Cupcake Wars

Tomorrow is the 2nd of 4 installments of our Food Drive Bake Sale at work and it has officially been dubbed Cupcake Wars.  I'm not sure how many of us are baking, but I know there will be at least 5 different kinds of cupcakes.  My contribution to this friendly war is Chocolate Caramel cupcakes :)

As most people know, I'm a cake mix girl...it's not that I have anything against making a cake from scratch, it's just so much easier to use a box & it's almost as good as from scratch...nuff said :)  Devil's Food happens to be my favorite chocolate cake, so that was the box of choice.

Now, onto the frosting...frosting is something I feel should ALWAYS be made from scratch...after all, cake is just a vehicle to get the frosting in your mouth, right?!  Yesterday, I made some semi-homemade caramel using my friend's recipe/method.  Once completely cooled, I whipped said caramel with a stick of softened butter, an obscene amount of powdered sugar (okay, maybe it was only 1-2 cups), a tsp of vanilla bean paste & then beat this bowl of sweet stickiness into submission!

Hopefully, we'll have tons of cupcakes & an equal amount of cupcake eaters tomorrow!  Wishing you a night of caramelly sweet dreams :)

15 days & counting

Getting through the next 15 days feels both like an eternity & then again, simply not enough time...for what, you may ask???  Two words that make my heart sing...

COSTA RICA!

I absolutely cannot wait to get away (and I mean really away, not just a state or two) for an entire week & enjoy the beach, maybe see a waterfall, maybe visit the botanical gardens & catch up with an old friend & her family.  I've always been intimidated to travel to any Spanish speaking country since I really do not know the language...outside of a few vocab words that somehow managed to stick in my brain from high school. 

These words include:

leche - milk

lechuga - lettuce

gato - cat

carro - car

biblioteca - library

ropa - clothes

zapatos - shoes

cara - face

There may be a few more such as numbers and colors, but that's about the extent of my Spanish :)  Thankfully, my friend not only speaks English, but is also from NC so this alleviates my fears of not being able to communicate in a foreign country.  And I'm definitely looking forward to getting a stamp in my newly acquired passport - which will be 1 year old this October :)

So, until I get to take & post my own ultra fabulous Costa Rica pics...here are a few to drool over :0)

Costa Rica update:  I had to cancel my trip due to my accommodations falling through :(  But, I did manage to take a wonderful vacation to Surfside Beach, SC with my sis :)

Show yourself friendly

Am I the only one who gets realizations in strange places?  Like in an elevator...seriously!  My latest realization did indeed happen in an elevator...a quite unassuming place and while the message did not part heaven & earth, it was quite profound to me.  As a child of God, I've always searched for my purpose - this search has caused me to struggle at different points in my life, yet the search continues.  As I was getting in the elevator at work on Friday heading to lunch, I heard the unmistakable voice of the Holy One say "You are called to be a Friend".

A Friend.  It's amazing how many people either don't know how to be a friend or simply will not take the time to invest in being someone's friend.  This realization has definitely given merit to my acts of just being a friend.  I'm one of those individuals that has always taken to heart Proverbs 18:24 - A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.


I feel like being a friend is a lost and dying art, so I strive to be the best friend that I can.  Thankfully, God has recently brought me some absolutely wonderful friends - whom I needed very much.  The best thing is that we are able to be "that" kind of friend for each other...both giving & receiving equally - and that, I believe, is God's plan :)
 
So, here's to finding God's plan for your life & no matter what, always being a great friend :)
 

Bake Sale Beauties

Tomorrow, our company is having the first of 4 bake sales to raise money for the Atlanta Food Bank - of which we are one of the largest contributors :)  So today, I've been baking a couple of my favorite things & thought I'd share the recipes :)

My aunt Penney makes the best chess pie you will ever put in your gourd!  The recipe came my from my grand-mother's sister, Mildred, and I've never attempted it until today :)  I was able to procure said recipe from the aunt last Thanksgiving after indulging in this yummy sweetness & have been waiting for the perfect occasion to try it out.  So after stopping at 3 different stores, I finally found mini pie crusts - a must for a bake sale and have now baked my cute little pies & am extremely pleased!

