Hellgate Jetboating

     While we had family visiting from out of town, we decided to go jetboating on the 19th. It was the first time that I've gone since I moved out to Oregon. And I've lived here now for 5 years! It was definitely well past time to play the tourist and go for a boat ride. We had all planned on getting wet, which was fine because when we first checked in, the sun was shining and it was actually pretty hot. Lo and behold, when we actually got on the boats, the sun seemed to disappear- making our trip a tad more chilly....especially on the trip back into town.

Me and Momma

Britt and I

Britt and Brielle

Momma and Brielle

Hellgate Canyon

Monkey Rock (although hard to see in the picture)

Britt and Brianna at dinner time

All the young ladies

Cousin Pics (Audrey, me, and Britt)

      It was great to be able to check off something that's been on my list of things to do and see in Oregon :)

American Flag Cake

     I just realized I forgot to post the recipe I was talking about. This is what happens when you get behind on your blogging....can't remember all the things you wanted to post :p

White Sheet Cake:

• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cups cake flour, sifted (I just used all-purpose flour, and the cake turned out delicious)
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup milk

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9x13" baking pan. If you plan to serve your American flag cake recipe in the pan, just greasing it is fine. If you'd like to remove the cake for a prettier presentation, lightly flour the pan, as well.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In another large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about three minutes.

4. One at a time, add the eggs to the butter mixture, beating on medium-high speed between each addition. Add the vanilla. Beat about 3 minutes, until well mixed.

5. Stir in a third of the flour mixture, followed by a third of the milk. Repeat twice more until all flour and milk have been incorporated. Mix your batter just til combined.

6. Pour into your pan, and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

7. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 5-6 tbsp. light cream (or whole milk) 

1. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy and soft. Beat in salt and vanilla.

2. With the mixer set on low, alternate adding the sugar and milk, beating between each addition, until smooth and creamy. Keep stored in the refrigerator until ready to frost the cake.

Fruit Decorations:

• 1 pint blueberries
• 1-2 pints strawberries

*Britt and I decided to split our cake batter into three separate bowls. One we left white, but the other two we added food coloring to (red, blue). We poured the blue on the bottom of the pan, then we added the white and carefully spread it out, and then we added the red and spread it out. This is what gave our cake the red, white, and blue inside :)

**We found that it was hard to spread the batter out over the entire pan, so we'd probably make a batch and a half next time we make the cake (more batter for each separate color)

Happy Baking! :)

National Ice Cream Day

     On July 15th, Britt and I celebrated National Ice Cream Day with a trip to Baskin-Robbins. I got my all-time favorite ice cream: Mint Chocolate Chip. The rest of the family had taken off for the Oregon Coast, but Britt and I were left behind to take care of the dogs at one house, and the cats at the other house. National Ice Cream Day came at the perfect time!

Mmm...Mmm....Good!

Fourth of July!

     This year, the Fourth of July was actually pretty quiet at our house. The past couple of years, we've usually had a ton of family come in from out of town. I love when we have all the extended family together, but sometimes it's nice to have a little more easygoing holiday.
     We started out the day with preparing all the food. I had decided that I wanted to try out a new recipe: The American Flag Cake. Britt and I made it a joint effort, and it was so worth it! And the recipe was really easy to put together too. I'll post it next :)
      After stuffing our faces with all the yummy BBQ food, we relaxed for a couple hours before breaking into the cake. We waited until it was dark and then went outside to play with some sparklers. All in all, it was a very relaxing Fourth of July spent with the people I love.

     One of the reasons I love baking: Licking the spoon!

Making the frosting

The finished product :)

Yummy food: Black bean burger with sauteed mushrooms, potato salad, fresh corn, pickles, raspberry lemonade, and of course, an ice cold beer.

Brianna and Brielle

 Nana and Mom

 The Four B's

 Britt and I

Surprise! It's red, white, and blue on the inside too!

Happy Fourth of July!

Grower's Market

     Lately, I feel like I am always playing catch-up on my blog. But I can't be too hard on myself. We were working almost every day at the White House (Not the one in D.C ;) trying to make sure that all the renovations were done before family started visiting. And I've been balancing the house with my grad school class.
     One Saturday, Britt and I decided to take a break from painting and went to the Grants Pass Grower's Market. I love living on the West Coast, particularly Oregon just for this reason alone: farmer's markets. I had one in Corvallis, there is one in Grants Pass, and I spotted one in Medford the other day when I was driving to my class.
     The markets are so much fun! I love walking around and checking out all the stands. There is always music and yummy food to try. And I love knowing where my food comes from.

     I wish I could remember what this band's name was. I loved their sound. And I thought it was neat how they were all dressed in a similar style.

      Amazing pizza! It was so good! I love the taste of wood fired pizza.

     All in all, it was a fun morning. And Britt and I have decided to make going to the market a regular thing.

Turning 23

     I celebrated my 23rd birthday on June 20th. It was a wonderful day spent with my family. I had a relaxing morning and then we headed off around 3:15 for Olive Garden. My parents started this tradition years ago where the birthday girl gets to pick a restaurant to eat at on their special day. I usually go back and forth between Red Lobster and Olive Garden, but since I became a vegetarian recently, Olive Garden was the place to go.

      I'm usually the one in the family that bakes the birthday cakes. But when I started talking about baking one for my birthday, Britt quickly put a stop to the idea. She said that she and Brielle were going to bake me a cake. And they kept the recipe a surprise- I had no idea what they were going to make. The cake was delicious! There were four layers and it was chocolate heaven for me :)

     Another great birthday spent with my awesome family.