My Mediocre Winnie the Pooh Cake

My daughter Sophia turned four this past weekend and I baked her a cake for her Winnie-the-Pooh themed party.  I searched the internet for Winnie the Pooh cakes, looking for ideas, but most were either the shape cake types (where you have to buy a cake pan shaped like Winnie that you'll never use again and fill it in with hundreds of little stars/flowers of frosting) or fondant (I don't like how fondant tastes, nor have I ever used it before) or bakery type cakes that had little figures stuck on them.

Where was just a Winnie the Pooh sheet cake that had a frosting picture of his face?  I decided to try to do it on my own.  My cake decorating skills are limited, at best.   I had gone out to dinner the night before with my parents who were in town, and by the time I put our daughter to bed, it was getting quite late.  

I made a batch of buttercream icing (recipe follows) and then squirted some yellow liquid food coloring into it.  I wanted a lemon yellow base.  I frosted the cake, saving a bit of the yellow frosting to use for a darker color.  I took a tooth pick and sketched out an outline of Winnie's face, eyes, nose and mouth, using a Winnie the Pooh paper plate (purchased for the party) as my model.

My Winnie the Pooh Model - a Paper Plate!

Then I added more drops of yellow + one or two drops of red.  This golden orange color was for Winnie's face and arms.  I used a smaller frosting knife to get his face filled in, then used store-bought red frosting to frost his shirt (I figured using red food coloring would not be 'rich' enough red).  I used store-bought black gel icing to fill in his eyes, nose and mouth.

I have a cake decorating kit -- nothing fancy -- but it came to my attention that the smallest nib (the pencil thin one used for piping in writing) was missing.  It must have been lost when we moved here last January.  I tried to write Happy B-Day Sophia using a larger thick nib, but it looked like an orange hot mess.

My daughter loves colors like red, pink, purple -- the usual.  But she definitely does not like black or brown.  Should I use the left over black gel to pipe in Happy B-Day Sophia on top of the orange?  The built in applicator was pretty thin, but the gel did tend to smear.  I decided to go for it and ask for forgiveness later.  (Sophia asked "Mommy, why did you write in chocolate?"  and I tried to explain...)  Overall, she was happy, but told me she wished she had gotten to help me (seemed sad about that).  She also asked me why Winnie was holding her name with his hand...as a Mom, I find that some questions are just hard to answer.

My Mediocre Winnie-the-Pooh Cake!

So here's my end result, a mediocre--but home-decorated--Winnie the Pooh cake.  No one ever asks me "Did you get this at a bakery?" when I decorate my cakes, but hey, I like the homemade look.  It took a lot of time and I'm proud that I didn't just buy a figurine or two (which they even use on bakery cakes!) to take the easy way out.  It seemed to make people happy, and most people wanted a slice of the cake rather than the chocolate cupcakes I had on hand.  Sometimes, mediocrity can be the very definition of success.  Just looking at his slightly loopy face makes me smile.

Winnie the Pooh Cake, made in the shade

Buttercream Frosting

1/3 c. butter (5 tablespoons)

1 lb. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4-1/3 c. milk

Beat butter in mixer until soft.  Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, blending slowly.  Add vanilla and milk to desired consistency.  For thicker frosting (better for decorating), add less milk, for spreading smoothly on sheet cakes, add more milk.

Sleep Tight Spray Repels Ants, Too (Review)

A few months ago we moved to the 'burbs.  It's been awhile since I've written a blog post -- too busy packing, moving, settling in, yada yada.  As much as I love having a yard of our own, we've noticed quite a few uninvited guests.   Where roaches were once a problem in our Manhattan apartment, we're now facing armies of ants.  They aren't as offensive as roaches, and our garden variety black ants (sugar ants?) don't bite.  But they are annoying, especially when they 'discover' unwrapped cookies, Lifesavers or crackers in our pantry.

What's a homemaker to do?  With a three-year old daughter and a young dog, I didn't want to blast the place with Raid ant spray (although I bought some, I have to be very careful where I spray it).  And the pantry is no place for pesticide.

I read a lot of blogs that discussed organic remedies.  Cinnamon oil, citronella and mint oil were recommended as natural pesticides -- great, but where would I buy these essential oils?  I found some on the internet, but they seemed costly once shipping and handling were added in.

