The Rockiest

Emotional baking, at it's core, is really the sugary manifestation of extreme emotions. Good, bad, undefinable. Matter of fact, the undefinable emotions, I find, are best for emotional baking. You sift, you ponder, you knead, you mull. Everything you do to an ingredient, you do to your own brain and psyche. Even more therapeutic with a glass of wine...
My most recent undefinable emotion came right as I bought my first one-way plane ticket. It was a quiet moment, no trumpeting fanfare, no booming announcement, but one click on the computer, and I was booked on a one-way to New York City. 
I was excited, scared, proud, unsure, relieved, and terrified all in the same nanosecond...
So I baked.
I chose "Three's A Crowd Rocky Road Bars," paying sugary homage to the road ahead that may, or may not, be rocky.
Upon explaining this to Mom, she gasped an immediate "Oh geeze, I hope not..." and then, I'm sure, began scheming how much money she can sneak into my bank account without damaging my pride. 

The Happy Baker should always have a fabulous apron to don when tackling a kitchen. It should reflect your personality, or what baking means to you, or how it makes you feel, or better yet, how you want people to feel when they are invited into your miraculous kitchen space. I imagine something shabby chic for myself, maybe with some cheeky embroidery, and most certainly, a big ol' butt bow. 

Couldn't find one, but I found this...shadow of my past, I suppose...

let it be known I RARELY take douchey mirror pics of myself. I'm not a wannabe body builder.

This recipe is so simple and quick. I enjoy bar recipes that require a crust/multiple layers because they're always much more impressive to the enjoyer. And lord have mercy, do I love a good marshmallow. 

Confession: Mom used to bribe me with marshmallows while potty training.....now I'm kind of embarrassed for putting that out there. Only because now I would demand a rocky road bar, because, you know, inflation.

Butter softening, people: it cannot be done in the microwave. You either have to plan ahead, or you stick 'em on the stove while the oven preheats, if your oven is underneath the stove. Otherwise, congratulations, you've buttered your microwave... (and I did).

Also, one of the side-effects of emotional baking is in spilled ingredients. Think about it: as you're unbridling your emotions, the same thing might happen to the flour in your bowl. It's kinda nice though :)

BAM. Done in like 15 minutes. Delicious in like forever. 

Next time I might even use more marshmallows, or maybe marshmallow fluff.

OR PEEPS. 

(wide-eyed, great idea thinking face)

It's like a delicious Martian planet surface or something equally nerdy...

Here's to hoping this will be the rockiest road I have to encounter ;)

Erin and Erin

Aren't we all a little emotional when it comes to baking?...

This year, I resolved to make resolutions that would actually take me all year, not just something I'd be excited about for, say, two weeks and then be distracted by all the great tv shows coming back on.
One resolution is: to log between 750-1000 running miles!! (I know...whoa).
And because who has the time for people to look at them and say "You look like a runner," my other, more relatable and universally beneficial resolution is:
To bake every recipe in Erin Bolger's "The Happy Baker: A Girl's Guide to Emotional Baking."

It's like a Julie and Julia thing, but with Erin and Erin, another emotional baker who had untamable curly hair growing up!

Kindred Spirits in white girl afros...

I began this morning with Jumbo Banana Pancakes for 2! I'll begin by making this statement: I actually don't really like pancakes, but I do like making them! I'll follow up with this statement: I'm single.

Nope, mine sure didn't look like that.

Since the recipe was specific for 2, and because I didn't want to be depressed, I halved it and made a "just for me"portion. So here I am, sending out "just for me" vibes into the Universe for 2013, and hoping they won't return to me in the form of "loneliness, carrying your groceries all by yourself" vibes.

The ultimate challenge in flipping. You can imagine what it looked like, don't need to tell you.

The trick is the proper amount of garnish to cover up what explodes in pancake tragedy when you try to flip it. Learning curve, it's just day one.
Whatever, these pancakes were awesome. They were like a flattened out blissful piece of banana bread, much like what I'm hoping this year will be like.

Just like my actual heart: made of powdered sugar.

To do list:
-Get a really cute apron.
-Get new running shoes.
-Get you to check her out at The Happy Baker blog!

