Sunday sunshine and Butterflies on my toes!

Before I take you outside with me I have to tell you that the birthday

cake I created for my friend's daughter was the hit Monica promised it

would be! Turns out, it was as pretty Inside as it was on the outside. And,

since my sweet friend dropped a piece off for us to Taste, I can tell you

it was fantastic! I can also tell you that I'll be making this Cake again!

Oh, and my frog-Prince cookie favors were a hit too! If you wish

to create your own frog-Prince cookies, you must hop on over to

visit CopperGifts.com - They have everything you'll need!

And never forget that I could never bake a single cookie

as well as I do without Bridget of Bake at 350! She

taught me everything I know about sugar cookies

I heard a thumping at the kitchen window as I wrapped up my

cookies... When I looked out, I saw this little guy staring back at me!

Today was a beautiful day to be outside in the Sunshine!

The gardens were Full of butterflies!

The butterfly bushes around the Solarium are doing a great job...

Attracting swarms of butterflies!

And that's fine by me!

Gives Bing something else to watch besides the Birds and squirrels

Every Sunday should be blue skies and butterflies!

Oh! And, juicy Bumblebees!

Bzzzzzy bees!

I could watch butterflies Dance all day

I especially Love that they don't mind me!

Everything blooming in the Gardens

right now seems to Attract butterflies

We spent the afternoon in the pool

Where the butterflies kept landing on my toes!

And, on his rump!

There were Butterflies on my toes wherever I went today!

Ahhhh-Mazing Chocolate Cake!

First of all, I must credit the success of this creation to my friend and

inspiration, Monica. This is a recipe she first featured on her blog

This cake is delicious; however, it is not meant to rise very

high. Therefore, I doubled the recipe since my cake is for a special

young lady who is celebrating her 15th birthday this weekend

And for a cake that's going to stand center-stage

at her surprise party, height is a requirement!

Originally, this was to be a pink buttercream cake with green dots - because

those are the birthday girl's party colors. However, after I shared the instant

Fudge Frosting recipe Monica posted, well, party-girl's mom was hooked!

So I put the beautiful buttercream between my four layers!

And, used it to dot the cake!

I sure hope the Birthday girl loves her cake...

As much as our sweet Bing does!

Thanks, Monica. I couldn't have done this without you!

Father's Day Sage/Bacon wrapped Filet

We've had such a relaxing weekend, I just didn't

feel like leaving the house for dinner. I was feeling a

bit differently last week when I made reservations at

Ruth's Chris for Father's Day, but today... Not so much

I promised to make it up to him with his Favorite

dinner at home. Bacon and sage wrapped Filet Mignon
After placing fresh Sage leaves against the filet,
wrap it with a piece of bacon. My butcher always
throws in a few strips with the filets I select
Secure the bacon with a piece of Butcher's twine
While the skewers of Shrimp marinate in the refrigerator,
allow the wrapped Filet to come to near-room temperature

Usually I would begin my filets in my cast iron

skillet on the stove and then finish them in the oven

But not tonight!

Not since I found this beautiful Grill griddle at Sur la Table last

week! This beautiful stainless steel griddle will allow me to prepare

my filets on the grill without the worry of Flare-ups. Get yours here

I placed the griddle on the grill and set the burners directly

underneath it to high. When the gauge on the grill reached 400

degrees, I prepped the surface with a little extra virgin olive oil

Time now to sear the Bacon and sage wrap...

All the way around the filet

Once the filet is seared on all sides, lay the filet flat to finish

Just as the filet finishes, I added the

shrimp skewer and Ciabatta to warm

Marinated in olive oil and garlic-basil rub... Smells ah-mazing!

I could make a meal of just these sweet babies!

Add a baked potato and Dinner is Served!

I think I'm off the hook now

for canceling our reservations!

Especially since his filet was so Perfectly prepared!

Strict Dessert orders

I was under Strict orders this evening NOT to serve my homemade

Fudge Ripple ice cream on top of a brownie. Why? Because he

said the Ice cream is so good, it's all he wants to Taste!

(See ice cream making process & recipe Here)