OMG MMF FTW

In normal people talk, that means marshmallow fondant might have changed my life. I've been looking at lovely pictures of cakes and cupcakes covered in fondant, wishing I could do the same things without spending a ton and covering cakes in kinda nasty tasting sugary fondant. Then I found a recipe for marshmallow fondant, which is very easy to make and color at home, works in more or less the same was as regular fondant (though it doesn't mold as well) and tastes...like marshmallows. Joy! So I tried it out, to great success. I personally find it a little odd if it's really think on the cake, but that's probably because I'm ambivalent about marshmallows. Otherwise, I'm thrilled - this has opened up a whole new realm of cake decorating!

So, to try it out, of course I made cupcakes. I went to a family reunion with the bf's family yesterday, and I had noticed that the invitation said to bring a dish to share. I asked my bf's mom if I should bring something, and she said not to worry. But then his dad overheard and said yeah, that he had signed me up to bring a dessert, and that I should probably bring two - one for his family and one for me and the bf separately. Ok. So, I made:















My pride and joy, the cupcakes with the marshmallow fondant:

BBQ! (and cupcakes)

Last weekend I had some (awesome) friends over for a barbecue, because I really love hosting things, and it's nice to actually see people other than my coworkers and my boyfriend (though there was a coworker and my boyfriend there and I was very happy about that as well.) But of course, I made cupcakes for the event, and all I have pictures of are the cupcakes. So behold, beach cupcakes!

Not complaining!

Last night my boyfriend accused me of complaining about everything (and I had been whining pretty badly) when I realized that actually, it had been a pretty great day. Besides the normal good day things, like waking up with my boyfriend and my cat (both adorable), it was the third day of my internship, and the day when things really started getting interesting. I had just been shelving manuscripts and stuff, but yesterday I got started on answering reference questions, which is what I wanted to do, and which is FUN! Also, for one of them I got to use the card catalog, which was awesome!

Later that evening I also had my last cake decorating class, which is always a lot of fun. I'm so glad I took the class, and I am definitely going to miss it. I wish I had time to take the next level. I definitely think I have a lot more I can, and want to, learn. And here is the cake I made in class last night:

Cupcakes! (Again)

I can't remember if I mentioned that I'm taking a cake-decorating class, but I am. And I'm loving it. I don't have a picture of the cake I made last week, but these are the cupcakes from last night.

Stop wallowing in laziness, you bum

I've been a little moody and dissatisfied lately, and I haven't really been able to put my finger on what it is. I'm pretty sure I'm happy with my life, and I don't think it's my relationship, though my job leaves something to be desired. After a little bit of thought, I determined that I might need to set myself some goals. I think part of my problem is that I don't feel like I'm doing much of anything worthwhile, and I don't have much of anything to look forward to. Now, if I had say, and interesting trip to plan and anticipate, that might help. Though, dope that I am, I only just now remembered ALA. It's not an exciting voyage to a foreign country, but at least it's something.

Anyway. Goals. I think I need some goals, and I think I need to make sure I actually try to complete them. So, once I set them, I will try to figure out how to put them in a sidebar on here or something, so they can show up and I can mark them off once I've completed them. I like lists, and I like marking things off lists.

So, I think I need these types of goals:

• Exercise goal - related to running and/or biking. Maybe a distance or speed I want to be able to accomplish? I do poorly with "I will run X number of days" type of goals.
• Baking goal - I am clearly obsessed with baking, so this makes sense. I just need the actual...goal.
• Academic goal - normally this would be a grade, but honestly, I'm good at grades. What I have not been good at lately is actually caring about the work beyond what it takes to get the grade. I want to be more invested in my academic work.
• Job goal - Ditto on the job - I just haven't cared much lately, and I need something to motivate me.
• Reading goal - this isn't really difficult, because I love to read, but I think I could benefit from a goal that gets me to read more nonfiction.
• Fun goal - something that I would like to do, or something new that I would like to try, that I might not otherwise.

So, does anyone have any suggestions? Clearly, I need actual goals and deadlines.

Taste of Syracuse

I'm sitting in my office right now, listening to people talk about Taste of Syracuse, so I thought I'd share my thoughts. The bf and I went on Saturday, because I asked very nicely if we could - I'm a foodie and he's an anti-foodie.

It all seems like a very good idea - lots of booths from local restaurants selling food; each of them required to sell one $1 sample item. I was definitely looking forward to trying samples from several restaurants I hadn't had the chance to visit yet.

Clinton Square was, unfortunately, packed to the gills, and the bf and I have occasionally different approaches to navigating among sardine-packed festival goers. The event planners definitely need to do a better job next year when it comes to the space, because I think a lot of people would have spent more and stayed longer if they had been able to, you know, move around and get to things.

I wish the restaurants had all approached the sample requirement as an opportunity to get people excited about their food. I had one sample that made me not want to ever go to that restuarant, and got out of line at a Greek place when I realized that the sample they were giving out was miniscule and not worth a dollar. Other places I tried the sample and wanted more of the food - which really, should be the point.

I had a sample of chicken wings at a place I can't remember - pretty tasty, with honey garlic sauce. Then I grabbed some chips and guacamole from Papa Gallo, which was NOT tasty - a guacamole disappointment. Then I bought two fried doughs and stopped at another booth that was selling chicken cooked in some special seasoning (I think the seasoning was what was for sale, not restaurant food), which was pretty tasty. After that I grabbed a sample meatball sandwich - tasty meatball - and then beelined as well as I could to the gelato stand, where I got three sample scoops. The gelato was by far the best deal, since gelato is normally expensive anyway, and this stuff was pretty good. I love lemon gelato! (And anything with chocolate, especially chocolate hazelnut!)

Then the bf and I escaped - I could still have tried more things, but I think we had lost our patience with the crowd. Overall, good idea, poor implementation.

CUPCAKES!!

I have recently become obsessed with cupcakes. I know I'm behind the trend here, but I hadn't realized the potential of cupcakes until now - there is just so much you can do with them! Interesting flavor combinations, cute decorations, fillings, mini cupcakes...excitement without end! Anyway, I'm getting into cupcakes and enjoying it a lot. Last night my boyfriend had a LAN party (see previous post) and I decided I would practice making cupcakes by making some for the party.

I've seen video game and computer game themed cupcakes before, but I wasn't sure how to make StarCraft-themed cupcakes for this party. None of the units or graphics or anything translated well into something I could decorate on a cupcake, or on any cake for that matter (though I did find an Ultralisk cake online). Then the BF suggested I use the icons from the game - the ones used to control units and do things at structures. And it worked! I also made some cupcakes with mint frosting for the fun of it, though I was disappointed with the mint frosting - it tasted like mint chewing gum. Here are some pictures:




















I'm not a huge fan of fondant, so I made the decorations out of moldable white chocolate, colored yellow (melted chocolate with light corn syrup).