I was at Rite Aid the other day, mulling over my anti-ant options in the pesticide aisle.  I saw a spray bottle of Sleep Tite, a product by the company 'Natureside,' which featured a couple's feet crawling with bed bugs.  Eew...but I was intrigued.  We don't have bed bugs, but I wanted to know what was in this spray that was safe enough to use on a bed.  I read the ingredients:
Cinnamon Oil - 4.0%
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate - 2.0%
Lemongrass Oil - .33%
Clove Oil - .33%
Mint Oil - .33%
Inert Ingredients - 93%

I waited a week, then caved.  The ants had come back in a vengeance and I had to do something fast.  The Sleep Tight spray was $10.29, which seemed pricey.  Thankfully, as a gold level Wellness member at Rite Aid, I automatically get 20% off most purchases, so I was able to buy it for $8.23.

Success!  I sprayed Sleep Tight in the cabinets and it killed the ants in seconds.  I wiped down the cabinets, leaving the Sleep Tight residue to repel future ants.  For two days, I didn't see a single ant.  Then I saw just one, and another the next day.  I re-sprayed the cabinet doors (on the inside) to keep them away.  (I'd already placed all of the crackers, cookies, etc. in plastic zipper-lock bags...but these ants were pretty insistent.)  I never spray it on food, just around the cabinets, and all the food is fully covered in bags, boxes or cans.  Even if it is organic, I don't want to be eating this spray.

It's been a few weeks and the Sleep Tight spray has been a huge plus.  My only problem with the spray is that the cinnamon smell is very intense.  If I spray too much or too often, it's almost nauseating (the smell must be what keeps the ants away!)  However, a little goes a long way.

What I love about it is that it's (for the most part) natural.   It's not going to harm my dog or my daughter....or us.   However, it does have a cautionary statement on the bottle about not ingesting, drinking water to dilute product if accidentally ingested, and calling poison control.  So it's not as safe as water, but obviously anything that kills ants isn't going to be perfectly safe.   It's main ingredient, Cinnamon Oil, is safe for cooking, but isn't meant to be ingested undiluted or used on the skin.

I give this product 4 stars ****.  It's effective, kills AND repels ants, and is easy to use.  I'd give it 5 stars, but the smell is annoying.

Dinner and/in a Movie Theatre- Nighthawk Cinema Review

Yesterday my husband and I had a rare date...  We went to Nighthawk Cinema in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for Brunch and a Movie, The Ides of March.  The movie was good, great performances by Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman and George Clooney, but the experience is even better: at Nighthawk, you get dinner AND a movie IN a theatre, all at the same time.  Nighthawk is in a converted warehouse, and has two bars (upstairs and downstairs) to lounge in before or after the movie.  With three screens, the venue is cozy, without feeling cramped (Angelika in Soho, take note).

Both times we've been to Nighthawk, we've seen movies in the first theatre, which may be the biggest of the three.  The chairs are upholstered with fabric, and they're comfy.  Between every two chairs is a small triangular table with a little nightlight.  You write down your food order (there's a menu at each table) and a server takes your order for food and/or drink.  There are cup holders built into the tables, which is nice because they serve the sodas/iced coffee/teas in real glass and you wouldn't want them to spill or fall.  The first time we went to Nighthawk, we saw the new Woody Allen movie, Midnight in Paris, and I had the grilled chicken on a pretzel roll w/tarragon mayo ($13).  It (the sandwich) was okay... good, but not great. The movie was one of Allen's best in a long, long time.

Yesterday we went to Nighthawk for brunch, but I opted for the Drive-Thru special:  A In-n-Out Double Double Burger with Fries and a Soda for $12.  The double patty burger with American cheese sauce was delish, and the fries were hot and crispy.  Root Beer to wash it all down, with free refills on sodas.  (The Drive-Thru special was themed to match another movie they were showing in the theatre, Drive.; they also were serving an antidote to the movie Contagion:  Chicken Noodle Soup.  Clever, eh?)  My husband had the Veggie Burger both times, with fries.  I had a bite -- very tasty.

They also serve appetizers like mini corn dogs (puppy dogs), hummus, queso, seasoned popcorn, etc.  and desserts (soft service ice cream, root beer floats, home-made ice cream sandwiches, brownie sundaes, etc.)  They used to serve beer and wine, but there's some law that needs to be ironed out before they can serve alcohol again in a theatre.  We'll see.

Oh, and they serve the food on real plates and hand out silverware....not plastic.

What I love about Nighthawk is the feeling that it's an experience.  You get there early ON PURPOSE, not just to get a good seat, but because they show videos, short films, and quirky vignettes starring the film's actors (we saw Woody Allen clips before Midnight in Paris and Philip Seymour Hoffman zany clips before the Ides of March), as well as standard trailers.  It feels like an event....ordering food, being served, eating decent cuisine during a film....and it's FUN.

