You want some cake?

Lately I've been baking a lot of cakes.  I've made six in the past month, that's more than one a week!

Right after Christmas I baked a Strawberry and Vanilla cream cake for my Grandma, which you saw.  It was then a couple of weeks later I made the incredible Earl Grey Infused Chocolate Fudge cake for my Dad.  Since being back in England cake baking has become a regular habit.

I think I'd been in the country just over 24 hours when I made a Classic Chocolate Birthday cake for Tom's friend Panda.  Two days later was Tom's birthday, and I made his favourite cake, a Victoria Sponge, which you saw at his surprise party.

This week I've made a couple more.  Well, on Monday I didn't make a cake, I made cupcakes.  In England on your birthday you are supposed to supply the treats for your office.  Being the wonderful and amazing girlfriend I am, I baked Neapolitan Cupcakes for Tom to take into work.  They looked incredible!

Yesterday I made my Classic Mascarpone Cheesecake for Tom's Mum's birthday which is today.

I think my insane amount of cake making is going to continue as my housemates both have birthdays in the beginning of February.  Perhaps I should considering becoming a professional cake baker, I'm getting enough practice.

Ever wonder why we have cake on our Birthday?  Wiki can explain... the tradition dates back to the Romans!

Love

Tom Turns 25!

I know I've been a bit bad at blogging since returning to the UK, but I've been busy.  Jet lag was an absolute nightmare, I had loads of unpacking and cleaning, gym attendance has been mandatory to undo the damage a gluttonous month in America did to me and I had Tom's birthday to prepare for.

On Saturday Tom turned a quarter of a century.  I couldn't let that pass without a celebration.  As we were only back in this country a few days beforehand, I knew Tom wouldn't have time to make plans.  So I took charge.  Creating a Facebook event whilst in America I planned the greatest surprise party, and I actually surprised him!

There were a few close calls though.  Tom was still recovering from jet lag on Saturday and slept for ages.  We were supposed to go to Brook Farm for tea in the afternoon, but as it was getting late we decided we would go on Sunday instead.  When Tom called his Mum to let her know she asked, "are you sure all of your friends will be gone by then?"  Uh oh.  "What friends, I don't know about this," replied Tom.  Luckily I was sitting right there.  "Well we are having a couple of people over for a meal and drinks this evening," I informed Tom.  When he found out there was only like three people besides the housemates celebrating he wasn't impressed with my organizing skills.

The meal was a perfect cover for the party.  I made a lasagna on Friday, which eight of us had with salad and garlic bread.  I could tell Tom was happy at this part of the night and suspecting nothing else.  Or friends were in on the surprise and after we finished the guys took Tom to the pub whilst the girls "did dishes and finished the cake."

As the guys left the house the surprise was almost ruined again.  Right across the street were four of Tom's home friends.  But somehow running into them didn't give the party away.  He just assumed they were joining us for drinks, and didn't suspect anything more.

Then the party arrived.  Just over twenty people made it down for the night.  I was very excited about the turn out.  Along with Tom's friends from home, a number of people came from London including some Tom hadn't seen in ages and others who had to return that night.  When Tom got back from the pub he was gobsmacked!

He was shocked to see so many people, and shocked at some of the people he saw.  It was a tremendous party.  A big reunion for many and a great celebration for Tom.  It really shows how many good friends he has.

Thanks to everyone who came, and Happy Birthday Tom!

Love

Dad's delightful day

Friday was my dad's birthday.  I asked how old he is now, because I can never remember either of my parents' ages, and apparently he just turned 12.  To celebrate we threw a little party.

As per dad's request Brianna, Derek and Amanda were guests and Tom and I made a huge turkey roast British style.  We created our menu and shopping list early Friday morning and then ventured to the store for everything we needed.  Upon our return Tom and I took over the kitchen for the afternoon.

I cooked the turkey the same way I did for my Thanksgiving feast and once again it turned out delectably moist, I've seriously found the best turkey recipe ever!  My other dishes included; cranberries, bread sauce and Yorkshire pudding.  A birthday is not complete without a cake, and I am horribly proud of the one I baked for this party.  It was a creation.  It was beautiful.  It was divine.  I baked the Earl Grey Chocolate Fudge Cake out of my new Gizzie Erskine cookbook.  I love Gizzie and everything I've made so far from her book I will definitely make again.  If you like cake, even if you don't, you should make this one.  It's the most complex cake I've baked, but it really wasn't that difficult, it looked incredible and tasted even better.

Tom impressed everyone with his cooking as he always does.  He made; roast potatoes, parsnips and sweet potatoes, pureed garlic carrots, brussels sprouts with bacon and apricots and sausage wrapped in bacon skewers.  Yum, yum, yum!

It was fun making an English roast for everyone and the night was s huge hit.  I am so glad we were able to do this for my dad; he is the best!

Amanda and Derek stayed over as we were hoping to go skiing the next day, but the conditions were terrible up on the mountain so we went bowling instead.  What a birthday weekend.

Here's to you Dad!

Love

Fabulous Finale

Sadly our final day in Phoenix is nearing its end, and I'll admit I love it here!  The sun, the cacti, the golf courses, the mountains, the sunsets! Oh, how are they going to get me on that airplane in the morning?

Today we tested ourselves at Las Sendas golf course.  It is by far the most strategic course we played this week; the par 3's demanded much more technical ability than the par 5's.  Our scores reflect the increase in difficulty too.  I don't really want to put these out for the world to see, but Tom and I scored a 98 whilst my parents shot a much more appealing 86.  It was the greens that got us.  I don't know how many strokes we added because of our putting, but those greens were tricky.

