Following the second time rising

I had been looking at a recipe for honey oat bread for months, never feeling like I could really devote the full four hours required to bake homemade bread. Granted, most of that time is not spent actively doing anything except waiting for the ingredients to work, but it’s still a solid block of time in which one must be at home to do things at varying forty minute or one hour or fifteen minute intervals.

The bread turned out fabulous, and freshly baked bread is one of the best scents to fill an apartment. My first true breadmaking attempt (not counting flatbreads) was not without hiccups – the first packet of yeast did not proof properly and had to be tossed – but I will definitely be baking breads again in the future. The honey and oats lend a slightly sweet, almost nuttiness to the flavor; far from overwhelming, just different enough to be interesting. Yum!

Honey Oat Bread

• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 cups flour (I use half whole wheat, half white)

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine boiling water, oats, cup honey, butter and salt. Let stand for 1 hour.
2. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
3. Pour the yeast mixture into the oat mixture. Add 1 1/2 cups of flour; mix well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 20 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour until it is workable and becomes smooth and elastic. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
4. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and form into a loaf. Place the loaf into a lightly greased 9×5 inch loaf pan. Cover the loaf with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Enjoy!

I couldn't even wait to take a photo before cutting into it!

As soon as Thanksgiving has passed, the receptions begin. Open bars abound, tray of shrimps and skewers of meats are passed, and networking options present themselves aplenty. I, being the world’s worst networker, mostly indulge in the booze and belly-filling parts of the evening.

Last night was the first of the season for me. It pays to have friends employed in various fields across the city; this particular fete was thrown by a thinktank that a friend works for. They’ve had to cut back on the extravagance the past few years due to the lobbying laws (no more lobster on a stick), but it’s still a tasty spread on K Street’s dime.

Tips for attending one of these passed hors d’oeuveres parties?

• Scout around to see if there’s a back or side bar with smaller crowds
• Position yourself near the kitchen exit – encounter the trays before they’re swallowed by the hordes
• Wear a nametag if you want to network; if you want a night off, go incognito
• Heels look hot, yes, but remember that you’ll be on your feet and everyone’s coming from work, so they’re far from required attire
• Don’t gossip about people by name too loudly, you never know who is within earshot!

I’m not the only one who noticed this, it was pretty much impossible not to, but Jezebel had a post, complete with perhaps the most tragic clip of the episode here.

All that being said, I’m enjoying her new album! While far from musical genius, she really does make fun music; perfect for putting on while sipping a vodka tonic and determining which shoes to wear out and whether you should be changing into the push up bra for your night out. Definitely recommended!

• Honey walnut cream cheese
• Kanye’s album – 808s & Heartbreak
• Puppy cam!
• Beyonce’s album – I Am…Sasha Fierce
• WTF Fail
• Sephora
• Spinach and shrimp pasta
• David Gregory on “Meet the Press”
• Britney’s album – Circus
• Jeopardy!
• Red wine
• Many offers of couches from old friends

And then the porn talk began. There was discussion of furries (what’s your fursona?), pizza porn, dildos, and the Pleasure Place. And I believe we may have ended up deciding on doing erotic toy secret santas this year; I should check on that. I had never heard of pizza porn, but was told I had to Google image it, which I did and found very little that shocked me.

Then I was informed that I had safe search on. And a whole new world was opened.

I don’t understand the appeal of pizza porn. Screwing someone whose dick is poking through a box and a pizza? Is that really good?

And furries? How do they get from the convention floor to the hotel rooms? Do they chat? Get to know each other? Or is it strictly based on the appeal of the outfit? Is that all that different from the bar?

Happy holidays and tidings of good porn to all!

Cupcakes topped with sprinkles, one of my specialties in the kitchen

This weekend was filled with planes, booze, and rain. So what’s the cure for such a potentially dreary combination? Cupcakes!

I love cooking, I love baking, I love just being in the kitchen with good smells coming out of it, and while I subscribe to the theory that the true test of a dish is the taste, if I can make it look good too, all the better. I recently bought myself a frosting bag and a set of food coloring; these two items have drastically improved the appearance of foodstuffs coming from my kitchen.

The cupcakes to the right are Mexican chocolate cake with buttercream frosting. The hint of cinnamon found in the cake seems to me the perfect something extra to head into the holiday season. And sprinkles make everyone smile!

Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup apple sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup sour milk (or orange juice)
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the cupcake pan with muffin cups.
   
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda and cinnamon. Add the margarine, oil, water, sour milk, eggs and vanilla, mix until smooth. Spoon into the cupcake pan (fill about 2/3).
3. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Buttercream Frosting

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• food coloring as needed (optional)

1. Cream room temperature butter with a hand mixer, the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, or a wooden spoon until smooth and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar until fully incorporated. Beat in vanilla extract.
2. Pour in milk and beat for an additional 3-4 minutes. Add food coloring, if using, and beat for thirty seconds until smooth or until desired color is reached.

My main cake motto: No store-bought frosting! Making your own is so simple and makes such a huge difference in the quality and taste of the cake.

All recipes based on those found and then adapted from allrecipes.com. Enjoy!

My blog was not envisioned as a place for me to bitch about boys or how tough my life is. My life is great; I have amazing people around me and an abundance of opportunities; I’m young, happy, healthy, all those typical cliches. Life isn’t all roses though, and I suppose it would be boring if it were. Upon getting home last night, coming back from going out on my first night back after time away from the city for Thanksgiving, I wrote the post that follows. It feels melodramatic, but perhaps that’s just the effect of fruity shots, dreary weather and a late night.

I miss coming home and not crying. But then I think, maybe I was just numb all those times before. It’s tough to go out with all your friends and their significant others; I love them, but especially when you end up walking home alone in the cold and rain, you are reminded that they’re all going home with someone, someone to walk with and someone to warm up the bed when they get there. You are going home to a dark apartment, to cook yourself some pasta, clear off half of the bed, and sleep in your cave of a room until a good friend and their significant other texts you to join them for brunch. I love them. But they don’t understand.