a toast! to french toast.

last week, i came into a large amount of baguettes.

(left over catering from a shoot i worked on)

wanting to mix it up i decided to try making french toast.

i gathered up some eggs, cream, vanilla and cinnamon

to begin the adventure.

honestly, i didn't measure out the ingredients.

(eyeballing it is how i roll in the cooking department)

but here are some discoveries i made:

make sure to cut the baguette thin enough or let it soak long enough that the egg mixture gets soaked all the way to the middle. otherwise, you end up with an egg-y outside and a dry inside. nobody likes that.

we were low on syrup, so i combined some cinnamon and sugar in a separate bowl and dipped the french toast in it right after pulling it out of the pan. delish! you could also put it back in the pan for a sec to caramelize the sugar. worth the few extra minutes (promise).

i'm no genius in the kitchen but this was super easy. it's a great way to use bread that's a couple days old and kinda crusty. the egg mixture softens the bread right up!

built a cake.

angel + i baked a cake last weekend. angel's family recipe. important side note: angel's fam is amaze-balls times infinity. and their cake is as amaze-balls as they are. you need this cake in your life. so i'm gonna do you a solid and give you the westover family recipe. get excited.

3 medium carrots, peeled and cut

1 c. orange juice

1/4 c. oil

1 yellow cake mix

3 eggs

1-1/2 c. coconut

1 c. packed brown sugar

3/4 c. chopped pecans

1/3 c. milk

1/3 c. melted margarine

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine carrots, juice and oil in blender until carrots are finely chopped. Mix cake mix, eggs and carrot mixture on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into greased and floured 9x13 pan (we used a bundt pan...i was in the mood for a bundt cake). Bake at 350F for 35-45 minutes (may be a little longer for a bundt). Combine remaining ingredients and spread over hot cake. Broil cake 3 to 5 minutes or until topping is golden brown (THIS IS IMPORTANT! watch the cake VERY carefully while broiling it...it will burn VERY easily and that would just be no good!). Serve warm or cool.

eight is great.

project runway. season eight. tonight.

get excited, people. it's gonna be GOOD.

pic

renegade.

renegade craft fair.

m'girl susan is rollin' into town.

wanna come kick it with us?

c'mon then.

my poor roomie.

not only does she have to deal with

my messes and mood swings,

but she has to endure impromptu photo shoots, too.

she should be sainted...and signed

up for a modeling contract!

headshots.

last week, i forced seth to model for me so

i could get some head shot practice in.

not bad, eh? good lighting, flattering angles.

i'm happy with how these turned out.

what do you think?

comments and/or suggestions welcome.

be gentle.

turtle power.

in honor of taco and nacho,

i whipped up these bad boys. killer turtle brownies.

14 oz. pkg caramels
3/4 c. butter
1 german chocolate cake mix
1 C. chopped pecans
1 can eagle brand sweetened condensed milk
12 oz. pkg chocolate chips

melt caramels with 1/2 can of eagle brand milk.

in separate bowl, mix melted butter, 1/2 can evaporated milk,

dry cake mix and 1/2 c. of the nuts.

place 1/2 of batter in a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 6 mins.

spread 1 c. of chocolate chips over top, the remaining nuts

and then the caramel mixture over the nuts.

press remaining batter between hands and place over the caramel.

sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips over the top and bake for 15 mins.

done and dee-lish!

cuppy cakes.

miss martha's got it goin' on with her coconut cupcakes.

oh. and i made the cake plate.

so cute, right?

birthday cake for angel.

'member my kitchen?

here's the final product.

totally worth it!

dee-lish!

joy the baker has made me

the most popular girl on the block.

who doesn't love a little apple crisp?!

slap on a little ice cream and custard.

heaven.

NOW do you wanna be my friend?

love it or hate it?

made this garland ages ago.

couldn't figure out what to do with it.

may have found a place for it.

what do you think?

...i didn't dress up for the 'ween.

the party invites have been rollin' in and

i'm suffering a tinge of regret for not dressing up this year.

to make myself feel (a little) better, i've compiled a photo journal

of the past few years' schennanigans.

2005

2006

2007

2008

2008

ah, the glory days.

i've had some GREAT costumes in the past few years.

ridiculous.

what're you doing this weekend to celebrate the 'ween?

any fun traditions? parties? scary movies? nothin' at all?

lemme know, sugars.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

how much...

...would i have to pay someone to cut out all the felt circles

to make this awesome curtain featured on design*sponge?

now accepting bids.

to know me is to...

...eat baked goods on a regular basis.

made these last night.

today, my coworkers are singing my praises.

i love my job.

{image}

oh ira.

this is a great bit about the creative process.

here's to years of sucking on the pathway to

being ridiculously awesome.

{good share, susan!}

strawberry shortbread squares.

betty crocker i am not.

but ree, joy and deb have taught me

a thing or two about cooking in the past few months.

this week's lesson: don't be afraid to fail and you probably won't.

exhibit a. strawberry shortbread squares.

the facts are these:

4 lbs of strawberries on the cusp of moldy unuseableness.

strawberry pie? yes, please.

problem: no shortening for a pie crust, no pie tin.

dee da dee dee! enter SHORTBREAD!

i felt like a bonafide baker just flyin' by the seat of my pants.

sure, the shortbread was too thick and the strawberry

pie filling looked slightly unappetizing.

BUT...

the shortcake squares were loved by all who partook.

sweet sweet success.