A cake the colors of the rainbow

I'm a little annoyed. I took some pictures of one of the cakes I'm making this week and they didn't save :(  wtf!? My phone has technology held together with toothpicks and gum so you'll have to just use your imagination on this one. I was asked to do a little cake with 6 layers, and each layer is a different color of the rainbow ( i know, i know. the rainbow has 7 colors. but somehow indigo just didn't make the cut). It's a really darling idea for a one-year olds birthday party. It's going to be her smash cake, so lot's of baby hands will be in this one. If I can get a pic from the momma I'll put it up. Also, this pic has nothing to with anything. Other than I like it. Oh my fair downtown stomping grounds.

Fancy Friday

I don't have a full outfit today, but I DO have some fun things to share.  Check check check it out.

First of all, this isn't human. Unbelievable. It's just so effortless.

This is human. And it's so pretty.

The necklace is made out of wood. I really want to do my hair this way. And how cute is this super cheap scarf? (that is now sold out. maybe they'll get it back?)

 In other news, the inevitable happened. I signed up for Pinterest. I tried to hold off but the forces of virtual organization took over and my life now has 23.5 less hours in the day.

A little nonsense for a day that's probably going to be thoroughly boring

Gosh I wish I had something totally unique and exciting to say today. But I don't. I had a flax waffle with peanut butter and banana for breakfast? yeah you're right that's boring.... I really wish I had plans to escape to the outside world today because it's super warm. aaaaannndd somehow I think that skydiving is less scary than bungee jumping. I haven't done either, so maybe I'm just scared of both. And to make things hit rock bottom boring-ness, I am going to be getting a new fridge soon. I can't even tell you how exciting that is. Admitting that just made me the Queen of Lame.

Well that concludes my Worst Post Ever. Things can only go up from here! Have a good day!

This is what happens when Matt and the camera get together

A very warm weekend I say! It was BEAUTIFUL these past couple of days. My sister came into town from Austin (you ever been there? COOL. CITY.) and we did all that girly stuff like shopping, painting our nails, eating, and taking pics of flowers. Lots of yummy/crappy food was eaten, we walked a million miles, Matt was endlessly creepy, and a certain necklace was purchased from a certain store that came in a certain blue box and wasn't for a certain someone (me). People must make bags of money in Austin.

Fancy Friday

I bought this blazer not too long ago and I'm trying to think of ways to wear it. I've decided that in order to keep things progressing I've got to come up with a complete outfit. Even if I can't afford a whole stinkin outfit at one time that's has the accessories and everything. I live in a virtual world.

And

I had a dream last night that included the Apocalypse, saving cats and puppies, and Matt Damon. Let's just say that Matt Damon wasn't doing his job. C'mon Jason Bourne!

Blazer
Dress
Shoes
Earrings
Necklace
Watch


Oh? You want to know what I'm listening to right now? OK. Click here.

It's a ballet show

I don't know how, but little Utah's own Ballet West was chosen to make a reality show produced by the BBC about the company and it's dancers. I've been going to this ballet for as long as I can remember, back when my mom would trade off taking me or my sister to the shows. I take class from there as much as I can, and I get all stupid and girly if the company is there practicing before my class starts and I get to watch UP CLOSE (but I play it off like I'm one of the cool kids). I'm not kidding, it's one of my favorite things. To make things even cooler, one of our friends works in reality tv and he's working on the show, and guess what happens? MATT gets to work on the show too. He's sooo...what's the word? LUCKY.

Here's a trailer. I can't believe it's starting so soon!







AND! (what's with all the ballet exposure?!) I just found out about THIS!... YAY!

I've been doing a lot of this lately

Lots and lots of this. I love being able to do this as much as possible, but sheesh! I need two more sets of hands and an extra 10 hours in the day. I'm starting to prepare for the Beehive Bazaar too, which is in about 3 weeks. I haven't ever done a Spring show before so it's going to be interesting to see how it turns out. I have some really great ideas for my table, and even better ideas for flavors.... think pink... oh and yellow. aaaaanndd fruity. yum...

oh and by the way

This guy lives the life. Wish I could be boss of the house all day.

A very rainy weekend

Some people complain about rain, but I say it's the bees knees. We're lucky to live on a street with great, old trees and houses. And that means lots of photo ops. Then with the overcast sky and light rain falling, you've got yourself a perfect condition for some awesome pics.

Fancy Friday

So I have this thing where I get pieces of clothing and then I don't know what to do with them. It drives Matt crazy. I see it and like it, and then I take it home and it sits there until I can figure out how to wear it. I'm trying not to do that. I'm also trying to fight the urge to take a torch to my closet and start over because I'm in a huge rut. I bought this sweater slash shirt thing the other day because it looked so comfy. I love being comfortable but how to avoid not looking like it's constantly Saturday? This is what I came up with:

Shirt (by the way, mine is more fitted. I don't know what they were thinking.)
Shoes
Jeans
Ring
Earrings
Watch

Day 10

Well it looks like it's that time. I made the Amish Friendship Bread last night. I decided that instead of using oil, I would just use all applesauce. Pay no mind to the fact that I used whole milk, instant vanilla pudding, and lots of sugar...um, anyway. The smell that filled my place was amazing. Cinnamon and sugar baking in the oven is like wrapping yourself in a quilt spun of gold. The worst part is waiting the whole hour for it to finish and just smelling and waiting. I did, however, find entertainment. Kindergarten Cop was on. So I grabbed a bowl of cereal and watched Arnold Schwarzenegger rock a crappy early 90's sweater.

