Baking is my crack.

So I wish I could update this more but the Salvation Army filter at work is a total jerk. For some reason it does not like me blogging at all. It also does not like OkCupid, YouTube, my instant online Netflix and anything related to games. (note: I have no reason to go on OkCupid anymore but I get livid when anyone tells me I cannot do something).

This weekend I was comissioned with baking a dessert for the La Familia Leon reunion. This reunion is done every year for my mom's side of the family. Since my Ace disaster required that I was unable to pay my mother her 300 dollar rent, I decided I'd make dessert so she wouldn't need to stress out too much. My desserts of choice?

Ameretto (or sometimes flavored Tequila) Sprinkle Cake
and
Home Made Girl Scout Samoas

Below I will detail how to make both. The Amaretto Sprinkle Cake is by far the easiest. I used to make it in Santa Cruz for everyone's birthday. It became a Team Gay favorite, I even believe that there was some drama once over who got the last piece of cake. I believe it was a girl I detested. She did not endear herself to me by eating the last slice of my Lesley Lovah's birthday cake.

Amaretto Sprinkle Cake
One box of Pillsbury's Funfetti cake mix.
4 to 6 oz of Amaretto liquor. (I use Trader Joes Amaretto di Amore imitation which is 8 bucks, vs. the 20 dollar Disaronno. I used to use Almond Tequila, but got that in Puerto Vallarta tequila tasting and they don't sell it online. I still like that better!)
1 cup of powdered sugar.
1 cup of chocolate chips. (Any kind really, I like milk chocolate but I think I'll try semi-sweet. Dark chocolate would be amazing!)
1 bunt cake pan.
Non stick spray.

Directions:
Prepare cake according to box.
Add 1-2 oz of Amaretto liquor to the batter.
Pour into greased bunt cake pan. (The pan makes the cake look great since you don't put any ridiculous frosting on it.)
Bake according to box.
Allow to cool. Place on large platter.
Once cooled poke a few hole in the cake with a fork. Pour 1-4 oz of Amaretto on the cake slowly, allowing it to be absorbed.
After the liquor has been absorbed somewhat, pour the powdered sugar in a sifter and lightly distribute the powdered sugar on the cake.
Melt chocolate chips according to package. (Usually one cup per one minute)
Dip a fork in melted chocolate and drizzle over the bunt cake.

Enjoy! My mother has eaten this as breakfast for like forever. I've used a "real" cake mix a few times, but its so stressful. I'll keep my funfetti cake near and dear to my heart!

Home Made Girl Scout Samoa's
(Found on Tastespotting, my favorite website ever!)
Adapted from OnceUponAPlate
Orange comments are mine

Recipe for Cookies:
1 cup butter, soft
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
up to 2 tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar.
Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, followed by the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky The dough should come together into a soft, not-too-sticky ball.
(Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough is very sticky or if too dry add milk in small quantities.)

Roll the dough (working in two or three batches) out between pieces of wax paper to about 1/4-inch thickness.
(I find that the dough is very sticky at times. If this is the case, I find that putting it in the fridge between batches/at the beginning makes it much easier to handle.)
Use a 1 1/2-inch round cookie cutter to make rounds.

Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and use a knife, or the end of a wide straw, to cut a smaller center hole. Repeat with remaining dough.
(Not really all that important. The hole makes the cookie more authentic and lighter but my tummy doesn't really care.)

*Alternatively, use scant tablespoons of dough and press into an even layer in a mini donut pan to form the rounds.*

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are lightly browned and cookies are set.
*If using a mini donut pan, bake for only about 10 minutes, until edges are light gold.*

Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
(Very important! If you don't let them cool, the Carmel wont stick to the cookie.)

Topping
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
8 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
(Don't forget to stir it! I always burn my coconut if I forget to stir it. This step I always do before I bake the cookies.)

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.

Using the spatula or a small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 tsp per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it gets too firm to work with.
(Be very very careful! The carmel and coconut is very hot and I always burn my fingers when frosting the cookies)

Set carmel topping by sticking the cookie sheets in the fridge.
(Carmel takes a while to set and you need to prepare it so the chocolate on the bottom can set also. Putting it in the fridge lets you manipulate the cookie without it sticking to everything.)

Melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching.
Ice the cookie with the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper carmel side down.
Allow to set in fridge.

Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate.
(I never do this. I have yet to really understand how how I'm supposed to stick piping hot chocolate into something plastic and not burn my hands or melt the bag)
Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes about 3 1/2-4 dozen cookies.
(if you make the dough really thin.)

These cookies are pretty time consuming to make. A good idea is to have a friend help you. Woody helped me and we got it done in an hour!

Ta-da. Everyone was impressed! They were gone within an hour. The picture is of the last two I stole from my mother for the photo op.

The highlight of my weekend besides spending some good quality time with La Familia? Getting a really tacky chandelier and cleaning it up. Once Woody saw it in the sunlight, he was eager to put it in his new apartment. Sqeee! Now its time to help Woody move in. How exciting!

OMG

Its about fucking time that you blogger finally allowed me online. I've been without posting (and stalking) access for a whole month.

I have nothing to post except that Ace got sick. A vet bill is something you CANNOT skimp on. I wish I could live like a slutty bitch on a budget with this, but my hell beast's life is something I cannot skimp on.

He's doing much better, and is as bratty as ever.

