Dundee Rains on my Birthday

Yesterday was my birthday. It was a rather emotional birthday. Dundee was cold and rainy and our day was scheduled with outdoor tours. But you were in Scotland? Yes, I know. But I’m allowed to have a bad day in Scotland and in this case, I missed my friends. I missed Lars. Also, I wanted it to stop raining. It was my birthday. But, overall the day ended well. It wasn’t the worst birthday I’ve ever had. On my birthday, I am just very demanding. Not, My Super Sweet Sixteen demanding, but I do expect alcohol and cake.

The first stop was Verdant Works, a historical jute mill in Dundee. Dundee is famous for the 3 Js: Jute, Jam, and Journalism. I’m eating some Dundee jam tomorrow, so I’ll let you know. Jute is this fibre that can be spun to create this strong material (when it is woven it looks like a canvas-type material). To bring it back to an American context, this stuff made the material that covered the covered wagons on the Oregon Trail. So, thank Dundee with the computer game, Oregon Trail.

The second tour was a historical tour of the city of Dundee. The tour guide was a published expert on Dundee history, so it was especially interesting. Again, more creepy graveyards:

After drying off after a Dundee downpour, a friend and I warmed up with spicy Indian food from Spice Indian restaurant. I ordered the very safe, but very good tikka masala with yellow rice. Of course, I ordered some naan. The naan (seen upper left) was huge and buttery; I approve. The Indian food was some of the best I’ve had. 

The rest of night was spent at the bars commenting on Scottish fashion. I appreciate their bravery and I hope to experiment with my own fashion while I am here. We’ve noticed the following trends.

• blue eye shadow
• denim shorts and black tights
• colorful, dyed hair (often times matching a part of their outfit)
• big, teased 80s hair
• flowly, floral, flared pants
• asymmetrical hair cuts

Inspired, I woke up this morning (Sunday) and decided I would celebrate my birthday again by buying some new clothes. And, since it was round 2 of my birthday festivities, I thought I would eat some cake.  I stopped by Cafe Roti and ordered chocolate cake with an americano. It was nice and rich, but I was unable to finish it. It was a nice lunch.

Birthday, Part 2: Drink, drink, drink…

Thanks for all the supportive comments about my cake! I love y’all.

Since today is my birthday, my family took me out to dinner to my favorite restaurant in Broad Ripple (Indianapolis): Ambrosia. It is a really great Italian restaurant. Anyway, as you may have read before: I drink at family dinners. And, I drank some wine. So, I may be writing this post a bit tipsy, but I’m not the first. My dad starting talking about politics, my sister realized she had made out with the waiter, and my mom kept talking…drink…drink…drink.

We started off with some bruschetta. I wasn’t drunk yet, but I was having issues with my flash. So, we’ll pass on that worthless picture.

Shabam! Welcome to the best pasta dish ever! I ordered this penne pasta tossed with olive oil, roasted chicken, artichokes, capers, basil, and sun dried tomatoes. After every bite I moaned. My family gave the usual perplexed glances…drink…drink….drink….

This is the best pasta I have ever had. No joke. I may say this next week, but it was good.

I better get off wordpress before I start confessing things…like I just had a piece of awesome cake…my cake!

Have a great night ladies!

Birthday, Part 2: Let them eat ugly cake…

After I last blogged, I worked out on the treadmill. I ran non-stop for 1 mile. Yippee, right? Yes, it is awesome because I am a beginner runner and I didn’t die. Yippee, life.

Afterwards, my mother and I went to Crate and Barrel. I bought a new teacup/breakfast bowl and cookie cutters. We then met my father at Patachou (another Petit Chou, but different name). While waiting for my father I drank a coffee.

Then, I ordered the Tomato and Artichoke soup. It was so good that I started eating it before the picture. Do you ever do that? Well anyway, that is why the bowl is a mess (like my cake).

A Hot, Yummy Mess.

Then, my mother took me to H&M, and I got a new dress. Sorry, my hair is also a mess. I am a MESS TODAY.

Score. I like polka dots, and black and white a lot. I call my look: ladybug emo.

Speaking of emo and messes…my cake.

So I made this Double-Caramel Turtle Cake from Cooking Light. I renamed it the Caramel Turtle Cake (no double, at all).

Okay, so I made the cake part with no problems at all. I had to use 2 9-inch pans, instead of the required 2 8-inch. Yay for making a moist cake under these conditions!

Then, I made frosting. This tasted awesome. It tasted like brown sugar milk. It is good, trust me.

So far, so good. Then I went to move the cake onto the plate to frost. The cooling rack brutalized the bottom. Oh, well. I kept on keeping on. Then I was supposed to frost this first layer…did it…then add caramel. But, I forgot the caramel. Oh well, this will be a single-caramel cake. I did have a problem spreading the frosting the first time, and decided for the top layer that I would make the frosting  less thick. Well I made it a hot, watery mess. I tried to start over, ruined it, and then I gave up.

