New Orleans - June 2011

For my 40th birthday, Larry surprised me with a cruise.

We'd never been on one before and I must say despite the fact that we used a travel agent to book the trip...it still was a daunting process to decide where we were going, when etc.

The "known" factors were we were traveling in June and that we were going with Scott and Gwen, our travel buddies whom we always have a fabulous time with.

So after going round and round of where we were going to go, we decided to go to the Western Caribbean. What sealed the deal was that we'd be leaving out of New Orleans - a favorite of ours. Larry, Scott and I had been there, but not Gwen. So we thought, "Let's kill two birds with one stone" - go to New Orleans for a couple of nights and then the cruise. Perfect plan.

It was a perfect plan until IL down to LA was hit rain and it began to flood! Apparently I was very naive about flooding, because I thought "OK, if floods and then it takes a day or two to subside." Well, it apparently doesn't. It takes time to crest and then to subside, leaving, unfortunately potential disaster in its wake.

So by the time we were ready to drive towards New Orleans, our "half-way point" of Tunica, MS, was under water! We love Tunica. It's this amazing town with casinos, literally in the middle of cotton fields. It's about 20 miles south of Memphis and a great little junket if you are passing through or want to try your hand at lady luck.

So Tunica was out and we decided to to go via Nashville - slightly out of the way, but since we love Nashville, we were game. We decided to stay in Franklin, TN again since we had such a nice time there in the Spring. That's what Larry and I love to do - find little cities and towns on our trips - it makes for new adventures and the promise of finding potential great restaurants and shopping!

So despite our serpentine route to New Orleans, we made it almost on time to meet up with Scott and Gwen.

It was nice to see that New Orleans was on it's way to recovery from the hurricane, but it seemed a little worse for the wear. But it seems that New Orleans is a rough and tumble kind of place, so I suspect it will bounce back.

We stayed at the beautiful W Hotel in the French Quarter. As you can see in the slide show above, the hotel has this gorgeous and very private courtyard. Larry and I were trying to figure out how to copy it for our backyard. The appeal other than the fact that it was stunning? No grass or weeds to pull!

We spent our time in New Orleans pretty much walking around and eating. And despite the fact that it was in the 90s, which I hate, for some odd reason it didn't bother me.

We made sure Gwen got a good taste of the city with stops on Bourbon Street, Nola (yum!), beignets at the French Market, Jackson Square, pedis for Gwen and I and MORE food! What's not to love.

It was a great couple of days in New Orleans...now on to the cruise!

Franklin, TN – Our Favorite New Destination - May & June 2011

Larry and I have a new favorite get-away destination: Franklin, TN. I’ve been reading about it for some time: it always seems to be written up in Southern Living or the now defunct Cottage Living (sniff, sniff, sob, sob). So I added it to my “Places we need to go to” binder.

We were there two times recently – once in May and another time in June.
We are huge fans of Nashville, which is about 20 minutes from Franklin, so it’s a great side trip if you’re in Nashville or in my opinion can be a destination in and of itself - it was actually the site of the Battle of Franklin duirng the Civil War (OK, I looked that up, but we have family who went there and knew about the history).

Franklin offers great shopping for the home and cute boutiques. And you have plenty of fabulous dining options.

The town is just darling – if we lived in the area I could see us living in Franklin and commuting to Nashville for work. It’s has a great small town feel with, yet has plenty to offer.

I can see why magazines have showcased this town – it’s a little piece of heaven, with gorgeous homes, yummy places to eat and will certainly satisfy your shopping fix.

If you have time, you should also visit Leiper’s Fork – about 8 miles away from Franklin. It’s a beautiful drive from Franklin to Leiper’s Fork: rolling hills, horse farms, stunning old homes – my kind of area!



Although we quickly visited Leiper’s Fork – OK, I was starved and even a cute little town couldn’t dissuade me from finding food! – we were able to, albeit it very quickly, see it’s charm. It’s literally a ½ block of artisan shops and restaurants. There was the original Puckett's which we tried at their restaurant in Nashville (it’s also in Franklin) – and it just looked like a great place to have beer, BBQ and relax in the country while listening to music.

It’s definitely located off the beaten path – but Larry and I love that and usually find the best food/towns/etc. by traveling the back roads.

Forty/[Insert Age Here] is the New Fabulous! - Februray 5, 2011

And to think that I still have some of my baby teeth!

I hit 40 in February. I somehow was expecting to feel different on my birthday, gaining some remarkable clarity as I entered this new decade. However, the day was just a day – I didn’t necessarily feel any different except towards the end of the day, really the evening when I seem to ponder life’s great mysteries as I fall asleep, I suddenly was hit with the realization…that I’M FORTY!

That declaration then turned into a 5 minute panic: “Get in shape! Do all your unfinished projects! Start using sunscreen!

