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Sunday, May 11, 2008

I'm finally home...and a belated first anniversary celebration

I'm home! After 3 weeks of sales training in Indianapolis, it is time to get back to cooking and blogging. Time to dust off the cobwebs of Paws and Pours. First on the list was to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. The actual date was May 5, (oh yes, Cinco de Mayo!) Of course, at the end of 3 weeks in training, I could hardly concentrate on drugs and disease states. I couldn't wait to take the top layer of our cake out and see if it survived the frosty year in the freezer. (Actually, I think I was more excited to have my freezer space back.)So, here is a little taste of how we celebrated last evening. We started the evening with a glass of Wolf Blass Reserve Shiraz Cabernet blend. I was really impressed with the bouquet. Yummy berries, with a hint of pepper, it was definately a treat for the senses. Yes, some would reserve the 'big red' for dinner, but we sipped while grilling...that's just the way we roll.

The BBQ was covered with colassal crab legs and various veggies, and sweet potatoes. Here is my empty plate waiting for dinner. (I'm not anxious or anything...)

Next off, I went to the dining room and retrieved our champagne flutes from the hutch. These glasses were a surprise from my dad when we sat down at the head table. Aren't they lovely?

The first plate of crab meat...notice the little fishy plate. I love themed dishes!

I guess because both Scott and I have not learned to appreciate good sparkling wines, it didn't cross my mind to get one for the evening. So, we used our flutes for the lovely Cline Viognier. Elegant, with hints of honeysuckle, but subtedly buttery on the end, this went perfect with the crab. Again, I realize that starting with the cab, then going to the viognier may seem a bit backwards, but it worked for us.
We enjoyed our dinner al fresco on the back patio. A warm day turned into a splendid evening as the sun went down.

After feasting on the grilled crab, finishing off more wine, and soaking in this amazing warm weather, we were ready for the grand finale. My mom wrapped it very diligently. We unwrapped at least 2 layers of aluminum foil before coming to about 3 layers of plastic wrap. She is very thorough...


The results...pretty much intact. Slightly smooshed on the bow, but not bad.





The verdict on taste...74 points. Not bad, considering it weathered a full year in the freezer. I think it might have actually been really good, had I chose a better, or more interesting flavor combo for the top. The marble and buttercream/fondant, was, well...meh.

Ah, a full year. I'm sad not to be considered a "newlywed" any longer, but happy to have the best husband and best dog a girl could ask for. Here's to many more.

Cheers!



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4 comments:

Kirsten said...

Congrats Mo!!!! What a great post and what a great reflection on a great year.

I'm with you on being busy and working more and cooking less...but clearing the cobwebs and cooking and posting feels so good.

Kirsten

Sharon said...

Welcome home and congrats! We're still toying with whether we'll eat our cake on our 1 year. Considering its at my parent's house it may be a little difficult. You had a beautiful cake!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on your first year of marriage! Thats awesome. :)

We actually didn't save our top layer. We've been working on it all week, a little bit at a time. Our caterer told us they'd recreate the top layer for our 1st anniversary as a gift so I decided to forgo the freezing of the cake. I'm amazed at how well yours held up!

It looks like we're all back to cooking!

Sharon said...

Hi again!
Mo, if you check my site, I've sent an award your way :)