So remember when I mentioned I wanted to start collecting cake stands? Well the funniest thing happened, Bakerella wrote on her blog last Monday all about cakes stands. She titled it Pretty Pedestals, you can check it out here.
This picture makes me want to bake.
When I saw this blog I was so happy. I couldn't wait to see where to get all these beautiful cakes stands. Well, the store is Sweet and Saucy Supply (don't you just love that name?). The problem is I don't know which one to buy first. Well, since I did so well on my two test and our anniversary is coming up. :)
I guess I'll just hint to JT and see what happens. I want these:
Ugh! Lottery Gods please smile on me. Maybe I can have a new cake stand every 3 months? The problem is where do store them all. :(
Oh and I'm not making my special Thursday night dinner tonight. I had a test today at 1 PM and stayed up all last night studying. I'm finally eating for the first time today and it is a ChickfilA salad and it's 7 PM. I was starving to death. So since it's already to late to start cooking and I can hardly think straight I'm taking the night off. I might get the itch tomorrow. I do know but I do know I need to cook some Banana Bread ASAP. I have 4 rotten bananas looking at me every time I walk into the kitchen. And Addison has hinted to me more than once that I need to make Banana Bread. I swear he just asks me to buy bananas so I can make him Banana Bread. He only ends up eating about 2 in the bunch. He's crafty!
Well, it's my Friday night so I'm going to relax and watch some movies. Maybe even play some video games with Addison. Talk to you soon.
So since it's Wednesday (well it's almost Thursday the day is almost over), it means it is My Wednesday Favorite Things. I wondered what I would talk about and I decided my favorite blogs would be great. Reading other people's blogs have given me the inspiration to write my own blog. I love the way blogs can help you find people that have the same interest as you. They are also a way to learn new things. I get craft ideas and recipe from blogs. So I thought I would tell you my favorite.
1. Pioneer Woman - Ree make me want to give up living in the city and just start a farm. She was a city girl who met a country boy. Now they live on a cow farm with all their kids. Her blog is amazing because she has five sections: confession, cooking, photography, home and garden, and homeschooling. I have gotten many recipes from this blog and photography tips. The wonderful thing is she doesn't just give you a recipe, she takes a picture of each step. I wish I had the patience for that. Ree has a great sense of style and the best sense of humor.
2. Bakerella - She is the queen of the cake pops. When I started my baking obsession, I would always go to this blog. Her blog is cute and her recipes are good. She also has a cookbook out now called Cake Pops. I so want to have a little girl just so we can make cake pops together.
3. Oh So Beautiful Paper - This is my favorite website. I have a new obsessions and it is paper. I so want a letterpress and open an invitation and card store. The invitations that show up on this blog are amazing. I want to renew my vows just so I can send out beautiful invitations. Look at theses paper-cut wedding invitations, I have tried to convince The Chosen One to quit her job and make these for me. ;)
And look at these save the date, baby shower, and wedding invitations. OMG!!
Beautiful wedding invitation!
Adorable Baby Shower invitation!
Creative Save the Date!
I told you I was obsessed with paper. I could go on forever.
4. Anthology Magazine - this blog just great things for inspiration. I love the way the pictures look and how they style everything.
5. Oh Happy Day - Jordan lives in Paris, France. She has a thing for paper and party planning. Her pictures will make you smile and her design skills are incredible.
6. Twig and Thistle - they have great design ideas and always have cute tutorials. This week was DIY number napkins. This blog makes me always want to throw a dinner party and reorganize my life.
7. Sweetapolita - of course. She's my favorite baking blog. Beautiful Rosie lives in Canada with her hot husband and gorgeous little girls. All her baked goods look incredible. She gives me inspiration to be that talented some day. Her recipes have always turned out perfect for me. I discovered her from a picture of her Neapolitan cake on Pioneer Woman's blog and it was love at first sight. She is also a great photographer, she takes the greatest pictures of her baked good creations. Rosie is my favorite baker!!!
8. Hip Paris - because it's about Paris of course. The pictures are amazing. You can't go wrong looking at pictures of french pastries and Paris.
9. Oh Joy - she talks about food, design, and clothes. I love that she puts what she is currently snaking on. She is my kind of foodie.
10. Already Pretty - Sally is a normal sized woman. I think she's a size 10. She has a passion for fashion and knows what looks good on her. She takes a picture of what she is wearing everyday. I love seeing all her outfits. She also tells where she purchases her outfits. She talks about jewelry, boots, jackets, heels, skits, pants, sweaters, tops, and everything else. I wish I knew her so we could go shopping together.
I hope you check out my favorite blogs and they brighten up your day. If you guys have any favorites let me know.
