I was born, let's celebrate!

Yesterday I turned 36. Thirty-freaking-six! I am now closer to 40 than I am 30, when did this happen? It is crazy how fast life starts moving as you get older. I remember as a kid, feeling like the school year dragged on at a snails pace but now, you snap your fingers and it is summer already. Woah... slow this ride down!

Regardless of the fact that birthday's are completely anti-climatic at this age (just one year closer to the grave) I still had a good one. It started on Friday, with my office pranking me. My new boss brings a lot of energy to the workplace and since he has come, birthdays have become a time to torture each other. (Where are the good ole days, when people just brought you a cake?!?)

When I arrived at work, my office was completely turned around backwards. My computer, my phone, everything was facing the wrong way. Additionally, things were moved all over the place and placed upside down and cockeyed. People even took the pictures out of my picture frames and turned them upside down! They also threw paper confetti and balloons everywhere. I spent a portion of my day just putting my office back together so that I could actually work! Feel the love!

I do have to admit though, it could have been worse. One of my other co-workers had a horn taped to the underside of her chair on her birthday that blasted to the entire office when she sat down and about gave her a heart attack. And her office got "glittered". Two months later, she is still finding glitter in places. My team knows how to push my OCD buttons but at least they know how far is too far. Had my office gotten glittered they might all be unemployed today. 

Yesterday, my actual birthday, was great. I took the day off of work so for the first half of the day I wondered what to do with myself. What do people do on a Saturday morning? I started to bury myself in a book but my phone kept ringing so I gave up. Instead I watched reruns of Boy Meets World and talked to my parents and my brothers and friends that called and/or texted. One highlight of my day was when I was talking to my brother about getting older and all that comes with it - wrinkles, gray hair,  etc. and I took a good hard look in the mirror and saw ZERO gray hairs! YES! Aging: 0 Tamara: 1!

Last night, a group of friends and I went downtown to celebrate my being born. We had some delicious Italian food at Buca di Bepo then saw a production of Les Miserables then had dessert at Ghirardelli's. It was the perfect night. If you know me at all, you know that theater is my passion and that Les Mis is my absolute favorite. So I got to spend the evening doing what I love with people that I love. It was delightful. Oh, and just for a little added bonus, while walking to the theater from dinner, I was stopped and told that I was beautiful. Granted, it was from a kind of creepy random guy that probably lived on the street downtown but hey, on the day that I turn 36, having someone tell me how gorgeous I am was quite welcome! So thank you creepy random guy, I appreciate the ego boost. 

My friends also brought me this stunning bouquet of flowers which will make my apartment smell lovely for days. Aren't they amazing? My friend, Trisha put them together, she has quite a gift. 

 So, all in all, it was a great birthday and now I slip back into normal life, one year older. Here's to 36 and getting "one day more".

Strawberry Shortcake

After a month of many birthdays, May is finally over. June is pretty slow as far as that goes. Of course there is MY birthday, but I don't make myself a cake so nothing to do there. Last week, my friends, Brooke and Charley and I celebrated Brooke's birthday by hanging out and having dinner and playing a fun (meaning I won) game of Settlers of Catan. We then topped it off with Strawberry Shortcake. Brooke always asks for some type of strawberry cake every year and I happily oblige. We realized that we have been friends for 9 years now which is a lot of birthdays!

It was kind of crazy thinking of the fact that I moved to California 9 years ago! Brooke and Charley actually met in my dining room over a game of Settlers and we used to play constantly. We were in school at the time and life looked vastly different than it does now. Now we are hard working professionals rather than hopeful college students and there was a baby to put down before we could play Settlers. Wow, it makes me feel old. Well, that and the fact that I am turning 36 a week from today. I will soon be closer to 40 than 30. Oi vey! Where are the years going?!?

Anyway, back to Strawberry Shortcake. This isn't traditional Strawberry Shortcake, it is a "layer cake" it is pretty much the same thing, just assembled differently. The trick is making it look good. Layering strawberries in between each layer makes it hard to not slide all over the place. And the frosting is  a cross between whipped cream and butter cream. It is stable enough to frost a cake but pretty light and fluffy so it is hard to do any precise piping or anything so I don't even try and just go with the "homemade" look. It is delicious though, perfect for the summer!

Strawberry “Shortcake” Layer Cake:

Cake

2 cups sugar

2 sticks of butter, at room temperature

2 eggs

1 Tbs. vanilla bean paste

2 1/2 cups cake flour

1 tsp. salt

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vinegar

Frosting:

1 8 oz.  pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. almond extract

2 cups heavy whipping cream

Strawberry Filling:

4 cups strawberries

¼ cup sugar

1/8 cup lemon juice

Cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter, beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. Sift together flour and salt. Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Blend in vanilla. In a small bowl, combine baking soda and vinegar and add to mixture. Pour batter into two 9 inch  round pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from heat and cool completely. Slice each cake in half so that there are four layers.

