A is for Apple

If Johnny Appleseed's plan was to get the nation hooked on apples, he would have been pleased to see I am hooked on Granny Smith’s Apple cake. This apple lover’s delight suggests the commencement of my favorite season of the year, autumn. Just like the leaves begin to fall during this magical term, so did my love for this lip-puckering cake. It's a dense, moist cake, sullied and amplified by baked apples and walnuts. Embellished with a crisp and sour sliced Granny Smith apple, it’s also one of the prettiest slices of cake I’ve seen. The mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and brown sugar sitting jubilantly over a pool of super gooey caramel completely set me into an orchard of joy! The mini pieces of caramelized baked apples nestled cozily into the batter and wallowed there happily, just begging to be eaten. For its plea, I showed great mercy and did just that; blessed are the merciful for they shall be rewarded with a copious harvest of cake! This impressive cake captivated my interest, not only because of its perpetual sweetness, but because it was perfected by an amazing chef who completed his internship at Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts Institute in Paris. The age-old adage, "An Apple A Day..." is being more and more clearly substantiated thanks to this breath taking slice of heaven. A is for apple but also for astonishing, admirable and absolutely divine!

Dos Amores ♥♥

I've always found some sort of diversion when drab, somber feelings creep up and intrude. Typically, I'd opt for a power hour shopping spree that might rejuvenate an outfit or buying some senseless item merely because it yelled out clearance! The other option, the most novel idea I had that day of a way to rid the blasphemous feelings, was to bask in the glory of having TWO desserts in the same sitting. This was so much more therapeutic, delicious and might I add, easier on the pocketbook. So, I had an amorous encounter with two very ambrosial desserts, a special Walnut cake and Tiramisu. The Walnut cake, House Specialty, in all its glory was accentuated by a brown sugar and maple syrup concoction making the cake unsoundingly moist. The hint of nutmeg and vanilla, boundless amounts of cinnamon, cute little chopped walnuts and sprinkled snowy-like white powdered sugar perfected its unique being. It was almost suggestive of a meshed composition of Baklavas. It was instant gratification for my tamped soul. Now, meandering to the charming Tiramisu: layers of glamorized Lady Finger biscuits soaked in a savoring espresso coffee, provoked by a double layer of a slightly cool whipped mascarpone cheese filling and finally accentuated by cocoa espresso powder hovering over hints of white powdered sugar. It was refreshing, slightly cool and left an inevitable impression. So, if you ever feel the need to conquer self worth and defeat what is mere melancholy, you might just find a way to do it at a quaint little diner known as Scampi's in Fort Worth, Texas. "Hearts will play tippy-tippy-tay, tippy-tippy-tay...Scuzza me, but you see, back in old Napoli, that's Amore!"

I've Got a Crush on You!

General consensus from my own unofficial poll taken over the weekend concluded that very few people had heard of Pineapple Pie and much worse, never tasted one. So, I was completely elated when I was invited to try Paris Coffee Shop’s Pineapple Pie, served only on Mondays. The flavors of this pie worked beautifully together: the light golden pie crust embodied by a pineapple custard-like filling with tidbits of crushed pineapple in every single bite and nestled to perfection under what appeared to be a whopping three inch lightly scorched meringue. The hymns of praise eluded from my mouth after the very first bite! True nature has manifested into this tropical flair! The pie was wonderfully serendipitous, delightful to the taste buds, delectable to the palate and did I mention, because it's pineapple, the instant ‘throw in’ of essential Vitamins A and C. Va-Va Voom… I never eat anything that’s not beneficial to my health or my taste buds! This pie is a serious contender to all the others that were beautifully showcased or perhaps only on Mondays, it morphs into global domination. The extravagant affair I was having with this pie, put me in my own luau state of mind. Oh Pineapple Pie, I’m so crushing on you!

