the battle of the cake pop

I tend to be fairly somewhat super busy, and in my rare moments with absolutely nothing to do, I sometimes start looking for a new hobby or project. Because I guess I'm crazy. Alas, I recently was wandering around Marshall's with one-hour-too-many on my hands and got overly inspired when I saw a cake pop pan on clearance. CAKE POPS! SO EASY AN IDIOT CAN BUY THE PAN AND THINK SHE CAN DO IT!

I had two baby showers coming up and I figured if I could master these little guys, that would take care of the favors or desserts for both parties. After 3 rounds of trials, I've decided that the ROI on cake pops is not even close to being high enough to justify the amount of time and effort they require. That being said... I never knew it would be so gratifying to actually produce a round, edible, intact ball of cake. Come with me on the journey...

Round 1: Prepare cake mix in the clearance pan. Follow the directions, and have this happen to you.

 

When you finally dislodge them, you melt some candy melts in a bowl, dip the stick into the melted chocolate, stick it into the cake pop, then freeze them for about 10 minutes so the stick will adhere to the cake pop.

 

Here's where it gets super tricky. Then you melt the rest of the candy melts and dip each cake pop in one by one. Sounds easy right! STOP RIGHT THERE. First of all, I tried melting them in plastic baggies, because I'm retarded, and those bags shriveled up so fast in the microwave it looked like they were covered in gangrene. Second of all, these candy melts, which are the only ones I could find at any store, are horrible for dipping cake pops. Even when melted, it's so thick and heavy that the weight of it rips the cake pop off of the stick, so then you have to kind of drip the chocolate on with a spoon, and then it looks like this.

what a masterpiece

Meanwhile I was reading tips from a cool site called Bakerella, who makes cake pops like this. So you see my frame of reference....

Then comes the fun step of drying them. The internet suggests either sticking them in floral foam (the green brick thingie) or using a colander. I had neither but I did have a not-so-handy basket, so I ghetto-rigged that drying center right up!

if you don't look too closely, they don't look so awful :)

these were the only 3 out of 24 that panned out. that's a 1:8 ratio. wahh wahhhhhh

Round 2: Laura came over and we tried a new recipe for fudgy cake pops, which I figured would be more dense and better for dipping. We did 1 set in the cake pan, which was a complete fail. That's when the clearance pan and I parted ways.

The other way to make cake pops is to bake a normal cake, then break it up into tiny crumbs, then add a little frosting to the crumbs to make them stick together. Then you hand roll each ball. SUCCESS! FINALLY!

It took an intense amount of frosting to make them look decent, and it was too much of a juxtaposition to the little bit of cake. Unless you're into really aggressive frosting.

So we ended up ditching the candy melts and dipped them in melted cream cheese frosting this time. Extra delicious, and much lighter than the melts!  

Round 3: This was the real mccoy, the weekend of baby shower #1. I tried 2 more new things - melted white chocolate for dipping (this was the perfect consistency) and full sprinkles on the outside (great for disguising frosting inconsistencies).

Stick 'em in a bag, put a bird on it, and call it a day!

So now the real question is: are these in any way shape or form possibly worth the time they take to make? The people eating them take two bites and it's over. And it took me 5 hours per 2 dozen cake balls. I can't say that's smarter than buying them straight from a bakery, which would be about $30 and a lot tastier. 

But then the masochist in me comes out and says things like, "But hey! It's fun to bake!" and "Now you already have all the ingredients so it'll be free next time!" and "Surely it can't 5 hours every time because you can't possibly be that slow and retarded!" UGH WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!

last batch for a while :)

If anyone is also clinically insane and has made these before, please let me know if you have any secret weapons you can share! And in the meantime, if you talk to anyone who says making cake pops is easy, then you should punch them in the face because it's not nice to lie, okay?!

sweet 16

It seems only fair that Powder get a little blog-love today, on her most important birthday -- lucky number 16! My fluffernugget is deafer and more manipulative than ever. She gets treats when she's sick, face scratching on the regular, a prime lap spot despite there being a computer ALSO in the lap, first dibs on fresh chicken, outdoor adventures galore, and the highly coveted "little spoon" position. She's the best.

