100 Years

June 25, 2011

We celebrated Grandma Lewis Rigg's 100th birthday in Arizona. I was able to take Mike to meet her, which I was thankful for since she is advancing in years. Below is a picture of her with her great-grand children. She has over 90 great-grand children and a few great-great-grand children. It's amazing to see her posterity.

Europe: Germany and Holland

May 12-24, 2011

Mike and I decided that we needed to take a trip to Europe so I could see Holland--where his family came from. You will need to check out Mike's website, Michael Stuy Photography, to see the photos he took. Make sure to take a look because there are some pretty awesome photos.

This will be the quick version of the trip.Here we are on the airplane, on our way.

We arrived in Holland, rented a car and took off to Germany. We met up with my cousin in Frankfurt for dinner. It was great to see them!

The next day we started on the Romantic Road that took us through several medieval towns east of Frankfurt all the way down south.

After finishing the Romatic Road, we drove back north through the Black Forest, cut through France and stopped off in Belgium. We were in time for some festivals and enjoyed the brats and gyros.

The second half of our trip was in Holland. We drove around from town to town exploring the countryside.

At one of the markets, we found chocolate covered stroopwafels. They were amazing!

Also at the market, we always saw amazing flowers for sale. It reminded me of the Pike Street Market in Seattle, WA.

I was glad to meet Mike's Uncle Kick. He was kind to us and took us on a tour of the windmill in Harlem.

Mike's Birthday

January 9, 2011

Mike's birthday was January 1st and we had his family over later in the month for some cake. I made a traditional chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, one of Mike's favorites and a White Chocolate-Fudge Torte from my recipe calendar. The chocolate torte was delicious and rich in chocolate. I think I rushed making the white chocolate topping, but it was still smooth and creamy.

White Chocolate-Fudge Torte

Cake:
16 oz semisweet baking chocolate, chopped
1 c butter
6 eggs

Topping:
1 c white chocolate chunks or white vanilla baking chips, melted
1 c heavy wipping cream
1 pkg cream cheese, softened
1/3 c powdered sugar
2 T white creme de cacao, if desired
1/2 c miniature semisweet chocolate chips, if desired

Raspberry Sauce:
1 pkg frozen raspberries in light syrup, thawed
1 T cornstarch
1/3 c red currant jelly

Heat oven to 400°. Grease 9-inch spring form pan with shortening or cooking spray. In sauce pan, melt semisweet chocolate and butter over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Cool completely, about 35 minutes.

In small bowl, beat eggs with electric mixer on high speed 5 minutes or until triple in volume. Fold eggs into cooled chocolate mixture until well blended. Pour batter evenly into pan.

Bake 15-20 minutes (center will jiggle a little). Cool completely about 1 hour 30 minutes; and then refrigerate until firm another hour and 30 minutes.

In sauce pan, heat white chocolate and 3 T of whipping cream over low heat, stirring frequently, until chocolate is melted. In large bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and, if desired creme de cacao with electric mixer on medium speed. While beating slowly add white chocolate mixture, beating until smooth, scraping occasionally.

In small bowl, beat remaining whipping cream with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. With rubber spatula, fold into white chocolate mixture; if desired, fold in miniature chocolate chips. Spread topping over cake. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.

For sauce, drain raspberries, reserving syrup. Add water to syrup to make 3/4 cup. In saucepan, mix syrup mixture and cornstarch. Stir in jelly. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thickened and clear. Stir in raspberries. Refrigerate until cold.

Argentina Visitors

The Pitarch came to the States for a visit. I was happy that I got to introduce them to Mike. They are family friends of my parents and go way back. Tio Roberto and Tia Cristina will be serving as mission presidents in Columbia. I wish them the best and hope that they will be blessed while on their mission.

Honeymoon

November 7-12, 2010

Mike and I took off to Cancun, Mexico for our honeymoon. Our hotel had a balcony with an amazing view of the beach. We took a couple of tours of the ruins, Ek'Balam, Tulum and Coba. We also spent some time on the beach and at the shopping center.