Then I became a hot, watery mess. I cried. I cried. I cried. I threw my fists up to the chefs of the past, and screamed “You left me without skills. I am a culinary failure. UGH.” Then I thought: What would Oprah do? Make the fucking cake so she can eat it! So, I topped it with a thin layer of caramel and then chopped pecans. It is not beautiful, but it was good. Go me. I made a good cake even if I messed up the recipe repeatedly. I ate a piece before dinner. It is my birthday, and I cried.

So, try this recipe. I recommend not royally messing up and crying on your apron.

It oozes, because that is how cakes cry.

I just wish I had this guy around whenever things weren’t going right. If you ever read Shakespeare’s Hamlet, you will love this.

Birthday, Part 2: Blast from the Past

Happy Birthday, me! Okay, it was June 11th. Although, if you remember…I was sick. Thus, I get a do-over. Right? Well, it is my birthday, so I’m the only one that gets to make that decision.

Today is a day packed of errands, reading, and baking. I am baking my own birthday cake, because I want to. And, this is the first cake I will bake…from scratch. I will take lots of pictures! For breakfast I had a quick PB&J; I am having an early lunch. I tore off the crusts, because it is a habit I have not been able to shake off from childhood. EVEN if I leave the crusts on other sandwiches. Weird. Nora from Live Life, Eat Right shared her habit this morning and asked others to share theirs. So, the PB&J was perfect because I had my answer within seconds! Oh, habits. I’m going to try to sneak in a workout before errands and lunch with my mother. I have to buy some cake pans!

Do you like giveaways? Well, check out the latest one on Simply Shaka! It is a prize with so many cool and different items. DO IT.

I’ll be back soon with cake pictures! Hopefully, I don’t have to check the “Kitchen Mishaps” category.

But wait: Did anyone watch Kathy Griffin last night? Well, she worked for a kiddie pageant as a judge. When talking about judging the baby round, she said it was like judging “meat loafs with bandannas.” I lost it. I guess you had to be there? Anyway, have a great day!

No Bluffin’ with these Muffins!

Hello friends.

I have been missing, I know. But, I am back and here to stay. I finally finished and sent my thesis revisions. I’m sure I’ll have to fix something else, but it feels good to have one obstacle out of the way. Lars’s birthday was yesterday and in this post (I’m going to do a couple of posts to make up for lost days), I will share this awesome recipe I found.

Lars had friends over for this birthday, so I decided to make some treats.

1. These don’t need no introduction: Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies. These were a big hit at the party.

2. After the last muffin incident, I thought I would try a new recipe. I made my own version of Cooking Light‘s Low-Fat Strawberry-Cinnamon Muffins. I followed the recipe exactly, but instead used Amish Triple Berry Jam. Thus, my version is called Low-Fat Triple Berry and Cinnamon Muffins of Awesomeness. This recipe was easy, and the muffins cooked perfectly…perfectly! The muffin itself had a light cinnamon taste, which paired well with the robust fruity flavor of the jam.  If you like jam, make these. Trust me. Further, the recipe recommend using foil cups for the muffins. AND, it also asked that you spray the inside of the cup. I never knew this trick, but it stopped the muffins from attaching themselves to the foil cup and thus breaking in half.

Here I am filling each cup with batter, jam, and then batter again.

YUM!

Toasted

Sorry, I have been missing. Though, it is for your benefit. I have been a hot, moody mess. The three best words to describe my mood for the past few days is: indecisive, tired, and numb. I am constantly tired, which is not helping me concentrate. Coffee isn’t even working. I don’t know what my deal is, but I may soon go to the doctor to find out. I’m happy, though. I don’t now. I am talking about this because for me mood and food are so tightly intertwined. I have been impressed with my restraint, though. If this were last year I would be on the couch, watching Lifetime, eating a pie, and most likely crying and/or drinking. So, go me!

In other news, it is Lars’s birthday weekend. I’m trying to be extra happy and energetic for this event. I do have to admit I am slightly jealous. I was sick on my birthday, and he gets an entire weekend. Okay, complaining over.

Yesterday for lunch we had some of our leftover pork and a handful of almonds. I just know you want a picture, but I passed. Again, for your benefit. I am such a nice blogger. I also ate a Luna Protein Bar (Cookie Dough) on the ride from Indy-ish to Cincy.

We stopped at Starbucks for a latte. I accidentally forgot to add “iced” to my order. I didn’t finish this latte; too hot! Sorry for the pic; facing the sun!

We met Lars’s family for dinner at Gordo’s Pub and Grill. The decor was lame, but the food was fantastic. I had a hamburger with roasted veggies. I only asked for ketchup and mustard on my hamburger and I’m glad I did. The beef was mixed with an onion mix, bacon, and herbs. So, although my toppings were minimal, it allowed the juicy, flavorful taste of the hamburger to come through. I didn’t finish my veggies, but I ate two pickles!

