Days 126, 127 & 130: #TBT Carbonara & Flag Cake 2 Ways (plus a BONUS recipe!)

It's time for #TBT!!!  Tonight I quickly whipped up carbonara for us after Noah's 1 year check-up and before going to Life Group.  That's how quick and easy this recipe is!!!  Believe me when I say it--as long as it takes you to boil water and cook pasta, is as long as the entire recipe takes to make.  Try it, you'll love it!

Here's my final "catch-up" from my no-post streak last week and over the weekend.  I bring you Sunday (Day 126) and Monday (Day 127): Flag Cake 2 Ways!!!  Okay, the truth is, I didn't cook at all on Monday.  Memorial Day, I stepped away from the stove.  After the catering and other cook-outs, I was done.  We got up early for a family photo shoot Memorial Day morning, and then spent the day with my parents.  It was fabulous!

So on Saturday, you know I made a flag cake with a yellow cake recipe I'm not yet ready to disclose, and a raspberry filling, whipped cream frosting, and blueberries and raspberries on top.  But, I made a second, bigger cake that was similar!  I used the same yellow cake recipe, but made a strawberry filling instead.  I also swapped out the whipped cream frosting for a buttercream frosting and used strawberries instead of raspberries on top.  Disclosure: this cake recipe doesn't travel well.  On Sunday, we attended a cook-out in CT, which is why I made the big cake.  I knew it would be a long drive, so I opted for the buttercream frosting, figuring it would hold up better than whipped cream, which I assume it did.  However, the juices from the fruit do melt the frosting a little bit and cause dripping.  So, my suggestion if you're going to travel with a cake like this is, place the fruit topping on the cake when you arrive!  It could be a fun thing for guests to help with, also. :)  As I said in my previous post, the exact recipe for this cake is still a work in progress, and I think every cooking girl needs a "secret" recipe anyway. ;) 
Hopefully these cakes provide some inspiration, though, for your July 4th get-together!

BONUS RECIPE

Crust-less Quiche
I love finding ways to use leftovers.  Recipes that include "everything but the kitchen sink" are great for that!  So this morning, (yes, before work) I threw together this crust-less "quiche."  Remember those spring veggie tartlets I made for Friday's luncheon?  Well, I had a ton of leftover chopped vegetables from when I prepared those!  I stuffed them all in a bag and threw them in the fridge.  The yellow cakes I made also used a lot of egg yolks.  So I saved the whites.  Randy's not a fan of egg white omelets, but I saved them anyway.  That's when it hit me--throw them together with the veggies and make a quiche.  I had some leftover cheese in the fridge, and some deli turkey.  And ok, I added 2 whole eggs just for a little extra protein. ;)  Combine it all in a pie plate and bake at 400* for 45-50 minutes.  Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting into it.  What a great breakfast!!!