Happy birthday P-diddy! 

a wedding for the books

This past month, one of dearest, sweetest, most wonderful friends AMY got married to an equally wonderful guy, Matt! Over the years, we've had a couple of awesome weekends as a four-some (like here and here) so we were pretty bummed when Brian couldn't come to Austin for the nuptials because of his show, but I tried to make the most of it for both of us!

rowdy bridal luncheon! (not exaggerating)

afternoon with mego and rachel at the co-po. the development is BOOMING these days! if only I could've kept my house there...

 loved Matt's Miami look and all the sweet toasts from the rehearsal dinner! afterwards at J Black's, obvi.

I have to say that Amy was a remarkable bride. Not only was she incredibly beautiful and SO freaking happy on the day-of, but she was super laidback throughout the whole planning process and didn't waste any time obsessing over details that wouldn't matter. I was so proud of her for just keeping it simple, from the time of the engagement (6 months) to the size of the wedding party (just her two sisters) to the location (one of only a few that she considered). She made decisions swiftly and stayed focus on what mattered to creating a day that she and Matt could enjoy with their friends and family. It sounds ridiculous to say - like who wouldn't want to do that - but even the best of us can get so wrapped up in the minutia of things that really at the end of the day don't matter.




Being so laidback paid off on the day-of as well, since you could tell they were having the best time! They seemed to be really present in all conversations, which is REALLY hard to do in the midst of 125 of your closest friends and family, and more importantly, they rocked the dance floor / glow sticks / and everything in between. And, they were both radiating (a little heat, and a LOT of happiness) - I can't tell you how many people commented on what a good-looking couple they are. Truth.

breathtaking dress and veil

so freaking cute together

is that a Phish show, or Matt's ideal wedding?

the earrings came on, the bow tie came off, and they got down to business

Being in Austin for 3 full days was also pretty awesome for me, because I got to spend a decent bit of time just chilling out, eating and going out with friends, and making a couple of house calls to see old friends and their new babies and growing families! The main person I didn't get to see was Amanda and her precious baby Paige, but that'll give me something to look forward to next time. I felt a major heart pang when I landed in Austin, as if I couldn't believe we don't actually live there like we should. Of course we love Chicago or we wouldn't be here, but man those emotions can really come flooding back. There is just so much to love about the city and the life I had there, so it's hard to reconcile that with the rest of the life I've built since then--you forget how many dimensions your life has and it seems weird that such different pieces can all fit together to make up your very own experiences. But I'm so grateful for every trip back because it reminds me of things I want more in my life (queso, I'm talking to you) and things that I'd be missing out on if I were still there.

Thanks for the great weekends, Mr. & Mrs. Foxy! Love you both so much!

bite-sized blogging

We've had a lot going on over here, and the more that happens (um like Africa?!), the more daunting it is for me to think about "covering it" on the blog. So here's a quick recap of spring-summer to date, since weather-wise they've basically been stuffed into the same two-month period...let's not even go there.

The Bike Shop

One day Brian decided to buy an old kid's bike on Craigslist for $15. This actually wasn't as weird as some of his other "killer deals" from Cragislist, like the child's bike trailer or the vintage baby scale. (We are not having a child so you can see how these purchases are a hair disconcerting.) But anyway, he actually DID have a plan for this one: to fix it up and re-sell it. So within a week, we had a full blown bike shop up and running on our deck. The funniest thing about the Bike Shop is that a bunch of the guys have ridden over after work to fix something on their bikes, or just hang out. It's a regular 1960s juke joint. 

 

before: rusty, grody

after: shiny, tuned up, new wheels, ready to ride!

just another afternoon at the Bike Shop

The Gardening
We gave in again to the annual masochistic cycle of paying $100 for flowers for the porch, only to slowly and steadily kill them all off. This year, Brian took the reins away from me and decided he'll be in charge of watering, so that should be interesting. So far, so pretty darn good, huh?

as you can see, I use the term "gardening" loosely

we started out very intentionally picking out flowers based on how much sunlight they need, and by the end we were like ahh F it, these are pretty, let's go. they are pretty though, right? :)

The Pregnant Friends
My two besties here are both pregnant, due in August and September, so it's been pretty awesome to ride the wave with them. Granted this has really cut down on my BYOB sushi nights, but it's exciting to see them grow, literally, and figuratively grow into the idea of being a parent and what that might/probably/could entail. What a crazy-scary-awesome adventure...requires so much bravery. Meanwhile, Ashley is kicking off the baby wave in Austin, so we'll finally have a little Texas baby in the group come November!
 

baby's first Cubs game!

