More birthdays and Cookies

A couple of days ago it was this guy's birthday!

I'm so thankful for him and that God placed him (and K) in my life.  God knew we would be marriage partners before we even knew each other and I am so thankful for His sovereign plan.  David is my encouragement, my support, my biggest cheerleader but also voice of reality.  He is a great Daddy to K (and hopefully more one day!).  He is patient, giving, selfless, smart, kind, fun, humble, knows how to do little girl's hair, plays Princess and tea party with the best of them, and doesn't blink an eye when K calls him her prince.  He is our leader, seeks God and wants to be a man after God's heart.  I love him more and more!

He requested chocolate chip pancakes for his birthday dinner (since it fell on Sunday and we have breakfast for supper on Sunday).  Don't worry...he had meatloaf the day before that!  So, we used that as his "cake."  However, I knew he wanted something to snack on so I made some new cookies.  "Snicker"doodles! 

These combine MY favorite cookie with Snicker's candy bars.  Oh wow...they are so good!  And even David liked them despite the fact there wasn't that much chocolate.  I do think that he preferred the browned butter chocolate chip cookies I made the next day better (coming soon).  Thanks to Picky Palate for such a yummy cookie!  I will make this again...though maybe I'll try different candies and see how that goes.

Snicker-doodles from Picky Palate
Ingredients

• 1 stick/1/2 cup unsalted softened butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 full size Snickers Bars, cubed (I used about 8 fun size)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. and line a large baking sheet with a silpat liner or parchment paper.
2. In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla beating until combined. Add dry ingredients along with the Snickers pieces beating on low until just combined. Scoop tablespoonfuls of dough and roll into cinnamon and sugar mixture. Place onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, until baked through. Let cool for 10 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to cooling rack.

Satay Sandwich

In a "celebration" of past Daring Baker and Daring Cook challenges, Lisa challenged all of us to search through the Daring Kitchen archives and pick any one we'd like! The REAL challenge was picking which delicious recipe(s) to try!  In looking through the many challenges, there were so many that I would enjoy trying.  So many, in fact, that I almost waited too long to choose one!  Last week, I made cashew butter...which was quite simple to do.  I tried to make a cashew sauce but it just didn't turn out.  However, I chose to do some satay and make it into sandwiches this past week.  I was a bit nervous about it, as David isn't a big fan of Asian flavors and this satay involved soy sauce.  Despite my worries, we all enjoyed it...and it was so easy with lots of flavor.  I did use the "easy and cheap" version but I don't think, it was lacking in any way.  I chose to marinade some chicken and mushrooms then grill them on my Le Creuset grill pan.  Then I put it atop whole wheat hoagies with some green bell pepper and cheese and toasted it.  Success!!!  Satay Sandwich.  I'd do it again for sure!

I also redid the biscuit recipe that Audie had us try.  Added some garlic salt and cheese to it in an attempt to mimic Red Lobster.  It wasn't QUITE as buttery as Red Lobster but was definitely enjoyable.  Such a fun challenge this month!

Satay:
Ingredients:
T vegetable oil (or peanut or olive oil) (1 oz or 30 mls)
2 T lemon juice (1 oz or 30 mls)
1 T soy sauce (0.5 oz or 15 mls)
1 tsp ginger powder (5 mls)
1 tsp garlic powder (5 mls)
1 tsp cayenne pepper (5 mls)
Directions:

1. Mix well.
2. Cut meat into 1 inch thick strips (2-2.5 cm thick), any length.
3. Cover meat/mushrooms with marinade and chill.  I used a bag.  Chill overnight.
4. Cook on grill pan until cooked through.

