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!

Corn flavored Kit Kats

A co-worker of mine went to Japan recently and he brought back some Japanese Kit Kat bars. The flavors were really interesting from Green Tea to Melon. My favorites were the Soy Sauce flavor and the one that tasted like Corn. Mmmm :-) The melon and banana flavors, not so much.

Still, it was fun to taste all the different flavors. It reminds me of my obsession last year with country specific potato chips. Shrimp Cocktail or Shwarma anyone?

Another exciting weekend in the suburbs

Our rental was feeling a bit empty (and the dog's nails on the hardwood were driving me nuts), so we decided to pick up a few area rugs. They came on Saturday. Welcome to an exciting weekend in suburbia.

Wild Turkeys

I went to a STEP class at the YMCA in San Rafael last week and after class noticed a bunch of women huddled by the window. I went over to see what they were looking at and noticed two HUGE wild turkeys. You can't see it that well in the photo, but the male was definitely strutting his stuff for the female. He was pretty proud of himself, with feathers fanned out like a peacock. She on the otherhand, couldn't have cared less, and went on eating.

Our trusty dock boat

Last weekend I went back to DC to visit my friends. I stopped into our neighborhood to have lunch with a neighbor, and went down to the lake to clean out our "dock boat." For those of you who helped build it, and who took a sail on it - you'll be glad to know it's as sturdy as the day it was built. A little dirtier maybe, but it's stil solid. I hope to get back someday to take it out for a spin on the lake.