I like big bundts and I cannot lie

I couldn't resist.

Anyway, I found a few cake recipes that I want to remember to try at some point, and if I put them on people's walls on facebook (or even post them directly to mine) I'm never going to find them again.

So.

Pumpkin Cake with Maple Frosting and Apple Cider Caramel

I actually have NO idea why I want to try this one so badly - I don't have a huge affinity for pumpkin or maple flavors. But something about it screams fall and I just want my house to smell like that. I asked my BIL if he'd be my guinea pig since Nate isn't a pumpkin fan, either. Perhaps I should make it to take down to my in-laws on Saturday when we go watch the 50th anniversary Doctor Who special since we don't have cable.

Maple Bundt Cake

Another one of the "this just seems like something that should be baked now" cakes.

Nutella Swirl with Cream Cheese Frosting

I would be the only one in our house eating this (Nate and his family don't really like Nutella and they lived in Germany - HOW DOES THAT EVEN HAPPEN?), but my family would quickly devour it.

Citrus Blueberry Thyme Cake

This is almost the complete opposite in my arbitrary flavor world. Where the previous cakes conjure images and feelings of autumn and heaviness and cooler temperatures, this one seems light and summery and that it should be paired with a cold drink instead of hot coffee or tea.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl

Nate loves Reese's. It's easily his favorite candy. He likes sugar in most forms, really (my Easter candy when we were engaged took a terrible blow), but he's partial to peanut butter cups. Our 5-year dating anniversary (totally a thing to celebrate, right?) is coming up and I think I might make this for him.

While we're on the topic of foodstuffs...

Freddy turned 6 months old last week, which means introduction to solids time! First up: sweet potato puree. Rosie LOVED this when she was his age, but he was less than enthused. Granted, she was also literally starving, but she just wolfed it down. Freddy made the funniest faces and actively fought eating it. Since his weight gain STILL isn't where the pediatrician wants it (he's up to 13 lbs 11 oz, which is a little over a pound from his last check), he definitely needs to get the extra calories SOMEwhere, and even though breastmilk is one of the most calorie-dense and efficient foods - some calories are better than no calories.

No thanks, I'm good.

Since sweet potatoes were still cibis non grata after another day, we switched to bananas (more calories than breastmilk to boot) and all of a sudden solids were ok. But when I didn't take extra milk to feed him after I went shopping with my mom and sister, we were scrambling to find something for him at my parents' house. We found applesauce. "That'll work. He hasn't had it yet, but he's gotta try it soon anyway."

It wasn't until he was almost done with his first helping that my mom read the ingredient label. "Apples, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup..." So...a sugar bomb. I would describe his reaction, but what I really want to do is show you. Unfortunately, I can't, because the dang video won't load. adsfghjkl. So just imagine lots of squealing, arm flailing, and baby versions of bouncing off the walls.

Luckily, I'd recently bought eight pounds of apples, so I was able to take six of them (apples, not pounds) and make some just-apples-applesauce the next day. Mix that in with some sweet potato and you've successfully tricked an infant into eating something he doesn't want. Yes, I tricked a baby that has no powers of reasoning and I'm proud of that. For the record, 6 apples made about 16 baby servings of applesauce, so it's lasting a while. Next up: acorn squash. Or peas. Or maybe avocado. Right now we're in orange and beige land and the squash would just add to that instead of diversify.

Time to post this sucker - I've been slowly adding to it over the past few days (waiting for a dang video to get added didn't help) and have missed a few link-ups as a result. Gotta get back on track.