The Watermelon Chronicles

It all began when I offered to bring dessert for a holiday get together with our good friends.  I knew it was going to be a big delicious belly-filling meal so I wanted to make something light and refreshing that the kids would still be excited about.  I felt like I needed some inspiration as it was a long week, so I put my 4-year old on my lap and we started searching Pintrest.  He found some awesome cakes covered in gummy bears and filled with M&M's that he made me promise we would try to make one day but it was something else that caught my eye.  A cake that was made out of an entire watermelon!

I Began with High Hopes

The next day I went out and brought all of the needed ingredients, which made for an easy start as the only required items were watermelon, almonds, berries and whipped cream.  My son and daughter sat around my kitchen island as I slowly but forcefully cut the entire watermelon out of it's skin and rind so I was left with just the fruit.  I than forged ahead and started carving it into what looked like the size and shape of a 7-layer cake.  The process was a little messy with all the running juice but the kids enjoyed eating my carvings :)  I put it onto my official cake stand and the kids and I were impressed.

My "cake" ready to be frosted.

Next step was "frosting".  I used a tub of the new Truwhip, a whipped topping that is made with more natural ingredients (found in the freezer section next to all the fake whipped creams).  As soon as I started frosting I knew this was going to be a challenge.  Watermelon is wet and smooth, not great for traction and adherence of frosting.  Since I was in a rush I continued the messy job as my kids laughed and scooped up the sliding cream with their eager fingers.  We negotiated and decided any cream on the counter was fair game :)

The disguise begins......

I quickly put the dripping mess of a cake into the fridge to "set".  After about a half hour, which is all the time I could spare before we had to leave, it seemed to be holding.  I placed my strawberries, blueberries and raspberries on the top and put it back in the fridge.  I crossed my fingers and got the kids ready to go for our dinner party at our friends.

Epic Fail

Right before we left I opened the fridge to retrieve my creation and unfortunately the weight of the berries pushed the cream down the cake.  In superwomen fashion, I quickly threw together a fruit salad so I had something to bring just in case my "cake" we a total loss.  After a little fixing, my husband insisted I bring it as it looked decent enough.  I gave him the task of holding it on his lap in the front seat while I drove.  I guess I didn't want the pressure.  Well the minute we pulled out of the driveway my beautiful mess of a cake was on his lap.  The kids and I couldn't help but crack up laughing as he sat there covered in watermelon and cream in his "fancy" clothes.  If I didn't laugh I would have cried after all of the effort I put into it.

We reversed and pulled back into the driveway.  My husband insisted we can still salvage it to enjoy later.  As he tried to transfer it back into the fridge the whole cake slipped off the cake stand and went head first into the fridge.  We both looked at each other and closed the fridge door.  Already being a half-hour late, we decided we will deal with the mess when we got home.  The kids couldn't wait to tell our friends of the watermelon fiasco.

An Important Lesson

I kind of like when things go wrong in front of the kids.  It can make for an amazing learning experience on how to bounce back from failure and keep things in perspective.  If you take a minute to take a deep breath before you react and realize that your reaction and perspective will be mirrored when your kids face similar life challenges.  We as parents are always trying to teach these things but nothing compares to the natural learning that occurs by role modeling in real situations.  Both my 10-year old and 4-year old witnessed how much time I spent on my creation and how excited I was to share it.  I could have been angry and frustrated at my epic fail (as my daughter would say) but instead I tried to find the humor in it (it was pretty hysterical).  I talked about how I now know what I need to do differently to make it work and how excited I was to try to tackle it again now that I was so experienced :)  Is it not everyday that our children find themselves in similar scenarios?  Block towers that were built with such care and then fall.  Art projects that were going well and than take a turn for the worse.  They will naturally react similar to how they see you react to these challenges.  So remember your yoga breathing, don't take yourself so seriously and dare I say laugh at your self :)

Practice Makes Perfect

A week later we had the same friends over for dinner at our house.  I was obsessed with trying to get this dessert to be a great success this time.  I had a game plan and knew it could be done if I had the time and  a few tricks up my sleeve.  I gathered my ingredients again and started the process in the morning.  Long story short, it worked.  Everyone was super impressed and truly enjoyed this cool cake.  When sliced it looked beautiful and held together perfectly.  Don't be intimidated!  Anyone can do it, although remember it is not made to travel :)

The finished product- it worked!