 

nobody in this pic is pregnant but they're still pretty darn cute

The Anniversary
We've been great so far about staying true to the traditional anniversary themes for our gifts, so we did paper gifts for Year 1, cotton for Year 2, and this year was leather. Get your mind out of the gutter, we kept it clean and oddly similar, ha. Brian got me a cool brown leather bracelet that says "love" in really tiny letters, and I got him a sweet brown leather watch that he can wear at his new 9-to-5, what what! For the last 5 1/2 years, he's been doing theater full-time, with a bunch of odd jobs here and there. Don't get me wrong, it certainly makes for an interesting lifestyle, but it's cool too that he's trying the corporate life on for size. He's still juggling theater in the after-hours, which is turning this into a pretty intense summer...but hey, that's how we roll around here!

he LOVES it when I take pictures at dinner

love him more all the time

 

tales from the train IV

Given how nauseous I get every morning on the bumpy/winding train, it's a wonder this didn't happen sooner. I had actually forgotten about it until today we had lunch catered in at work from a Greek restaurant and I thought, "Man, I haven't eaten this stuff since....oh....yeah...."

So I think you already know how this story's going to go, but indulge me.

It was a really stressful day at work. I'd woken up with some sharp shooting pains in my stomach but thought it would pass. By about 11, I realized it was just getting worse and so was my day, thus it was probably anxiety-related, and that if I didn't leave, we were going to have a "situation." At 12, lunch was catered. I can never resist a good gyro and thought maybe a little lamb might calm my stomach? Anyone? Anyone?

Because of my no-good-very-bad-horrible-day, I couldn't get out of the office until 5:30....riiiiiiiight smack dab in the middle of rush hour train traffic. Usually I missed this by at least an hour so I realized this was going to be an extra fun ride. I have 10 stops and 1 transfer, so I buckled in for the long haul.

Halfway in, I realized things were going from bad to worse, so I jumped off at an early stop. All was well - I sat on the ground knowing I'd have a few minutes to regroup before the next train came along.

After re-boarding, once the doors closed, I faced the realization that I was definitely going to throw up, immediately. I could throw up right there, on everyone (pretty much my second worse fear...we'll save my biggest fear for another post). Or maybe just maybe by a miracle from St. Peter himself I could make it to the next stop...

scene of the crime, courtesy of the internet

An excruciating game of mind-over-matter ensued, and within two minutes we were at our stop. I super casually walked off the train, walked against the flow of traffic on the platform toward the trash can, at the last minute realized the lid was weirdly constructed and there was no way I could aim inside the can. And then I projectile vomited all over--and off the edge of--the train platform. Which actually at first didn't seem like the worst thing that had ever happened to me since the platform had pretty much cleared from all the passengers. I stood up, brushed myself off, then swiveled to see every other commuter in town on the opposite platform gaping at me in horror. And honestly, it was so embarrassing that I started laughing. Which probably was the creepiest thing I could've done.

Chicago public transpo + gyros: 1
LB = 0

5 days of pools

I thought I had posted this a while back and somehow I hadn't - oops! Reverse to late May...aaaaaand scene. 

____________________________________

I just had the most unexpectedly lovely 5 days! 

Stop 1: Dallas for Amy’s bachelorette party

I think my crowning achievement of this weekend is tied between 1) ordering 10 honey butter chicken biscuits at 2 a.m., and 2) not having a hangover after two nights of power drinking. Yeahhhhh 30 years old and still kicking! (I feel like that’s an open invitation for karma to lay me out the next time I drink but whateverrrrrrrrr I’m crazyyy remember?!).

We had a really big group—18 in total—which fortunately included the ladies from Austin that I miss so much and of course, my favorite beautiful bride Amy! So for me, it was sort of a double whammy to get to celebrate Amy and do so with all of our mutual friends. In a way, weddings and bachelorette weekends sort of substitute for our girls trips now, so we really max out our time together…in the best way!

what up W!

