I know this is a day I should be talking of something green that comes from my kitchen.
But I have a more exciting occasion to celebrate than a national holiday – my daughter’s wedding!
Yes, recently I was proud to see my daughter marry a man whom she loves and who I’m certain loves her and will take good care of her for the rest of her life.
They got married in the church they attend with a big bridal party- 7 bridal attendants and 7 groomsmen! My other daughter was part of the bridal party (far left in above photo) and enjoyed honoring her sister by attending and helping in many ways to make the day go well.
It was a glorious day of union in their becoming man and wife in a Christian setting.
Friends beautifully sang two hymns: ‘Give Me Jesus’ and ‘It Is Well with My Soul.’ Their voices and the words brought me to tears.
My daughter-in-law read scriptures Lindsay chose.
It also meant a lot to have nostalgia at the wedding ceremony. My wedding veil from 1980 was used on the Unity Candle table.
My daughter also carried her deceased father’s watch in her bouquet in remembrance. (Previous posts talk about his sad passing in 2024, due to prostate cancer, and how we’re coping.)
We all still miss him terribly and on that day our hearts especially ached. My son took his dad’s place in walking his sister down the aisle. Already seated near the front, I wondered if that would be a difficult moment for both of them.
But they entered the sanctuary beaming and steady and I knew all would be well.
We welcome my new son-in-law to our family and hope we can be blessings to him as he has been to us!
We later celebrated at a beautiful reception.
The food was delicious and especially the cake— chocolate with white frosting. More nostalgia as the cake topper was one used at our wedding almost 46 years ago. Sigh.
A Memorial Table shared photos of missing family members who contributed greatly in the lives of Lindsay and Hughes — wedding photos of their parents, a beloved cousin, and wedding photos of grandparents. The purple cloth displays lace taken from my wedding gown and that of my mother’s.
I spent time with my precious grandson who often seemed confused at the number of people who wanted to hold him and the loud music a DJ played following the meal.
We escaped to a quieter area and someone captured a photo of him smiling.
It was the end of a perfect day.
I flew home the next day and have spent the past couple of weeks recovering from the stress and pace of putting a wedding together from a distance.
This is the first day I’ve felt like baking and putting a post together.
So, in honor of the wedding I made a vintage chocolate cake that turned out perfect!
I didn’t have to make any alterations which was surprising since the cookbook –Milwaukee Gas Light Company — was published in 1961. Cooking methods and tastes have changed greatly since then!
The only suggestion I’d make is to melt the chocolate in the microwave if you’d prefer, rather than use a double boiler. I prefer a double boiler so I can keep an eye on the chocolate and make sure it doesn’t burn. If you use the microwave, cook it on high at 15 second intervals in a glass container (I use a 4-cup glass measuring cup).
Take it out, stir, then cook it again for 15 seconds. Be sure to stir as chocolate can hold its shape, even when melted, and not appear melted. Do this until the chocolate is completely melted. Don’t overcook it. Then proceed with the recipe.
Some of you may recognize the name of this cookbook as I’ve shared other recipes from it previously.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
And, if you can’t forgive me for not sharing an Irish recipe, here are a couple from previous posts—they were easier than I thought to make!
Another Irish Soda Bread
**
This is a longer post than usual, but I hope you enjoyed sharing our family’s special day. If you have had a special occasion in your life, feel free to mention it in the Comments. We need to celebrate with each other on these happy times!
Take care,
**
1961 Chocolate Spice Cake (I decorated the pieces with sprinkles and surrounded them with wedding mementos — a handkerchief Lindsay gave to me, a ribbon that reflected their colors of plum/gold, and their wedding invitation)
Milwaukee Gas Light Company 1961
(This is delicious and easy to make)
2-ounces unsweetened chocolate, cut into pieces
¼ cup boiling water
2 cups cake flour
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon cloves
½ cup butter
1.5 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk (I keep a container of dried powder in my refrigerator –I’ve used this product for decades and it works well every time)
Combine chocolate and water in double boiler on stove with low heat.
Note: If you don’t have a double boiler, simply place a glass bowl over a pan with a small amount of water. The water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. This is important or the chocolate will get too hot and burn!
Cook over low heat until chocolate is melted (1 minute), stirring constantly.
Cool slightly. (I chose 10 minutes)
In small mixing bowl combine flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and spices. Mix well.
In large mixing bowl cream butter; add sugar gradually.
Cream until fluffy.
Add warm chocolate mix and mix well.
Add beaten eggs and mix well.
Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk and mix just enough after each addition to keep batter smooth.
Pour into greased 8×12” pan. (I used a 9”x12” as that was all I owned and there was no discernible difference.)
Bake in preheated oven at 325 degrees about 55 minutes.
Cool 5 minutes.
Remove cake from pan.
Cool thoroughly on wire cooling rack before frosting cake with Mocha Chocolate Frosting (This is one of the best homemade frostings I’ve ever tried!):
¼ cup butter
1 teaspoon strong coffee (I may try adding 2 teaspoons for my next cake as I couldn’t get a strong taste)
2.5 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1 egg white, stiffly beaten in small bowl with high sides.
In small mixing bowl cream butter. (I used my electric mixer but you could do this by hand)
Add coffee and mix.
Add 1 cup powdered sugar and cocoa gradually.
Mix well.
Add remaining sugar gradually to stiffly beaten egg white.
Beat well.
Fold into butter mix.
Yield: 12 servings
Vintage Eats of Kayleen Reusser 
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