Mr. Ginger's Favorite Cake

Today is a very special day...it's Mr. Ginger's Birthday! In honor of it, I made his favorite cake (or at least his favorite light cake), this Cooking Light German Chocolate Bundt Cake.  I love making this recipe, not only because it tastes full fat (seriously) but it's a great excuse to use my Anniversary Bundt Cake Pan.  The only problem is that every time I make it, it sits in our kitchen and yells to be eaten every single night until it can't yell anymore because we've eaten it...every night for a week.

To fix this pesky situation, I picked up these adorable mini bundt cake pans from the Teeter for $5.99 for a set. I was a little worried about the quality but the baby bundts popped right out!  Here's a pic of the bundt cake and pan pre-icing (scissors for scale).

I halved the recipe and cooked it for about 40 minutes instead of an hour.  It made three bundt cakes so I might actually pick up one more set, it'd be way easier than trying to get that recipe math right...

Here are the trio iced...looks so fancy right?

I'm baaaack

After a brief hiatus...I'm back!  You know how some people get super-human strength when loved ones are trapped under a car? I realize now that I had super-human time-management skills leading up to the wedding. Seriously, it wasn't normal. For the few months leading up to the wedding, I was in school part-time, working full-time, planning the wedding, and we bought a house. WTF.

I needed a break from making decisions and generally, well, thinking, but things have finally settled down...We moved into our house, I'm still in school, still working full-time, and my husband surprised me with a dog...Ok, maybe things haven't settled down but I'm definitely feeling less stressed! I'll be catching you up and providing updates from here on out!

Rustico is Coming to Ballston...

During our epic house hunt, Mr. Ginger and I looked at a townhouse in Slaters Lane. We ultimately decided we didn't love the area and wanted more outside space but we checked out Rustico while we were in the neighborhood.  We weren't blown away by the food but they had tons of beers and it's definitely worth checking out a second time. When I was on my way to the gym tonight, I noticed they are opening one in Ballston! It's going to be right across from the Gold's and the sign says it's opening summer of 2010, I think it will be a great alternative to the other bars in the hood!

Ready for the Moon...

My sister called me when I was in the middle of spreadsheet hell at work today and excitedly announced that Jade Mountain, where we are going on the Moon, just received the top hotel rating for best service in the world from Travel and Leisure...THE WORLD.  Holy moly, I'm so ready. It's rainy and cold here and I need to not be working, thinking about school, or planning for the new house...

Healthy Tip #3: Women's Health Mag Workouts

Women's Health Magazine online is a treasure trove of great strength-building workouts. I've been doing workouts from the site for years and to get into shape for the wedding, I combined a few different workouts and I've been really happy with the results. Just browse through the fitness section and then click on "workouts." You can find all different kinds of workouts; some with minimal equipment, some for specific target areas, etc. and you just print them out and bring them to the gym.

After the wedding I think I'm going to try the 2-in-1 Toners workout, it looks fun and I'm ready for a break from the wedding routine! I generally try to do strength-building workouts three times a week, lifting really gets your metabolism going and it makes you feel tough!

Hi Maintenance

I can't exactly wear a bright nail polish for the wedding so for my weekly manicure today I was determined to find a nice pale color. Mission successful, Hi Maintenance by Essie is neutral and a nice alternative to the usual suspects of Mademoiselle and Ballet Slippers. It's just pink enough and just sheer enough to look almost like a frenchie, without the cost!

Bird Bowels + Wine

It's so beautiful out today so Mr. Ginger and I decided to check out the Taste of Arlington. It was crazy crowded but all those people drinking outside got us hankering for a cool beverage so we decided to walk into Clarendon and get a glass of wine outside.  Just as we were passing Spider Kelly's, enjoying the beautiful weather, it happened...a bird pooed on my hand. This might seem like nothing major, but everything makes me dry heave. My friend Lauren's baby burped up on me and I dry heaved, things that smell bad make me dry heave, it's ridiculous, I know, but maybe I've finally kicked it because I didn't dry heave, I just stuck my hand out and willed it to fall off.  It didn't, and a rowdy group of passerbys saw me and one of them was packing baby wipes and helped me out. Mr. Ginger rewarded me with a glass of wine at Screwtop, where we sat inside, away from the birds...

Screwtop was setting up for the Wine Club pick-up party. The Wine Club is pretty cool, for $40 each month, you get two bottles of wine, selected by the owner, and a pairing (chocolate, charcuterie or cheese).  They throw parties when it's time to pick-up your wine and offer wine tastings and lots of yummy cheeses and charcuterie. We decided to sign-up and we start next month, not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon except next time we'll cross the street before Spider Kelly's.