Sorry I had so much to do and got side tracked. My Audio test was Wednesday night and it went well. Thursday I was still exhausted and brain dead from studying all week. Thursday I did make a wonderful dinner for the family. I noticed Thursdays I can really cook. My Thursday class is over by 2 and Addison just as diving. So we are home by 6 and have time to really cook a nice meal. I also don't have class on Fridays so if we make a big mess and only clean up halfway I have time the next day to clean and organize. I say this because we clean while we are cooking and baking but we end up having a sink and dishwasher full of clean dishes, pots, and pans the next day. So Thursday nights are my Friday night, I guess.
Oh back to what I cooked. I made a Pork Loin with Truffle sauce served over Spinach Risotto. The Risotto was Addison's favorite. He was still eating it 2 days later. Risotto is one of those things that take forever to make but turn out so good, so it's totally worth it.
Here's pics of the dinner:
Oh Pork How do I love thee?
Ciao bella
That will do pig, the will do
Look at Emmy in the background. :)
Perfection!!
So that was my Thursday big meal. I did bake an Apple pie Tuesday and then make Rosemary Chicken Wednesday but they didn't take as long as Thursday meal. I am already thinking about what to make this Thursday. Here's some pics from Tuesday and Wednesday:
I hate peeling apples!!
I love homemade pie crust!
I love my slicer and core tool!
Ready to go into the oven.
Rosemary chicken. My favorite easiest meal to make.
Oh I am excited about something new!!! I bought two new cookbooks, well I call them baking books. They are the BAKED cookbooks. BAKED is a bakery in New York that's won many acclaims. Martha Stewart has praised them and BAKED's brownie is one of Oprah's favorite things. The food network also did a special about "The best thing I have ever eaten" which is their sweet and salty brownie. I learned about them from magazines and blogs. Here's a little video about them:
After seeing so much about them I decided to purchase their two cookbooks and I also live no where near New York to try their baked good. Well, I am so happy I purchased them. I laid in bed Wednesday night reading all the recipes. The bad thing was I couldn't decided what to make first. I decided Thursday to make the Burnt Sugar Bundt Cake with Caramel Rum Frosting. It was delicious!!! Addison has eaten it all up. You burnt sugar and then mix it with coconut milk then mix it with the wet and dry ingredients. It makes a very delicious interesting taste.
They only bad thing is I didn't have a Bundt pan only two small ones. So this meant I needed to get some equipment if I was going to try to bake all these glorious recipes. So Friday I was off the Williams-Sonoma after tennis practice and a movie with Liz and Addison. $150 later I have everything I need. I bought three 8-inch Cake pans, a Bundt pan, a slipmat, a tart pan, pie weights, and some other wonderful things. It so funny how I get excited about purchasing things for the kitchen. I used to buy clothes and shoes now it is all about cooking and baking.
Saturday morning I make the Sweet and Salty Brownies and they were wonderful. They are chocolate brownies with salted carmel inside and then sprinkled with fleur de sel. I love the mix between sweet and salty so these will be favorite brownies to make. I also made Grasshopper Brownies. The are chocolate brownies topped with a creme de methe buttercream and then topped with a chocolate layer. These are Addison's favorite.
So so far I have accomplished 3 recipes and they have been outstanding. JT has asked me to make his co-worker Gary a birthday cake. I have decided the Sweet and Salty Cake. It's 3 layers of chocolate cake soaked with homemade salted caramel and then frosted with a caramel chocolate ganache. JT should get a raise after bringing this to work. :)
Well, I have another test Thursday so my baking won't be that crazy but I will let you guys know what I have created from the BAKED books and how they turned out.
If you interested in baking the Burnt Sugar Bundt Cake I found the recipe here online. You can also purchased the BAKED cookbooks on their website or any bookstore. I got mine at Amazon. They were a really great price there. Also here's the recipes for Spinach Risotto and the Pork Loin.
I had over 60 views on my blog yesterday. That's amazing. I hope it's a good thing. I enjoy talking about cooking and baking but also it gives me a way to just get things off my chest. So in a way it's like therapy, I talk and you all listen. Hey, works for me.
So yesterday I realized a mom's and wife's job is never done. I woke up yesterday and went in the fridge to get Almond milk for my cereal. I noticed that the fridge was unorganized and had a few items that were expired. I took everything out, threw out the expired or not so appetizing items, and wiped down the refrigerator. I also had some jelly that wasn't expired yet but since I make my own jam now I washed out the jars to reuse for homemade jam. All of this and I still hadn't had my coffee and cereal yet. I wondered if JT and Addison would even notice the fridge (they didn't). And then I realized all the things I do around the house that they never notice. How many times a go to the bathroom to brush my teeth and I start cleaning the whole bathroom. But, hey that's my job so I'm not complaining. It's just moms or wives don't get raises or vacations. So I guess I'm just reminding you all to appreciate what they do. A hug or a foot rub would be nice from time to time.
