One Step Closer

In the book Anne of Green Gables, Anne is making mistake after mistake with her new family, and at one point, she turns to Marilla and says:

"But have you ever noticed one encouraging thing about me, Marilla? I never make the same mistake twice."

Love it. Adopted it. Especially in baking.

Unfortunately I am incredible at coming up with new mistakes when making cake pops. Here is a blue cupcake version I created for the baby brunch. I am much better at making the dough mix, and I actually bought the right supplies this time, but chocolate chips are just too heavy and thick, even when melted with a little shortening.

But they taste so good. How could I use the baking chocolate when chocolate chips taste so much better?

I guess one day I will sacrifice the taste for the presentation. Anyway, here is the latest version... And not to worry: I am not easily discouraged.

To see what they should look like, look here.

Baby Cakes

Our friend is having a baby boy and today we threw a "Baby Brunch" for the new parents. I hadn't thought of the idea, but it turned out to be a blast. A co-ed, open house, potluck type party that was a perfect celebration.

And what better way to celebrate than with cake?

Ahhhh........... cake.

This one took me a really long time, but every time I look at the block on top I smile to myself and think.

Wow. Those are filled with cake. Someone could take a bite of that block.

That's cool.

It's covered in flaws and it got a little dried out, but it was super fun to make and even the powered sugar disaster of a kitchen was worth cleaning up.

Almost.

Homemade Bagels

Would I really post pictures of bagels if I bought them?

Don't tempt me.

Here are some shots of the bagels a friend and I made the other day. Some are Jalapeño, some plain.

If I had to classify myself as a bagel, I would probably be

Plain.

With cool cream cheese.

Want to try? I used this recipe:

http://www.tammysrecipes.com/homemade_bagels

Cake Pop DISASTER

I know I can be dramatic.

But these cake pops were a disaster. My husband, who will eat almost ANYTHING, said:

They taste like ABC cake, you know, "already been chewed...?"

So, if you are attempting to make the cake pops posted here: Bakerella.com

Here are a few tips for the uncoordinated.

1. Do not attempt to do a poor-man's version with toothpicks instead of the pop sticks. This is one of the few instances where cheap DOES NOT double for creative.

2. Hold back on the frosting. If you are like me and love to use cake box mixes instead of making them from scratch, the crumbs will already be VERY moist. The frosting is actually unnecessary to keep the cake together, it just adds flavor. If you add too much, it will turn to ABC mush. Just add about a 1/2 cup of frosting and you will be surprised at how well they stick together.

3. The cooler the better. Let your cake completely cool before you crumble it. Let your cake balls completely cool before you mold them. I put them back in the fridge to cool before I coated them. Maybe I am just really uncoordinated, but I had much better luck if I could just chill out in all respects.

Good luck!

A prime example

I called a friend tonight and said,

"Guess what I'm making for dinner?"

She started listing off things and I chose an option from her list.

I HATE picking out what to make for dinner. My husband will eat anything, so it's not like my worries are rational, but I still seem to drive myself crazy trying to pick a menu. I have read the book "Confessions of an Organized Homemaker," and absolutely loved it.

Can I apply these tactics?

Minimally.

So tonight I chose chicken. But what to do with the chicken?

I decided on an Italian-style meal and started up a pot of pasta. I sliced the chicken into strips and stared at it.

I added Olive Oil. That sounded Italian.

I added Pesto seasoning. Definitely Italian.

I added bread crumbs. This is where I started to lose confidence.

I added sour cream. I had lost it.

At this point I looked down at my chicken mess and said,

I have no idea what I am doing.

I ended up adding diced tomatoes and to make a long story short -

We ate it. My husband said thanks. This is a prime example of why I follow the creativity of other people who actually know what they are doing.

Tomorrow: Cake Pops. Get Excited.

The Queen of Un-Original Thought

A million times a day I look at something and think:

WOW.

That is super cute.

I should try that.

Then I try it, and it doesn't even look remotely similar.

But I like it.

I like to try.

I will always post credit where credit is due.

Like I said, "Queen of Un-original Thought."

So here it goes.