Carlee's 4th Birthday 2009

It's so hard to believe that my little Carlee is growing up!  This is how her day went.

Eric is making it a tradition to make his kids special pancakes for their birthday breakfast!!

Cute huh!!!

 

Carlee was so happy...

 

...and ate them all!!

 

Since Carlee is into horses lately, we went for a horsey theme.

 

It's made with chocolate cake, cookies and cream filling, covered in buttercream.  The barn and hay bales are chocolate crispy cereal covered with chocolate clay.  The horse and fence are chocolate clay.  I didn't use fondant at all.

 

 

 

Can I eat it now?!!!!

 

She was impatient waiting for grandpa Jensen and her daddy to come in, so she started sneaking pieces of the fence off and eating them.

 

See...I ate them!!  Little stinker!!

 

Present time!!  She received a dress up doll from Kaitlyn.

 

A stuffed horse from Grandma J.

 

A movie from Grandma C.

 

That came with the movie!  B.O.B

 

And then she got a stick horse from her mommy, daddy and Collin!

So that's it for the family birthdays this year!! 

Zesty Oat Groats-Black Bean Chili

This rib-sticking chili offers a hearty mix of oat groats, beans, peppers and onion.  You can also substitute wheat berries for the oat groats.  I made my own black beans and measured accordingly. 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons chili poweder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed
• 1 14-ounce cans no salt added diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 small can chopped jalapeno peppers
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar (I didn't add this)
  
• 2 cups cooked oat groats
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add beans, tomatoes, jalapenos to taste, broth and brown sugar.  Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. 
2. Stir in cooked oat groats and heat through, about 5 minutes more.  Remove from heat.  Stir in lime juice.  Garnish each bowl with avocado and cilantro.

Makes 6 servings.  1 1/2 cups each

Around 386 calories per serving

Ashly and Justin Stuart's Wedding Reception

I have known Ashly for quite some time now.  Can't really remember when they first moved to our area.  Ashly has always been special to me!  She is always sweet, kind and tender-hearted.  Here are pictures that I took at Ashly and Justin's wedding reception. 

Love the shoes!! 

 

Here is the cake that I made for Ashly and Justin. 

As a cake decorator, I was totally bummed that this cake had so many problems.  First off, the doweling that I put in it wasn't cut straight, so when I stacked it, it started tipping.  So that led to catching it before it falls, totally messing up the smooth buttercream and smashing the cake on one side.  Then the layers started to shift.  Had to take the whole cake apart, smooth the icing as best I could, re-stacked it and iced it with a large basket weave tip!!  Since I know that it wasn't my best work and not the design I had planned on, I was really disappointed in myself.  I should have known better!!  Everyone reassured me that the cake was beautiful and tasted great!  So I am happy that they liked it!

 

I was very happy with the Calla lilies that I made.  This is the first time making them in different colors.

 

 

 

Cake faced!!

 

 

Opening presents.

I was so happy to see Ashly and meet Justin for the first time!!  He seems like the right choice for Ashly and they will be a very happy couple!!

Love you Ashly and Justin!!!

Wedding Entrance

I totally love this video!!!

Transformers Bumblebee

This is a Transformer Bumblebee birthday cake for Collin's friend Colton.  Bumblebee was made using a frozen buttercream transfer (FBCT).  The cake was chocolate fudge with cookies and cream filling.

More Fun at the Fair

Just have to show you more pics from the fair!!  Kami and the kids came to watch the cake competition but of course we had to do a few other things.

First we ate some yummy fair food.  Well maybe not a big deal, but Kami and I had hamburgers, kids shared a foot long hot dog and Mark bought cajun alligator strips!!  Woowee were they spicy!!!  

After eating we made our way to the petting zoo.  That's our favorite place to take the kids!!

Here's Carlee just wanting to hug that goat.

Mark had fun petting them too!!

Collin really had fun chasing the goats!

Then there was the cake competition.  I thought that maybe everyone would get bored waiting for it to be over, but the kids had a great time!!  Collin would love to enter a cake in the show!  Too bad he still isn't old enough.

After the show, we were off to see the chickens.  For some reason, Carlee is fascinated with them!!  She loves hearing the roosters crow.

 

 Here Carlee is looking at the bunnies wishing she could hold one!!

  

Ummm Eric!!  Carlee wants one of these!!!  She just loved the miniature horses.

  

But...when we went around to the other side where the big horses are...Carlee didn't want anything to do with them!!  That's her usual stance when she gets scared or upset.  Thumb goes in and starts scratching!!

