The Best Food Holiday

Well, most people would say that Thanksgiving makes the best food holiday. And yes, it is up there, however, the Superbowl might take the cake. Literally.

Last year, around Superbowl season, I began obsessing over the Williams-Sonoma Sandwich Cookie Pans - aka Oreo Cookie Cake. After trying to convince everyone I know to buy them for me, and getting no takers, I caved and just bought them myself.

Is it not adorable? It isn't exactly cheap. However, when you buy the pans, you get the cake and frosting mix for $10 more (normally $20 - YIKES!). So I decided to debut the cake pans for the Hope San Mateo 2010 Superbowl Party. With the help of Margaret, we diligently followed each direction to a T. Including the buttering and dusting of the pans with cocoa powder. We timed the cooling before flipping to the minute. We did everything the directions told us to. Unfortunately, the cake still stuck a bit to the pans. And even worse, after we assembled it, and left it in the fridge to chill, when I woke up Sunday morning, I discovered this:

Yes, an Oreo Cookie Cake Casualty. I wanted to cry.  After a few MacGuyver like moves, I made the broken top layer into the bottom layer, and no one was the wiser.

A few weeks later I baked the cake again, this time from scratch, as per the recipe on the box (which, by the way is delicious, but not as insanely amazing as the box mix). I carefully buttered each crevice of the detailed pans, dusted with cocoa and let cool appropriately. Unfortunately the cake stuck to the pans again, and came out in several pieces. I puzzled them together, and served the cake to my family, who didn't seem to mind.

Well the Superbowl has come again, and I was ready for a Oreo Cookie Cake Rematch. This time I was going to go with my instincts - the recipe calls for a Pioneer Woman amount of butter, these are non-stick pans, and with a little cooking spray the cakes should have no problem coming right out. I sprayed those suckers down. In the scalloped edges, around the COOKIE imprint, in each decorative design.

Good news folks, the Oreo Cookie Cake Pans were no match for my master Canola Oil Spraying Skills, they slipped out like a charm, and in one piece. I could not be happier with the results.

Hopefully, the people of Hope San Mateo were as well.

Caramel Macchiato, Where Have You Been My Whole Life?

Yes, I am a bit behind the times. I like songs after they have come and gone from the Billboard Top 100's. I also seem to jump on a lot of bandwagons, way after something becomes popular.

When it comes to the Caramel Macchiato, things are no different.

I have heard people ordering this drink for years. I could have sworn I had one a few years ago, and had a major dislike. Actually, I thought it was essentially a Caramel Mocha.

Apparently, I was wrong. Very wrong.

Essentially, the Caramel Machiatto is a glorified Caramel Latte. The secret to it's success is the delicious Caramel Drizzle, which you are sure to miss if you don't take the lid off your drink and eat the generous amount of leftover foam with a spoon.

Ladies and Gentlemen, a Tall Skinny Caramel Machiatto is a mere 105 calories. Yes, it's true.



It is my new crack cocaine.

Although, I'm sure after a few weeks of having this on repeat I'll be as sick of it as I am of Katy Perry's Firework.

Tea for One

If you follow me on Twitter, or I gave you a Christmas gift this year, it will be no secret to you that I am a huge fan of Cost Plus (or, as they keep trying to get me to call them, World Market).

Whenever I walk into their store, I am transported into a world of treats and wares from countries I will probably never visit.


I have been the very fortunate recipient of a lovely gift from World Market Cost Plus from my very favorite sister in the whole world. Despite doing most ALL of my Christmas shopping there, I never came across this lovely Tea for One set.

It's a good thing for her that I didn't, because I probably would have bought it for myself, and ruined Christmas. (I have a tendency to do that)

Anyway, it is quite possibly my favorite gift ever, and makes getting up early for work a little bit more enjoyable when I am pouring my morning cuppa in this set.


Thanks little beast. <3