I love Instagram and Twitter. I can’t say I’m as addicted as my husband who has accumulated over 5000 tweets in less than a month, but I do enjoy the exchange of information through Twitter. I find links to great articles, photos, recipes and other foodie news on Twitter all the time. If you ever want to see more of what is going on here at Chez Melissa & Tom head on over to my Twitter or Instagram. My name on Instagram is Shootsandroots. On Twitter I am Shootsandroots6.
This week the tomatoes, blackberries and carrots have started to ripen. I’m only getting a handful or so a day thus far, but this is just the beginning. The cake was made by Brae, all by herself. I was inspired by Cook Republic’s post about her son baking a cake all by himself. Brae usually doesn’t want to cook with me. I don’t blame her really, I have been told that I am uber controlling while cooking. After reading that post I realized my perfectionistic behavior in the kitchen was sucking all the fun out of cooking for my daughter. That’s probably why she doesn’t want to cook with me anymore. I want her to love cooking as much as I do. So, I asked her if she would want to bake a cake all by herself, with only my guidance. She jumped at the chance. It was tough for me to keep my hands off in the kitchen and let go of my desire to do everything perfectly, but she had a blast and was really proud of the cake she made. I am really glad I let go a bit and gave her the reigns.
I have been waiting all summer for plums to go on sale. Finally, I saw these beautiful yellow Shiro plums at my local fruit market for only $.79 cents a pound! I bought several pounds worth and made some of my favorite plum jam. I have eight jars so far and several pounds of plums left over. Isn’t the color amazing!
The closer I get to my October delivery date the less energy I have to make dinner. I really don’t want to rely on frozen dinners so I’ve tried to keep it simple. We’ve tried breakfast burritos, an easy chicken soup and fully loaded nachos with homemade chips. Now, I know what your thinking. Making your own chips is not easy, but its a lot easier than making an impromptu trip to the store. All you do is slice up a few corn tortillas with a pizza slicer, brush the tops with olive oil and bake them in a 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve covered in cheddar cheese, ground beef, black beans, tomatoes, onions, avocado and sour cream.
Right now I am headed out to pick blackberries. I got a tip today that the berry bushes at the end of our street are filled with ripe berries. Any ideas on what I should make with them?
Shoots and Roots 
Well done Brae (and Melissa!) That is a beautiful cake! I could eat half of it all by myself at tea 🙂
Thanks! She did a great job and now after watching an episode of Cupcake Wars she has been begging me to let her make fancy cupcakes. Yea!
ha ha! I laughed out loud about the homemade chips being easier than a trip to the store…..ha ha! I remember those days sooooooooo welll. Yes, yes….pregnant + summer = staying at home. LOVE the mama-profile shot, as well — and Brae looks right at home in that baking mode. I wonder where she got that? 😉
Hey! I have a similar issue with letting go when it comes to others in my kitchen. The difference, though, is that my eldest son really, really loves to cook. Of course, he wants me COMPLETELY out of his way when he’s in there. But, the MESS he leaves behind….oh, it makes my teeth hurt. He’s happy to let me take over at clean-up time , though.
Good job Brae — not only a beautiful cake, but she let her mom watch. 🙂