Watermelon Cake

Ingredients:

1 large whole watermelon

1 tub whipped topping

2 cups almonds (sliced)

1 quart of fresh Strawberries

1 pint of blueberries

1 pint of raspberries

Directions:

1.  Wash and cut all skin and rind off watermelon, so just flesh remains.  The best way to do this is with a large sharp knife.  Cut the top end and bottom end off.  Stand up and start cutting sections down from top to bottom pushing your knife against the flesh and following the natural shape of the melon.

2.  Shape melon into a cake.  The size can be determined, although the larger it is the harder it will be to handle.

3.  Put melon on cake plate and into freezer to firm up (about 30 minutes).  The colder it is the easier the whipped topping will stick to it.

4.  Take the melon out of the freezer and frost it with the whipped topping.  The key is to use whipped topping that was properly defrosted in the fridge, not on the counter.  This will ensure it is firm enough to hold.  Try to do this process fast and put the frosted melon back in the freezer to firm up (about 15-30 minutes).

5.  Cover the sides of the cake with the sliced almonds.  Pushing the nuts gently but firmly into the whipped topping.  Put the cake back into the freezer (about 15-30 minutes).

6.  Decorate the top with whatever fruit you would like.  Remember that the more weight the more likely the topping won't hold up as well.  If found the berries to work well (see above).  Put it back into the freezer for about a half hour.  It can than be transferred to the fridge until you're about to serve.  It can be sliced just like a regular cake and enjoyed!  

A slice of heaven :)

A Sweet New Year- Resolutions for Parents and Children!

Apples and honey for a sweet new year!

Last week was Rosh Hashanah, the celebration of the Jewish New Year.  Although the holiday is a happy one, it begins the 10-day contemplation period that leads to Yom Kippur, also known as the day of atonement.  It is during this time period that you are instructed to assess, focus on, contemplate and review the year as a whole and consider and acknowledge what you could have done differently. It ends with apologizing for the mistakes you have made.

As a child I remember sitting in temple for hours on end and listening to and chanting about how bad we were during the past year.  I always thought, "I don't think I was that bad!" and I would look around at the others faces to see if I could tell if they were thinking the same.  To be honest, I always felt a little offended.  As an adult, I don't look at it as literally as through a child's eyes instead I focus on what I can personally improve in my everyday life.  I take the time during services to try and become re-inspired to make the necessary changes and develop a plan of action.

Growing up Jewish, I remember watching people on T.V going into confessional.  Voicing your guilt anonymously so you can wipe your hands clean and move on.  What a great idea!  I look at this time of the year as a self-confessional.  Taking the time to review and acknowledge how the year went, decisions you made, behaviors you had, mindlessness habits you engaged in.  These are all up for contemplation and a good start for considering what you want to be different in the year ahead.

Some things that came to my mind........

• Keep things in perspective.  When I am having a hard day with the kids remembering how lucky we are that we have our health and each other.
• Save more time and energy for my husband who deserves my love more than anyone in this world and unfortunately who sometimes gets shuffled on my priority list.
• Discover something we can do as a family to give back to the community.
• Make sure I do something that brings me joy everyday so I can be balanced and at my best for the people I love.

This year I took my 10-year old daughter to the full adult services and watched her sit there like a trooper as I quietly hoped she was getting something out of it.  I took the time to talk to her about what the service was about and how she should take the time to think about her past year.  I reminded her it is also about reviewing what she was proud of and how to figure out how she can continue to make those good decisions and have those good behaviors.  She took it a step further and made a list when we got home of what she is sorry for and what she is proud of.  That's so Kaylee :)

We took my 4-year old to the children's service as he isn't capable of sitting for more than an hour.  He was the most well behaved in the congregation only because he fell asleep a few minutes into the service.  No indication of how good the services were, it was just that witching hour of 2:30 in the afternoon.   Although he missed it, I shared this beautiful prayer we said together as parents and children with him when we got home:

Parents:  Sometimes I do things you do not understand.
Children:  Sometimes I do things you do not understand.

