I want it, I need it, I want your eyes to turn

Merry Christmas Eve! I'll be back in Paris in a week to say my final goodbye. But right now my dad and I are in Lausanne, Switzerland. A friend gave us her apartment while she and her husband are out of town. She has a pretty amazing blog, Lavender & Onions. Trust me, you wanna check it out. Fun fact, her mother was my fifth grade teacher, and one of my favorite teachers  of all time :)

For now I leave you with the view from her apartment. Just stop.

Post title from Somebody by Jukebox the Ghost.

And my car won't stop 'cause I cut the breaks

So Amsterdam. I loved it. It has got to be one of the top three cities I have visited this year. I could definitely live in one of those cute house apartments by the canal. We peaked into some of their windows around dinner time, and I could not handle it. People were actually nice too! Crazy. Oh and there were so many cute modern coffee shops, my weakness. I'm talking about literal coffee, not to be confused since we are talking about Amsterdam.

However we did not stay in the area I described above. We stayed in the red light district. It was cheap. And now I know why. The manager of the hostel loved us though, really loved us. Because we were a breath of fresh air in comparison to the quality of teenage boys that normally stay there...

The first night I was paranoid out of my mind walking down the street in our area. There were so many guys, almost all guys. And the smell of weed and the sight of mostly naked girls really freaked me out. But then I realized that these areas exist in every city, I just don't stay in them. And this area in Amsterdam is actually safe. Our tourguide told us there are security cameras everywhere, two police stations, a church, and a kindergarden (go figure). 

Some interesting moments:

- Watching a Christmas parade in Amsterdam that includes Santa followed by his African slaves... We are talking black paint, wigs, the whole deal. We were completely shocked. Weed, prostitution, ok I can handle it. But borderline racism/cultural insensitivity... no, just no.

- Listening to our hostel manager complain to us. In one of his many rants, he mentioned that he killed Chinese when he was in the Taiwanese Army, and that he stayed up til 6am drinking Tequila because he was so annoyed with the stoned Belgian boys in our hostel. A very fascinating man.

- Eating stroopwafels. Those things are good. And addicting.

- Taking the Red Light District tour. I learned many things, including not to take pictures of prostitutes because they will throw pee on you. Also who knew it only cost 50 euro for 15 min?

- Going to a bar/slash club one night when we weren't planning on going out. Some of us were wearing multiple layers of sweaters... sexy.

We also did some touristy things in Amsterdam as well: two tours, the Rembrandt house, the Anne Frank house, the Heineken factory, a sex museum, the "I Amsterdam" letters, and a Christmas parade.

I would definitely go back to Amsterdam! But maybe stay in a different area...


Post title from Morning Song by The Lumineers. One of my favorite songs by them and one of the best concerts I've been too.

Food and all that jazz

Happy Thanksgiving!!  Currently I am supposed to clean up the kitchen and help make sweet potatoes... but I found watching Colbert and updating my blog was a much better course of action.  Here are some reasons why Thanksgiving is so great for a college student:


1.  Waking up late and not making myself presentable until the actual meal.  My movement from 10-5 is walking from the kitchen to the table and back in my pjs.  Nothing like a good workout before the turkey.


2.  Not being available.  I can't do homework, check my email, or respond to any texts... why? because I am so busy of course.


3.  Having all the benefits of Christmas without any of the responsibilities.  Food, happiness, and none of the worry that that book I freaked out over because it totally matched your personality will only receive the fake half-hearted smile of "you have awful taste, and I'm just going to store this in my closet and pretend this never happened."  I just want you to like me gosh darn it.


4.  Eating without extreme worry of weight gain.  I already gained 10 pounds this year, what's another five?  I kid.  Only a little.


5.  Experiencing pride at finding the perfect outfit that is both flattering and extremely loose in the waist.  


6.  Finding fun ways to dodge the awkward questions.  


Q:  Dating any of those college boys?  
A: No, why do you ask?  (This method puts the asker in an awkward situation, where they quickly go into an in depth analysis why it is bad to date in college.  Just smile and nod.  Relish in the awkwardness).


