So, yeah...that happened.

A lot has happened since September 10, 2009. And guess what, a lot is going to change around here.

There's no way in this day and age, 50 million years (mentally and emotionally at least) after my last post, that I can keep this blog in any sort of formal standard schedule. It just can't happen. At least not until October 16, 2010 at the earliest.

Getting engaged and planning a wedding does some messed up things to your brain, one of which is to make you think of your wedding pretty much non-stop. It's just there, always, in the front of your brain. Every single decision brings up the question, "How will this affect the wedding?" Every conversation has the potential to end in, "So, yeah, then they told me the color was discontinued! Can you believe that?" and that's the point when all of your friends stop listening and their ears shut off, I'm sure.

I never thought in a million years that I would understand someone being a bridezilla. When planning a wedding, the term gets a lot closer to heart and you start to feel for those girls. I can see how things get that bad. I fear for myself and my family and friends that I will get that bad. I hope that I don't.

Highly Toxic?

I've always stored my cake pans and cookie sheets in the oven. In 10+ years, I've never once forgotten to take them out before preheating the oven... until last night.

This is what happens to plastic cake pan lids, when they are left in an oven that is preheating to 425, for 30 minutes:

Obviously I threw out both lids, and the metal cake pan that the one melted into. I kept the glass Pyrex cake pan that the blue lid went to. My question is, is it safe to use my oven now? There's a part of my brain that is telling me that fumes from melted plastic is highly toxic. Should I be worried? The clear lid melted on to one of the racks in the oven, but I was able to peel it off, after it cooled. Do I need to do anything else?

Thanks in advance, for any suggestions.

Vacation / Sick Leave

Sorry everyone, but there probably won't be any new posts until next Tuesday. Bad planning on my part, I know. I'm not feeling real great today (allergies), and we're going out of town for the long weekend.

Please stay tuned, because I will be back in full-force, next Tuesday.

Picture Pages - Lil' Mans

Happy Birthday, Gregs!

I love you, little cousin.

You know, she'd be real proud of the man you've become.

... even if she saw this ...
*wink*

I hope you had a great birthday, yesterday!

The First Q & A

Q: Is Antonio Banderas the voice of the Nasonex Bee?

A: Yes, yes he is.

Product Review - Edy's Thin Mint Ice Cream

When I first heard about this Special Edition ice cream last year, I was so excited. Thin Mints have always been my favorite Girl Scout cookies, and I especially love them when they're cold. Sounds like this ice cream would be perfect for me, right? Well, it's not.

After I first heard about the Special Edition flavor, I searched online to see if this ice cream was available in my area, but it wasn't. Then, last month, I just happened to see it in my local Homeland. Of course, I had to get some. After we got home from the store, I opened the container, and was surprised to see that it was chocolate ice cream. I'm not sure why I was so surprised, as the picture on the front clearly shows that it is chocolate, but I was expecting vanilla ice cream with thin mint pieces.

I tried my first bite, and was not impressed. The texture was very grainy and the chocolate ice cream did not have a good flavor. That was odd, because Edy's is usually a very good ice cream. Their vanilla is wonderful.

Long story short, I will not be having this Thin Mint ice cream again. It was not good - not even for a Thin Mint and Chocolate lover like me.

After looking at the website today, I notice that this flavor is only supposed to be available from January through April. That worries me a little, as I bought mine in July. Maybe that's the problem. Maybe mine was just old. I also notice, that the website describes the ice cream as follows: "A refreshing and original flavor that combines white mint light ice cream and Thin Mint cookies. Be sure to get as much of this deLightful Limited Edition flavor as you can now, while supplies last."

Edy's Thin Mint Cookie

What the hell? Mine was chocolate. Now I'm just confused. Maybe I'll put a note in my calendar, to keep an eye out for Thin Mint ice cream meeting THIS description, next January.

Recipe Review - 7 Minute Frosting

"No Cook" 7 Minute Frosting

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup boiling water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 unbeaten egg whites
food coloring (optional)

DIRECTIONS
1. Mix sugar, cream of tartar, vanilla and egg whites.
2. Add boiling water.
3. Beat on high til mixture forms peaks (like meringue) approx 5-7 minutes.

http://www.recipezaar.com/No-Cook-7-Minute-Frosting-107841

I really thought this was going to be the first recipe review that I wouldn't have any complaints about. Unfortunately, that's not exactly the case.

At the last minute on Saturday evening, I decided to make a birthday cake for a family get together - Happy Birthday, Becky & Amy! That morning, I had seen a recipe for a 7 Minute Frosting on America's Test Kitchen. Apparently it's a pretty old recipe, but I'd never heard of it. However, it's a very pretty frosting, and I knew I wanted to try it. The problem is, I've never had a double boiler, and don't even really have the right pots for a makeshift one, and this recipe called for a double boiler.

I searched online, to try to find a recipe that was simpler than the one I'd seen that morning. As luck would have it, I came across this "No Cook" recipe. It was a breeze to make, and really turned out beautifully. If was very white and fluffy looking, and very light tasting.

To make it a little more festive, since it was a birthday cake, I decided to add some yellow gel food coloring. Well, it worked, and the icing took the color really well, but it actually ended up looking like whipped butter. I wish I had gotten a photo of it. It was so funny. It looked like we slathered the cake in Country Crock.

Thankfully, the butter-look didn't phase anyone. Even the frosting-haters of the family, agreed that this frosting was tasty. For the birthday party, I made a Fun-fetti cake and frosted it with the butter-yellow "No Cook" 7 Minute Frosting. And it was delicious.

Late that night, I was still in the baking mood, so I decided to try it again. I made a double batch this time, because I wanted to make a layer cake and use the frosting between the layers. I also mixed it up a little, and used almond extract instead of vanilla. It was a success.

This almond frosting had a very good flavor. I actually preferred it to the vanilla. And let me tell you, this chocolate layer cake turned out to be almost too pretty to eat.

But as you can see, we really didn't have a problem digging right in. It was heavenly. The almond flavoring added such a nice touch to it. And the texture of this frosting is just nearly perfect.

So, all in all, for a cake that's going to be eaten in one day, this recipe it a complete success. I give it an A+ for same day enjoyment.

The problem comes after the cake sits for a while. I made the chocolate cake late at night; I probably finished it around midnight. The next morning, approximately 12 hours later, this is what we were welcomed with when we got down to the kitchen.

As you can see, the layers basically disappeared. I didn't expect the cake to keep it's shape completely, because the frosting was so light, but I never figured something like this would happen. The frosting on the outside was much thicker than the layers, and didn't disappear, but got all foamy. It was so strange. We went ahead and tried a bit, and it still tasted really great. The frosting sort of just absorbed into the cake and made it really moist, and again that almond flavor was really wonderful. But it was still so weird. I can't figure out if it's just this recipe, or if any 7 Minute Frosting will do this. Like I said, this is the first time I'd ever heard of it.

My other idea, is that maybe it's supposed to be refrigerated? I just don't know.

So, in conclusion, this recipe fails in the long run, but only in looks. The flavor is still wonderful, even after the frosting disappears.

Overall, I give it a C, and suggest you consume the frosted cake within 6 hours of preparation.

If any of you make this, or have ever made a traditional 7 Minute Frosting, please let me know if this is the standard, of if I've done something wrong.

As always, if you have any suggestions for recipes you'd like me to review, please leave a comment. Stay tuned!