Back from a whirlwind tour...

So seeing Sunny Day Real Estate live inspired me to keep going with this blog. Sorry I haven't posted much lately. I should be working on homework as I type, but entering something here seems so much more rewarding. I can't concentrate really. (They are playing Diary in its entirety on 94.9 right now too!)

It was all predestined. I'm sure of it.

I'll post more this weekend.

When bad things happen to good bakers.

Baking is hard. Don't let anyone fool you. Most of the time, a "homemade" cake comes out of a blue box that says Pillsbury, and they just added some water and eggs. Even most trained chefs hate baking. Pastry chefs are a different breed, and they are really as much a chemist as they are a chef. Baking is a science with complex chemical reactions. You can't fake it and add a smidge of this and a pinch of that.

Commercial baking is even harder. A recipe that is totally delicious in its original format, doesn't turn out quite as well when you try to triple or quadruple it.

Tonight is a perfect example. I had this great new recipe for apple pie cookies. It seemed totally rad. I diced up my apples. Melted my margarine. And when all was said and done, it was the consistency of soup - not cookie dough. I baked one batch to see how they did in the oven, and they were way too fluffy - more like muffin tops than a cookie. So I added more flour. Then more sugar. Then more flour. Then more sugar. Sure, it stiffened up, but it was still not anywhere near a cookie dough.

Wahhh...what went wrong? Who knows?! They taste yummy, but they are muffins and not cookies. I wanted cookies. Back to the drawing board...

Vegan Red Velvet Cheesecake

I like a challenge. In most aspects of my life. And since Kelly sent me a link to that new Cheesecake Factory Red Velvet Cheesecake, I've been obsessed with recreating it in a vegan format. I already had 100 other vegan goodies to bake this weekend, but I just got my new mixer, and I figured this was the weekend. (I need to get back on a diet. Seriously.) This was the weekend for gluttony and excess. And man, oh man, did this cake fit the bill. It worked. In a BIG way. Now I can't say I will try the Cheesecake Factory version to compare, but I have minions who will give me their honest opinions, and I'm pretty sure I nailed it. This is, hands down, the best dessert I have ever baked. This is a perfect 10. The red velvet cake was dense, rich, and totally moist. The cheesecake was divine, and the cream cheese frosting just tied everything together in a way that is really indescribable. It is outstanding. Superb. Perfection embodied in flour, sugar, and non-hydrogenated margarine. I will think fondly of this dessert for months to come. I don't know what excuse I can come up with to bake it again, (other than the fact that I have two tubs of cream cheese in my fridge that I didn't use, although they won't expire for like a year), but surely some occasion will avail itself in the coming months.

Best dessert ever. Really. Hands down.

You wish this was your party...

Wow. I can't say this exceeded my wildest expectations, because I have pretty high expectations for myself at all times, but it definitely met them. Everything turned out perfect. There was really nothing I would have changed. The peanut butter buttercream was perfectly light and fluffy on the Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes. The Chewy Raspberry Double Chocolate Chip Brownie Cookies were a little crisp on the outside and wonderfully moist on the inside. The Red Velvet Whoopie Pies were my personal favorite of the evening; a nod to our recent trip to Boston. And the Cookies n' Cream Donuts are always a crowd-pleaser - all of the flavor of its deep-fried counterpart, but lovingly baked without the guilt and the grease. It was a lot of work, but getting to actually attend the party and hear all the positive feedback was pretty rewarding. I couldn't do this every weekend, but every month or so? I'm in! Hire me!

Graduate level baking

I can't really hope to re-create this in a vegan form. Four layers?! I'm just not that gifted. I will, however, attempt a bastardized, two-layer version of it. It's going to be so decadent I'll want to die. Or eat the entire thing. I really think this is the dessert to end all desserts. I can't think of a better combination of things I love more. I've made the red velvet cake. It's chilling in the fridge along with the cream cheese frosting. The cheesecake is baking slowly at 225 degrees. I can't wait to get home from work tomorrow to assemble. It's going to be outrageous. Even if it doesn't look quite as pretty as this one, it is still going to taste delicious...

My new love...

I finally took the plunge and committed. This is my new husband.

Buffalo Exchange - Total Score

Buffalo Exchange is a pretty popular clothing resale shop here in San Diego. You may have some in your town too. They specialize in trendy clothes that the kids are into now a days. I'm a big proponent of recycling and buying used, and I tend to find things that I normally wouldn't pay for at prices I do want to pay. So yay for Buffalo Exchange.

Well, on this particular fortuitous evening, I found a lovely little merlot colored dress tucked away in the small section. Typically, I'm looking for more casual, empire waisted babydoll sort of numbers with which to frolic in the summer. But since it was kismet, and I was supposed to have this dress, my nimble browsing fingers caressed its soft, fine fabric, and it really was love at first sight. There was delicate rouching along the bustline accented with a satin sash to flatter my non-existent bosom. When I held it up, I immediately thought, "This is something Serena Van der Woodsen would wear!" (Yes, I'm a grown woman and I watch Gossip Girl.) It was so sophisticated and feminine. The dress was further perfected with a halter tie which so complements my collarbone and broad shoulders.

The brand? You might ask? Laundry by Shelli Segal. I know nothing about designers, but I did some research of course, and her lines are carried in Nordstroms and Saks. My dress, in fact, is still new with tags. The original price? $225. What did I pay for it? Umm, drop the first 2. I paid $25. And it's breathtaking on me. Not to toot my own horn, but it's really flattering.

You'd think I'd be content with all of the things I've already mentioned above, but I haven't even gotten to the best part. THE DRESS IS A SIZE 4!!!. I've never been a size 4 in my life. In fact, and one point, I was a size 24. I don't know who you are Ms. Shelli Segal, but you made my year. To look that amazing, in that nice of a dress, and have it be a size 4?! I'm wearing this dress to my brother-in-law's wedding in October. Sure, I can't gain a single pound between now and then. In fact, I had better lose 5 or so, but this dress is the ultimate motivation. In fact, it was the reason I didn't stop for vegan frozen yogurt tonight. And I always stop for vegan fro-yo. Wish I had a picture of it for you all, but I couldn't find one online. Sorry.

I also bought another little black dress with tulle (so fun) and a trashy little short, short, strapless/bustier jumper. I have no idea where I'll wear it, but if I sport it with heels I'll be six feet tall. It's totally a dancing in Vegas sort of number. Fun fun!