happy birthday boys!

we took the holiday weekend to get away up to the cabin in ketchum. it was a work weekend to open up grandma and grandpa's cabin and do some cleaning up around nana and papa's as well. the boys had a great time running and playing outside. they especially liked getting dirty! we had a great visit on saturday afternoon with grandpa louis and grandma dossie who made the drive up the canyon to check things out. so glad we got to see them and give them hugs. keep grandma in your prayers as she was hospitalized yesterday with severe pneumonia.

my dad (papa) celebrated his 61st birthday on the 16th and evan's birthday was on the 26th. so we had a joint celebration up at the cabin. sulli picked out the theme for the party. it was originally supposed to be a motorcycle party but we had to resort to a plan B when the store didn't carry what we were looking for. he instead went with a tiki hut motif! the chocolate peanut butter cake made another appearance (i froze the other half we didn't get to for this purpose) and was like again by all. the ambience was made complete by candlelight. however, this was not by choice. a lightening strike knocked out our power from 7:30pm on saturday through about 3pm on sunday. it wasn't too big of a deal except that we weren't prepared with water and the food in the fridge was in jeopardy.

the only other major excitement was evan's flat tire on the way up the canyon. he had some work he had to do in town saturday morning so he was by himself. after he arrived back at the cabin, he noticed a very flat back tire. it gave him a chance to get to know his new truck a bit better.

thanks mom and dad for a great weekend. (sorry about the random order of pictures. for some reason i cannot get the pictures to appear when i am in edit mode. instead i get all of those computer codes so i don't know how to move the pics around. you get the idea though!)

ok...i'll share!

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CAKE

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch process
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup neutral vegetable oil, such as canola, soybean or vegetable blend
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup coarsely chopped peanut brittle (I skipped this because I couldn't find it at the store!)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch round cakepans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.

2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk to combine them well. Add the oil and sour cream and whisk to blend. Gradually beat in the water. Blend in the vinegar and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs and beat until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and be sure the batter is well mixed. Divide among the 3 prepared cake pans.

3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Let cool in the pans for about 20 minutes. Invert onto wire racks, carefully peel off the paper liners, and let cool completely. (These cakes are very, very soft. I found them a lot easier to work with after firming them up in the freezer for 30 minutes. They’ll defrost quickly once assembled. You’ll be glad you did this, trust me.)

4. To frost the cake, place one layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or large serving plate. Spread 2/3 cup cup of the Peanut Butter Frosting evenly over the top. Repeat with the next layer. Place the last layer on top and frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. (Making a crumb coat of frosting–a thin layer that binds the dark crumbs to the cake so they don’t show up in the final outer frosting layer–is a great idea for this cake, or any with a dark cake and lighter-colored frosting. Once you “mask” your cake, let it chill for 15 to 30 minutes until firm, then use the remainder of the frosting to create a smooth final coating. Once the cake is fully frosting, it helps to chill it again and let it firm up. The cooler and more set the peanut butter frosting is, the better drip effect you’ll get from the Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze.)

5. To decorate with the Chocolate–Peanut Butter Glaze, put the cake plate on a large baking sheet to catch any drips. Simply pour the glaze over the top of the cake, and using an offset spatula, spread it evenly over the top just to the edges so that it runs down the sides of the cake in long drips. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes to allow the glaze and frosting to set completely. Remove about 1 hour before serving. Decorate the top with chopped peanut brittle.

Peanut Butter Frosting
Makes about 5 cups
10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter, preferably a commercial brand (because oil doesn’t separate out)
1. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Continue to beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Add the peanut butter and beat until thoroughly blended.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup half-and-half
1. In the top of d double boiler or in a bowl set over simmering water, combine the chocolate, peanut butter, and corn syrup. Cook, whisking often, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
2. Remove from the heat and whisk in the half-and-half, beating until smooth. Use while still warm.

Celebration Cake!

In honor of our daddy finishing his race, we made him a cake that he was sure to love...Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake. Yum yum. My girlfriend Tracy had sent me the link for this recipe months ago and we joked that if it was ever made, you might find one of us locked in the pantry with the cake and a fork. I was somewhat intimidated by the recipe since it was several steps and included using cooking items that either I didn't own or had never used. I enlisted the help of Sulli and off we went! New kitchen item: sifter! Sulli helped me sift all of the dry ingredients.

Next he mixed together all of the dry ingredients.These are our buttered cake pans...3 in all. We then filled the cake pans after the wet ingredients had been mixed in with the dry. Sulli did a great clean-up job on the batter bowl. Dishes were done!

Cake pans ready to be popped into the oven.

Beautiful cakes after the baking.

Next step, peanut butter frosting. Oh man was that delicious. At one point during this process, I received a phone call from some survey company. Because I had a job as a phone surveyer in college, I feel obligated to participate in surveys on the phone. Needless to say, I was a bit preoccupied for a minute or two and came to find my spatula was missing from my mixing bowl. Sulli had taken off with it thinking that it was time to be licked. As you can see from the picture, I recovered the spatula (yes I did wash it off).

