Baking Part 2

So after my mediocre attempt at recreating Bakerella's cake balls, I decided to go for something a little more my speed.

I have long been eyeing a giant cupcake pan that Wilton carries. And my fabulous Mom - shout out Catty! - got with the Easter bunny and got me the pan for Easter.

Not sure what my new found obsession with cupcakes is, but I am rolling with it...

As you can see from the picture - half of the pan is much more shallow and less dense than the other side. And from reading on a couple of website I found out that the way to remedy that is by putting the shallow side in a pan of shallow water. Martha Stewart watch out.


My first attempt was a chocolate cake with butter cream frosting and then I made another cake a week later that was yellow cake with chocolate frosting. All of the websites said that you should use a box and a half of cake mix, but I poopooed that idea and just divided the one box between each side. What are you supposed to do with the other half of the cake mix? So silly.


Before you put the cake mix in you should spray the pan heavily with pam...I decided not to lightly flour as some suggested because I hate having flour on the outside of my cakes - especially as I wasn't planning to frost the bottom. The cake rises quite a bit after cooking as you can see above but came out of the pan flawlessly. After leveling the two pieces and placing them together with the help of a little frosting I then used the rest of the frosting for the top of the cupcake. I then used a variety of regular sprinkles and large candy bits to decorate. You can also use jelly beans or red hots, etc.

I was pleasantly surprised by my results! A great giant cupcake that tasted as great as it looked. And for those keeping track, both my coworkers and I enjoyed the final product.

Bad Blogger and Baking Part 1

Not that anyone reads this but my mother, but I inadvertently took a hiatus from blogging. So here we go, some catch up...

I have never been much at cooking. Partially because I am just not a fan, I think it takes longer to cook than clean up and thus is a waste of my time, and partially because I just like to eat out. That said, I have always enjoyed baking. I used to make cookies pretty much every weekend. So after my Mom drew my attention to the Bakerella I decided that I should give it a go.

If you have never seen Bakerella's work, I highly encourage you to do so. She is amazing and creates what is the perfect meld between art and baking. Check her out: bakerella.

So after researching her website and reading her instructions on how to make "easy cake balls" I decided that my college educated self could manage to pull it off. As you can see from the pictures, I did pull it off, but it wasn't the prettiest effort. To make the balls you make a cake - I chose red velvet - and mix it with frosting - I chose cream cheese. And then you form balls and refrigerate. I actually put mine in the freezer as I am super impatient. Then you melt chocolate and put it in your candy mold and quickly shove a cake ball in each mold. Once that has cooled you coat your ball in another color of chocolate - I picked pink - and decorate.





Not sure I will be trying this again in the near future - it was quite the effort and super messy for an amateur like me. That, and melting chocolate to get the perfect consistency was A LOT more difficult than I could have imagined. On another note, although I didn't care for the finished product, my office mates enjoyed them quite a bit.

To my Father and Brother:

I hate to use this blog to call out people, well, actually I don't, so here goes....

I fondly remember the day my dear Daddy bought me my Mustang. **Sigh** And though eight years have passed since that time, I still very much love my car. When I moved to DC five years ago, my dear Daddy drove my car up here for me, and it was like my little piece of home away from home.

My car and I have been through a lot over the years...college, waitressing, road trips, running out of gas, stolen hood ornaments, a lost side mirror due to a vicious attack by the garage, a back end reconstruction after being run into on the street, you get the idea... So when my precious car's odometer stopped working I set to once again figuring out how we can together make it past another of life's hurdles.

I did some research and found that the trouble is likely due to a broken odometer gear...and, according to the guys at stangnet.com, its an easy fix! I order my part, print off my directions, and call my dear Daddy for moral support. And sadly, moral support was nowhere to be found. Apparently, Father (as he will now be referred) doesn't think I can handle taking apart my dash and fixing a broken gear. Apparently, Father thinks I should spend $300 and take the car into the shop to be fixed instead of spending $30 and doing it myself. Apparently, Father was about to eat his words.

