The Logge of the Furie Queene

The fairness of life

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 07:54:22 GMT

There is a student in one of my discussion sections who has had a rough semester. At one point, he stayed after class to tell me a bit about what's going on, but mostly, to admit that he feels likely he is flailing and is losing faith. While I wasn't sure how to respond, I felt that maybe he wasn't necessarily looking for answers (although he did ask me what I thought he should do/think...) but was instead looking to be heard. I'm not so sure now.

As a part of the final exam, the students had to write their answer to an essay question in their blue book. This is a large core requirement course, so there are about 200 students in the class. This particular student was the last student to leave the exam. He hurriedly walked over to me, handed over his exam, and without looking at me, promptly left. I was surprised, as he is usually fairly chatty with me.

When I got home, I saw that I'd received an e-mail from him apologizing for wasting my time. I assumed that he meant that he had done badly on the exam.

When I finally got around to grading the exams, though, I opened his first out of curiosity. I graded the multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank sections first. Not great. Actually, pretty awful. By the time I'd finished grading those sections, it was clear that even if he scored perfect on the essay, he'd still get, at best, a D on the exam. I opened up the blue book, and on the top of the first page, he'd written "Essay" and had then crossed that out. He'd written a two-page poem about the course, about the ridiculous nature of education and its red tape and its silencing of students and making them into drones, and about his learning disability and how he is different. It ended on a bleak note, stating that he loves everyone but not everyone loves him and how he will eventually just be forgotten. It made an alarm go off in me.

I e-mailed the lecturer about it. She's had a few (rather negative) encounters with this student, so she knew who I was talking about, which is good, I think. She wants to set up a meeting with the CH director, herself, and me, to determine what to do about it. A very small part of me feels guilty, because if the poem is not a cry out for help of sorts, then I am causing more problems for this student who has already dealt with too much. I say a very small part of me, though, because even if there's just a small chance that this is a cry for help, if that chance is there and I ignore it... Well, maybe he's hoping someone will take notice of him and act on this. Maybe he's not. But if he is, and no one does, that outcome could only be worse, I think.

The part of me that feels guilty for bringing this to the attention of others wonders if perhaps I should have contacted the student directly. I could have told him that I was concerned about the exam and how he spent his time on the essay portion. But I didn't want to sound as though I only cared about him not doing his work, yet at the same time, I didn't want to come right out and say that he'd worried me, and that I was concerned that he had given up. Not just with school, but with everything. Because, honestly, I'm not equipped to deal with that. When he'd asked me a few weeks ago what to do about his loss of faith, I didn't have a response. I don't have a pocketful of answers for those big questions. My answer was ridiculous. I told him to just take things a day at a time, and as cheesy as it may sound, I honestly do believe that things work out for the best. That last part, I said it, and while I do like to believe that, I know it's not always true. Otherwise, everyone would have grand lives that worked out perfectly in the end. And we all know that's not the case. But what else is there to say? And, perhaps even more difficult, what else is there to believe? Because if we don't hold onto the idea that everything will work out for the best, for ourselves, anyway, then life does indeed seem futile and bleak. Yet, it's such a selfish view. I always tend to believe that things will work out for the best for me, partly because they always seem to in the end, yet I also know that life is not always fair, and there are people for whom things never work out for. Why do I count myself as one of the lucky ones? Maybe this is partly why I really dig Spenser -- the idea of Sola Gratia, which I actually find quite problematic, but an appealing idea in and of itself (in a very selfish way, of course) if you are indeed one upon whom Grace is automatically bestowed.

Ladybug, Ladybug, Fly Away Home

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:25:34 GMT

So many rhymes for kids, as well as traditonal stories, are rather gruesome, wouldn't you say? Take the following example:

Ladybug! Ladybug!
Fly away home.
Your house is on fire.
And your children all gone.

All except one,
And that's little Ann,
For she crept under
The frying pan.

Yeah, I don't think little Ann has much hope for survival, either. Nor is it likely that there is much hope for the poor lone ladybug who has somehow popped up in my apartment. It's freezing outside! How the heck did it manage to not perish in this weather? And now I'm stressing over it, because don't they eat other insects? If so, not much luck in here.

