Proud Aunt

I met my new little nephew this weekend. He's so little and sweet. He hardly ever cries (for now) and seems so aware.

Belle Notte

I went to our second meetup cooking group last night. Nick's friend Haliey hosted it at her beautiful house in North Salt Lake. The theme was Italian and was complete with Bruschetta Chicken, Polenta, Corn Salad, Caprese Pizza, Traditional Bruschetta, Italian Salad and Flourless Chocolate Cake with Ganache. I made butternut squash ravioli with brown butter and sage.

Here's the recipe if you are interested:

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter and Sage

INGREDIENTS
1 butternut squash, roasted and fork mashed
1 cup ricotta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 orange, zested
Salt
Pepper
Grated nutmeg
1 pound spinach pasta sheets, recipe follows
1 egg, beaten
4 tablespoons butter
10 sage leaves

MIX butternut squash, ricotta, Parmesan, and orange zest. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Brush 2 pasta sheets with beaten egg. Spoon squash filling into 2 rows on the sheet. Place second pasta sheet over the original pasta sheet with squash. Gently press the sheets together around each squash ball. Using a ravioli cutter or pizza cutter cut out each ravioli into squares. Make sure there is a good seal on each ravioli. Place on floured tray.

PLACE ravioli in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Drain and place on platter.

ADD butter and sage leaves to a medium sized sauté pan and place over medium high heat. Cook butter and sage until butter is golden brown. Spoon butter and sage over ravioli.

Spinach Pasta:

INGREDIENTS
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup semolina flour
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 cup fresh spinach, pureed (can use frozen spinach but drain very well)

COMBINE dry ingredients in mixer. Combine eggs, egg yolk, and spinach puree, and mix well. Add spinach and egg mixture to dry ingredients on low speed until dough is formed. If dough is too dry add a little water. Remove dough from bowl and kneed by hand for 6 to 8 minutes. Let pasta rest covered for 30 minutes before using.

We're Back

We had a great time on our cruise. The food was amazing and the trip was very relaxing. My friend Jordan took a lot more pictures that I did. So when I get them from her, I'll post all about the trip. Here is one shot of us at the port in Fort Lauderdale as we were leaving.

Radioactive Pig

I had a special request to blog about this cake. I made this pig cake for my niece Tara last May. She had her birthday party in Idaho Falls. I made the cake at home and we flew to Idaho for the party. It was interesting taking the cake through security. I received a lot of strange looks. We joked about this being a radioactive pig from going through the x-ray machines.

I taught a cake decorating class at church last month and made a version of this cake. It was a piggy bank complete with chocolate coins instead of hay. I didn't get a chance to take a picture but I'm sure you can imagine what it looked like.

He's Here!

My little sister, Kimber, had her little boy yesterday. His name is Chase Daniel. He weighed 6 lbs 14 ounces. I'm going to fly to Idaho Falls on Friday night so I can meet this little cutey. I can't wait!

Set Sail on Sunday!

Dave and I are leaving for a Western Caribbean cruise tomorrow! Dave has always wanted to go to St. Maarten to see this airport. The runway is practically on the beach. Apparently if you stand under the jet as it's landing you will be thrown into the ocean. Sounds kind of fun. I'll let Dave do it first.

Dotty Dragon

I made this goofy cake for my friend Natalie's son's birthday last fall. It was a BIG cake and a bit of a challenge. I can't take complete credit for this cake. I found this idea out of one of my many cake decorating books.

Graphic Plates

I love these plates from Pottery Barn. They would be perfect hanging in my dining room which is painted a similar yellow.

Maybe they'll go on sale at the end of the season.

Bouncing Balls

My friend Melinda asked me to make a cake for her son Seth. Seth turned one on Saturday and like most little boys loves balls.

I think I made about 50 fondant bouncy balls! I suspended a few of the balls on wire to make them look like they were bouncing off the cake.

Ostrich Cake

This is by far the strangest cake I have ever made. My niece, Sydney, turned 5 last October. I knew I wanted to make her a cake but wanted it to be a surprise. So I asked "What's your favorite animal?" She said "an ostrich." I was thinking "crap, how in the world can I make that." So I said "What's your second favorite animal?" Of course she replied with another long necked animal, "a giraffe." So I said "What's your third favorite animal?" Another strange answer "a flamingo!" I was hoping for something without long necks or legs.

Because I absolutely adore Sydney, I figured I would give my best effort in making her an ostrich. The ostrich is roosting to save me the trouble of making legs. The neck was a feat on its own. I made this cake at my mom's house, so I only had the supplies that I brought. I had to cut out each feather with a knife and hand painted the detail. A lot of work, but I think it turned out pretty realistic. Sydney and Tara (Syd's sister) were working along side me on this cake. They didn't know I was making an Ostrich. I gave them each a ball of fondant in there choice of colors. They played with the fondant for over an hour and tried to get every one to eat there "little cakes." No thank you!

Oh so cute animation

This video is totally about Katie.

Free Fonts

I found this free font site a while back. There are about 40 modern fonts to choose from. If you need a unique font and only have access to the basic fonts that came with your operating system, I'd suggest downloading a few of these. After you download the font, drag the .ttf file to the fonts file in control panel. Now you should have access to your new fonts in whatever program you are using.

Popcorn Anyone

I made this popcorn cake for Liz's (Dave's cousin) birthday. Whenever we hang out outside of family parties we usually see a movie. So I thought movie popcorn would be appropriate.

I had this cake sitting on the counter at Liz's birthday party. Dave's grandpa took a handful of fondant popcorn and popped it in his mouth. He thought it was an appetizer!

Cocunut Creme Kisses

I think this is the best candy ever invented. About two years ago I found these limited addition kisses and fell in love. They were only available for a couple of months. I stocked up and have kept them in my fridge. The longer I keep them the less coconut flavor I can recognize. So I still have about half of a package but they aren't nearly as good as they once were.

Andrea and Jessica surprised me with a fresh bag today. Oh happy day! They found them at Target in the Easter isle. I would definitely give these little kisses a try. They put those Cadbury mini eggs to shame. Kimber and Mom trust me on this :)

Penelope

I saw Penelope on Friday night. I am in love with this movie. It was so whimsical and sweet. I am big fan of Christina Ricci so I couldn't pass up this movie. I thought the styling was perfect. I'm tempted to have if pig nose if I could have Penelope's wardrobe.