This Might Be My Favorite Chocolate Cake Ever

I've now made this cake twice; Once for my Grandfather's 80th birthday two years ago and once for my Dad's 51st Birthday a few days ago. I was sold the first time, but this cake takes a fair amount of dedication (aka time) so it took me a while to make it again. (Note: The recipes themselves aren't very hard, it is just that making the cake requires 4 different recipes!!) This recipe comes from Southern Living and is called Bourbon Chocolate Cake with Praline Frosting; I found it in the magazine a few years ago but you can find it HERE online. Allow me to break it down and tell you why it is so delicious.

Hello, Delicious Cake.

A. The cake itself.

The layers are fairly thin, with a fine crumb (aka it is fairly dense).  It is usually very moist as long as you don't over bake!  The chocolate flavor isn't as intense as some cakes, but I think it is perfect for this one because you get so much chocolate from the....

B. The chocolate ganache.

The ganache recipe is very simple: chocolate chips, cream, butter. Yum Yum Yum. I love that this cake doesn't have the usual buttercream or 7 minute frosting (or canned store bought frosting). The ganache goes in between the layers and on the sides, and it makes the whole cake feel/taste very rich. True Confession: I have a liberal hand when it comes to frosting-application so I made a double recipe and had some left over.

C. The bourbon glaze

I'm not much of a drinker....and I'm not a liquor drinker at all.  However, the bourbon glaze absolutely makes this cake the best.  It gives it a really nice flavor that kind of cuts some of the sweetness going on.  Besides, you get to light the glaze on FIRE and that is pretty fun.

D. The praline frosting

It doesn't get much better than pralines, and praline frosting may be my new favorite of all frostings.  It is simple to make and completely delicious. When it cools it gets harder, like..um...well, pralines. This simple frosting would go a long way in dressing up a plain chocolate cake even without the ganache and glaze.

Consider this a rave review.  Thanks, Southern Living, for this great recipe!

PS- I have to tell you, this is definitely a special occasion cake.  I can't say I'd recommend this for everyday consumption. I think you end up using close to a pound of butter after the whole thing is said and done.  Everything in moderation!

Big News! (Plus a yummy popsicle recipe)

The last month or so has been Ron-Swanson-style-cRazy. I defended my thesis, started my last summer of internships, and bought a house.

In my opinion, all of these things are awesome and important, but the house part is definitely going to be the most influential change for this little blog.

I have so much to do! I’ve been pinning like crazy (Thank you, Pinterest, for existing) and have already started a few little projects. I can’t wait to share them, but none are done yet.

In order to make my new home as completely adorable as possible, I’ve been haunting all kinds of homegoods and craft stores lately (AKA I’m doing a lot of window shopping).  I happened across some popsicle molds a few days ago and couldn’t resist a nostalgic purchase.  I always loved having homemade popsicles during the summer as a kid! Las night I whipped up a batch of some peanut butter banana popsicles.  So easy, so delicious!

¾ c milk

1 banana

2 tbsp peanut butter

Blend, pour into the molds, freeze, and enjoy

Oh, did I mention the molds are rocket ship shaped? 

A Brief Break from Blogging

I'll be back in May.  My thesis is calling.

Watch out though, because I've got a whole new reason to be crafty coming up.  You won't believe it :)

Happy Birthday, Baby!

Disclaimer: Blogger is being the worst, and taking out the spaces between something like every 15th word.  You know I dislike typos.  This is killing me.

Having a baby niece gives me a perfect reason to buy all sorts of pink ribbon and whatnot. Making things for babies is extra fun becaus eeverything can be colorful, whimsical, and sweet.   My little niece’s 1^st birthday was this weekend, but this time I didn’t make her present because I found something much, much better than the dress I was planning on making her.