Hello, Siri. Hello, Mrs. Captain America.

So vlogging might be my thing. But I don't like the word vlog because it wounds like a bodily function. I prefer "moving picture memoir."
Here's the second installment outlining my wishlist for the new iPhone5...

I hope this video acts as a copyright so no one steals my ideas....

It's a coming of age story...

It's a story of progress, of trials and tribulations. Of fears and doubts. Of vulnerability and hopes for approval....
The day I put out my first video blog.

And it goes a little something like this:

I'll get the hang of it.
Hopefully better than I've grasped the hang of writing more often. #SObadatthat

May the odds be ever in my favor...

Allow me to put down the paper bag I've been breathing into for the past two weeks in anticipation of and experiencing the first installment of the Hunger Games films to write a post. I'm such a huge fan. Don't know why I'm so emotionally invested in the story, maybe because I'm inspired by ordinary people being badasses, but the mere mention of the story or the characters renders me practically fetal.

This gets me thinking....how would I fare were I forced into a technologically controlled environment forced to survive against my own generation of trained killers not to mention the genetically altered elements all for the amusement of the over-privileged? Dramatic, I know. So I've compiled a list entitled:

HOW AND WHY I WOULD WIN THE HUNGER GAMES

1.) I act like I'm asleep when I'm not.

Fight or Flight....or act like you're asleep. In this case, act like you're dead. This would only work during the initial bloodbath at the cornucopia. I'd just act like I was dead and then roll away while everyone else was still fighting and no one would notice until I was long gone.

2.) I'd sing during my interviews.

Oh Heeeeyyy, fabulous sponsors!! If we can compare the Hunger Games to, say, American Idol, there's something wired in people to like other people who sing. That's not scientific, it's just observation.

3.) I'm resourceful.

Who can make a cat shelter out of a cardboard dress form?? My cat. But that's exactly my point. I think like a cat.

4.) I cover up my tracks and I'm a master of disguise.

When I was but a child, I used to sneak out of bed after my parents tucked me in and I would play dress-up and whatnot BUT I knew light was shining from underneath my door so shoved stuffed animals in front of the door crack so I went unnoticed. I wouldn't DREAM of lighting a fire at night. Sorry boutcha, girl from 10 or whatever... One night, I even ventured out to the stairs in my best dress-up getup (mostly dance recital costumes) and convinced my mom I was an orphan and needed a glass of water. She totally bought it..... (thanks for playing along, Mom)

5.) I'm not picky with meals.

I had five chips and a beer for dinner last night. Boosh.

And when all was said and done and victorious, I'd decorate my house in the Victor's Village according to the best quirky and quaint design elements I've found on Pinterest. And have lots of animals.

And my post-games talent would be cat whispering. And dress-up.

Were the odds ever in my favor....

Thirteen months later...

Let me begin with a haiku.

A haiku can't say
how long since I've posted here
I watched YouTube cats.

I was busy with other things besides watching cats on YouTube. I mean, I showered a few times. Said some funny one-liners.

But I digress, my last post was thirteen months ago, and I'm happy to note that it began with a cat picture. Well played, Erin. But I've missed writing. I've missed sharing the strange things that happen inside my head, like how I've made a game of assigning celebrity parents to people based on looks, like how my favorite part of my day is when four year olds tell me their favorite dinosaur is a T-Rex, like why those people at this Starbucks patio just stared at me for too long to be publicly acceptable. And now I'm wondering if I have banana walnut bread all over my face. Or if there's a small finch on my head. Or if I made a bodily function that I didn't hear because of my ear buds (rock on, Sinatra Pandora). I mean, why else would that guy have straight up craned his head up and over the wicker couch to assess me? I must look like I'm on tv....

Look at me, digressing again. The point is I found it important to blog again. My cat, Sofia Loren, whom you may recall from her own blog series, will mostly likely emerge after her blogging hiatus as well. What a follower.

Morning Musings

Who is supposed to get out of bed when you wake up and see this first?

So, I didn't.

Instead i thought of the chocolate cake I baked in the blizzard with my mom:

Maybe I just ate the batter.