Target Love and the perfect carrot cake

 I am a HUGE fan of Target here in Canada...it was a very long wait for us to get Target stores here and it was well worth the wait. I have nothing but positive things to say about my shopping experiences at Target, the brands the selection and the value offered are what keeps going back time and time again.
My two daughters are also big Target fans...you will find us there often browsing for finds and deals and enjoying a Starbuck's while we are at it.
When Target heard about my love and support of Target they reached out and shipped me a gift pack which included gift cards for my two daughters and one for myself as well as fab umbrella, tumbler and super sturdy canvas bag, I ready to go and represent for Target.
During this back to school season (boo to back to school !!!) Target has been suprising guests with gift cards and covering purchases in store...how amazing right!

 Cute photo of our tiny dog with my new BIG rocking umbrella.PS I don't believe in bad luck so don't fret about the open umbrella, where did that superstition come from anyway...?

 It is my Mom's birthday today and we got together yesterday to celebrate with one of my brother's and his wife, it was the perfect summer weather day, so grateful for that.
I made a cake from scratch....I generally don't make cakes from scratch with the exception of this cake....CARROT CAKE.
I have been using this recipe for about 13 years or so, I found the recipe from Martha Stewart magazine in a baby edition. It has lemon and lemon zest and I think this really makes all the difference in this recipe. I skip the nuts as we have some nut allergies in our family.

 The recipe is here if you want to give it a try....Carrot cake

It's light and moist every time, I used store bought cream cheese frosting but home made is better, the store bought stuff was way too sweet.....I may have a left over slice for breakfast on this last day of summer break....my daughter Mason is starting back to 11th grade tomorrow morning.....why must summer end?

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day,
Chris