Creme Puff Cake

Valerie Bertinelli before Creme Puff Cake:

Creme Puff Cake

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

First let's make the crust! Or, rather, the puff!

1 cup of water

1/2 cup of butter

1 cup of flour

4 eggs

In a heavy saucepan heat water and butter over medium heat. When it starts to boil, turn down the heat and add the flour. Stir fast and furiously until the mixture forms a ball, pulling away from the sides of the pan. Remove from heat. Break and add eggs 1 AT A TIME. Make sure you completely mix egg in thoroughly before adding the next egg! Put puff stuff into an ungreased 9x13 UNGREASED pan. Use the back of the spoon or spatula to put batter up the side of the pan, while keeping an even layer on the bottom, forming a shell. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Keep an eye on it, because mine was puffed up and brown 10 minutes before it should have been. Cool....

Now for the pudding:

4 cups of milk

1 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened

3 boxes (3.5 oz.) INSTANT pudding mix

And last, but not least, a tub of Cool Whip

Use mixer to combine milk and cream cheese. Now add 3 boxes of instant pudding mix. You get to choose your flavor. I made this with vanilla pudding and took it to work and my co-workers nearly licked the pan clean. But then, they would eat chocolate covered dirt as long as somebody else made it and brought it in to work. Coconut Creme is also good, and you can never go wrong with good ole' reliable chocolate. Mom tried it with Banana Cream pudding and thought it tasted a little artificial. But you can roll however you want... Keep mixing until the pudding, milk, and cream cheese thickens. Pour the "creme" over the cooled "puff". Top it all off with a tub of Cool Whip. Cover and put it in the fridge, or what the hell, have a bowl full, then put it in the fridge!

Valerie Bertinelli after Creme Puff Cake:

Now, honestly, doesn't she look great? After her weight loss, I mean! Wow, to be 48 years old and looking that hot in a bikini on the cover of People magazine! I wonder if I'd look that hot if I lost weight. I'm going to ponder that over a bowl of Creme Puff Cake!!!!

One more thing...my Dad loved creme puffs. One time Dad and I had had a disagreement about something, I don't even remember what. He left, ticked off. He showed up later bearing creme puffs. Creme puffs are the best form of apology! Miss you, Dad!

Big and Little

My son, Sam, (that would be the toothless one on the right, smiling like only a ten year old boy can) has a Big Brother. That is Ryan, on the left, although since there are only two people in the picture you probably could have figured that out on your own. About a year ago I contacted the Big Brothers and Big Sisters organization in our area to find someone for Sam. BBBS matches kids (littles) with adults (bigs) in order to provide a positive role model, friendship, and companionship for children in non-traditional settings. Sam and I were then contacted for a meeting in which the rules and expectations for BBBS were reviewed. Sam was able to communicate his hobbies and interests with the counselor who would then look for a suitible match for Sam. Since Sam is an only child and we live in a college town I was hoping they would be able to match Sam with a male college student. Then we had to wait. And I think we ended up waiting for several months before we were notified that a "Big" had been found for Sam. Apparently, more women volunteer than men so it takes longer to match boys. The program also does extensive interviews and background checks on potential volunteers. BBBS also asks for a one year commitment to the program from the volunteers to provide stability for the children.

Ryan has been great for Sam. What started out as a quiet and shy introduction has grown into, simply, two brothers hangin' out. In the fall they played football and went to the park. This winter it is all about video games. And McDonald's. And just doing what brothers do.

Ryan and Sam try to get together at least once a week for a few hours. Ryan calls Sam. Sam calls Ryan. Plans are made. Plans get changed when Ryan has a test, which offers me an opportunity

to point out to Sam that Ryan has to study just like he does. Only Ryan's Mother isn't there telling him he has homework!

For Christmas, Ryan gave Sam the first of a series of books called "The 39 Clues". (I would underline that title like I was taught if I could figure out how!) Sam is now on the third book and has figured out that reading can be a good thing. Something he didn't believe was possible when I told him that!

Sadly, for us, Ryan will be graduating the first of May and leaving Maryville. I have already ask BBBS for a new "big" for Sam, but no one will ever replace Ryan. I'm confident that between e-mail and texting they will be brothers for life!

I would highly recommend BBBS for anyone who is interested in finding a mentor for their child. It has been such a good experience for Sam. I would also love for more people who want to make a positive difference in a child's life to consider giving their time to such a worthwhile program as Big Brothers and Big Sisters!

Willow

Her name is Willow and she is one special little princess! She is the daughter of my niece, Blair. And she is my very first great-niece. She will be joined in June with my very first second great-niece when my niece, Jessica and fiancee Adrian, welcome their first child into the folds of the family. Yes, there will be more on that later!!!

But this post belongs to Willow, because on March 13th she turned one year old!!!