Planting and Cooking

This weekend has been pretty good. Friday night my parents and I went to Champa, since my dad had never been there before. I had roasted duck, which was quite good. It was difficult for me not to order Pad Thai for a fourth time.

Yesterday, my mom planted over fifty plants in my yard. The area to the right of my front door is really starting to look nice and should be gorgeous in the spring. The weather was fantastic, so I enjoyed admiring her technique and delivering refreshments. My dad planted several, too, and drilled a couple of outdoor lights into some of the oaks along the driveway, to use as temporary lighting when people park further away for parties.

Today I spent most of the day washing dishes and cooking. I made a two layer mocha cake this afternoon. After that I made a shrimp, bacon and pesto pizza. I used my mom's recipes for the cake and the pizza crust.
Both turned out rather well, I think. ..although like many of the things I've baked, the cake could have been in the oven a little longer. I'm wondering if there's something calibrated wrong on my oven or something. I wanted to practice making these recipes before I invite non-family members to eat them next weekend. I'd never made a cake before...or pizza. My mom's mocha cake is definitely my favorite.