Daddy's Birthday

Happy birthday, Daddy!

In the past year or two I've been discovering baking and cooking.  And since I became a Pinterest addict last summer, seeing all of those incredible ideas and recipes has inspired me to expand my repertoire.  However, since I've also been trying to lose weight, as has my entire household, I needed actual reasons to make some of the more decadent and delicious desserts.


Well yesterday was my dad's birthday.  I asked him last week what kind of cake he wanted for the occasion -- fully expecting him to reply with his favorite "Sunshine Cake."As cakes go, Sunshine Cake isn't bad -- really, is there such a thing as a bad cake? -- but it's fairly basic:  some sort of yellow butter or buttermilk cake and chocolate frosting.  However, Daddy is full of surprises and wanted to ponder it for a while.  No problem!


Now, my dad loves peanut butter.  Not really to the obsessive, everything-must-be-peanut-butter-flavored level, but he does love the stuff.  I had recently stumbled across a random pin on Pinterest for a peanut butter cake.  I'd never though of such a thing so the idea stuck with me although it didn't particularly interest me, aside from the immediate thought, "I'll bet Daddy would love that!"

So, being the patient woman that I am, I asked him every day for the next few days if he'd decided on a cake yet.  After a couple days he was still pondering and I made the suggestion.  He thought about it for about a second before deciding that was exactly what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday.  I asked him what kind of frosting he wanted and he said peanut butter.  Of course!


So I spend the next couple days searching online for good recipes for peanut butter cake and frosting.  I finally decided on this one from AllRecipes.com but I couldn't just leave well enough alone; I had to tweak it as I went.  Partly because, living in Colorado, I have to adjust nearly every recipe for high altitude.  And partly because, well...it's fun!  So here's my recipe as it developed:


Cream 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1/4 cup softened butter, and 3/4 cup sugar in a mixer.  Add 2 eggs, one at a time, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract and mix well.  Sift or whisk 2 cups all-purpose flour and 2 teaspoons of baking powder together.  Add to creamed mixture in 3 parts, alternating with 1 cup milk in 2 parts.


Here, I discovered that this recipe was not intended for multi-layer cakes.  But I persevered and divided the batter between two 9" round pans I had coated with Wilton's Cake Release.  If you follow this recipe, be sure to level the cakes as well as you can before baking them.  This batter doesn't level itself out much, and I could still see some of the spreading pattern from my spatula.  They will dome a bit, though.  In an attempt to prevent doming, since I didn't have much cake to begin with I lowered the temperature and extended the time.  They baked at 300 (convection) for 30 minutes at first, then I added more time.  I think I ended up baking them for around 40-50 minutes, but since they were thin layers that helped speed things up.  Still, in the end I think I may have slightly over-baked them because it came out a bit dry.  Not horrible, just not moist.  Oh well.


For the frosting, cream 1/3 cup peanut butter, 1/4 cup softened butter, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract in a mixer.  Sift together 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, and 3 cups confectioners' sugar.  Add to creamed mixture in 3 parts, alternating with 1/3 cup milk in 2 parts.  Mix until smooth.

This was when I discovered that I'd have to double the frosting recipe because I was doing the layers.  I did end up having a bit left over at the end, but I figure it's almost like Nutella so it'll get eaten up.

Completely frosted.  Yum...!

I used some peanut butter chips that were in the cupboard to pretty it up a bit. 

Perspective

Earth And Moon From Mercury, MESSENGER, acquired May 6, 2010  Credit: NASA/JHU APL/CIW

I've had a stressful couple of days.  I've had a couple consecutive late nights and (probably due to lack of sleep) started feeling pretty ill Friday night.  Bills are coming in daily -- the collection calls seem to be coming in hourly -- and I still have no money with which to pay them.  And now I've been told by someone I care a great deal about that my friendship is "just stress that [I'd] rather avoid"...Ouch.  Admittedly, I spent yesterday either on the couch or my bed watching TV, replaying every aspect of our relationship, and feeling sorry for myself.  I know, not very productive.

Then, this morning I saw this photograph posted by Earth on Google+ and it sort of comforted me.  Not sure why this image in particular did the job -- maybe it was just the timing and the fact that I hadn't seen it before.  I knew already that my problems, overwhelming as they may seem on a daily basis, aren't even a blip on the radar, but something about seeing the proof of it is nice.

And yes, I have looked at job listings on Craigslist and I plan to apply and distribute resumes tomorrow.

Thinking Dragons

Chinese New Year 2012, Year of the Dragon

Happy Chinese New Year.  Yes, I may be a couple days late but according to ChinaFlowers.net the festival lasts for 15 days.  So there.  Anyway, happy Year of the Dragon to everyone.


I've been feeling a little off the past couple days...Not actually sick, per se, but tired and for no real reason.  Maybe it's the weather or maybe it's a tiny touch of my sister's cold from last weekend.  Either way, I've been feeling more like hibernating than doing just about anything else.