 Basic Scones (a.k.a. biscuits)
Ingredients:
1 cup (240 ml) (140 gm/5 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
2 teaspoons (10 ml) (10 gm) (⅓ oz) fresh baking powder
¼ teaspoon (1¼ ml) (1½ gm) salt
2 tablespoons (30 gm/1 oz) frozen grated butter (or a combination of lard and butter)
approximately ½ cup (120 ml) cold milk

Preheat oven to 475.  In a bowl, triple sift the flour, baking powder, and salt.  After that, put cold butter into bowl and cut into flour (I used my pastry blender but you could use two knives or your hands).  Then stir in about 1/2 cup milk (I used almond milk and it was fine).  You should have a slightly sticky dough.  Place dough on pastry cloth or board.  Roll out to 1/2 inch thick.  Then cut into desired shape.  If you have a biscuit cutter, use that.  If not, just use a knife.  Place biscuits on baking stone and place stone in oven.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Cupcake Party!!!!

We decided, well, I guess I decided, a while back that K's party this year would be a cupcake party.  I thought it sounded SO much fun to make cupcakes and have every child decorate their own.  K went for it as she loves making cupcakes! 

However, when I asked her what flavor she wanted "cotton candy" was her answer. Um, not quite sure how to make cotton candy cupcakes...so I went with funfetti.  :-) 

I figured it would be pretty easy and it was.  I used this recipe though the first batch I used shortening and the second butter.  They were pretty good but a little heavier than a cake mix cupcake.

 In order to send home a cupcake with each child, simply get clear punch cups, put the cupcake in the cup, and the cup in a clear treat bag, then tie with a ribbon.  Easy and cheaper than cupcake boxes.  For favors, I made cupcake candy jars!  A pinterest idea that was such fun. 

Get the 4 oz. ball glass jars, super glue the lid to the ring, pain that white.  Then "swirl" caulk on top like icing, sprinkle with small "jems" and put candy in them.  Such fun!  All in all, an easy party (though I did spend five hours beforehand cleaning house! and was exhausted after the party). 

Funfetti Cupcakes from Sally's Baking Addiction

• 1 and 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup yogurt (plain or vanilla; or greek yogurt; or sour cream)
• 3/4 cup milk (cow's milk; or soy milk; or almond milk)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sprinkles
 
Vanilla Buttercream
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3-4 cups powdered (confectioners') sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream (see note above about substituting milk or half-and-half)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Stir in sugar - mixture will be gritty. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 minute. Stir in egg, yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract until combined. Slowly mix in dry ingredients until no lumps remain. Batter will be thick. Slowly stir in sprinkles, but do not overmix because the sprinkles will bleed their color.
3. Divide batter among 12 cupcake liners (or 24 mini) and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Bake for 8-9 minutes if making mini cupcakes. Allow to cool.
4. To make the frosting, beat softened butter on medium speed with an electric or stand mixer. Beat for about 3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla extract with the mixer running. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Add more powdered sugar if frosting is too thin or more cream if mixture is too thick. Add salt if frosting is too sweet (1/4 teaspoon). Frost cooled cupcakes and top with sprinkles. There may be leftover frosting depending how much you use on each cupcake.
5. Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days and in the refrigerator up to 7.

Birthday Girl

This past week, Miss K turned 4! 

She's been so excited about it for a while.  We had pizza for supper at her request and I made peanut butter frozen yogurt (told her ice cream).  We decided to try out grilling pizza on our new grill pan.  I turned out REALLY good.

   The bottom of the crust was crispy but the rest was nice and soft.  SO good!  The yogurt was pretty good.  Definitely has a yogurt taste to it but K and I enjoyed it...not so sure about David! 

Then we gave a few presents.  David had suggested a while back that we give her a care bear.  I was so excited about this because my parents gave ME a care bear when I turned four.  Thankfully, I found some in Target the other week.  When I asked K which one she wanted she went back and forth between the purple one (share bear) and the pink one (cheer bear).  Once she realized I had cheer bear, she decided that she should "borrow mommy's cheerah bear until I get my own."  Ok...decision made!  What a fun day....only to be followed by the party two days later.

Peanut Butter Frozen Yogurt from This Gal Cooks

• 2 C Greek yogurt (I used Vanilla Chobani 0%)
• 3/4 C creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 C milk(used almond)
• 1/2 C granulated sugar
• Chocolate chips for topping (or mixing in, if you prefer)

Instructions

1. Mix together the yogurt, milk, sugar, vanilla extract and peanut butter until everything is combined well.(I did this in the morning....)
2. Cover and refrigerate for about 1/2 hour (...and refrigerated until I got home from work)
3. Pour the mixture into the bowl of your ice cream maker. Churn for about 20 minutes or until the mixture freezes well.
4. Place the frozen yogurt into an air tight container and store in your freezer. This frozen yogurt is pretty firm so you will have to let it thaw a little before serving once you place it in the freezer.

