Father's Day Cake

One of my favorite websites to visit is Tasty Kitchen. It's this great forum for people to search for and post recipes to share with everyone. It's an extension of The Pioneer Woman's website. I love her. I think she is genius. She is part of what makes my life complete.

I visit every day and tuck peoples recipes into my personal 'recipes to try' box. I'm amazed at how many superb cooks there are, and how many of them are so good at photography as well! Tasty Kitchen truly inspires me to cook for fun as well as helps me come up with new dishes to try for dinner.

My latest new recipe try was this:

Raspberry and Chocolate Ganache Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream

from Kelly @ EvilShenanigans.

I know. A total mouthful of a name. I'm just going to call it 'Father's Day Cake' since that's what I made it for. I spread the cooking over two days so it wasn't too overwhelming. Everyone thought it was yummy. I even liked the frosting quite a bit more than a regular buttercream. And there is no denying that it's a beautiful cake to serve!

Here's a look at the inside: cake layered with raspberry curd and chocolate ganache. Raspberry & chocolate are one of natures perfect combinations!

This wasn't even all that difficult a cake to make--it's just a whole lot easier to spread it out over two days, and a whole lot easier to cut and frost a frozen cake!

So, check out Tasty Kitchen--you will be glad you did, either for the recipes or the fabulous looking food photography!

This one's for you, Vickie!

So today I got a phone call from a friend.

Some of my friends I think of often, but rarely physically talk to. You know how it is--so many things get in the way of staying in contact in a way other than Christmas cards and Facebook. It doesn't mean I don't care, and it also doesn't mean I don't feel some guilt, but life has a way of taking over all my good intentions.

I am always happy when I do get to talk to old friends, except sometimes it happens over bad news. Like today. I found out a sweet, dear fried died last week in a car accident. A mother like me. A barely forty-something like me. A daughter whose parents are still alive and having to bury a child. It just is so sad!

So I'll take a second to say: Karilyn--I love you and I'll miss your smiley face whenever I would run into you! No matter what trials seemed to be going on in your life, you had the ability to laugh and move on. I always admired your strength and optimism. You are a beautiful spirit!

Karilyn Farnworth Mehlhoff

1969-2010

So how is it my post about Karilyn is actually for Vickie? Well, she happens to be another friend with whom I rarely physically speak but am always thinking of and wondering about. So today, we spoke over the phone about our friend Karilyn and the sadness of the news and commiserated about how easy it is to let time slide by until it is too late. We reminisced over some times the three of us had together and concluded that we should take the opportunity to not be such strangers in the future.

I got thinking more about my friend, Vickie. We both went to PG high school but didn't become friends until after graduation. We had some hilarious (translate: don't ask......) times and then both got married and just lost touch. I would hear occasionally of how she was doing from her and mutual friends. She really is a wonderful person and so, so funny! I remembered a time we both watched the Strawberry Days parade with our two oldest children and thought of a picture I had taken. I searched and finally found it:

Look at these little critters! How cute are they? And now they are both going to be Seniors! And Vickie, look at the date--EXACTLY 15 years ago today! How weird is that? Pretty crazy, I'd say.

So. Now I will polish off my good intentions and try to do a better job of keeping in touch with old friends. Notice I said try--I do have seven kids after all. And I find them to be a really great excuse for all my slacker tendencies.....

All my old and not-so-old friends: have patience with me. I really do love and care about you all. But I'm still learning so many of life's lessons. Including not taking friends for granted before it's too late.

None of us are guaranteed one more day.