Holy canolli.

This past month has been craaaayzeeeeee.

It’s all the homework, what can I say.

I wrote a final exam, for my Canadian Social History course.  Prof gave me (grudgingly, I bet) a 90 on the exam, which means I ended up with an A- as a final grade.  Ha ha!  Showed him I know for history.

Ok, so while that was going on I had two major papers to write, one in an area that is FAR beyond my usual area of expertise.  It’s super interesting and all, but it’s hard to write something at grad school level when you’ve not had the luxury of a background at an undergrad level. But I persevered and I’m pretty satisfied with the result.

The other paper, well, that’s still a work in progress.  BUT HOLY CRAP, when I finish, it’s INTERESTING STUFF. Which I sensed as I was coming up with it.  And so I proposed a paper to present at a conference.  And it was accepted!

Me!  A conference! In Ontario!  A real academic!

And then… panic at the work that has to be done to get it in shape before going.  That’s the hard part.

And then, I also found out that I’ve been accepted to accompany the university’s tour overseas as a grad student.  More on that to come too… I’ve been poring over the Regimental History of the West Nova Scotia Regiment and digging into my own family history, it’s all fascinating.  It will come together though, probably about the time I get to Catania… hopefully Mount Etna won’t blow up in my face.

Healthy lifestyle, week two

OK, I need to get to a gym.

But at the very threat of exercise, my ankle turned over and sprained.  Yeah, awesome.

Still, though, for my health. I need to get off the couch for my health.

Fifteen years.

So young.  So very young.

Healthy lifestyle, week 1… it’s harder than it looks.

So I found out I have high cholesterol.  Great.  I can do this, lean meats etc.

But I forgot one thing: my family.

Family dinner, the night after I found I need a lifestyle change: spareribs in bbq sauce, mashed white potatoes.  No salad.  Clearly, I thought to myself, this will take some work.

Last night, we had my nephew’s birthday party.  He’s two!  And loves macaroni.  But my Dad was worried that the kids wouldn’t eat whole wheat pasta, because it’s brown.  So white pasta. And garlic bread, white of course.  And the sauce was complemented with prepackaged meatballs.  At least there was salad… it was caesar though, so that doesn’t help either.

And cake.

Well, I can’t complain about anyone else regarding the cake. It was an old-school hot milk cake, with plenty of whole milk and butter.  I baked it, I should know.  And homemade buttercream icing.  I spent the afternoon at Mom and Dad’s icing it, old-school star pattern.

Decorating in progress

Why yes, that *is* a Mickey Mouse cake.  The pan is from the 1970s.  So delightfully retro, I had great fun putting it all together.  Here’s the end result:

Mickey Mouse cake!

I am so pleased with how it all came together.  The lovely saturated colour on the buttercream is thanks to Duff’s gel colour (the Charm City Cakes guy!).  It turned out just like I had hoped.  My wee nephew loved it too, he was so excited to see Mickey.  Hot milk cake is perfect for an old-school birthday cake, it is moist and sweet.

Retro Hot Milk Cake like Mom used to make, and Grammie too.

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 vanilla extract or other flavoring
1 cup milk
1/4 pound (1 stick or 8 tablespoons) butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8- or 9-inch cake pans. THIS NEEDS TO BE DONE VERY THOROUGHLY. If you’re not using a shaped pan like I did, I would even take and cut out a round of parchment for the base of the pan, then grease and flour the sides.

Beat eggs well — until light (5-10 minutes). They should look lemony in colour. Gradually add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture and fold together.

Heat milk and butter in a saucepan until hot but not boiling. Add vanilla to the milk and butter. Add hot milk mixture and vanilla to cake batter slowly, in batches – you want to temper the eggs in the batter, not cook them – and stir until JUST combined, then pour into prepared pans. If you overmix, the cake will get too chewy.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or just until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Took me about 40 minutes for the large cake. Cool on a wire rack. Frost with favorite icing. I used a basic buttercream.

Makes two 8- or 9-inch layers, or one big ol’ retro cake pan as above.

Wait, what now?

May I be candid?  Of course I can, it’s my blog.

Recently I had to have some bloodwork done.  No big deal, just getting a baseline.  It was the full meal deal – glucose, cholesterol, iron, you know how it is.  Had to fast for 13 hours beforehand, whatever.  All went smoothly.

I thought, until I went to the doctor to get the results, yesterday.

