Oldest's "My Little Pony" Birthday Cake

This my great attempt at a "My Little Pony" Birthday Cake. When Oldest told me that she wanted a Pink Pony Cake I was all worried and thought that she meant a sculpted Pink Pony in cake- I knew that wasn't going to happen. So this is what I came up with.

A little bit about the cake: I used a plain box cake mix and then divided the batter in 3 parts and added different colors to dye the cake. Then I layered it in the cake pan and baked as normal. The frosting was a challenge for me. I had about 1 Tablespoon of butter in the house and knew Buttercream Frosting was out of the question unless I made a run to the store- which I didn't want to do! I made a call to my Dad (the expert Chef) and he suggested 7 Minute Frosting. Which is what I made and really liked! But it's SUPER sweet! I also was too tired to mix up more frosting to put her name on the cake, so I spelled it out in Fruit Punch Flavored Nerds....such a nerd I am!

I was fairly happy with the final cake. The cake went to school, so I'm sorry I can't tell you how it tasted. But there was nothing left.

What to do? The Approaching Birthdays of Oldest and Youngest

On Tuesday it will be Oldest's, fourth birthday! Yes, Hubster and I keep saying, "Where does the time go?" It truly flies when you're having fun, as the old saying says.

I like to make sure they have a special treat to bring to school/daycare that is homemade. Most likely this will be a traditional birthday cake. The homemade aspect is very important to me as a Mother. My parents always took the time and love into everything I was involved in as a child and I feel as a parent, I need to do this too.

Schools are really cracking down these days on bringing in homemade things to school. I understand the reasons behind this decision: allergies, home cleanliness, etc. Luckily we are still in daycare and they welcome the recognition of your child's birthday.

In June, we plan to move both of the girls to a private school. I'll miss not making the cakes for the parties. I guess it will just have to be even more special with our home celebration and weekend, birthday parties.

I've been asking both of the girls what they would like for their birthdays. Mostly this is in terms of: flavor of cake, theme, colors, and gifts. Oldest has decided on a My Little Pony theme and Youngest likes 101 Dalmatians. I promise I will post details of the creation of these cakes for everyone to see!

We have also been talking about how old they will be turning. Oldest will be 4 and Youngest will be 3. For some reason they both thought they were exactly one year older than this! (5 and 4! Please don't make time go too fast!)

While we were discussing what birthdays were and what they meant, Youngest had a, "kid saying the cutest stuff", moment:

Youngest blurts out, "And it means that people will sing!!" For a second I was caught off guard and didn't really comprehend what she was saying. Then she said again, while wiggling her body back and forth in a little, dance motion, " They will sing Happy Happy!......Happy Happy to ME!" And then I got what she was saying and said. "Yes, the people who celebrate your birthday with you, will sing 'Happy Birthday To YOU'." I couldn't get over that having, the song, 'Happy Birthday,' sung to her, was a highlighted and special part for her. I would have thought it would have been the presents!

Oldest also had a, "kid saying the cutest stuff", moment on our way home from Richmond the other night. It was dark out and the music was playing low in the car. No one was talking and then Oldest said out of the blue,"I think.... I think....I need a party."

I've really been trying to avoid the party with friends thing. I think she's still pretty young and we celebrate as a family and they celebrate at school. So I was silent when these words came out of her mouth. I didn't know what to say. Luckily, Hubster came to the rescue and said, "Why do you need a party?" We had been driving down the road in almost total silence for the last hour. We had talked about birthdays early that morning.

But she held her conversation and said,"Because it's my birthday." So Hubster replied in asking her if she had ever had a party before? Oldest was then lost in thought and we continued driving into the night without another word.

So now I'm left with with that question, "What to do??"

Delicious Vietnam #10; Hubster's ESP and DaLat Vietnamese Cuisine, Richmond, Va

Delicious Vietnam #10~ Đà Lạt Restaurant; Review in Richmond, VA

Yesterday was my only day off for the week and I had planned to attend a Reptile Show in Richmond, Va. Hubster took the day off and we all drove up to Richmond yesterday.

Hubster kept saying things like, "You are sure this show is on and you know how to get there?"

Check.

Check......

Why was he doubting me? His mistrust was making me unsure of myself, so I got up early and checked the website before we left the house. Hubster also looked at the site out of curiosity.

