Rustic Wedding Cake...

This past weekend I had the privilege of baking, decorating, and displaying the wedding cake for the sweetest couple.  When the bride and I had first talked about the cake she knew that she wanted a rustic feel.  A year ago I had made cupcakes for a wedding that we both attended and she wanted something along the same line.  Here are a few photos of the cupcake display that was our inspiration...

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This time it was going to be a three tiered cake.  The bride had given me free rein to do whatever I wanted.  It is nice to have such a easy bride but it can be hard at the same time.  Her wedding day is one she will remember forever and you don't want to screw it up.  There can be a little pressure.

I will admit that it wasn't until the day of the wedding that I knew exactly what I wanted to do.  I had thought about having each layer be separate and then decided that wouldn't make the statement I wanted and I went ahead and stacked them.

I wish that I had taken photos of the actual reception area because the decorations were so simple and yet perfect.  Hay bales, deer antlers, old brown and purple bottles, wheat, white lights and flowers filled the room so sweetly. 

Here is what I did...

 

The cake topper and flowers were provided by the bride.  I loved the topper because it was different and fit the décor of the reception perfectly.  The little burlap banner was so cute and the band of burlap on the middle layer of cake really made it come together...

 

Instead of putting the cake directly on the table I decided to put it on top of a couple of old crates.  It really made the cake the focal point.  Mason jars filled with coordinating flowers, deer antlers, a grape vine wreath and another small crate completed the table...

 

 

 

I really love the way it turned out and so did the bride.  Congratulations Justin and Denise!!  Sweet couple-

Blast from the past...Halloween Party Menu...

I'm still trying to figure out what I will be serving the little ghosts and goblins that I will be feeding on Halloween.  For me the planning is sometimes the most fun.  I love coming up with new ideas but here are a few easy and fun Halloween theme foods that would be perfect for any little sweetie on Halloween Eve...

 

Candy Corn Pizza-I used frozen pizza dough, jarred pizza sauce, diced pepperoni, cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese to make this pizza.  By putting the mozzarella cheese in the middle of the pizza, followed by the pepperoni and then the cheddar cheese you are making a yummy candy corn pizza once it is cut into wedges...

 

 

Halloween dinner is never complete with out some blood.  Red Jello and gummy worms work perfectly together for this crazy treat...

 

 

Sometimes even the most everyday food can be made "scary" just by adding a fun name...

 

 

Deviled Eggs with black olives that have been cut in half and then half of that cut into 8 wedges, make a yummy spider on top...

 

 

Witches Fingers (aka baby dill pickles) are always necessary...

 

 

Curly Puff Cheetos look just like Petrified Pig Tails, if you ask me...

 

 

Hot dogs wrapped in refrigerated crescent roll dough, look like mummies and wormy apples are both creepy and delicious...

 

 

I hope this gives you some dreadfully scary ideas for your Halloween dinner table or any day.

Sweet Halloween-

Pumpkin Pound Cake...

Fall is here.  The leaves are turning and the days are cooling off.  I talk a whole lot about how much I love summer but the truth is that fall is not far behind.  My only problem with fall is what comes after...Winter...and the fact that I never feel like it lasts long enough.  Fall does not include snow in my book...period!!  Around here you are almost guaranteed a snow in October (which sucks)!!

One of the reasons I do love fall is because of the flavors.  Pumpkin, apples, cinnamon, nutmeg...these flavors mean comfort to me.  I also love wearing a sweater on a cool night, starting a fire at home and of course baking.

I realize that it is just the middle of October but I just couldn't help but jump in with a awesome pumpkin treat.  This recipe is so moist and absolutely delicious.  I also love that it a little more figure friendly than other pound cakes and you will never know it.

To make it you will need 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/4 tsp. cloves, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, 1 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup fat free vanilla yogurt, 3 egg whites and 1 cup of canned pumpkin.

 

I just used regular Light Vanilla yogurt...

 

Begin by combining the dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, cloves and nutmeg) in a bowl and set aside.

 

In a large bowl combine the sugar, yogurt and egg whites.  Whisk until it is completely blended and then stir in the pumpkin.  Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and stir until incorporated...

 

Pour into a greased loaf pan...

 

Bake in a 350° preheated oven for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes and remove from pan...

 

You could serve it just how it is or drizzle it with a glaze of butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and milk...

 

You can see how deliciously moist the cake is...

 

Baking with pumpkin is upon us...I am a happy girl.  Sweet pumpkin-

Mummy's on a stick...a blast from the past

Each year I try to come up with a fun and festive idea for the sweet kids that join me for dinner on Halloween.  It can't just be a candy bar...it has to be something cute and yet easy.  Last year I made Mummy's on stick...using Twinkies, white chocolate melts and edible eye balls.  They were so simple and cute that I wanted to share them again.  So here is my little blast from the past for the week...

 

 

Insert a sucker stick into each Twinkie and them dip/cover in white chocolate...

 

 

Let the chocolate dry for few minutes and then using fork, dip the tines into the chocolate and drag over the Twinkie back and forth.  Add two eye balls and let dry completely. 

