Friday, June 29, 2012

Wow...I really am a Mother of the Bride

There is so much going on right now at our house and unfortunately it hasn't included testing many new recipes.  I've made old favourites and after a bit was eaten at home, the majority has gone to the office.  My co-workers are very happy when this happens.

In addition to Sarah preparing for her move to Waterloo and the Ph.D. in her future, my older daughter Megan and her sweetie Duncan are now engaged...sigh!  The date next June is set, they've reserved a venue and lots of other plans are underway.  I've been told I have free reign when it comes to planning her bridal shower - thanks Megan! - which will be a combination of a lot of fun and not unexpected stress.  Apart from baking, my other very active hobby is paper crafting, so my two die cutting machines will be working overtime on invitations, decorations and more - I can't wait!

One decision Megan made is to have her friend and fellow OCADU alum, Nadia, create her wedding cake, or facsimile thereof.  A co-worker asked if I would be making the cake, but that is SO far out of my skill range I'd never even consider it.  Nadia, on the other hand, is mad talented.  She's also the baker who made the cake for the 4th year student catalogue last year.  Here's that cake, as a little reminder of her skills:


That's her hand painted work all over that cake and it was delish to boot!  Here's her updated website - make sure to scroll over her creations to see them in colour:  Nadia and Co.

The girls always laugh about a comment I made a few years ago.  For some reason we were talking about wedding cakes and I said "No boring cake!  I'm paying for the cake!"  With Megan's ideas and Nadia's skills, I don't think "boring" will ever be used in conversation.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

A new Ina Cookbook in October!

If you're a regular reader of this blog (thanks to all 10 of you!), you'll know I love Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa.  I love how her recipes are written and that she tests them repeatedly to make sure they work.  From my experience, every one of her recipes has worked out flawlessly.

So this week, when I got her her email update that leads you to her site, I was thrilled to see that her publisher is releasing her newest cookbook on October 30th this year.  It's called "Foolproof", and I have no doubt every recipe will be!


Image Courtesy barefootcontesssa.com

If you've never visited Ina's site, I highly recommend it - there are lots of great tips, recipes and interviews with Ina - Barefootcontessa.com

I may even treat myself to an autographed copy this year. :)