Without further adeiu, here is Aunt Mildred's Chess Pie

1 box brown sugar
3 eggs
1 (5oz.) can evaporated milk
1 stick butter or margerine (melted)
3 T. flour
1 t. vanilla
dash of salt
2 unbaked pie shells or 14 unbaked mini pie shells

Mix all ingredients together & pour into unbaked pie shells.  Bake at 350 for 35-45min for regular pies & approx. 30min for mini pies.  Let cool completely...approx. 2 hours.

Now for the chocolate chip cookies...I actually love the recipe that's inside the Crisco Baking Sticks Butter Flavor - I know, I know...not real butter, but I've come to realize that if you put real butter in chocolate chip cookies they tend to spread out way too much & be very thin & crispy instead of nice & chewy. The only change I made to this recipe was using a chopped bar of Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet chocolate instead of chocolate chips & I'm so glad I did...super yummy!

Ultimate Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/4 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 c. Crisco baking sticks
2 T. milk
1 t. vanilla
1 large egg
1 3/4 c. all purpose flour
1 t. salt
3/4 t. baking soda
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips (or 1 4 oz. bar of Ghiradelli 60% Cacao bittersweet chocolate - chopped)

Heat oven to 375.  Combine brown sugar, shortening, milk & vanilla in large bowl.  Cream together until light & fluffy; beat egg into creamed mixture.  Combine flour, salt & baking soda; stir slowly into creamed mixture; then add chocolate.  Drop rounded tablespoons 2-inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 8-10 minutes for chewy cookies or 11-13 for crisp cookies.  Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheet before removing to cooling rack.  Makes 3 dozen smaller cookies or 1 1/2 - 2 dozen larger cookies.

So, from my kitchen to yours...bake something yummy & make sure to taste the sweetness :)

Bag-o-Lazy-Bones

Yes, yes & a big resounding yes...while I hate to admit it, laziness has overtaken me :0(

I need a major rejuvination...a major motivation...a major kick in the arse...a major something to work for.

Not sure if this is the edge of depression...or just a phase...I'm hoping for a phase - and that it ends quickly.

My life cannot continue from my sofa...maybe I should sell it!  I am moving in a couple months - and that would mean less furniture to move...hmmmmm

Or maybe I should cut off my cable since it seems to consume the bulk of my time - and that would mean saving a little money...hmmmmm

Or maybe I need to to go on a missions trip or something to gain some perspective...hmmmmm

Or maybe I need to stop whining, put my big girl panties on & deal with it...hmmmmm

Either way, something has to change, but maybe - just maybe - tomorrow will bring something new :0)

UPDATE:
One vital option that I totally forgot was HORMONES!  Oh yes, this terrible fit of laziness was most definitely brought on my those dreaded villians!  Thankfully, the sea has rolled back & the laziness has become a bit less lately :0)

A.S.S. = Another Silky Shawl :)

I actually started this prayer shawl almost a year ago, but it was truly taking forever due to the size needles I was using.  So, after the success of my mohair/silk birthday shawl, I decided to up the needle size, pull the project out & start again.  Thankfully, I was able to finish in a few days rather than several months!

For this one, I decided to put a line of clear crystal beads up either side of the shawl & I'm definitely happy with the way it turned out.  I can't wait for my friend to get this little package in the mail...I hope she'll love it as much as I enjoyed making it for her.

Without further adieu, here it is :)

SAGEV SAL!

I just got back from my first trip to LAS VEGAS...and was very pleased that I quite enjoyed it!  While most of my time was spent at  a software conference, I still had a wonderful time.  I stayed at the Aria Hotel & Casino, had a fantastic room with a great city view & got to visit the one hotel I will be staying at the next time I go back...the Venetian :)  So, here are a few pics of my lovely trip :)

View from my room at the Aria

This may be the Rio Hotel - not quite sure though :)

View of the Strip from the Las Vegas airport

Night view from my room

Fremont in old Vegas

Dancing Fountains at the Bellagio

Inside the Venetian

The canal inside the Venetian

Gelato in the Venetian

Fountain in the Venetian

Atlanta from the air - almost home :)