Making Time With Friends

This week I've been making time to spend with my friends making memories as I've become acutely aware of how precious life is and how fleeting it can be. Who knows what magnifies those feelings other than losing a loved one (which is not the case for me right now), but I'm feeling it so I'm making plans. My friend Rachel asked for volunteers to bake a cake for a dessert auction so I stepped up and made two plus some cupcakes. I love this idea of fundraising, although we can't do it through the schools, you know, the "no homemade" rules. Ridiculous! In any case, I made a yellow sponge with peach, cherry, and blueberry fruit pockets with whipped cream and garnished with fresh fruit. Also, a Strawberry cake with whipped cream & fresh strawberry filling iced with vanilla bean buttercream. This one was exceptionally good!

While I had my decorating tools out, I baked some Valentine's Day cookies and had Julie and Tanya come over and decorate cookies with me. Julie said she had never done it, but I think she lied! LOL! Maybe not, but she seemed to know exactly what she was doing. It was some fun girl time and of course, everyone takes their works of art home. On Saturday-day, Mason and I cooked with beef organ meat at Tim and  Pam's house. I really wanted to be open-minded and see meat as meat but I just couldn't do it. I cleaned a fresh beef heart and made a Korean barbecue-style dish and Mason made beef tongue tacos. Mason was more open-minded and said he enjoyed everything he tried. Dave and I, not so much. But it was still a really fun day, we learned so much and we got check in on the blood oranges, they are almost ready! Finally, the week wrapped up with Partak Poker night and I got the hand/flop of my life! I won heads up against Tanya with a K/10 and flopped 9/J/Q. Epic! Dave took 3rd place. So fun!