I think I've Died and Gone to Heaven

The word PIE has to be a sultry acronym for Precise Intense Eating! Paris Coffee Shop serves up the most of the quintessential Coconut Cream Pies. This pie crust was no cracker crumb aficionado; faux paus crusts are sooo not cool. The homemade crust was airy, yet had a rich texture filled with a thickened coconut flavored pudding gloriously layered with a water melting meringue and then finally topped with gorgeous, toasted coconut flakes. The decoupage of the intensely sweet layers, gave me the greatest feeling and relief coupled with giddy anticipation of having finally found the most decadent Coconut Cream Pie on the face of this universe! There's a chemical released when you eat this pie that produces the hysterical adrenaline necessary for wanting to take your passions and dreams further in life. Well okay, so it sounds a bit overdramatic but seriously uh huh...it's the pie enzyme! OMG, OMG, OMG *swoon! This pie makes me feel like assessing all the unmentionables (take that to be interpreted as you may). Experiences this enjoyable should be illegal. If the quote "You'll have pie in the sky when you die" dares to be taken literally, then kill me painfully and oh so slowly and let me go to pie heaven!

The Sweetest Little Things...

I toppled onto Hot Rodz Café in Terrell, Texas, where they served up one of the most iconic of American traditions…pie, only moon shaped and petite and oh so cute and oh so marvelous! So, the idea of packaged little pies typically found in fast food restaurants always sent me into a frizzled frenzy….eeeww fried, greasy pies! Contrary to what appears that I don’t endow in good eating habits, I don’t eat fried foods but I was open to testing the relative merits of what is deep-fried. The glory of a fried pie resulted in a satisfied tummy and comforted soul. This place gave you the choice of peach, apple, cherry or chocolate fried pie; I opted for the apple one. If a baked turnover was delicate and refined, the FRIED one was outrageously, amazingly luscious. Served up warm, this pastry was puffy and crisp on the edges and sprinkled with powdered sugar, but tender and pillowy within. The filling of finely cut apples sautéed with cinnamon and butter no longer posed an eating hazard. In fact, I would have traded a clogged artery or two given the opportunity to eat more than one in the same sitting. The two mini scoops of Blue Bell vanilla ice cream on top was just enough to add more pleasure to the palate. If you just happen to be asking if these little hand pies would make a perfect breakfast pastry, well then, the answer would probably be a resounding YES! I could have these for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Aaah…it’s truly the little things that count!

Virtual Presence Be Known...still here!

This is probably going to be the least dramatic post thus far. Why? Maybe because today's sugar intake that has spiraled out of control earlier has now began to dither within reason. A two-bit swallow of an entire candy bar coupled with a chewy pack of Starbursts gave way to my own rationalization...I'm deservant of this right now and besides, my glucose level feels quite unstable. The only way to alleviate that God-awful feeling of clamminess, dizziness and spot-seeing is to seek out that quick fix. That's right...artificial sugar overdose! I'm almost half way through this trialing journey. Thank you to my former nemesis for not sending any more virtual cakes. I appreciate the empathy that has been placed upon me. Thanks to my dear, close friends who apologized profusely when a cake comment slipped. Thank you to those that withheld cake for my sake in my presence. Your virtuous commitment to my insanity means alot. I'd say shame on those who taunted me, but your ill manners have made me stronger! I'm keeping a daily diary of my mood swings so that not only will you bestow an abundance of empathy upon me but to serve as evidence that without cake, LIFE can be unbearable! Much Love, -L

Don't Cry for Me Argentina...and all other cake enthusiasts all over the world

It's Ash Wednesday and in honor of Lent, I have decided to make the ultimate sacrifice and be one without cake AND the like. I will be the noble one. I will do this for cake enthusiasts all over the world so that no one else will have to suffer without. I will withstand the maddening temptations and bypass those floury fusions for forty days and forty nights. Head high, but never losing the peripheral vision on that one slice, I will keep my promise to you, my fellow cake panders. I will reckon with the imminent disparity that will result from this tragic experiment. Let me be the one to wake in cold sweats in the middle of my comfy slumber massaging my distended belly. I will survive and maybe lose a pound or two. So, "Don't cry for me Argentina; the truth is I never left you; all through my wild days (of eating cake and such), my mad existence, I kept my promise; don't keep your distance." I will be back soon...hungrier and with a deeper desire to bleed cake again! I love you and hope you love me. *end of infinitely, overly dramatic post* ♥ Laura-aka-the girl who wishes she wasn't Catholic on this day.

Addendum to Pie and Thanksgiving Havoc

I felt I needed to clarify a few misconceptions. The part where I wished I had single-handedly prepared the Thanksgiving feast all by my lonesome...completely conjured up in my head only for a few insane moments. I think at the time my insulin was at a conspiring low level. For a laugh or two, I do amuse myself now and then. The couple of side dishes I did prepare, the baked beans and the apple sweet potatoes casserole alone were enough to put me in holiday frenzy! My apron off to all the Marthas out there who with blood, sweat and tears, hopefully without dripping any of those salty additives on the food, make Thanksgiving meals what they should be! Now back to reality...

