Stop the Clock!!!

I cannot believe that it has already been TWELVE years since we first met this lovely young lady. Her kind heart and conscientious spirit melt us daily and we are in love with the woman she is already becoming. It is such a blessing to be her mother. Here are a few of her 12 year pictures....

Preview!

Last December I took a good long look at my business and evaluated where I was and where I wanted to be. Many of you may remember that my initial business involved not only cakes, but catering as well. Somewhere in the middle of assembling hors d'oeuvres for 250 people while caring for a six week old baby I realized that as much as I love to cook, the art of cuisine loses its luster when stuffing 600 mushrooms and prepping the same number of crab cakes in between a baby's nursing schedule. It was a sleepless summer. I still love to cook, entertain, and share my recipes on this blog, but my true passion is art and my mediums of choice are cake, sugar, fondant - you get the picture.  My business model got a facelift for 2013 and I haven't looked back - I love my job! I know it is a huge blessing to find work pleasurable and I don't take it for granted. 

Thanks to a sweet family member who recently married and agreed to don her wedding gown once more for a photo shoot, I now have these beautiful photo's that I can't stop looking at! You can check out our model, Lael, on her blog: High Heels and High Notes and find the fabulous white leather sofa over at Mood Party Rentals.

Here's a peek at a few photo's from our shoot....

Photo Friday #45 - Red Dirt Dawber

Banana Be Mine

Finally getting a recipe on the blog! I cannot believe how long it has been since I've shared some kitchen goodness - maybe this is a sign that I am finally getting settled into a routine over here where the wind comes sweeping down the plain. It's been more than a little crazy trying to get settled into our new home (which, by the way, I unpacked in such a hurried frenzy that I now can't remember what items I put into which cabinets, closets, etc. and find myself ransacking my own home to find my things) and setting up my very modest cake studio has proved more time consuming than I anticipated - largely due to our determination to stay on a shoe-string budget and accomplish a majority of the work ourselves. It's been exhilarating and exhausting all at the same time and my rough cuticles are showing it.

Anyway, I actually made these scrumptious little ole muffins several weeks ago and well before finding that perfect spot for food photography - you know, the sweet spot where the natural light is just right. This photo was taken in my home, but I'm so thrilled to begin shooting at my studio soon. The huge windows and natural light will make for some beautiful photos (I hope). 

Banana Nut Muffins

1/2 cup (1stick) butter at room temp
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Preheat to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, and beat to incorporate. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Add bananas, sour cream and vanilla; mix to combine. Stir in nuts, and pour into prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean about 18-20 minutes, but ovens vary so watch your first batch and time accordingly. Cool ten minutes and turn out of pans to finish cooling.