Cake explosions and other fun stuff.

Happy Birthday Oma!

Confession: I blew up the first cake... it totally cracked and went everywhere. It's currently taking up residence in our deep freeze just waiting for me to make a trifle out of its devil's food goodness. Luckily I still had the dark chocolate ganache and the white chocolate cream for the layers in between... and an awesome husband that ran out to get supplies for the second cake at 10 at night.

The second one turned out MUCH better than the first and it was so yummy and chocolatey, just as the birthday girl requested!

A hint of what is to come.

Ideas for this year's table...

Dear Readers of my little piece of the internet...

My very most favorite time of the year is fast approaching. Thanksgiving is the best, so wonderful, so marvelous holiday of the year. I have the illustrious task of handling all of the decor. We have usually somewhere in the neighborhood of dinner for twenty people in my mom's downtown loft. It is also the only time my family allows me to use place cards without (much) ridicule.

For now, I leave you with photos of 2005, my my mind is already clicking away with the possibilities that this year brings.

And then the Black Friday festivities begin!

Read this article.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/06/AR2008110603948.html

Then leave a comment and tell me what you thought. Thank you Sarah Jo for sending it to me, I loved his story.

Cookie Monster

This morning we made pumpkin cookies.

Pumpkin Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the dry ingrediants together in a bowl and set aside:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon each salt, nutmeg, cloves, & ginger

Cream 1/2 cup softened butter with 1 1/2 cups sugar.

Add the wet ingrediants to the creamed sugar/butter mixture:

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Once the mixture is creamy, add the dry ingrediants just until combined. Do not over beat.

Drop onto a cookie sheet by the tablespoon. Bake 15-20 minutes.

I frosted mine with a can of cream cheese frosting I picked up at the store. It was the easy way out, but it tasted great with the cookies.

I think they were a hit.