Cake 30: Week 3, April 11, 2011

What a week, what a week, what a week!

Guys, I'm busy playing-- Thanks Miss!

I was busy this week too. My final presentation is due in one class and parts of my paper were due last week- the last portion of it is due today, but it just won't come out of my head, so I'm taking a break and doing this.

The weather is gorgeous here right now. It's looking like thunderstorms tonight, which are my absolute favorite on earth. It was 81 this evening, so I drove from work with the windows down, sunroof open and cowboy music blaring. The only thing better than the weather has been the garden planning and events.

My first flower popped up on Friday. WOO! I'm thrilled to see any since it looks like the deer, chipmunks, skunks, rabbits and whatever else gorges itself on my compost had ats with the hundreds of bulbs I planted around the garden... and then pooped everywhere. Lawn work was on the agenda for the weekend, but I was thoroughly satisfied with my pilgrimage to Lowes. The high-water, skoal ringed, aviator shaded employee pointed me in the direction of the 20 gallon yard clipping totes and they were.... cue fanfare... PURPLE. I know, I know, it's like the gardening gods are smiling.

My feet were also smiling and the garden looks ready for fun after the ravages of winter... I wish I could say the same about my grapevines... stupid deer!
Also happy:

My Christmas/ Easter Cactus and African Violet. Both came with post it note requests not to kill them and voile!

So, we had yard work, work work, school work and then...
It was Cupcake's birthday on Saturday!

Cup (aka Daddy) and Mom really are in a class all their own. Having dinner with them reminds me of why I don't teach middle school: they still do all these little things to get the other to laugh. Case and point, him trying to put the raspberry pie in her face and her trying to figure out where to stick the candles. Cup works far too hard, has an affinity for popcorn, root beer floats and JRR Tolkien. He's into the nerdy stuff, but in a respectable way, not in a "no guys, that's not my dad dressed up like a hobbit" way. So... I had to get a gift cert to his favorite pizzeria (which coincidentally, so did both of my siblings) and then made him two pies.

Cup is a big fan of chocolate, but it's lent, so I made him his two favorites: pecan and raspberry.
What I love about pecan pie is that its basically candied pecans in a pie crust- brilliant. I did the karo syrup bottle recipe and it was five minutes to prep, 60 to bake and done.

I got all kinds of fancy with with the raspberry pie and the cherry pie I made for work today. I attempted the lattice.

Pie crusts were from scratch, Nan's recipe.

But I did cheat on the filling...

The crust wasn't my best, but the birthday dad didn't complain.

In other baking, I made some pusties for Lovely Rita's benefit-- I hope they were ok. I spoke with Lisa's husband at work this morning and he said that the benefit went very well. I'm hoping they have more aprons available!

I need to take a minute to discuss stove-top chocolate pudding. After ever having it (like anyone who's tried it), how on earth can you go back to instant? I know it takes like 10 minutes to prepare on the stove and you have to stir, but it's so worth it. It is the shortened litmus for delayed gratification. It's creamy, and just chocolatey enough without any of that icky residue-y flavor. It feels right in your mouth. Cooked chocolate pudding is happiness on a spoon and it was just what I needed after a kick you in the teeth kind of week (there was some disappointing running news and lots grading, papers and awful changes at work).

My three other points of consolation/ gratitude: