Chocolate Toffee Bar Cake

That is the official name of this cake but I have my own: Heaven on a Fork.  Now I could go on about how good this cake is but that would take too long.  Instead I will tell you the only downside.  It gets even better the second day, so that "I better eat some more cause it won't be good tomorrow" excuse doesn't work.

Chocolate Toffee Bar Cake
1 (18.25oz) package German Chocolate Cake Mix (Duncan Hines)
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12.25oz) jar caramel topping
1 (12oz) container Cool-Whip-thawed
1 (8oz) bag of Heath Bar bits or 3 crushed Skors bars

Prepare cake according to package directions in a greased and floured 9x13 pan.  Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.  Gently poke holes in top of cake, using the end of a wooden spoon (wipe clean after each hole); I prefer to use a chopstick for smaller holes.  Combine sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping in a small bowl: slowly pour over cake.  Spread Cool-Whip topping over cake.  Sprinkle with crushed candy.  Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Sorry I don't have any pictures of the prep (it was my birthday and I was banned from the kitchen).  But I do have a picture of the finished product.

In a word-Da-vine!

The Lady & Sons

On Thursday we drove to Savannah to have lunch at the Lady & Sons restaurant, home of none other than Paula Deen.  There should be some kind of Guinness world record for her.  Seriously, anyone who says "y'all" that much has to hold the record.  But back to the restaurant, the food was delicious!!!  Naturally I purchased a cookbook so I could make some of these incredible dishes here at home.  First up, Cheddar Biscuits.

Now THIS is comfort food!

 The Lady & Sons is not a large commercialized restaurant like you might expect.  It looks like it has been the same for years.  Very much like other
"soul food" restaurants around the south.

Savannah

(Bloggers note: Taking into account the 97 degree heat, all of these photos were shot from the comfort of a air-conditioned SUV)

Quite an impressive City Hall

I was absolutely fascinated by this bridge

I can't wait to try Photoshop out on these.  Any suggestions?

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina 2011

Our entire family returned Saturday from a beautiful week at the beach to celebrate my great-grandmother's 90th birthday.  Family gathered from 6 states, and enjoyed a wonderful time making memories and reminiscing. 

Our adventure started on the previous Friday at about 5:00am.  Now we had planned to leave at this hour so the little ones would sleep for a few hours. 

Well it sounded good, to bad it didn't work out...

5:00am

5:01am

Traveling companions

Palm trees, we must be close!

The beach house we dubbed "Casa de Grandma" for the week

                                                       The beautiful "endless" pool

The outdoor kitchen was great for grilling out and eating by the pool

Fun in the Sun

 

 

Photography Advice

To all my photographically gifted readers, HELP! 

First a little background;  I have been interested in photography for awhile, but now I want to take my photos to the next level.  I currently use the manual settings on the Cannon PowerShot SX10IS and have not done any photo editing.  To fix that I will be getting Photoshop Elements 9 later this month.

So my question is; What is your best photography advice, and Photoshop tip?

Below are photos I shot recently.  Feel free to critique, that's how we learn right?

Momma's Hydrangeas