DAY 49 : PRETTY IN PINK....

And today on the 2nd May 2011, my little Zene Zoe finally turned 4..
We'll the reason I'm saying "finally' is because we have been celebrating her birthday since April as she is born in May and everyone is on holidays..
So 13th April the school party,25th April the family party , 30th April, her God-Mother threw her a birthday party in Dallas and today finally we sang ''Happy Birthday " to her on her real birthday...made her this pink cake in the shape of number 4 on it ...and she beamed from ear to ear as her brothers Zeke, Kyle and Cruz sang to her and clapped for her...they all then sank their teeth into this plain sponge cake with a strawberry butter-cream icing..
I make this cake at home all the time whenever Arshad has a meeting and there is nothing at all and I'm stuck ..I just put my ingredients together and ABRA-KA-DABRA-KAZAM !!!!
The softest and spongiest cake that you just want to keep biting into is sitting quietly in your oven !!!!

INGREDIENTS
Flour: 100gms
Milk powder : 50 gms
Castor sugar :120 gms
Butter : 150 gms
Eggs : 3
Salt : a pinch
Vanilla essence a few drops
Baking powder : 1/2 tsp
Milk : 50 ml

Sieve salt, baking powder, salt and milk powder together..
Cream the butter and the sugar very well together..
Fold in the flour and adjust the consistency with milk...
Pour the mix into a 6 inch greased tray and bake for 45 minutes at 150 degrees...

Its actually that simple and my sisters kitchen has this lovely aroma wafting through...

My sister Juliet who is 2 years younger than me .... lives in Dallas and has the most beautiful house and lovely boys Kyle and Cruz , and the most wonderful husband Raj....who is great with the kids, the house, computers, cooking , cleaning,entertaining the kids and he also works.....
Well Julu n me were pregnant together...actually she always got pregnant 1st and i think it's contagious because i was pregnant soon after...both the times...
Zene Zoe is Julu's God-child..and is as feisty as her god mother and is used to having her own way like her mother, she is charming like her Dada and has him wrapped around her little fingers..
I think girls come with their own special manual that the boys don't really get...
Because Zene says the most amazing things and has her Dad's sense of humour...
Like this one time when she was not well, I asked her how she was feeling and she said,"My fever is gone" then she smiled looked up at me and said "down to play", we'll coming from a 3 year old i thought that was wicked...
I think Zene is incredible ....but then I'm her mum and i guess all mum's feel that way about their kid's...
But she really is the sweetest, and she just holds my face in her hands and looks into my eyes and says's "mama i love you "..
Sometimes she just gives me a hug when I'm feeling blue ...like she just knows ...and when we go to sleep she hugs my face onto her little chest and gives me little kisses......sometimes i feel like I'm her little girl...she makes me feel protected , loved, warm , peaceful , beautiful and incredibly lucky that i have her...That's my little Zene Zoe in a nut shell...
And her tantrums are world class and adorable....she gets upset and then just walks out of the room and goes and sits on her bed with her cute face in her hands...she chucks thing's (that's not good at all, but i do that too)...she has a sad walk..which is this slow drag ....and its basically slow because she wants us to run after her and pick her up and kiss her and hug her , and then sometimes she just stands behind a wall and shows us her little finger.....because she is upset about something....
Oh! God, I can just keep talking about Zene...
You know I love my babies and the whole experience of getting pregnant ,getting fat ,then struggling to loose weight , the hair loss, the skin changing , my nails breaking, my gorgeous clothes not fitting, my shoe size increasing, not sleeping ...i even love each and every little stretch marks ( thank-fully very few of those ) ...kids are the most perfect part of a relationship.......
So this pink cake is for my little Zene Zoe...
it's like her soft, yet firm and easy ..only if you follow the instructions and the best quality ingredients...Girls are high maintenance ...but that you already know ...ha ha ha
I just pray to God to keep that vibrant smile on her face forever and may she always stay safe mentally, spiritually, physically and emotionally...and that smile , that million dollar smile intact...
GOD BLESS U MY ZENE POOIEE...
And for all of you this soft and simple "PRETTY IN PINK" cake made with lotsa love and incredible patience only from "Maria's Kitchen"......