I think I’m finally on the upswing of this stomach flu. Unfortunately, the sickness struck right in the middle of the Super Bowl. However, looking back I’m going to forget about that evening (like most Bostonians) and remember the good moments.
Maureen’s Surprise Party
I can finally reveal that I’m in Boston for the weekend. Last night, we threw a surprise party for my good friend Maureen. It’s been very nice catching up with old friends.
Have a great weekend!
I wanted my 100th post to be somewhat special and what better way to commemorate the milestone than with Red Velvet Cake. My mom’s birthday is tomorrow and there are two cakes our family makes: Carrot and Red Velvet. More often than not, Red Velvet wins.
Our Red Velvet is classic. It’s made with a ton of Crisco and no cream cheese in sight. Cream cheese frosting overpowers the essence of the cake. Red Velvet Cake was originally named for the reaction that would occur between cocoa powder and the acidic vinegar and buttermilk. The red color in the cocoa would become pronounced. However, today with dutch-processed cocoa and a plethora of food coloring, the color is created artificially.
If you’ve never experienced real Red Velvet Cake, I encourage you to try this for your next celebration. It’s not only a beautiful cake, it’s also moist, chocolatey, and absolutely delicious. Without the cream cheese.
The best thing about birthdays is obviously the cake. Last year, my friends made the most amazing Peanut Butter Butterfinger Cake. It was unbelievably decadent and, seeing as I was a college student, I may have made it my main course for the day a few too many times.
This year, I faced a dilemma. My two favorite traditional cakes are Red Velvet and Carrot. I would place myself in the indecisive person category. The time I spent mulling over this decision is probably more than the average person. However, I have to say I’m very happy with my choice.
If you thought I rationalized the Raspberry Streusel Bars, Carrot Cake takes my dessert justification to a whole new level. The amount of vegetable oil and carrots in this recipe clearly count for at least two servings of vegetables, right? The calories are totally worth it. This is my all-time favorite carrot cake recipe. It’s the moistest I’ve run across and the cream cheese frosting sprinkled with pecans is heavenly. Also, the only seasoning it uses is cinnamon which adds the traditional spice but leaves plenty of room for the carrot flavor to shine. My birthday is complete.
It’s October which means it’s my birthday month! While this is hardly blog post worthy, I just had to share the cutest thing I got in the mail the other day.
It’s the Anthro card 15% off birthday gift. Along with the discount card, Anthropologie attached an adorable bracelet featuring a clock set to “me time.” I’ve used the 15% discount in the past to buy my favorite leather jacket and a pair of black Joe’s jeans. I haven’t been to an Anthropologie lately so I don’t know what’s new. I’m a firm believer in trying their clothes on. The catalog models and hanger can be very deceiving. I have my eyes on this cute tee.
I love when companies offer birthday discounts. I just got Vera Bradley and Tory Burch ones as well. Do you share your birthdate with companies to reap the benefits?