Q:  Why are you majoring in English?  Surely there are more practical studies.   
A:  You are right.  I only plan on working in coffee shops with my English degree.  You are dumb.  (This last line can be omitted.  Really the best way to get around this is to focus the attention on them.  What was their major?  Most likely it was without soul (ex: econ), or just as "unpractical" as yours (ex: theater).  Sorry if  I have offended your major (sorry parents!  But it only goes to show that despite undergrad majors, you can still keep your soul and be successful).


I may leaving out a few reasons why Thanksgiving is so great, like the thankfulness part and all that gushiness, but this should get you started.


Have a lovely turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, cornbread, sweet potatoes, green beans, and apple pie day!


Photo from here.

I love me some chocolate cake

For Christmas I made an Espresso Cake with hot Kahlua syrup for the fam.  I am not gonna lie, it was pretty darn good :) My sister (check out her professional site) took the pictures of my oh so yummy cake. Here's the recipe:

THE CAKE:

3 tablespoons instant espresso

1/4 cup boiling water

1/4 cup cold water

2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon rind

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup sour cream

THE HOT KAHLUA SYRUP

2/3 cup Kahlua or Tia Maria liqueur

1/3 cup water

3 tablespoons honey

1. Position rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350.  Butter a 9-inch fluted ring.  Dust the pan with all purpose flour, then invert the pan over the kitchen sink and tap to remove excess.
2. To make the cake: In a small bowl, dissolve the espresso in boiling water.  Stir in teh cold water and set aside to cool.
3. Using a triple sifter, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.
4. Cut the butter into 1-inch pieces and put them and lemon rind in the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with beaters or paddle attachment.  Soften on low speed, then increase speed to medium-high and cream until smooth and light in color, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
5. Add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, taking about 6 to 8 minutes to blend it in well.  Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally.
6. Add the eggs, 1 at a time at 1-minute intervals.  Blend in the vanilla and sour cream.  The mixture will look somewhat curdled at this point.  This is okay.
7. Reduce mixer speed to medium-low.  Add the dry ingredients alternating with the espresso, dividing the dry ingredients into three parts and the espresso into two parts, starting and ending with the flour.  Mix just until incorporated after each addition.  Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix for 10 seconds longer.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with the back of a tablespoon.  Center the pan on the rack and bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the cake begins to come away from the sides of the pan and a twig of straw or toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry.
9. Remove from the oven.  Set the pan on a cake rack for 10 to 15 minutes to cool slightly.
10. To make the syrup: In a small saucepan blend the Kahlua, water, and honey.  Bring to a slow boil and simmer 2 to 3 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Pierce the top of the cake with a wooden skewer and slowly spoon the hot syrup over the top of the hot cake.  Let stand in the pan for at least 1 hour to allow cake to absorb all the liqueur, then invert onto a rack and remove pan.

SERVING SUGGESTION:  Prepare recipe of Ganache Glaze (below).  Leave cake on the rack, and place the rack over a large shallow pan.  Spoon the glaze over the top, allowing the icing to flow gently down the sides in between the ridges.  Al of the cake does not have to be covered with the glaze.  Carefully arrange the cake on a serving plate.

GANACHE GLAZE

3 ounces imported semisweet or bittersweet chocolate

3 ounces heavy cream

1/2 tablespoon light corn syrup

1/2 tablespoon Grand Marnier, Cointreau, or dark Jamaican rum

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon hot water, if needed

1. Break the chocolate into small pieces and set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream and corn syrup on low heat until it comes to a gentle boil.  Immediately pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate.  Let it stand for about 1 minute, then stir the chocolate and cream together, slowly mixing until all the chocolate is melted.
3. Blend in the liqueur or rum and vanilla.  If the surface is oily, stir in 1/2 teaspoon of hot water.  The glaze should thicken as it stands, but remain pourable.  If the ganache fails to thicken, chill it in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 minutes.  Watch carefully, as it must not be too cold.

Celebrations!

Yesterday was t-shirt weather and today its snowing!  Such is Texas weather.

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

from weheartit

I believe its December

Yes it is almost Christmas and this photo is from Toast of course!

Greetings

Happy New Year!
We have decided to start our blog with Ko and Lave's version of Buche de Noel made on Christmas Eve. It took all day for Ko to make, and Lave pitched in on the decorations.