The One Ring

Watching "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" and thought of my new wedding band.  A laser engraved tungsten carbide version.  The inscription is always visible as if my core temperature was as hot as Sauron's and the properties of the tungsten carbide make it nearly indestructible.  Hopefully it never makes its way to Mt. Doom as the only thing this ring binds is me and my hubby!

Mojito and Fajita Night

YUM!  I love limes and can't wait to finish cooking dinner tonight.  Lime marinade on my flank steak, lime in the guacamole, and of course lime in the Mojito! 

To make the mojito, put about 1 1/2 teaspoons agave syrup in your glass with 6 mint leaves.  Muddle or stab at it with your long-handled spoon.  Add some ice cubes and continue to muddle.  Add the juice and zest of 1 lime and muddle.  Top off with Sprite or club soda.  If you use Sprite Zero, you have a diabetic friendly mojito.  Leave as-is for a mocktail or add 1 1/2 oz of light rum for a cocktail. 

Happy Fiesta-ing!

Boo!

I can't take my site down, but BOOOOOoooooo to SOPA & PIPA.

Peppermint Mocha Latte at home

I'm not a regular coffee drinker by any stretch of the imagination.  But coffee based beverages like Starbucks lattes and frappuccinos?  Delish!

My newest fave for the sudden Mr. Freeze inspired chill that has recently taken over RI?  The peppermint mocha latte with skim and whipped cream. 

Since I don't keep real milk on hand, I went with my usual Trader Joe's vanilla almond milk, their peppermint hot chocolate, and their instant coffee "straws".  You know - single serving packets.  12 oz almond milk, heated in a sauce pan.  Add  1 instant coffee and a scant 1/4 cup of hot chocolate mix.  Stir or whisk well.  Split between 2 footed mugs and top with whipped cream.  Garnish with chocolate shavings or chocolate sauce, if desired. 

Enjoy!

New Year's Resolutions. Take 3!

Yes, take 3.  Or maybe it's 4.  Here is hoping that 2012 is the year I finally write my cookbook.  I would say finish but there was so little done besides listing the recipes that its kind of a joke. 

Are there any recipes, tips, techniques or tricks you'd want to see in a cookbook?  Send me an email and let me know! 

My love-hate relationship with fondant...

Yes, fondant.  That silky-smooth covering that creates a clear canvas for your cake creations.  IF you can only figure out which is the right one...

I have made my own marshmallow fondant for things like my

Death Star cake...

and these adorable snowman cupcakes!

Island Engagement cake...

If you don't use it immediately, though, it becomes really hard to work with.  It alternately cracks and gets extra gooey.

Last year, however, I entered a cake competition and decided to purchase the fondant since it would take a long time to make enough marshmallow fondant.  Well - the stuff you can buy at all the local craft stores, which might rhyme with Hilton, is HORRIBLE.  It tastes lousy, dries out and cracks on cake dummies even with a large amount of frosting to cushion it, and cannot be rolled into thin ropes to form a nautical rope border for a cake. In the end, I entered this for the contest:

Not too bad for a true novice at anything of this magnitude.

So before deciding whether or not to enter a cake into this year's contest with a seasonal or holiday theme, I thought I might want to research better fondant options. 

Satin Ice was giving away small samples during last year's cake show.  I used it when I found the rest of my purchased fondant had turned disgustingly moldy in a short period of time and needed fondant in a flash for a fairy tale inspired cake to be auctioned for a local YMCA.  It was wonderful to work with!  My cake sold for $60 - a single 14 inch layer of vanilla with 4 disguised chocolate cupcakes on top. (7 cakes raised a total of $200 so I guess mine was the creme de la creme!)

Snow White's Cottage

Rapunzel

However, shipping 5, 10 or 20 pound buckets gets a little pricey.  After an exhaustive search, I found another highly recommended brand with a decent price and free shipping if I signed up for a subscription on Amazon.  If this stuff is as awesome as I hope, I'll be getting automatic deliveries every 6 months.  Wonderful for your part time baker! 

Upgraded Wedding Bands

This year my husband and I decided to upgrade our wedding bands for our 5 year anniversary.  Being the geeky couple that we are, we decided on the One Ring.

The rings are tungsten carbide with an ionic gold plating.  The inscription is laser etched inside and out.   This means no crevices for food to hide or rough spots for irritating sensitive skin.  Where did I find these drool-worthy rings, you ask?  eBay.  And at under  $30 each, you can't go wrong.  Search for "tungsten LOTR ring" and look for seller hjvision.  They offer free exchanges within a certain time frame if you find they fit a little different than when you measured your finger.

At first we were a little worried that the gold wouldn't hold up to everyday wear and tear too well.  I don't always remember to take off my jewelry when I craft.  Which may or may not include power tools.  But after 5 months, my ring is as shiny and pretty as new!  It does, sometimes, attract fingerprints, but you just wipe with a soft cloth and it's shiny and new again!

Thanks to Jen and John of EPBOT for triggering this post by referring to their garage as Shelob's Lair now that they've discovered a new way to store their Christmas tree.  Which I may steal.  After I do my own version of turning my regular trees into DIY prelit trees.  Yes - that is plural.  We have 2 trees!  More to come on those geeky obsessions later.  For now it's back to cookbook and cake planning time!