easter festivities with friends

we started our easter off with church & a baby blessing for one of mark's friends which was then followed by brunch. then we headed back home & took a much needed nap after waking up early & then stuffing our faces with food. in the afternoon i baked off some fresh bread that MC had made & we headed up to our friend's cabin for dinner!

^^^such a gorgeous & perfect spring//easter table!^^^

 ^^^how many boys does it take to turn on a grill? 5.^^^

 ^^^it was important to document these boys cooking because it is such a rarity!^^^ 

^^^our besties, the cooks!^^^

the night included a light & fresh dinner, trampoline bouncing, races of many sorts, a photoshoot with everyone :), egg dying & dessert!

if you can't be with family on holidays, good friends are definitely the next best thing!

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Easter Sunday

we had such a fun Easter this year. 

stay tuned for pictures from our fun filled day...here's one just to tide you over! ;)

Happy Easter!

another birthday around here

& this time it was the man of the house's big day! 

^^^confused & then excited about the mini wad of cash he recieved

{i might have had sort of a hard time with his gift this year...so, money it was!}^^^

^^^not the cutest candles, but they sparked a bit & it took mark a few attempts at finally getting them all to blow out^^^

mark celebrated his 28th birthday on saturday! he started off his day with a nice long, 4 hour GMAT class which ended around noon. {who wouldn't enjoy that, right?} then he decided it was cake time. this cake wasn't my proudest moment, but when the birthday boy requests funfetti from a box then that's what you make! i wanted to get tall, cute candles but all i could find were these horrid black sparklers. so forgive me for the slanted, creepy candles. :) it was fun watching mark try to blow all of them out, though.

he spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing while i slaved away in the kitchen making a french inspired meal. mark lived in paris for 2 years so i thought it would be fun to have some "french" food. i made a whole roasted chicken, ratatouille and homemade baguettes. totally my idea of what french people eat :) and everything turned out delicious! {recipes to follow!}

around six mark was picked up by some buddies & they headed out to wendover, a mini-ish vegas a few hours away from salt lake, for a late night of gambling! it was his day & i was happy to encourage him to have fun with his friends! although, it had been snowing really badly earlier in the day & i was a bit nervous about their drive. but they arrived safely, had a blast, mark didn't lose any money!, and they got back into town around 4am...crazy boys! & what did i do while he was gone you ask??? well i ate a few more slices of cake & watched back to back lifetime movies, what else? i am too predictable! ;)

it was a hectic day for the both of us, but so much fun!
hope you had a HAPPY BIRTHDY, babe.

recipes {yellow cake & chocolate frosting}

i realize i've kind of been on a recipe kick lately, but i can't help but share a good recipe when i've got one!! anyway, on valentine's day i made a fabulous cake for mark & i to enjoy. this recipe is one of my good friend's favorites & has quickly become one of mine as well. this cake isn't overly sweet so it's perfect for those of you who love treats but hate the sugar comas that often follow.

the perfect yellow cake

>> what you'll need

2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, sifted after measuring

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

>> directions

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees. grease liberally and flour two 8-inch cake pans. {i used 3 6-inch cake pans}

2. in a large mixing bowl sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

3. add butter, milk and vanilla. beat with a hand mixer on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, occasionally scraping sides of bowl. add eggs, beat for 3 more minutes.

4. pour batter into prepared pans, dividing equally among both. bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. {mine were done at around 25 minutes when split among 3 smaller pans}

5. cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. turn out and cool thoroughly on wire racks.

& now for the frosting...

chocolate frosting

>> what you'll need 

1 cup sugar

4 large egg whites

3 sticks plus 2 tablespoons butter, softened {i prefer salted butter}

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup cocoa powder

**this recipe makes a lot of frosting! it is the perfect amount if you wish to add some decorative touches like i did or have some leftover, but if you'd rather simply frost the cake then 2/3 this recipe & you will have a more appropriate amount!

>> directions

1. whisk egg whites and sugar together in a large metal or glass bowl over a pot of simmering water. whisk occasionally until you can’t feel the sugar granules when you rub the mixture between your fingers.

