The day before a wedding is always busy for the bride and her bridal party. Add on top of the usual attendants duties making a wedding cake, grooms&8217; cake and some of the refreshments for the reception, and then you&8217;ve got the idea of what Sinda Fendley was up to on Friday.

Fendley, an up-and-coming cake designer in Gallion, was asked to make her first wedding cake just over a month ago. Today, she&8217;s not only in the wedding of Sandy Mays and John Yelverton, but she is acting as baker and caterer as well.

The first item on her list for the day is making homemade sausage balls. She will also be making a vegetable tray with homemade Ranch dressing, chocolate covered strawberries and the punch.

One of Fendley&8217;s secrets to sausage balls is adding Ranch flavoring before baking them to bring out the flavor of the sausage.

A few of the other cakes she has made recently is a birthday cake for her one-year old daughter, Keira, and a test cake made in the shape of the General Lee from the Dukes of Hazzard.

Fendley said she likes to hear ideas about what to do for the cakes, then she takes the concept and runs with it. One of the things she likes to do is carve the cakes from scratch instead of using pans in the shape of something.

Although she considers her cake making skills a product of experimentation, Fendley said she remembers helping her grandmother, June Coats, in the kitchen when she was a little girl. One of the recipes she remembers her grandmother making was potato chip cookies.

When Fendley isn&8217;t looking to make another wedding or any occasion cake, she is making up her own recipes.

Not all of her cakes have been perfect, she said. She recalls working on her daughter&8217;s birthday cake, which was a whimsical style with cantilevered tiers.

That didn&8217;t stop her from creating a colorful masterpiece for everyone to see.

Fendley enjoys being able to cook from home in order to spend time with her daughter and husband, Nick.

Potato Chip Cookies

2 sticks butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup chopped pecans

1 cup crushed potato chips

Cream butter and sugar together. Add vanilla and eggs and mix together. Mix flour, baking soda and salt together in a separate bowl. Add to first bowl. Put in pecans and potato chips; mix well. Roll into small balls and place on an un-greased cookie sheet. Press lightly with a fork to flatten. Bake at 325 degrees for 6-10 minutes. Watch carefully, they will burn easily.

Pecan Caramel Pie

1 pre-made pie shell

1/4 cup water

30-35 caramel candies

1/4 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups chopped pecans

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine caramel, water and butter. Melt in microwave until mixture is smooth. In another bowl combine sugar, vanilla, eggs, sauce and pecans. Mix well. Pour into pie shell and bake for 50 minutes.

Chicken and Dumplings

6 boneless chicken breasts

4 cans chicken broth

2 quarts water

2 cups chopped onions

2 cups chopped celery

2 packages of Mrs. B&8217;s dumplings

Combine all ingredients except dumplings and boil until chicken is cooked through. Take chicken out and bring stock back to a boil. Add dumplings. Chop chicken and add back to the stock. Simmer for 1 hour before serving.

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

2 8-oz bags of elbow macaroni

16 oz. container of small curd cottage cheese

8 oz. container of sour cream

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 egg

Cook noodles then mix all ingredients together. Pour mixture into a 9&8221;x 13&8221; pan. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Top with cheese and a sprinkling of paprika.

Lemon Ice Box Pie

1 pre-made pie crust

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

2 eggs

1 can condensed milk

1/4 cup sugar

Filling:

Separate eggs; mix yolks and milk. Stir in juice and pour into pie shell.

Meringue:

Whip egg whites until they form light peaks. Whip in sugar. Put on top of filling put into 350-degree oven until peaks are golden brown.