Chopped

Tonight, I went to a work dinner with Mike. Haley, Sydney, Paige & Elle were left to their own fun devices for a few hours. When I walked in after dinner, the house smelled like cake or cookies or baked goods of some kind. The girls were all in the kitchen and started showing me all of the food they had made. They re-enacted an episode of Chopped -- a show on the Food Network where people have to make various food with whatever (often strange) ingredients they are given. Haley is obsessed with the show and has tried a few different recipes out on me. Once, she made a vinaigrette dressing out of yogurt and raspberry soda that was actually pretty decent.

Anyway .....

 Elle showed me what she had made.

Love the artistic touch. She described her creation for me: "I maked a bread with some jam on it. The raspberry jam and I put four prentzels to look like a flower and then I put a fruit snack in the middle. You know .. the fruit ones?

Paige made a gooey creation of marshmallows, jam and an unknown ingredient.  No one wanted to eat it, apparently. Haley was disappointed that none of her creations seemed to turn out this time.

And then there was Sydney.  Her creation was what I smelled when I walked in the house.  She made a cake.  In the microwave!  Here's her description of what she baked: "I used like the normal stuff you put in cookies .... eggs, flour, sugar, and stuff like that. I also put in a little bit of brown sugar. And then I added some chocolate chips. And then on the very bottom I put some marshmallows. Then I poured it all in a dish and then cooked it in the microwave because we weren't allowed to use the oven (when mom & dad are gone). When I served it, I put chocolate syrup and crumbled graham crackers on top to make S'more cake."

She was very humble about it, even though I couldn't get over the fact that she made a cake. Without a recipe. In the microwave.  So cute. :)