So what's a month or so among friends?

I haven't been great about actually hooking my camera up to my computer and I didn't want to post about some things till I could put up the pictures and now that I have the pictures, it seems so long ago it's almost not worth posting -- see the vicious cycle? Anyway. . .

Here's a picture of a cupcake my boy and I tried to make like the kind we used to get at LuLu's Bakery in the north end (they've since changed it slightly -- perhaps they learned like we did that marshmallow cream melts fairly quickly):

We made chocolate cupcakes and a marshmallow frosting, we then inundated the marshmallow frosting with graham cracker crumbs we'd made in the food processor. My boy injected the graham cracker marshmallow frosting into the center of the cupcake (we need to work on the technique we don't have an actual pastry injector so he had to improvise) while I made a chocolate ganache. After the cupcakes were injected with graham cracker we put the chocolate ganache on top and then sprinkled more graham cracker crumbs on that finally we put a dollop of marshmallow cream on top and toasted it with a torch. As you can see, suzib doesn't seem to mind the melty-ness:

The other culinary feat we accomplished in the last month was bacon cups for a mini Cobb salad for our friend Debbie's bridal shower (her favorite foods are avocado and bacon so you can see how a Cobb salad was basically mandatory). A friend sent my the instructions from the not Martha website. I adapted her recipe merely by using disposable muffin tins and putting them in a disposable roasting pan so the drippings went into it instead of in the bottom of the oven. I also put the bacon once woven on the muffin tins in the freezer briefly so the shrinking was somewhat minimized. Again, I think there are kinks to be worked out. With our system we only made three at a time. With another roasting pan, I think we could have at least made six at a time. They were worth the effort though, they looked great at the party and tasted amazing!!

For a more in depth look at Debbie's shower you can go to Christina's website. I highly recommend looking at the memorable quotes section (the cutting board line is my favorite). Also, you can see the pretty "sheet" cake Christina and I made out of a king sized sheet set. It's not as easy as you might think from the many instructions available online, or, perhaps, Christina and I just aren't terribly coordinated :).

My Birthday Party Was a Disaster. . . .And Other News. . . .

So my party didn't turn out at all how I pictured it. My family makes fun of me because of my "pictures." They refer back to Lost In Yonkers and compare me to Bella. . . . My Best Friend told me in High School, never invite me to your wedding, I don't want to be there when you have a melt down because it's not how you picture it.

I didn't have a melt down (at least not a complete meltdown) on Saturday, but I mentioned a couple of times it wasn't how I pictured it. The party lacked organization, it lacked thought, it lacked food when people arrived and it lacked the proper equipment and instruction. . . So many things went wrong including poor timing on food which resulted in a glut of food left in our refrigerator and in the cooler we'd set up on the back porch. Every day since, we have had to come up with recipes to use up the massive amounts of fruits vegetables and fish we have left. It's a race to see who wins (general entropy of mold and rot, or us). It's also a reminder at every meal about how disappointing the party was.

Don't get me wrong, the lack of organization, the lack of food etc. none of it was the result of laziness on anyone's part (least of all my boy or suzib) it just happened. Also, the guests at the party were incredible, pitching in where needed being easy going and undemanding. Constantly complimenting and giving me even more wonderful gifts to add to the post before. I felt like I had failed my guests though, both with the food/planning issues and then with my inability to mingle, saying goodbye to some guests I'd only said hello to. . . . It was just a sad state of affairs.

The one good thing to come out of the party (besides the presents and knowing my friends really are chill and fun people) was a grasp of how loved I am by my boy. He had gotten up at 6am to take me to the library Saturday morning where we sat for over an hour waiting for work to be completed. Then he spent insane amounts of money on all of the food that now sits mocking us. He worked hard all day steadily chopping, stirring, cooking etc. and he took it as I got more and more shrill and panicky. He didn't demand attention at the party he'd worked so hard on and he didn't complain when he was kept up late (though he did fall asleep during the after party movie some of us watched ;)). I had time to think about all this as I was doing dishes at 1:30 in the morning. I am truly blessed.

I <3 Presents!!!

So call me selfish, immature and anything else you want, but I. LOVE. PRESENTS. LOVE them. I got some absolute gems yesterday, two gorgeous red knives from my boy.

