Heading North to Minnie- Hello Tim & Lisa

Doug and Gail thought it was time to go fishin'.

Our destination for the perfect fishin' hole was up North.

Minnesota.

 To be more exact, my sister's place,

Pine River.

The weather was perfect this time of year. 

It was not too hot to catch a few fish

and perfect for shopping and sight seeing.

Lisa proved to be the perfect tour guide,

while Tim was the perfect fishing guide.

Our traveling companions were my brother, Gail, and his wife, Yatzi.

We started out early on Saturday morning.

It wan't too long until we stopped for breakfast.

We wanted to stop somewhere we hadn't been before.

 Breakfast at The Trumbles in Albert Lea, Minnesota.

 I ordered a delicious biscuits and sausage gravy breakfast.

 Love this water tower.

 Ominous looking sky,

but it did clear up.

 Along the way.

 We are still making our way North.

 One of the 10,000 lakes in Minnesota.

Paul Bunyon fun fact:

 Did you know that the 10,000 lakes of Minnesota were created by Paul and Babe’s footsteps

 while they were lost in a blizzard?

(http://highwayhighlights.com/2015/06/minnesotas-paul-bunyan-tour-part-2/)

 What a great water tower!

Almost there.

 We explored a little in Backus before Lisa arrived home.

Finally, we arrived in Pine River and settled in.

 Lisa has been busy making dinner.

We did not go hungry!

 We enjoyed this bear summer sausage.

To my surprise, I really liked it!

I thought it would be greasier.

 Gail, enjoying our visit.

 Lisa served delicious meals throughout our stay.

 Babe the Blue Ox

Learn about Babe 

Minnesota Tall Tales

 A changing evening sky.

 A quiet walk after dinner on the Paul Bunyon State Trail.

 A peaceful walk.

But...

We did get lost returning to Lisa's, but Doug came to our rescue.

Did you know I am directionally impaired?

Don't use words like East or West when trying to locate me.

Just sayin'.

The guys are getting ready for a couple of days of catching fish.

We have a big day tomorrow!

More on Liz's Birthday-Devil's Food Raspberry Chocolate Ganache Birthday Cake!

This is the second dessert I made for Liz's birthday.

A birthday requires cake.

As Julia Child once said,

(photo taken from Pinterest)

So, cake it is.

Not just any cake.

Devil's Food Raspberry Chocolate Ganache Birthday Cake!

This looks great!

I had previously mixed up a devil's food chocolate cake from a box mix.

I dusted the cake pans with cocoa powder instead of flour,
since I was not frosting the sides of the cake.

Bake according to package directions.

After the cake had cooled, I placed a layer on a plate.
I had some raspberry preserves,
so I spread that over the top to keep the cake moist.

We combined fresh raspberries and frozen whipped topping.

Aiden was my sous chef to help make his mom's special cake.

Aiden spread half of the whipped topping mixture over the first cake layer.

Then we added the second layer and spread the raspberry preserves.

More whipped topping mixture.

Time for a sample.

I had some chocolate ganache in my freezer.
I microwaved it until we could drizzle it over the cake.
What is ganache?

Ganache - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ganache (/ ɡ ə ˈ n ɑː ʃ /; from the French word for "jowl") is a glaze, icing, sauce, or filling for pastries made from chocolate and cream.

You can click on this link from my blog on Gail & Yatzi's Wedding Cake
for the steps in making ganache.
It is harder to figure out how to say ganache than it is to make it.

Method for making ganache

Then, add a few more fresh raspberries over the top.

Oh, yes... one more layer of chocolate ganache.

Family Fun on the patio...

A few rain sprinkles, but we weathered them.

Happy Birthday to Liz!

A great kick off to the summer!

Celebrating Liz's Birthday- Pink Lemonade Icebox Pie

You will detect a definite lemonade flavor in this refreshing pie.

Another birthday and another celebration.

Our family is growing so much that I basically have a reason to bake a cake at least 

two times a month.

I love to bake cakes and desserts.

So, I made two desserts.

This is the first one...

Pink Lemonade Icebox Pie

Since the weather has been getting hot, I wanted to make a cool,

refreshing dessert

with frozen lemonade in pie form.

It is an easy 5 ingredient fix, and tastes as good as it looks.

This is a 5 star recipe from Taste of Home magazine

submitted by Cheryl Wilt.

I made a modification, but it is the same basic recipe.

I used pink lemonade for my recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 3/4 cup thawed lemonade concentrate
• 1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
• Red food coloring, optional
• 1 graham cracker crust (9 inches)
  

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and milk until smooth. Beat in lemonade concentrate. Fold in whipped topping and, if desired, food coloring. Pour into crust. Cover and refrigerate until set.

This couldn't be easier or more refreshing on a warm, almost summer day.

 5 ingredients:

Cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, lemonade concentrate,

frozen whipped topping, &  graham cracker pie crust.

 In a large bowl beat cream cheese and milk until smooth.

 Beat in the lemonade concentrate.

 Add a couple of drops of food coloring, if desired.

 Fold in the whipped topping.

 Pour into graham cracker crust.

 Refrigerate or freeze until ready to serve.

High and fluffy, 

this dessert has a creamy smooth consistency.

Family Photo Gallery...

Moon Flower

Liz's birthday is on the 27th.
We are celebrating a day after her birthday.
There were a few sprinkles, but we kept the party on the patio.

Happy birthday, Liz!

Next recipe is for Liz's birthday cake.

Devil's Food Raspberry Chocolate Ganache Birthday Cake!