I considered taking it outside, but I don't think that scenario is much better. Inches of snow on the ground and minus 0 temperatures? I think not, little ladybug. I'm trying to decide if it would fare better outside, where there's the ever so minimal chance of finding a bug or two to eat, or if it will be better to let it die a warm death of starvation inside. Morbid, I know, but I don't think this ladybug has much more hope than little Ann and her sisters.

My cookie exchange

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:45:20 GMT

My cookie exchange was a success. I had nine girls over, and one wanted to participate but had to work, so she gave me her cookies earlier in the day and we collected a plate for her. This means that there were a total of 11 of us who each baked between three and eight dozen cookies. (Yes, one girl made about eight dozen, because she doubled a recipe that was already very large in and of itself.)

There was a great variety of cookies, including dark chocolate pistachio biscotti, oatmeal butterscotchies, sugar cookies, easy-as-cake chocolate cookies, world peace cookies, chocolate dipped peanut butter balls, split second cookies, and many more. They all look delicious, and the ones that I've tasted, the looks have not been deceiving. :)

I ended up making Martha Stewart's sour cherry dark chocolate cookies. They didn't quite puff up as I'd have liked them to, but that's okay. (Actually, I just looked at Martha Stewart's cookies, and they're only puffy in the middle. Most of mine did that, too, so maybe that's how they're supposed to be. Yay!) The recipe can be found on Martha Stewart's website. The only thing I changed was that I used semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of the bittersweet chopped chocolate, as that's what I had on hand, and I only used 7 ounces of dried cherries, as that's the only size I found at the store (Whole Foods, the only place I could find them) and I did not want to buy two containers.

For appetizers, I made nachos (with cheese, spicy chicken, beans, and the option of topping them with sour cream, black olives, and salsa), bread with a cheesy bacon and onion dip, and some rather strange wraps.

I liked that everyone mingled, which doesn't often happen when I mix different groups of friends. I had fun, and it seemed like others did, too.

Below is a photo of all the cookies I collected from everyone, minus two that I've eaten. :D While the photo does not make it seem like a lot of cookies, there are between four and five dozen there. Wow!

Inhibitions -- Sense or nonsense?

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 08:50:33 GMT

Just got home from a great time hanging out with a friend who moved away earlier this year. A part of me tells me that my actions denote pure and utter sense. Another part of me tells me that that is pure and utter nonsense. Sigh. Good night.

Dealing with the devil... or because I know this anger is transitory, a very small Indian man

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:09:47 GMT

I don't usually talk too much about my private life, but this one's a gem. Note the sarcasm.

I went to a graduate lunch today. It was held in the English faculty lounge, and lunch consisted of sandwiches, chips, brownies, and fruit. Nothing grand, but it did fulfill my need to see people today. Until, that is, I started to chat with a peer/colleague of mine.

He asked me when my boyfriend is moving here, since he'd heard, a few months ago, that is what was going on with me. I told him that we had broken up over the summer. He apologized. I told him it wasn't a big deal, and immediately, he started lamenting a student of his. Initially, I thought he was simply diverting the conversation. I should have realized that he is not that tactful.

He told me that he was very sad to have run into a student from last semester. This student was very bright and he thought that she might go far, but when he saw her last week, he was upset because he saw that she was pregnant. He said that it is such a shame that her life is ruined now. He continued, lamenting Nevada's high teen pregnancy rate. Then he returned to the discussion of his student, again mentioning that she is very smart and might have gone far. I butted in at this point, pointing out that she still might, that nothing has changed other than her having a baby. He disagreed and said her life and priorities will change now so she will not go far. I told him I thought he was wrong and being close-minded, and he laughed as though I were being ridiculous and said it would be too difficult, and began talking about something else.

He didn't notice another colleague of ours who was nearby glance over during this conversation and nod and pull a I-can't-believe-what-he's-saying look when I said the girl could still do what she wants with her life. I don't know the guy who nodded very well, so I don't know if he knows that I'm pregnant and therefore was likely very offended by what was being said, but I don't think he knew. That assurance that not everyone is an ass was nice, but I still bristled inside by what the initial guy had said.

He has never mentioned or asked if I'm pregnant, but I'm assuming by now that most people who know me and/or have class with me (as he does) know. The timing, too, was too perfect to point to his ignorance of my situation. I mean, mentioning it immediately after I told him I was single and he didn't intentionally direct this conversation toward me? I think not.

