Family... isn't it about time.

My dear friend Alisa asked me to take pictures of her family before her brother left on his mission. I don't think I realized what a big challenge was before me! Ten people, one of them being a baby, is quite the task when it comes to taking pictures. But I had so much fun being with them and watching them interact. Here are a few pictures from the shoot ( I know, they aren't family ones... those are coming). All in all it was a huge learning experience.

lovely lemons

I have been following this blog for quite a while and she has been blogging about lemons and lemon curd quite a bit lately and I just got so curious that I had to make it myself! So I made the lemon curd and then I found a lemon cake recipe that she had posted about as well.
Here was the finished result. I decided to make it into cupcakes instead of baking it in a bread pan like it suggested. One, because I love cupcakes and two because I was too lazy to grease the bread pans. I used the lemon curd instead of the lemon glaze and I made a huckleberry sauce to go on top along with some homemade whipped cream. It was a bit tasty and I am excited to use the leftover curd for crepes. If I made it again I would make it in the bread pans or in a bunt cake.

Hair Affair

I went to Paul Mitchell Hair Academy today to snap some pictures for our latest photographics contest, environmental portraiture (portraits of people in their natural environment). While I was there I ran into my old roommate/business partner, Emily!
This trip made me crave a haircut. I always say that I want a new look but I always come out looking the same when it is all said and done. I am still having daily debates with myself about whether I should chop it or keep the locks growing long.

Boda Bride

Anyone looking for wedding flowers?! My old roommate Emily is starting a floral business out of her home. I designed these business cards for her. Who new I would still like designing stuff after that graphic design class last semester :) She is also going to use some of the shots of Branae with the bouquets she made for her portfolio and website! Go and check it out here.

Smith Island Cake

The long awaited recipe is here! Here is the cake I made for my sister for her birthday a few weeks ago. I got it from Cook's Country magazine that came in the mail. The big secret is baking the layers.... you bake them separate so you don't have to cut the layers. It works like a charm! However the cake is suppose to be eight layers but mine only ended up being six. I'm not sure why that happened but my layers ended up being a little thicker I think (I used the suggested 2/3 cup per layer).

For the yellow cake you can use whatever recipe you like. You'll need about 5 1/3 cups of batter. I looked up the recipe that they used in the magazine and it was delicious. Now for the frosting...

10 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter, softened

Place chocolate in large bowl. Heat cream, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture dissolves and mixture begins to simmer. Pour hot cream mixture over chocolate and whisk until smooth. Whisk in vanilla and butter until glossy. Cover and refrigerate until icing is firm but still spreadable. About an hour.

After your layers have cooled you can assemble the cake layer by layer with about 1/4 cup of frosting for each layer. Then use the remaining frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake. I found that the longer the frosting sat out the harder it was to work with so work fast. Also for easier spreading on the outside dip your palette or knife in hot water and wipe dry between spreads. For the flowers I made on top I just melted white chocolate chips and put them in a baggie and cut a hole in the corner. I did a lot of it straight on the cake and then made flowers on wax paper to add on top and use for serving each piece after it was cut. Happy Birthday Nae! You are a gem :)