 

 

And there you have it.  A yummy mummy for someone sweet.

 

 

You can also get the same affect using Oreos...

 

 

Now I just have to come up with an equally precious idea for this year.  Hmmmm.

Sweet mummies-

Homecoming 2013...

It is hard to believe, but my Tater just finished his sophomore homecoming week.  For a boy it is really just like any other week...but fun nonetheless.  I feel like any week that ends with a football game can't be too bad.  Going to a dance with a pretty girl...that's good. 

 

I'm sure as Tales enters high school next year this week will take on a whole new meaning.  I think I will enjoy Tater's "take it as it goes" attitude while I can. :)

I do notice that as the kids and their friends get older, the less they like their picture taken.  Some of these photos I had to beg for...maybe even bribe them for!  I have no shame...someday they will be glad I took them.  Here are a few of my favorite shots...

Parade Time..."Hi, Mom!"

 

Fun with friends...
 

 

Huddle before the game...love me some #57...

 

Making the block...

 



 

On the line...

 

 

My handsome boy...

 

Getting his boutonniere...

 



 

Valerie & Tater...

 

Looking Good...

 

 

Best Buds...

 

 

It is so great to be able to post things about my life on here for family & friends that are far away.  Thank you for letting me share.  Sweet Tater-

Banana Crumb Cake...

When I run I eat a banana before I hit the pavement...every.single.time.  Now, because I don't like bananas that are the least bit mushy or brown that means that there is always an abundance of bananas on my counter that I will not touch.  I hate to throw them away...so I am always looking for ways to use them.  Banana Bread is one of Tater and Tale's favorite breakfast items but this time I wanted to do something a little different.  I decided to use the bananas to make more of a coffee cake...mostly because I am a sucker for the topping.  Butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a little flour...what could be wrong with that?

To make the cake you will need 2 cups sugar, 1 cup milk, 2 cups self rising flour (or 2 cup flour, 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder & 2 tsp. salt), 1 stick of softened butter/margarine, 2 eggs, 3 bananas & 1 tsp. vanilla.  For the crumb topping you will need 1 stick of softened butter/margarine, 1 cup of light brown sugar, 1 cup of flour & 1/2 tsp. cinnamon.

 

Put the sugar and the bananas in the mixer and mix on medium speed until they are liquefied...

 

 

Add butter/margarine to the banana mixture and cream together until mixed well...

 

 

Then add all of the additional ingredients and mix until well combined.  For the topping cut together the crumb ingredients until they are it comes together like this...

 

 

In a greased 9x11 pan or two loaf pans add half of the banana mixture, followed by half of the crumbs and another layer of banana mixture...

 

 

Add the rest of the crumb mixture to the top and bake in a preheated 350° oven for 40-45 minutes for a 9x13 or 60 minutes for loaf or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean...

 

 

Serve for breakfast or eat half (like Tater & Tales) before you go to bed...

 

 

How was it you ask?  Let me just say this...FABULOUS!!  If you are looking for a delicious way to use up your brown bananas then I highly recommend this recipe.  Sweet cake-

P.S.- I just have to wish our Lakeview Honkers good luck tonight at their Homecoming Game...go #57!!!

Weight loss Wednesday...

It has been a while since I have had a WLW post.  Truthfully, the last month or so has been such a blur that I feel like I need to catch up.  The end of August and September always does this to me...between Tater & Tale's birthdays, our county Fair/Roundup and the start of school and sports I am always on overdrive.  Our schedule changes so much that it takes a while to adjust but I think we are getting there.  Tate doing some of the running around helps but I still can't believe that he is old enough...so sad!

The one good thing about being so busy is that I didn't dwell or concentrate on my weight loss.  Most of the time that would not be good for me but because I was in the final training for my half marathon it worked out.  By the end of August my training runs were getting a lot longer and with that I was able to drop weight pretty fast. 

When I posted back at the beginning of August I had lost 15 pounds and now I have lost 28.  It is crazy to me that between April and August I only lost 15 and between August and October I lost an additional 13.  So I am within 5 pounds of my goal weight which is great but I'm not sure if I am happy with that.  I think that 10 might be a better number.

For anyone who has or is in the process of loosing weight you sometimes realize that your "goal weight" might not be quite right.  Sometimes you realize that as you are loosing weight you feel and look good at a number that is higher than what you had thought.  In my case I feel like I set my goal weight at a number that was comfortable.  I set it at a number that was low enough to feel good about it but high enough just in case I didn't make it.

Weight loss, just like my half-marathon has been such a mental battle.  I am constantly in conflict with myself.  Part of me is confident in knowing that I can do something but there is always that part that isn't quite sure and doesn't want to disappoint.  I find myself making goals based on the minimum of what I think I am capable of instead of what I know I can do...if I work hard.  It is a form self sabotage that I am trying to overcome but it is hard.  Even as the weight is coming off there is a part of me that is constantly saying that the weight will come back even though I have made a lot of lifestyle changes to avoid that.

I'm finding that sometimes the hardest part of committing to loose weight is convincing yourself that you can really do it.  Sweet battle-