Last night was my third cake decorating class and this week, it was a bit more challenging. We learned how to make really beautiful roses out of frosting... except they were really hard to actually make really beautiful. The steps really didn't seem that hard, but since it's so awkward to hold the frosting bag, apply just the right amount of pressure AND twist a slippery rose nail so the frosting magically changes from a lump of pink to gorgeous petals, I felt like it was taking me forever to get it right. 
Since I'm such a perfectionist, this was even more of a challenge for me and I ended up dumping about six roses back into the frosting bowl. By the end though, I was able to semi-figure it out keep about half of the ones I made. Everyone in the class was asked to leave our roses behind, so I'm assuming we'll be using them to decorate our cakes next week. (That's right - we're really decorating cakes next week!) I think I might try making some more roses tonight and putting them on some of the leftover cupcakes from my "burgers." I'll post pictures if they come out OK.
In other baking news, how is anyone supposed to come up with original baking ideas these days? I feel like all the truly creative and delicious ideas are already taken. I was trying to think of something new to make and I came up with the idea of making sweet potato cornbread muffins with bacon... except, it wasn't all that original of an idea. A google search resulted in a bunch of recipes just like it. Back to the drawing board, I guess, but I'm wondering - have you come up with any recipe ideas that were really original? If so, send some creative vibes my way!
Rose Nail #7
Cakes, Cakes, Cakes!
The title of this post is so appropriate because I can't stop thinking about cakes. That's right, I think I have a full blown addiction to baking and decorating cakes! After my frosting mishap last week, I decided to take on a new cake project and kind of challenge myself a bit. The result... a grill cake! My cousin Jason's wife Rachel (hi Rachel!) sent me a link to an AWESOME blog dedicated to creative cakes and all things baked - Bakerella. This blog has some of the most amazing ideas ever and I immediately became obsessed with it, and was determined to create something using some of her ideas for a Father's Day cake. I'm so excited to share these photos with you because I worked so hard on this cake for the past few days. And the best part is, the frosting came out right - yippie! I even got to save the old batch my mixing it in with the new one.
OK, Eeeee - I'm nervous for you to see this, but what do you think?! I'll be sharing this cake with my family later, so fingers crossed that they like it!
Any ideas for my next cake project? I can't wait to make another one!
PS: A special thanks to Todd for all his help on this project as my "assistant." I promise I'll make you some pies soon!
Cake Numero Uno
Well, I've picked up a new hobby. In fact, it's not really so much a new hobby as a re-awakened one. Anyone who knows me knows that I've always had a thing for baking. It's probably thanks to my great-grandmother, Mama, and her baking expertise - I basically grew up around an amazing baker who made delicious cookies and cakes all the time. I wish I would have paid more attention to all the little things she was doing, but one thing that she really passed along was the desire to bake. So, since I love to bake... even more than I like to eat baked goods (OK, maybe that's a lie)... I've been thinking for a while about seeing if I was actually any good at it. That's why a week ago I started taking a cake decorating class after about a year of trying to decide if I should do it. I'm not sure why I couldn't make up my mind about signing up, but I'm so glad I finally decided to try it. It's amazingly fun. And a perfect creative outlet for me. So far, I've only been to two classes, but I've already learned a ton. I've also already learned a very valuable lesson - follow the recipe directions. No, really. Follow them. I'm kind of embarrassed to share this with you (remember, I'm a Leo and was an only child forever, so I hate to fail), but I figure it was my first try and I now know how to make frosting the right way ;) I can say that my cake was delicious, so that's a plus. It was also completely homemade, which was fun. But, the frosting... oh, the frosting. In my excitement to get decorating, I completely read the ingredient amounts wrong and added too much water. What resulted was a runny, mess of white frosting. I tried to salvage it, and it tasted good, but it wasn't at all the right consistency for cake decorating. I'm going to try again either tomorrow or this weekend because I'm determined to get this right! But, without further ado, I'd like to introduce my first cake. I'm posting these pictures with hopes that by the end of all this, I'll have some amazing masterpieces to share and this will be something I can look back on and laugh about. For now though, enjoy what I like to call the Ecto-Cooler Cake (think the Ghostbusters 90's drink and note the drippy, green frosting down the sides. I'll just lie and say that was on purpose). Much more decorating (that's actually good) to come. 
