2015-03-15

Random Acts of Cake-ful

I started this post awhile ago, but these items are all relevant still so it totally counts (SBoR 37.1ish or thereabouts, check it.)

Last weekend we did some new things and you just can't beat that New Experience ... experience. Or something.

We finally checked out the mysterious "Popcorn Store" in our town. We have seen it, and actually walked past it a hundred times without even seeing it, and wondered 

(in Jerry Seinfeld voice)
"What is the DEAL with the tiny place?"
Do you see it? The architect must be the same guy who designed the Order of the Phoenix HeadQuarters. I totally wanted Dumbledore to jump out when we walked in. 

It's like there was a nice-sized gangway (as we call them in Chicago, you may say 'alley') and someone thought,
 "I bet if we put a roof over this alley and a nice door, we could sell popcorn and candy!" ,, 

Gods bless you, Genius Person. The thing that makes this place so great is that the rent, if any, has to be really low because these wonderful people sell a whole WALL OF CANDY for pennies a piece. They also make fresh, real popcorn for cheap. We bought a medium-sized bag for $1.29 that my husband and I shared, and was plenty for both of us. You can barely buy a soft drink or a bottle of freaking WATER for that price, and the Earth is mostly MADE OF WATER.


This is THE WHOLE STORE in this picture. That's it, that's all folks. It's just this hallway of candy, popcorn made in the back. If a pregnant lady wants popcorn? Everyone has to leave the store so she can get back where the popcorn is. 

We also got NEW PHONES. My phone was constantly locking up, even after uninstalling Facebook, and I had to pull the battery out almost every day. It was getting old. I'm thankful my new phone works well, brings me the internet even if cough-cough it's initial load time is slow, I'm still thankful for technology in my pocket. Yes, that is a tiny computer in my pocket, and I'm happy to see ya.

We went to the Pac-Man themed restaurant, which was fun even if it wasn't exactly the amazing 80's experience I was hoping for. I did a whole review, so click that link to it if you're curious and leave it at that. 

I'm sure everyone who isn't abominable is thankful that Spring seems to have Sprung. This Saturday was not only THEE Pi Day of the century, 3/14/15 but also the day they dye the Chicago River green. I posted this picture last year, I love it.
A & M Photography
Even though Saturday was Pi Day, I made a cake for my BIL (that I'm marrying to my sister in September.) I'm more of a Cake Person. By that I mean I'm now more Cake than Person now. 

I think literally. 

My Blood Type? Butter.

CAKE PERSON. Look at that guy's FACE! from VH1.com
I found a great cake recipe, that is not only delicious which it IS, the writer explains the reasoning behind each step so that dum-dums like me don't think, 'eh, I don't really need to use a mixer for this, or separate egg whites, etc.' and now I DO those things in that way. For great results. It's a yellow cake with chocolate frosting, totally delicious.

Warning: A pound and 1/2 of butter goes into doubling the recipe for a 2-layer cake, which is the preferred method of cake delivery for an ideal Frosting-to-Cake ratioThis is something I know about. Click >>HERE<< for the recipe

Or just know that it's pinned to my Pinterest, not only in my "Cakes" board, but also my FAVORITE Recipes board, which has recipes I have made and highly endorse. I like the writer of this recipe's explanations.

I've gotten a lot better at cake-ing thanks to:
New Pans 
and
Practice.

Meaning I make a cake like every week for one reason or another. Hey, Practice Caking is an important thing. And totally a real thing. I have to have a recipe down for my friend, Lizzi's trip to 'Murica this year! 

Though my husband has called a "Cake Intervention" and called my baking self-destructive 
- literally the words that he used
at this point, but I can now bake a mean cake. I mean a delicious cake. My cakes are not mean. If you don't count the damage they do to your arteries. And I don't. 
St. Patty's dessert tray. Rainbow cupcakes & booze.
So to balance all this cake, I'm thankful for crispy fried onions. I'm going somewhere with this, they make eating salads less of a punishment. Let's face it, salads are sadness in a bowl. These add some actual taste.
Delish. from freshgourmet.com
Also thankful for Lite beer, and you can put it down all you want but it still tastes like beer for under 100 calories and goes well with salad. 

Hey, I'm balancing Midwest Winter (and cake) Weight Gain so give me a break, beer snobs.

I'm also thankful for Wii Fit because I can pretend exercise without leaving my house, which other than walking is the only way I'll ever do it. 


This list of buttery cakefuls and rambly thankfuls is a post that is part of an awesome community, the Ten Things of Thankful



30 comments:

  1. I'm sure there's no creepy symbolic undertones to when the Groom cuts that Bride Cake with a knife.

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    1. hahahahaha "Happy Wedding, Honey. Time to eat your face!"

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  2. Bob Newhart!!! yeah!!! (from here in New England and back in the 1970s or 80s) that photo of Chicago totally brings back that show(s))

    ok…. so it's a great likeness, why does the real person appear to be trying to look like a not-real person…is she hoping he'll drag the cake out to the limo, or what?

