It's Superbowl morning here at the Grazier house and Enna is off at a portrait session. With big plans to watch the game tonight with Keelin and Joe I decided to entertain Ollie and Will by baking two Superbowl cakes. A yellow cake for the Cardinals, and a chocolate cake for the Steelers, each one with the team's logo on it. We'll be able to see which team is favored by observing which cake is eaten first.
Not being much of a cook I picked up several cake mixes while shopping at BJ's last night. The only problem with shopping at BJ's is that you can't buy just one mix of each, they come in six-packs. So i bought a six-pack of cake mixes: three yellow, three chocolate.
10 a.m. Game Day: cake plan goes into effect. With Enna gone and the three of us home alone, we break out the mixing bowls, eggs, and oil... not a good combo;) if you consider that two of the bakers are under 5 years old.
Everything seemed to go well for the first two cakes (I was only going to make two). The mess was contained, the silly putty did not make it into the batter, and 30 minutes later I pulled the cakes out only to discover I had reversed the oil/water ratios... Oops.
2nd down, ten yards to go...
I clean out the mixing bowls, found another set of cake pans, and got started. At this point in the morning (11 a.m.) the younger bakers are suffering a serious case of cabin fever, so I was constantly saying things like "Ollie, keep your hands out of the bowls." "Will, do not stick your head in there," "Hey guys, playdough does not taste good." With that last quote you can guess that my offensive line did not protect the batter.
3rd down, STILL ten yards to go...
After dumping the 2nd batch of two mixes down the sink disposal and cleaning everything I realized it was a good thing I had to buy six boxes of mix. This time I got organized. I made sure I had all my measurements right, barricaded the bowls from the play dough, and ensured no little fingers or faces could be dipped into the batter. There was only one problem: I needed six eggs but I only had three. I called Enna to see if she could make an emergency store run on her way home. She asked me "have you already mixed the batter without the eggs?" ("... yup.") and promptly told me to run and ask the neighbors for eggs as the batter would not last. In my pj's I dashed around the neighborhood knocking on doors but alas no one was home.
This is what makes Superbowl Sunday so great, having to make a tough call. I realized I can only bake one cake. So... do I bake a cake for the Cardinals or the Steelers?
I grew up loving three teams: the Pats, the Cowboys and the Steelers. The past decade with the Pats has been, and I know will continue to be, amazing. The legendary "snowbowl" between the Pats and the Steelers was a turning point for our local franchise and I found it fun to watch the Steelers suffer under a controversial play. We did deserve the win, as I don't believe that one play alone wins the game (although some single great plays have "won" games, if you know what I mean... that's a tough thing to write after last year's "helmet catch").
The Cardinals haven't won a Superbowl yet. That should be reason alone to cheer for them. BUT... They did lay down for the Pats this year when they came to Foxboro. I must admit that I was shocked at how poorly they played and was pretty upset that they made it to the playoffs after witnessing that performance. Now they are in the Superbowl?
So the three eggs went to the Steelers:) When it snowed hard in Foxboro they played hard, very hard. And our Patriots had one of the greatest wins in franchise history. Between these two games and the fact that I loved Mean Joe Green, I put the yellow cake down the drain and let the chocolate win:) Since it was three eggs, maybe this means the Steelers win by three? I'd love to see a close game.
Now... how to make frosting?
