return from the lost (2) week(s).

So, I think I might have been suffering brain death the nearly two weeks I was M.I.A. Well, no, in reality I was suffering academic death in which I was (and continue to be) commuting back and fourth between my two separate schools for classes, rehearsals, the two weekends of the show... the list of places and excuses goes on and on. Oh, and after being involved in my first minor car accident (shock alert: it was not, in fact, my fault) I haven't had a car to drive for a week and a half. Which, of course, made the whole commuting thing infinitely more fun.

So, after catching up with a lot of class, spending a lot of long hours, dropping two classes that were ultimately just going to plummet my GPA, and doing a lot of explaining ... I made a cake.

Cake in point: Oozing.

I made this beauty (or, rather, potential beauty - in a rush I completely disregarded my melty frosting and runny fudge in an effort to simply get the damn thing made) for our closing night cast party. This was a double-layer marble cake with mocha mousse, crushed Joe-Joe and graham cracker filling with coffee buttercream frosting and hot fudge topping. It might have made a lovely slice - if the freaking sweet was devoured by twenty hungry mouths and forks digging into one communal plate.

I have to say... it was pretty goddamn good. At least, I sure liked it and I had received a roster of birthday-cake requests by the end of the night.

I like crazy, overdone, outlandish cakes. Most pastries I want simple: flaky fruit scones, sweet and sticky cinnamon buns, custard tarts. Cakes, however, need at least at tri-fold flavor combination, as many layers as time allows, and tower-high toppings. This isn't a half hour at Rachel Ray's... it's hell in Ace's kitchen (sans all that Ace of Cakes talent and whatnot). Even when I don't have the patience to really flesh out the appearance of a cake, I need it to literally ooze variety and sugar.

I'm supremely frustrated about this whole MoFo Fail business, though. Not because I feel like I've disappointed anyone - I mean, really, who exactly was chained to their computer, on hunger strike until another post came through? - but because this was going to be some fun posting, and all I can serve up are tired cake stories and droning whines. Hopefully I can continue to the post stream into November, though. It's never too late to make up for lost time! Until you're dead. Then, yeah. It is a little too late to make up for lost time.

Joe-Joe, anyone?

whine, whine, whine.

I will warn you of this immediately: this is a fake post. Virtually cheating the MoFo. I have no picture, no recipe, no review. Nothing interesting that I found or ate or got excited about (unless you count having a very nice conversation with the TJ's cashier about organic rooibos tea), and by golly that is just not what this project is about.

I knew that my challenge would be blogging every single day, especially when I've ended up doing all the things I basically despise about a string of blog posts - no pictures, no recipes, no manifesto, no new information or much humor. I'm doing it, though! That's something, and yes, my imprisonment - erm, ahem, work schedule - has subsided until the end of the month, so hopefully I can fill all that space-time with compendiums of vegan mofo goodness! (Well, there is that awfully neglected course load that I should also make-up... *shifty eyes and defeated sigh*)

Anyway, if I've nothing else to say, can I beam about Trader Joe's a little bit more here? Some have their miffs, and although I am feeling some heavy guilt about ignoring the local co-op, you really just can't beat their selection around here. I love grocery shopping, and unlike the grimy, fluorescent wards they call markets that seem to employ only junkies and my classmates, the atmosphere there is completely, totally tolerable. The produce is plentiful and fresh, organic pricing is very reasonable, and their wide variety of generic vegan products includes "gel cups" ("Jell-O"), a selection of meatless products including soyrizo, and soy creamer. The packaging is very clearly labeled vegan-friendly, too. Because their new store near me is now located right next to a Barnes and Noble, the bookstore features a little Pacific Northwest section in the cookbook aisle with a couple "Cooking With Trader Joe's" tomes. My goal is to scour the store, armed with the excuse of "experimentation," and grabbing anything vaguely interesting in attempt to replicate such a volume.

Until tomorrow, lovelies.