Doctor, entering room: “Why is your cholesterol higher than your father’s?”

Me: “What?  Wait, what??!?”

So yeah, I have high cholesterol.  And worse, the bad kind is really high.  This has kind of freaked me out.  Did I suddenly turn 70 and not know it?  Is it genetic?  How long has it been high? And holy mother of crap, what does this mean?  I had two grandparents die of heart attacks and a third who had a pacemaker.  But, as I said to the doctor, they ate bacon all the time so it’s hard to tell.

Still, though, scary stuff to hear at 36.

Therefore, I have to exercise and revisit my diet, and get re-tested in another 6 months.  I have six whole months to make an improvement.

But it’s so weird – I don’t fit the profile.  I’m too young, and I’m pretty good about eating a balanced diet.

What a gift.  I could have gone decades without knowing this was there, and then what kind of damage would have been done.  I can work on change now, to prevent problems in my future.  I mean, I have travelling to do!  Exciting places to go and see!  I can’t do that with a bum ticker.

So, I’m reviewing my diet, trying to plot things out and better plan for whole grains and healthier options.  I’ve been reading up on it, and I must admit I am pretty excited. Garlic? Fish? Oatmeal? This is all stuff I like to eat!

I have been complaining for months now about how I have been feeling out of sorts, and out of shape.  Well, this is the kick in the pants I needed to get myself moving, I think.  Doctor says to move, it’s time to move. I’m proposing to set a fitness goal of the half-marathon in August.  I would like to say I did it once.  A run-walk.  If that’s not feasible with my knee/ankle, I would like to do the five-miler… but really what I need to do is get an exercise routine established at the gym.

Dad goes to the gym three times a week for his health.  I need to be doing the same thing.

And if it means I get back to the size at which I am comfortable (and when my work clothes fit), so much the better.

Time to make some changes.

And yes, I am well aware of the irony that this post immediately follows the one about a ginormous cake.  It’s not like I actually ATE the entire ginormous cake… I had a modest slice.

 

 

The Ginormocake

It was my S-I-L’s birthday this past weekend.  Woo!  Too bad it was a snowstorm and she didn’t really get to do anything.  But, she had pizza and movies with my bro and their kids, and apparently that was enough.

We did family dinner on Sunday, pork tenderloin with an apple cream sauce from Best Recipes Ever (we adapted the recipe by substituting unsweetened apple sauce for apple cider, and it tasted like Normandy, so good) and I had made her a birthday cake.  I had asked what type of cake she wanted, and she didn’t really have any suggestions.  With my nephew still under 3, chocolate and nuts were out of the question (she’s pretty strict about that).  I checked Smitten Kitchen’s celebration cakes, and I found this recipe I thought would do… the pink lady cake.  Steph said it looked good, so it was a go!  Woo!

A pink lady cake, you may be aware, is what you get when you mix white cake mix and strawberry jello and then throw some strawberries into the batter, I mean what the heck.  This is not that cake.  This is better.

It was pink and buttery and delicious.

It was also ginormous.  I thought to myself “well, I’m making it in heart pans, maybe it will only take two”…  no such thinking.  it was a triple layer extravaganza.

pink-y goodness

This is where it gets comical.  First, I kind of overtrimmed the bottom layer.  Why I didn’t just flip the whole thing, I don’t know.  Anyway, there it was.  So the cake kind of perched drunkenly on the tupperware carrying case/serving board.  Which, by the way, it was too big for… I couldn’t snap the case shut, it would crush the cake.  This cake was so big that when I placed it on the table in front of my excellent S-I-L and her two kids, the kids’ heads disappeared behind the cake.  My brother has the video.  It’s hilarious.

So we were in good spirits, needless to say, and much laughter abounded.  What more do you want on a birthday, than laughter and delicious cake.

three goofs and a huge, pink, cake

I made this with a cream cheese icing that I adapted from the Smitten Kitchen website: it was two boxes of cream cheese, a stick and a half of butter, 2 teaspoons of vanilla, and a bag of icing sugar.  Tint to taste, thin if you need to with milk in order to write.  The icing was actually pretty thin itself, it’s a good thing I wasn’t doing any flowers.  I had to put it in the fridge to get it workable at all.  I used two shades of pink as well as white to get the decorations.

And now here’s the recipe for the cake, which I did not adapt in the least.  It makes a LOT of cake, if you are planning on doing this.  Probably best for a larger party.