Pie in the Sky

Rachael from pizzarossa was our lovely June 2013 Daring Bakers’ host and she had us whipping up delicious pies in our kitchens! Cream pies, fruit pies, chocolate pies, even crack pies! There’s nothing like pie!   Now, I knew that David would LOVE the apple pie...but I wanted to make the crack pie!  Attempt #1...oops, gotta cool for an hour.  Not enough time, made cookies.  Attempt #2...must cool overnight and I have no cream.  Made the apple pie!  It was really good.  My mom helped cut the apples using our apple-peeler-corer-slicer.  It was great!  Unfortunately, my dad has the pictures and hasn't sent them to me yet!  Maybe I'll update with them later.  As for the crack pie...attempt #3 was a success.

 I ended up cutting them into little bars and took them to the ER with me.  OH SO GOOD!  They were gone very quickly.  They were definitely ooey gooey.  I preferred them straight out of the fridge but still good room temp.  I will say that I had a hard time cutting these even in bars...so, I'm not sure how it would have been trying to cut into pie slices.  Either way...make the crack pie.  That's an order!

Crack Pie
Crust
9 tablespoons (1 stick + 1 tbsp) (135 ml) (4½ oz) (125g) unsalted butter, room temperature, divided (6 & 3 tbsp; 85gm & 40gm)
5 1/2 tablespoons (85 ml)(2½ oz) (70 gm) (packed) light brown sugar, divided (4 & 1½ tbsp; 50 gm & 20 gm)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (30 gm) (1 oz) white sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (210 ml) (80 gm) (2¾ oz) old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup (120 ml) (2½ oz) (70 gm) all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon (2/3 gm) baking powder
1/8 teaspoon (2/3 gm) baking soda
1/4 teaspoon (1½ gm) salt

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4. Line a 13x9x2 inch/33x22x5cm metal baking pan with parchment (baking) paper. Lightly spray or butter a 9 inch/22cm diameter glass or ceramic pie dish. Combine 6 tablespoons (85 gm) of the softened butter, 4 tablespoons (50 gm) of the brown sugar and the white sugar in medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add egg and beat until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute.  Add oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat until well blended, about 1 minute.  Dump oat mixture into prepared baking pan and press out evenly to edges of pan.  Bake until light golden, 18 minutes. Transfer baking pan to wire rack and cool cookie completely, about an hour.

Using your fingertips, crumble the cookie a into large bowl - there should be no identifiable pieces of cookie remaining. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons (45 gm) butter and 1-1/2 tablespoons (20 gm) brown sugar. Rub in with your fingertips until the mixture is moist and sticks together when pressed between your fingers.
Transfer cookie crust mixture to pie dish. Using your fingers, press mixture evenly onto bottom and up sides of pie dish (about 1 inch/2.5cm up the sides if your pie dish is deep). If your pie dish is shallow, place it on a baking sheet in case of overflow.

Filling:
3/4 cup (160 ml) (170 gm) (6 oz) white sugar
1/2 cup (packed) (120 ml) (100 gm) (3½ oz) light brown sugar
1 tablespoon (15 ml) (8 gm) (¼ oz) dry milk powder
1/4 teaspoon (1½ gm) salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) (120mlk) (4 oz) (115gm) unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly
6 1/2 tablespoons (100ml) heavy whipping cream
4 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar for dusting 

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4. If possible, use bottom-only heat, or the filling may brown too quickly.  Whisk both sugars, milk powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add melted butter and whisk until blended. Add cream, then egg yolks and vanilla and whisk until well blended. Pour filling into crust.

