Wedding Cake

My sister had a renewal of vows ceremony and asked me to make her a cake. My husband said he would make a grooms cake. Well, time comes to make both cakes and here is what I did. Yes, me and me alone made both cakes.

The white flowers were her toss bouquet, centerpieces were flowers in tin pots surrounded by Hershey's Kisses. Front flowers were her wedding bouquet, cake to right is brides cake and cake to the left is the grooms cake.

Bride's cake was a butterpecan cake with caramel filling topped with buttercream frosting.

The grooms cake was a dark chocolate cake with raspberry filling and a milk chocolate icing.

Spaghetti Squash w/ Meatballs

I am trying to be a bit more healthy so I decided to have spaghetti squash instead of pasta. It is not the same but satisfies my craving for pasta. It can be tricky to make the first time. If you cook the squash too long it will be mushy and not pasta like at all.

Meatballs w/ Sauce:

1 pound lean ground beef
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Splash of milk
1 egg
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 onions, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed tomato soup
2 (10.75 ounce) cans water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

To make meatballs: Combine in a bowl ground beef, bread crumbs, parm cheese, milk, egg, garlic, onions, salt, Italian seasoning and pepper; mix well. Roll into 1 inch balls and place the raw meatballs on a 9 x 11 baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. When cool, place them in a colander and rinse (yes, I rinse them) with hot water. This drains the grease so you don't have any "swimming" on top of the sauce.

To make the sauce: Mix together tomato soup, water, lemon juice, salt, parsley, basil, sage, thyme and cayenne pepper in a large saucepan, add meatballs and simmer for 30 min to an hour.

While the sauce is simmering place a large pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil. Add salt and a pat of butter to the water. Cut the spaghetti squash in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon (like you would a pumpkin). Add squash to the boiling water, shell side up. After 10 minutes pierce the flesh with a fork. If it goes in easily it is ready, if not cook for 5 more min and pierce again. One cooked, drain and allow to cool. When it is cool enough to handle (10-20 min), take a fork and hollow out the shell from top to bottom, making spaghetti like strands. I put the squash back in the shell and top with meatballs and sauce. You don't have to use the shell as a bowl. :)

Recipe Swap: Irish Stew

I participate in a cooking message board and they were having a recipe exchange. The theme was to focus on your region. The recipe I received is from Northern Ireland. I am not a fan of Lamb but my husband is. I could have made it with beef but I wanted to stick with the recipe. I have posted the recipe as it was given to me. Since I am not used to the metric system I had to convert some of the measurements. My conversions are in parentheses. My husband really loved this dish and I am going to have it for lunch today.

Irish Stew:

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
500g (1 lb) casserole lamb pieces
5 medium sized potatoes
2 large carrots
3 medium sized onions
400ml (1.5 cups) beef/lamb stock
Worcestershire sauce
Salt & Pepper
1.5 tbsp butter
1.5 tbsp plain flour
4 tbsp chopped spring onions

Recipe:
1. Preheat the oven to 190˚C (375 F).
2. Heat oil in a pan and add the meat. Brown for 5 minutes then add to a casserole dish.
3. Chop the potatoes, onions and carrots into chunky pieces. Add the carrots, onions and potatoes (in that order) to the casserole dish.
4. Add a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce, season with salt and pepper then pour in the stock.
5. Cover and place in the oven and leave for 1 hour 45 minutes
6. Melt the butter in a pot, then stir in the flour: this mixture is called a "roux". Pour the sauce in the casserole into the roux and mix. When it comes to the boil pour it back into the casserole dish.
7. Add the spring onions.
8. Mix the casserole, mashing up the potatoes slightly as you do.
9. Cover and place back in the oven for 15 minutes.
10. Remove and serve