Pumpkin Chiffon Cake

I've had the strongest urge to bake lately!! So, when Rachel Ray's magazine came in the mail yesterday, I scoured the pages for inspiration.  I came across a very interesting recipe for Pumpkin Chiffon Cake and after reading multiple tweets lately from friends who are pumpkin crazed, it just seemed like a sign!  About 10 minutes after putting it into the oven, I realized why everyone is some pumpkin crazed lately.  I didn't care what it came out tasting like because the smells of pumpkin throughout my house were worth it no matter what!  This recipe involves alot of egg whites and plenty of folding them into the batter, so have patience because it will pay off immediately when it hits the oven!

Pumpkin Chiffon Cake
by Tracey Seaman
Everyday with Rachel Ray, November 2010

1 cup flour
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, separated, plus 5 egg whites, at room temperature
1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
Confectioner's sugar, for dusting

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 3/4 cup of the granulated sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and the salt.  In a medium bowl, combine all of the egg yolks with the pumpkin puree.  Stir the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture until smooth.
2.  Use an electric mixture with the whisk attachment to whip the remaining 9 egg whites at medium speed until frothy.  With the mixer still on, add the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar.  Increase the speed to high and beat until stiff but moist.  You will need to do this with a metal or glass bowl.
3.  Add 1/4 of the egg white mixture to the pumpkin batter, folding just until no streaks remain.  Fold in the remaining egg white mixture.  Then pour the batter into a 10 inch tube pan with a removable bottom and bake until springy, 55 minutes.
4.  Let the cake cool in the cake pan, then run a knife around all of the edges so the cake comes out clean.  Dust with the confectioner's sugar to serve.

The recipe says one serving has only 123 calories and 2 grams of carbs! As if it wasn't amazing enough! I will definitely try to slip this recipe into our Thanksgiving Dinner in place of the traditional Pumpkin Pie!

Traver's Stakes 2010 in Saratoga

We just got back in from a great weekend in Saratoga Springs, NY!! The weather was in the high seventies during the day and high fifties at night! That is definitely not something a Southern Darling is used to in August so it was a great vacation from the 100 degree weather we have here! But don't worry because the humidity smacked us in the face as soon as we stepped out of the New Orleans airport.

This was my second year going to the Traver's Stakes at Saratoga and this year we got it right! We stayed in the Hilton which was right on Broadway (the main street) and directly across from our favorite restaurant, Il Forno. So, Friday we got into Albany and drove to Saratoga Springs for a relaxing day of walking around town and taking everything in! Friday night, we went to our favorite restaurant in town, Il Forno, to celebrate Tom's birthday then we went out and watched a local band perform at Gaffney's. 

Saturday, we made our way our to the track and had a blast betting all day long!  Afleet Express, a colt of Afleet Alex's, won the Traver's Stakes!  Our next horse racing trip will be back to Churchill Downs in Lousville for the Breeder's Cup in November so stay tuned...

Saratoga Springs has painted horses all over town!

Jockey signing at the Saratoga Downtowner.  Doug surprised Tom with an official poster of this year's race so they could get all of the jockeys signatures!

At the Traver's Stakes

Saratoga Sunrise,
the official drink for the Traver's Stakes

Tom's annual Birthday Dinner at Il Forno

My first trip to Green Bay!

We just got in from Green Bay, Wisconsin last night and I had such a good weekend up there!  Mostly in part because the weather was perfect, which I hear never ever happens!  The trip up north to 78 degree weather was a very welcome getaway from the 100 degree weather of South Louisiana!  In face, as we were boarding the plane in Milwaukee I held up the line for a minute so I could enjoy the perfect temperature for another minute! 

We got in Friday night after a layover and delayed flight from Memphis.  When we got into Milwaukee we met Doug and Caroline to find that Tom and Doug had dressed like twins again!  We picked Matt up and went to eat at the local Hibachi grill!

3 of the 4 Horsemen, including Doug and Tom dressed as twins, again!

Saturday we hung out until the rest of our group arrived and then headed to Lambeau Stadium for a great night!

Our seats at the game could not have been better!  Tom said that he likes the view from the seats 40 rows up but for my first Packer game the first row was perfect!

I got a few great pictures of Matt including one of him and Aaron watching together from the sidelines!

The stadium was packed with nearly 70,000 fans and great energy!  Tom told me the fans take the Packers so seriously that they sign their children up for the season ticket wait list at birth! 

One of my favorite parts to hear about was their traditions.  A ton of Packer fans gather at every practice to show their support!  The local kids that ride their bikes over wait for the players at the end of practice.  Then, the players borrow their bikes and ride them over to the stadium taking the kids for a ride with them.  They took pictures of the this and put it on pre-season banners that they hung all around the stadium.

Go Pack Go!

Our Engagement Party!

Some great friends of ours threw us an engagement party a few weeks ago and everyone had a blast!  Three bridesmaids were able to make it including my sister who flew in from New Jersey!  Four of the groomsmen were there and my parents, to name just a few of the crowd which was over 60 people!  It really warmed our hearts that so many of our friends and family came out to celebrate our engagement!  The setting was beautiful with a full spread of food from Mestizo's, a bartended mixing up margaritas and sangria, all around white linen tables with candles and fresh flower arrangements that one of the hostesses created herself!  Everyone had such a great time and we really appreciate all of those who came!

The Bride and Groom to be!

My parents who drove all the way down from Bossier City for 1 day!

College Roommate Reunion

2 wonderful bridesmaids and MOH!

The yummy cake that matched the invitations

Bridal Brains

So, we've all heard of "pregnancy brains" but I am coining the term "bridal brains".  The wedding planning so far has been easy, thanks to our decision to have a destination wedding!  This is probably the best decision I've made to do with this wedding, other than picking the wonderful man I'm going to marry!  However, I am becoming increasingly scatter-brained lately!  This has to be due to all of the wedding details that have been added to my plate.  Wedding planning is definitely fun, don't get me wrong!, but there are quite a few decisions to be made!  (and many many people to disappoint and frankly piss off along the way since everyone has an opinion)  If I don't make lists, lists of lists, notes on any paper-like substance I can find, memos in my blackberry and appointments on my blackberry calendar, I will not remember any of it!  I forget the smallest, and largest, things on an hourly basis. This has all began to sink in when I walk into my kitchen and find myself staring off into space thinking "Now, why did I come in here again?"  That's just crazy, or senile!  Oh well, I will keep making my lists, memos, appointments and just hope I remember everything before it's too late! ...And cross my fingers that this is only temporary!

P90X

Okay, so the fiance and I began P90X last night!  After many months of speculation, we finally ordered it and picked a good time to begin the program!  I am trying to look at this as a Bridal Bootcamp so I'm going along with it and last night really wasn't as bad as I anticipated!  Actually, the worst part was taking the before pictures :(  But, he promised that no one else would see those.  Typical, a man behind a camera saying "Baby, I promise, nobody else will see this"!  Ha!  Anyways, I will keep you posted on the progress and please keep your fingers crossed that I will stick with it and make it out alive!  ~S~

Fourth of July

Happy Fourth of July!  I'm thinking today is as good a day as any to start a blog.  I'm visiting my family in Bossier City, LA and after a huge Southern lunch full of black eyed peas, new potatoes, brisket, fried cornbread, etc., it is as quiet as a mouse around here!  All of the produce was locally grown either in the backyard or picked up from the Farmer's Market in Shreveport that we visited yesterday.  I am a sucker for a Farmer's Market and this one was very impressive!  There were 105 vendors with everything from Ruston Peaches, to fresh chickens, to quail eggs!