Bake 30 minutes (filling may begin to bubble up). Reduce oven temperature to 325°F/160°C/gas mark 3. Continue to bake until filling is brown on top and set around edges but center still jiggles slightly, about 20 minutes longer. Cool pie completely in pie dish on wire rack. Chill uncovered overnight. Sift powdered sugar lightly over top of pie. Cut pie into thin wedges and serve cold.

Apple Pie
Crust
2/3 cup (160 ml) (150 gm) (5-1/3 oz) unsalted butter
1¾ cups (420 ml) (250 gm) (8-2/3 oz) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon (10 ml) (10 gm) (1/3 oz) sugar
1/4 teaspoon (1½ gm) salt
3-8 tablespoons (45-120 ml) cold water

 Weigh/measure out the correct amount of butter, wrap it in foil and freeze it for at least 30 minutes. Sift the flour, sugar and salt into a large bowl. Using the large holes on a box grater, grate the frozen butter directly over the flour in the bowl. Hold the butter by the foil to avoid warming it up too much and work as quickly as possible. Using a table fork, toss the grated butter in the flour until it's all coated. Alternatively, finely chop the butter and rub in with your fingertips, working quickly to avoid warming it. This is best left to those lucky folk with cool hands!

Sprinkle 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of cold water over the mixture and mix together with the fork. Add more water, spoon by spoon, as needed - it will depend on temperature, humidity and a million other factors, but the finished dough should be moist and starting to come together, but not wet. I used 7 tablespoons (315 ml). Use your fingertips to test if it's sticking together. Finish by using your hands to quickly bring the dough together into a ball. Just press, don't knead.  Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Filling:
1 – 1½ kg (2¼ to 3-1/3 pounds) apples (depending on the depth of your pie dish)
1 cup (240 ml) (200 gm) (7 oz) light brown sugar, lightly packed (more or less to taste)
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to hot 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7 . Lightly grease a deep 9"/24cm ceramic or metal pie dish. Take 2/3 of the pastry dough and roll out to fit pie dish, right up to the rim. Line the pie dish with it, prick all over the bottom with a fork and set aside.  Peel, quarter, core and slice the apples (or use apple-peeler-corer-slicer) and place in a bowl. How tightly you can pack them into the pie depends on how thinly they are sliced.  Sprinkle the brown sugar and spice(s) over the apples and toss well to coat.  Pack the apples tightly into the lined pie dish. The filling can come up above the rim of the dish in a mound. Roll out the remaining pastry dough to fit over the apples.  Place the dough lid on the pie and press the edges together. Trim the edges as necessary and crimp the seam closed with your fingers or the back of a fork.

Place pie dish on a baking sheet and put it into the center of the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to moderate 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 and bake for a further 30 minutes. The top should be light golden brown.  Serve hot, warm or cold.

My "Somethings"

Every wedding, brides try to come up with a list of "somethings:" something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. 

I'm not superstitious but coming up with these four different components was a little fun.  First, something new....my dress!  What girl doesn't dream about her wedding dress and even browse some before there is an official engagement?  I did!  I had been looking online at dresses for months before David asked me to marry him.

 I picked out the dress that I loved...I mean, loved!  However, I was worried that it wouldn't look right on me.  I mean, I'm not exactly long and lean like wedding dress models are.  So, a week after we got engaged my mom came down and we went dress shopping.  Three dresses in I tried on my dream dress....after that, no other dress even came close!  It was perfect.  Everything about it.  I loved the illusion neckline, the empire waist (which I'm partial to anyway), the way the train gathered at the back.  I felt so elegant and classic!

Next, my something old.  When my Granny died, I found several pendants of hers and kept a couple.  Not because I had plans for them, but just because they were neat.  Well, one of them was perfect for placing on my bouquet.  It added a little something special.  Another something old was my veil.  I originally wanted to use my mom's veil but it was edged in a thick lace that took away from my dress, which I wanted to showcase.  However, her veil was two layers...so, we trimmed the underlayer into a short veil which my sister-in-law's mom, attached to a hair comb.  Perfect!

My something borrowed was Mama's pearl bracelet.

And my something blue...a couple of things.  Toes!  And garter, which Mama made. 

