ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI: CELEBRATING WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE ANNIVERSARY FROSTING

Dec. 21, 1986, was a sunny, unseasonably warm Sunday afternoon. It was also the day my best friend became my husband. Candlelight and the scent of gardenias bathed the chapel as Larry Joe Holtzhouser and I were married. We began our honeymoon at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tenn. Among the amenities waiting for us at the Peabody was a miniature wedding cake with White Chocolate Anniversary Frosting.

There has never been a dull moment. Larry Joe is always my prime accomplice in the predicaments we find ourselves in. When we were in South Dakota, it snowed in June. The last time that happened was in 1969.

Sugarland, Texas, didn't remember when the temperature had been 41 degrees, but that's what it was the night we arrived. Our hotel was three years old, and the heat had never been on. On that fateful night, the heat came on, causing collected dust to smoke. Hence, the smoke alarms went off, sending to our rescue every emergency vehicle in the vicinity.

Fort Smith, Ark., greeted us with a flash flood. It had been more than 20 years since eight inches of rain had fallen in less than an hour. Cars were being swept away, as water ran out the door of businesses. But we were OK.

We like the back roads of America. While driving a gravel levee road in Cajun country in Louisiana we came upon a fork in the road, we just picked one and came smack upon a quaint little town. Following our keen sense of direction we navigated in the direction that should have taken us back to Lafayette. Shortly, we realized that we had made a circle and were entering the same quaint little town from a different direction. The opposite direction also brought us back to the same little town that was not quite so quaint anymore, for Larry Joe had to ask for directions.

On a stormy day at Kingdom City, Mo., exit on I-70, we almost met our Maker. As we entered the off-ramp, the cruise control went out of control, sending the car spiraling down the side of the exit-ramp directly into the path of the oncoming I-70 traffic. Somehow, Larry Joe kept the car from overturning on the steep embankment; and in the rutted mud, turned the car just in time to keep us off the interstate. The whole time he never lost his cool. He quietly told me how much he loved me, and our life.

Larry Joe, you will always be my Prince Charming on a big white horse. Happy anniversary! Love, Angie.

Note: The Holtzhousers have two children, Rick and Robin; two grandchildren; Ellie and Nolan; and a daughter-in-law, Johnna.

White Chocolate Anniversary Frosting

12 ounces white chocolate

12 ounces cream cheese

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Melt white chocolate in a double boiler over hot, not boiling water; or in a heavy sauce pan over low heat. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

2. In a large bowl, with electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in butter, then white chocolate until frosting is smooth.

Yield: Frosting for two 9-inch cake layers or 9-x-13-inch cake.

Visit Angie at her Web site, www.cookingwithangie.com

Angie Holtzhouser is author of Drop Dumplin's and Pan-Fried Memories ... Along the Mississippi. Her cookbook is available at local bookstores. In addition, it can be purchased through the mail at: Drop Dumplin's, P.O. Box 10, Lilbourn, Mo. 63862. The price is $19.95, including tax and shipping.