I've been to the Cupcake Shoppe Bakery (Raleigh, NC) before, only to be disappointed. It was a Saturday, and after a day of hitting the museums with the boyfriend, I was excited to try my first cupcake shop, and possibly the first one in Raleigh. We shared the "Lemon Zinger" (Lemon cake with Lemon Buttercream) and "You Mocha Me Crazy" (Dark Chocolate Cake with Espresso Buttercream). The cake itself was so dry and tasteless and the icing was piled so high that it was a major let down.
Yesterday, while I ran my errands to prepare for my trip, a cupcake craving hit. So I ventured downtown to try the bakery again, surprised at the amount of parking available during this busy time of day. I got the "Big Red" (Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Icing), and two of the weekly specials, "Chocolate Truffle" and "Strawberry Champagne". The "Chocolate Truffle" I dug into before I could even manage a picture. Like I said, I had a craving. It was delicious. The cake was moist and even though the icing was just gobbed on top, I devoured the cake. The "Big Red" wasn't that good in my opinion, but that may be because I realized that I'm not a red velvet fan. The "Strawberry Champagne" tasted neither like strawberries nor champagne, and while a little dry, was a somewhat good cup.
Final verdict: I was glad I went back and I plan to try the rest of the flavors. Check it out if you have a cupcake craving. Go during the week and pretty early (I went around 10) to get the freshest.
It doesn't seem real that I am leaving Friday morning (6 am as a matter of fact) for a week long trip to the Dominican Republic. Even as I've packed and repacked, it doesn't seem like it's happening already. I've been preparing for this trip since fall, but that doesn't mean I'm still nervous. I've never flown, so I'm scared that I might forget some essential thing that I need to get on the plane. The flight itself isn't worrying me.
It`ll definitely be an experience teaching English at the orphanage. I'm planning on going to church on Sunday, who could turn down an opportunity to experience church services in another country? Even though my beliefs are probably very different from theirs, it will be enjoyable.
I've been putting stuff on my IPod all afternoon. Let's just say that I will be entertain by "The Hills" and reading "Cosmo" on the flight!
At the moment, I have no idea where my camera cord has disappeared off to, but I can't wait to find it so I can post lots of pictures from my trip (and of the tasty cupcakes I ate today. But that`ll wait until I get back!)
I feel so smart right now. I fixed my own computer. I was a bit nervous when it program asked, as I dragged some kind of code into it, “Are you sure? 1/100 computers completely die doing this.” Of course, I paraphrased just a bit. But anyway, my computer works again. No more pop-ups, no more freezing, woohoo. I do miss the library slightly. It was beginning to feel like home. Anyway, I had a lovely Valentine’s Day. I made a cake with homemade chocolate ganache icing (with semi-sweet chocolate, next time I will go for the milk chocolate). Jeff made me this adorable book “10 Reasons Why Jeff Loves Emily” and cooked dinner. I`m not at liberty to give out the recipe, it is a Niski Family Recipe, but I do have a copy of it for scrapbooking/future cooking purposes. Let’s just say, it was delicious. Rice, vegetables, and then chicken in a tomatoey sauce. It was supposed to have mushrooms, but Jeff never stuck the shrooms in the fridge, so they molded. Then we watched “How I Met Your Mother,” and that was it.
Mom came over on Saturday. We had so much fun. We went to O’ Charley’s to eat, where the food was so-so. But the company sure made up for it. We went to the Flea Market and I found this gorgeous storage bench for my apartment, when I get one. Mom took it home with her. Then we stopped to the mall where she finally bought me a new pair of Rainbows, after promising them to me 2 years ago. Then food, Harris Teeter (where the Smironoff hailed from) and home.
Dinner at Jeff’s Grandparents Saturday night. I was exhausted, but it was for his birthday (today), so I kept a chipper face. His dad fixed some delicious spaghetti. We have lots of leftovers. Now, I`m taking Typhoid and Malaria medicine at the same time, so let’s see how that goes!
My computer hates me. There is no doubt about that. Maybe he has overheard me considering trading up for a Mac. After all, that's what I have resorted to using in the lovely college library. Not by choice. I'd much rather be sitting in my room, typing away on my Dell, listening to my eclectic assortment of music on Itunes. But a virus has infiltrated my computer. A rather naughty little thing. I can get rid of it, I read how, but I just don't have the patience yet. With 3 tests, 1 quiz, 1 project, 1 homework and 1 day of being someone's talent in television production class, I would rather just scamper over to the library for the time being. Thank god I am a junior still living on campus.
I need that Smironoff Watermelon stashed in my fridge. Asap.
It has been fun playing around with the Mac's features. Maybe a MacBook Air is in my future (when I make my first million, duh).
I`ll update eventually with the details from my weekend. I left my camera cord at the dorm and am too lazy to go run back and get it at the moment.
The Writer's Guild voted today to end the three-month strike. Yahoo News Article. As I`m planning on becoming a screenwriter one day, I`m glad for everyone involved. Not only were the writers and studios affected, but also the rest of the crew that work on a production. They were virtually jobless.
Expect a slew of new shows to be produced in the upcoming months. I`ve recently started watching LOST, and I love it, so I`m excited that this may give the show time to develop some new episodes.
Or maybe not, according to what I've read recently on it's Wiki page (though we all know how unreliable those can be).
In other news, I directed/produced my first original script today in my Television Production class. "How to Eat a Cookie," though deemed short by all, contained a witty script. I do need to work on camera angles. I hate directing though. I would much rather write the script or do audio/video switching, or run the camera. My talent was great, and the end of the semester, expect a YouTube link to my productions. :)
I've been a member of swap bot for a while now, and participated in some awesome swaps (cookie recipe swap, pen pal swap, etc). But I have had yet to host my own swap. So last night, I set up my own swap, sign up if you're interested!
Description: For my first hosted swap, I thought I would start with something easy. I'm always seeing dessert and main dish swaps up here, but never one for side dishes. You will have three partners, and you will e-mail then the recipe for your favorite side dish. This is an international swap. :)
I watched the Super Bowl this year. Not just for the commericals either (which weren't that great). I actually paid attention to the game. Though I was rooting for whoever the underdog was, the last quarter was thrilling!
The boyfriend decided to be a perfect gentleman (I love a man who cooks) and cook us something to munch on as we sat in the basement. So he called up his dad to grab his dip recipe. The Spinach dip is simple and quick to make, but it's tasty. Just no double dipping, please.
Niski Spinach Dip 1 Package Green Giant Frozen Spinach 1 Jar Tostitos Salsa con Queso Dip (or your favorite of any brand) 1 Package Cream Cheese, cubed.
Prepare the spinach per directions on the back of the box. Drain the spinach (the drier, the better). Over a medium-low heat, combine the salsa and cream cheese, along with the spinach. Stir until everything is combined (10 or so minutes). Place into a serving bowl, grab a bag of chips, and devour!
