Bourbon and Blankets
Around here, winter has become a four-letter word.
While it is officially spring, you'd hardly know it. Although as I type, I am soothed by the sounds of birds out my window and I can spy little green buds popping on my perennials out front. My yard is also home to a seventeen foot Mako, propped up on boat stands- is there a more sure sign of spring than tearing the shrinkwrap off your boat and begging your girlfriend to help wax the hull?
For the record, I said no. I've got things to bake.
A triple bourbon birthday cake, to be exact. Dan's birthday is tomorrow and the only thing he requested is a bourbon cake. I'm not sure he's ever eaten one or was even convinced they existed, but if anyone could make it happen it was me. His words, not mine. See, Dan has become kind of a bourbon lover these past few months. It started around Christmas and snowballed into a little hobby for him. Sometimes after work, he'll drive around to his favorite package stores, seeing what they have in stock. Every so often he comes home with a real find and I have to make room in the house. But that's not been so hard lately since I inherited a beautiful piece of antique furniture from my colleague.
Isn't she perfect? A corner curio that perfectly matches my secretary's desk in the opposite corner. I was so happy to give this piece a new home. I promised my friend I'd take good care of her and show her off. I think I'm living up to the promise.
Back to the cake. I call it a triple bourbon cake because you add bourbon to it three times. Three-quarters of a cup goes into the batter before baking. Then, when you take the cake out of the oven, you pour a few tablespoons of bourbon onto the warm cake. And then more bourbon goes into the glaze that gets drizzled over the cooled cake. This is an adults only cake.
This is pretty much my only significant baking exploit as of late. The past few months have been a little stressful so I've been doing a lot of hibernating. Another colleague taught a group of us to crochet back in February and I've become mildly obsessed. I find it so calming and productive. I'll turn on a mindless tv show, pour myself a cup of tea, and repeat row after row. Only this week did I get around to creating something for myself. Prior to that, it was blankets for friends, scarves for my family, and hats-so many hats-for cancer patients, babies, and whoever would take one.
Dan is so pleased I finally have a hobby. I think it troubled him that I was perfectly content to just putter around the house, cleaning, gardening, and baking the occasional cookie. Sometimes he'll leave the house late morning and come home a few hours later to find me in the same position he left me- content on the couch with Penny Lane struggled up beside me, yarn strewn all about.
Life is messy, but life is good.
While it is officially spring, you'd hardly know it. Although as I type, I am soothed by the sounds of birds out my window and I can spy little green buds popping on my perennials out front. My yard is also home to a seventeen foot Mako, propped up on boat stands- is there a more sure sign of spring than tearing the shrinkwrap off your boat and begging your girlfriend to help wax the hull?
For the record, I said no. I've got things to bake.
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| This might be my new favorite recipe |
Isn't she perfect? A corner curio that perfectly matches my secretary's desk in the opposite corner. I was so happy to give this piece a new home. I promised my friend I'd take good care of her and show her off. I think I'm living up to the promise.
 |
| This cake took an hour and fifty minutes to bake up |
Back to the cake. I call it a triple bourbon cake because you add bourbon to it three times. Three-quarters of a cup goes into the batter before baking. Then, when you take the cake out of the oven, you pour a few tablespoons of bourbon onto the warm cake. And then more bourbon goes into the glaze that gets drizzled over the cooled cake. This is an adults only cake.
This is pretty much my only significant baking exploit as of late. The past few months have been a little stressful so I've been doing a lot of hibernating. Another colleague taught a group of us to crochet back in February and I've become mildly obsessed. I find it so calming and productive. I'll turn on a mindless tv show, pour myself a cup of tea, and repeat row after row. Only this week did I get around to creating something for myself. Prior to that, it was blankets for friends, scarves for my family, and hats-so many hats-for cancer patients, babies, and whoever would take one.
Dan is so pleased I finally have a hobby. I think it troubled him that I was perfectly content to just putter around the house, cleaning, gardening, and baking the occasional cookie. Sometimes he'll leave the house late morning and come home a few hours later to find me in the same position he left me- content on the couch with Penny Lane struggled up beside me, yarn strewn all about.
Life is messy, but life is good.
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