And though all of this was fun, none of it has anything to do with our marriage being successful.  All of that is based on the foundation of our marriage, what it centers on...and that is Jesus Christ!  David and I will never have a perfect marriage and that is why we must trust God to guide us.  Why we make a point to daily pray together.  Why we pray for each other. 

BBQ Red Bean Burgers

Thankfully, K is a good eater.  In fact, I think some of her favorite meals are when we have bean burgers.  So far I had tried black bean, white bean, chickpea...up next, red bean.  This one has a bar-b-que flavor to it, which makes it a little sweet.  I overcooked them, so they were a little dry, but David and K both liked them a lot.  David put cheese and more sauce on his.  A little healthy option for BBQ in the summer????  Probably not quite the same but still good and easy.

BBQ Red Bean Burger from The Kitchen Witch via Jackie Likes to Eat via pinterest
Ingredients:
1/2 onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 15 oz can reduced sodium red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce, plus extra for bun
4 slices cheddar cheese

Directions:

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add a teaspoon of olive oil and the onion, garlic, tomato, jalapeno, and chili powder. Saute until the onions are soft.

Place the kidney beans in a medium bowl and mash with a fork. Add the onion mixture, bread crumbs, egg, and barbecue sauce to the bowl and mix well.

Form the bean mixture into patties.  Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and brown the patties on both sides.

They're GRRRRRR-eat!

In my pinterest browsing, I found a recipe for frosted flakes cookies.  Hmmm...sounds interesting.  And, David just so happened to have some chocolate frosted flakes that he wasn't so fond of.  So, I decided to try it out. 

Now, I've made cereal cookies before using rice krispies, and they were really good.  What's to say these would be different?  In the end, I will be honest and say they weren't my favorite but mostly because I couldn't really tell the cereal was there!  The cereal ended up just sort of blending in...but it was a good cookie despite that.  Try for your self!

Chocolate Frosted Flakes Cookies from Picky Palate

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup chocolate Frosted Flakes Cereal
• 1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cream butter and sugars in stand mixer until well combined, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla beating to combine. Slowly add flour, salt, baking soda and pudding mix. Place 1 cup of cereal into a ziploc bag, zip it closed and crush cereal by rolling over with a rolling pin until finely ground. Add crushed cereal to bowl mixing to combine. Add white chips stirring to combine. With a medium cookie scoop, place dough 1 inch apart from each other on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until baked through. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring. Serve and enjoy!

Amish quick bread

A couple of weeks ago when D was working in the ER, K and I decided to make some bread. 

I had seen a recipe for Amish breakfast bread on pinterest and thought it looked good.  Well, let me just tell you...it was!  Poor David didn't realize that is was a sweet bread when I sent it to work...he thought it was "just" my typical sourdough bread, so he didn't eat it. 

But, I will tell you that it was all gone from the peds lounge and the ER lounge by the end of the day.  I did have to make some minor changes in that I didn't have any regular flour, so I used cake flour.  The flour I typically use (White Lily) is more like cake flour anyway...I think.  It worked well.  The best part of the bread...the crunchy top!  YUM!!!!

Amish Breakfast Bread
(makes 2 loaves)

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 cups buttermilk or 2 cups milk plus 2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice

4 cups cake flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

Cinnamon/sugar mixture:

2/3 cups sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon 

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray 2 loaf pans with cooking spray.  In the bowl of a mixer, cream together butter, 2 cups of sugar, and eggs.  Add milk, flour, and baking soda and stir until mixed.  Put 1/2 of batter (or a little less) into greased loaf pans (1/4 in each pan).  Mix in separate bowl the 2/3 c sugar and cinnamon.  Sprinkle 3/4 of cinnamon mixture on top of the 1/2 batter in each pan.  Add remaining batter to pans; sprinkle with last of cinnamon topping.  Swirl with a knife.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 min.  or until toothpick tester come clean.  Cool in pan for 20 minutes before removing from pan.  Enjoy!

Princess Cake for the ER

Korena of Korena in the Kitchen was our May Daring Bakers’ host and she delighted us with this beautiful Swedish Prinsesstårta! 

