The Case of the Missing Chocolate Cake

I go on mad baking binges sometimes. Every now and again, for some unknown reason, I just feel the need to create something. To bake something. Last night was one of those times, so I made a cake.

It wasn't just any cake. It was a gluten free chocolate cake made from a King Arthur brand cake mix.  (Yummy!). The chocolate icing was one of my own recipes, made from scratch and absolutely delicious!

I took two small pieces out of the cake last night -- one for me and one for my wife. Otherwise, it was a completely undisturbed, happy cake on the counter. Or so I thought.

I awoke this morning with one thing on my mind. Chocolate cake! We all know cake is the ultimate breakfast food and I don't feel the need to delve into the details on that one. It is obvious, right?

So I went through my usual morning routine and then made my way downstairs. As I came to the kitchen, the crime scene came into full view.

The cake was missing. In its place was a nearly empty cling wrap container. I put my sleuthing skills to the test and began making observations. The details, as I saw them, were that there were no dogs to be found and no broken glass, so the dogs didn't eat it. Another detail was that my son is 17, and, while possible, it's not really feasible that he could have eaten an entire chocolate cake in one evening. Right?

It is possible that a 17 year old can actually put something up. I've seen it happen. I checked the refrigerator. I checked the microwave. I checked on top of the refrigerator. I checked the pantry. I checked the refrigerator again. Then I checked the 17 year old's room.

I woke him and kindly interrogated him, using his sleepy state to my advantage. Another dead end!

Then I remembered my wife telling me she needed a snack for her classroom. Though I fixed popcorn for her little second-graders, the clues were all pointing to my wife! Gasp!

An entire chocolate cake for snack time? Second-graders? A healthy breakfast does not a healthy second grade snack make!

I got to school and texted her. While I have yet to hear from her, I fully intend to extract a confession from the guilty party when she gets home from school today.

Case closed. I think.

The Pop-Tarts Caper

It was only the second day of school and we already had a major problem on our hands. The Pop-Tarts had gone missing!

Here's the basic, pertinent information, in a nutshell.

They moved the machine from the snack room to make room for Mr. Haworth. Hey! That's me! Where did they put it? In the first grade wing, of course. That actually made the most sense. 

The other snack machine also has Pop-Tarts, sometimes. That machine, however, doesn't always dispense them correctly. It only releases the cheaper snacks, literally.

Please keep in mind that Pop-Tarts are, quite possibly, the most amazing breakfast food ever. You can eat them hot or cold. You can eat them while you're driving, walking or performing your morning duty. They come in a variety of colors and flavors. And, best of all, the Pop-Tarts company infused vitamins and stuff in them to make them healthy!

Imagine my surprise when I got to the first grade wing that second day for my happy, healthy breakfast and, gasp, no Pop-Tarts!

Note, if you will, the obvious hole in an otherwise full snack machine.

I was most distraught. I began grumbling about the first grade and kindergarten teachers eating all my Pop-Tarts. Although, I suppose they deserve happy, healthy breakfasts, too.

Extreme circumstances call for extreme measures, of course. On night two, Mr. Haworth, aka, the creator of Fuzzy, Black Dogs, actually sojourned to the grocery store and parked the car. He marched straight to the breakfast aisle and purchased said Pop-Tarts. End of story and problem solved. Or was it?

Someone who shall remain nameless obviously has a self-control issue concerning Pop-Tarts. This explains the reason why they are kept safe in a metal and glass enclosure.