Cake Snob

I admit that I am a cake snob. In labeling myself as a snob, I don’t mean that the cake must come from a “brand name” bakery or be made of the most expensive ingredients available. I only mean that I have a particular idea of what a cake must taste like.

I am like most Americans and expect my cake to be slightly moist (Europeans expect their cakes to be a bit dry), but not cake-mix moist (most boxed cake mixes contain pudding that makes the cake super moist). I also like the cake to be made from scratch. This, I believe makes all the difference because boxed cake mixes, unlike those made from scratch, contain too many preservatives and “stuff” that affect the flavor of the cake. Not surprising, my snobbery have lead me to bake and find the perfect recipe for whatever cake I may be in the mood for. I think I’ve found the perfect recipe for chocolate cake and I’ve been working on a carrot cake recipe. [Personally, I think the carrot cake has been maligned and there’s some awful standard recipe that gets passed among most bakeries—who therein bake and sell something that is supposed to be carrot cake to its customers.]

Anyhow, I won’t further bemoan about the inferiority of boxed cake mixes. I am a cake snob, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t eat cake made from a box (although my preference is for a cake made from scratch).

NaNoWriMo

I recently saw a news headline stating that the creativity of Americans may be diminishing (probably due to too much television). This prompted me to help spread the word about NaNoWriMo (visit the website at http://www.nanowrimo.org/).

I came across NaNoWriMo almost a year ago, via an internet article. Although I should’ve written about NaNoWriMo at an earlier point, it’s never too late to spread the word about it. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, and November is the designated month. The purpose of NaNoWriMo is to have participants (there’s no official membership process, although one could sign up to be part of a collective) to begin writing November 1, with the goal of writing a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30. Regardless of these very flexible guidelines, NaNoWriMo is intended for all participants to write, emphasizing quantity and not quality. The ultimate goal is for participants to just write (and I think, to be creative).

Last year, when I participated, I came up with a lot of ideas and I actually wrote several pages. Not surprising, I turned my “novel” into a “play,” which I have not yet finished. However, going through the process (i.e. taking time out of each day to concentrate and write my “novel”) has taught me that the writing process is hard, and I have also gained a lot of insight about myself and my writing style. Anyhow, I will participate in NaNoWriMo this year, even if it’s already November 8. I already know that I may not write a 175-page novel, but I’m willing to try my best, and to stretch my creativity limbs. The worst thing I can get out of this experience, again, is that I learn more about myself.

Winter is Coming

It has finally gotten cold in my part of the world (especially since it’s already November). Every year I tell myself that I can withstand the cold, and it’s especially easy to forgive the cold during the spring and summer seasons (really, the cold just doesn’t seem that bad). However, my misgiving about the cold disappears when the frigid air actually envelopes me and enters into my lungs. I then curse to myself (unfortunately too loudly) and wonder why I’m still in Minnesota.

Since this is the first year that I’m trying to establish my cottage garden, I actually care as to how the weather will affect my plants. In previous years, I’ve only grown a vegetable garden and didn’t really care about the state of my garden (once the tomatoes and herbs have been picked, I’d just wait until spring to clear my garden and replant). Now, I’m worrying whether my plants will survive the winter and all things related to my plants’ survival (e.g. has the ground frozen, do I have enough leaves to provide a cover for my plants, should I bring my containerized plants into the garage now, do I even have enough room in my junky garage for my container plants, etc). At some point, I eventually have to rein in my worries, and have faith that I know enough to get by and that Mother Nature (in her own way) will take care of my garden.