Champagne Cake- Celebrating Shawn & Jenna

Love and Marriage

I love to celebrate special occasions in the lives of my family and friends.

One of my very special friends got married,

and I wanted to celebrate with her and her new husband.

They had a small wedding ceremony on November 28, 2015,

but our pot luck get together took place in the summer of 2016.

Living in Iowa, it is a toss up as to whether the weather will be 

warm or very hot on any given day in June.

Well, it turned out to be a very hot day in June, but we had a great time reconnecting anyway.

I met Jenna when we worked together at American Home Shield.

American Home Shield is a company that offers home warranties.

We worked in the call center as sales associates.

She had her cubie next to me.

I can honestly say if it wasn't for her, I don't think I would have made it through the first

few months of my job.  She was a great friend and co-worker.

It would be safe to say she was my "google" when I had a question or difficult phone call.

My guest list included our friends that we used to work with.

It is hard to get together very often, but when we do it is like no time has passed.

But time had passed and much had happened.

Like getting married!

Congratulations to Shawn and Jenna.

Wishing you many happy adventures and years together.

I couldn't be happier for you!

I love to bake cakes and had the perfect recipe for a guy whose

 first choice for cake flavors is not chocolate.

That is hard for me to fully grasp, but I did have a cake recipe that was

simple and flavorful.

It was a champagne cake for a champagne toast 

to the happy couple in cake form.

The recipe is simple and flavorful,

a cake mix and pink champagne or sparkling grape juice.

This Meier's Sparkling Pink Catawba Grape Juice

is a great choice if you don't want to use wine.

Ingredients:

1 box Betty Crocker™ SuperMoist™ white cake mix 

1- 1/4 cups champagne, room temperature 

1/3 cup vegetable oil 

3 egg whites 

4 or 5 drops red food color 

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottoms and sides of two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans with baking spray. In large bowl, stir together cake mix and 1 1/4 cups champagne or sparkling grape juice. 

Add oil, egg whites and food color; beat with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes. 

Pour into pans. Bake as directed on box for 8- or 9-inch rounds.

 Cool 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Recipe from: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/pink-champagne-layer-cake/3a7dae01-8411-4482-8c58-141c55b3c506?p=1

I also made a batch of cupcakes.

When the cakes had cooled, I frosted the cake with a crumb coat.

A crumb coat
is the base coat of icing on a cake.

 It is also referred to as dirty icing a cake.

Generally there are at least two layers of buttercream icing spread on a cake; 

the first is the crumb coat, which seals in the crumbs.

 How to Crumb Coat a Cake

Then, I made frosting roses on the top of the cake.

Rose Frosting Tutorial

Ready for the big event!

We decided to meet at a central location in Ames at Brookside Park.

The gang's all here!

Ruth, Colleen, Vicky, Kessi, Jenna, Fran, Jill, and Denise

all worked together at AHS,

many moons ago.

Shawn, Jenna, Emily, and Sarah.

Cutting the cake.

Wedding Cake Traditions

Congratulations and Many Blessings!

Summer of '16- Big Creek Lake- Morning Glory Muffins

More photos of the kids and grandkids for our 

Summer of '16 .

We had a lot of fun at

Big Creek Lake.

We found a mermaid.

And a baby mermaid.

The grandkids asked if there were sharks in this lake.

We said no,

but then I found one along the shore line.

Big Creek State Lake 

was created as part of the Saylorville project to protect Polk City from floods. 

A diversion dam which forms the 866-acre Big Creek Lake was primarily developed as a flood control project but also offers a wide variety of recreation.

 Big Creek State Park and the adjoining public hunting areas provide recreation

 for visitors of all ages and interests.

 The focal point of the 3,550-acre complex is the lake.

http://www.iowadnr.gov/Places-to-Go/State-Parks-Rec-Areas/Iowas-State-Parks/ParkDetails/ParkID/610157/idAdminBoundary/173

Big Creek Lake

 provides excellent fishing year-round. 

The lake's clear waters are stocked with crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, walleye, 

channel catfish and muskie. The lake is popular for a variety of boating activities.

 Any size motor may be operated at "no wake" speeds on the lake. 

Grandpa & Ceci.

There is more to do here.

A 26-mile paved multi-use trail allows bicyclists and pedestrians to travel from the beach south through the Saylorville Lake area all the way to Des Moines. 

Eleven miles of snowmobile trails provide winter recreational opportunities. 

Big Creek is also popular with cross-country skiers.

Then we went to Garrett's to visit.

I didn't get too many pictures.

I think I was depending on everyone else to take pictures once we arrived.

Liz fixed us some fabulous
Morning Glory Cupcakes.

Here is a recipe I found on All Recipes by Jaclyn.

"This muffin has a little bit of everything - carrots, raisins, apple butter, wheat germ, nuts."

Ingredients

⦁ 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

⦁ 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 

⦁ 1 1/4 cups white sugar 

⦁ 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 

⦁ 2 teaspoons baking powder 

⦁ 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

⦁ 1/2 teaspoon salt 

⦁ 2 cups grated carrots 

⦁ 1 apple - peeled, cored, and chopped 

⦁ 1 cup raisins 

⦁ 1 egg 

⦁ 2 egg whites 

⦁ 1/2 cup apple butter 

⦁ 1/4 cup vegetable oil 

⦁ 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 

⦁ 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts 

⦁ 2 tablespoons toasted wheat germ 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil 18 muffin cups, or coat with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, apple butter, oil and vanilla.

3. In a large bowl, stir together flours, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in carrots, apples and raisins. Stir in apple butter mixture until just moistened. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them about 3/4 full.

4. In a small bowl, combine walnuts and wheat germ; sprinkle over the muffin tops.

5. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and spring back when lightly pressed.

They were a hit and didn't last long.

I did get some pictures that Liz took...

More summer fun...

Beach beauties!

Good times!