The highlight of the weekend was a pole dancing class, which we naturally decided to take to an unnecessary level by dressing 80s for it and pre-drinking for several hours before showing up. Which meant that I spent two hours of laughing my ass off instead of working it. In true costume-loving fashion, everybody went balls-out on their outfits too, although I think these two take the cake:

Ain't no shame in this game

There was a lot of other great stuff to love about the weekend, but I especially loved seeing how different groups of girls that are mostly connected in some way but maybe aren’t close can band together for a relaxing, dancy, hilarious, and occasionally raunchy good time!

Stop 2: Ft. Worth for Mother’s Day

Since I was just a hop-skip-and-a-jump away, I rode with Megan back to Ft. Worth and spent the next 24 hours with my mom for Mother’s Day! Even though we definitely celebrated her, I think I got the positive end of the stick. My mom recently bought an amazing house with a pool, hot tub, etc., and now was the first time I was able to actually use it. Ho.ly.Moly. I seriously felt like I was at Club Med. Since I was last there, they have really amped up the outdoor décor and it is really beautiful. The pool is heated, there are outdoor speakers playing music, the treadmill is set up in front of a TV, and there’s a dry sauna…with a TV in it.

#wherewasthis15yearsago

We spent most of our time lolling around in the pool, chatting, and me teaching my mom new phrases like “totes b’goats”—which incidentally she thought was “choke my goat”. I made it clear that that takes on an entirely different meaning.

Tex Mex lunch, obvi

For those of you who know about my mom's shopping habits...right now she's on a bronze kick. Hence, the bronze pelican on the edge of the hot tub....

Ole Johnny boy (i.e. stepfather) waving from the hot tub. Loving life!

Stop 3: Miami for a work conference

So I was already coming off of a truly wonderful 3 days in row, and rolling that right into a conference on consumer trends, which really dives into human behavior and why we do the things we do...well, that's just a nerd's dream. This conference was the bomb.com for 3 reasons. 

ummm what?!

First, not only was it great to be around a bunch of people who more-or-less do the same thing I do, but it reinvigorated me to love what I’m doing. Not to say that I don’t still feel like I’m missing something more purposeful in my job, but at the core of what I do…holy cats, my job is interesting. Some of the topics were: why playing video games is good for us, how to predict food trends, differences between men and women, and how to tell a story with your brands. DELICIOUS.

The hotel was way too classy for me, and I loved it. Eden Roc Renaissance on South Beach, do it.

Second, I won a prize at one of the sessions and I got to accompany a small group to a new restaurant called Tuyo, which is Norman Van Aken’s latest and greatest—he’s apparently the shit, James Beard winner and whatnot, look him up. We got to see a food demonstration and tour the Miami Culinary Institute (the restaurant sits on top), and of course, eat his divine food. My favorite part was sitting next to a woman named Ramin who is a journalist but also a cookbook author, who has a lot of writing awards and is generally just a fascinating person. The conversation with her and the whole table was so bizarre and incredible, we covered everything from how George Washington treated his slaves to Angelina Jolie’s double mastectomy and what it means to predict the future of your health. Pretty dynamic chatting, especially for not knowing each other before that day. 

Flan demonstration. I drooled and learned nothing.

Third, location location location. We were at a phenomenal hotel called the Eden Roc Renaissance, right on the beach. I found time in the mornings and after the sessions to walk, lay out, and enjoy the sunshine, sand, and water. Let's not talk about the worst sunburn of my life, which I got after one hour of no sunscreen (long story) and was in hypersensitive pain for seven straight days. I forget how much I love the beach, probably because all of our vacations revolve around skiing or weddings, but I think it’s amazing. Even just the sound of the water is so relaxing; it’s impossible to be stressed out there. And the fact that I got to get a little taste of the beach for free, on work time, well…can’t beat that. 

sunrise

good news

The guy on the train next to me (talking to a woman on the phone) has decided he's going to stop giving other people Viagra, because he's not a doctor, and also because God probably wouldn't like that he's helping people fornicate. But rest assured, if she ever wants to get married, his equipment is fully functioning.