and we're off!

With Thanksgiving just barely behind me, the holiday baking was in full swing last weekend. In my last cake decorating class, I decorated a gingerbread layer cake with an apricot preserves filling. We learned how to make roses, and it turns out that they're not that difficult to make. I had a snowflake theme, but I included a rose since I just learned to make them.

I purchased a cookie press last weekend, which was quite possibly a bad decision. I adore spritz cookies, and I could not stop eating these. I think I ate over a dozen yesterday, nearly straight out of the oven. In an attempt to negate the calories, I ate 2 clementines. I don't think it worked.

I got an early Christmas present from Drew's parents. They must know how much I miss the snow, because they sent me snowflake cookie cutters, a snowflake baking dish, and a snowflake shortbread pan. Check it out:

And last but not least, Drew and I set up our new Christmas tree:

There's lots of holiday spirit over here!

2 black friday discoveries

I really don't like car alarms. I just don't see the point. Sure, it's easy for me to say this. I drive an old car that probably doesn't attract thieves. I have nothing valuable in my car- no GPS, no fancy speakers, and no fancy stereo. There is a beach blanket and jumper cables in the trunk, but of course, you wouldn't know that because they are in the trunk. If somebody broke into my car, they would surely be disappointed. I mean, what are they going to take? My emergency stash of granola bars? (don't laugh, they come in handy in the stop-and-go traffic)

Wait? What was I saying? Oh yes, car alarms. I despise them and I don't see the point. Do car alarms really deter would-be thieves? It seems that more often than not, they are set off by, say, loud noises, not potential thieves. So when they do go off, it seems to be more of a nuisance and less of an alert.

So where is this all going? Let me tell you. The other evening, a car alarm went off outside of our apartment building. Repeatedly. It was a minor annoyance. It kept going off, sporadically. I assume that it eventually stopped. But after the first few times, I began to worry. What if that's my car? But I shoved that thought aside. I've had my car for a year and a half. If I had a car alarm, surely I would know it by now. I think you know where this story is going.

On Friday, Drew and I got home from Oceanside, and as we were getting out of the car, a car alarm went off. And, you guessed it: it was MY car alarm. So apparently, I have a car alarm. And I hate it. We have no idea what set off the alarm, and we also have no idea how we shut it off. But we did, and the car's been quiet ever since.

I made another discovery on Friday. It appears that the best time to shop on Black Friday is actually on Friday night. Sure, you might miss out on some of the best deals, but many stores still have good sales. I got a couple shirts for 30% off at Express, and I got some stuff on sale at Macy's. But best of all, I missed out on all the crazy people, the crowds, and the long lines. It was fabulous.

On a related note, Thanksgiving was great. Drew and I went down to Oceanside to see my family. As we do every year, we went to the beach and had a nice little walk, we ate too much food, and watched movies. The next day, we ate leftover pie for breakfast and ventured out to the mall in the late morning. It doesn't get any better than that.

cupcake decorating and knitting

Last weekend was a busy one in the kitchen. I canned roasted red peppers and applesauce. And I made two batches of buttercream for my cake decorating class. In this class, we learned to make leaves and flowers and we decorated cupcakes.

This Saturday is my last cake decorating class, and it's a big one. We're going to learn to make roses and learn to write. We'll be decorating a layer cake, drawing on all of the techniques we've learned so far. It kind of feels like a final exam, except better, because there is no grade!

In other news, Drew and I moved in together nearly two months ago, and things are getting serious. That's right, this means that I am knitting him something. If you are a knitter, you know that it is a big deal to knit something for your partner. It's not your average knitting project. Why? Because you can't jump the gun and undertake it too early, lest you break up before the project is finished. That's why knitting something for your partner isn't something that should be taken lightly. So, about 3 months ago, I finally decided that if we're going to live together, then I suppose I can finally knit a scarf for Drew. And here it is:
Obviously, it's far from being finished. Knitting is a slow process, especially when you're following a pattern. But here it is, and at the rate I'm going, the scarf will be finished when we finally leave California and move somewhere with a real winter.

pumpkin stuffed with everything good

I have always had a fondness for pumpkins, but this is the first year that I have actually cooked with them. So far Drew and I have made pumpkin risotto, he has made pumpkin enchiladas, and I have made pumpkin cupcakes. The sugar pumpkins are quite flavorful, but the ones that typically get carved are nice too. Last night, Drew and I made pumpkin stuffed with everything good. My former adviser and professor that I am currently TAing for, LD, passed along the recipe because he knows of my enthusiasm and fondness of all things pumpkin.

This is, well, pumpkin stuffed with everything good. It is very easy to make. You make a stuffing- this one has bread, scallions, carmelized onion, garlic, rosemary, thyme, veggie bacon, smoked gouda, salt and pepper. Then you hollow out a pumpkin, stuff it with the filling, and pour cream over the top. Here is the before shot:

Then replace the top:

And pop it in the oven for 2 hours! Here is the after shot:
Doesn't that look fabulous?
Mmmm, it was so good! I am going to make it every year now!