Frosting:

Combine the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract and almond extract in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Fit the mixer with the whisk attachment and mix on medium speed until smooth. While the mixture is still whipping, slowly pour in the heavy cream. Stop and scrape the bottom of the bowl a couple of times while you continue whipping until the cream can hold a stiff peak.

Strawberry Filling:

Slice strawberries and add lemon juice and sugar. Let sit overnight for the flavors to meld.

Assembly:

Spread a thin layer of frosting over the 1^st layer of cake. Pipe a border of frosting around the edge to hold the strawberries inside. Spoon the strawberry mixture inside. Put the next layer of cake on top and repeat the steps. Once completely assembled, frost the entire cake.

O-O-reo O-O-reo, what's in the middle? The white stuff!

You are totally singing it now aren't you? Nothing like a little Weird Al stuck in your head to brighten your day. You're welcome :)
So, it's my friend, Colin's, birthday and we had a picnic by the beach in Del Mar last week to celebrate that in addition to wrapping up Community Group for the school year. He wanted something oreo-y and otherwise left it up to me. Pinterest, here I come! I found these cute little oreo cheesecake cupcakes and they are so easy to make! Plus they are great to take to a picnic, they are so portable and not messy. Perfect for summer get-togethers.

Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes

Ingredients

24 Oreos: 16 left whole, and 8 coarsely chopped

2 8-oz pkg. cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten

1/2 cup sour cream

Pinch of salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 275 F. Line muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 whole Oreo in the bottom of each lined cup. Beat the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium. Gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Pour in the beaten egg, a little at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand. Pour the batter into the prepared tins, filling each almost to the top. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, 22-25 minutes. Cool in the pans for about 15 minutes, on a wire rack, then transfer to a plate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Toasted Coconut Cupcakes

Last week was my friend, Cheryl's, birthday. She is in school so her birthday is such bad timing, she was only able to steal away 5 minutes to come eat a cupcake before returning to an all-nighter writing a 20-page paper. I remember those days. I am so glad I am not still in school, sigh...
Anyway, we celebrated on Friday night instead by going to see The Great Gatsby. That was such a great movie! The costumes and music were so beautiful. It doesn't look like it got great reviews but I loved it and highly recommend.

Anyway, here is the recipe for Cheryl's birthday cupcakes. They were delicious. The toasted coconut gives them such a great texture!

Toasted Coconut Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

2 sticks of butter, at room temperature

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. coconut extract

2 1/2 cups cake flour

1 tsp. salt

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vinegar

1 cup toasted coconut

Frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese

2 sticks butter at room temperature

5 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. coconut extract

1 cup toasted coconut

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread the 2 cups of coconut on a baking sheet and toast for 20 minutes (or until lightly brown), stirring every 5 minutes. Set aside and let cool.

In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter, beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. Sift together flour and salt. Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Blend in vanilla and coconut extract. In a small bowl, combine baking soda and vinegar and add to mixture. Stir in toasted coconut. Pour batter into cupcake tins. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from heat and cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

Mix the butter and cream cheese until creamy and smoothed out. Add the powdered sugar and mix until creamy. Add vanilla and coconut extract. Frost the cupcakes and dip in coconut. (if desired, place a Hersheys Kiss in the middle for presentation)

Why I love geeks (and Will Wheaton)

I saw this video clip from Will Wheaton from the Calgary Comic Expo and just love it! (Video Here) I love Will Wheaton anyway. I think he was one of my first celebrity crushes, waaaay back when he was a young teenager in Stand By Me. I love how he describes nerds/geeks. "Its not what you love, its how you love it."
I have been trying to put my finger on it for years. I have always been drawn to geeks. They are my people! One of my favorite shows is The Big Bang Theory because I identify with it so much! (oh, and Mr. Wheaton pops his head in from time to time) This (even better video here) exact same scenario has happened in my dining room countless times! I don't know if that is so much that my friends are geeks or just overgrown 7th grade boys, but either way, to have it depicted in a sitcom just makes me laugh. I just... relate.
I consider myself a geek, and not so much because of the things I like (although things like Settlers of Catan, Firefly, and pretty much all things Joss Whedon would definitely put me in that category) it is because when I like something, I really LIKE something. I have a bit of an obsessive personality which can be a good and a bad thing. People who know me know that the things I am passionate about are just that... passions! When I fell in love with theater I was not just someone who loved theater, I was someone who would take off of work when RENT came to town and "rush" in line for 12 hours with the other crazies to get front row tickets. When I first read Harry Potter, I didn't stop until I read all seven books in less than a week and went to the movies at midnight with all the 15 year old kids wearing Gryffindor scarves and lightening bolts painted on their foreheads. I love the concept of Cosplay but I don't dare let myself get into it because I know I would get way too into it and spend a lot of money I don't have making elaborate costumes.
Ultimately, I think that is why I love geeks so much, they have passion. They love things, a lot! That is a beautiful quality in a person. And, of course, they are a bit on the fringe which I love too. Who wants to be too mainstream? Blech...
Anyway, until I connect with that one passionate outsider that I am sure is out there (probably at Comic Con or something) I will keep pinning things like this on Pinterest, because... let's face it, this will probably come in handy one day. LONG LIVE GEEKS!

