All You Need is Love...and Cookie Cakes

Sometimes, you just need dessert and you need it now. Let me present the cookie cake:

You could always buy one from the supermarket but then it is at least a foot in diameter and its harder to handle having that much cookie cake in your life at one time. (You're gonna keep going back, don't lie). And there seems to be some type of perserative in supermarket baked goods that makes me feel a bit gross aftter a few rounds...

This is the easiest, laziest cookie cake in the world. Meh.

What you need:

chocolate cookie mix, and whatever that requires. I use Betty Crocker.
Canned frosting and sprinkles/jimmies/whatever you call those decorative accents. I used funfetti Christmas-themed (hence the green) because it was on clearance. Judge away.

1. Make the cookie dough. Eat some. Immediately split it in half (or thirds) and put half in the freezer. 
2. Squish remaining dough into vague roundish shape. Bake according to package directions.  
3. Let cool. No really, it needs to cool. All the way.
4. FROST! As much as you can get on there. I actually piped my canned frosting on so I felt like I was making some sort of an effort. Add any other decorations you may want.
5. Display on a board, ala Jamie Oliver. Cut and serve.

Amaze your friends, astonish your family! 

Or, maybe not. But they can't complain or they won't get any cookie cake.

Sochi Olympics and Rainbows

The Olympics have begun and you may be excited or upset, or upset about being excited or just plan excited to be upset. Regardless, the wifey-poo loves the Olympics. The opening ceremony hadn't even happened and every conversation was peppered with 'Ohhh I love rhythmic gymnastics!' "Oh ice dancing is so great" or "I can't wait for ski jumping / half pipe / bobsled / skeleton / that ski and shoot event, whatever it's called'. She marvels whilst I sit near by, muttering 'fascist' under my breath or yelling about chauvinistic commentators. 

But since I am to be widowed by the aforementioned international spectacular every two years for the rest of my life, I have to make the best of it and what better to make than cake. 

Rainbow cake, of course.

After an afternoon of scholarship application reading, I thought I'd stick with the Better Homes and Garden's (red and white checked bible) 'Busy-Day Cake' that promised to be simple and tasty. And I had seen numerous 'rainbow' baked goods techniques on pinterest, so I was set.

So it goes...

Old school

My favorite part

I have always loved using food coloring. It's like magic! Some of the joy was deadened by my constant fear for my butcher block counters, but I persevered to this:

Time to pour! (Do I have six spatulas? I better, because I am not washing in between.)
ROY G BIV! (There's a British memory aid for this order, but I've forgotten. Back to that when my hands are dripping electric yellow foodgrade dye).

Not far into the assemblage, I had several thoughts:

1) Oh shit, is this not really an 8 inch pan? Is this 9 inches? Didn't I just measure this last week? IT'S SO LITTLE.
2) My orange isn't very orange. Rather, it's 'Barbie doll flesh tone'. Gross.
3) I guess if this goes terrible, I can submit it to 'Pinstosity'

But I continued on, because regardless of how ugly it looked, it'd still be edible...as long as I managed to not incinerate it in the meantime.

So I poured on and on, trying not to get too excited...though I did have to remeasure (definitely 8 inches! OMG You're right for once).

Then I decided to shake the pan to spread out the batter. It was one of those decisions where you know this will be a major turning point in your life. 

SAFE

Didn't eff it up completely! Finally finished and into the oven. *wipes brow*

Probably should have swirled it, but after all that work, couldn't be bothered

And ta-DA!

Okay, not so impressive from that angle, but I was just so surprised it didn't get really dark and brownish. Proper decorations were needed to really bring it up to Opening Ceremonies standards.

My rings worked the first time

Profile shot

Remember, love is love. Don't let the Russians / Muggles / bitches get you down. Do you and if all else fails, eat cake. 

...Just realized the red blurry thing in the upper left hand corner is the sprinkle shaker caught in the act!

The March Blues

Winter lasts at least six months of the year in New England. Sometimes it seems like it never actually ends but just goes into hiding only to reappear as soon as your hopes are high. As spring approaches, the worst is the constant tease of warmer weather; we get a foot of a snow and then it’s 50 degrees the next day, then it’s freezing rain and back to the high 40s and sunny. You keep getting your hopes up, only to have them dashed on the cold hard ground and no one knows what to wear (Rain boots? Winter boots? Rain slicker? Down jacket? Both?)

You know the spring is coming but by early March when the snow is still falling regularly, it gets pretty depressing. And the March Blues have definitely taken up full time residence around these parts. Short of relocating, all I can do is keep the blues at bay by any means necessary.

Make cookies

Or cake. Or anything tasty. We recently discovered the wonderment that is “The Great British Bake Off” and have now begun our own baking competition that consists of our own good sense against our own lacking skills. But every so often something comes out beautifully – or at least very tasty - and one just feels so accomplished. Baking aside, coming home after a shitty day and cooking a beautiful meal often salvages the day. Or just go out and let someone else cook for you.

Okay, so I bought it not made it.

Schedule a dream vacation (or at least create an inspiration board about it)

When things aren't going well, it’s important to remember things will change eventually. Even better is to start making exciting plans to look forward to. Pick a weekend to meet up with friends or schedule a mini trip away. Better yet, plan a big summer adventure that you can research and dream about straight through the spring rains. Comparing beaches and resort menus is the best use of your lunch break - besides eating cookies.

Bermuda, Horseshoe Bay

Escape mentally

A good book transports you to another time and place and let’s you be someone different for a few hours. A well-crafted movie or show can do the same with striking images and soaring music. It seems simple enough to turn on the tv or pick up a book, but to truly immerse yourself - put down the smartphone, stop reading the mail, and finish the chores first - into a piece can relax your mind and give you a bit of peace. Pretending you are somewhere - or someone - else for an evening might just distract you from the dreary reality outside your door.

You know you always wanted to be a wizard, admit it

March will come and go and spring will arrive. In the meantime you might as well enjoy yourself, mother nature be damned!