Review:  *****  Nighthawk is a welcome and excellent addition to the neighborhood.

U and I and Me: A Tale of a Nicholson Baker book signing

I've been rereading the book U & I, by Nicholson Baker, a book that was assigned to me back in grad school.   It's a hilarious 179-page essay about his imaginary friendship with John Updike.   It brought to mind my one and only meeting (if you could call it that) with Baker, on a stormy night at a Barnes 'n' Noble in 2004.  I went home that snowy night and wrote down what transpired....  Here's a blast from my literary past.

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3/16/2004

U & I & Me.

I have just walked home in the slush from a reading at the Astor Place Barnes & Noble, where Nicholson Baker read from A Box of Matches, his new novel.  My right hand that is typing on this very keyboard just shook his right hand.  Except for handing the sales clerk my credit card to purchase said book, the hand has touched little else, as it was swaddled in a warm glove for protection from the cold and germs that would otherwise infiltrate the connection I’d just had with a great author. 

And!  He answered my question:  “My question is about U & I – after the book was published, did John Updike acknowledge you or did you become friends?”  He repeated the question for the benefit of the audience and gave a brief summary of the book – that he basically worshipped Updike and set out to write a book about the influence Updike had had on him, using quotes from U’s work, but entirely from memory.  He answered my question by saying that from what he’d heard from people that Updike waited awhile to read it.  “Eventually,” Baker said, “Updike sent me a letter and a signed book, saying ‘to the man that made me famous.’  But no, we haven’t been out to dinner or anything.”  I realize now I’m quoting Baker, perhaps misquoting him, not unlike how he tried to quote Updike.   In fact, I vaguely recall – and vaguely recalling something was good enough for Baker in U & I – that he had went to one of Updike’s readings and had him sign a book.  So now, having had Nicholson Baker, an author I have admired and tried to emulate in my own writing, sign “To Catherine  --Nicholson Baker,” in one of his books, I feel like the process has come full circle.  U & I & Me.

Why Me?  Well, I’ve recently written a novel, and incorporated footnotes –only when they seemed called for—placed at the bottom of pages, not unlike the placement of the footnotes in Baker’s novel, The Mezzanine.  His attention to the minutiae of every day life has inspired me on countless occasions, and his essay from Lumber and Other Thoughts has forever changed the way I look at seemingly idle book placement in catalogues from Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel and the like.

Baker was older than I expected, with white hair and beard, very soft spoken and congenial.  With all of the fuss about Vox and Fermata, I figured he might be a little creepy, a little bit sleezy even, but no.  He seemed like the kind of guy you’d want to have as a neighbor, or a professor.

I want to write a review of Box of Matches, but I wonder whether my take on the book will be overly colored by his new celebrity status in my mind.  He’s no super-author, he’s no Tom Clancy, Ann Rice or Stephen King, but he has the kind of cult following you’d want if you were an author.  Literary, artsy types.  There were a lot of men in the crowd of listeners, and he probably liked that.   Not because he’s gay, that’s not what I meant--he’s married and has two kids—but because I suspect a literary author would want masculine readers, not readers of chic lit.  This was no Bridget Jones’ Diary reading, no.

While he was signing my book, I said, “Thank you for answering my question about U & I.”  He responded “It’s my best book -- I’m glad you asked.”

Gold Fellow Review

You've probably seen the commercials...a woman with broken or unwanted gold jewelry sends her loot to Cash4Gold.  I'd read some bad reviews of that company in the past, including ones by the actual "appraisers" who used to work for the company, so I did a little research and found Goldfellow LLC.

I used their online tool, printed out a Fed-Ex label and sent in some stuff -- a broken gold chain, a broken sterling silver chain, a gold cross (may have been gold fill...wasn't marked), a gold (or worthless gold fill -- not sure) bracelet, an old white gold ring with a topaz 10K, an old gold 10K ring and an old gold 14K ring with an amethyst.  None of these items were very nice, none of them had significant sentimental value, none of the narrow-band rings had much gold, and none of them were items that I've worn in the past five-ten years.  With the price of gold so high right now (I think it's around $1600 an ounce), I figured what do I have to lose?  I was hoping for around $100, but frankly I would have been happy with even $60.

I was extremely pleased with the fast turn-around.  I Fed-Exed the items (shipping was free) on Friday 7/29/11 evening.  Monday 8/1/11, I received an email saying that my package had arrived.  Tuesday 8/2/11, I received an email evaluating the jewelry, item by item, with a total worth of $121.  I was quite happy!  I logged into my account and clicked on the acceptance button.  This was easier than even I had thought it would be.

