Cake baking

Tomorrow is a very good friend of mines birthday and so of course I offered to make her a cake. She is having her party at our usual neighborhood bar, which is great. It's the type of bar that when I walk in my drink is already waiting for me on the counter. It's wonderful. I asked her what kind of cake she wanted and she told me to surprise her, but not without saying carrot cake first. So naturally I choose to make a carrot cake. I choose a recipe that I randomly found the other night, http://biscuitsandsuch.com/2011/01/29/carrot-cake-with-goats-milk-caramel/. From the description it sounded great, however, it turned out horribly. I should have been warned when I saw that it used goats milk which is thinner then milk, olive oil which has such an odd flavor, and only 1 cup of sugar. The recipe did not give good instructions for the carmel sauce which turned out horribly and the final baked cake looked like everyones dreadful idea of a vegan cake. Everything about this cake was wrong. I am not sure what happened.... I followed everything correctly and yet it was awful. I have made carrot cakes before that have been wonderful....
With only a bit of panic, I checked my pantry and found I had all the ingredients to make chai banana cupcakes with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting. These cupcakes are extremely simple and take no time at all. I brought them to the party and everyone loved them. I kept noticing people sneaking them out of the box the whole night. I am happy to have made such a successful simple cupcake. When in doubt always have a backup cupcake that is easy to make and tastes great!

The downside of being a bit of a loner

I like to eat. That's no secret. Back home, cooking incredible food is a daily experience.  I mean, everyone in my family (mostly) has great taste in food, and even the ones who prefer to not eat gourmet or even excellent food all the time know how to recognize great food when it's put in front of them. I am homesick, not just for my family, but for the food that my family and I eat together. For some reason, being in college has made eating far less enjoyable. I definitely eat a great meal once a week, but come on... ONCE A WEEK? Unfortunately my roommate doesn't have as high of standards for food as I do, and that's okay, I have taken it upon myself to convert her to a foodie... It's not going to well... but that isn't the problem. The problem is that I am eating crappy foods or not eating at all because of lack of time, lack of ingredients, and lack of friends. I know that I can fix all of this.... the problem? I don't want to eat alone at a restaurant. Part of the joy of going to eat at a great restaurant, casual or fancy, is the atmosphere. It's about splitting dishes, comparing tastes, people watching, and many more reasons. I am a very independent person, but the one thing I haven't grasped is eating alone. I feel extremely vulnerable. So my challenge to myself this weekend is to go to an restaurant that I have been dying to try, alone. Then I will come back and write about my meal. It will be scary, but frankly I am tired of wallowing about so many things, and this is something I can change. I am dying to have a good meal and I shouldn't have to depend on anyone to do so. So here I go..... will report back soon.  Why should I deny myself a great meal because no one else wants to join me? Sweet dreams.

A Welcome Note

I am new to the food blog community, and I have to say I am quite nervous about adding my grain of salt, shall we say, to the mix. I am pretty self-conscious about my writing, but with my passion for food and my love for writing it only makes sense that I would document my experience with the two. I am not quite sure what I am so nervous about seeing as I might not have any readers, regardless here I go.

Alright, so maybe you need to know a bit more about me. I am a college student at a school in Pennsylvania studying Culture Studies. I am a vegetarian, though recently I haven't been all that strict  because I am preparing for my study abroad in Spain, where I am sure to try many foods including meats and fish and I don't want to be a impolite and snobby american turning her nose up to local cuisine. I come from a family who greatly appreciates food and wine and that has given me many experiences to try incredible foods. I spend most of my free time cooking, baking, reading food blogs, and eating. I hope that this blog serves as an outlet for my love of food and that I am able to share it with food lovers alike.

Comer feliz