Pink Lady Cake [Strawberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Filling]

from the amazing mind of Deb at  Smitten Kitchen

The cake recipe is adapted from Sky High, and the only thing I would change next time would be to add a drop or two of red food coloring because when cake is called Pink Lady, well, it should really be pink.  (note from mare – I did add food coloring, it was indeed pink.  Barbie-riffic.)

For the cake
4 1/2 cups cake flour
3 cups sugar
5 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups pureed frozen strawberries*
8 egg whites
2/3 cup milk
1 to 2 drops red food dye, if using (to make the pink color pop more)

For the cream cheese frosting  (note from mare: I adapted this recipe, see note above)
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks; 6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Make the cake
1. Preheat the oven to 350»F. Butter three 9-inch round or 8-inch square cake pans. Line with parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper. (note from mare – this really fills three pans!  easily!  it’s so much cake!)

2. Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixer bowl. With the electric mixer on low speed, blend for 30 seconds. Add the butter and strawberry puree and mix to blend the ingredients. Raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes; the batter will resemble strawberry ice cream at this point. (Deb note: I must warn you not to try the batter at this point. Not even a smear of it. How unbearably good it is will shock you, and lead to more dipping. Only you can stop this from coming to pass.)

3. In another large bowl, whisk together the egg whites, milk and red food dye, if using, to blend. Add the whites to the batter in two or three additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl well and mixing only to incorporate after each addition. Divide the batter among the three prepared pans.

4. Bake the cakes for 30 to 34 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the layers to cool in the pans for 10 to 15 minutes. Invert and turn out onto wire racks and peel off the paper liners. Let stand until completely cooled before assembling the cake, at least an hour.

Make the cream cheese frosting
5. In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners’ sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use.

Frost and assemble the cake
6. Place one cake layer on a cake board or platter. Tucking scraps of waxed paper under the edges of the cake will protect the board or plate from any mess created while frosting the cake. (I forgot, as can be clearly seen above.) (note from mare – I never do this, but it would make it neater now I think on it) Spread about 2/3 cup frosting over the layer, spreading it to the edge. Repeat with the second layer. Add the top layer and frost the top and sides of cake with remaining frosting, reserving a small amount if you wish to tint it and pipe a decoration on the cake. If not, you can decorate the cake top with thinly-sliced strawberries. Remove the waxed strips to reveal and neat, clean cake board.

7. Serve with pink candles on pink plates to the sort of person who dreams in pink. I suspect you know at least one.

February lack of focus

I has it.

I always has it.

I just wish I didn’t have a gazillion assignments and a conference paper proposal and forms for my job and four cakes to bake this month.

I need my focus to come back.  And it will, hopefully sooner rather than later.

Winter + Sport

Ah, finally it has snowed.  At last!  Snow that is actually sticking around.  It’s been so dreary and cold and wet for December and January – mild, yes, in Canadian terms, but it’s still cold.

But now.  Now there’s snow.

Snow means I can go snowshoeing.

My lovely snowshoes.

And snowshoeing, getting out into the lovely crisp clean air and tramping around the local trails, that makes winter not only bearable but a pleasure.  I have been feeling sluggish of late, and being able to get out into the woods is really helping to combat that feeling without it being like a chore.

Walking round Moose Trax.

Dad and I have taken to walking the local trails in the winter, it’s a workout but it’s also very tranquil.

We’re really lucky here in SJ – we have Rockwood Park in the middle of the city.  It’s a municipal park and golf course, and zoo, and arboretum, and pavilions… and I think it gets overlooked.  Lots of runners tend to go over West to the Irving Nature Park, which is also in the city but along the waterfront.  There’s a part of Rockwood Park with the pavilions and paved walking trails, but that’s not where Dad and I go.

Open brook by the trail.

We tend to take to the back trails, out amongst the trees and the lakes.  We usually run into folks with their dogs, but they stick to the main trail whereas Dad and I tend to go into the back woods.

One of the lakes.

I find I can deal with two more months of winter quite cheerfully when this sort of activity and these kind of views are in the offing.  Hard to believe this is in the middle of an unabashedly industrial city.

Next weekend, I get to go snowshoeing in Fredericton.  When I was in grad school the first time round, one of the profs in the History department had a snowshoeing and spaghetti social.  Sure, I was in English, but I still knew a lot of people from qualifying and picking up History courses.  Well, a decade later, that prof’s now my PhD supervisor, and I got an invite last week to the social.  Was I ever excited to find out he still does that.  I’m making a cake. (Of course I am.)

