Friday, July 16, 2010

A great Strawberry dessert

Dad and Sarah made us this yummy strawberry country cake

They used Ina Gartens recipe.  Don't you think that strawberry shortcake just says summer?

Here is her recipe:
3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks at room temp.)
2 cups sugar
4 extra-large eggs at room temp
3/4 cup sour cream at room temp
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon soda
for the filling for each cake
1 cup heavy whipping cream (1/2 pint), chilled
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour two 8-inch cake pans.

Cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy in the bowl of an electric  mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.  On medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, then the sour cream, zests, and vanilla, scraping down the bowl as needed.  Mix well. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda.  On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine just until smooth.

Pour the batter evenly into the pans, smooth the tops with a spatula, and bake in the center of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until a tooth pick comes out clean.  Let cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then remove to wire racks and let cool to room temperature.

To make filling for one cake, whip the cream by hand or in a mixer until firm; add the sugar and vanilla.  Slice one of the cakes in half with a long, sharp knife.  Place the bottom slice of the cake on a serving platter, spread with half of the whipped cream, and scatter with sliced strawberries.  Cover with the top slice of cake and spread with the remaining cream.  Decorate with strawberries.

Enjoy

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Welcome home Sarah!!!

We welcomed home Sarah in May.


She served in the Rome, Italy mission.  She had a wonderful mission. 



We missed her so much and are so glad she is home!


Monday, July 12, 2010

Inspiration

There are so many inspiring decorating ideas in this remodel.  I'm told the most important thing you can do to a room is add lighting. 



You can see the before and after at http://www.cotedetexas.blogspot.com/.
They ripped out the carpets to expose the hard wood floors and painted them in quilt patterns.
I love the map hanging on a garage door rail which hides the flat screen tv.
Who would of thought to put the covers of books and the wall and the inside of the books in the faux fireplace?
I love the wide wood white shutters and the adding of the track lighting and the walls papered in Texas land deed documents from the 1890's.

Records highs and lows

Last week we set a record here in the northwest for the hottest day of July and today we may set a record of the coldest day in July, brrrrrr.
On to warmer thoughts....more Florida pictures....


This downpour only lasted about 15 minutes.  It was weird to see everything at Disney world come to a complete stop.  Later that day it was sunny and warm.



Bill and Matthew (were "discovered") volunteered to be filmed in a movie scene.



.... being "goofy"


We saw some great shows







It was magical!!!

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Summer is here!!!!

It is so wonderfully warm today in the pacific northwest.  Here are some pictures of how our summer began with a trip to Florida to see Matthew and Susan.










The beaches were beautiful!!


We soaked up lots of sun but no one got burned.



We got to go to Disney World.



Susan was right we do want to move there.  Especially when we went to Key West.



We also saw alligators.




Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Blessed on the Fourth of July

We had another great time in Idaho for the 4th of July.

We met our new Grand baby Calvin.





We swam and played everyday we were there.





David's softball team took 2nd in the city league.




Happy Fourth of July!!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Halloween is coming





On the first Sunday of October for the past...I don't know....maybe 15 years, we make haunted houses.  The tradition continued today.  We talk and have fun and it is a mess.  It is amazing they turn out as good as they do.  Today we went for a more simple look.  I think we were hungry and just wanted to snack on the left over cookies, and candies.
Notice we didn't use lots of m&m's, the're my favorite. Our ghost have red eyes because we didn't want to open mini chocolate chips just for two ghost.   Next we'll cover these in cobwebs and put out dad's collection of witches.