You see, a few months ago I was perusing the shelves of a little bookstore in Savannahwhen I found a baby version (BabyLit’s “Little Miss Austen”) of Pride andPrejudice.  I was delighted.  Every girl needs a proper introduction to Jane Austen; the earlier the better.  Thebook is adorable- you can check out a few of the pages on Amazon.  While I was buying the book the owner of the store told me that they had just gotten these books in, and that in the next few months other BabyLit books would be coming out.   I gave my niece Pride and Prejudice forChristmas, and by all reports she loves it. My sister-in-law even sent me picture of her crawling around holding it,which I think bodes well for her academic and emotional success in thefuture…hehe…

A week or so ago I turned my attention to finding a suitable birthday present for the little one.  As previously mentioned, I had been thinking about making her a dress; I’d even already bought the pattern.  However, I suddenly remembered what the bookshop lady said about the other BabyLit books,and I couldn’t resist doing a little online searching.  What I really was looking for was the “LittleMiss Bronte” version of Jane Eyre, which is hands-down my favorite of all theBronte sister’s works.  (Wuthering Heights is just depressing. At least at the end of Jane Eyre Mr. Rochester is still alive).  Unfortunately, the book isn’t coming out until March, and it seemed slightly evil to give a baby a printout of a pre-ordered book for her first birthday. 

I noticed something interesting in the “Customers who bought this also bought…” section, though…a series of books called the “Mini MastersSeries”.  I was intrigued.  As it turns out, they are little board books filled with the paintings of famous artists with accompanying rhyming text.  They have names like Sharing with Renoir, Painting with Picasso, and Quiet Time with Cassatt.  (Let it be known my knowledge of art is notextensive.  All credit for my informal education goes to Whitney, my artist friend) I decided to go with the boxed set, which is all impressionists.  We have Dancing with Degas, A Picnic withMonet, A Magical Day with Matisse, and In the Garden with Van Gogh.  They came in the mail last week, and I was rather impressed.  I fully realize that these gift choices cement me firmly in the “Crazy Aunt” category, but I am supremely unconcerned. 

Anyway, on to the part where it gets crafty.  I wanted to make a card to go with the present, of course.  I know babies don’t really care about cards, except maybe about wanting to put them in their mouths.  I thought I would try to make a card Kayla might at least enjoy touching, and that is why I used lots of different textures and bright colors.  The outside of the card is felt, which will feel soft and be fun for her to touch, I hope.  I used a lighter pink for the elephant body,a little ribbon for the tail, and bigger ribbon for the elephant head.  (I think I’ve discussed the making of ribbonelephants on here before, actually, so I won’t do it again).  The best part is the balloons.  They’re little pink and orange buttons, withribbons for strings.  I used anotherbutton and some elastic to make a little latch to keep the card closed (verysimilar to my ribbon bookmark method) The pictures don’t show it, but inside there are some hearts cut out of different fabric and a little Happy Birthday message.  

Hello, Adorable Elephant.  Has anyone ever told you how cute you are?!

PS- I got the elephant-holding-button-balloons idea frompinterest- but that one was a paper elephant. 

We matched at her birthday party.  Clearly she has excellent taste.

Veggies for Breakfast: Green Smoothies

After living without a proper blender for upwards of 4years, I finally received one for Christmas from my  beloved brother and sister-in-law (and baby niece).  Now the word of smoothies is finally open to me (No longer shall I be held captive by Smoothie King andPlanet Smoothie).

My favorite new smoothies to make are green smoothies.  Green smoothies are pretty much just like regular smoothies but with the addition of green vegetables.  With the right balance of fruit to greens, it tastes pretty much just like a regular smoothie but you get all those lovely  vitamins and minerals that green veggies are high in! (High in vitamin C,vitamin E, vitamin K, fiber, iron, calcium, lutein, folate, carotenoids)

Here is my recipe:

1 cup almond milk

1 tbsp honey

1 banana

½ cup frozen peaches

1 cup fresh spinach (loosely packed J )

Blend and enjoy!

