spoon some meringue into a frosting bag or plastic bag with a corner snipped off. The meringue is soft, but should be firm enough to pipe a small decoration around the top of the cake covering the edge of the lemon curd.

Slice and enjoy!!!

Keep refrigerated.