Week 22: "Up" in 3D and chocolate ganache cake

I can still remember going to see Toy Story (which is going to be re-released in 3D with toy story 2 in October!!!) on my 11th birthday when it came out 13 years ago. I have been a pixar fan since then, even though I have no idea who pixar was till many years lately. I have been excited to see "Up" since I saw the first preview for in back in December, on the Wall-E dvd. When I found out I wasn't working this Friday afternoon and that Justin got off at 2 I was excited that we were going to get to see an early show. Not only because there would be less kids, as most kids don't get home from school on the bus till around 4, but also because afternoon shows are a lot cheaper (yes, I get excited about saving a few bucks at the movies). South Point Cinema offers the choice of regular version or for $2 more a 3D version. Haven't never seen a 3D movie we decided to check it out. I am so glad that we did! It was unbelievably clear and detailed. I am really impressed. The movie it self was also very good, I wouldn't say that "Up" is my new favorite pixar film, but it's up there on my list.
I would highly recommend it, especially in 3d, it's worth the extra couple bucks, especially if you go during the day when it's cheaper anyways. Though, a late night showing would mean even less kids talking.

My baking experience this week was my mom's birthday cake.I have been wanting to try covering a cake with chocolate ganache for a while, so I figured this was a good time to try it as mom requested an all chocolate cake.

I started by baking a chocolate cake with my fill pans, which leaves a big area in the middle of both layers for you to fill with the filling of your choice.

I then coated each side with a dark chocolate creme

They were then each filled with a chocolate fudge whipped cream filling

Than covered in ganache

After that I added some decorations in green icing

And royal icing daisies as they are mom's favorites.

I am happy to say it was a lot easier than I expected. And the cake tasted really, really good. I am usually not a fan of cakes, yes I know, I love to bake but I am not a huge fan of eating baked goods, I rather have a candy bar. But, this cake was actually very tasty, I'll have to do it over again some time.


Thanks for reading!

Week 21: Exercise equipment and Chocolate Banana cake

Exercise equipment and Chocolate Banana cake
Justin and I have really enjoyed our Wii the past couple years. We also really enjoy wii fit when we use it. We have found that with the wii fit we don't use it as much as we would like as it's a one player game. So, when we heard about EA sports active, we decided we should get it.
We haven't gotten much past setting up our mii's for it, but I think we'll get a lot of use of it. It's definitely a lot cheaper than a gym membership, which we barely ever used when we had it.
While we were at Best Buy getting it (because they were offering a free $10 gift card with purchase)we also found another accessory for the wii, the everlast wii fit board raiser. The one thing on wii fit I use most often is the stepping free form exercise. This allows you to step for up to 30 minutes while watching TV. I usually use it while watching a movie if I have a morning off work. So, the 3in additional height makes for a new challenge. It definitely makes it a lot harder, but I have enjoyed it so far.

My baking experience this week was a Chocolate Banana cake. It was actually really good. It didn't taste much like bananas but it was really moist. I topped it with a chocolate fudge and chopped walnuts. I will definitely be using the recipe again. I forgot to take a picture of it, so next time I make it I will add it to this blog.

Thanks for reading!

Week 20: New cake decorating techniques and Blu-Ray

Now that I am responsible to know how all Wilton decorating things work (and get a nice discount when I order Wilton supplies), I have a ton of new things to try out. This past week I tried 2 new ideas I hadn't used before: Food coloring spray and garland maker. In the coming weeks I will probably have one new experience and one new cake techinique to try out a week.
The food coloring spray is just what it sounds like, it's a little can of spray paint of eatable food coloring. It comes in 8 different colors, this past week I tried using the red. I covered the cake with basic vanilla buttercream icing than sprayed it. I only sprayed it lightly, so my cake turned out kind of pink, but darker than the picture turned out.
I also used the garland maker. What it does is it gives you an easy way to measure your cake and mark where your garland will go. You can have it be any size you want, so it's pretty cool.
My cake didn't bake evenly, I am not sure why, so the garland wasn't as perfect as I would like as it'a hard to have things equally spaced on an uneven surface. I also didn't take the time to smooth out my icing so the cake didn't turn out too pretty. But, overall it was a good first attempt.

In the next few weeks I plan on trying out one new cake related thing along with a new experience each week.

My other experience for the week was giving in and letting Justin get a PS3. We have had a wii for 2.5 years now and since before we got it Justin has been talking about a PS3. He has been working a ton of over time and as I figured a Blu-Ray player would be nice and Target had a good offer, I gave in. I haven't played any games but I have watched a blu ray movie and I have to say it does make a difference. I don't plan on changing my whole movie collection to Blu-ray but will start thinking about getting new movies on Blu-ray. Justin has really been enjoying the new system. So, that's all that really matters.

Thanks for reading!

Larissa :)

Week 19: Photo shoot, Cinco de mayo, first class

This past week was a big week, filled with three new experiences. To start the week on Sunday I got Ashlee, who takes amazing pictures, to come visit and take pictures of Justin, my brothers and I for Mother's day. We went to Tobacco Campus downtown to take the pictures. Tobacco Campus is located right next to the Durham Bull parks. It's a beautiful area, great to spend some time outside or enjoy drinks or a meal. I wasn't expecting much, as it's always hard to get a good family picture. My 2 youngest brothers weren't very happy with the idea but in the end we had a lot of fun. And we ended up with some really amazing pictures. Thanks again Ashlee!!


On Tuesday, Katie was having a Cinco de Mayo party. I had never been to a Cinco de Mayo party so it was something fun to do.

The proceeds from drinks went to help build a playground for an orphanage in Transnistria. It was fun to get together, meet some new people, especially for a good cause. Katie got a plastic bowling set for the party, so we even got some bowling in, as it was bowling wiigue night.


The biggest new experience of the week was this past Wednesday I got to teach my first cake decorating class! It's been a few months in the works, and I am not officially teaching courses at Michaels.
The class went really well. I wasn't as nervous and I thought I would be, and had a really good time teaching. I have 5 students, which I think is a good size class. I should have plenty of time to help each student without having to rush through things. The students seemed to have fun too, which I think is really important.
This month I am teaching course one, and should be adding more courses in the months to come. I am looking forward to see where this go, it's a fun way to work on my skills and make some extra cash.

Thanks for reading!

Larissa :)

Week 18: Monetize & Tofu pizza

This past week I had two new experiences. I have always wondered how the links on blogs work. So, I clicked on the monetize link on the blog page and filled out the information. I don't think enough people read my blog in where I would actually make any money out of it but I figured there was no harm in doing it. They just get your address, no credit or bank account information so it seems really safe.

My other experience was trying vegan friendly tofu pizza. This past Saturday I babysat a little boy who is allergic to nuts, peanuts, dairy, and eggs. His parents are vegetarians so he pretty much only eat vegan, nut free foods. So I tried toffuti. Not the tastiest thing I have ever had but it was ok. I think I'll stick to regular cheese for not.


Thanks for reading!

Larissa :)