This was one of those challenges that I wasn't sure if I'd have enough time to make.  However, David was working in the ER the first weekend and I found out they were bringing food one night...so, I made this that weekend.  K helped with the cake and kept asking if she was going to eat "birthday cake."  don't you know...ALL cakes are birthday cakes!  :-) 

I decided to go simple and just make a quick fondant instead of marzipan (not a big fan anyway!).  K had to taste every color because obviously the different colors taste different.  I make the logo of our hospital for the decoration and it was a hit in the ER.  They ate half overnight and I took the other half to the lounge the next day.  It was gone by the time I went home.  I'd say people liked it!

Vanilla Custard

Ingredients
1 cup (240ml) heavy cream, divided
4 egg yolks from large eggs
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (15 gm) (½ oz) cornstarch
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (30 gm) (1 oz) granulated white sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (or 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract)
Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, sugar, and egg yolks. Gradually whisk in ½ cup (120 ml) of heavy cream until smooth. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium heat until just boiling. Slowly whisk the hot cream into the bowl with the egg mixture to temper the eggs.
2. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it becomes thick like pudding and just comes to a boil. The mixture must hit a boil for the cornstarch to properly thicken the custard, and also to cook out any starchy taste. If it starts to look curdled or lumpy, remove it from the heat and whisk vigorously until smooth, then return to the heat. As soon as it comes to a boil, remove it from the heat. If using vanilla extract, add it now.
(If desired, pass the custard through a fine mesh sieve before continuing.)
3. Pour the custard into a clean bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely cold. Can be prepared a day ahead and kept in the refrigerator.

Sponge Cake

Ingredients
Fine dry breadcrumbs for the pan (such as crushed panko)
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (240 ml) (225 gm) (8 oz) granulated white sugar
½ cup (120 ml) (70 gm) (2½ oz) all-purpose (plain) flour
½ cup (120 ml) (65 gm) (2¼ oz) potato starch (or cornstarch)
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (5 gm) baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4 with a rack in the lower third of the oven. Thoroughly butter a 9” (23 cm) round springform pan, line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper, then butter the paper. Dust the buttered pan with enough breadcrumbs to coat the bottom and sides, just like flouring a cake pan. Set aside.
2. Place the eggs and granulated white sugar in a mixing bowl and beat on medium-high speed with an electric mixer or stand mixer with whisk attachment until the eggs are tripled in volume and very light coloured and fluffy, about 5 minutes. The mixture should fall from the beaters in thick ribbons. Don’t overbeat the eggs – once they form thick ribbons and stop growing in volume, stop beating.
3. Sift the all-purpose (plain) flour, potato starch, baking powder, and salt into a bowl, then sift the flour mixture over the whipped eggs. With a balloon whisk, fold the flour into the eggs until blended, keeping as much air in the batter as possible. Use large, gentle yet confident strokes, bringing batter from the bottom of the bowl to the top. Once mixed, the batter should be quite thick and smooth.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spread it out evenly, and bake in the lower third of the preheated moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4 oven for about 40 minutes or until golden brown on top, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Let the cake cool in the pan for a few minutes then run a knife around the edge and remove the sides of the springform pan. Don’t worry if it sinks a bit in the middle. Invert the cake onto a cooling rack and peel off the parchment paper. If the cake is lopsided, press gently to make it level, then allow it to cool completely before continuing. The cake can be made a day ahead and stored, well-wrapped in plastic, at a cool room temperature.