Arnold says YAY!

Leaving For Paris

With the beautiful weather we've been having over here lately (81 yesterday! woowee!) I've been thinking a lot about Paris. Matt and I were so lucky to be able to go last May for two whole stinkin weeks. We saved our little buns off for that one and IT WAS SO WORTH IT. I know you hear about how cool, awesome, pretty, chic, Paris is, but really-it's that cool. We were amazed at how much it lived up to it's name. All we did was walk the city day in and day out. My feet have never hurt that bad but I would do again in a heartbeat. Every day was sunny and 70's. EVERY DAY! (I still can't believe how lucky we were). The croissants and bread were addictive, and we stopped and ate crepes, macarons, gelato, and chocolate as much as we could. The museums were stunning, and every park we stumbled upon we found ourselves staying a while.

Came across this little gem the other day. I'm telling you: get to Paris sometime. Soon.

aaaandd, a little night music for you:

Leaving For Paris No 2 (Dang you Rufus! That melodic voice gets me every time!)

Pavlova

My mom is a sneaky lady. When I asked if she wanted to do an Easter feast, she insisted that I make dessert. Being that I love a good feast, I agreed. We have some Jewish heritage in my family so my mom thought it would be cool to make some traditional Jewish foods since Easter and Passover happened to be at the same time. She made (all from scratch. Of course. She's like Julia Childs or something): matzo ball soup, homemade matzo crackers, lamb, rosemary fingerling potatoes, charoset, and prosciutto wrapped asparagus. I asked her what she wanted for dessert, and she said a Pavlova. It's a perfect Spring dessert. (And probably pretty stinking appropriate for me because it's named after the Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova.) I came up with this recipe a few days before and it turned out great. It's pretty easy too. If you have other fruit you'd like to use, go for it. In fact, whatever is in season would be appropriate and super yummy. Also, you can omit the lemon curd. Traditionally it just has a bunch of fruit, but I had the curd on hand and thought it would be good.

Berry and Lemon Curd Pavlova
About 8-10 servings

4 egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp cornstarch
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
zest from 1/2 a lemon


DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place the egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer. Turn on medium and whip until the whites are foamy.
2. With the mixer running, pour in the sugar in a slow, steady stream. Add the cream of tartar, cornstarch, and salt. Then add the vanilla, lemon juice, and zest.
3. Turn on high and whip until stiff peaks. (here is a visual). The mixture should be glossy and smooth, and stand up on it's own.
4. Get a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and pour the mixture into the shape of a circle about 10 inches wide. Smooth over and make a sort of well in the middle (about 6 inches or so across) so that the fruit can sit in it after it's baked. Be sure not to go all the way to the bottom so the cookie sheet is exposed. There still needs to be a layer there.
5. Turn down the oven to 275 degrees, and bake for about 55-60 minutes. When done, turn off the oven and crack open the door and let it cool down for about 15-20 minutes. Take out of the oven and place in a dry area while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Fruit Filling
1 cup each of Strawberries (quartered), Raspberries, Blackberries
1/4 cup sugar

1. Toss the strawberries with the sugar until dissolved and a syrup is forming.
2. Add the other berries and gently fold until the mixture is combined. Take care not to squish the berries. ( it's so much prettier that way!)

Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

1. Place ingredients in electric mixer, and mix until soft peaks form. The mixture should still be creamy and smooth, but be able to hold it's shape.

Lemon Curd (click for recipe)
(or, you can purchase your own)
1 heaping cup

ASSEMBLY:
(you'll want to do this right before you serve it)

Place the baked meringue on a serving plate. It's really delicate, so be as careful as you can. Spoon the lemon curd into the middle where the well was formed and spread evenly. Spoon the fruit mixture on top of the lemon curd.
For the whipped cream, you can either spoon all of it into the middle on the fruit, or place in a bowl and have each individual take as much as they'd like.

Cut and serve immediately. This doesn't hold up for more than a few hours.



Ballet and dessert! Bet you never thought it'd go together.

Fancy Friday-Easter Edition

The finer days...Mary Jane's, Easter hats...1988 had it goin' on!

For some reason my memory always conjures up these moments from my past when Easter comes around. The profound sense of fashion must have been a big influence on me...
I remember distinctly how hot it seemed when we were made to stand there in our front yard on Easter Sunday wearing only our finest. (Did the sun have to be that hot?) We would then parade to church, and I remember taking a little candy from my basket for the road. Then we'd go home to color eggs, mill about the house, and eat a kick-a dinner. Church took FOREVER.

I would totally wear that purple dress today, but I like to think I have evolved. And while most days I still feel like that kid in the picture, I guess it goes without saying that some things are better left in the 80's.

However... with those beads and shoulder pads, my mom knew how to work it.



The dress, the shoes, the earrings, the necklace, with the hair and makeup, the ring, and the nails...