It’s no secret that I like to play with my food. That comes with being a food scientist. Some of my latest edible experiments have involved those little morsels of frosted dessert that everyone loves. I’m talking about cupcakes of course. (The title of this post should have been a giveaway.)
These flowers did provide power in the form of a disaccharide known as sucrose.
We made these devil’s food cupcakes with ganache frosting from scratch as a Father’s Day treat.
I am often designated the dessert bringer at family dinners. Cupcakes are my sweet of choice for these functions when birthdays are concerned and sometimes my pick when they are not. For cupcakes can be dressed to fit any situation and are just enough of a treat to tempt even the most stalwart of health nuts. Sure, they are sweeter than Relief Society chicks on a Super Saturday but who could say no to just a touch of sugar saturation?
For Isabelle’s and Abigail’s birthdays, Jason and I made pink kitty cupcakes.
Since Andrew is a cheesecake fan, I made the cup version of raspberry marble cheesecake for his birthday celebration.
Incidentally, most of my recent recipe and decoration ideas have come from Martha Stewart’s cupcake book. I’ve found it an excellent resource for improving both the look and taste of my cup stuff. Her volume on shivs is outstanding too.
Last July, I blabbered on about how Jason and I would most likely not be attending San Diego Comic-Con again for many reasons. Yet, here I am posting about this year’s trip to that most wretched hive of stink and nerdery. However, my predictions about not attending were practically as correct as they were incorrect because we only half conned it. Here’s how we ended up part-time conventioneers.
It seemed the will of Odin that we attend Comic-Con this year. The portals of all nine realms really were aligned perfectly. We again acquired those elusive four-day passes and, even more astonishing, we won convenient yet normal-priced accommodations. Yes, we procured one of the few rooms Comic-Con forces hotels to offer attendees at regular price. Attaining one of these rooms requires winning a lottery known as Hotel Apocalypse. They are nearly impossible to get but provide the illusion of con affordability.
Our hotel room was the perfect vantage point from which to witness the stormtrooping on 5th Avenue.
Our lodgings were directly across the street from the convention center and we got upgraded to a terraced loft, one of the biggest quarters offered by our hotel, because nothing else was available when we arrived. Just to put things in perspective, our whole trip, including airfare, set us back about the same amount that one night usually costs us at Comic-Con.
Jason watched Flash Gordon incessantly as a kid so he was thrilled to meet these saviors of the universe.
The only downside to these magical accommodations was that after two nights they turned back into a pumpkin. We were cool only spending two nights in San Diego though because too much Comic-Con is a lot like a dose of Mirakuru. Even if it doesn’t make you bleed from your eyeballs, it will decrease your self-control and multiply your aggression. That’s how you end up with 13 different Doctor Who t-shirts and getting in a fight over a Pinkie Pie exclusive.
Duff Goldman and I had a nice chat about food science after his panel.
Although the process of getting tickets and a hotel was not laidback, we definitely enjoyed this con in a laidback fashion. Meaning, we didn’t get our spandex in a twist about getting into panels or events. But, with minimal waiting, we still made it into some awesome sessions like Rotten Tomatoes Critics vs. Fans, Pride Prejudice and Zombies, Patient Zero, Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight, Warner Bros. TV and DC Entertainment: Superhero Saturday Night, and Food Network’s Chef Duff Goldman. We heard from darlings like Matt Smith, Stephen Amell, John Barrowman and Grant Gustin, along with non-darlings like Quentin Tarantino. We also watched the premier of the new Supergirl series. Incidentally, Supergirl seems like a good gig for families. Since we didn’t waste time waiting in line, we could spend more time spending money in the exhibit hall.
The exhibit hall is full of spatial surprises.
Speaking of the exhibit hall, my favorite thing about Comic-Con this year was interacting with artists, celebrities, swordsmiths and enthusiastic vendors. We chatted extensively with these folks on the exhibit hall floor and after panels. Trust me, the life of someone that forges blades or designs steampunk monster posters for a living is a fascinating one.
Despite my reluctance to again take on the Hungarian Horntail of nerdy conventions, Jason and I had a good time at San Diego Comic-Con this year. I’d say we won’t be attending next year but maybe that’s about as believable as a Nazgul claiming he won’t be doing the bidding of the One Ring anymore.
Idaho isn’t frequently considered a touristy place. Sure, their potatoes are pretty good but I’m not convinced those tubers bring in the crowds. However, Jason and I recently traveled to a slice of Idaho that was perfect for venturesome vacationers such as us.
At Shoshone Falls, the Snake River drops 212 feet. That’s more than 50 feet further than Niagara.
McCall is a small town situated in the middle of Payette National Forest and on the shores of Payette Lake. It’s a couple hours north of Boise. Hiking, river rafting, mountain biking, boating and horseback riding are all offered near its borders. We became aware of McCall’s existence about six months ago and promptly planned to retreat there.
Just five minutes in the heat and sand of Bruneau Dunes and this happened.
The drive to McCall took us over seven hours. That’s a little too long for my restless tastes but we split up the journey a little by stopping at Shoshone Falls on the way up and Bruneau Dunes on the way back. While we spent less than an hour at each of these detours, they offered us a welcomed chance to unfold our limbs and discover new territory.
And another five minutes later…
Although we were expecting McCall to be an outdoorsy town, we were surprised by its variety of outdoorsiness. We spent two full days exploring its options but we could have easily spent a few more.
This wasn’t fruit punch, just one of the best sunsets our captain had seen in his four years of sailing Payette Lake.
Our first day in McCall, we hiked every single trail in Ponderosa State Park, five and a half miles total. Ponderosa is located on a peninsula that juts out into Payette Lake. Like its name suggests, it’s covered in a lovely pine forest interposed by vibrant meadows and sandy beaches.
Ponderosa State Park is a gorgeous mix of forest, meadow and shore.
We finished up that day with a sunset lake cruise aboard the Idaho. Jason and I toughed it out on the ship’s upper deck as the sun and temperatures plunged in order to have a better view of the beauty around us. If only I’d thought to wear every single layer of clothing I’d packed in my suitcase. Brrr! The sunset was glorious though, one of the best I’ve ever seen. It turned the lake waters a shade of Kool-Aid. (Check out the pictures I took and be prepared not to believe their unedited status.)
I didn’t use anything more than a steady hand and a slow shutter speed when creating this picture. I promise it was not Photoshopped.
The next day, we rented a Four Winns sport boat and spent the afternoon touring the lake. The sunshine was so pleasant in the middle of this voyage that we stopped our vessel and read books on its bow for a while. All hail glorious UV! The weather quickly turned from terribly pleasant to just plain terrible though. A storm circled in suddenly and we found ourselves being assailed by choppy waves and a deluge of rain. Yet, we felt compelled to persist since we still had over an hour left on our rental and wanted to get our money’s worth of suffering.
Look Mom, no hands!
McCall is a cute lakeside village in a pretty forest. Its outdoor distractions are plentiful and I predict we will return there again for some more striking scenery and striking weather.
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