Prinsesstårta Assembly

Ingredients
2 cups (480 ml) heavy cream, chilled
granulated white sugar, to taste (scant 1 tablespoon is plenty)
Sponge Cake, cooled
1/3 cup (80 ml) seedless raspberry jam (or regular jam pressed through a sieve to remove seeds)
Vanilla Custard, chilled
Marzipan Covering and Rose
Icing sugar, for rolling and dusting
Optional: melted chocolate, royal icing, or piping gel
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add sugar to taste (keep in mind that the rest of the cake components are sweet, so the whipped cream should be very lightly sweetened at most) and continue whipping the cream until stiff. You want it to be sturdy enough to provide structure to the cake, but not over-whipped enough to make butter. Set the whipped cream aside.
2. With a long serrated knife, slice the sponge cake into three even layers. This cake is very delicate, so do this as carefully as possible. Use a gentle sawing motion to move the knife through the cake instead of trying to pull it through the cake. Use a spatula to help you lift off each layer after you cut it. Set aside the middle layer – this will become the top layer of the assembled cake as it is the most flexible and therefore easiest to bend into a dome over the whipped cream.
3. Place one of remaining layers on a cake board or serving platter and spread it evenly with the raspberry jam. Spread or pipe half the chilled custard over the jam in an even layer, leaving enough room around the edges so that it doesn’t spill over the sides of the cake.
4. Top the custard with another layer of cake. Spread or pipe the remaining custard evenly over it, again leaving some room around the edges.
5. Reserve ½ cup (120 ml) of the stiffly whipped cream. Pile the rest into a mound on top of the custard. Spread it into a thick layer with a thin, flexible spatula or off-set spatula, then hold the spatula at an angle to shape the whipped cream into a dome, piling it up in the middle of the cake as much as possible. 
6. Place the final layer of sponge cake (the one cut from the middle of the cake) on top of the whipped cream. Do not press on the top of the cake – instead, gently tuck the edges of the cake layer into the whipped cream, so that they are flush with the cream. This will create a smooth, seamless dome on top of the cake.
7. Gently spread the reserved ½ cup (120 ml) of whipped cream over the entire cake to fill in any cracks and even out the surface. If necessary, refrigerate the cake to firm it up before continuing.
8. Use the rolling pin to drape the rolled-out marzipan or fondant sheet over the cake and smooth it around the cake gently with your hands. If it seems like it wants to fold or buckle around the cake, gently lift and stretch it away from the cake with one hand while smoothing it down with the other. 

Enjoy!

The Guys

Now, obviously, I didn't pick out the groomsmen...David did...but I know them all!  What a great bunch of groomsmen to stand by and support us as we start our life together.  (Such a cool picture!)

My dad tried to join in but I think he's just crashing the party!  ;-)  Just kidding!

First up is Michael...

Interestingly enough, Michael and I grew up at church together, did debate together, were friends in med school.  We taught Sunday School together and were in a SS class together.  He went on his first missions trip with my dad...and now wants to do medical missions.  He and David are in the same training program at the med center, doing med-peds...David is a year ahead.  Michael was actually his M4 on his first wards team (along with another groomsman as the lead resident).  So, he has been a part of both mine and David's life.  So glad he was able to be a part of our day!

Next is Andrew.  Andrew is in David's same year in med-peds.  He was the first person that David remembered from orientation for residency.  David says that they just got along and commiserated about the difficulties of residency.  From my standpoint, he's just a fun, down to earth guy and will be staying to work here next year...and likely with David in the future.  He and his wife have been so helpful.  I'd love to do things with them...double dates, maybe?!

And now Kevin...what to say about Kevin?  Well, Kevin was David's first pediatric upper level (with Michael as the M4, remember?) and is also a med-peds guy.  David says that Kevin made him realize that the med-peds folks take things seriously and work hard...but have fun, too!  I mean....he is going to Montana to work so that he can hike and enjoy the view in his spare time. I worked with him several times in the PICU which made that overnight shift much better. 

The last of the med-peds guys is Zeb.  Zeb has been one of David's attendings during residency.  He and his wife, Anna, have been so helpful with K.  David would take her to their house when he had to be at the hospital before daycare opened or overnight.  Anna just took her on as one of their children.  K loves "Miss Anna" and "Mr. Dr. Zeb!"  And we love them, too!  I think Zeb and Anna were the first ones to realize something was going on between me and David.  They started praying for us before we were even "official."  What a blessing from God to have friends like they!

This is Philip, my little brother.  He's really grown up and become such a neat guy!  I love watching him working on cars, with Kenna, with K, and more.  Who would have thought my little brother would grow up and be so handsome, kind, smart, and fun!  He and Kenna just bought their first house...near the beach, too!  Hmmm...I smell a trip coming. 

