Yesterday we celebrated Evelyn’s first birthday. I can’t believe my precious bundle of joy is now a big girl!

We started off her special day with chocolate chip pancakes made from scratch. Its a tradition I grew up with, and I plan to continue it as my little family grows. She ate three pancakes (I only could eat two!), half a banana and a whole cup of milk. A big appetite for the birthday girl!

In the afternoon she helped me make her birthday cake. We had a lot of fun doing this together, and she was especially fond of watching the KitchenAid whir. I gave her a few baby spoonfuls of frosting to try, and she kept busy with that while I decorated the cake.

Like most things, I chose to make my own frosting. It is super easy and much “healthier” than the stuff you buy in the mini plastic tub. My recipe calls for only four simple ingredients, while the store-bought stuff is made with with an unsavory assortment of fake additives, including partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, polysorbate 60, corn syrup and diglycerides. Ewwwwwe. You may already know that partially hydrogenated vegetable oil is a primary source of trans fat, responsible for heart disease, diabetes, cancer and infertility (to name just a few). Therefore, I don’t buy anything with this ingredient.
Here’s my recipe for homemade buttercream frosting.

1 stick softened butter
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/3 – 1/2 cup milk

Beat the butter and vanilla till smooth. Add in powdered sugar and milk.