Not Quittin' My Day Job

Last night for dinner we had another of R's favorites - Steak Salad.  So fast, fresh and fantastic.

While a simply seasoned flank steak and an ear of corn were grilling, I sliced some carrots and red onion and washed the spinach.  After the corn and beef were nicely grilled and had time to rest, I threw everything together and served it Willie's style, meaning the dressing was a mix of queso and salsa. 

After dinner it was time to get to work.  I had decided that I would bake and decorate 50 cookies for the winners of this year's SURVIVOR Challenge.  `Each of the 5 tribes created their own flag, complete with tribe colors, slogan and logo.  The goal was to somehow incorporate those ideas in the decoration. 

What was I thinking????

Here are a few of the baked, un-iced cookies, just staring at me. 

Mocking me, really.

 

I began with the most simple designs

Team Outback

  

Simplicity and bright colors make me happy

I found the perfect cookie cutter at Hobby Lobby for my MOKO tribe - a crown to match their logo.

This tribe definitely thought of themselves as royalty...

I was not pleased at all with how this next class period's cookies turned out.  They had a complicated mascot to begin with and then every time I tried to 'draw' their symbol (the swoosh) it ended up looking sperm-like.  Not a good thing when you work with 9th graders. 

One kid today told me it appeared that I had 'given up' by the time I got to their cookies!  Gotta love 15 year-olds for their honesty. 

This tribe's logo was tough to do as well.  I mean, a pineapple???

I don't know if I like the buck teeth or the enthusiastic slogan more.

I had to just let go and do the pineapples and leaves 'freestyle'. 

It's a loose interpretation.  But isn't that what artistic license is????

Finally, we have the tribe that won out of all of my class periods... Thunder From Down Under.  Prior to this I had never made gray icing.  Who wants a cake or cupcake with gray icing??? How depressing.  Thank goodness Hobby Lobby carries every color under the sun. 

Notice I did not even attempt the kangaroo

The cookies turned out to be a huge hit and the kids didn't seem to notice every single imperfection that I was freaking out about.  They were very appreciative of the fact that I customized them for each tribe.  And as much fun as the cookies were to make and decorate, my favorite part was seeing the smiles on their faces each period as I would open the tupperware container and show them their designs. 

Just one more confirmation that the classroom is the place for me.