And last but not least is David's dad, Jim...his best man!  Jim is not a man of many words but he is a quiet leader.  For that David and I are both thankful!  He has worked hard and now he is enjoying being a granddaddy to Kate.  Tinkerbell, tea parties, painted toe nails...he'll do it all!  I can't wait for him to have more grandchildren.  :-)

What a great group of guys!

Especially this one!  :-)

The Girls

When David asked me to marry him, I already knew who I'd ask to be my bridesmaids.  Right after college, I wondered who I would ask.  They say you leave college with your lifelong friends but most of my friends came from childhood.  In fact, half of my bridesmaids were childhood friends!

 Robby did a great job showcasing all of my girls' beauty as well as the gorgeous flowers by Wendy.  We ended up with a great day outside, so we took some pics in front of the church.

 Now, allow me to introduce you to my bridesmaids.

 Jennifer if one of my childhood friends.  We grew up in church and school together.  We were ballet friends - she took, I think, a year (or two) longer than I did but we both LOVED it!  Maybe K and E will both love ballet, too!  She was the first of my friends to get married and I was able to be a bridesmaid and sing in her wedding...I even caught her bouquet (the first of THREE mind you!).  So glad she could be a part of my wedding...with baby number TWO growing inside!  :-)

 This is Stephanie, David's sister.  We haven't gotten to spend that much time together just due to schedules and distance but I am so blessed to call her my sister-in-law.  She is a children's minister and you can tell that she loves what she does and is great at it!  She loves K and is always doing things to encourage her.  I hope that we will have more nieces and nephews to add to the mix so they can love Aunt Stephanie, too!

 And again, my sister-in-law (married my brother), Kenna!  She has worked so hard to be a great P.A. but has always maintained her sweet spirit.  She helped make some of the reception decorations and did my hair...all on short notice and without complaining.  Funny story - Kenna's brother was in my class at school.  We had study hall together, and he and this other guy called me "val" because they were sure that I'd be class valedictorian.  At that time, Philip and Kenna weren't even close to dating...no clue they would be!  :-)  I'm so thankful for God blessing Philip with such a kind, patient, and generous wife...and glad she is part of our family now!

 This is Sarah, my matron of honor.  She and I met in medical school and did our pediatric training together.  We sat on opposite sides of the room first year but both did a summer program in the peds clinic after that year...so we were FORCED to spend time together.  After that, we working in the Pediatric Interest Group together and were fast friends!  We tried to do as many rotations together as possible third year and Sarah worked hard to keep me at UMC for residency...promising we'd find me "a hot resident to marry."  Well...it worked!  I stayed...and found a hot resident to marry.  ;-)  We've been through a lot together in 8 years (really? wow!) and I am so thankful for her. 

 This is Sarah, my "oldest" friend.  We have been friends for as long as we can remember...forced together because our mothers were friends.  But how glad I am that we were.  Sarah is the kind of friend that I don't see much (she lives in CA) but whenever we DO get to see each other, it's like we haven't been apart; we pick up right where we left off.  She is a pediatric nurse and spend some time in Africa at an orphanage, which is where she actually met her husband!  It was such fun to be a part of their wedding...and to have her be a part of mine.  They are moving closer next year but not quite close enough.  Guess we'll have to take a road trip to visit.

And last but not least is Katie.  Katie and I haven't always exactly been friendly with each other.  We've known each other since Brownies...but we did NOT like each other.  In fact, in any scout picture, I'm on one end and she is on the other.  I thought she was loud and annoying (which was true) and she thought I was a goody-goody (which was true!).  Then came the day when she and Jennifer became good friends.  Being that Jenn and I were friends, Katie and I were basically FORCED to be friends...but it worked!  I was in her wedding and now she's been in mine!  She and her husband are such fun.  Thankfully, they live nearby, so we can hang out...if things would ever slow down!

I am so blessed to have each of these girls in my life and so thankful that they would honor me and David by supporting us on our wedding day. I am thankful to know that they will be the kind of friends to hold me and David accountable.  Can't wait to spend more time with them!