Groom's Cake - Sarah's Cake Shop

Here's a wedding throwback in honor of Ryan's 30th birthday today!

 

I wanted to surprise Ryan at our Rehearsal Dinner with a customized Grooms Cake.  Maybe I watch too much Cake Boss on TLC, but I wanted to go all out with fondant figurines depicting Ryan playing beer pong (his favorite sport) with the KU Jayhawk (his favorite team) with our two dogs (our babies) as the spectators.  I sketched out my idea and then sought out someone to execute it.  Sarah's Cake Shop had created my sister's wedding cake the year before and, granted, her cake was a traditional three tiered cake...nothing out of the ordinary, I have been obsessed with their cakes and cupcakes every since.  I met with the cake designer there and showed her my sketches and she said, "No problem!"  The day of they delivered to the restaurant ahead of time and it was there waiting for us after rehearsal at the church.  Easy as that!  Check out how it turned out below (It's red velvet, by the way).

 

Ryan's Groom's Cake

I was also lucky enough to have my sister/Maid of Honor order specialized mini red velvet cupcakes and red, white and pink funfetti cake truffles from Sarah's Cake Shop for my bridal shower a few months before.  Let's just say Jessie over estimated the head count and ordered a bit too many... leftover cake truffles for breakfast, lunch and dinner!  YAY!

Funfetti Cake Truffle and Mini Red Velvet Cupcake

Make sure you check out Sarah's daily cupcake menu here!  Their blueberry pancake cupcake available on Tuesdays was yummy!  My next proposed conquest...salted caramel available on Fridays!

Happy Birthday, Ryan!

Brussel Sprouts I Actually Want To Eat

I always thought I didn't care for brussel sprouts until I finally tried making them.  I saw a recipe in Bon Appetit that sounded intriguing so I decided to try it (with some tweaking of course).  The brussel sprouts turned out amazing and they have now become a side dish staple at our house.  Our dad even requests them at summer BBQs (odd but we are happy to oblige since it is such a tasty dish).

Side note: the pre-chopped Volpi pancetta is one of my favorite products.  You can find it in the cheese/prepared foods area of both Schnucks and Dierbergs.  The nice thing is that it comes with two individually wrapped packages of pre-chopped pancetta so you can use it for another meal as well.  We enjoy the pancetta (after being cooked) mixed in with our scrambled eggs!

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp. EVOO (divided)
• 1/2 pkg. of Volpi Chopped Pancetta (found in prepared foods area of Dierbergs and Schnucks)
• 1 pound Brussel Sprouts (look for firm sprouts that feel heavy for their size)
• Cut off the root end.
• Peel off one outer layer of leaves
• Rinse
• Chop (just make a mess, they taste better in smaller pieces we think)
• Kosher Salt (to taste)
• Ground Black Pepper (to taste)
• Granulated Garlic (to taste)

Heat 1 tsp. EVOO in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add in the pancetta and cook until  the fat has rendered.  Drain the pancetta on a paper towel lined plate.  Add 1 tsp. EVOO to the same large skillet over medium heat.  Add in the brussel sprouts and stir to coat.  Stir occasionally for the next 10 minutes.  Season to taste with kosher salt, ground black pepper and granulated garlic.  Stir to combine and re-add the pancetta.  Cook an additional 5 minutes then serve warm.