Since we had Mark home for over the weekend, he made us some baked brie!!

  

 This had a round of brie and some spices inside of some puff pastry.

Then you bake it and it comes out real gooey and yummy!

 

Tasted like a fancy cheese stick!!

This is what we did with the left over puff pastry!!  Filled with vanilla custard and raspberries.

Since Joe didn't get to be at the fair with us the first day, I had to go back with him again!  Oh that was so hard!!  We also asked Joe's sister, Lenora, to come along with us.  We had a great time!!  We were able to go through all the building that we usually don't get to when we have kids with us.  

We ate dutch oven ribs, potatoes and green beans and then later I bought an egg roll.  Mmmmm-mmmm!

Lenora wanted to go through all the livestock buildings.  I love to look at the animals too!!

 

 This was a big 'ol boy!!

 

I think Joe was embarrassed to do this!!  Bwaaaahahahahaha!!!

 

This turkey was really showing off for us!!  Hmmm...now I'm wanting turkey dinner!!  Is Thanksgiving coming up soon?

Now I can't wait for next year!!  I love going to our fair!

My Happy Song!!

My sister Jill has me hooked on this song, so now I'll do the same for you!!!

EISF Sugar Art Show 2009

 

Last Saturday, September 5th, was the 3rd Annual Eastern Idaho Sugar Art Show.  I was able to attend all of it this year.  I'm not too sure my son, Mark, liked having to sit through cake demonstrations and the petting zoo with his niece and nephew, but we did  it anyway!!  

Judging the cakes started at 9:00 am.  We weren't allowed in or near the building while that was taking place.  So I left to pick up Mark and arrived back in time to see the One Tip Challenge.  (I'll post in a different post)  It was so fun to watch!!  There were also demos by Desi Richards on how to bake, fill, ice, and fondant cakes.  She showed how to stencil, make pearl bead borders and did show some on how to do gumpaste flowers.  Always fun to see how people do their art!!  

Kami and the kids showed up , so we ate some good fair food and went to the petting zoo with the kids.  It's so fun seeing Carlee and Collin with the animals!!

Then it was time for the awards ceremony.  First up was the gumpaste flower category.  The flower theme was "The Lily".  I was thinking that everyone would do calla lilies or day lilies so I did a water lily.  And guess what!!!  I won grand champion!!  Woo hoo!!  

  

 Everything on there is edible.  I covered the board with a deep blue fondant, the rocks are fondant, the water is poured sugar and the water lily and lily pads are gumpaste.  

  

 Here I am receiving my ribbon and trophy.  I should have known better then to go to the petting zoo in the blazing heat before the ceremony!!!  Ya hear that Kami!!  I'm not doing that again!!  LOL!! 

Below are some of the winners from the All Occasion cake category.  The theme was "International Holidays".  I was supposed to enter this one but I didn't finish my entry.  I may still finish.  We'll see!!

  

This is my friend Courtney's mardi gras cake!!  She's only 16 and I think she did a wonderful job on her masks!!  

 

 This is my friend Chuck's cake.  He did a St Patty's Day entry.

  

 This is Paula's awesome patriotic theme.  She received a blue ribbon for first place and for people's choice.

  

This is Lynn's grand champion cake for the all occasion entry.  Can you teel that she did Chinese New Year?!! 

Now on the the wedding cakes!!!  This years theme was "The Wedding Dress"  I loved doing this one!!!  

Below are the adult beginners division:

  

 

Adult intermediate division:

  

  

  

  

 I loved this one!!!  Had to show a close up!  She said that it took 9,000 beads to do that design!!  

Adult Advanced/professional division: 

  

Sarah Hurzeler ~ 3rd runner up

  

ME!!!!  2nd runner up!! 

  

 Close up of my calla lily topper.

  

 Paula Ames ~ 1st runner up!!  Gorgeous!!!!

 

Lynn Winters ~ Grand Champion!!  

 

Close up of Lynn's work!

Other cakes of note!!

 

This is my friend Amy Marsh's entry.  I think she did fantastic on her sugar work and should have placed.  I thought that it was better then mine!!

 

This is SaraLee Lanier's entry.  I've known here since she was a little girl.  I think she did a fabulous job!!  

Now I wish I know what next years theme was so that I could start right now and not procrastinate until next August!!  Sheesh!!  

Thanks for lookin'!!!

P.S.  You can learn how I made my molds here!!!