Well, to my BIG, disappointment, the show was cancelled! The Raceway Stadium that was to hold the event knew nothing about it and told me they were trying to contact the person responsible for the website since they had other people asking where the Reptile Show was! What a total Bummer and the start of a crappy day in a city I know nothing about! Hubster's great ESP (extrasensory perception).. I should have called, but ticket sales were there!.... I had just skipped buying any.

So I may not have Hubster's gift of ESP, but I do have my stomach talking to me, and I was planning a chance of good food after a good show. Early that morning I had read reviews for the local Vietnamese Restaurants in Richmond, Va.

We drove out of the Raceway Stadium and drove by one Vietnamese Restaurant before settling on eating at: DaLat Vietnamese Cuisine.

It is located in a strip mall and does not look like much from the outside. There is a TJ Max in this shopping center, a baby store and a cigar store, just to name a few of the businesses surrounding it. Sales must be good because it was mid afternoon and there were only two parking spots. The physical location is: 9127 West Broad Street; Henrico, Virginia - Tel. (804) 762-9330.

When we entered the restaurant it was one, large, dark room, with a bar in the back, with the restaurant's name in big letters on the wall. It was simply decorated, but was ethnically pleasing with Vietnamese art, decorated, window sized, cut outs in the walls.

Once we sat down and started looking at the menu I was a surprised! I have never been to a Vietnamese restaurant with so many choices of Pho, Noodle dishes, rice pancakes, dumplings, and meat dishes. Hubster even commented on the large menu. My experience in the U.S.A. and Vietnam has been that Vietnamese Restaurants sticks to what they make best.

We ordered an appetizer : Banh Cuon Cha Lua.



It was described on the menu as ravioli filled with pork, dry mushroom ears, and herbs. This was a good size for Hubster, our two girls, and myself.

Then Hubster order Mi Xao Don Thap Cam (Crispy Egg Noodles with Shrimp, Chicken, Pork, and Beef) ,(I was late getting the camera out so the sauces and table salad were added before I snapped the picture.)


I had the Bun Chao Tom Cha Gio (Grilled shrimp paste on sugar cane and crispy egg roll). This was all served in a nice sized bowl with chopped lettuce, cucumbers, bean sprouts, pickled carrot, scallions, over a bed of rice noodles topped with crushed peanuts and fish sauce on the side. It was tasty, fresh, and filling for a January day.











The girls each split an order of the Bun Ga Cha Gio (Grilled Chicken and crispy spring roll). This was served with the same vegetables as my dish and the girls gobbled it down! I was careful with the fish sauce even though it was very mild and saw no chili pepper floating in it. This was something that held me back in knowing I wasn't eating food in Vietnam. The spice level was not there- therefore, Americanized (Lets put a very sad face here).

I don't believe they have a children's menu, but you should expect your children to dine and enjoy whatever you do- minus hot spices. Lately I've been noticing that dining, trying new foods, and practicing good manners is lacking here in the U.S.A.

If I was to rate the restaurant on 1-5 stars, I would give it 4 stars- close to excellent. I was surprised that the cooks were very sparse with ginger and Thai Chile (Actually I think it was left out all together!). We made up for this by adding the heat we enjoy with two selections of chili sauces on the table. This is probably a wise decision on behalf of the cooks, being the majority of their dinners are probably non-traveling Americans.

The reviews online posted good for: speed of order to table. I thought this very slow for a Vietnamese Restaurant, but was tolerable for an American Restaurant. The Pho houses we frequent, (which I would not dare call this a Pho house!), are usually faster than fast food!

Looking back at the bright sides of the day, we were together as family and trying a new Vietnamese Restaurant in a city we were not familiar with. It was a great find, and turned a disappointing outing into a memorable one!

Lastly I want to wish everyone a very Happy Vietnamese New Year!

Chúc mừng năm mới!!

It's my year too, I'm a Cat! (Sadly, and inevitably, it will probably be a pretty hard year for me.)

This post was submitted to a monthly blogging event: Delicious Vietnam, which challenges me to become fluent in cooking Vietnamese food for my dear, Vietnamese/American, always on the run, family. Thank you to the creators: A Food Lover's Journey, and Ravenous Couple and most of all- A Big, Big-Thank You to Mai, of Flavor Boulevard for hosting this month's event!