Anniversary Cake

On August 1, 2009, Erik and I made the trek out to Texarkana to see our friends Jon and Kim tie the knot.

Remember the quilt I made them?

Anyway, a year has gone by, and much to their dismay, the top tier of their wedding cake did not survive.

Lovely, cake, no?

So Jon asked me to secretly make another tier to match the original to surprise Kim on their big day.  Pineapple filling and all!  I even had silver ribbon already in my stash!  See, a stash is a good thing!  I  encouraged Jon to get some fresh hydrangeas from the grocery store to make it even more special. It would also cover up some of the wonkiness on the top  ; )

Happy Anniversary, guys!

(in light of my fitness commitment, I would like to add the disclaimer that I only had a few bites of "leftovers" and very minimal icing - I gained quite a few pounds during my cake making days - yikes)

I'm a Dental Nerd

I made this cake last Tuesday for a friend at dental school turning 23. The debate was whether or not it was tooth #18 or #31. It's a chocolate cake, hence the rampant decay and need for extraction by the oral surgery resident hopeful. I enjoyed the challenge of sculpting it, but not the challenge of driving it to school as it is smaller on bottom than on top!

You can also see in the background that Erik's been tiling the backsplashes in the kitchen and doing a marvelous job. Can't wait to see the finished product with grout and all.

And that quilt I'm working on? You know, the one I hoped to have basted before the weekend is over? Well, it's quilted and I'm sewing on the binding. In a fit of mania I just went for it. I also sewed through my left index finger in the process, but all is good and it will definitely be ready for the wedding this weekend. I'm hesitant to show it to you just yet...

Gotta Back it Up a Bit

My darling niece Molly had her 1st birthday June 21 and we celebrated the following weekend with cupcakes and cookies at the park.

She's my favorite little girl ever.

I had the privilege of making her cupcakes and cookies for the big day!

This is the recipe I use for the soft sugar cookies:

4 c. sugar
2 c. Crisco
4 eggs
2 c. buttermilk
2 tsp. soda
4 tsp. baking powder
2 tbsp. vanilla
8 c. flour

I probably ended up using 9 c after rolling in my hands with flour. It's such a soft dough! I keep it in the freezer to keep it cold enough to handle. 350 degrees until lightly brown on the edges. In this case, I had to substitute milk + lime juice for the buttermilk and 1 of the eggs was 2 tbsp of cornstarch. It was late, and I was a little short, but it totally worked.

The frosting?

1 small can Crisco (do you see a pattern here?)
2 tbsp butter flavoring
2 tbsp clear vanilla
2 tsp water (mix all of the above until smooth)
2 lb bag of powdered sugar (add slowly!)

Makes enough to frost a Betty Crocker cake mix. Or a bunch of cupcakes and a bunch of cookies.

The fondant?

1/4 c. Crisco (again...)
1 bag mini marshmallows
2 tbsp water
1 tsp clear vanilla
1 tsp butter flavoring (melt all of these together...I like to do it in a big nonstick wok with a little Crisco painted on it and the spoon/spatula)
2 lb bag of powdered sugar (I add it in increments into the big wok to keep the mess down)

When it gets harder to knead with a spatula, I coat my hands in crisco and got for it like meat loaf. You can add gel food coloring early on (easier!) or later (harder, but you can make more colors)

The cake? (yes, I cheat - this is from the back of the Dream Whip box)

1 box cake mix
1 pkg Dream Whip
1 cup cold water
4 egss

Just some of the bread and butter from my cake decorating days. Use at your own risk. (to your hips and thighs, that is.)

What I've been up to lately...

I had to set aside the quilting for a few days to do this.











Then we did a little of this.














I avoided the heat of the grills,

preferring the shade and a glass of iced tea.

Congrats to my cousin Sarah...your quilt will be ready soon!

Old Hobbies Die Hard

I've hardly touched a piece of fabric this week aside from doing laundry and trying to pick out curtains. Everytime I get excited about it, I realize I have no idea what box my iron is in. And I think, "I can just wash what needs to be washed and have it ready to iron when I find it", then I realize my color catchers are at Mom's and I can't wash new fabric without color catchers. If I knew where my salt was, maybe I'd try that trick....So today is quilting tools round up day. I will get my act together!

Yesterday was cake day. My cousin asked for a birthday cake for her fiance's birthday yesterday (she also asked for a wedding cake!). I usually don't go all realistic on my cakes, but I had to do the Oreo dirt, and if you have the piping tip for grass, by golly, use it! So this was the first thing baked in the new oven, which worked delightfully. It took longer than usual because I was constantly digging in boxes for cocoa or foil or what not. Luckily all my cake decorating supplies are always in one box, so that was helpful. As much as it looks like a kid's birthday cake, Brad is a 26-year-old grown-up who is a big kid at heart. And won't give up soccer : )



It is hard to believe I used to do cakes all the time and even called it a business. It's just so on the spot demanding and deadline focused which does not mix with dental school. Quilting? I can pick up where I left off anytime : )

At the birthday party last night, I received a large garbage bag full of my other cousin's high school t-shirts for a t-shirt quilt for her graduation! I'm super pumped. Now, I need to wash those, get them cut up and ironed onto some interfacing and into a quilt by June! Ok, at least before she leaves for college!
We also moved the cats, and they are adjusting and exploring. The trip was going so well until someone lost control of their bladder. Then, evereyone needed baths once we got home. They finally ventured out from under the bed and are discovering all the windows on this beautiful day!

Off to lunch with Mom, Aunt, Lisa, Molly, and NaNa!