Pretty Prairie School House

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Today is my sister's 65th birthday. Sandra Lynn (Zeigler) Dennis, born twelve years and two-and-a-half months before I joined the family.

I decided I would make her a small cake resembling a potted violet. The recipe I used yielded an additional dozen cupcakes, so I attempted to decorate those to look like an on-going garden stone path between grass with flowers. The cake turned out fairly well--pretty much the way I wanted it to. The violets were made from colored fondant, which I allowed to dry overnight. They seemed quite crisp when I put them on the cake. I am not a huge fan of fondant as it is not very flavorful, but it did seem to serve the purpose I had in mind for this endeavor. Plated together, the cake and cupcakes looked quite colorful. However, I've got to remember to make my frosting "grass" a lighter shade of green. It always end up much too dark. Lesson learned I guess. After driving very slowly with my flashers on in an effort to keep the potted plant cake upright during transport, I arrived at her house this afternoon with all intact.

We had a pleasant visit, talked briefly about the cake I'll be doing for her 'son' Nathan's graduation from high school on June 2nd. She shared with me some cookbooks she was putting together for her daughter and daughter-in-law. Filled with recipes of family and friends, they included pictures of some of those whose recipes were included--one of my sister, Jane, who is in North Carolina and one of my Mom. Mom's recipe was for round steak prepared in her electric skillet with thick sliced potatoes and mushroom soup gravy. Reading it, I was momentarily transformed to that old kitchen on Court Street. That photo of her with her glasses hanging from the chain around her neck made me want to turn back the clock and be six years old again. And Sandy would be 18! Where DID all those years go?

Sandy was planning to meet her family for dinner at Red Lobster at 6:00 p.m. I admit I was tempted to volunteer to accompany her (as I am a BIG fan of crab legs). On second thought, I decided it would be rude so I said my goodbyes and headed for home. I shall have to satisfy my seafood craving another time. That and a slice of red velvet cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory, but that's a whole other matter entirely.