NICOLE . . . and CHOCOLATE !!!

It always brightens my day and makes me laugh when Nicole posts a picture of three-year-old Kepler on Facebook and tells us what he’s doing and saying.

So, to celebrate my girl’s birthday, I took a look back to when she was three.

"I love all the animals in the world," declared Nicole, "but, most of all, I love gophers . . . and deer."

Nicole loved the cold and insisted on cold baths.  Even on a cool day she would rush into the lake and lie down in the water.

 Nicole was a night owl and wouldn’t go to sleep until after 10 pm; sometimes even 11 pm.  Often, she sat and looked at books by herself for a while.  

One time, when I was putting her to bed, she started calling for Daddy.  When he popped in, she said, "Go and talk to my mother about her problem with my crying."

Bryan came up with the rule that she was not to bother us during the ten o’clock CBC National News.  Not surprisingly, Nicole developed 

strong feelings towards the news.  

Then, she overheard me chatting with a woman who said that she had heard ON THE NEWS that a flood was threatening North Battleford.  “You watch the news, too!” shouted Nicole.

Finally, Nicole figured out a way to entertain herself during that hour.  When I peeked into her room which was almost completely dark, I heard her moving things about.  She said, “Hi, Mom.”   I went in and discovered she had built a pyramid of toys in a corner of her bed.

                                          “My castle of friends,” she said.

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Granny Foran’s Chocolate Cake!

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Makes a great rocket!

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Nicole found this recipe, and it took the chocolate to another level.

 EXTRA CHOCOLATE CAKE

          (Thank you Hellman’s Mayonnaise for a great recipe!)

2 cups flour

2/3 cup cocoa

1 ¼ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking powder

3 eggs

1 2/3 cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup water

*Grease and lightly flour two 9 inch round cake pans.

*Start oven preheating to 350.

*Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and baking powder in medium bowl.

*In large bowl, beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla with electric mixer at high speed for about 3 minutes.

*Beat in mayo at low speed.

*Alternate beating in flour and water, beginning and ending with flour.

*Pour into cake pans.

*Bake 30 minutes.  Test with toothpick.

*Cool 10 minutes in the pans on wire rack. 

*Turn out and cool completely.

*Spread with Buttercream Icing.

VANILLA BUTTER ICING

Beat 1 cup softened butter at medium speed with electric mixer for 3 minutes.  Reduce speed to low.  Gradually add a pinch of salt, 2 ½ cups icing sugar, and 1 tbsp vanilla.  

Back in Laredo, James made Nicole a Boston Cream Pie/cake:

                                                          Love you!