I am watching the Sarah Connor chronicles here at work while my boss is gone for three weeks. My inbox is full, my book cart is loaded, and I've done nothing. I blame it all on my weakness for trashy romance novels and canceled tv shows.


I leave you with this, a lovely photo shoot that Woody and I had at the Crescent Hotel in Beverly Hills for a book signing.

Woody loves his beard. I love his beard. So when he asks me to put one on, I don't hesitate. Honestly though, I'm more of a mustache girl.

"Summer Days Driftin' Away..."

Saturday night after work I had made plans to go with The Boyfriend on a double date with his BFF and her boyfriend. Our plans included going to see Pixar's new film, Up. While it wasnt my FAVORITE Pixar movie to date, (that award goes to Finding Nemo) it sure did make me bawl for the first 15 minutes. Even Woody got choked up! Its pretty much the cutest love story ever. One of the main components of the film was this thing called The Adventure Book. Its totally cute and something I decided to do for this summer to document my adventures with Woody. We've had quite a few adventures already; Vegas, go kart racing, mini golf, park trips and road trips. Many of these haven't been as photo documented as we'd both like. I said to him, "Well, damn, I guess it means we're going to have to go again!"

Below are a few things I've been thinking about doing for quite some time, and this summer seems like the perfect time to do it.

My Summer To Do List:

1. Go to a water park.
-Um, I don't know about anyone else here, but the last time I went to a water park, I was maybe 10. That age is totally when you start thinking about what you look like in a bathing suit. I kept my shirt on the whole time and was not a very good swimmer. I could only go on the slides that had 3 feet of water or less at the end. My worst nightmare at 10 was having my cover up fall off me early on in the day and almost drowning in the "Laguna Storm Tower Cylone of Terror" and having some very attractive 14 year old life guard save me. At the present, while I'm almost as uncomfortable in a bathing suit as I was when I was 10, my swimming skills have improved and my new retro black one-piece is pretty flattering. I've proposed to Woody that we go and beat up the little kids at one of the waterparks in the area and have fun. He's totally game. For the reference of my readers and a hope that they'll drag out their inner 10 year old and pack away their inner self contious woman for a day and come with me, I've listed the prices below.

Knotts Berry Farm's Soak City, Buena Park Ca: $24.99 (The closest! Three blocks from Woody's)
Hurricane Harbor, Los Angeles CA: $19.99
Wild Rivers, Irvine Ca: $31.98
Raging Waters, San Dimas CA: $39.99

2. Disneyland for the boyfriend's birthday.
- While Disneyland has that *amazing deal* going on about free admission to the park on your birthday, I find it a total scam. Why would I pay full price to go on SOMONE ELSES birthday? So instead I plan on exploiting my younger cousin who works at the park to sign us in if we cannot go on the actual day of his birth. Then I can take her out to lunch and have a grand old time not worry about the $70 dollars I'll be out just for park entrance.

3. Zoo trip!
- I'd be lying if I didn't want to make the boyfriend face his fear of abnormally large bugs. He squeals like a girl when confronted with the tiniest daddy long legs. My favorite thing about living in LA is that there are so many options nearby! San Diego, Los Angles, and Santa Ana, all within a half hour's drive from my front door! And hey, look! So many different choices on what kind of date you want to have, cheap or expensive!

Los Angeles Zoo: $12.00
San Diego Zoo & Wild Animal Park: $35.00
Santa Ana Zoo: $7.00

4. Help the boyfriend find a kick ass apartment.
-He's moving out. He's asked me to move in. There are a thousand multi-colored butterflies in my stomach zooming around like they're being chased by an ADHD kitten named Babette. Deciding to learn from my mother's mistakes, I declined for the moment. I told him that we've been dating less than a year and that's not long enough to know one another or for me to feel comfortable moving in. We talked about it and will renegiotate in six months. I'm determined to find him a place he'll love. Not one I'll love but one he'll love. We have plans to get a pair of bikes and go bike riding on the weekends. I want a beach cruiser with a huge wire basket, and I want to be able to cook for him. I can't wait to pick out produce at the farmers market and bake almond shortbread jam cookies. I can't wait to tease him about his meticulously sliced produce and draw little pictures on his sack lunches.

5. Have more bonfires and BBQ's.
- Dockwiller, Huntinton, Bolsa Chica, they are all so close, and so cheap! I love bonfires, the hotdogs, the red cups, the cold sand, the bonfire hair. I like watching the guys try to be macho by breaking wood and attempt to light the fire. I love park bbq's. Right near Woody's house is a lovely little park. Its pretty large and quiet with quite a few charcol BBQ's. Yesterday we went and sat out in the sun for a tiny bit and read. I was just thinking how nice it'd be to get a group together to blow bubbles and fly kites together.

6. Work on my golf swing.
-Yes, I just said that. The Boyfriend wishes he could be more of an avid golfer, so this weekend we went to the driving range so I could learn. My boobs get in the way for a perfect golf swing sadly, but I've got mad putting skills.

7. Go on a hike.
- Ever since I saw a long ago friend from High School's hiking album on facebook, I took the notion of taking up hiking to heart. I'd like to be able to go on my first hike this summer since there are so many tiny trails right here near work that all end in my favorite place, the beach.

8. Go camping.
-My dad has a trailer that he keeps in Soledad Canyon. A little camp ground between Lancaster and Pomdale. They have a pool and lots of hiking space. I hope I can get The Boyfriend over his fear of bugs to come with me. I love camping, as long as I have my trusty air mattress packed.