Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Spring Time = Cake Pop Time!

Spring has been desperately trying to force it's way into my neighborhood lately. You would never know if you looked at a weather forecast, but the sun has managed to poke through at least once a day, the past two days, and with it, my energy is increasing! You won't find me running marathons, but I have been accomplishing more in my evenings. I even tackled cake pops again! 

You'll recall I last made cake pops over a year ago. They were cute. They were also a ton of work.

When bf got me Bakerella's book for Christmas, I was genuinely excited to try them again. For a little while anyway. Then, work and life and all-around-being-lazy-with-my-free-time set in. For the past three months, I've flipped through the book, awed by the cool creations, yet daunted by the work. 

Until this week. 

With a little help from bf, I whipped up a partial batch of Cupcake Bites (think Cake Pop, without the stick) for my Girl Guides. You can find Bakerella's directions here.

Not bad for only my second try, if I do say so myself!


I wanted a Girl Guide theme, so I used blue and white M&M's with sprinkle stems to make a trefoil.


I made a special one for bf. Can you find it? 


He deserved a thank you kiss for his epic cake-baking skills. Funny, he also picked up this jar of icing for me... 


Some of Bakerella's tips that really helped this time around:
        • Make a small batch. It's manageable and more fun. BF made 2 batches of cake mix, so I had an extra-thick cake. I used 3/8 of the cake and made 18 bites. Mine were on the slightly large side, so you can estimate 1/4 cake = 12 bites/pops.
        • Use cake mix and pre-made icing. I NEVER use store-bought mixes, but it was just downright easier.
        • Use lots of candy melts. Last time, I didn't have enough and I had trouble dipping. You can always save extra and reuse later.
        • Wash and dry your hands often while rolling the balls. They stay together nicer.
        • Have everything set out before you start. Isn't this the golden rule in the kitchen? It's necessary for cake pops/bites. Once the candy is melted, you want to dip. Once you dip, it dries fast. Your M&M's and sprinkles have to go on right away or the candy will be hard.

One day later... only one little guy left! YUM!



Tuesday, April 19, 2011

I Was the Girl That Bought a Playbook This Morning

SURPRISE!




I bought a Blackberry Playbook today!  


Isn't it pretty inside its box! I like the blue!


There's even 'no brainer' instructions. 

I got to step 3 and now I'm waiting for it to download 750 MB of updates. Yes, 750 MB on a 16 GB machine! Yikes! I hope this is doesn't preface what my Playbook experience is going to be like. 

As it would've seemed this morning, I appear to be the only person that bought one. I should have taken pictures. Imagine if you will, when I pre-ordered my Playbook on Saturday, the sales associate assured me this would guarantee I don't need to stand in line when they open at 7 AM. "Perfect," I think.  "I can pick it up before work." I roll in at 7:15AM this morning to a parking lot more deserted than a school yard in July. 

No line. In fact, 2 sales associates actually came outside to greet me with open arms. Oh wait, no, they were having a cigarette. It was like a dream walking into the store. All the red-clad reps waiting in a line at the door. "Are you here for a Playbook?" 

I actually felt slightly pathetic for them. Then, I felt pathetic for myself. Am I the only person that wanted this thing I was willing to come at 7? Where were the door crashers? I got back in my car, and thought, where is the hype? I heard all about the date the iPad 2 was released? Nobody mentioned the Playbook once.

Turns out some TV crews even went out to stores to find they were empty. Look at this, 3 people?



The only story I could find about lineups on Google was from the Waterloo Record - RIM's hometown. I'm guessing this isn't the welcome RIM was hoping for. With their tight-lipped updates and the official announcement of it's release date 2 weeks ago, my gut tells me they were hoping for more excited customers. 

Regardless, I'm excited! The updates are done, so I'm going to go PLAY! 

Monday, April 18, 2011

It's Almost Here!

1 day

12 HOURS!!


It's almost here! Can you guess? Check back tomorrow morning and I'll reveal the surprise. I am so giddy, I feel like a child at Christmas waiting for St. Nick to come. Hopefully, I'll be able to sleep tonight!