Three Years.

Today is Kevin and my anniversary well the one we currently acknowledge  until we get married. And by acknowledge I mean give each other a hug. I say "happy anniversary," Kevin says, "I am a bad fiance." But he really is not. Today has been awesome and will continue to be awesome. First, I ran a St. Patrick's Day 8K with my friend Kristi. We got decked out in our shamrock gear and wore lots of green as we ran it out for an hour this morning. I have not been running much lately and the fact that I could, without any training, wake up and pound out 5 miles was pretty awesome.

Pre-race

We followed up our morning run with a trip to a favorite breakfast spot, Busboys and Poets where Kevin met us and treated us to a tasty tasty breakfast. I don't think I could dream of a better start to the day. We spent the afternoon touring some neighborhood open houses which was exciting and depressing at the same time when we realized what our budget could buy us in Alexandria which is not a whole lot.

Tonight we are hosting our regular neighborhood Sunday dinner and I have been cooking up a storm. Our apartment smells delicious! As a special anniversary treat I made my mom's famous Texas sheet cake.

Half nuts just like my mom would make for my sister and me

Sal's Texas Sheet Cake:

The Cake:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 stick butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup water
1 tsp vanilla
4 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk

Set oven to 350
Sift together flour and sugar, set aside. In a sauce pan over low heat melt 1 stick of butter, shortening, 4 tbs cocoa powder and 1 cup of water. Stir to combine and take care not to let the mixture burn. Cool until the mixture is warm but not hot. While the mixture is cooling, add eggs, baking soda, buttermilk and vanilla to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Slowly add the warm chocolate mixture and mix well. Pour the cake batter into a buttered and floured sheet pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

While the cake is baking mix the frosting:
Frosting:
1 stick butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 lb powdered sugar
6 tbs milk
4 tbs cocoa powder
Walnuts (optional)

In a sauce pan, melt the stick of butter, add the milk and the cocoa powder and stir to combine. Once melted and combined, remove from heat and let cool slightly. Slowly add the powdered sugar and the vanilla. Mix until it is a fudge-like consistency but still liquid. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven pour the chocolatey goodness over the top. You can add chopped walnuts or sprinkle some powdered sugar on top if that is your thing. Pop open a regular Pepsi and you have yourself a "Sally Special."