One Berry at a Time

All right.  I will confess.  

For lunch I had graham crackers (two) spread with left-over icing.  And for breakfast? The last, very lonely piece of cake, calling out from the frig.   The rest the cake went home with last night's guests. 

Yesterday I made this heavenly creation -- Strawberry Cake -- for a Silpada party I hosted for my friend Jullie Jones.  She is someone you'd love to meet and have as a friend.  She is sincerely upbeat, naturally funny, honest, smart, and with a faith that is something to behold. And since I'd rather enrich a friend than some meaningless chain or department store I made time to plan a party, cook and invite some friends to stop by, nosh and play with jewelry. How much better can life be?   

First, I took pictures of the jewelry and forgot to get a photo of the cake.  Nobody's perfect. Jullie made an incredible display that featured all the necklaces.  Yum.  She showed us how to pick one foundation necklace, then layer it with subsequent strands for different outfits and looks.  The array of colors went from earth stones and bronzes to rose and of course, lovely freshwater pearls. Very, very nice. Naturally there were coordinating  bracelets,  earrings and rings.  One big plus of the line is a life-time guarantee.  

Most of us were overwhelmed by the all the possibilities, not to mention the incredible spring evening and the opportunity to see each other again.  We oohed, aahed, felt the cool smooth stones, jingled bracelets, ran back and forth to the mirror to look, and ate. Oh, did we.

Back to the cake.  This was a gem I found on one of my favorite cooking blogs, 

The Pioneer Woman, by Ree Drummond.   I saw the recipe and knew it was a winner, a spongy vanilla layer soaked with strawberries and smothered with cream cheese icing.  For fun I combined strawberries and blackmerries.  You mush them up and let them soak into the cake.  I cut some of the fat content down with neufathchel cheese instead of the real deal, without one peep of "gee,  this is only 50% fat instead of 75%!"  Did anyone care?  No.

What a way to welcome summer!

All the best,

jody