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Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Let them eat cake!

Since Mac has had his bake on here lately (did I mention that last night he couldn't sleep so he baked chocolate chip cookies at 2am?), I was thinking maybe I could employ his help on a little baking project I want to do. Or maybe I could buy all the ingredients, give him a recipe and get out of his way?

Fat Tuesday is February 16 and this year I wanted to bake a King Cake to bring to school. I have two sections of reading I teach (in addition to my 5 periods of aide duties) so I was thinking of making 2 Cakes, one for each class.

I've been researching and have learned all about King Cakes. The basics: usually a cinnamon yeast roll type of cake, shaped in a circle and decorated with the Mardi Gras colors of purple, green and gold. Traditional cakes have a plastic baby Jesus baked inside the cake and the person who gets that is King or Queen for the day, and is usually in charge of bringing the Cake to the next celebration. In my case, since I want to bring these to the public middle school, I think I might just bake the Cakes and leave a plastic baby Jesus in the center, like many bakeries that are afraid of lawsuits do. I'm also going to drape the cake with beads in the traditional colors. Then I thought the reading lesson that day could be about Mardi Gras. Something fun and different and festive.

I live in the Midwest and most of my students have never heard of Mardi Gras let alone Fat Tuesday or anything else related to this event so it might be kinda cool. I was in New Orleans around Mardi Gras time (once upon a time and a lifetime ago), and it was fun for sure. Though maybe I should omit those stories...

If I can motivate myself to actually DO the baking. Like I said, maybe Mac would like a chance to upgrade his baking skills....

Mardi Gras Queen Maggie

3 comments:

Duchess of Tea said...

My darling I popped in to wish you a love filled February full of blessings.

Love & Hugs
Duchess

Cheryl said...

Sounds like a giant cinnamon role. Love cinnamon roles!! I'm sure your students will love them. And your son, it sounds, will probably enjoy the challenge of baking them. I'd probably have to resort to a bakery myself. Or those pillsbury cinnammon roles with Mardi Gras colored sugar sprinkled on top.

Maggie said...

Duchess- thanks, and you too!

Cheryl- I want any sort of cinnamon rolls I can eat anytime! And I might do the Pillsbury ones; I never thought of that! thanks for the idea!