Doesn't this look good!

Last week Sarah and I drove to Virginia to be with Ella for her second birthday. Her mother and daddy invited friends over from work, their church, and their neighborhood for a later afternoon of dessert and activities inside and out. Behold the lovely table that was set. If you couldn't find something that would satisfy your sweet tooth, there was just something wrong with you. From left to right you see a carrot cake, phyllo cups filled with chocolate mousse topped with whipped topping, a lime cheesecake, and a black forest trifle.

When we arrived on Saturday afternoon, Sabrina said to me, "I need your help." She had made the cheesecake the day before, and it had cracked. She wanted to know if I had ever made a ganache. I hadn't, but I had watched Ina make it many times on the Barefoot Cont*ssa. So with a recipe in hand we made a white chocolate ganache and filled in the cracks. I don't believe anyone knew any better. The cheesecake was one of the first desserts that was eaten up.

Ella's parents hadn't wanted this to be a time when everyone brought presents for Ella, so she invited her babysitter over the next day, and that was when we had cake. A slice of the carrot cake served as Ella's cake. You can see that in the post further down.

Everyone loved the party on Saturday. One gentleman said, "Sabrina, is this going to become an annual event?" The neighbors have already planned the next evening when they'll get together and play games outdoors. The party was indeed a great success. A good time was had by all.