Taylor | 2 Years Old

I was greeted at the door by two little hands splayed on the glass screen, smile wide, and loose curls falling from her head. Her mother was soon to follow and I was led through the house to a quaint and lovely backyard, where I would take the photos of Taylor - a sweet, adorable 2-year-old with big brown eyes and a bright smile! What commenced felt more like play time with Mom and Dad than a photo shoot, I just happened to have my camera ;)

She was so easy to photograph with her frequent giggles and smiling glances at her parents :)

 Mom is pregnant with baby #2 :)

Shutter clicks,

HK

Ecclesia

Looking back over the past 2 years or so of blogging, I realized that I rarely (if ever) talked about our church, or for that matter, my faith. Now, I'm not going to use this post to be an evangelical. Nor am I going to use it to try to bring ya' to the Lord. But, I will say this: My savior, Jesus, has given me more grace and love than I could ever hope for, and certainly more than I deserve.

Our church, Ecclesia, has been such a vital part of Scott and I's life here in Houston. Ecclesia, or "Church" (referring to the Christian community at large, not a building) in Greek, embraces its name, living among and working within this large community that is Houston, and loves her well.

These photos were taken at our church service last Sunday, held at our new location in the NE side of downtown. Our backyard is the large green patch that lies under the intersection of I-45 and I-10. The weather and the atmosphere made for some great shots!

For all of the photos below, I used my Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 zoom lens. Enjoy!

f/5.0 : 1/640 : ISO 100

f/2.5 : 1/1250 : ISO 200

f/2.5 : 1/800 : ISO 200

f/2.5 : 1/800 : ISO 200

f/1.8 : 1/4000 : ISO 200

 f/5.6 : 1/50 : ISO 200

 f/5.6 : 1/125 : ISO 400

 f/4.5 : 1/80 : ISO 100

 f/5.6 : 1/800 : ISO 400

f/5.6 : 1/200 : ISO 400

f/1.8 : 1/1000 : ISO 200

f/5.6 : 1/250 : ISO 200

f/5.6 : 1/800 : ISO 200

f/5.6 : 1/50 : ISO 200

Grass in my sandals, 

HK

Smith Island Cake

This cake has eight, dense layers (thin layers, mind you). Chocolate powdered sugar frosting and crushed Reese's candy are spread in between each layer. Then, crushed Reese's candy is sprinkled on top of the cake.

Are your eyes wide? Are you drooling?

You should be ;)

My husband requested this cake for his birthday this year, and my momma has so graciously made it for him for the past 3 years. BUT, since Scott likes this cake so much, I figured it was time that I learn how to make this delicate, delicious treat. And face my lack of patience for fear of baking an eight layer cake. Momma supervised, of coarse ;)

If you are interested in the unique history of certain baked goods (e.g. Friendship bread), then I will provide a brief history of where this cake began in the next paragraph. If you, however, are more like me and prefer just looking at the photos, then I encourage you to skip the next paragraph and keep drooling over the photos... The choice is yours :)

HISTORY (according to Wikipedia):
This cake originated on Smith Island, located off the southern tip of Maryland, in 1657. It began as a mere measly four layer cake. Until women got competitive. THEN, the layers got higher... and higher... and higher as a form a "friendly" competition. The Smith Island Cake became the official cake of the state of Maryland in 2008. Does anyone know what the official cake of Texas is...?



And now for what you want. The recipe! The version of the cake that my momma and I made is from Saveur magazine.

What you need:
14 regular sized Reese's cups, frozen
1 18 1/4 ounce box yellow cake mix (Duncan Hines Classic Yellow is what I used, and what Saveur magazine recommended)
2 cups plus 3 tablespoons evaporated milk
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
6 cups confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

What to do (for the cake):
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease and flour four 8" round cake pans. To ensure that the cakes won't stick, place a disc of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan.
In a food processor, pulse 6 of the Reese's cups into small chunks, as seen on the top of the cake. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until use.
Pulse the remaining Reese's cups into a fine powder, transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until use.
Put cake mix, 1 1/2 cups evaporated milk, half the butter, vanilla, salt, eggs, and 1/3 cup of water into a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes.
Divide half the batter between the four pans and set the remaining batter aside.
Using the back of a rubber spatula, spread out the batter so that it covers the bottom of each pan, making it slightly thicker around the edges than in the middle.
Bake until cooked through and golden around the edges, 8-10 minutes.
Set aside to cool slightly, then loosen the cake layers with a knife and invert onto cooling racks.
**This next step is annoying, but necessary**
Wash and dry the cake pans. I know. You're thinking, seriously..., but it's a must. Unless you want to own 8 8" cake pans.
Grease and flour the cake pans again, fill with remaining batter, bake for 8-10 minutes, then invert onto cooling racks.
When the 8 layers have cooled, make the icing.

What to do (for the frosting):
Combine remaining milk, sugar, and cocoa in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
Stir well, then add remaining butter.
Cook, stirring constantly, until butter is melted and icing is shiny, about 4-5 minutes.
Let cool for 5-10 minutes. The icing will still be slightly warm when you spread it on the cake. If you let it cool too much, it will harden and not spread well.

To assemble:
Place first layer on a cake stand and spread 1/4 cup of icing on the layer, then sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the fine Reese's crumbs.
Top with another layer and repeat process for each layer.
Frost outside of the cake with remaining icing and sprinkle the top of the cake with the chunks of Reese's.
Refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving.
* Note: the frosting is supposed to look "droopy" :) *

Enjoy!! (Phoebe did...)





