Today I helped my daughters Brooke and Hilari with a new look for their catering company. I just love this photo that I took of them way back when. (Even as very little girls, they would play restaurant, and instead of watching cartoons on Saturday mornings, they would want to watch the limited cooking shows available 20 years ago.) They have always been busy, as the food that they make is out of this world, but lately, their business is going great guns! Yeah for them! (I'm so proud.) So if you live in the Phoenix valley, give them a call!

August Catch up.

This month I camped with my family at South Carlsbad Beach in CA. We made really decadent smores... and the glamkids couldn't get enough campfires.

Devan and Preston came to AZ to visit and Baby Phoebe was surrounded by both sides of her family while she was blessed.

We had our very own "Drive-In" movies. I couldn't get enough of that. (although sitting in my bathing suit for HOURS is not comfortable!
Uncle Craig gave Conway his very first haircut. I think almost all of my glamson's heads were touched first by Craig able hands.
Yesterday, while I babysat Daisy, she said she wanted cupcakes. Who am I to deny her?!

But do I HAVE to eat half of them myself? Ughhhhhh. What I do for my Glamchildren. ha-ha

Food, Inc.

I watched the movie Food, Inc. last night. WOW! My family has been trying to eat more healthy lately and for me the statement "ignorance is bliss" (on the subject of eating) was the position I took for a long time. In the last year I have learned more and the statement "knowledge is power" is taking over. It's time for a change...for me personally and for the food industry.

That's my two cents for today.

More Next Foodnetwork Star Auditions

Brooke got a call the other day from the NFS show and they wanted more photos of her and her family! (that's good news isn't it?!) and then last night we taped her for some additional footage that the NFS wanted. You can't see the 25 plus family members watching behind the camera. Brooke was cool and funny.

So we are keeping our fingers crossed. (and our dinner was FABULOUS!) thanks Brooke!

"The Next Food Network Star" auditions

Today my daughter Brooke did a taping for "The Next Food Network Star" show. She was on her A-game yesterday and had all the other contestants laughing. She got a call back for today and had to bring a dish and demonstrate a cooking skill. I can't tell you how proud I am of her. Not only is She a fabulous cook, but she has this great personality. She is kind and is always thinking of others. We made posters and the "Food Network" people taped all of us cheering Brooke on. Here we are waiting for Brooke in the lobby of the hotel.

Brooke now has to make a tape demonstrating 5 recipes. Then it will be up to the casting people. So who knows, if it is in the stars, my daughter could be "The Next Food Network Star"!

Learning to Cook

Saturday night Mr. Fabulous was teaching our daughter Devan how to grill steaks and vegetables. Baby Conway looked on but finds nibbling on his fingers to be much more tasty and interesting! We have only 4 short weeks until the Gardner family moves out and onto Utah for law school. sad sigh....

Yummmm....

This is my display of delectable treats. Don't try to eat them though, as they are all fake! I made the cake by cutting a piece of styro foam in to four circles, I painted them a light brown (which was a waist of time because I ended up covering them up) and then I "frosted" the cake with white vinyl Spackle. I have a lot of fake fruit that I use for still life set ups, so I got out some strawberries and "drizzled" brown shiny fabric paint on top for chocolate and sprinkled glitter on top for sugar.

For the truffles, I painted styro foam balls brown and drizzled the fabric paint on top and glittered. I did the same thing for the chocolate dipped strawberries, but poured the paint on and let them dry on a plastic disposable plate so that they would peal off better.

I used lager styro foam balls and used the same process above to make the cupcakes. I put Spackle in the bottom of the cupcake foil cups and let it harden first so that it would be level. I also iced some cupcakes with Spackle, but they are on another centerpiece that I show you tomorrow.

It was fun, took some time, but worth it as I can use these objects for other holidays or parties and in still life groupings...

Pre Thanksgiving Dinner

We had an early Thanksgiving Dinner with family and friends Sunday evening. Slade loved the dessert...

and so did Craig, Kelli, and Ava.

Chelsea made all the pies!

Amber and Nicole made these nummy Maple Rolls,

and even my grand-reptile Cosmo partook!

Ava has a special love for her cousin Cosmo.

YW in Excellence

We just had a "Young Women in Excellence" this last week. I said "Wouldn't it be cute to do those "Barbie" cakes in the YW value colors???" "Sure, I can do them, No problem!" (I had never made a "Barbie" cake, in fact, I don't know how many years it has been since I even opened up a cake box...)
OK, the decorating was pretty easy... but it took me 4 times x 2 cakes mixes each, to finally give up with the Wilton cake mold. My cakes would just not cook in the middle, even with that rod that you put in. So, I ended up making 8 three layer cakes and then cutting them each into a skirt shape. That's 24 caked mixes there plus the first 8 cake mixes = 32 cake mixes! So 32 cake mixes with 3 eggs each= 96 eggs! 1/3 cup oil each cake mix= 10 cups of oil!
It was actually fun after the decorating started and I can now say that "YES, I can make a "Barbie" cake, No problem!"

Oh Lucy, I'm Home!

Well, as many of my family and friends know, I don't cook. I say that because I simply do not find it fun. I loose track of what I'm doing and get bored really fast "watching the pot". So many things that I cook end up overcooked or burned as I forget that I need to be there in the kitchen. Anyway, recently I wanted to make some homemade rolls and buying frozen dough from the grocery store counts for me! I thought that the dough would not thaw out overnight. Then my Husband said that I should take the dough out of the bag to let it thaw out. Of course I didn't think He knew what he was talking about......need I say more?