On a sidenote, I recently discovered a huge rosemary bush growing right outside our apartment. It is awesome. Fresh rosemary all the time! It's like having a personal herb garden. Well, with just one herb, but it still counts.

cake!

As you may recall, I am taking a cake decorating class. Last Saturday, we tried our hand at decorating a cake. Here is my first attempt!

I have learned so far, among other things, that cake decorating takes some patience, and I tend to run out of this about halfway through. But it is nice and relaxing, and quite enjoyable. I'm not sure if I'll take this up as a new hobby though; it seems like you can only focus your attention on either the baking or the decorating but not both. Not sure if I have the energy to do both, but for special occasions, I might whip out the piping tips and decorator bags.

destination dissertation...sort of

About a month ago, I got a book called "Destination Dissertation: A Traveler's Guide to a Done Dissertation." Right away, I read the introduction and chapters 1, 2, and 13 (chapter 13 was about adviser-advisee relationships so that's why I skipped ahead). I'm not sure if I should read into this, but I haven't picked up the book since. I'm afraid that not finishing a book on how to do a dissertation does not bode well for actually finishing a dissertation.

Or perhaps, and I suspect that this is the case, the reason that I have not picked up the guide book is because I'm actually working on my dissertation. That's how I'll interpret my loss of interest in the book. I'm a glass-half-full kind of girl.

I joined a dissertation support group a couple weeks ago, which has proven to be quite beneficial (and probably way better for my progress than any guide book). We meet every week, talk about how progress and hang ups, and set weekly goals. It's good to get support from people who are at similar stages.

I'm working steadily on my dissertation prospectus, and I had an exciting moment a couple weeks ago. I think I finally, finally have a solid research question and I'm on my way to drafting a full prospectus. It is nerdily exciting.

it's the little things

This quarter, I am TAing a class with about 120 students. I have no discussion sections, but I sort of make up for it with grading (an annotated bibliography assignment, a policy paper, and an exam). A week ago last Tuesday, the students turned in 8 to 10 page papers. Yesterday, they took a mid term exam. After finishing his exam, one of the students asked me when they would receive their papers. I said next Tuesday, and he asked if I was grading all of them. I said yes, and he gave me a heartfelt thank you. It made my day.

some random musings

Drew and I were in Target the other day. Halloween was only one week ago, but Target has already put out their Christmas and winter displays. Though I think that these things should wait until after Thanksgiving, I could not resist having a look. I paused to look at a red apron with snowflakes. I kind of wanted it. Then I got sidetracked by the kitchen towels with snowflakes and snow people. I asked Drew if we should get them. He said "Only if it means you won't buy something more expensive." Hahahaha! Sometimes I hate it when I embody gender stereotypes.

I am taking a cake decorating class. It is four sessions long, and the first class was last Saturday. I learned how to bake, tort, and frost a cake. Then I learned how to pipe stars onto cookies. The class is fun enough, but I have to do homework. And you would think that this wouldn't bother me, seeing as how it is the fun kind (for next Saturday I have to bring a round cake and 2 batches of buttercream frosting), but like any homework, I find myself procrastinating and waiting until the last minute. For the first class, I had to bring 6 cookies, and sure enough, I waited until Friday night to buy store bought cookies- something I NEVER do.

The class is fun so far, and there are neat gadgets to play with. But it's a dangerous class too. The instructor works for Wilton, so her goal is to not only teach us how to decorate cakes but also to peddle Wilton products. And it works too. After last class, I decided that I really needed to buy this device for torting a cake. And so I did. It was an easy decision because it was only like $3, but now I have my eye on the cake turntable. I am relying on Drew here to be the voice of reason and discourage me from making any frivolous purchases, but I'm not sure that it's going to work.

The weather has finally cooled off so now it's almost like a real fall!

so long october!

It just came to my attention today that we are halfway through the fall quarter. I knew that time was flying by, but I had no idea how fast! The past couple of weeks have been exciting ones. Drew and I have quickly settled in to our new place, unpacking and decorating. And we have survived, even though the Yankees swept the Twins in the first round of the playoffs.

Drew's brother Chris and his girlfriend, Hettie, came to visit us for a week. It was a low key and relaxed visit filled with Mexican food and tequila, but we did make it out to the Santa Monica pier:

As you may remember, I love fall! And I love pumpkins! Check it out:

Get it? It's a tree! I found this idea in a magazine, and Drew and I decided to load up on pumpkins and try it out. Drew did the bulk of the painting (specifically the tree branches) which is ironic, since I am the one with an art degree.

And finally, I finished another baby blanket. Seems like I can't crochet 'em fast enough!