Reese's crumbs on my lips,

HK

Yarn Wreath for Fall

I don't know why it took me so long, but I finally got HOOKED on discovered Pinterest.  Then I immediately called my mom and got her even MORE hooked on to check out Pinterest. What I love about Pinterest is that my 3" binder with a dozen tab dividers and magazine cutouts bulging out the sides is now conveniently located online. I can access it anywhere. I can add to it at any time without worrying about running out of page protectors. Win-win, folks. Win-win.

Well, I was recently inspired from various images on Pinterest to decorate our apartment for fall. I wanted the decorations to be subtle, simple, clean, modern-ish, and not too country/kitsch. And this is what I made...

What you need:
styrofoam circle
LOTS of yarn (I wish I knew exact yards, but I would buy at least one large skein.)
fabric scraps
hot glue gun/glue sticks
ribbon scraps

What to do:
Wrap the end of your yarn ball around the styrofoam circle and knot it off.
Looping the yarn ball through and around the circle, wrap the yarn tightly all around the styrofoam, creating multiple layers, so as to hide the styrofoam sufficiently (I will admit that this took about 2 hours for me to do... I used VERY thin yarn... I would advice you to use thicker weighted yarn to save time.)
Hot glue some fabric scraps and fabric rosettes on the wreath in an arrangement of your choosing.
Cut a length of ribbon, thread it through the top of your wreath and knot it.
Hang above your mantel, on your front door, on your bedroom door... really wherever you like!
*NOTE* Fabric rosettes are SUPER easy to make. Here is a tutorial.

Here is my wreath incorporated into our living room fall decor...

I think it meets my requirements :)


Styrofoam crumbs in my lap,

HK

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting + a Tutorial!

When our friends D and J requested a carrot cake for their birthday party, I knew exactly which recipe to run to. This cake recipe is oil-based, which translates to SUPER moist and melt-in-your-mouth. Top it off with a smooth cream cheese frosting and you've got one tasty cake!

This recipe comes from Gram, my mom's mom. She is a petite, sweet lady with a chipper voice and a twinkle in her eye.

Now I am no expert at frosting a cake. Typically what goes down is something like this:
Smack a big plop of frosting on top
Smack a big plop of frosting on the side
Use a dinner knife to try and smooth out the mess
Lumpy frosting job.

No bueno.

But, guess who is an expert at frosting cakes... my momma. And guess who I called before I frosted this cake? Yes, my momma. With her expertise, I can say that I am proud of how this turned out! And... I'm going to share her knowledge with you at the end of this post!

What you need:
For the cake
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 cups grated carrots
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

For the frosting (best cream cheese frosting, ever.)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
1 box confectioner's sugar (4 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

What to do:
Mix together oil and sugar until well combined, then add the eggs one at a time and mix until just combined.
Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to the wet ingredients alternately with the carrots.
Grease and flour 2 9" cake pans, then pour the batter into the prepared pans. *TIP* I like to grease the pan, then put a piece of parchment paper down in the bottom of the pan, grease the paper, then flour. This will guarantee that your cake will not stick to the bottom!
Bake at 300 degrees for one hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Mix together all icing ingredients and spread in between each layer and on top of the cooled cake layers.

AND NOW...

How to frost a cake (successfully)!

Step 1: You MUST wait until the layers have cooled COMPLETELY. I always try to rush this, but you just can't.

Step 2: Place a small dap of frosting on your cake stand and place the first layer down. The bit of frosting will act as a glue to keep the cake in place. Cut out 3 triangle pieces of parchment paper and slide them under the first layer (see photo at left); this will prevent frosting from getting all over the cake stand :)

Step 3: Place about 1/4 cup of frosting on top of the first layer and smooth it out on the top surface, then place the second layer on top of the frosting.

Step 4: Make your "Crumb Coat". This simply means putting a thin layer of frosting all around the cake (see photo at left) to smooth out any holes/spaces, and get the crumbs put in place. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This coating provides a nice, even workspace for the remainder of the frosting process.

Step 5: Once the crumb coat has set, use an offset spatula or a sturdy plastic spatula (as seen in photos at right) to plop all remaining frosting on top of the cake. Slowly and carefully start smoothing out the frosting on the top of the cake, working it out to the edges and allowing the extra to fall off the top, onto the sides. You are looking for about 1/4 inch thickness of frosting.

Step 6: Use your spatula to smooth out the frosting that has fallen onto the sides. You may have to grab some more frosting from the top if there is not enough to cover the sides well. 

        a. Start by working the frosting in a downward motion, from top to bottom/bottom to top, all the way around the cake.

        b. Then, place your non-dominant hand on the bottom of the cake stand (as seen in photo at bottom right) and place your dominant hand with spatula at a 90 degree angle to the cake (see photo at bottom right). Using your hand on the cake stand, start rotating the cake stand, leaving your spatula in place and allowing the rotation to create a nice, clean, smooth edge on the sides of the cake.

Step 7: Remove the parchment paper and ooo and ahhh at your beautifully frosted cake!

I know that may seem lengthy, and maybe difficult, but don't let my description fool you! It really is quite simple. The key is to be patient! And do that crumb coat! 

Licking my fingers,

HK