Let Him Eat Cake

Jacob's birthday isn't until this Friday, but one of the benefits of being in a blended family is the opportunity to celebrate special occasions multiple times.  So, the big 12th birthday celebration happened this past week at our home.  As is the annual tradition, Jacob asked for cheesecake.  He certainly got the "cheesecake lover" trait from his daddy, who makes that same request every February for his own birthday.  This year's request was a chocolate swirl cheesecake and I threw in a chocolate crust for good luck!  According to my boys, this cheesecake was a hit!!

Then, on Saturday, we celebrated with family and Jacob requested a carrot cake--I mean, he can't be expected to share the cheesecake, right?!?  So, I headed back into the kitchen.  I love to bake, but with my effort to lose weight, I haven't been baking at all.  This past week was a great time to get to enjoy baking, then being able to share the end product rather than having it tempt me from the kitchen.  I chose a new recipe that used baby food carrots and just 1/2 cup of shredded carrots.  It certainly was easier than the old recipe that had me shredding 3 cups of carrots!!  And, looking at Jacob's face in that picture, I think he was completely satisfied with the outcome!

Happy Early Birthday, Jacob!  We love you!