Update on BPA, courtesy of the Whole Foods Blog

Click here for a great article on the latest US Government “standings” on BPA.

50 Ways to Help the Planet

Here's a great chart that I hope will inspire you to do your part for the environment:

50 Ways to Help the Planet

How do they do that?

What American accent do you have? Your Result: Philadelphia   Your accent is as Philadelphian as a cheesesteak! If you're not from Philadelphia, then you're from someplace near there like south Jersey, Baltimore, or Wilmington. if you've ever journeyed to some far off place where people don't know that Philly has an accent, someone may have thought you talked a little weird even though they didn't have a clue what accent it was they heard.
The Northeast	 
The Midland	 
The Inland North	 
The South	 
Boston	 
The West	 
North Central	 
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

What Not To Do When Making a Tunnel of Fudge Cake.

Do you ever watch America’s Test Kitchen, or Cook’s Country? I do, and really enjoy them. You learn some interesting things. The only frustration, for me, is that since I don’t subscribe to the magazine, I can’t access the recipes online.

Well, last Saturday, Cook’s Country featured a chocolate cake called Tunnel of Fudge Cake. I had to make this cake! This meant that I opened up a new file on my computer and transcribed the recipe as I watched; pausing and rewinding as required.

And since we were invited to a friend’s house tomorrow night, I was provided with a reason to make this cake. Yay! I prefer to make things like cakes and pies when we’re having company, or when we can bring it somewhere to share. Cookies I can make and freeze the batter, a cake will just go stale here. Or, even worse, get eaten!

I made the cake tonight. It’s a fairly simple recipe, just many steps. And it involves four five bowls. So, I make the cake, and get it into the oven. As I lick a bit of batter off my finger before loading the dishwasher I think to myself “that cake looks pale and tastes terrible”. I was a bit worried as I did some chocolate and cocoa substituting; I hoped I hadn’t messed up any of the science.

Ummm. What’s that? In the bowl to the left of the sink? Oh! That’s the sugar, cocoa and salt mixture. Huh. Wonder if the cake would be darker AND tastier if that were in the batter versus on my counter?

I have never in my life taken the cake batter out of the pan and tried to add another ingredient. I had no choice. I was out of some of the ingredients!

The good news is that the cake batter DID taste much better once I had added the rest of the ingredients. And since it was a dry mixture that needed to be added, I felt that I could incorporate it properly and have no negative side effects (fingers crossed).

The ironic part? When I took the flat beater off of the stand mixer to remove the bowl I intentionally didn’t put it in the sink, where it would get dirty. I felt like I had just “missed” something. I then went through the recipe to make sure I included all of the ingredients. And I had. Just not incorporated them all.

Update on cake, after tasting:

Super rich. Too much chocolate for me. I think I’d like it better with a confectioner’s sugar glaze on top, rather than a fudge topping. Small slices are the way to go. Although, even though we all said “too rich”, we also all pretty much cleaned our plates. :O)

Poignant

PostSecret: Confessions on Life, Death and God from Frank Warren on Vimeo.

Turkey Talk

I love this holiday. I decorate for this holiday. I cook for this holiday. I invite friends and family to celebrate this holiday with us.

It’s my favorite.

From my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving.

A Moment in Time

I just heard that an “internet friend” of mine passed away in her sleep last night. 38 years old. Seemingly healthy. Her baby turns one next week.

It’s a reminder that we should all be thankful for what we have. Whether or not we have what we want.

I Just Love this Guy!!!

 

Let’s Win This, Phillies!!!

Blog Counter Gone

Lovely. I just noticed that my blog counter is whacked.

Anyone have a suggestion for a nice, free, blog counter?

Thanks!

Shopping Bag Credit

Just came from a quick trip to Whole Foods. I didn’t bring my shopping bag in with me. Told them I didn’t want a bag. I do this often, when I forget my bags. I just load up the cart and then bag the items when I get to my car.

Why don’t I get a bag refund for NOT using a bag at all?