I know some men like my friend Jason would say he would love to help his wife clean but he can't clean by her standards. I know you men try and we end up doing it on our own because you didn't do it "our way" (the right way). I have come to realize that you guys just don't see what we see. I have notice oh so many times Addison or JT walking over something and not even noticing it. I yell don't you think you should pick that up and they have no earthly idea what I am talking about. I ask Addison to clean his room about twice a week, I think he has only cleaned it with out me saying something twice. He says he notices it sometime but I don't think he does. I think men want to live and the chaos and the chaos makes women crazy.
But, since I realize they don't notice it I try to be nice and remind myself they are just men and can't help it. But, I must admit I have had my days of crazy black woman and making everyone stop and clean NOW!
So as I wonder yesterday if they notice the things I do around the house, I remind myself probably not. But really do I really expect them to notice and would I really expect them to start cleaning things just because? No! And if they did clean on their own without me saying something, they probably wouldn't do it right anyways. :)
See you tomorrow for Wednesdays Favorite things.
I leave you with Addison flipping Star Wars pancakes with no shirt on. Hey he wanted to flip just one pancake and yes he runs around the house in just his underwear. Don't tell him I told you. :)
So I have finally started to open an Etsy shop so I could sell the cards I make. So many people have told me I should sell my cards but I didn't know the best way to do it. I decided Etsy was the best and easiest place to sell handmade things. It will be a pain in the butt at first but I hope to get the hang out of it soon. It's just a process to make the cards, then take pictures of them, then log into Etsy, describe them, upload the picture, figure out price and shipping. Whew!!! On top off all that I still have to go to school, cook, clean, bake, take Addison to his activities and be a wife and mom. I guess I don't need to sleep.
As you can see I have a new widget on the right that shows what I am selling on Etsy. Please drop by for a look and tell everyone you know. :)
Well, this weekend I just studied. Saturday, I spent 6 hours in the library. This was sad because it was 80 degrees outside this Saturday and no clouds in the sky. But I have a test this Wednesday so I had to do it and I'm proud of myself. I am prepared for my test and it's only Sunday. I will study Monday and Tuesday night but I won't be freaking out so much. Yes, I freak out before I have a test. I think about how much time I wasted doing other things instead of studying. And realize because of this my grade will reflect my laziness. I know I'm so hard on myself. But, it works and I end up studying harder and end up doing well.
I wonder if any of you do things to psych yourself out. You might not psycho analysis why you do the things you do like I do but I think everyone does something. If we didn't how would we make ourselves do things we were scared of or didn't want to do. Well, maybe it's just me, I AM crazy.
Or maybe I was raised by an Asian mom in another life. I say this because we all know Asian mom's raise their kids differently. They raise them to study and be the best. To succeed and not worry about playing or having a good time. I bring this up because I studied with my classmate Zilong. He's from Beijing, China. He came to American to go to college, to study engineering. I ask him if he misses his family and he says yes but he also mentions this is a great opportunity for him. He wants to stay in America, get a great job, and have a family. When he was leaving China to come to college his cousins asked if he was going to date any American girls. His mother told them he doesn't have time for girls he needs to study. And that's what he does, he is in the library every day and on weekends. He says he lives in the library and he can worry about girls later. He realizes what it cost for him to be in school in America and doesn't take it for granted. He puts in the time to make the good grades and be successful. So I try to study with him because he makes me not feel lazy. He makes me want to do better in school. He makes me realize how fortunate I am to be in school and how wonderful it will be when I graduate with an engineering degree. But then Sunday comes around and I didn't study today. Hey, I AM a lazy American. Baby steps. :)
Our St. Patrick's Day dinner was wonderful. The only bad thing is JT got called out on ER so he couldn't stay to enjoy desert. The corned beef and cabbage was good and easy. I love the slow cooker. And I made chocolate cupcakes with Andes mints inside them. Yummy!
Corned Beef and Cabbage
Addison icing!
He's so proud of himself.
Looking Good
Being artistic
Perfect
Addison put extra icing on these. They look like Dr. Seuss cupcakes.
We had a blast and without any Irish beer. I guess we will save it for this weekend. I hope you all had a great St. Patrick's Day too.
