Cake Pops: Fail

In many ways, Bakerella (www.bakerella.com) is my hero. Her baking creations are so cute, I can't help but gush over them. Yesterday, I decided to give cake pops a go for myself. The plan was to use red and yellow candy melts to make little pumpkin cake pops for halloween. As I gathered all of the ingredients, I was feeling quite proud of myself for thinking up a such a cute idea. It went against almost everything I believe in to buy that boxed cake mix and can of frosting, but visions of miniature pumpkins on lollipop sticks danced in my head.

Once home I baked the cake, no problem there, and let it cool. When it came time to add the frosting, I just couldn't bring myself to add the entire can, so half the can went in, and everything looked just fine. Unfortunately, the cake balls kept crumbling off the sticks - I think for lack of frosting. I quickly decided to forgo the sticks -- Bakerella's cake balls are just as cute anyway. I heated the candy melts into a color that resembled orange, and began dipping. I was amazed at how much candy coating each ball took, and how long it took me to dip them. In the end I had about six dipped cake balls (which then very magically stayed on their sticks).

Not as cute as Bakerella's by far! The real downer -- they were so sickeningly sweet! Cake + Frosting + Candy Coating = TOO MUCH SUGAR!

The upside is that I discovered a great new way to get my cake fix. Cameron doesn't like desert, so I never eat it, and every once in a while I just get these cravings. Anyway I took the undipped cake balls, which tasted pretty good, and froze them. I tried one today, and it was delicious straight from the freezer - like a cupcake, only smaller. I will definitely be making these again.

Lesson: Somethings are too good to be true, and Bakerella's cute cake pops are one of them.

A Quarter of a Century

Thanks to everyone for the sweet birthday wishes. Things have been so hectic now that the school year is back in full swing. I have 90 students at CSUCI and 55 at UCSB, and I've been feeling pretty overwhelmed. It was really nice to hear from everyone on my birthday!

Cameron and Ziggy were especially sweet. Ziggy dressed up to come wake me up for my birthday. (Excuse the mess. This picture was taken in "Cameron's Man Cave".)

That was pretty much the best way to wake up! Then when I came out of the bedroom, Cameron was waiting for me with balloons, roses, a monkey card, the new Regina Spektor CD and a puzzle of a picture from our honeymoon.

Even though I had to teach my section from 7:00 - 8:00 that night, Cameron took me out to dinner at Stella Mare's afterwards. It's a French restaurant that we've been wanting to try for quite some time. I am not usually a big fan of French food, as it is just way too rich. This place was really good though. Even though the food was rich, it had a nice balance. Plus the restaurant is in this big old house from the 1800s, so the atmosphere is really romantic.

Friday morning, we left for Philadelphia where we attended one of the most fun weddings I've ever been to. Plus Seth and Stacy drove up from DC to hang out, eat Cheese Steaks and go beer tasting! The couple getting married were Cam's good friends from college, so he had a blast seeing all of his old Brandeis buddies. They threw a big party at a hip bowling alley in Philadelphia the night before the wedding. The wedding its self was in Stockton, NJ at an old mill. Not only was it a beautiful venue for the fall, but everything was so relaxed and fun. Of course the food was great as well, and they had four different desserts: cupcakes, smores, candied apples, and four different types of pie!

This is a picture of Cameron and Steve fighting with their iPhone light sabers in the CVS parking lot while we waited for Janna to get some cold medicine. Steve and Janna are such a fun couple! It was the first time we've gotten to spend time with them when one of us wasn't getting married. It was really a great weekend.

Time Flies

Where did all that time go? The last few weeks just skipped by me. I've really been enjoying the season though! I went apple picking with my parents a couple weeks ago, and made a beautiful apple pie (now in my freezer). We went to the avocado festival in Carp. and enjoyed the avocado ice cream and lots of guacamole. KU has been playing a decent football game, but the Chargers have not had the best of luck. This past week we have been lucky enough to have brunch with my MIL and dinner with Cam's aunt and uncle, as they were passing through town. I just love living close enough that we get to see family often! I really hope that we don't have to leave Southern California after grad school, but we'll just see how it goes. I've also been contemplating making a Sour Dough Starter, but I'm not quite ready to commit to another pet. : ) These two are enough of a handful for now.

It has been so cold and dreary lately, that last weekend I just stayed in and baked. :) I started with a whole sugar pumpkin and ended up with toasted pumpkin seeds and some pretty tasty muffins! I've been working on this pumpkin bread/muffin recipe for a couple weeks now, and this time they came out pretty well.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

These are pretty much the tastiest treats I've ever had. My mother made them every October, and I swear it's part of what makes this my favorite time of year. Wash pumpkin seeds thoroughly and dry with paper towels. Spread seeds out on a baking sheet and toss with a tablespoon of canola oil, sprinkle with season salt, and bake at 350 degrees. Stir occasionally until browned and toasty.