Wedding Craziness!
Updates, updates... where to start! First off, hi there! Hope everyone who still has the patience to check in on me is doing well! It's almost the end of the day for me and I'm hoping a little blogging will give me a creative energy boost that will last until 5:30 (when work ends). My life has been great lately. Busy, as usual, but still fun. Thinking back, I have no idea where the time has been going. Kinda seems like the weeks are flying by, but that's good I guess since Todd and I are incessantly counting down till June 12, 2010! Woohoo! Most of you have probably already seen our wedding Web site, but in case you haven't, check it out! Todd and I had a bunch of fun making it and writing all the great stories about how me met each other and our awesome bridal party, so we hope you'll enjoy it too. Don't forget to sign the guest book! 
In other wedding news, we took our engagement photos last weekend, which was a blast! I was really nervous at first, but by the end of it, I think we were all relaxed and just having a great time. The photos were actually taken by our friend Megan (and Brent on "Camera B") and I would highly recommend her to anyone who is looking to have photos taken of anything really. Todd and I are still anxiously awaiting the big reveal of our photo shoot, but I do have this gem to share with you. I'm really in love with this photo, which was taken in Coronado, on the little stretch of beach where we got engaged. It was a perfect day for pictures, and we really lucked out since we somehow avoided the inevitable "May Grey" San Diego tends to have this time of the year. Anyway, I can't wait to see the rest and I'll be sure to share them with all of you ASAP! More life updates to come soon...
June 12, 2010
Well, I can't believe it, but somehow one month has gone by since the big day (more on this later), and it's more than halfway through April. So much has happened over the past month and I finally feel caught up enough to blog. I just got back from a celebratory dinner with Todd and now I'm sitting in my apartment that is a bajillion degrees right now. We've been having this crazy heat wave in SoCal lately, so it was about 95 degrees today. Yesterday, Todd, my mom and co. were up at California Adventure and it was also SOOO hot! We were all melting!
Anyway, back to a month ago. As most of you know, it's the day Todd and I got ENGAGED!! It's still so crazy to write/say/think about. You can read Todd's re-cap here (if you haven't already), which basically covers it all. I guess from my perspective, I was completely surprised. I was mainly just confused and hungry, and didn't get why we couldn't eat before going to the beach (typical). The funny thing is that when we were walking to the beach, Todd had all this gear - sleeping bag, backpack, etc. - and I thought to myself, "what if he has the champagne in there?" (note: the champagne is this special bottle of almond champ that Todd had been saving for a year for a "special occasion." I would always joke that it was for when we got engaged). So, yes, I thought that it would be funny if it was the champagne, but never actually thought it was. I was totally shocked when all of a sudden the champagne was ACTUALLY there, with a ring. WOW, such an exciting night :D Anyway, now looking back, all these weird things make sense - like how Todd was begging me to leave work early that day and how I couldn't look at his phone at all (there were secret engagement e-mails on it). Plus, a couple days before, he came over to my house really, REALLY excited (the day he got the ring). I remember wondering what the heck was going on! OK, back to the night... the exciting engagement happened and I said YES (obvi) and then we went to dinner at Il Fornaio and stayed the night at the Hotel Del. Since then, we've been crazy talking and planning. So far, we have the church and reception place (almost) booked, and the date... June 12, 2010!
We're so excited and are having a ton of fun planning. Woohooo! Other than that, we just got back from a fabulous vacation in Florida last week. We stayed at Todd's grandmother's beach condo, which is now owned by his Aunt and Uncle. We had a great time hanging out with the family and making difficult decisions like "Hmmm, what should we do today? Pool, beach, pool, pool, beach, pool, beach? Or beach, beach, pool, beach, pool, pool?" I really miss Todd's parents, Lin and Chris. The week went by too fast. But, we also got to spend some time with my dad, Rose and the kids in Orlando, which was a great ending to a FUN weekl!