When I left, I came up with a number of things I could have, though perhaps not should have, said to him. He had told me that he wants to do something to express himself, something that risks his life. One example he gave was taking a horse to a very dangerous and very steep place and try to ride it down, even though he has only ridden a horse once. I bit my tongue. I did tell him that that's not self-expression, it's just risk-taking, to which he agreed, but I didn't tell him a few other things I thought about this conversation. Maybe I should have. Probably not, but it would have made me feel better.

self-aggrandizement, or something like that

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:39:52 GMT

So, I recently discovered a website that puts anything you type into the prompt into song. Oh, the joys this brings me when I type in the most mundane things. For example, I'm getting ready to take a shower (yes, it's almost noon, so what?), so I typed in "I'm going to take a shower now." When I click play, it starts off with Chris Isaak's long drawn out "I" from the terribly cheesy "I Wanna Fall in Love With You" and continues, each subsequent word from a different song. And you know what? Now I'm excited to take a shower. It makes it seem so much more important than just the regular routine.

Also, I tried typing in a line from a play I was reading yesterday. There comes a point in reading anything in which you have a deadline where you don't feel like reading anymore. Suddenly, every single other things seems it needs to be done before you can continue reading. While this is a great way to get my place clean, it isn't very conducive to finishing school work. The same goes with grading. Anyway, I was reaching this point with the play, but since I had to finish it by six, I opened up this website, typed in a line, and was suddenly cheered by the silly ditty that it spit out. Yes, it's a waste of time, but it got my attention back on the text.

If interested, the website is: http://www.sr.se/cgi-bin/Src/sing/sing.asp?key=undefined

Counting cash

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:45:05 GMT

I don't know why I find this so fascinating, but I do.

I think I actually count from right to left, rather than the left to right as shown as the typical American count, but maybe the direction doesn't matter as much as the actual method.

Reading List

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:17:20 GMT

I discussed my reading list with two profs on my committee today. The first one, he said it looks good. No suggestions, that was it. The second one had lots of suggestions. And those suggestions made a lot of sense. He was happy with one or two of my lists, but the two lists that I'd struggled with, he gave me a lot to go on. It was really helpful, despite that I had been dreading going over the lists with this particular prof. Relevant suggestions and comments that help my list make more sense, it turns out, are much more helpful and productive than instant approval. That said, I will now be reading nonstop until February...

Airhead

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:30:43 GMT

I went without internet yesterday. I thought something was wrong with my modem. Upon waking this morning, both my observational skills and my brain must have been working better, because I noticed that the cable to my modem had somehow been disconnected. Yeah, I'm smart.

Month of soups (October that is)

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:33:36 GMT

This is a boring post, and I'm basically including it because I don't want to lose a recipe I recently found/used. I figure that posting it here is the easiest way to keep a record of it.

Anyway, I ate a lot of soup in October. Much of the month wasn't terribly cold. As a matter of fact, we ended the month in the high 60s/low 70s. That said, I still wanted lots and lots of soup. I made the usual pumpkin soup, a curried carrot and apple soup (which is the one that I need to keep

Curried Carrot & Apple Soup

Serves: 8
Preparation time: 1 hour

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped (2 cups)
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon curry powder
5 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced (3 cups)
2 large McIntosh or other apples, peeled and coarsely chopped (3 cups), peeled and coarsely chopped (3 cups)
1 bay leaf
4-1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons low-fat plain yogurt for garnish (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, dill or basil for garnish (optional)

(MY NOTES: quarter the oil, 2 stalk celery, a bit more curry powder, 2 bay leaves, no salt, no yogurt)

Preparation
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan or medium soup pot over medium heat. Stir in onion and celery; cook until the onion is softened and translucent, 8-12 minutes; do not brown.

2. Stir in curry powder, then add carrots, apples and bay leaf. Stir well over medium heat for 2 minutes, then add broth and salt. Bring the mixture to a low boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover tightly and simmer until the carrots and apples are tender, 20-25 minutes.

3. Remove the bay leaf. Using a large slotted spoon, transfer the soup solids to a food processor, adding about 1/2 cup of the broth; process to a smooth purée. Pour the purée back into the soup. Reheat and season with pepper. Serve piping hot, garnishing each serving, if you like, with a dab of yogurt and a sprinkle of fresh herbs.

