Our life this past year

Wow! So much has happened this past year. Dave, the kids and I moved to Provo, UT so Dave could attend the MBA program at BYU. He has been doing incredibly well, and we as a family are very proud of him. He works hard and is always on top of his studies. He has had some health issues come up but hasn't let that slow him down and is doing well. He is on the corporate finance track in the program. With his IT background and the corporate finance track it will make for a great combo.
Grace is 3 1/2 now and is growing so fast. She is my sweet beautiful little ballerina. She loves her dance class and her ice skating lessons. She loves playing with her little brother Matthew. I can hardly believe that next year she will be in preschool. She saw that her cousins were in school and now is just dying to go. This year I just wasn't ready to let her go. I wanted another year with my little girl. I think it was a good decision. I have enjoyed the time with her and watching her grow.
Matthew is 16 months and that boy is going to be trouble! Ok, not really, but I have caught him doing some mischievous things. For example, playing in the toilet water (sometimes Grace forgets to flush...you get the idea), hiding the remote controls, pulling out all his clothes out of his drawers (and I do mean all), and then there's always playing in the dog's water bowl and food. I haven't seen him eat any of the food, and truthfully I don't want to know. But one thing is for sure, this little boy is just the cutest. His sweet blue eyes and beautiful smile just light up any room. He has brought such a wonderful spirit to our home. Our family wouldn't be complete without him. I treasure the rare nights when he will sit on my lap with his special blankets (wont leave his crib without at least two) and rock-a-bye with me.
As for me, I am adjusting slowly to the Provo life, but am grateful to have extended family members around to make that adjusting easier. I have enjoyed taking a french cooking class and look forward to more, when I can fit it in that is. I continue to make up new recipes and someday I hope to make them into a cookbook. I love being with the kids. They are so sweet, even when some days are rougher than others, I still love being a mother. So happy they came to our little family.
As this year closes and a new one begins I am so grateful for everything I have. Seriously. There have been trials, but there have been big blessings that follow. I look forward to making New Year resolutions. Specifically I will continue to make healthy lifestyle changes. I am coming to understand that it's no longer a diet that I need to be on, but a healthy life that I need to form and keep going. I love my life, and I look forward to see what the year brings us.
Happy New Year
Love, The Boyd's

Cake!

So, I decided to try something new. Cake decorating. Here goes. I haven't taken any classes or studied a book on how to make roses out of gum paste, but I figure why not give it a try anyway. So I went to Joann's, Michael's, and Hobby Lobby to find all the right tools.

The pictures posted is of my first attempt at a wedding cake. I learned a lot from this trial run. I know I need to double or even triple each layer and I think that using a different, more stiff frosting will help show the pattern's from piping.

If there are any suggestions out there of classes, tools, or books I should read to help with the cake decorating, then I am open to it! I am no professional by any means, so feel free to comment with any advice you might have!

Happy Cake Decorating!

Cooking Diva

Over the past 11 years I have come to love to cook...shocker I know. I love coming up with different recipes, taking old recipes and refreshing them, or making food to bring the family together. The other night I made a bbq beef brisket with a potato gratin and had Dave's family over. It was so nice to have a family party for no reason other than to visit and enjoy each other's company.

Marion brought her delicious raspberry spinach salad and homemade rolls. Steve and Nancy brought a delicious apple cake and Steve's famous chocolate chip cookies. It was quite the feast!

I think it would be so much fun to have a cooking club. How about..."The Cooking Diva's?" It has a nice ring to it, right? For one of the cooking night's it would be fun to have a chocolate night. Anything chocolate. I would love to see how many things we could make with chocolate being the star ingredient. From chocolate chip pancakes to chocolate pasta in a raspberry sauce to chocolate cheesecake. What a way to spend a day.

I have heard of people not liking chocolate. To those people I say...are you kidding me? I mean I have my likes and dislikes too but come on, it's chocolate people! You just haven't found the right chocolatey treat. For those out there that are skeptical, maybe you should start with a classic chocolatey brownie. I highly recommend Ina Garten's Outrageous Brownie's. They are to die for!

Outrageous Brownies:

• 1 pound unsalted butter
• 1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
• 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 6 extra-large eggs
• 3 tablespoons instant coffee granules
• 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Butter and flour a 12 x 18 x 1-inch baking sheet.

Melt together the butter, 1 pound of chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate in a medium bowl over simmering water. Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee granules, vanilla, and sugar. Stir the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a medium bowl, sift together 1 cup of flour, the baking powder, and salt. Add to the cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and 12 ounces of chocolate chips in a medium bowl with 1/4 cup of flour, then add them to the chocolate batter. Pour into the baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes, then rap the baking sheet against the oven shelf to force the air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Bake for about 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake! Allow to cool thoroughly, refrigerate, and cut into 20 large squares.

I hope the few people that actually might read my blog will give this recipe a try. You wont be disappointed.

Bon Apetit!