It's been difficult transitioning back into the usual schedule, but hopefully, we'll get the hang of it soon :) Plus, I'm sure I'll have bunches of updates in the coming weeks and months, and I can't wait to share them with you!
Childhood Things.
My best friend, Alyx, and I were having this great conversation this morning that sparked all kinds of reminiscing. We were chatting about all of the great things they had when we were kids - things that really shaped our school years. Things that kids today probably wouldn't care about because they're so high tech (wow, I sound old). I decided I would share these things with you because you may have loved them too. Here goes...
1. Book It! - Man do I miss this. Book It was a program run by pizza hut that basically encoruaged kids to read by bribing them with a personal pan pizza (yummm!). I think they still have this program, but I doubt it's as cool. 
Do kids today get the sweet button that had the little stickers you would get to add once you read a new book? Do they even have the eat-in pizza hut restaurants anymore? Mmmm, I could really go for a quick game of X-Men while I wait to be seated, followed by some delicious breadsticks right now (but only if I get to be Storm).
2. Choose Your Own Adventure Books - These were the absolute BEST! Boy, did I love them... especially the Goosebumps versions (did anyone else make them?). 
I wish they made these for adults, because I would definitely read them. I can already imagine the Twilight version. Does Bella choose Edward or Jacob? Turn to page 35 for Edward or page 61 for Jacob.
3. Dunkaroos and Shark Bites - Alyx says they still have these, which is great news because they were SO cool! I loved the Dunkaroos that had the sprinkes in the cookies with chocolate frosting and the sharks that were white. Those were so much better than the rest.
4. Pogs - Heck yeah I played with Pogs! My grandfather would buy me so many of these. I had such awesome slammers and I have great memories of playing with my cousin Jason during our annual Christmas Eve get together. I wonder where mine are? I must have at least 5 containers of them somewhere. 
5. Yikes Pencils - I was obsessed with these. They were all swirly and colorful. Plus, they had those crazy erasers that came in weird shapes. They were totally a plus while doing school work. Especially if you added one of those squishy, finger protector things.
6. Trapper Keepers and Lisa Frank Folders - Everyone had these. And it's true, you weren't cool without them. The zippers, the velcro, the crazy colors! 
I wish these were required supplies at work!
Man, I could go on and on. There were so many other cool things I loved. Guess I'll have to save them for another post, but what cool things did you have as a kid? Did you love any of these things as much as I did?
One Song. Glory.
Last night I saw RENT! And, boy, was it amazing. It even featured original cast members Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp and Gwen Stewart. I think this was my second time seeing it live, but I've probably watched the movie a million times! I was basically bouncing around in my seat the whole time, silently singing all of the songs. Everything about the play is wonderful - the set, the music, the perfectly rhymed lyrics - but my favorite part is probably the message. I think these lyrics sum it up perfectly: "There's only us. There's only this. Forget regret - or life is yours to miss." It's so true. We're only here for a short amount of time and in the end, all you really have are moments and people that have touched you. RENT should inspire everyone to live life in the moment... to the fullest. A hard thing to do, believe me. Most of you know that I'm constantly planning, so this is something I've struggled with. I'm going to try to live the lyrics for now though, and maybe if I forget to do it after a while, I'll have to see the show again (no complaints here).
So, I'm wondering what your favorite show is. Mine is for sure Phantom, but RENT is a close second. What shows and music touch you? Let me know!
