Mid-Semester Break

Daniel and I came up to Kelso to stay with my family for the weekend over mid-semester break. Saturday was sort of a lazy-day, in that we didn't leave the house, run errands, or do homework. However, I was a busy bee! Amanda made the most phenomenal cake one time for our RA meeting and I always wanted my mom to try it ever since. So yesterday became that day! I got the recipe from Alicia Paulson on her blog, Posie Gets Cozy. It took several hours to finally complete it, but the work itself for the cake was semi-intermittent. Step one of the frosting had to be made several hours in advance to completely cool down (the refrigerator isn't an option), and then made lunch (tea-size sandwiches sounded awesome), then the cake making. Daniel handed me things sometimes, but he mostly just took goofy pictures and watched a marathon of Jersey Shore and baseball. In an apron. 

Savory little sandwiches, pulled roast beef from dinner the night before and avocados. I also made the classic cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches.

After eating a little lunch, it was time to get started on this marvelous cake, so Daniel took a picture of me

preparing the cake pans for the batter.

Here's my man, being "useful." This is the apron he always wears, and there's a good chance it was actually a present for my mother.

Lots of cocoa powder make this cake really chocolaty! 

However, it wouldn't be helpful if it didn't go into the batter...

Yay! The cakes are done! It took 30 minutes with the oven set to 350 degrees. But somebody looks mischievous... Chocolate cake is Daniel's favorite, so if you don't keep a close eye on him, and the cakes, they just might go missing. Together. 

Aww, there's my man that I love!!

Now onto the frosting. It calls for 2 cups of sifted confectioners sugar, which takes a long time to sift. At least for me. There must be a better way...

Daniel went missing for a while, and all I heard was his chuckling and Lucy meowing and hissing. Daniel really doesn't like Lucy (I DO), so he was on a mission to capture her "true self" on film. Here it is. There are no secrets anymore.

Hands-down, zero debate, this is by far the best frosting in the entire world. Alicia Paulson calls it "Cloudburst Frosting."

The cake is finally done! My mom and sister were out and about, and I tried to wait for them to come back before cutting into it, but after getting off the phone, and finding out they were ten minutes away (!), I waited three more seconds before diving in. It was amazing. So amazing.

We had a really great day together, full of relaxation, dessert, TV that we don't have at school, and entertainment provided by Lucy.

Gluten-Free? GLUTEN FREE!

As most of my friends and family know, my body has this whole thing going on called Celiac Disease, or Celiac Sprue. That means I can't eat gluten. Gluten is in wheat, flour, barely, rye, pretty much anything that is bread-related and thickened. Sometimes it really bums me out, but that bum-ness is actually easily remedied! Earlier this week, Danika and I ventured to Bob's Red Mill (pictured below), which is one of my favorite places to find gluten-free mixes, recipes, pastries, and treats. Amanda and I frequent the place on occasion (she is also gluten-free) so I picked up a gluten-free sugar cookie mix and gave it to her in hopes that we can someday soon bake them together. I also found a fantastic bakery devoted to being completely gluten-free in SE Portland called New Cascadia (pictured below the other picture). I found some wonderful artisan cheddar parmesan bread sourdough bread, cupcakes, sandwiches, quiche, and lots of other delightful goodies. Finding this bakery gave me just the encouragement I needed! All this is to say is that there is hope. And hopefully I don't lose too much weight before the wedding!

Bob's Red Mill (above); New Cascadia Bakery (below)