Parents:  I will try to listen and not just lecture.
Children:  I will try to listen more than I want to.

Parents:  I hope you will tell me what you're feeling.
Children:  I hope you will try to comprehend what I'm feeling.

Parents:  But I can't always tell you what you want to hear.
Children:  I will try to remember that you have my best interest in mind.

Parents:  I will try not to scold you for small mistakes.
Children:  I will try to be more responsible.

Parents:  I will try not just to teach you but to let you learn for yourself.
Children:  I will try to accept what you want to pass on, while I chart my own path.

Parents:  I will force myself to let you stumble because failure is as valuable as success.
Children:  I will try to remember that I can learn from failure as much as from success.

Parents:  You are important to me and I will try to show you my love every day.  I shall always try to make our time together meaningful.
Children:  You are important to me, and I will search for even more ways to be closer to you and make more room for you in my life.

BOTH:  May this new year be a year in which the hearts of parents will turn toward their children and hearts of children turn towards their parents.

Wishing you a happy, healthy and sweet new year :)

Re-Balancing After An Indulgent Weekend with Veggie Water!

You know those Monday mornings.  The ones when your alarm goes off and you can't believe it's morning already.  An event-filled, schedule-packed, food-indulgent weekend that now hits you hard in every sense of the word.  Well, that's how this Monday morning hit me.  Family and friend get togethers, cooking and eating of holiday meals and the kids being off from school for most of last week has finally caught up to me.  You know it's bad when your 10 year old daughter is telling you to get up before she is late for school.  I got myself together and somehow got out the door with the kids in time.  I don't know how we do it :)

Hydration & Exercise- The Solution..... 

For Monday morning "hangovers" like this, the best thing to do is exactly what you don't feel like doing, working out.  Other than my big cup of hot coffee, what I needed to re-balance was a good long cardio workout and some deep stretching.  Done and done!

Veggie Water to the Rescue

The next thing I knew would make me feel better is some major hydration.  Plain water is great but even better is my "veggie water".  Not only is it more thirst quenching but it provides detoxifying and diuretic properties.  What's awesome is that "veggie water" can be made with whatever is fresh and on-hand at the moment.  I happened to have celery, cucumber, lemon and mint so that was my refreshing winning combination today.


Celery, cucumber, lemon and mint- so refreshing!

Wash and chop all your ingredients.  The size, shape, and uniformity of the ingredients doesn't matter.  Don't make it harder than it has to be!  Who has time for that?



Nothing has to be cut perfect- it's all good!

Add all of your ingredients to a pitcher and fill with filtered water.  Put it in the fridge and let the magic happen.  I always drink a glass right away but the longer you let it sit the more flavorful the water becomes.  Once you have polished off the water you can crunch on the cold wet veggies which are delicious!

I know what you are going to say, who has time to dress up a glass like this?  Actually you do!  It took an extra 30 seconds to put it into a fun nostalgic glass, stick a piece of already cut and washed celery into it and slit the middle of an already cut cucumber and lemon slice down the middle to hang on the glass.  Thirty seconds people!!!!!!!!

How often do we cut corners when it comes to ourselves?  Most parents and caregivers spend hours a week shopping, planning, prepping and cooking for the people we love.  Don't we deserve to take a few extra minutes a day to provide something nice for ourselves.  If we can get into the habit of giving ourselves these little gifts throughout the day it will make us feel like we matter and we deserve the time.  These little acts of self-kindness helps us to ultimately re-balance.  I know everyone can do this- try it this week and feel the love :)

Veggie Water:

Ingredients:

4 stalks of celery
1 large cucumber
1 large lemon
1 handful of fresh mint (basil is also delicious)

Directions:

Clean all vegetables well and cut into large chunks.  Add all to a large pitcher, fill with filtered water and refrigerate.  Veggie water can be enjoyed as soon as it is made although the longer it sits the more flavorful the water will be.  After about 24 hours the veggies will be soggy and you will want to make a fresh batch, although that won't be an issue since all of the water will already be gone!