Carrot Cake Oopsy Motherlode

Oh. My. Goodness. Yesterday's "stress relief" turned into the Oopsy Pansy Motherlode! Not only did I mess this recipe up to epic proportions, it turned out SOOOO GOOD. Seriously. To die for. But check this out:

First, my terribly two and a half year old son has gained an extreme interest in helping me bake. So while I endeavored to make this concoction, it was full of screaming about it being his turn with the giant knife, wanting to add extra flour, yadda yadda yadda. Anyway.

Occasion: First week of dieting, made it to Friday night so we will eat a healthier carrot cake to celebrate.

Source: My family's cookbook, contributed by Ashlee Crozier

Mistake(s): HAHA. Didn't have crushed pineapple, so my son and I crushed it with a meat tenderizer. Put the cake in the oven, then realized I didn't put any sugar in it! Either kind! So I took it out, poured some sugar on top and kinda swirled it around to stir it in. Phew maybe that won't be so bad. THEN. I realized I forgot the applesauce!!! So, out it came again, I poured some on top, and then stuck it back in. haha. Wow. 

Reaction: Hubby, "Woah! This is good!", came back several times for more. Son, "YUMMY!"

Result: I will never make a different kind! So good. It includes carrots, pineapple, and pecans, I used the low fat cream cheese and less pecans than it called for, and despite my mind boggling mistakes, it turned out amazing. Even gave some to some friends. Hooray!

Apple Crisp

Occasion: BFF Request
Source: Allrecipes.com
Mistake: Only had half the brown sugar, used white granulated instead, and six cups apples instead of ten
Flourish: Delicious vanilla ice cream
Reaction: Lots of oos and awes, mostly coming from me!
Result: SUPER GOOD.  Next time I will add cranberries and make sure DH doesn't leave the ice cream out over night, but will definitely make again!

"Puff" Oven Pancake

Occasion: Saturday Breakfast
Source: Better Homes & Gardens Cook Book
Mistake: Used 9X13 glass pan instead of large skillet
Flourish: Always with the whipped cream!
Reaction: Husband=interesting, Toddler=wouldn't touch it
Result: Didn't puff. =( Definitely lost some of the coolness but still tasted yummy. Always need to remember to double the recipe. Anyone can make this work, just takes some practice for perfection.

Baked...er...Slow Cooker Apples

Occasion: Missionaries over
Source: Pinterest ---> www.skinnychef.com
Mistake: Forgot I had white grape juice instead of apple juice
Flourish: Seven instead of six apples, whipped cream on top
Reaction: Four missionaries looking quizzically at me as I approached them with brown, mushy apple with filling that strangely resembled ground beef. Only negative was one boy picking out the walnuts, but hey, I get that some people don't like nuts so it's cool...
Result: DEE-LISH. Whipped cream bumped it up to 5 stars. Won't care if I use white grape or apple juice in the future.

Note: I will admit this isn't a giant mistake. Mostly, took courage serving what was surprisingly weird to company. (I thought everyone ate baked apples?) But yes, it looked weird, I messed up, but it tasted great! Also, must learn to be a food photographer...and bonus! It's pretty healthy! Just a 1/4 cup brown sugar and 2 Tbsp margarine definitely makes this a lighter-side dessert.

Oopsy Pansies

"So I didn't have any _____, so I added _____ instead. It looks weird but it should taste good!" This is the disclaimer I give before almost every dish I make or project I create. (And if I don't, my husband asks...."sooo, what did you forget this time?")
For whatever reason, I am horrible at making sure I have all the ingredients before I start something, but I HATE stopping what I'm doing to go to the store or whatnot. I also hate doing hours and hours of research and preparation and spending money on a bunch of specialized tools for a project. So I make due. Usually, it works out great. Sometimes, I'm not so lucky. But I want to chronicle my "mistakes" as proof that you can go ahead, less than perfect, and create a masterpiece. My goal is to make it better than if I had all the "right" ingredients! Anyone can draw a perfect, simple daisy, but it takes style to know a pansy. :-)

P.S. If you think my taste buds are biased, I would challenge you to come over anytime I make my Pansy cinnamon rolls, where I accidentally DOUBLED the butter....TO. DIE. FOR.