When I'm tired I tend to start living in my head -- more than usual.  I've thought about how to find a second job so that I can pay the bills that keep coming even when the paychecks don't.  I've been thinking a lot about getting more information about starting school again and doing the paperwork for my Associate of Science Degree, which is the only thing standing in my way -- I have all of the credits.


And I've thought about designing again.  Still don't have ideas solid enough that, when I sit down with pencil and paper I know how to begin, but it seems like I'm always thinking about it.  When I drive, I look around me at buildings, landscapes, and just the general layout of cities and I can't help but want to improve upon it.  Maybe it's my obsessive-compulsive tendencies to want to tweak and perfect everything.  Maybe it's just what I'm supposed to do with my life.


Still, I can't afford the move to Boston and the architecture school I really want to attend so I need to start smaller.  I'm planning to look more closely at programs through the University of Northern Colorado and hopefully get back on track.  And, since I do love my job as a tutor, I think the next logical step along that road is teaching.  Math teachers seem to always be in demand so I'm confident that I could get a job, despite the dreary job market and slashed educational budgets everywhere.  Still, if nothing else, it would allow me to charge more for tutoring and would help me get through graduate school at Boston Architectural College, if I ever get there and am accepted.


How pathetic am I that I'm tired and ready for bed before 8 p.m. on a Wednesday night?  The answer is "very."  But oh well, I am what I am.  Goodnight!

Hello, Germany!

Germany Travel Guide - with Wired Destinations

I've been doing a lot of housekeeping and tweaking on my blog, as one is wont to do at the beginning of a new venture, and while doing so have been checking the viewership statistics.  While I'm sure many of the hits are me (despite telling Blogger not to count my visits) there is one location that I am quite positive is not me.  I am not the one visiting from Germany.  But, to whoever is coming to see what's going on in Liberty Corner all the way from Germany I say, "Guten tag," and "dankeshon!"


I know one person who lives in Germany, a friend I met in 7th grade who was born there and moved back for graduate school.  I know the odds of my German visitor being Pinky are not great but just in case -- are you thinking what I'm thinking?  If you're not Pinky, please feel free to ignore that question.


I regret that I know little about Germany, really.  I know, of course, of it's involvement in both World Wars and the Berlin Wall.  I also know, vaguely, that it is the land that has given the world incredible minds, music, architecture, cars, and (of course) Bavarian chocolate.  I also know that many of the truly breathtaking castles of the world are in Germany.  I could rattle off a few names or specific events, but that would mean little and could just as easily have come from Wikipedia.  But now your visit has whet my curiosity and I will see what else I can add to this pathetically short list of German culture.


I hope you enjoy your visit and please come back regularly!

I had a dream...

Image Credit & Copyright: Claudio Santana

A couple nights ago I had a dream that has sort of haunted me.  I don't often remember my dreams, but this one I can't seem to forget.  In my dream I was with a group escaping a sudden eruption of a previously unknown volcano just outside Loveland, a bit south of where I live.  It wasn't a graphic explosion, but I remember wondering if people were alright and where everyone I cared about was.  I was escaping with a sort of random group of people I didn't know and my friend Stacie, though I don't remember any interaction -- I just remember seeing her red car behind me as we fled.  I remember seeing beautiful vistas from the mountain we were driving/climbing up to get away from everything, across a nonexistent valley from the volcano with Loveland at the bottom, and taking pictures and trying to post them to Facebook.  Yeah, no idea what that's supposed to mean...So I looked it up.

I've found a couple interpretations; here's the first:

Volcano

To see a volcano in your dream indicates that you are unable to control your emotions, particularly if the volcano is erupting. You are ready to burst. The outcome may be damaging and hurtful, especially to those around you.

But I think I like this one better:

Divine Power

Volcanoes are often associated with gods and goddesses. In fact, the very name "volcano" comes from the Roman god Vulcan, a smith-worker who perfected his craft via the fire from the bowels of the earth, the place he called home. Even today, volcanoes are associated with the power of divinity. Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire, volcanoes and lightning, is a prime example of the association between divine power and volcanoes. 

Dreams of volcanoes can, in fact, symbolize the divine, or an encounter with an awesome force. It can indicate a profound change that is taking place within the psyche, a radical shift in awareness, or an outpouring or eruption of the contents of the unconscious. 

Encounters with the divine can be awesome, and shifts in the psyche can result in powerful, positive life changes. However, exercise caution when doing spiritual work or when attempting to make contact with the divine. Volcanoes are awesome displays and miraculous to witness when erupting--but one can only take in the beauty and fully comprehend the miracle from a distance. Be an active avenue in which the Divine can flow, but don't expect to swim in lava and emerge unscathed.

Now, I'm not convinced that either of these explain my dream.  It very well could have been something completely random.  Still, it's kind of fun to think about the possibilities of seeing something truly profound and prophetic while we sleep.