(MY NOTES: No need to transfer to food processor; use immersion blender instead.)
), a beef stew, and a peanut butter vegetable chicken soup. The latter may sound odd, but it has quickly climbed the ladder of my all-time favorite soups. And I love soup. For the curious, here is

Ingredients
8 cups chicken broth
2 cups diced, cooked chicken meat
1 cup peeled and cubed potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced zucchini
1 cup spinach
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped red and yellow bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

Directions
1.In a large stock pot, combine the broth, chicken, potatoes, and carrots. Bring the soup to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium. Cook for about 10 minutes, till vegetables are tender.
2.Add zucchini, broccoli, tomatoes, celery, onion, green pepper, and garlic. Simmer for about 8 minutes.
3.Add peanut butter, parsley, salt, and pepper; stir until peanut butter is fully blended. Simmer for 3 minutes longer. .

The only soup that I actually took a photo of was the beef stew. As I've stated before, I only started eating beef this last year, so making anything with beef is new to me. This was my first stew. I also made biscuits to go with them.

To give credit where credit is due, I found the original recipes for all the soups at the following websites:
Pumpkin Soup
(This is the only one I don't ever change, except for switching half & half for the cream; it's perfect as is.)
Beef Stew
(I didn't make any changes to this, as it was, as I stated, my very first time making stew.)
Peanut Butter Vegetable Chicken Soup
Curry Carrot and Apple Soup
(I hope this link works. I originally found the recipe from clicking on site upon site upon site and eventually found this one.)

Blast!

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:09:34 GMT

I forgot to post yesterday. So much for everyday posting during NaBloPoMo!

Daring Bakers Challenge - October

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 05:42:02 GMT

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.

Since I don't know very much about macarons, I wasn't initially as wary of making the as other DB participants. When I read the recipe, it seemed easy enough. The most trying thing that I saw was purchasing almond flour, which is quite pricey. Ah, well, it does make lovely treats.

While making the macarons, I was also making oatmeal ice cream at the same time. I think this may have been my saving grace, because I whipped the egg whites until quite stiff. After folding in the flour and sugar, I started to worry because the whole process just seem way too easy despite the other participants' concerns. But I baked on. I forgot to time the first batch, so I went by color. As you will see below, this was a mistake. Although they were slightly changed in color, they weren't baked long enough, as I discovered when I compared them to the ones I baked a proper amount of time.

Below are the photos and recipe.

First, the failed batch. As you can see, they're very flat. They're also slightly undercooked. Still tasty, though. :)

The next batch, though, were snug in the oven for long enough and turned out much better.

After cooling, I spread chocolate ganache between two pieces, pressed them together, and tra la!-- macarons!

Tahoe and San Fran

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:40:16 GMT

Last weekend, a friend of mine stopped by Reno on his way from Flagstaff to San Francisco. He's actually a friend of a friend who has, since I met him two years ago, become a friend. He couldn't believe, when we discussed it, that we'd only actually met in person once before. The joys of the web. Makes you feel more in touch with people than you actually are. Or something like that.

Anyway, we drove up to Tahoe the first full day he was here. We went on a short hike where there were some lovely views.

My main comment about the hike, though, is that I wish people were, in general and in everyday life, as friendly as they are when meeting others on a hike. There are always friendly faces, friendly greetings, and sometimes interesting (and yes, friendly!) short chats when meeting people along trails. Why doesn't this extend into "real" life? Maybe because people will think you a bit mad if you say hello and start random conversations out on the street. :D

After a looooong delay in traffic getting back to Reno from Tahoe, we had plans to go out with a couple of friends of mine. We quickly changed out of our dirty clothes and hit the town. As my friend is a big gambler, I knew we'd end up at the casinos. (He'd forgotten that the first time we met, which was in Vegas, he'd given me a hundred dollar bill, told me to put it in a slot machine and lose it. Okay, so he didn't say to lose it, but I knew that's what would happen. After losing $50 of it, I told him I thought we should stop, but he told me to continue, and within seconds, the entire $100 was gone. Ouch.) It was almost painful to sit next to him at a couple of poker tables, where he lost $100 at each table in less than 5 minutes at each table. I don't get the whole gambling thing... However, we did exit the casinos long enough to take the requisite photo under the Reno sign. :)

The next day, he took off for Monterey to visit a friend of ours who moved there this summer. We met up in San Francisco on Saturday. We drove to the Golden Gate Bridge, where I discovered that he wanted to walk to the other end and back. Um, okay. I didn't really see the point, but I didn't have any reason to want to talk him out of it. And it did allow for some rather cool photos along the way.

