The Wedding....

 This is a picture of the cake I made for a friend who has recently become a member of our church. In spite of the fact that I only had 2 weeks to put the whole wedding together, I think it was beautiful. I must take a moment to give credit where credit is due. I was slightly extremely fatigued as the time for the wedding approached and I still needed to sculpt the roses out of fondant. Sis. Debbie W. ran over to the church and whipped up the roses for the top of this cake out of butter cream icing in probably less than 10 min. Thank you, thank you, thank you.!!!  After that, she helped sister Evangeline clean up the huge mess that I made while I finished up a couple of the boutonnieres. I don't think I would have made it without her.

This was Sister E's Corsage.

The ceremony was held in the fellowship hall and there were approx. 50 people there.

The flowers on the arch and head table were hand made out of tissue and beads.

Stacy & Kassidy(miracle baby) waiting for their cue.

Stacy and her big brother practicing their walk.

The moment they've all been waiting for.

Sorry I don't have more pics. At this point I was trembling from exhaustion and could hardly stand.

Love & Prayers,

Miss Riya

In Case You Haven't Noticed....

I absolutely love to have gatherings in my home. Nobody leaves my house without being offered something to munch on either. The above pic is of my dining room table prepared for a weekly women's Bible study. We also had scrambled eggs, grits, and smoked sausage. The mini quilt was one that I made for Eloise to take for nap time, when she started school. It's a little tattered from Katrina, but I thought it added a nice touch.

 This was my niece's 7th Birthday party.

 The girls prepared their own pizzas.

 They also decorated cupcakes.

 Above: spreading the pizza dough.

 The birthday girl is concentrating on her masterpiece.

 Another guests packs up her creation to take home.

The children made mini root beer floats while waiting for the pizzas to cook.

A couple of the guests could not attend due to uncontrollable circumstances, but all in all I think it was a success. The kids truly enjoyed playing with and eating their food.

To view our vacation pics, you will have to visit our other blogs.

Shh!!! My Taste Buds Don't Know....

 In case you haven't noticed, I love to cook. I read recipe books like most people read novels. Being a Chinese/Redneck who is often mistaken for a Mexican, who was transplanted from California to New Orleans, I can truly say that my taste buds are eclectic. I thrive on variety. Fortunately, I am learning a few tricks about being a frugal gourmet chef. One of my latest finds is the clearance rack at Wal-Marts bakery. I scooped up on this loaf of sourdough bread. It looked so pitiful with it's big clearance tag, but I looked beyond the $1.50 price tag. I didn't tell my taste buds what I was planning, but I will let you in on my secret.

 Grilled Sourdough burgers topped with Gouda. We also had fresh figs(picked from our tree)

 The above is a picture of a skillet breakfast I made recently. I fried onions, bell peppers, bacon, and potatoes. When the potatoes were tender, I made 5 wells and cracked a whole egg into each well. I covered them till the eggs were set. I sprinkled cheese over the top and served. My family enjoyed it, but we all agreed that next time I should try smoked sausage instead of crumbled bacon. The greatest part about this dish is the fact that the clean-up is so easy, because it's all cooked in the same skillet.

 I baked this Large cake with fresh strawberries in between the layers for less than $10.

A smaller version of a similar cake is sold at a local bakery for $35.

At this rate, my taste buds will never find out that I'm on a budget!

This(above) is another cheap quick meal. Whenever I have a small amount of pork roast left over from a previous meal, I can shred it and add a little BBQ sauce. Then all I have to do is scrub and pierce the potatoes all over. After I place the potatoes on a plate, I sprinkle with Kosher salt and microwave for about 7 min. or till tender. When the potatoes are finished, they are ready to stuff with pork and whatever else the family likes.

I hope this post has inspired all of you to get creative and thrifty.

Don't forget to check out our Homeschooling blog. The link is on my side bar.

Love & Prayers,
~Me~

Let's Not Sugar Coat This

I have recently received the kitchen of my dreams. Since we lost everything in hurricane Katrina my husband and I decided to rebuild our home around our kitchen. I love to cook and the kitchen is where everyone seems to congregate any way. We put a large portion of our money into appliances. I now have three ovens(I'm thinking holidays.) My first entertaining opportunity arises. My parents 25th Anniversary(I'm thinking order a cake.) My husband says,"order a cake...are you crazy?" then he turns to me and says,"I bought you three ovens. USE THEM!" I have to admit I have always wanted to learn, but a 25th isn't the time to practice! Well with a little help from Wilton and the Lord we did it. I surprised myself. Since then I have done 2 shower cakes and a Birthday cake. It is a lot...lot....lot...of work, but I enjoy it.