Now I'm Just Making Shit Up

Today was a big day for Ophelia and me -- we had our first dinner party at our new house. We've had guests over, but this was our first major event with more than a couple of people. I have some really nice new colleagues here, so I thought it would be nice to bring some of them together for a little party. I had a great time. I hope I speak for everyone. :)

So, what you're seeing with this post is a cake that I just made up. Ok, well, it's not that ingenious, but whatever. I'm calling it "Inverted Oreo" -- chocolate with a whipped cream and oreo filling/frosting. It was hella good. And hella messy. Ophelia did a bang up job with the chocolate cake and the frosting -- you can see her in the background after having just worked super hard. She's posing, spatula on her hip and everything. What a show off. I suppose she's entitled.

In other news, I tried to light my kitchen on fire tonight, too. Apparently it's a bad idea to set a towel on a burner you forgot to turn off. Huh. Lesson learned. Of course, one of my new colleagues was in the kitchen talking to me, and as I'm thinking "huh, something smells weird," she's yelling, "holy shit, fire!" and taking the towel off the stove and throwing it in the sink. And all these years I thought I was really reactionary. I guess not. A little embarrassing. Also one of my favorite towels. I also told said guests that they needed to kind of fend for themselves with drinks, etc. -- it was just too many needs for me to handle. I am not, as it turns out, the hostess with the mostest. Whoops.

I am also failing, miserably, with this whole "cake of the week" business. I think I might have to re-group and come back at it in January. Too much going on, I tell you. Ophelia doesn't mind, she says -- she's still getting used to her new perch, anyway.

Hopefully we'll have more next week, and we'll still have a house standing around us. :)

Love,
M&O Productions

Suzy Creamcheese, What's Got Into Ya?

So, I decided that if I'm really going to let Ophelia talk me into doing this cake stuff, I'd better start taking it seriously. She gets torked when I jack around baking. I'm sure it has something to do with her horsepower being wound a little too tight. Whatever.

Anyway, the thing I like most about baking is that I rarely screw it up. It's something I can do when I need a break, or when I'm trying to take my mind off of more cerebral things. So, tonight, after I taught, I came home and got to work. I've done a fruit-theme cake (raspberry and lemon), a peanut butter cake (so, so good), and a deep, deep chocolate cake. What should I try, I asked Ophelia. She didn't want to make a cake tonight, but frosting was ok. So, it is...a Chocolate Amaretto cake with a Fluffy Vanilla Cream Cheese frosting. I have no idea how it tastes. It's in my fridge, and frankly, once I make them I'm kind of done with them. Plus, I love frosting so much that I can't help myself from trying to inhale any left over frosting, of which there is often much. In fact, I think I've had so much sugar tonight I may need to take a couple laps around the house to get to sleep. Anyone want some cake? Seriously. If you want some, you got some. Ophelia also takes requests, though she does reserve veto power. Just don't request anything with raisins. They gross her out.

Anyway, we decided we really didn't care about the cake so much tonight as we did the frosting. So, much more attention was paid to the consistency and taste of the frosting, and to the technique. After watching some DIY videos on cake decorating (totally helpful, I loves me the Internets:), we set off to work. I'd also gotten some professional cake decorating equipment, so I was antsy to try it out. The photos above show the outcome. Not too shabby for the first time out with them, I don't think. The bottom of the cake needs some work, yes. Ophelia wants me to note that the decorating was my part, the making of the frosting hers. She's got such an ego.

The recipe here isn't necessary, I don't think. It's not impressive, and I don't know how the cake is, but what I wanted to chronicle was the decorating skills as they (hopefully) get better. You'll see that Mindy invited me to join her for a cake decorating class, which I'm totally getting in on. The funny thing is that this is the what, fifth cake that I've made and decorated, and I think this is my worst one, aesthetically. I dumped some shaved chocolate on the top of it in an effort to cover up the bad decorating job, but I'm not sure it did any good.:) I'll let you know.

Ophelia wants off the cake for a week now (makes us sound like addicts -- we're getting off the sauce. Yes, I said sauce. I'm from the Midwest, where cake is our sauce and we say sauce. What?), so early next week when I return from my cousin Tiff's wedding (Huzzah! We love Tiff and her soon-to-be husband Dan!), we'll tackle something else. I've been eying this peach tart. I keep talking about peaches and never following through.:) It must be next time, it must.

*Update -- cake GOOD! The frosting recipe is a recipe I made up, and it's actually really good! I'll be trying this one again. The amaretto syrup I made was really good with it, too. Yummers, to quote A.!*