Better Than Whatever Trifles to Go

 I was introduced to Better Than Whatever (BTW) trifle years ago by dear Mrs. Bell when she made it for our homecoming dinner my sophomore year in high school.  When we got home from the dance, my sister, our friend Kiersten, and I all snuck to the fridge to pull out what was left over, and what was left, was devoured in seconds.  Of course, back then we called this cake a little something different (BTS cake, anyone?) but knowing that the name doesn't really fit (well, it's not very true now is it?) we now affectionately have dubbed it BTW.  So fill in the "whatever" with whatever suits you.

While you think about that, I'll get back to the trifle making.  Our good, great, excellent friend (hello Michelle!) invited us to dinner this weekend and I practically had to beg to be allowed to bring something, and thankfully permission was granted me and so began the making of BTW trifles to go.  The "to go" part makes them perfect for taking along to someone else because the cups are easier to transport, easier to wash, easier to tell when to stop eating, and pretty easy on the eyes as well.

As for the actual trifle part, I have two rules for making the best BTW Trifle:
1).  A long soak- give the whole trifle time to mull up some more flavor.  A night in the fridge (or at least 6 hours) should do the trick.
2). Good caramel- seriously, get the good stuff or else

So without further ado, I give you

BTW Trifles To Go
Ingredients:

1 package super moist chocolate cake mix, plus the ingredients listed on back
1/2 C sour cream

1 jar good caramel topping
1 bag heath bits
1 tub frozen whipped topping

Individual trifle dishes or cups

Method:

Following the package directions, mix up the chocolate cake, adding 1/2 cup sour cream before beating all the ingredients together (I add sour cream to all my packaged cake mixes to make them extra moist and give them better texture-thanks Mrs. Gershon for the tip!). Pour into 9x13 baking pan and bake according to package directions.

When cake is done and still warm, cut it into 1 inch cubes, then loosen cubes from the pan, stir around, and smooth them into an even layer. Some will crumble, and that's okay, it all comes out good in the end.  Pour 1/4 to 1/2 cup of warm caramel over the cake. Now you can allow the cake to cool completely, assemble the trifles and soak overnight, or you can cool it  for 5 minutes, then cover pan with plastic wrap and let the cake and caramel it soak overnight.

Assemble the trifles. Layer cake first, then drizzle caramel, cover with heath bits, and top with whipped topping.  Repeat until dishes are full, leaving off the last dollop of whipped topping until serving time.  Cover with plastic wrap,and let the whole trifle soak for at least 6 hours.  Transport, finish topping, and enjoy BTW with friends.

{assembly}

{first layer}

{trifles to go!}

Bath Boy

Splish splash Sawyer's taking a bath!

And he loves it!

We can hardly keep him in the tub, he squirms and kicks and wiggles around so much.

{little fishy}

But the best part of the bath comes after, when he gets to eat the towel.

Well, take my word for it. He was shoving his mouth so full of towel that it would have been unethical for me to simply stand there and take a picture. I had to drop the camera and act quickly to prevent dry mouth.

Graduation Weekend Mirths

My sister-in-law Robyn graduated this weekend with a BFA in ceramics, and we were delighted that she asked us to come to her commencement program.  It was artsy! Other college commencement programs should take some pointers...

Still, one of us got a bit snoozy.

We are so proud of you Robyn! And we loved getting sushi with you to celebrate! Now, on to bigger and better things!

Excuse us....

dad is done with finals, and we've got some manly time to catch up on....right after this nap.....

Have a restful weekend!

Date Night

Before leaving town to head to CSU to begin a master's program, Uncle Shane graciously accepted the invitation to babysit Sawyer while Jeff and I went out on our first parents-only date night since we don't know when.

Jeff and I decided to go to the Provo Temple (here and here, for more info on temples) for our date, since we hadn't been since Sawyer was born, and because we thought it'd be a good idea to get outside of our routine and serve others.  Plus, going to the temple=ice cream afterwards, and ice cream=good date always.

We knew we'd be leaving Sawyer in good hands, but it was still hard to leave and, ironically, hard to stay away for too long.  But we did our best and Shane did his, and this is what we came home to:

 
Looks like one rocking good time fellas!
Thanks Uncle Shane! Best babysitting uncle ever!

Honorable mention to Aunt Robyn, who showed up to the party a little too late to play, but to whom we are grateful too!

Weekend Mirths

Jeff studied for finals.  I ransacked my closet and purged myself of three trash bags full of clothes. Frankly, after such an ordeal I was excessively worn out and thankfully there's someone who's always up for a snuggle and a nap.

Also included in the weekend: a mall adventure, our cousin's baby blessing, games and babies, a trip to Brick Oven restaurant (Sawyer was PERFECT the whole time!), a walk to the park, horses, and too many cookies to count.

The Worst Version

Oh dear.  I've become something I despise. When I hastily trimmed my nails this morning, I forgot to get one.  Just one. Like one of those crazy weird people in the 90's who would leave one nail long and let it grow and grow, only they usually left the pinky nail hanging around-super gross. I hate chipped nails, uneven nails, peeling nail polish, cuticles that are munching up the nail bed, basically, I'm pretty particular about nails.  And now look at me, I'm out in the world with a straggler! Luckily, this worst-version of myself is easily fixed and nothing a snip here and a fresh coat or two of polish won't fix.  Oh thank goodness.  I'm glad that nightmare was short lived.

Bridal Veil Falls

With the uncommonly good weather we've been having, and to celebrate the last day of class for Jeff, we decided to venture over to Bridal Veil Falls with our sweetie to get some sunshine and fresh air.  Bridal Veil is tucked into Provo Canyon and is usually chilly until the early summer melts all the snow from the mountainside, but thanks to our warm weather wave, we could enjoy the spray from the falls without shivering out of our socks.

{our little peach}

I don't think it fits...

{can you take it off now mama?}

I tried to squeeze my almost 3-month old into a 3-6 month onesie today.  Needless to say, it didn't fit.  Sawyer inherited many traits from his papa, not the shortest of which was his arms.  The boy has monkey limbs.

Easter Weekend Mirths

Our Easter weekend was filled with much too many pieces of candy, a gurgling, giggly baby boy who looked very scrumptious in his Easter onsie, and a family dinner of grilled lamb chops.  Basically, it was a wonderful, delicious weekend.  We hope you enjoyed yours!

A New Trick

I've got one wiggly, wormy, squirmy Sawyer boy! The other day I dropped him in his chair of cheer for a few minutes to play while I washed dishes; I scrubbed a dish, turned around, and Sawyer's back was on the edge of the swing, his legs dangling and a look on his face that said, "haha-er-ha, um, hey mama, what's going on?!" I grabbed him before his final kick slid him completely out of the chair but my poor nerves are still recovering.

So now that he can't scoot out, he's developed the sexy leg trick. 

He'll shake this leg and hold it up straight all night if we let him.  I promise I'm not dancing the can-can or watching Moulin Rouge every day, he's just got a flair for the fancy.

Weekend Mirths

Sawyer made his first trip to the park this weekend. We ventured out together to take in sunshine and look at all the beautiful blossoms and spring blooms. I munched on an apple, Sawyer slobbered up his monkey, and we giggled and babbled and flailed and snuggled until dad wondered where we were and came out to find us.



We also celebrated Sawyer's birthday, as we have every Friday since he was born. This week it was chocolate frappes and cupcakes from The Cocoa Bean. Jeffrey loves to die by chocolate overload, but I enjoy caramels and the occasional fruity touch to my cupcakes. And I think it's safe to say Sawyer likes whatever I like. I keep a cupcake menu in my diaper bag just in case we decide we'd like an extra sweet treat, because after all, chasing down green monsters gives us room for a treat or two...or three or four.

Finally, and most delicious of all, we spent the weekend watching General Conference as a little family. This was the first conference in our history that Jeff Jeff and I saw all general sessions together which was apropos because the importance of family, family strength and unity, and family time were messages frequently discussed. We love conference. It is always a wonderful opportunity to take note of our personal and spiritual growth over the past 6 months and also a time to learn how to better ourselves, our family, and the world around us. I've got a lot to work on but I know that working to better myself will be a catalyst for all kinds of improvement and strengthening in my life.