Despite it's difficulty this desert course is beautiful.  A variety of cacti are displayed sporadically alongside the fairways, and I'm obsessed with the adobe houses.  If I'm every lucky enough to live here that is definitely the style of house I will live in.

Having started our golf round just after noon we finished in perfect time to view the gorgeous sunset with live music and cocktails.  Sitting out on the restaurant patio the city of Phoenix sprawled out in front of us with the sun setting over the mountains in the background.  Them had beer as men do, but my mom and I had fun drinks.  My prickly pear margarita was bright pink, how cool!

I don't want to leave, I really don't want to head back up to Washington to snow and I'm not ready for reality to hit once we return to England.  If only there was some way I could stay in this wonderful fantasyland.

Love

Relaxation

Yesterday we took advantage of being on holiday and relaxed.  Well, we did get up early to take Tom to Amex where he met with his mentor (Mom and I did a bit of shopping during this time), but the rest of the day we chilled.  We drove back through downtown Phoenix stopping for sandwiches then spent the afternoon in our lovely backyard.

Love

Arizona Grand

The luxurious Arizona Grand Golf Course is where we improved our game today.  This course is part of  a premier resort in Phoenix where employees greet you with with large helpful smiles.  Seriously, we even had an employee drive past us as we were playing who exclaimed, "Thanks for coming today!"  American optimism oozed from every inch of this resort, and I don't think that's a bad thing.

I was impressed with this course.  Lush and green were the fairways and rough, where as many courses down here are covered in brown.  The scattering of palm trees added to this course's appeal.  On the front half I felt as though I was in an oasis.  A lot of green and a lot of water.  I'll admit I did loose a few balls out there.

The back nine was a desert paradise.  Still green on the course, but with dusty hills and cacti surrounding.  Cresting over a small hill to the 18th hole I was amazed; Arizona lay sprawling in front of us.  A very impressive design and great way to end the round.

I must go now as the ribs my dad has on the bbq are just about ready and I need to help with other food.   The BCS Bowl has just kicked off and is on in the background.   I really hope Auburn win; as a Husky I could never cheer for the Ducks!

Love

A Grand day out

At 6.30 this morning I awoke to my mom calling, "time to get up!" Aghhh, why so early?  All I wanted to do was roll over, bury my head and sleep a few more hours.  But I knew we had a big day ahead so I forced my feet onto the floor.

By 7.30 we were on the road heading north.  Why so early and why north you might be wondering?  About four hours north of Pheonix is the Grand Canyon.  As we are in Arizona we couldn't miss this geological masterpiece.

It was a pleasant drive getting there.  At one point we witnessed fifteen hot air balloons flying overhead, and as we neared our destination a noticeable climate change occurred.  Snow covered the ground and rather than cacti everywhere, there were pine trees.  It reminded me a lot of Oregon.  We stopped for lunch at one of the few open restaurants in the town just outside the canyon's entrance, eating at a place named "We cook Pizza and Pasta."  How clever,  they give away exactly what you find inside.

Then it was time for the main event.  The Grand Canyon truly is breath taking!  As we approached the edge of the first view-point I stood in awe of the majestic beauty that lay before me.  Its impressiveness exceeds anything I could have imagined.

We spent the afternoon driving from one view-point to the next, stopping at each trying to capture the incredible view.  Here are some pictures to enjoy:

Driving back to Maricopa now I am looking forward to the burgers, cheesecake and hot tub that awaits us.  The long journey is a bit tiring, but worth every hour spent in the car today!

Love

Scottsdale... we made it

We discovered that Scottsdale is not far from the Desert Botanical Gardens.  This meant we arrived in plenty of time for the game.  After sharing a drink at Upper Deck with the boys, Mom and I left them to watch the first half while we went shopping.  Mom's friends told her about Fashion Square Mall, and there was no way she was missing it.

I had a lot of fun walking through Scottsdale; it's full of character.  Street vendors lined the sidewalks hiding funky art and jewelry shops.  What I enjoyed most was the buzz in the atmosphere.  We happened to be here on the weekend of the BCS National College Football Championship.  Auburn Tigers are playing Oregon Ducks on Monday, and right now the streets are filled with celebratory fans.

On our way to the mall Mom and I ran into the Bud Light Fiesta; a Bud Light sponsored party out on a large green space with many tents, a main stage with music and screens for the game.  It was like being at a festival as we walked through.  With the sun shining it was bliss.

We finally found the sprawling mall and did a quick walk through as unfortunately we were only window-shopping.  With shops such as Louis Vuitton, Barneys, Neiman Marcus, Burberry, Tiffany's and Rolex I need a new job before I can spend money in the stores.

We then made our way back to the boys finding them just before half time.  Seahawks were ahead by two touchdowns!  Surprisingly they stayed ahead in the second half.  It was exciting too, a stay on the edge of your seat type of game.  The New Orleans Saints started to make a come back and I did worry.  Luckily we were able to hold them, and in the end Seahawks shone through with the win.  They made a historical record too as they are the first team with a loosing record in the regular season to win in the playoffs.  Off to the next round we go.

Off we went too.  Now my family, Tom and I are driving back to our rental home in Maricopa (about an hour from Scottsdale).  Tonight Tom is cooking a Thai green curry and I imagine we will either hot tub or play games before retiring for the night.  With a packed day like today, I imagine I will sleep well.

Love.