When I stop to think about all the blessings in my life, I could go on and on feverishly listing them to infinity. Today though, I would like to share with you, my fellow cake enthusiasts, just a few things I am thankful for that make up the whirlwind of a cake-obsessed, true epitome of a mad hatter, sugar-infused, too-many-times completely misunderstand girl…and all that is implied.

Every day, I am thankful that I have been given one more day to live this sweet as cake, beautiful and chaotic life of mine! I am thankful for flour, butter, baking powder, cocoa, frosting, sprinkles, butter (worth mentioning twice) and all that is chocolate and all that is sweet. I am thankful that my metabolism hadn’t come down to a jolting halt; otherwise, my cake posts would be much more infrequent. I am thankful to know that should I fall while carrying a piece of cake, I have it all conjured up in my head as to how I would pick it and myself up graciously…genius preempt planning, uh huh, I know! I am thankful for all the unsolicited quirks about cake eating I get from the people in my life. Life would be so unconstitutional without the hooey anecdotes that lead up to such comments. I am thankful my OCD is now banking on ordinary depreciation; my obsession with my vacuum has now been replaced with the cyber world of blogging but not to say that I wouldn’t be superbly ecstatic to be the owner of a new Dyson! I am thankful for my good health, despite the excessive sugar hangovers and contrary to my mother’s fear I will soon develop diabetes along with WebMD’s coincidental facts on the possibilities. I am thankful I can be satisfied by my failed attempts at baking and am able to live with it. I wasn't kidding when I said I eat a lot more than I bake! I am thankful for the opportunity to share with my fellow cake enthusiasts all the happiness that is circumferenced by cake and the fact that the insanity of cake somewhat depletes the insanity of ME! I’m thankful that it is NOT compulsory to have the need to argue with myself about what cake I’ll be having today. I am thankful that I can be moody, intractable and monomaniacal at times and that no matter what, cake usually makes it better! Happy Thanksgiving fellow cake enthusiasts…keep eating cake, after all, is there really anything more genial? An abundance of cake blessings to you all on this day and everyday! Go Cake

Pie and Thanksgiving Havoc

So, here I am on the eve of Thanksgiving daydreaming of the wonderful buffet that will stand before me tomorrow and how I secretly in a sort of odd yet canonical way wish I had exhaustedly and unaided prepared the entire feast all by myself. For the past few days, all the talk and complaints overheard from women about the exhausting preparations and all the cooking that has to be done for this yearly havoc of a meal sent me into some sort of dire need to want to be one to also complain and yet enjoy the satisfaction of the fruits of such labor afterward. Sounds a bit unrighteous and chauvinistic perhaps? Maybe, but I want to be Martha for once! I want to stuff the turkey and lace its hind legs to its tail just so. I want my turkey to be indulgingly moist and buttery. I want to own an expensive turkey baster. I want the stuffing to be created from scratch and use real cornbread. I want to know what to do with cranberry sauce. I want it all…but unfortunately, this year, I’m willing to overturn triumphancy! So, instead I will take, as some over achievers might negate, ‘baby steps’. Yes, that will suffice for now. I’ll start with pie. What a novel idea! Since I’m a novice pie maker, I cheated and bought the frozen pie crusts. I found a wonderful recipe for a Caramel-Walnut pie. Fast forward 45 minutes later. My goodness, I completely surpassed my own expectation. I baked a pie! Once the center was ‘set’, I knew my culinary skills were reaping, behind the dark scene, in its own hidden glory. The pie was very tasty and oh so deliciously splendid. I welcomed every bite with an apparent smile. By the way, I’ve read somewhere about some study that revealed that women who ate an abundant amount of pie were happier than those who didn’t similarly indulge. This definitely explains why women on diets don’t smile…ha! So to stay true to such statistics, I decided to bake two pies! With my nominal boost of confidence, I can, today, utter those vainglorious words I’ve been dying to say, “Eat your heart out Martha! Happy, Happy Thanksgiving. Its okay fellow cake enthusiasts, to be gratified by pie instead of cake today. Cake is not on my Thanksgiving menu!