Pretty Pessimist

I have been totally slacking on the blog-front lately, shame on me.  I’ve been crazy busy with class, and trying to get things done before I leave for California on Friday morning, and trying to spend as much time as I can with Matt before my trip.  The good news is, I should be able to update my blog along the way since I’m taking my awesome netbook.  I’m also taking my camera and will try to include some pics along the way.  I don’t have net service apart from what I can get as free wifi along the way, or net at my moms, but will try to update when we stop in Flagstaff or Kingman for the night on Saturday.

Other than school work and trip planning and husband coddling, I’ve just been trying to keep my house clean.  Seeing how I’ll be gone for a week and a half, the cleaner it is now the less I’ll have to do when I get home.  Matt’s bound to make a huge mess while I’m gone,  he’s crazy messy,  so more work now means less work later… or at least that’s what I’m telling myself.  I’ve got to do the grocery shopping on Tuesday and there’s a video game Matt wants that comes out then, so I’m going to try to get that for him.

Let’s see, I also wanted to share a bit of writing news.  Melanie and I have formed writing group!!  We both want to write more, and we both need support, so we’re writing together.  She gets all the credit for this awesome idea, it dawned on her while we were in class a few weeks ago.  We’ve decided to get together every Thursday afternoon for a few hours, to write and support one another’s writing, before our Thursday class.  We’ve had one session so far and it was amazing and productive.  We missed last week because I’m a total slacker, but will be getting together this coming Thursday to write again.  I’m really looking forward to it.  Truly, it was an inspired idea!  Then, of course, we’ll miss getting together the week I’m in CA, but will pick it up again the week after spring break.  Looking very forward to it and to the productivity that the first session proved to be.  It definitely renewed my interest in my novel in progress, Remembering Tomorrow, so I’m working on that again.

Finally, I added a “Portfolio” page to this blog as a place for me to keep a collection of links to work I’ve done around the net — it’s a relatively small list, but it’s growing.  I’ve also started a new blog over the last few days, a book blog called ‘A Turn of Page,’ if you’re interested — if you go to that site, can you tell me how it looks.  It looks fine on my computers, but I like to be sure it looks okay otherwise.  I need a new blog like I need a hole in the head, but I love blogging and I love books, so it works.

Anyway, that’s all I have for the time being.  Adieu.

I know that I posed a recipe a few days ago, but I just couldn’t resist this one.  This isn’t my recipe, I found it on this blog a few months ago and I’ve been dying to make it ever since, but keep forgetting to get the ingredients.  I managed to remember last time I was at Wal-Mart, and got around to making them tonight.

Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Fudge Cupcakes

1 box Chocolate Cake Mix
2 Eggs, Oil, & Water
1 bag Chocolate Chips
2 Tbsp Butter
2 tsp Vanilla
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
24 Cupcake Wrappers

1. Mix cake by package directions. I used Dark Chocolate Fudge, but any chocolate cake will work. Use one less egg than the recipe calls for (ie. my cake called for 3, I only used 2), that way the cupcakes are less like cake and more moist and fudgy.

2. Add 1/2 c. chocolate chips. The original recipe calls for semi-sweet, but I used milk chocolate. It turned out to be a good contrast with the dark chocolate cake.

3. Spoon into cupcake wrappers.  I use a cookie scoop because it’s easy to maneuver.  Two scoops per wrapper is about right.

4. Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees, until a toothpick inserted in one comes out clean. Cool.

5. When cupcakes are cooled, clear a spot in the fridge and put down wax paper. I used foil, for lack of waxed paper, but waxed paper would be much better. They sort of stuck to the foil.

6. In medium bowl, melt butter about 30 seconds. Add vanilla, 2 c. chocolate chips, and sweetened condensed milk. Melt together all ingredients about another 30 seconds, stirring until smooth. Heat in increments of 15 seconds, if necessary, stirring between heating to make sure you don’t over cook it. Overcooked ganache is not pretty, so be careful.

6. Set ganache aside for 5 or so minutes. The ganache is really runny, so letting it cool will make it easier to work with.