The layers were put on one by one and the frosting began! The recipe advised freezing the cakes prior to this step which I am very glad that I did. I also froze it again after the first layer of frosting went on. Then I did a final layer of frosting before the glaze. I really think it was beautiful...I was quite proud of my inner Martha!

You can see the bits of cake that were showing through the frosting. This was before I froze it again and applied the second coat.

Next new item to me...a double boiler. I had received this for my birthday last year because several recipes that I had been wanting to try (all including chocolate) called for the use of a double boiler. I got it out of the box and was searching for instructions on how to use it. The recipe just said "in a double boiler..." The instructions in the box were only about cleaning. So I gave it a go. I think that I used it correctly, the glaze turned out at least!

Then the glaze was poured onto the cake. I poured it all on top and then tipped the cake side to side to make it drip over the edges. Oh so purdy!!! It was then refridgerated again.

It had to travel so it didn't get to be on one of my pretty cake pedestal dishes. The tupperware container just didn't do it justice. Next time my beautiful cake...next time!

Here is one slice. It was advised that you serve it in as thin of slices possible. And boy were they right. It was very rich! But oh so good. It was fun baking from scratch and trying something new. I like getting out of my cake mix box every once in a while! Thanks for the recipe Trace! Hope you enjoyed your super late birthday cake and I hope that Evan enjoyed his celebration cake.

I also made a lemon meringue pie for Doug. He requested pie and I happened to have fresh lemon juice that had been frozen specifically for this purpose. My grandparents had a lemon tree in their yard in Arizona. My mom picked hundreds of lemons and juiced some for me to make pies. It turned out really good too...if I don't say so myself!
Here are the boys and their treats. We had a BBQ with the Conn's after the race to celebrate. Ribs, salads, and more! Way to go runners. We are so proud! Now stuff yourself silly! (sorry about the pic Doug. I only took one and obviously got you mid-blink!)

my marathon man!

I am typically writing to tell a cute story about my children. Or I am writing to say that I am proud of them for an amazing accomplishment.(i.e. poop in the potty) Well today I am writing to say how proud I am of Evan. He set out at the beginning of the year to be a healthier person for the sake of his own life but also for the life of his boys. He decided that he would train for a 1/2 marathon. He found a training program, a training partner and put his nose to the grindstone. There were so many days when he would be exhausted and say that the last thing he wanted to do was to run. But he would pick himself up and get out there and do it. He and his training partner, Doug Connelly, had never run long distances. But they both finished the Famous Idaho Potato 1/2 Marathon this last weekend in Boise.
This is the cheering section. We had the Connelly family, Fred and Jamie VanMiddendorp and Ev's parents there cheering them on. Evan's first goal was to finish the race. His second goal was to finish in under 2 hours. He came across the line at 1 hour and 49 minutes. He accomplished both of his goals. Way to go Evan!

Here is Doug crossing the line just seconds after Evan.

They were just a tad on the sweaty, stinky side at this time. Thank goodness for the race shirts they were given to change into.
Dads and kids posing with the YMCA dog.


I am so proud to say that Evan is doing what he can to better himself and provide a wonderful example for his family. Congratulations on accomplishing a great thing. You are an inspiration to me and your boys. We love you Ev!!

a-camping we will go

for mother's day weekend this year, we took the trailer out for a quick camping trip. we drove an hour southeast to glenn's ferry and stayed at three island state park. they had great grassy areas for the kids to run and play. it was a beautiful weekend. when we arrived i got lunch ready and we ate together at our cute little table. the lindley's arrived shortly after we did and the playing began. wyatt and sulli didn't stop. neither did ben. they were playing with balls and bikes, dirt and rocks. you can see our campers side by side in our "companion" spot. we ate yummy food and relaxed (in between chasing kids). my parents came over for a bbq that night. it was fun to see them (didn't capture them with the camera though...darn). after benny went to bed, lisa got a great campfire going. the night was made complete with s'mores.

the next morning, lisa made omelets in baggies (great idea for camping). it tasted so good. then evan, cody and lisa went for a run. i took the boys on an adventure walk. we came across an old ferry that used to take the wagons across the snake. then we came to the oregon trail interpretive center. it was closed but there was a neat wagon out front that served as a photo op spot! benny did great chillin' in the stroller. the boys were troopers. they walked for over 45 minutes and never once complained or asked to be carried (this is huge!). we had a great time and are already planning our next get away. mother's day ended with a dinner at evan's parents house. what a wonderful weekend! happy mother's day to all of you wonderful mothers out there. you are so special...and so loved.

boys will be boys

we had the priviledge of watching the williams boys while their mom and dad enjoyed a night to themselves to celebrate their anniversary. sulli adores them and they play really well together. they woke up in the morning...all donning their superhero jammies...and decided to build some amazing duplo creations. there were treehouses, spaceships, guns and much more. too fun!