Before I go, some bloggers have started For Japan with Love. They are taking donations for disaster relief in Japan. If you would like to donate you can donate here. Also you can donate at the Red Cross. It's always good to give back and help out.
I hope everyone is wearing green or they are going to get pinched. I know I missed Wednesday's Favorite Things. Addison and I were busy making St. Patrick's Day cards for all of you and his teachers.
Trying to be artsy!
Addison also made a birthday card for his principal since her birthday was yesterday. Isn't he a sweetheart? I also wanted to make cupcakes for his class but I had too much school work. I feel like I'm never going to be able to make cupcakes for his class and I'm running out of holidays. I guess I could try to make them Thursday night and he can take them to school Friday. I don't think his class would care if they were a day late.
Oh I found the cutest St. Patrick's Day cake from I am Baker. Only if I had the time to bake. :(
Now that's a lucky green cake!
I will be cooking Corned Beef and Cabbage in the slow cooker this St. Patrick's Day. You can get the recipe here. And JT has informed me he has gotten beer for us to drink black and tans. So I guess we will be in full Irish spirits.
And now for Luna's and Emmy Lou's Favorite Things:
Luna's
Bone
Carrots
Brocolli
Strawberries
Monkey
Picachau
Addison
Blue
Emmy Lou's
Addison
Mandor (the Guinea Pig)
As you can see Luna is high maintenance and Emmy Lou just wants love. And yes Emmy loves the guinea pig she thinks it's her puppy. She lays next to guinea pig trying to nurse it. It's so weird.
Well, I promise to do a real Favorite Things soon. I will tell you how the Corned Beef and Cabbage turned out. Talk to you later.
Sorry for not blogging Friday and all weekend. I had a busy 4 days. I ended my Spring Break with a bang. :) I actually hung out with friends and family but I had a blast. Friday, Addison and I went to see Battle LA. And then The Godfather and I painted the town red. We just went all over Atlanta. First, we went to Little 5 Points to see a band play, then rushed to Atlantic Station for a movie. We missed the movie so we went to Midtown for Cowtippers to eat a late night dinner. And even though it was after midnight we were persistent and went the movies on 85. I got home at 3:30 AM and was exhausted.
Saturday, JT, Michael, Daniel, Chamell, Jay and I went to the Red Brick Brewery. We had never been on a brewery tour and had a blast. After the brewery Melissa met up with us and we all went to Flip Burger for dinner and Bookhouse for some cocktails. We ended up home by midnight because we are old and can't hang. Also drinking all day was for my college days, I just can't do it anymore.
Sunday I slept. I couldn't get anything done. I was as useless a a mom's college degree (Got that line from 30 Rock). :) JT did get up and make breakfast; his special waffles, bacon ,and eggs. Then we mostly just laid around and watched movies. And JT being the great husband got up again and made spaghetti. He's the best!!!
Today, I finally feel rested and normal. Addison came home screaming "Happy Pi Day" and then asked me to make a pie for his class. I asked him what kind of pie he would like me to make and he said everybody loves apple. So apple it is. I decide to make two because I know my son and he would eat the apple pie instead of give it to his class. So I had him look through my Williams-Sonoma Baking cook book and he picked out a Strawberry and Mascarpone Tart. After these important decisions were made, we started mixing pie crust. I had to make the Tart crust and then two pie crust for the bottom and top of the apple pie. While the crust were chilling in the refrigerator we went to my Audio Technology class. Addison loves going to school with me and it gives him time to work on his homework. After class we started baking the tart and apple pie. Luckily, JT made enough spaghetti for leftovers or I would have had to make dinner too. While the apple pie was baking Addison was debating on taking it to school, I had to remind him about the tart. He told me if the tart wasn't good he was eating the apple pie. See I told you I know my child. Luckily, the tart was tasty and the apple pie is waiting to be eaten by his class. The bad thing is I will never know if the apple pie was good. I guess Addison will have no problem telling me if it is not. :)
Here's some pictures of our Pi day pies:
Addison putting egg and cream on the Apple pie.
Look at me trying to get artsy.
Addison putting strawberries on the tart.
Apple pie in the oven.
The Tart!!
It was delicious.
Not the prettiest but pretty darn good.
I hope his class likes it.
Well, of to bed. I need to start making St. Patrick day cards so I can mail them out ASAP. I'm also debating on making St. Patty's Day cupcakes for Addy's class this Thursday. We will see how this week goes. Talk to you soon.
I am an computer and electrical engineer that has decided to be a stay at home mom. I found that cooking and crafting help me relax from the stress of the daily grind. Finding my passions has made me want to share what I love with others. Maybe this crafty engineer will go out in the workforce one day but for now I am happy being creative.