7. Once ganache has set up a little, frost cupcakes with rubber spatula and place in the fridge immediately. I frosted one and put it right in the fridge, repeat. That way, the cold in the fridge can slow ganache from running off the cupcake completely. It will overflow onto the sides, and the cupcakes will look pretty!  Make sure you don’t try dipping the cupcakes into the ganache, it’ll just tear them up… trust me on this one.

8. Let cupcakes stand in fridge for about 2 hours, or until the ganache is completely set up.  When they’re set up, take them out of the fridge and serve with a big glass of milk!!

There you have it.  The one thing I’ll say is that this recipe took me a long time.  It wasn’t quick.  I can only cook the cupcakes 12 at a time, so mixing them up and baking them took about an hour.  Then, they had to cool and frosted, which took another hour or so.  I may have a skewed memory of the amount of time it took to make them because I made dinner between baking them and frosting them.  Then they had to sit.  So yeah, not a quick recipe but worth every second it took making them, because they’re delicious and because I had a fun baking them.

If you decide to try it, I’d love it if you’d share pictures of yours with me.  I just love the way they look!

Bon Appétit!!

I’m going to California!!

While talking to my mom last Thursday, she mentioned to me that my Aunt Sue would be driving out to California for the week of March 15th on business.  That’s spring break week for me, and my aunt agreed to take me along, so it looks like I’ll be visiting home soon!  It would seem that my aunt, who only lives 1-1/2 hours from me, drives out to California every 3-4 months, and yet this is the first time it occurred to us that I could go along and have the opportunity to see my family for next to no cost.  So, this will be the first time I’ve gone along, but if all goes well, perhaps it won’t be the last.  It makes it much easier for me to afford it, since all I’ll have to do is pay for my meals during the two days trip there and the two days trip back.

This trip’ll be good for many reasons and I’m so excited!!  With me going, my aunt won’t have to drive across three states alone, I’ll get to see my grandparents on the way, I’ll have the chance to catch up with my aunt who I’ve not seen in 12 years, and I’ll get to see my family.  I can’t wait and luckily, with the extremely short notice, I won’t have to for very long.  We leave early the morning of March 12th, head to Lubbock & Plainview to stay over night, then on the morning of the 13th we set out for California.  We’ll stay the night in either Flagstaff or Kingman and then finish the trip into California on the morning of March 14th.  We should be at my mom and dad’s around 2:30 p.m. on March 14th.  I’ll stay with my folks for a week and then she’ll pick me up on her way back to Texas on March 20th or 21st and we’ll spend two days coming home, with a stop off in Plainview to see my grandparents again.

Matt won’t be going, the notice is too short this time.  He’ll stay home with Ani and Galileo, and hopefully come next time.  I haven’t seen my family in more than two years, but they’ve not seen Matt in far longer than that.  I know he misses them, and they him, so hopefully he’ll be able to go out to CA with me next time.  This will make three visits to CA for me that he’s had to stay home.  It’s just much more cost effective this way, which is unfortunate, but a reality nonetheless.  I always hate to be apart, even for a few days, because we miss one another and because Matt can’t cook, at all, and I worry about him eating while I’m gone.  He’s been fine the other two times and I won’t be gone as long this time as I was before, so I’m sure he’ll be okay.  Still, it doesn’t keep me from worrying.

Let’s see, I’m hoping to get some visiting done while I’m out there, to see my sister and nephews, my Aunt Pam, and some of the many friends I have in CA.  Unfortunately, I won’t have a car, so getting around will be a little difficult, but I’m sure it can be worked out.  More than anything, I’m dying to see my parents, I miss them like crazy.  I’m going to take pictures of everyone and post them online, probably via Facebook, so I have up-to-date pics of the family and friends, for myself and for Matt since he’s not going to be able to go — I got a new camera in January and I’m dying to put it to good use!  I’ll probably come back with an absolute ton of pics of the landscape between here and there, of the desert and the mountains.  I miss those things here, where it’s flat and there’s not a Joshua Tree in a thousand miles.

So, there you have it.  If you missed it in all that chatter, I’ll be there from about March 14th – March 20th (or 21st).  If you’re one of said California friends and would like to get together, let me know.  I think almost everyone I know out there either knows where to find me, or at least has a general idea about where I’ll be staying and could find it with directions.

Did I mention I can’t wait?!