A Word About Dump Cakes!

I know in today's health crazy, anti-processed food world, dump cakes are probably akin to eating cheetos and Dr. Pepper for breakfast. Still, they have all the components that make them perfect for little ones just learning their way around a kitchen.

For one thing, all you have to do is DUMP! Dump fruit, dump cake mix, dump melted butter! Okay, okay, there's slightly more to it than that (you want to make sure to pour evenly and spread in a nice layer in your pan, for example), but they're super quick and simple.

The other thing is, it's really hard to mess them up. You layer your ingredients, put it in the oven at 375, and watch for your crust to get a nice golden brown. 

And as if the first two reasons weren't good enough, I have another: you don't need a recipe to have endless possibilities. Seriously, you need fruit (canned, usually pie filling, but not exclusively) and a cake mix, topped with melted butter and voila! You can also add things like nuts, chocolate chips, syrups and dessert toppings (I did an apple dump cake with apple pie filling, yellow cake mix, and half a jar of caramel topping and boy, was it good! Sweet, yes, but I had guests and there was none leftover).

When your little one finished this simple mixture and sees how well it turns out . . . 

You get a very sweet satisfaction knowing they're growing to love the kitchen!

A Little About the Five Generations!

Surrounded by my immediate and extended family, I've been cooking in the beautiful Appalachian mountains my whole life. Me, my three beautiful daughters, my mom, grandma, and great-grandma, are all fans of food. While we sometimes joke that the gift of cooking skipped one generation with my mom, even she has a few special recipes that she brings to the table  (see what I did there?). We also have special sub-talents: Memaw (my grandma) loves to make new gourmet quality recipes and experiment with new ingredients (lately she's been using the pink rice a lot). Nanny, my great-grandma, is the queen baker and champion of pies. She loves all things coconut. I like to do a lot of vegetarian cooking mixed with some new spins on classic casseroles and hearty family meals! My mom . . . well, she has a BBQ chicken recipe that is out of this world.

Even my kiddos have their own special interests! Zoe, my oldest, loves to grow herbs and is a whiz at using them to season oil and vinegar dressings that she has made herself.

Beebs, my middle child, loves all things sweet and has become our resident dump cake baker!

Stella . . . well, she should probably wait to start cooking until she's sampled more than breastmilk! Her palate isn't that refined, yet.

As we share our family's special recipes, tips for setting table, and fun cooking traditions, you'll get to know many branches of our five generation line! We can't wait to share our family with you and maybe get to know yours, too!