Rainbow Rum Cake

I was invited to a friend's house for a Pink Saturday party this weeekend, so I decided to make a rainbow rum cake to fit with the theme. It's the same recipe as a regular rum cake - but with food coloring. I got the idea for the rainbow cake from a blog (Omnomicon) and adapted it for the pans I had on hand. It was a blast to make. I simply made the cake batter according to the recipe, and then added gel based food coloring.

I made some mini-cupcakes...


..and a loaf.


They were so fun looking..


...especially the loaf pan slices. I drizzled (soaked) the cupcakes and slices in a rum glaze, and they were complete.


Sadly, we never found the party they were intended for - but somehow I don't think my co-workers will mind a little alcohol infused breakfast treat on Monday morning :-)

Rodeo Beach

One of the things we love about living in Marin is the proximity to the beaches. Granted, the water isn't terribly warm - but it's still a nice place to spend an afternoon, and the drive is only 20 minutes.



Even Holly was smiling :-)

Happy 6th Anniversary Brett!

Over the past 6 years, wedding anniversaries have been anything but the typical dinner out for me and Brett. Our first one was spent at my mom's funeral. Our third was forgotten (by both of us) in the frenzy of moving to California. If it weren't for the e-mail from Brett's sister or the call from his mom, I think it would have been days before we realized the goof. We were that hazed.

Our 4th was spent wandering our new home town of Amsterdam, learning the rules about cash only restaurants and a town that seemed to run on a banking system we weren't yet a part of. Our 5th was spent on a cruise in the Baltic seas, in between port calls to Russia and Estonia.

This year, we're going back to basics. We're heading up to wine country for lunch, followed by overpriced cookies from a bakery nearby. While we're lucky to be able to celebrate our anniversary today, it's not the date that counts. It's the journey in between that matters most.

Happy Anniversary Brett!