Sunday, March 10, 2013

Angel Food (From Scratch!)

A recent Facebook post of mine:  Sometimes you say funny things when you make angel food cake from scratch with a 3-year-old...like, "There are no chives in angel food" and "Why is the egg yolk in your pants?" and "Blow your nose in a tissue, not on the mixer"


The energy of the house was stressful, we were all in a bad place.  I decided to distract the kids by making angel food cake with them.  Why?  Who knows.  Madness ensued, resulting in deliciousness.

Earlier in the day, our 3-year-old had told his Daddy that he wanted to be 2 again.  Upon further discussion, my husband realized that the boy wanted another green angel food cake.  He apparently thought that if he was 2 again, he could have another 3rd birthday and I'd make him another cake.

Green angel food is sacred in my growing up.  When you have a birthday, my father makes an angel food cake, and that's just how it is.  Sometimes there is a sauce from berries, but there is always angel food with food coloring in it.  As I grew up, green became the default color.  

I had to call my mother, because my husband made a valid point.  He asked if eating green angel food on a day that is not a birthday would be like having sacramental bread and wine as a snack.  After some playfully serious consideration, I called my parents just to make sure.  My mother cited John Wesley to me, how he stated that he would take communion every day because of the sanctity of the experience, and the relationship of history.  This makes sense.  Green angel food is associated with only positive, beautiful memories.  Making and eating it at a time that is not a birthday is a way to pay tribute to the experiences it represents.

My kitchen all but exploded with my two little helpers.  Separating a dozen eggs is really hard when the 3-year-old so desperately wants to help.  Our cake ended up with only 11 egg whites because one egg met an untimely demise at the hands of my exuberant little one.  The flour and powdered sugar were very well sifted, thanks to the sobriety and intense focus of a 5-year-old.

They were as excited as could be, and when they woke from their naps, there it was, upside down and cooling.  It was like a little slice of heaven to see their eyes sparkle.  After dinner, as I cut and served their cake, they had to retell over and over again what their roles were and how we worked together.

We were all in a grumpy, emotionally unstable place.  The day could have been a real disaster of whining and shouting.  For some reason, making this rather strange and finicky cake is what we needed.  We made a mess and probably ate more raw egg white than is healthy...and in the end it was a beautiful experience!

I deserve BEAUTY in my life!


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