Maple Pumpkin Muffins with Candied Pecans

Muffins

1/2 cup Grade B Maple Syrup

1/2 cup Brown Sugar, packed

1 Sugar Pumpkin, baked and mashed

OR 1 16 oz. can Pumpkin

1 large Egg

1/3 cup Canola Oil

1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

2 cups Bread Flour OR All Purpose Flour

1/4 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1 tsp. Cloves

1/2 tsp. Nutmeg

1-2 cups Candied Pecans

Mix maple syrup, brown sugar, pumpkin, egg, oil, and vanilla extract. Add in flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, mixing well. Pour batter into greased muffin tins, and top with a couple candied pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 min.

To candy your own pecans, simply melt a couple tablespoons of butter in a pan. Stir in 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1-2 Tbs. maple syrup and 1-2 cups of raw Pecans. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously until liquid disappears.

Top 5 Things I Love about Fall

5. Sweaters

OK, so everyone loves sweaters right? While I do get to wear light jackets year round thanks to our never-changing weather, I only bust out the knits during the fall. I have a whole drawer just for this season!

4. Colors of Fall
In a couple of weeks we get to escape coastal living. Two of Cameron's good college friends are getting married at this mill in Stockton, NJ. We're staying in Philly, and I'm really excited for a couple of days in the land of seasons. Plus the wedding looks like it's going to be awesome. A relaxed afternoon of "bluegrass, brews and BBQ".

3. Empty Beaches

We try to take our dog down to the beach everyday so that he can run around and get some of that endless energy out. Fortunately, we live about two blocks from the beach. Unfortunately, it is the beach right in front of the Four Seasons Biltmore. During the summer months the beach is filled with very rich Europeans who do not appreciate an extremely friendly and sandy 80-lb. dog.

2. Sports
Of course fall marks the beginning of Basketball season, and Jayhawk basketball is pretty much my favorite thing on TV (sorry Lost). Since meeting Cameron, I've also become a San Diego Chargers fan. I love making game day food, and spending an afternoon cheering on the Chargers with my husband. Last weekend I made Brie, Spinach and Artichoke Dip and Jalapeño Poppers. There is a little tension when the Chargers play the Chiefs, but I was never a huge Chiefs fan anyway. Besides there's nothing wrong with a little healthy competition. :)

1. Flavors of Fall
Of course food is the thing I look forward to the most! It's cool enough for baking, so I can enjoy my new homemade bread faze with out turning the house into a sauna. Fall calls to mind the rich flavors of squash, mushrooms, lentils, brown rice, apples, cashews, pecans, cranberries, artichokes, etc... Yum! I'm hungry just thinking about it.

Happy New Year!

So today is Rosh Hashanah -- Jewish New Year and the begining of the year 5770. Last night I cooked up a big meal before we headed off to the temple. (Jewish holidays begin the night before -- think Christmas eve.) I'm particularly proud of the challah I made. It was only my second attempt at challah, and while the first one was edible, it was not amazing. This time it turned out perfectly! In fact Cameron

said it was his favorite part of the meal, which also included Alaskan Halibut. If you know anything about Cameron, you know that's about the highest praise any food can get. If you're interested in making some yummy bread (and even yummier french toast), check out this recipe.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/My-Challah-235867

I used the pinwheel braiding technique to make a round challah for Rosh Hashanah (everything is supposed to be round on this holiday to symbolize the cycles of life). I really liked this technique and it gives you the ability to "fold in" extras to the bread like cinnamin and sugar or preserves.

On a side note. We found this short video yesterday, and it made me crack up! It was taken by Seth a couple days before the wedding. Enjoy!

AND THE WINNER IS...

Over the last two weeks we have been anxiously awaiting the results of our dog's DNA test. We've been debating getting it done ever since we got him. Every time we take him out people admire him and always ask what type of dog he is. It wouldn't be so bad if we had at least a guess, but he just doesn't seem to resemble any breed. When we got him, the people at the shelter told us that he was a German Shepard, Border Collie mix. Later on guesses ranged from Chow to Great Dane to Grey Hound to Visla. Everyone had a different guess, which is why we were shocked when the DNA test results came back with two breeds that NOBODY had ever guessed. So here it is...

37-74% Rottweiler

37-74% Siberian Husky

We've been a little bit skeptical, mostly because the results were such a shock. Of course genetics is a funny business, and I do remember that both of his sisters were black and fuzzy. We're just not totally convinced though...

Labor Day Weekend!

We spent the weekend in one of the most beautiful places on earth -- Pacific Grove, visiting Cameron's Dad. We had a really great time walking, hiking, going to the Monterey aquarium, and hanging out with some beautiful horses. Margaret even gave me a lesson on riding English style. I had no idea it was so different than Western!!

The best part of the weekend did not happen in Pacific Grove, but in Scottsdale, AZ, where Cameron's brother, Seth, got engaged! I'm so so happy for Seth and Stacy. I just love them both so much as people, and I'm really excited to see them finally tie the knot. Hopefully we'll all live close enough when we all settle down that we'll be able to see each other often.