It's sunny, breezy, and 83 degrees!! Ahhhh....summer...
Took you long enough!
I made my first iced coffee of the summer!
And I am....inside....the kitchen.....baking. But of course!
I'm not complaining because I'm making money, right?
I looked out the window and saw that these peonies had popped open in the sunshine!
Yesterday their buds were still closed. I've been impatiently watching them. This is the best bloom they have ever had. I was inspired to plant them after visiting Butchart Gardens nine years ago (already?) and seeing the same variety there. I fell in love immediately and found some to plant at home. They've only produced one or two flowers in the past. I'm so happy to finally see them!This weekend I have two weddings. One is cheesecake and cobbler.
I have two cheesecakes down, three to go. I forgot that I'll have to let these completely chill before I can remove them and start again with the next batch. Oops.The other wedding is a small cake. The bride just asked me, four days before the event, to make more cake for more guests. Only today has the flavor been finalized. I'm also getting calls about more weddings. Someone was hoping to me meet tomorrow. Um. No. Sorry.
We are also having a huge party on Sunday. We are celebrating Neal's turning out. Yes, he turned out well but he's also turning out. As a journeyman electrician. He's inviting everyone he knows. His friends, their parents, his co-workers and boss, our relatives, church family and baseball buddies. There's going to be beer, bocci, and birthday cake too. (His birthday is Saturday.) We're counting on live music from friends with talent. We're also counting on Good Weather.
We're going to have another work party blitz because with possibly a hundred people in our yard we need to spruce things up a bit. Find some tables, clean the grill... and the bathroom.When Neal issued his invitations he often got the response "Is your mom going to cook?" When he said, yes, they replied "We'll be there!"
Um. No pressure.
So though it's a potluck party I'm also cooking food for a crowd.
I've got a hundred chicken legs that I'll marinate to make Lemony Garlic Chicken. I'll also make the easiest scalloped potatoes in the world. The large birthday cake is baked- Neal's favorite- orange cake with pineapple cream icing. Potato salad, black bean salad, and
So what am I doing here? I need to get busy!