Kacey's wedding cake

A few months ago Kacey entrusted Stacy and I with the task of the wedding cake. I'm not gonna lie, it was stressful! But so much fun! And it actually turned out pretty good! She picked the design, which was simple and elegant. Simple is good because we didn't have to get too tricky, but simple also means not a whole lot of room for fondant errors because you can't just cover up mistakes with a flower or perhaps fondant figurines of the bride and groom :) When all was said and done, I'd say it was a success and I think they were happy with the outcome!

Kacey isn't a big fan of cake, so she requested that the bottom layer be made of rice krispy treats! So fun!





The middle layer was yellow cake with a bavarian cream filling and the top layer was lemon cake with a lemon cream filling. Congrats guys!

My latest obsession

Ever since I had my first taste of Red Mango frozen yogurt, I haven't stopped thinking about it. I dream about it! I crave it ALL THE TIME! I don't know what it is about it, it's so fresh, not super sweet, and I can't get enough of it. Not everyone appreciates the simplicity of it, but I certainly do. Trent says he gives them (Red Mango) 8 months before they're out of business. They don't have a wide variety of flavors, just lots of different toppings to choose from. I've never been a huge fan of white chocolate, but the first time I had it the girl working there suggested I try white chocolate chips and fresh strawberries for my toppings, so I gave it a whirl. And boy am I glad I did. Heaven!! A few weeks ago I went searching the internet for a recipe to rival Red Mango's original frozen yogurt and found one that is pretty dang close. We had some friend's over to test it out. Along with the frozen yogurt, we had a spread of toppings which included white choc. chips, chocolate chips, fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and Heath candy bar bits. Delicious! This simple recipe is wonderfully tangy, and not too sweet.

Frozen Yogurt

3 cups (720g) strained yogurt (see below) or Greek-style yogurt
3/4 cup (150g) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Mix together the yogurt, sugar, and vanilla (if using). Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

To make 1 cup (240g) of strained yogurt, line a mesh strainer with a few layers of cheese cloth. then scrape 16 ounces or 2 cups (480g) of plain whole-milk yogurt into the cheesecloth. Gather the ends and fold them over the yogurt, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours. So, for the above recipe start with and strain 6 cups of yogurt.

Makes about 1 quart.

I use Plain yogurt, and leave out the vanilla because I prefer the sweetness of the tangy yogurt, and serve with any variety of toppings you can come up with. Enjoy!

Corn Chowder

As soon as the weather starts cooling down I instantly get the itch for yummy soup. To celebrate the first day of fall a few weeks ago, I made this yummy corn chowder.

Corn Chowder

INGREDIENTS

• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (14.75 ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1 1/2 cups cubed potatoes
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 3 cups milk
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute the bacon and onions together until onions are tender, about 7 minutes. Add the corn, potatoes, soup, milk, and salt and pepper. Raise heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer about 25 to 35 minutes or until the potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.

I love fall!!!!