Did you know that there are signs along the bridge that tell dejected, yet possibly undecided bridge jumpers, that there is hope. Under these signs are phones that connect these people directly to a Hope Line. Craziness.

After the bridge, it was time for dinner. I'd chosen the place. Ever since leaving Japan, I crave really good bowls of ramen. I'd googled it and had found a couple of places that sounded promising. I should have taken a photo of my ramen, because it was just what I'd been looking for. It was perfect -- miso broth with corn topping. Yum!

After that, we were both beat and called it a night. The next day, we did the Alcatraz cruise. The recorded headphone tour isn't bad. Granted, I'd been hoping for a goofy tour guide ala Phil Hartman in So I Married An Axe Murderer, but alas, had to make do with the recording. :) There is a lot of interesting info on it. I especially like the story of the guy who tried to escape, managed to do so, but didn't know how to swim, so stayed in a cave under the prison. After a few days of crabs trying to munch on him and nothing to eat, he asked to be let back in. Priceless.

Boston

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 01:53:05 GMT

It's been awhile since last posting, so I have quite a bit to update on. Over the next couple of days, I'll be posting pics and whatnot about the various places I've been or the things I've done.

Boston was awesome. I got there a day before my mom and nephew, and although I was exhausted the night I got in and went straight to bed, I got up early the next day to walk the Freedom Trail. Along the way, I saw a number of historical places, including Granary Burying Ground, which holds Paul Revere's tomb.

Trailing on was the original site of the Boston Latin School, which was the first public school in America. Although the school was moved, students who attend it still need to learn Latin.

Sadly, though, modern life has destroyed some of our nation's history. The site of the Boston Massacre is now part of Boston traffic. In the center of the cement street divider is a circle of cobblestones, which represents the Massacre. The red paint, although strictly for road construction purposes, seems highly appropriate.

All this walking made me feel a bit peckish, so I stopped over at Faneuil Hall to see if I could find my old buddy Norm at Cheers. ("Norm!")

I finished the trail at the Old North Church, and then headed to the airport to meet my mom and nephew.

The next day was quite busy. We started at the New England Aquarium, which was also the place we'd catch the boat for our whale watching tour. The tour was amazing. At one point, there were humpback whales all around our boat. Every side we looked, there'd be a whale. Although it was almost unbearably cold on the ocean, the whales made it more than worth it.

The cold forced us into buying Boston sweatshirts after the tour, which is definitely a good thing, because the baseball game that night was chilly! The game was my nephew's favorite part of the trip. The seats in Fenway were so small, and there is NO arm space whatsoever. It was fun, though, and worth making my nephew so happy.

Boston bound

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:48:06 GMT

I'm going to Boston with my mom and nephew this week. I leave on Tuesday, and they leave on Wednesday, so I'll have a day to explore on my own. We have a full itinerary, which is exciting. We'll go to the New England Aquarium, whale watching, and to a baseball game on Thursday. Then on Friday, we're starting with a tour of the city, followed by a couple of museums. We're doing dinner at Nebo, my choice since it's my birthday. *

Ukraine's Got Talent

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:47:05 GMT

Apparently, the Ukraine has a show similar to America's Got Talent (which I've actually never seen, but that's irrelevant). This makes me wonder how many other countries have a version of this show (it started in the UK, right?), but again, that's irrelevant...

So recently on the Ukrainian show, a woman did a presentation using sand art and music. She depicts the German invasion and occupation of the Soviet Union during World War II. Now, for those of you who are aware of how much Susan Boyle shocked Britain and beyond with her powerful voice, I think Kseniya Simonova, the Ukrainian artist depicted below, goes above and beyond that. Not only is her presentation unique, it is moving and her talent definitely shines.

This was posted on youtube three months ago, so I may be a bit behind in posting this, but it's still well worth a watch.