    I don't cook per se, hell I barely eat, but I do enjoy watching the cooking shows where they tell you about the process and choices that they made to come up with the perfect…. mashed potatoes (we still refer to 'America's Test Kitchen' as 'the potato show' because when we saw it the first time, the whole show was the why and how of perfect mashed potatoes…)

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    1. Yes, I LOVED the views of Chicago from the original Bob Newhart. Such a great show, they both were.
      I have NO clue what is up with the Cake Person. It's very bizarre.
      I like that, too. There is a show on network TV, I think ABC called "The Chew" and they will explain things a lot of the time. It helps me understand the chemistry of cooking/baking. I need the help!

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  3. "I swear, I swear, I just got mixed up!" - groom, after having been arrested by the police for f**king a cake and eating his new bride.

    You had me sold on that cake until "pound and a half of butter". I mean, yes I'd totally bake it and eat it, but saying how much butter goes into it aloud just makes me hate myself even more.

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    1. hahahaha "Keep your wife and cake STRAIGHT, people."
      I should say, my cake was DOUBLE the recipe. I like a cake, then a layer of frosting, then a cake. A normal person could probably just make two thinner cakes, but apparently not me.

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  4. That is a cute store! The store owners were clever to paint and put up an awning in such an eye-catching color. It would be easy to miss the store otherwise.

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    1. That's true! Even bright red we walked past it a few times! We noticed it when our town had an Ice Fest and they were carving ice, we were just standing there and noticed how small it was. Then we walked by and it SMELLED heavenly!

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  5. That store is adorable! Penny candy is such a thing of childhood nostalgia for me. That store owner is truly a genius.
    I'm going hunting for that cake with all the butter - that sounds amazing.
    Have a great week!

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    1. It is REALLY good. I just need to not make it twice in 2 weeks! I also doubled the recipe, the recipe is for cupcakes and it really good just like that.

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  6. I don't know if I could go into the popcorn store without freaking out. It's sooo tiny! I would immediatley beging to hyperventilate. It is cute though. And then I got to the pic of the groom and the cake bride and...well, that 's just friggin' creepy right there. And yes, I think dude is totally screwed!

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    1. It IS really tiny! I am not claustrophobic at all and even I started feeling a little...cramped. I know, that Cake Person is so freaky, I just had to post the picture :)

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  7. First, that candy store is amazing. I've never seen anything like it. Brilliant idea.

    Second, that wedding cake was scary. Seriously, scary. Most scary part: the bride chose it. Men usually don't care much about choosing the cake, so he probably said, "Whatever you want." I bet that was a SHOCK.

    Third, all of this talk of cake... I think I gained five pounds during this visit. Hmmm.

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    1. It really IS perfect for a penny candy place. My husband and I were confused at first, but then when we saw how much room LITTLE KIDS have to look, and really who else is penny candy for? (besides me and you!)
      I know, that freaked me out and also made me laugh, that Cake Lady. So weird!
      Glad you liked it, hope it was worth the extra five pounds.

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  8. Where the hell did my comment go?!?!?! That green river gives me the creeps but not nearly as much as that cake! THAT CAKE!!!! Seriously, who thinks, "Lightbulb! I want a wedding cake that is a lifesize sculpture of me!"

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    1. The green river is a weird thing, but we used to go watch them do it and it's sort of nostalgic for me.
      I have NO clue what makes someone want to Cake themselves, probably the Selfie people right?!

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  9. And you shall HAVE CAKE! And it shall be delicious and colorful and GLITTERful, because I found an edible cake topping that is gold and glittery and sugary and delish. And we'll visit the popcorn Order of the Phoenix store and eat candy and popcorn and walk around the tiny downtown of my silly town, and laugh! I can't wait!

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  10. You just know the groom is thinking, 'I knew I should have dumped her arse before the wedding.'
    That's a WHOLE new level of narcissism right there.

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  11. That popcorn place is just so very cute!!! And, that's an awesome photo of the Chicago river!

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    1. We thought so too. I don't know if I would want to work there all day every day, but super cute to visit!

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  12. I love this whole post, but especially the popcorn place! I wonder if the owners live in one of those tiny houses...anyhoo, I want to go to it, too!!

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    1. Maybe they live in a dog house in the alley. I would watch the crap out of that show.

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  13. The cake picture cracked me up!!!

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  14. Ooh, that tiny, narrow candy store would have me stuck. Which part of me would win: claustrophobia or pursuit of candy?

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    1. My love of candy and popcorn won. HOWEVER, when the adults in line in front of me paid and walked out, I REALLY had to turn sideways and wiggle around to let them pass by.

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  15. Oh the Popcorn Store! One of my favorite places! I am happy to hear it still exists in the world. When I was a nanny I used to take the kids there and blow their minds by letting them fill one of those little white bags of candy! It definitely is claustrophobic in there though. Isn't the address, like, 342 and 2/5 Front Street or something?

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  16. You've made me feel very cake-ful. I love that word! Thanks, Joy. I wish I could bake cakes like you. I have a favorite cake pan though and a good pan makes all the difference. :)

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