Friday, May 31, 2013

Feels Like Summer Out There!


Via Instagram @MandyLouWho88

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Food In the Finger Lakes: Taste of Thai

Friday night date night brought Jared and I to one of our favorites (and location of our first date actually) Taste of Thai in the Ithaca Commons. (Not to be confused with Taste of Thai Express. They are not affiliated and in my opinion, this restaurant is quite frankly the better one.)

Appetizer: Satay
 Skewered grilled marinated chicken served with peanut sauce and cucumber relish. It also came with toast points...someone please relieve me of my ignorance and tell me why?!

Entree: Taste of Thai Chicken
Chicken, cashews, broccoli, bell pepper, garlic and scallion cooked in house sauce. Deeeeeelish! This is literally what Jared orders every single time we come here. I typically choose the Pad Thai (my personal favorite) or the Thai Spicy Noodles with chicken or prawns, however I've always sneaked bites of this dish and just went for it this time. This sweet and savory yellow curry sauce makes an excellent introduction to those not familiar or perhaps a little intimidated by Thai cuisine.

A close up of all that yummyness. 

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Chimney Bluff State Park

In April, Jared and I hiked the upper rim trail of Chimney Bluff State Park located on the southern shore of Lake Ontario in Walcott, NY. Whether you view these razor sharp drumlins by below from the beach or from above by the trail, it's worth a visit on a sunny afternoon.

Can you spot the tiny people on the beach?


Who: Chimney Bluff State Park
What: Drumlins created by glaciers during the last ice age on the shores of Lake Ontario, eroded into what you see today by wind, snow, rain and waves.
Where: Wolcott, NY
Visit www.nysparks.com for more information to plan your visit.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Just a little date night treat from Yogurtland.
Frozen Yogurt Flavors:  Dutch Chocolate, Red Velvet Cupcake Batter & Taro
Toppings: Chocolate Chip Cookie Batter bites, Mini M&Ms, gummy bears, fresh strawberries, & crumbled Oreo cookies

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

It's moments like this that I feel truly blessed to live where I do. Enjoying a glass of Riesling as I watch the sun set over the wisteria and Seneca Lake at Wagner Vineyards.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Spring Time Lemon & Strawberry Cake

For my family's Mother's Day celebration this year I made this lemon cake inspired by this recipe from The Hot Plate. Note: the cake I made below is not gluten free, but the version from The Hot Plate is.

Spring Time Lemon & Strawberry Cake
Serves 12-14

Cake:
1 Box White Cake Mix
Zest of 2 Lemons
Lemon Curd
Strawberry Preserves

Prepare the cake mix according to the box's directions and add in the zest of 2 lemons directly to the cake better. Mix in well. Pour into 2 9-inch pans, bake and then let cool completely. 

Once completely cooled, slice the cakes in half, creating 4 layers. On a cake stand place on top of the first layer the strawberry preserve, on the next layer lemon curd and on the last strawberry preserves again.

Frosting:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup lemon curd
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest of 1 or 2 lemons (depending on how lemony you want to make it)

In a bowl whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks and set aside. In another bowl combine the room temperature cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon curd, vanilla extract and lemon zest until well combined and takes on a fluffier texture. Next take the whipped cream and fold it into the cream cheese mixture until well combined. Last but not least, frost your cake and top with some sliced lemon rounds and fresh strawberries. Keep the cake chilled in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Pretty Little Cupcakes

Remember how I use to make cupcakes? Yeah, me too. I haven't been dabbling in the cupcake department much since the winter due to this challenge. It's just way too much temptation to have delicious fresh baked goods and sweet frosting around me at this moment. However, I did make cupcakes and cookies for my yoga instructor's daughter's wedding shower (follow that?) in March. Mickey (my yoga instructor) is pretty awesome (check out her blog here) and her vision for a girly English tea party truly came to life that day.

I made mini wedding white vanilla cupcakes with white buttercream frosting with pearl sprinkles and sugar cookies with this beautiful edible transfer paper I found online. The photos below are from Mickey's website that she so graciously shared with me to put on here.




 Check out Micky's blog to see pictures of the rest of the wedding shower.

The pictures below are the ones I took on my iPhone and are on my Instagram @MandyLouWho88