Silence is golden...or something

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:06:58 GMT

When I have a lot to say, things suddenly get silent around here. I don't really want to post about the main thing that has been going on in my life. I don't like the idea of certain things floating around cyberspace. I will just say that I thank those of you who have been there to talk and to listen, and to laugh act as a distraction when I didn't want to do either of the former. I've thought things out, and if I haven't personally given you an update yet, I'm sorry -- I'll be in touch!

Anyway, in the past couple of weeks or so, I've gone to Apple Hill , the Rib Cook-off , and the Great Reno Balloon Race.

Apple Hill, which was a recommendation from my friend V, was fantastic. I picked some berries and apples, and I bought some already-picked peaches. So far, I've made a batch of apple butter, and I'll be making some apple sauce today.

The Rib Cook-off was, as always, a temptation in gluttony, but my friend and I resisted, due only to getting full after finishing only half, at most, of our orders. We went on a hot day, so after perusing the goods on sale, we decided to see a movie. We saw The Time Traveler's Wife (don't bother), which helped us escape the two hottest hours of the day so that we could enjoy traipsing through all the stalls of the vendors.

As for the Balloon Race, call me crazy for waking up at an ungodly hour. After my first year here, I'd sworn off going to this event because although it was a decently good time, I felt that the freezing cold that slowly turned to scorching heat and the early hour were more compelling a reason to stay away than the sight of the hot air balloons. Fortunately, though, a friend of mine convinced me to try it again this year. I woke up at 4:15 (which was already too late, since my friend had told me to meet up at 4:30 -- oops) and headed out the door in three layers of clothing. When I got there, my friend was eating breakfast with a couple of coworkers, and I saw the end of Glow Patrol. We headed out to the field of balloons in time for Dawn Patrol, where I took tons of pictures (very similar to those taken my first time there, but with my new camera -- hooray!). It perplexes me how many people trek out to the park so early every year for this event, but I'm glad I did, too. It actually wasn't too cold, and I didn't have to take off and carry all my layers because the weather stayed relatively mild instead of heating up to sauna temperature as it did the first time I went.

Reading Rainbow

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:33:52 GMT

No more Reading Rainbow?! Growing up, I loved that show. I mean, what kid who loved to read didn't appreciate a show that they could relate to? I think that show began my lifelong habit of seeing a book, thinking, 'Oh my goodness, I need to read that!' This is why I have way too many books, including books that I fully intend to one day crack open.

The Daring Bakers' Challenge - August

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:04:05 GMT

The August 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonful of Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

Since the torte looked quite rich, I decided to half the recipe. I started with the cake layers:

1 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
2/3 cups confectioner's sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoons sifted cake flour
pinch of salt

Although the directions state to bake the cake on round forms, I decided to bake mine on two jelly roll sheets, which resulted in very thin cake layers. Below are the directions and my changes.

1.Position the racks in the top and centre thirds of the oven and heat to 400F.
2.Oil baking sheets and fit parchment paper on each.
3.Beat the egg yolks, 1/3 cup of the confectioner's sugar, and the vanilla in a medium bowl with a mixer on high speed until the mixture is thick, pale yellow and forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted a few inches above the batter, about 3 minutes.
4.In another bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 1/3 cup of confectioner's sugar until the whites form stiff, shiny peaks. Using a large rubber spatula, stir about 1/4 of the beaten whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the remainder, leaving a few wisps of white visible. Combine the flour and salt. Sift half the flour over the eggs, and fold in; repeat with the remaining flour.
5.Using a small offset spatula, divide the batter in half and spread onto prepared baking sheets. Use the spatula to even out the batter as evenly as possible. Bake on the top rack for 4-5 minutes, until the cake springs back when pressed gently in the centre and the edges are lightly browned. Cool layers completely.

After the layers are cooled, cut them into small rounds. I used the top of a class to shape the rounds, making about two dozen of them.

Then, it was time to prepare the buttercream.

Chocolate Buttercream

2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar, ground in food processor until very fine
2oz bakers chocolate, finely chopped
1 sticks plus 1 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature.

Directions for the chocolate buttercream:

NB. This can be prepared in advance and kept chilled until required.