So far this is my favorite green smoothie.  Of course, you can use whatever you like, really. I’ve seen a few that have green tea and kale, so I might try that next.Well..maybe next week actually, because right now I’m stuck on peanut butter banana smoothies! (perhaps a future post…)

Tip: When making green smoothies, avoid darker colored fruits like berries because when they mix with the spinach your smoothie comes out brown.  It still tastes okay, but it is not particularly beautiful to look at. Besides, when it is brown I expect it to taste like chocolate and when it doesn’t I am sorely disappointed.

BY THE WAY...

You should go check out my friend Isaac's blog.  He just started it and it is going to be sort of like a manly version of my blog.  Click Here For The Link!

Holiday Sangria

Pinterest is my new favorite website. (The word “website” sounds so 1999. Also I feel like I’m on “Between Two Ferns”…. “Do you like….websites?”)

It’s a great way to categorize things you stumble upon on the internet.  Recipes, crafts, places you want to go, anything you like.  It’s like a visual filing cabinet full of fun things. 

I found a recipe for “Holiday Sangria” on Pinterest that looked delicious, so I decided to try it.  Our family always has an awesome New Year’s Eve party, and this year was no exception.  You may be thinking “A New Year’s Eve party with your family? Lame.  Don’t you want to go out on the town and get all crazy?”  Well, I’ll tell you two things:

A) My family is awesome, and it does get pretty crazy. (But not in a lampshades as hats kind of way)  Balderdash is no joke, people.  Also, who else can say they have seen their father, their uncle, their great aunts, and their grandparents doing improv in the living room, coached by their cousin and brother?) 

B) The last time I tried to go “out on the town”  I ended up eating chocolate cake in an Applebee’s at 10:30 pm with some of my best friends after fruitlessly searching for dessert for about an hour downtown. (One of our attempts was a swanky restaurant where they weren’t serving dessert “because it was a game day and the menu is different on game day”.  You think people don’t want baklava or raspberry torte on game day?! )

The recipe I found on Pinterest can be found HERE.  It looked really great, but I made a few alterations for the sake of convenience/economy/what was around.

Here’s my recipe:

Court’s Holiday Sangria:

1 (750 ml) bottle of red zinfandel

1 bottle cranberry-pomegranate juice

1 cup orange juice

1 cup simple syrup

1 apple, halved and thinly sliced

1 orange, halved and thinly sliced

1 lemon, halved and thinly

1 cup fresh cranberries

Sparkling water

Add everything together except the sparkling water, and let it chill out in the fridge overnight.  Add the sparkling water right before serving (I think I did about half of a 2 liter bottle- so about 1 liter!).

It was a hit at the party, so I think we’ll have to bring it back next year too!

P.S.- I also made some peanut butter chocolate chip cookie dough dip, with a recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie.

The Circle of Life (of T-Shirts)

I didn’t post in December at all.  I was on sabbatical in Brazil, living in the rain forest among toucans and those giant sloths you see in National Geographic. Just kidding.  I was just busy. I did, however, find time to get a little crafty with some old t-shirts before heading home for the holidays. 

This first little bit of fun is yet another fabric flower, good for a pin, hair clip, or perhaps as a bunch in a vase.  All you need is an old t-shirt and some scissors!  Basically, you just cut strips, pull them so they get curly on the edges, wrap around your hand, tie a strip around the middle, and cut the loops on both sides.

The previous sentence is an example of how to maximize comma usage.

Cut

Pull

Wrap

Tie

Cut

I seem to be in a craft rut of making scarves and flowers, so for our next feature....a scarf!  My mom saw these on pinterest and she made me a green one.  I liked it so much I made a gray one too!  They are very easy to make.  Just cut off the bottom of a t-shirt (maybe about a foot of shirt), cut off the hem, and then cut strips to about halfway. It’s hip, it’s happening, it’s now.  I’m not saying you should wear it to a fancy dinner, but to the video store? Sure. I find that the relative hipsterness of my apparel is positively correlated with the talkativeness of the video store employees.