Well after I calmed down and vowed to do some if not all of these “projects,” I did have a moment of clarity about turning 40: while I may not be the most confident all of the time with everything in my life, there is something about the latter part of your 30s and I suspect moving into your later years, that you just accept things that you cannot change and you realize that you just might be fantastic just the way you are, even if it means you aren’t 5’8’’, a size 0 and haven’t won the lottery.

Larry HUGELY surprised me with a party at Duke O’Brien’s in Crystal Lake and later a cruise in June.



It was a wonderful night, although Mom was not able to make due to being under the weather – but we were able to keep her in the loop via a play-by-play by phone.

Thanks to everyone, Family and friends, who came to celebrate – I was completely surprised and had a fabulous time!

Enjoy the photos!

A Visit from the Fritz Boys - January 16, 2011

Eric and Brian

In January we had a very quick visit with Eric and Brian. Brian was in the Chicago area with the US Naval Academy Men's Glee Club and we were able to see him perform at a Church in Barrington, IL. The group was truly fabulous.

Afterwards we were able to chat with Brian before he was whisked away to another singing engagement.

Dad, Jill, Eric, Brian, Larry and Mom

As always, it’s great to see family and we were thrilled that we were able to see this very talented troupe.

Wish the visit was longer!

To Die For Carrot Cake

Completely worth the ridiculous amount of calories!

For Easter this year I decided to step up my game in bringing dessert to Mom and Dad's. I love to bake and really love carrot cake. After viewing various recipes on allrecipes.com, this is my adaptation of an Easter favorite. Honestly, this is so yummy, I'd suggest making this anytime. Forewarned - this is not a healthy recipe, but well worth the extra calories. Just run around the block about 50 times and you'll be good to go!

Carrot Cake with Decorative Carrots

Note: This recipe is entirely soy-free.
Makes 1 two-layered cake. Prep Time: 35 minutes; extra to decorate. Cook Time: approximately 1 hour.

Ingredients

Cake:
4 eggs
3/4 cups Canola Oil
2 cups white sugar
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3 cups grated carrots-
1 cup chopped pecans

Cream Cheese Frosting: 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened
4 cups confectioner's sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 tsp. milk - I used fat free because that's what I had in the house, but if I had my druthers, I'd recommend whole milk for the extra richness.
1 cup chopped pecans - for when you frost the cake.
.
Instructions for the Cake:

1. Preheat the oven 350°F. Grease with some butter and sprinkle with a little flower two 9" round cake pans. Note: You can use cooking spray, BUT, they all have soy. So if you are baking with a soy allergy in mind, PLEASE read all your food labels; it's amazing how many products have soy.
2. Using my KitchenAid stand mixer (you can use a large bowl and hand mixer too), beat together the eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons of vanilla. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add in carrots and mix for several minutes. Add in pecans and mix for several more minutes.
3. Fold mixture evenly into the 2 cake pans.
4. Bake in the pre-heated over for 40-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean. Note: I start checking for "doneness" after 30-35 minutes, depending on your oven.
5. Let cool in pan and then turn over onto a cool surface/wire rack for further cooling.

Instructions for the Frosting:

1. Using the stand mixer, combine the butter, cream cheese, confectioner's sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and milk. Beat until mixture is smooth and creamy - I did this for awhile to get it pretty fluffy.
2. To Frost the Cake: Once the cakes are cool. I placed one on a nice plate and frosted the top of it and then placed the second cake on top of it. I worked my worked my way around the cake and then smoothed out the frosting around the cake.
3. Nuts: I literally took small handfuls of the nuts and "smooshed" them gently onto the side of the bottom cake layer - it adds a nice, elegant touch (and tasty too!) to the cake.

Carrot Instructions:

Cute and Yummy!

1. I made some extra frosting and then divide the mixture into 2 bowls using the stand mixture. In one bowl you will need to add green food coloring for the carrot leaves - I ended up putting quite a few drops to get the color I wanted. For the Carrots: Same thing, but instead add yellow and red food coloring.
2. Using a round frosting tip for the carrot shape and a star tip for the leaves, I placed each frosting in a pastry bag with its corresponding tip.
3. First I made the leaves and worked my way clock-wise around the top of the cake. You may want to try this on a plate first to practice - it seemed to me that it's a matter of the pressure and amount you squeeze out of the bag to achieve the perfect leaf.
4. For the carrots, I used a round tip and started right under the base of the leaves. Start with a bit of a "bulb" and then pull down with the frosting to make a tail. Again practice makes perfect.

I will tell you I was a wreck adding the carrots to the cake because if you make a mistake, that's it...fiasco! But all turned out fine. Does Martha Stewart sweat when she does this????

Ready to wow guests

I hope you enjoy this cake - it really is delicious.

Enjoy!



Source: © 2011 May Family Recipes