1.Prepare a double-boiler: quarter-fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil.
2.Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the sugar until pale and thickened, about five minutes.
3.Fit bowl over the boiling water in the saucepan (water should not touch bowl) and lower the heat to a brisk simmer. Cook the egg mixture, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes until you see it starting to thicken a bit. Whisk in the finely chopped chocolate and cook, stirring, for a further 2-3 minutes.
4.Scrape the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl and leave to cool to room temperature. It should be quite thick and sticky in consistency.
5.When cool, beat in the soft butter. Chill while you make the caramel topping.

(As you'll see in the photos below, I failed to chill the buttercream long enough. It was too runny, which resulted in very funny looking mini tortes. :) )

Finally, the dreaded caramel topping. Many of the posts I read reported problems with this step, so I was a bit nervous. Not, however, nervous enough.

1/2 cup sugar, ground in food processor until very fine
6 tablespoons water
4 teaspoons lemon juice

The caramel topping seemed like it would be easy enough. I cut two of the cake rounds into eight triangular pieces each. I boiled the ingredients together, occasionally swirling the pot. When the liquid started to change colors, though, I got preoccupied with something, and next thing you know, it was dark brown. It was only supposed to become amber in color, so I knew it was probably a bit burnt but decided it would be okay. I poured the liquid over the cut cake pieces. It hardened right away, and again, I made a mistake in not completely following the directions, which state to cut the pieces apart in less than a minute. Instead, I let the pieces stand for quite a few number of minutes, and when I returned to them, the caramel had set. I had to attempt to chip apart each triangle, only successfully doing so for about eight of them.

Anyway, to assemble the cakes, I started with a cake layer and then topped each layer with the buttercream. I continued, making about ten layers each. They were looking cute at this point.

However, as I stated above, I hadn't let the buttercream cool enough, so when it came to frosting the entire cakes, the buttercream was very gloopy. It was actually quite amusing. My friend and I had a laugh over it. We topped the cakes with the caramel triangles. The final result doesn't look very pretty, but it was tasty. The caramel triangles were definitely not a success. The caramel tasted burnt, and I picked mine off and threw them away, but the cake was good. :)

July Daring Bakers' Challenge

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 04:31:49 GMT

I'm a bit late with posting, but this month's challenge was fun. The thought of homemade marshmallows was a bit daunting, but they were much easier (and tastier) than I'd expected.

The July Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

All bakers had the option between the two kinds of cookies (or both), and since I wanted to try something new, I opted for the Marshmallow Cookies.

It all started with the cookie dough, which was a basic cookie recipe. I doubled the amount of cinnamon, as I do in most recipes that calls for it. After chilling it for a couple of hours, I rolled it out and used a round cookie cutter before sliding them into the oven.

While the dough had been chilling, I made the marshmallow goo:

After the cookies had baked, I let them cool awhile and then piped the marshmallows on top of each one. I tried, sometimes unsuccessfully, to pipe them in the shape of a Hershey's Kiss.

I let them cool overnight. First thing in the morning, I made the chocolate sauce and then dipped each marshmallow-topped cookie in the small river of chocolate. They were quite cute.

I don't usually like marshmallows, but I liked this homemade version. The cookie itself was tasty. A friend of mine said the entire cookie was like eating a s'more. Unfortunately, if you remember from prior posts, my digital camera's screen is broken, so I cannot view the photos immediately after taking them. The final, inner cookie photo did not work, but I'll still post what little of it that I did happen to get.

how much is that doggie in the window?

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 03:12:16 GMT

I just got back from looking at a dog that I found on craigslist. It is the cutest thing ever. He looks almost exactly like the dog that I used to want, only I wanted an all white dog. I don't think I want that kind of dog anymore, at least, not an all white one.

This dog I looked at, he's black and white. His fur is very soft and curly. His "mom" is half chihuahua and half terrier. He looks like he is part poodle or maltese or shih tzu. I'm currently debating whether I should buy him or not. They are totally overcharging for him. They are charging $150, but I'm pretty sure I could get them to lower that, maybe by half. It doesn't have its shots or anything, after all.

The photo below is what they posted on CL, but it makes him look much, much larger (and much more sad!) than what he actually is. He fit easily in the palm of my hand. His legs were so short it was funny.

