…and, no, not in a pyro kinda way. That was last week.
Seems that I haven’t been able to attempt something new this week without burning the crap out of it or otherwise somehow ruining it at least once.
Exhibit A:
Chicken Parmesan
And let me tell you, the house smelled soooo pretty. I did get it right the second batch, though.
Exhibit B:
Then, I was attempting to make my first doll cake. No, not for my daughter, though you’d think, yeah? No, this was for my mom. Yup, my mom. She wanted a doll cake so her granddaughter could help decorate the pretty dress.
Well, I wasn’t sure how much batter was required for this pan, and so I used….ummm….too much. About 15 minutes after it started baking, Bald Man says, “What’s burning?” Surely not the cake? I’d just put it in.
Yeah, the cake. It was overflowing and burning on the bottom of the oven. Would you believe I’d just cleaned that stinkin’ oven? No? Yeah, me neither. 
Okay, so, take the pan out, take some of the batter out of it, put the pan back in, it should be fine.
Cook for 20 minutes, check it, still gooey, 10 more minutes, check it…hmmm……
Okay, so, apparently when Bald Man was helping out with the Great Cake Eruption of 2007, he turned off the oven. Only I didn’t know that. And I didn’t turn it back on. And, yeah, so nothing was cooking.
Did I mention that I started this whole process just a few hours before mom was arriving for her birthday celebration? That’s me, always planning ahead and such.
Another cake mix later, a quick frosting of the doll, and all was well with the world. Well, at least our world, for that day. 
Like her hair? Honestly, I don’t have time to do my own hair, what makes you think I had time to do hers? It’s thrown into the same ponytail/bun thing in which my own hair is usually suspended.
And here she is en fuego.
editor’s note: Okay, so this wasn’t actually this week. It was a few weeks ago. It was an accurate statement when I wrote the title. I’m a bit behind. Welcome to my world.
And here I was thinking weeks like this only happen to me!! The difference is I would have given up after the first lot went up in smoke – good on you for persevering. The cake looked gorgeous!
I’d eat that chicken parmesan if it were burnt. The doll cake is freaky, though.
I agree with Hsien. My mom burnt most everything she cooked. Nothing wrong with a little charcol in your food. Sometimes it’s downright tasty!
We all have bad cooking weeks. I’ve even had bad cooking years.
My husband sometimes prefers dinner burnt too! Esp. the steak. It isn’t as good as chargrilled but good enough. haha
As for having a bad cooking day, i think I’ve been having a bad cooking LIFE.
Gill: Thanks for commenting! I’m starting to get used to all the burning. This certainly isn’t my first time setting off the smoke alarms.
Thanks for the compliment on the cake.
Hsien: I just fed the burnt stuff to the kids. heehee. I did cut the charred part off, first, and the chicken was nice and juicy and yummy inside. And whaddya mean, she’s freaky? She’s going to haunt you in your dreams, now.
Rantz: Then it’ll feel like coming home to eat here!
Did you and BaldMan get that date set yet?
Kate: Maybe we should collaborate and find recipes that don’t require cooking.
There’s nothing more upsetting than cakes not coming out right. I find the things I burn tend to be things like microwave popcorn which makes it all the more embarrassing.
Hi Jennie.
Mmmmm…burnt popcorn…that’s a pretty aroma for the house, too. I seem to always burn a last batch of cookies or pancakes. Apparently, my mind has already moved past the cooking and on the next task at hand. Those two cooking experiences, without fail, end with, “Oh crap! Again, really?”
Motherhood is crazy, isn’t it. Your post had me laughing.
I remember the doll cakes. I have a picture from my 4th birthday. My mom would make me doll cakes. I should send Hsien some pics. lol Back then (haha) I don’t think they had doll pans, so my mom would cook the cake in a glass bowl. Then she would cut a hole in the middle of the cake. I think she’s now upgraded to the pan though.
Karen: Hey there.
Motherhood is by far the craziest thing I’ve ever attempted! Glad I could offer up a few giggles, we need all that we can get, I think. 
Doll cakes were a tradition for us, too, and I used the pan mom used to use for ours. I heard the Pampered Chef batter bowl can be used for the same purpose, though. Never thought about a regular glass bowl; very creative, your mom. Hmm…wonder what else could be made with that….
I’m sure that Pampered Chef bowl costs a small fortune. lol
Talking about the doll cakes made me think of something else my mom used to make. She would fill ice cream cones about 1/2 full of batter and she would set them in the bottom of a pan and cook them. The trick was to get them in the over without them tipping over. Then she’d put icing on top. They were so yummy! The cone really went well with the cake.
Oops . . . the trick was to get them in the oven, not the over.
Kerri you just impress me that you actually take pics of the food you burnt! I would want that out of my memory. lol! Good job on the doll cake.
Karen: My mom did the cake cones too! I had several birthdays with those as the cake. Yummy!
Karen: I think I got my PC bowl on sale for about 13 dollars, though I’m sure the shipping was crazy expensive. @ the cone cakes, one recipe I saw had someone placing them in a muffin pan to keep them more steady. Never done them myself, but they look tasty!
Annie: I should’ve taken a photo of that pizza I charred the one night you were here. That would’ve gone well in this post.
And I can totally see your mom making those cone cakes, and every other cute thing that kids love!
[...] I overlooked, but no… no. It was all good. Power’s on, and it glows a nice glow-y red. Kerri will no doubt test it’s baking prowess in the next day or [...]