A star of david bundt pan with a great book called Bundt Cake Bliss (which includes a recipe for a coming out cake which I think is hysterical, if I ever came out, I would totally want a bundt cake with the gay pride flag visible if you gazed down the center). I am very excited.

Oh yes, and I also got another le creuset whisk. I love them. They are something I think no kitchen should be without and with a little bit of hoarding and luck, I should never have to be.

It's my birthday!!!

So far I've gotten lots of ecards, and lovely daffodils and a star of david bunt pan (to name a few items). Ooh, and a cook book which includes a coming out bunt cake recipe. It's really funny. I'll write the description later. Anyway, happy day. I love birthdays, essentially people shower you with presents because you haven't died. That's your one accomplishment. And I know for people like Suzib that sort of is an accomplishment, but really for most of us, it's not that hard ;).

To continue my focus on the wrong thing

Today I was on the phone with a water proofing company. They answered the phone It's a beautiful day at pioneer (which I thought was slightly amusing). I was so wrong though, the amusing part of the conversation came when I was put on hold, the hold music was singing in the rain! I am not sure if it's them who sings because of all the work the rain drums up, or if it's us, the customers singing because we're so confident that our waterproofing will work, but either way I thought it was an amusing choice. I was hoping I'd be on the phone long enough to hear if the next selection was rain drops keep falling on my head.

In less amusing news (also slightly related to rain), our family cat died this week. Ok, so in our family's dark humor sort of way, it is sort of amusing, but also sad.

What did I do to deserve this?

My boy is over and I promised to make dinner, while it's baking he started playing some football video game he's played repeatedly. Being a semi-supportive girlfriend I have sat through several games while he "plays" football even though I detest video games and I am not terribly fond of football.

Tonight, I went into my room in theory to pack for the retreat this weekend, but getting bored with that and with the prospect of folding and putting away all the clothes I should I turned on MASH and started reading my email.

My boy came in and said "What?! You're not going to watch me play football?" I said "You're not really playing football. It's a video game. Maybe if you were actually playing football with your brothers or your nephews I might actually watch, but I've put in my time watching you play a video game."

He rustled around in some videos that he had brought over awhile ago (I thought that they were all Iron Chef Japan) and put in a video. I said do you see that I am already watching something, he said you said you want to watch me play a real game of football. He started the tape and left.

I am currently watching blurry high school football dubbed with terrible 80s music. I have no idea which one he is or which team I'm "cheering" for.

There's no point to this post. I thought it was semi-amusing, but coming to the end of it, I am not sure it actually was. I have to go now. I am going to flag a play.

We're not having kids.

I realized the other day that my boy makes in three hours of overtime the same amount of money I make all day at regular pay. I was telling my best friend this in the middle of whole foods (while my boy was working overtime). I said, "so my plan is to marry him and quit my job and make him work three hours of overtime every night. It's perfect, then I get plenty of alone time AND we lose no money in the deal!" At just that moment my boy's friend walked by the end of the aisle. I don't think he saw me, but it did make me laugh.

A few days later my boy and I were in Marshalls scoping out baby items on sale because I have several friends currently pregnant or newly enjoying babydom so I try to see what I can get. My boy, not being terribly interested in green booties (because NONE of my freaking friends can find out what they're having ahead of time!!) wandered over to the toy section. He found an elmo vidoe camera. It was the most obnoxious toy ever! I can't remember all the phrases that elmo giggled out, but they included: "Smile!" and "Ready for you close up? HAHAHAHAHAHA" and "Cut that's a wrap HAHAHAHAHAH" the last phrase coming at the end of far more phrases I've blocked out.

I told my boy we were never having that item in our house if things should get so far as us having kids. He turned to me, perfectly straight faced, and said, "Oh, I am stocking up on these kinds of toys, the more noise the better. If you're going to be home alone with the kids all day and make me work three hours extra every night, we're going to have a house full of loud toys." It made me laugh, but out of fear that he'll follow through on his threat, I am not having kids. . . . .or, perhaps, I'll just take the batteries out of all the items all day and have a mad rush "game" with the kids where we put them back in before daddy gets home. Then he can play with the kids and the obnoxious toys and I'll go to my soundproofed bedroom and read a book!