Rainy goodness

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 04:21:20 GMT

I'm definitely appreciating the rain, thunder, and lightning. It's exactly as a summer storm should be.

Fitting for the cool(er) weather, I made chicken tortilla soup today. It is yummy. I used the roasted corn from this weekend, some chicken that I boiled yesterday (and the broth from that), half a can of black beans, an onion, garlic, some cumin, fresh cilantro, cayenne pepper, chili powder, a can of diced tomatoes, and, of course, corn tortillas. It came out perfectly.

I didn't bother taking a very good photo because, frankly, chicken tortilla soup is never very pretty:

At work today, I had an oops moment with my students. On day one, one of my students introduced himself with stating that he's been with his girlfriend for ten months. She was one of the other students in the class. They have been a bit annoying, actually, giggling together, constantly whispering, marking each other with pens. Yuck. Since yesterday, though, they sat in different rows. I noticed this right away. I mean, it was obvious. So today I was putting students in groups of three for peer editing. Basically, I was just looking in my gradebook to see who would be best suited to help each other based upon their writing styles/abilities. I had gone through all the students and only had two left... Yep, the newly broken up couple. I paused, noticed I'd paused, knew everyone noticed and also knew they knew why I paused. I said their names. A friend of the guy cracked up. I quickly told the girl to switch with another student next to her. She and her ex both said, "Good." I felt so bad for accidentally putting them on the spot like that. How completely thoughtless. It happens, though, right?

Never too late to learn

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 03:46:20 GMT

Grilling, I have learned, is not just a guy thing. I've never tried before, yet just three days ago a friend of mine was talking about grilling and said that of course he could do it, he's a guy after all. Although it was said tongue-in-cheek, I realized that I tend to hold that view myself. Yes, I know, shame on me.

Anyway, since I had to grade most of the day yesterday, I decided to add a bit of excitement to my day by attempting to grill. I had some ears of corn that I needed to use before they went bad, so I prepped those. I started up the grille, and I must admit that it took a ridiculous amount of tries before the coals were anywhere near ready. When I finally got it down, I tossed on the corn and hot dogs. Hey, I had to start somewhere right? May as well start with something that I knew was at least somewhat impervious to my amateur status as grille-master.

The hot dogs were perfect, and the corn -- oh my goodness. It was SO good. I couldn't eat it all, so I saved it, cut off the kernels today, and made a rather sinful creamed corn. I didn't make much of it, so it's okay. I'll use the rest of the corn for a tortilla soup and maybe a corn salsa or corn salad.

And, ladies, grilling is not just for the guys.

Meeting McIntyre

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 22:17:23 GMT

I can't believe I haven't posted about this yet. The Concord NKOTB show was awesome. What may have been even more awesome, though, is the pre-concert chat with Joey McIntyre.

All of the Let's Get This volunteers gathered at the Will Call area hours before the show. When someone (Iowa, and woman with one of the best jobs ever) finally came to get us, she led us inside the venue and given lots of bottled water (definitely a requirement, as it was HOT) and were asked to refrain from texting or taking photos. She explained what we would be doing, and then left us to get Joe for us. We anxiously waited, sharing NKOTB stories and whatnot. We all agreed to not shriek, scream, or otherwise act all ga-ga when Joe arrived.

After what seemed like hours, Iowa rounded the corner and we all held our breath. Following her was Joe. Bright yellow trainers, blue, fitted, long-sleeved Boston Red Sox shirt, sunglasses and (somewhat) fitted jeans. Oh, and an air of utter gorgeousness. Must not forget that.

He greeted each of us with a hug, and I must say, we all behaved ourselves rather well. Yes, we obviously could not stop grinning from ear to ear with out eyes completely lit up and somewhat gushed over him (the various comments made to him were compliments about his hair, his shoes, maybe even his watch...), but women who had been fans for over fifteen years, it wasn't bad at all.

Joe stayed to chat for a bit and then posed for a group photo. He said goodbye, left, and I think it's safe to say that we all did our volunteer work with unending smiles.

All of us (minus Joe) have stayed in touch via e-mail, facebook, and/or twitter. It's nice to be in contact with people as big of fans as me. :)

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:40:53 GMT

I have tickets for tomorrow's midnight showing. Actually, it's for the 12:20 showing, but you get the point. It looks awesome. Counting down...