I'd requested a return of the gemstones, which is a $10 return fee.  I received today (Saturday -- just eight days after I sent the package), a check in the mail for $111.12.  Yea!  My husband and I can have a nice dinner date somewhere.

My review for Gold Fellow LLC is 5 Stars, for the following:
-Uses Fed-Ex, ensuring quality, quick shipping and insurance
-Quick turn-around in evaluating the jewelry
-Evaluation seemed fair enough -- I had modest expectations to begin with
-Transparent evaluation methods and gold karats measured by a meter
-Quick cutting of the check...faster than expected!

Moon Dough Disaster

My toddler received Aquadoodle for her third birthday—she loved it, and it’s mess-free and fun.  You fill up the “pen” with water, and it turns the white mat blue wherever you touch it with the pen, like a marker.  After awhile, the water dries and your child can start doodling anew. 

Inside the box was a free sample of Moon Dough.  It was a rainy day, and I thought, “Why not let her play with the Moon Dough?”

Bad idea.  Moon Dough is not as gooey as clay, silly putty or Play-Doh.  It’s crumbly, dry and gets on the carpet, your hands and everywhere.  I’ve had to use the DustBuster more than usual today, and I’m still finding traces of it everywhere.  It made my hands turn blue when we were first trying it out, and stuck to my hands like a thin paste.  Granted, this was a free sample, but I’d caution anyone who actually buys it.  The kits come with little molds, and I will say to Moon Dough’s credit, it does press into the molds pretty well.  It’s the crumbly mess that’s the issue.  Moon Dough is made in Sweden.  I guess they should stick to making Saabs.

My daughter likes it; she calls it “cookie dough.”  “Please can we make some cookie dough again?” she just asked me.  Well, the answer will have to be ‘no,’ since I’m going to throw it out soon.  Mom gets to over-rule.

My review is simple:  Aquadoodle = Good.  Moon Dough = Bad.  

Here's a photo of the messy moon dough, complete with carpet fibers because it got on the carpet....

Momdals - Sandals for Moms

I seriously needed to revamp my sandal collection this year.  I had been wearing the same pair of black Nine West wedge sandals for four summers in a row, and the wear-and-tear was definitely beginning to show. 

My main concern in finding a new pair was comfort.  I walk a lot – at least a mile or two a day – running errands and pushing my daughter in a stroller.  It’s great for keeping in shape, but can mean painful blisters if you’re not wearing the right shoes (and I only wear tennis shoes when I’m actually exercising for exercise sake). 

So, what’s a woman to do?  I headed to DSW and began to try on pair after pair.  The great thing about DSW is that there’s so much to choose from, and I don’t have to wait for staff to go find out if the chosen shoe is available in my size (8 ½ or 9, depending on the brand).  I wanted a dress sandal for, well, dress wear, and an every day Momdal for walking around, playing with my toddler in the park and running errands.  

I was disappointed because Clark’s, which I knew were good shoes, turned out to fit me funny (and their sizing is way too big…something has been lost in translation, I fear).  Bjorn sandals, which I also had high hopes for, were too narrow and the thingy that fits between the big toe and second toe was always too uncomfortable. 

Then I found the Merrell momdals.  They were higher than I wanted, but they have a cushy, Vibram rubber sole.  I like black sandals, but the black ones had black suede soles, which have been known to dye the bottoms of my feet black.  I walked for several minutes in a brown (officially known as “Earth” color) pair of Merrell Alyssums (like asylum, but for a woman named Alyssa?  Who knows.)   I liked the fact that the sandals are leather AND leather-lined (most cheaper brands use vinyl lining, but still get to call them leather since the top part is real leather). 

They were comfortable, but I was a bit worried that the molded insole would chafe the bottom of my foot, or that I’d land on it wrong.   I was also concerned that the price, $69, was a bit steep for an off-price shoe store.  (DSW is really not that cheap.  They’re not giving the shoes away.)  But I didn’t want to skimp on quality, since I knew I’d be wearing them every day of the summer.  I went ahead and bought them, and finally got around to wearing them a few weeks ago.

What’s the road report for these Momdals?  Very good, indeed.  I can walk two-plus miles without any blisters, chafing or foot pain.  They have very good arch support and the soles are super-cushioned.  On occasion, when walking on uneven pavement, my ankle turns just a little bit due to their height (2” heel in the back), but I haven’t had any falls or anything painful.  They’re very sturdy feeling.  For me, the pleasure of long summer walks has been found anew.  They’re not going to win any fashion awards, but they are attractive enough for every day use.  Yea for my new Momdals.  Rating: ****