Bite Sized Goodness

Have you ever tried writing a blog with "The Big Bang Theory" on in the background? It is very distracting. I have been sitting here for about 15 minutes with my fingers on the keyboard but my eyes on the T.V. I feel like I am back in school! Anyway... I just made the most delicious appetizers for my Community Group, I found the recipe on Pinterest (here is the original blog) don't they look yummy? They are so easy, too.

Roasted Grapes with Thyme and Ricotta on Bread

Toss some red grapes with olive oil, salt and thyme. Spread them out on a baking sheet and bake for 7-9 minutes at 450 F. Set aside and let cool. Remove thyme sprigs.

Slice a loaf of rustic bread into 1/2 inch pieces and brush with olive oil. Broil until lightly browned (flipping over half way to cook both sides). Set aside and let cool.

Spread a layer of ricotta cheese on each slice of bread and top, sprinkle with salt and top with a spoonful of grapes.

Another thing I made this week were red velvet cake pops. (I have made them before here) Last time I made them, my friend, Jaimee, took a leftover one to work and her coworker loved it and hired me to make some for her baby shower. 

They turned out so cute, like little baby rattles.

Lovin' the South

I haven't blogged in about a month. Work has been super stressful and I have no motivation to write when I am stressed out. Without going into details (this blog is not about my work life) March, was the most difficult month ever. Every day, I wanted to hide away in a blanket fort and color rather than be a responsible adult and go to work. Fortunately the hardest part is over, and now it is time to pick myself up and keep marching on! The one highlight in March, however, was my business trip to Charlotte, North Carolina. I have never been on a business trip before, it was really fun! I felt so important! Right before I flew out there, my boss said, "Don't let them recruit you, now, we have lost a few employees to that." A comment made mostly in jest and I didn't take it too seriously but that did have me thinking while I was out there if I would ever actually consider relocating to North Carolina.

Let me tell you, there are a lot of plusses to living in the south! For one thing everything is so cheap compared to San Diego! For the same amount I pay for my apartment, I could live in a house twice the size. That is pretty much true for anywhere else in the U.S. which is depressing to think about so I just don't. Also, and I know this sounds mean, but the majority of people in the south are really fat. The obesity epidemic is country-wide for sure, but those southern states with their greasy food definitely have big people. I have never been a petite girl, but over there I felt so tiny! I am a virtual size two by comparison, talk about good for the ego. And finally, I'll just say it, I have a bit of a weakness for men of the African-American persuasion. I don't meet many of them where I live, but in Charlotte, they are everywhere! So... in one move, I could be rich, thin, and surrounded by beautiful men!  Talk about a win-win! I am on the wrong side of the country!

But then, I came home, stepped out of the airport, smelled that salty, breezy, air; saw my beloved palm trees lining the streets, drove home along the coast looking out at the gorgeous ocean, and thought... "nah, I live in paradise! It would take a lot more than that to get me to leave!" So, long story short, North Carolina was pretty awesome but how can you not love San Diego?!?

One thing that the south does well is biscuits! I have hosted Easter brunch at my house for four years and have tried several different biscuit recipes and just haven't been completely happy with any of them. I just can't get them to rise very tall and get all flaky and buttery. When I was in Charlotte, I happened into Bojangles which is like a KFC type of place in the south. I had the most amazing biscuits ever! I googled copycat recipes and they all called for shortening. To me, using shortening would mean I would lose that delicious buttery taste but I was willing to give it a try. I ended up brushing melted butter over the top a few minutes before they were done baking and sure enough they tasted very buttery. The shortening helped them puff up and I have to say... best biscuits ever! These are so good!

Here is the recipe:

Bojangles Copy Cat Biscuit Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups self-rising flour

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. powdered sugar

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Melted butter (about 1/4 cup)

Directions:

Stir together the flour, baking powder and powdered sugar.

Cut in the shortening until pieces are about the size of grains of rice. Stir in the buttermilk.

Knead a few times; roll out on a floured board or counter top to 1- inch thickness.

Be careful not to work dough too much or add too much flour, or you’ll have dry biscuits. Cut with a round biscuit cutter. Makes 8 biscuits.

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake about 12 minutes in a preheated 450°F oven. Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter and bake about 3 more minutes.