2. transfer mixture into a bowl for an electric mixer or you may use an electric hand mixer. whip until the egg & sugar combinations turns white and about doubles in size.

3. add the vanilla and continue to whip until incorporated. 

4. add the butter a stick at a time and whip until you have a fluffy & well combined frosting!  

our day of love

valentine's day was great this year. mark & i kept it really low key, which i was totally happy with.

i spent the morning making a DELICIOUS cake & had some fun decorating it. mark then surprised me around noon with flowers & a few gifts and took me out to lunch. on top of all of that when he came home from work he made dinner for us. i wasn't allowed to help or even look in the general direction of the kitchen while he was preparing everything. sneaky guy! he made such a tasty meal, too!! fresh salmon, rice & bacon wrapped asparagus. pretty impressive, right? after dinner we watched the vow for a little romance & spent the rest of the night just hanging out.

how did you spend your valentine's day//night????

A VALENTINE SPECIAL: recipes {layered chocolate torte}

looking for a cute & festive valentine's day dessert?? well here it is!

although this looks like a layered cake, it is actually a torte! 

which is a bit more dense than a normal cake and you will be in chocolate heaven.

while you can make this torte in a more traditional 8, 9 or 10 inch springform pan, i used a cute little set of mini springform pans found at target. they are about 21/2 inch in diameter.

CHOCOLATE TORTE
{adapted from smitten kitchen}

>> what you'll need
8 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbs sugar
fresh raspberries

>> directions 
1. preheat oven to 325°F. butter 3 21/2-inch-diameter springform pans; dust with sugar. {or you may use any size pans you like}

2. melt chocolate and butter in heavy large saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. cool to lukewarm.

3. whisk in sugar. whisk in eggs 1 at a time, blending well after each addition. mix in vanilla and salt, then flour.

4. pour batter into pans. bake until cake just rises in center (tester inserted into center will not come out clean), about 35 minutes.

5. run sharp knife around edge of pan to loosen torte. release pan sides. transfer tortes to a cooling rack and chill while making the whipped cream.

6. pour the cream into a large bowl, using electric beaters or the whick attachment on an electric mixer, beat until soft peaks are formed. sprinkle sugar and vanilla into cream. continue whipping until stiff peaks form.

7. once the tortes have cooled completely {you don't want a warm torte or the whipped cream will melt and create a big mess!} the fun begins! place one torte down and spread an even layer of whipped cream on top. repeat this process 3 more times for a total of 4 layers. top the last layer with whipped cream and then decorate with fresh raspberries! {repeat this entire process once more for a total of two 4-layer tortes.}

i hope you enjoy your holiday!!
& if you don't have a significant other to share this tasty treat with, then make it with your girlfriends & watch some chick flicks!
you can never go wrong with that :)

recipes {beer bread in under an hour}

i may not drink alcohol but that doesn't mean i can't appreciate it while cooking & baking! this is one of my favorite bread recipes. my mom used to make beer bread when we were kids and would usually pair it with BBQ crock pot beef...ah, my mouth is watering just thinking about it! what i really love about this recipe is that, unlike most breads, there is no need to wait for this dough to rise. if you want a really quick & fool-proof bread recipe, this one's for you!

>> what you'll need
yields 1 large loaf or 3 small loaves.

3 cups of self rising flour
{if you don't have self rising flour then use all purpose flour but add 11/4 tsp baking powder & 1/4 tsp salt for EACH cup of flour used}
2 tbs sugar
12 oz beer
1/2 - 1 stick of butter

>> directions
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees. combine flour {& baking powder + salt if using AP flour} and sugar in a large bowl.

2. stir in beer about 1/3 of the can at a time. mix until combined.

3. lightly grease 3 small loaf pans or 1 large loaf pan and dump dough into the pan(s).

4. melt butter and pour over the dough. {for a more buttery flavor you can use a whole stick but 1/2 a stick will do just fine!}

5. bake for 50 minutes or until the top of the bread is golden brown.

stay tuned for the other components of this delicious meal, including steamed//broiled artichokes, coq au vin & mini 4-layered chocolate cakes with whipped cream & fresh raspberries. :)