First New Post in a Long Time

Oh yes it has - it's been a long time since I blogged.  I think I need to return to it.  There's a lot going on, and since I only have one blogger pal on here (who came to see me! wavewavewavewave) I can definitely vent.  Maybe not today, though.  Let's just say, I'm tentatively putting my toe back in the blogging pool.  Did I really only post once in 2012? Yup.  Oh well.  What's new in my world? Not much has changed.  I'm learning my sixth one woman show.  I'm still with Dean, still living in my new apartment. Went back home three times last year because my Mom had a slew of issues.  Still cooking, learning new recipes.  Still at the same jobs.  Those jobs in my apartment that needed completing? Still incomplete.  Oh well.  Sometimes, you have to let things slide a bit.  Especially out here.  This Sunday, I'm cooking for 14 people! My pal lives in a big new house in Manhattan Beach and I'm providing the food.  Here is the menu:  

Pumpernickel Grissini
Rosemary Flatbread
Whipped Feta and Lemon Dip
Creme Fraiche Horseradish Dip

Lacinato Kale with Pumpkin Oil, Balsamic Vinegar and
Provolone Crisps

Homemade Garlic-Onion Bread
Homemade Cultured Butter with Fresh Marjoram

Chicken Saltimbocca
Parsnip Puree

Whole Vanilla Bean Cookies
Nibby Buckwheat Cookies
Super Dark Chocolate Cookies

Sounds good, right? I swear I could do this for a living, but the only bummer is, dealing with the public.  Been there, done that, it's over.  Maybe I can just get friends to hire me?? I'm burying the lede here: I'm a little burned out on my job.  Oh well, who isn't? In these tough times, I'm lucky to be employed. 

The picture is from my local supermarket's parking lot.  Pretty amazing skies around here lately. 

All for now. 

Let Go Let Cake

So, a brief history of my cakes - they generally suck. I could not figure out why this or this recipe did not turn out well. Everything looked fine, but the taste was heavy, dense, cardboardy. I kept experimenting with this, and this. Still, bupkus. The cakes were not good.

Then, my pal said, why are your cakes cold? I said, because I stick them in the fridge when I'm done frosting them. She looked at me. "Are you crazy? Leave OUT your baked good, that way they won't dry out and taste crappy!" She's from the South and knows about these things. "We used to leave baked goods out for a week!" Yikes.

For me, this was really tough. I come from a family where fridge-ing and freezing are done almost without thinking. But I decided to give it a try. I did have some help from this awesome chick because I was trying out a new recipe of hers and if you read in the comments section, you'll see how kind she was to talk me down. I also tried this cake recipe, (the chocolate version) because Deb is god. I really wanted to try these two together. BTW, I did the caramel version of the frosting.

Then, I left the damn frosted thing out for two days - covered of course - and you know what? It was amazing. AMAZING.

That said, the leftovers are right where they belong - in the fridge. See pic for deets.

Happy Baking! And thanks to all my pals who helped! You know who you are.

Back in Los Angeles

I'm back for New Year's - it's going to be small this year. No party, just a nice dinner with friends and Dean. Now, one of the friends just called to say his pop's in the hospital, so it might just be Jan, Dean and me. We'll see. I've done a lot this year, I want to keep the end kind of on the small side. Christmas was fine, and so was Mom's birthday. My two favorite pictures are attached. The lighthouse one was taken on Christmas Day on the shores of Lake Michigan in Kenosha. The balloon one was taken at Mom's party as the festivities were winding down. Happy New Year everyone!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

We are off to Chicago-Wisconsin for what might be the shortest holiday trip ever. Dec 24-28. Mom turns 85 on December 27 - we have Xmas Eve, Xmas Day and friends to pack in. We'll do it, somehow. Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Good Lord, this is going to be quicker than I thought!

Gahhhhhh! Messed up on my ticket - we come back a day earlier than I thought. This is a bummer on so many levels. Nothing can be done, though. We'll have to make the best of things. It'll be a blur of a trip (see pic - get it?). But at least we'll be there for Xmas and Mom's birthday. We can sleep, I suppose, later.

It's Christmastime - and for some reason, this year, I have the spirit a bit. I put up a tree. Something about this new place seems to support a tree. My neighbor, who has two kids, tricked out our front lawn with reindeer, sleigh, icicle lights, the works. Too funny! I have no idea why Christmas has hit me so much - I only had one show this season - that usually gets me into the spirit. But I am just in a what-the-hell kind of mood about it. We head to Chi-town on the 24th and celebrate Mom's 85th on the 27th. Incredible! More to come, promise!

Settled In - so Mom's coming!

I'm finally settled in. Well...mostly. There *are* some straggly issues, but they won't be resolved before Mom's visit come Saturday. Should be interesting to see what she thinks of the place. Dean's been working like a madman to help me finish this. The remaining projects are just ones that are quite a bit of work and I just don't have the heart to nag him, after all he's done. I think Mom will like it. It's defintely more luxe than my old place. We'll see!