So being the determined person that I am (some would call it stubborn) I was hell bent on fixing my car myself. And thinking I could garner a little support from my Brother, who is himself a mechanic, I call him. Well. As my Nana would say he was about as helpful as tits on a boar hog. I feel bad for my brother, because apparently he takes after doubting Father and is absolutely certain that I am going to break something. Thanks for the vote of confidence people.

So I ask you, whatever happened to "you can do anything you want in life"? Whatever happened to family backing you up? Whatever happened to..? You get the idea. After borrowing a set of socket wrenches, I set to work. I will spare you the mundane details of how to change your odometer gear, but you know what??? I did it. ALL BY MYSELF.

Thus, To my Father and Brother: Eat your words, boys, eat your words.

My dash after I took it apart, replaced the gear, and put it back together, notice there are now numbers on the tripometer.

A Capitol Fourth.

One of the great things about living in our nation's Capital is the Fourth of July fireworks. Over the past few years, I have been spoiled by the amazing fireworks show put on by the city of DC, and I am sure that if I move anywhere else the Fourth of July celebration will pale in comparison.

This year's celebration cost a mere $226,000...Don't worry the show isn't paid for by federal taxpayer dollars...just the poor schmucks in DC who pay the highest taxes in the country for no representation. Happy Independence Day!

Back to the fun. This year, we parked by the Pentagon and metroed to Arlington Cemetery to watch the fireworks show on the banks of the Potomac River. It was an excellent location until the metro backed up and we ended up walking 2 miles back to the car at the Pentagon. But alas, I digress...here are some pictures from our fabulous location.

Lincoln Memorial on the left and Washington Monument on the Right.

Reflection of the Fireworks in the Potomac River - the blob in the middle is a kayaker.

It was a great day, with mild weather and I am happy to report that my blisters have healed completely.

Happy Fourth of July!

Mason Road's Birthday Party

I am a bit late on this post, but better late than never, right??

My favorite Texan turned 2 this month, and a few weeks ago I travelled back to the Great State for his Birthday Party. The party was "color" themed due to Mason's recent affinity for coloring. His new passion has no boundaries as he will color on paper, walls, bookcases, you name it, he'll color it!

Note: No walls were defaced during the making of Mason's Birthday Party.

While, I have been known to "spoil" my little buddy with his gifts...i.e. Easter the Bunny...I remained relatively responsible and gifted this fabulous Pirate Ship Water Table. Mason LOVES water, in fact, he may have been a fish in a past life. I figured with this gift he could play in the water almost year round.

Unfortunately, my intentions were a little in vain as whoever packaged the boat at the Little Tike's factory forgot the plug...way to go. Luckily, Grampy came to the rescue and Macgyver'ed the boat so that it would work. But...drum roll please...Mason's favorite gift of the year came from Grampy and Mimi:

That's right, at the ripe old age of 2, Mason got his first vehicle. A brand new John Deere tractor complete with trailer. Don't worry, he is advanced for his age and picked up the whole "pushing the pedal to make it go" idea very quickly. Unfortunately the fine art of steering has managed to escape him for the time being...oh well, he will have something to work on before he turns 16.

Happy Birthday Mason.

Happy Birthday Mom!

WhO's BiRtHdAy?!?!?!?!?

Catty's Birthday!!

Happy Birthday Mom! Love you!!

Happy Birthday Mason Roadie!

Today, my favorite Texan of all time turns two. Two years ago today, Mason Walter Merritt came into this world, and the world couldn't be better for it. He is probably the most loved child to step foot on this earth.



Mason is all boy. He loves trucks, boots, water, animals and especially his dog, "Dissie." I think he is the cutest little guy ever, and I'm not the least bit biased.



Happy Birthday, Roadie! Aunt Lili loves you bunches!