And, if you're obsessed with musicals like me and live in San Diego, check out Broadway San Diego's Web site. Todd and I just bought a flex pack that includes tickets to Wicked (I'm giddy already), The Lion King and In the Heights. I wanted to buy tickets to every show, but I don't think I could have convinced Todd to see Legally Blonde... hmmm :)
Anza
This twentysomething has been a busy bee (hehe) at work. I just got out of a meeting all about blogs so I decided to "practice what we preach" here at work and get to updating! This weekend was another adventure for Todd and I, as we decided to venture out to the desert. Well, actually, we had our trip planned for another weekend, but that's a whole other story. Friday was our packing day and they Saturday morning, we were off! The drive to the desert is a beautiful one, and I'm still always surprised at how quickly the terrain changes. San Diego is just one of those places, I guess. You really can see it all - snow, desert, beach, city - within a fairly short drive. Anyway, our drive started out through the strangely peaceful and tree-line streets of Scripps Ranch, through stop-and-go Ramona and briefly in Julian, where Todd and I made a quick detour at Dudley's Bakery. For some reason, I really had to stop at Dudley's. I feel like I've been going on and on about it ever since this camping trip was planned. I think it has something to do with high school and the fact that we stopped there our our field trip to the desert, but anyway, we stopped and picked up some bread. I got a cheddar loaf and Todd got jalapeno. We also ordered a sandwich for later, which gave us some time to look around the gift shop that was full of Native American nick nacks. After Dudley's we were back in the car and back to winding roads through the beautiful mountains and valleys. I think the drive was something like an hour and 30 mins, and when we finally made it to Anza-Borrego, we realized we weren't the only ones who had the idea of going to the desert! There were millions of people everywhere, and it took us a while to finally find some parking and get hiking. 
Todd, on the other hand, skipped college and ended up as a multi-millionaire. I guess I learned my lesson! We also made hot dogs (I'm embarrassed to say how many), jiffy pop and heated cookies over the fire (the best idea ever). We also watched a movie, because, hey - we're high tech! Todd even made this crazy contraption to hold his iPhone up like a movie screen so we could lie in the tent and have the movie playing above us. He basically kept saying: "Be prepared. It's the boy scout motto," which made me laugh, but it's true. We had all these random things that were really useful! The only thing we were missing were camping chairs. So, all in all, I am going to say that camping was a success! We somehow avoided seeing any bugs, made it through the freezing night (OK, not freezing, but still cold) and made it back to Julian in time to have delicious apple pie and coffee for breakfast!
Next trip stop - Disneyland :)
Weekend time.
Bloggg time! It's "raining" again in San Diego. Actually, last night it really was pouring. I think the weather forecast even said something about thunderstorms this weekend... wouldn't that be great? Haha, I just love these days! I can't wait to get back home and put on comfy clothes and just relax. Tonight, Kaleigh is sleeping over! It should be a lot of fun. I haven't had a real sleepover in forever. I miss those days.
Tonight, Elysia, Kayl and I plan on:
1. Baking cookies and decorating cookies. And then eating them.
2. Possibly playing a board game?
3. Watching Anne of Green Gables. Hopefully all the way through to the end of the Continuing. We'll probably be up all night.
Anyway, it should be a great girls night! The rest of my weekend is slam packed too, but I'm really looking forward to it. Tomorrow, Todd, Elysia and possibly Rylan, and I are going to try and volunteer at Habitat. I'll let you know how that goes. Then, Sunday there is a free salsa/samba class in PB. Should be fun! Maybe Todd and I will get back into salsa dancing again :)
That's it for now. Happy Weekend!!
Food Diary
Hi there (hello, Ma)! Well, it's Monday and it's February and I'm taking a minute to blog :) I am still recovering from the super bowl yesterday... mainly from the food at our super bowl "party" (if you can even call it that, haha). I didn't really watch the game, but I did eat tons. My super bowl stuff-your-face fest consisted of:
1. Homemade nachos. A lot of them. With a lot of guac, salsa and sour cream :x
2. One hot dog. I later saw the commercial for Hebrew National and was sad that I ate the cheap-o brand that most likely contained the "butt."
3. Two diet cherry pepsis (wow, that word looks weird). I was gonna have three, but decided that might be overdoing it a bit. Everyone else was drinking beer.
4. 3 chocolate chip cookies. They were so good and made by Elysia. I kept taking a half and then going back for the rest later. Come to think of it, I probably had 10 halves, which is 5 cookies - yikes!
Anyway, I woke up starving this morning - at 4 a.m., I might add - and I blame it all on the fact that I ate so much food all day. So, now, I'm deliriously at work (waking up at 4 a.m. for no apparent reason is not fun) and have already had one granola bar and an everything bagel... and I'm still STARVING. Ahhh, this really is going to be a long day.
Hey, at least I updated!