After dinner, our waitress brought in the cake. It was made by Servatii Pastry shop, a German pastry shop in Cincy. It was yellow cake with a vanilla frosting. Lars loves the frosting because it is made with some special shortening, or something. What you do need to know is that it was awesome.

After dinner Lars and I watched Please Exit Through the Gift Shop, a very funny documentary about street art. It is in my top five documentaries now.

Lars and I had the best sleep of our lives when we got to Lars’s Mom’s house, and slept in until 9:30. It was freaking awesome. But then the morning took a dark turn. We went to this local coffee shop that Lars and his mother love, but I dislike because of a few bad experiences. Oh, sidebar: Lars always has the best meal of his life, and I always have a crappy experience. Lars got a yogurt parfait (a sad one in Yoplait cup) and I asked for PB&J on a wheat bagel. They were out of bagels. So, I asked for it on wheat bread. They were out of peanut butter. Thus, I ended up with a jelly, grilled (?) sandwich.

I ate barely half. Also, the jelly tasted like lumpy grape juice.

Worst Sandwich EVVVVER.

Oh, I also had tea to wash down this crap-wich.

We drove back home to Indiana, but stopped at Petit Chou in Broadripple (the hipster part of Indy) for some brunch/lunch. THIS PLACE ROCKS.

Lars had the Broken Yolk (I am warning you I sometimes spell this yoke for some reason) Sandwich with avocado and bacon. This is his favorite thing to order here. It is awesome.

Best Breakfast Sandwich in Indy.

I got the Tomato Artichoke Soup. The soup’s awesome taste made up for the fact that I was handed cinnamon-buttered toast instead of the dry toast I requested. Although, the cinnamon toast was the bomb (on broiche). I didn’t eat the bread that came on the soup.

Sorry, it looks messy. I basically put my face right in it. Yum!

My Favorite Mistake

For the rest of the evening I will be thesis writing/deleting/rewriting, while Lars goes to a local food festival. What the F!

I’m going to have one more slice of cake. Don’t judge, I’ll eat a light dinner. And just so you know, I almost ate a second piece of cake before bed yesterday. I said no. Score! I’m talking to my self now, right? Haha, nothing like a misdirected pep talk.

What do you do for a pick-me-up?

Comfort Food for a Comfortable Birthday

Hey everyone. Thanks for the happy birthdays and the get wells! I’m still a bit sick, but in a much better mood!

After a haircut, Lars and I went to the Great Harvest Bread Company. They handed over, and before I could say no, a piece of their Cinnamon Explosion bread. YUM. Lars and I got a loaf for French toast tomorrow morning. We also decided to get a loaf of Asiago Sourdough for our grilled cheese and tomato soup lunch (I couldn’t convince Lars to get Wheat). On the way home, we stopped by Borders and got Mad Men: Season 3 on DVD.

I was even more excited about our grilled cheese/Mad Men marathon when Lars’s birthday gift for me arrived in the mail: a new apron and oven mitts!

We used the Asiago Sourdough and regular cheddar cheese, but also garlic cheddar cheese. We also made tomato soup. I didn’t finish either, but it was so good! It was very cheesy, maybe too cheesy for me to finish. I was also excited to learn that you need to cover the skillet while it cooks, so the cheese can melt. I didn’t know that, but I’m a new cook.

Tonight’s dinner: Taco Salad. See you soon

What is your favorite Mexican-inspired dish?

Sicky Birthday

So, I woke up sicker than ever. Great, it is my birthday. I was only able to sleep 6 hours because of my throat. Luckily, Lars brought me tea in bed this morning. It made me feel better for awhile. I’m posting later, because I couldn’t decide what I wanted for breakfast. Everything sounded horrible; food sounded horrible. Then to make matters worse, my parents had to cancel my birthday dinner, because everyone else is sick. It is a sicky birthday, for sure.

Further, I was having a horrible hair day. Nothing could be done with my “bangs.” Thus, as of now, I have only a hair appointment planned for my birthday. I am excited about this, though. I’ll post pictures post haircut (unless it is butchered). Anyway, this is a food blog. Lars convinced me that I had to eat. For some reason I wanted a scone and tea. That was it. So we drove to a local coffee shop (well 2) and got me a plain whole grain scone.

This was perfect for my sicky self. This scone was slightly sweet, but it wasn’t overpowering in flavor. This is great, because I was sick and the thought of food made my stomach turn. It also paired well with the “Get Well” Tea I bought at the local coffee shop.

The tea (along with drugs) is really working. Hopefully I can salvage what is left of my birthday! Sorry, I am so emotional! I think I’m still trying to recover from last semester. And, being sick on your birthday is not fun! Thanks for the birthday wishes.