Snowshoeing. It makes winter so much better.

A place for everything…

... and everything in its place.

I finally picked up all my old knitting projects squirrelled here and there in multitudinous RW&Co bags.  Everything is now so neatly organized and ready for the next project.

Which is a sweater, by the way.  For me.

And yes, the jayne hats.

Still though, organization and neatness are not characteristics that come naturally to me.  I’m pretty proud of myself for organizing my drawing, painting and knitting supplies so tidily.

When writers wed

So I went to Sean and Jen’s wedding in Lachine this month.  Once everyone got to the Montreal area, it was all quite lovely, actually.

Wedding-eve cocktail hour

Most folks were staying at the hotel, which was out by the airport.  It was comfortable enough – modern, lots of concrete. I had gotten to Montreal on Thursday, so I watched all day Friday out of a window at UQÀM while the snow fell, wondering if everyone was going to make it on time. Fortunately, the delayed flights arrived eventually, the drivers were cautious in their approach and the train was fine (though the taxis somewhat adventuresome, from all accounts).  But we all met up for cocktails, and it was great to see everyone if only briefly (I wanted to get back to where I was staying in Lachine and clean up before the next day).

Looking out at the Lachine Canal

The Saturday was crisp and clear.

Emphasis on the crisp, it was about minus 30 celsius with the wind chill.  Brr!

We all piled into the Vielle Brasserie in Lachine, where mimosas were flowing, before heading upstairs to the wedding and reception area.  It was the most unique wedding I have ever attended.  They had a friend of theirs from Toronto as officiant and MC, and both Sean and Jen wrote their own vows.  They were lovely, and sentimental, and just perfect.

Then, brunch.

What a great idea, to have a brunch wedding.  We had a couple more cocktails while the bride and groom were getting some pictures done (caesars were on the menu!) then the brunch buffet began.  It was a nice selection of food… egg cups, cold salmon, crêpes… all of it, so tasty.

There was a literary theme to the wedding: the bouquets and boutonnieres were handmade from books, and everyone sat at different tables representing different genres of literature, and were given a library card with their book.  Unfortunately, our group of friends were split up and on opposite sides of the room for some reason – that was a bit dull.  But all worked out in the end, because the food was fine and the caesars flowing.

Suspects at a wedding

So by the time I left with Jenn and Suzy, it was mid-afternoon, and we were all frankly kind of tipsy from all the inhabitual day-drinking, and it was time to lie down for a bit of a rest.

Later, the wedding party (and most of the wedding guests, as we’d mostly all come from away) went bowling.  As one does.

The bowling was a really fun, lighthearted way to end the day.  I was surprised Sean and Jen were still standing by this point – it’s exhausting, to be in a wedding.

Bowling and poutine!

You know, you’ll laugh about having poutine in a bowling alley, but I could see into the kitchen where a fellow was using a rocking knife to cut up a huge board of fromage en grains, so I suspected we’d be in good hands.  The poutine was awesome. Delicious and fattening and the essence of Quebec in a bowl.

At the end of the evening, we met up and hung out for a little bit of usual suspects time, before we all had to go our separate ways.  My flight was earlyish in the morning, so I had to turn in early as well.  I had a devil of a time sleeping, my back was sore (which I know now was this pesky infection, boo-urns) and I kept waking up thinking I’d overslept and would miss my flight.

But of course I didn’t.

Ready for the flight home

Et voilà, I was back on my way home to NB.

And now I’m the last single Suspect.  I did not think it would be me, and I’m having a bit of trouble with it.  It’s most disheartening.  Don’t get me wrong: I have an amazing life, and I have always been able to follow my dreams.  I’ve had some incredible experiences, and I’m not begrudging my path because I really like who I am.  I’m also not willing to compromise what I want to do in my life or who I am in order to be in a relationship.  But there was some part of me that did not expect to be the last single person in our group of friends, and who is finding that reality a bitter pill to swallow.

But it is what it is, say I pragmatically.  And I’m not writing this to be pitied, because I don’t feel bad about myself.  I am just noting it because it’s my blog and I want to be honest.  It’s not all raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens all the time, you know.

Doesn’t mean the wedding wasn’t lovely.  It really, really was.