Garden Planning

I have been itching to get outside and start my garden since about January. I am sure those of you who have had to endure this too long and too cold winter just might be feeling a bit like myself. I have been looking over my seed catalogs, reading and researching gardening methods and just daydreaming about my spring and summer garden.

I have plans to extend my vegetable garden this year. I will be trying a new gardening method of which I will be writing about in the next few weeks. The new method is a bit like the weed free raised garden bed I tried last year. I will be posting often about the new products I am using to keep my garden producing throughout the spring, summer and fall. I invite you to follow along with me on this new garden learning experience. If your green thumb is itching to get into your garden you may just want to stop over and read a few of my other garden posts for some great tips on keeping a garden planner, tips for gardening success and much more. Well, off I am to do some spring garden clean up, and get a few seeds started in side.  

DIY: Decorating A Pumpkin Cake

Around this time every year I like to make a pumpkin cake for my son's birthday. This has become a tradition in our home. The cake you see here was made by myself, my daughter in law and my daughter.

Today I had to make my son's birthday cake on my own. I used the same technique as the above cake with just a little difference in the final touches.

First pour the cake batter into two stainless steal bowls (Pyrex glass bowls can be used) of the same size.

Once the cakes cool stack them together. Using icing between them to secure the cakes together.

Now apply a thin crumb layer of icing over the cake. At this point I laid foil (wax paper would also work) on the cake stand up against the bottom edge of the cake to catch the drips from the icing. This makes it easier to clean up the cake stand after icing.

The following step is my technique for getting smooth icing on a round cake. If you are using canned or homemade icing you will need to heat the icing in the microwave for a few seconds. You can also heat the icing on the stove in a double boiler. I heat it only to pouring consistency. Using a measuring cup pour the icing over the cake.

Once you have finished covering the cake you can spoon icing onto the lower half of the cake. This is where I changed my cake up this year. I used my cake spatula and pulled the icing up over the cake in single strokes. It made a textured pattern some what like a pumpkin.
Making the stem is very simple. I used a chunk of cake and spooned warm icing over the piece. Then lifted it onto the cake with a spatula.

This is my favorit part of making the cake. Decorate the cake with fall leaves. Using a piping tip and leaf tip decorate your cake with vines and leaves. Or just use fall leaves from a craft store.

Both cakes were easy and fun to make. It is nice to be able to make a cake with out buying a special pan. I have also made this same cake using a bunt cake pan. I did not like the results as much as I do using a mixing bowl. Do you have a cake decorating technique you would like to share? I would love to share your ideas with my readers. 

Todays Walk (Yesterday)

Every day my husband and I take a walk around our yard. We usually do this early in the morning but once in a while life gets in the way and we put our walk off until evening. Today was one of those days when we got busy and did not take our usual walk. I decided as he left for work this evening I would grab my trusty companion and take a walk myself. Along the way I snapped a few pictures with my phone so I could share the last of our lovely flowers.

King Arthur my companion. I love his very serious expression!

 

First stop our goldfish and koi catching the last rays of the sun. While I skimmed the leaves off the pond King Arthur went off chasing cats. Lol, some companion.

 

 

 

I am fairly certain these are the last of the season. I just love the late blooming roses. My pansies seem to love the cooler weather.

After my walk I had to sit on one of the benches to the left and just enjoy the last of this fall weather. Well, I also had to wait for King Arthur to finish his hunting adventure. Have you been on any adventures lately?