Red Carpet Red Velvet

If you love ice cream and if you love red velvet cake, then boy do I have a treat for you! Blue Bunny has teamed up with celebrity chef, Duff Goldman (from Ace of Cakes), to create the most magical ice cream concoction I have ever tasted. It’s called Red Carpet Red Velvet Cake Ice Cream. And yes—the ice cream is as fabulous as the name. It’s got yummy red velvet cake flavored ice cream mixed with cream cheese frosting flavored ice cream and red velvet cake pieces. A-MAZ-ING! It’s kind of like dying and going to heaven…on a red carpet! So if you scream for ice cream, you will be squealing with delight for this red velvet deliciousness. Try it!!

When Life Gives You Lemons

In honor of the last day of summer I thought I’d post the recipe for my favorite summer dessert—lemon bundt cake! I love all things lemon—lemon chicken, lemon pie, lemonade (delish!!!)—and I’m now officially obsessed with this super easy, super yummy lemon bundt cake. I say when life gives you lemons, make lemon cake!

Lemon Bundt Cake

Ingredients

·         1 pkg. Lemon Cake Mix

·         1 (3.4 oz.) instant lemon pudding and pie filling

·         4 large eggs

·         1 cup water

·         1/3 cup vegetable oil

·         One container of lemon frosting

Baking Instructions

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bundt pan and coat with sugar.

2.    Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water and oil in large bowl. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer for 2 minutes. Pour into pan.

3.    Bake at 350 for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 25 minutes. Invert onto heat resistant serving plate. Cool completely.

4.    For glaze, place frosting in microwave and heat for 10 to 15 seconds. Stir until smooth and drizzle over cake.

9/11

2,977 flags. One for each victim of the 9/11 attacks. Each year on 9/11, Tempe Town Lake turns into a beautiful memorial--a place to remember and pay tribute. Each flag has a marker with a victim’s name, age, and a little bit about them. It was humbling to walk through them today and know that each one represents a spouse, parent, child, or friend. We will never forget what happened that day. God bless America. 

Death by Chocolate

Some of you may know this, and some of you may not, but I think it’s time for me to say (a.k.a. blog) it out loud…I have chronic migraines. To be officially diagnosed with chronic migraines, you have to have more than 14 migraines a month, and unfortunately I fall in that category. I’ve basically had a constant headache for over 18 months, with 3-5 migraines a week. Anyone who can do the math can see that 18 + 5 + constant + severe + pain = a not so fun time.

I’ve been seeking treatment for a little over a year now. I’ve seen numerous neurologists, and tried countless medications, supplements, etc., but to no avail. The most interesting thing so far has been all the remedies that people suggest. It seems that all of the sudden, everyone I know either has/had migraines or knows someone who has/had migraines. I have been told about enough remedies (medicinal and naturopathic) to write a book…and someday I just might--working title is 1001 Ways to Stop Feeling Like You’ve Been Kicked in the Head.

I’ve gotten to the point that I’ll try just about anything. I’ve become so desperate that I even gave up chocolate. Yes, I know—I must really be going crazy, but see I’ve read that sometimes chocolate can be a trigger to migraines. It was my husband’s idea, of course, because only a man would dare tell a woman to give up chocolate—women know this suggestion should never be uttered to another woman. But I thought, why not? I had to find out if chocolate was my migraine nemesis. The minute I gave it up, I was craving all things chocolate—chocolate cake, Snickers, chocolate ice cream, brownies, etc. I guess it’s the old adage, you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. I didn’t realize how much I LOVE chocolate. I desperately missed it. If only I could be one of those people that HATE chocolate…but well, then I guess that would just make me a guy.

A few days into my no-chocolate challenge I thought, wait a minute, do I really want to know the results of this experiment? Would I be willing to live a chocolate-less life? I wasn’t sure that I was. Perhaps it was my lack of faith, or my prayers that chocolate wouldn’t be a trigger, but after two weeks of no chocolate I luckily (and unluckily) still had my migraines. I never thought I’d be so relieved to have a migraine.    

So crisis was averted. I don’t have a give up chocolate, but I do have to keep searching for my migraine cure. I’m sure I’ll find it someday, and in the meantime with a sigh of relief I’ll say, TGINC…thank goodness it’s not chocolate.

Rising

Image from http://www.wtc.com/media/images/s/the-vision-world-trade-center

It’s hard to believe it’s been ten years. This weekend I started watching a documentary produced by Steven Spielberg titled, Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero. It’s a six-part series that began airing last week on The Discovery Channel. I’ve only had a chance to watch the first hour so far, but already I am amazed with this documentary. It’s absolutely incredible to see the massive undertaking of rebuilding the World Trade Center. The stories of the workers and architects, the symbolism in the design, and the beautiful memorial they are creating make for an inspiring and moving documentary. The remaining three episodes will air this Thursday, September 1^st on Discovery Channel, so be sure to tune in. Seriously—you have to watch this. Warning, you may want to keep a box of Kleenex next to you while you watch, but I’ll say one thing, it sure makes you proud to be an American. God bless America!

Baby It's Cold Inside

Imagine the following: A large office building sits in the middle of the desert. It’s summertime. The weather outside is a blistering 114 degrees. However, the temperature inside the building is literally freezing. Inside this building, a short blond woman sits at her desk. The woman is wearing dress pants, close-toed shoes, and a cardigan sweater. She also has a throw blanket over her lap and has turned on her space heater in an attempt to warm up her frozen fingers so she can type.

What’s wrong with this picture? Everything! I am freezing to death and I live in Phoenix! And yes, you heard right…I actually have a space heater at my desk during the summer. Did I mention that I live on the surface of the sun? Dear Company, why must you turn the office into a walk-in freezer?

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), there are no specific regulations for office temperature. However, it does mandate that the workplace must be free from hazard. Last time I checked, turning your employees into popsicles is hazardous. I also read a study that found a direct correlation between temperature and productivity. A study by Cornell University found that the optimum temperature for productivity is 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Well, I guess we all have a new excuse for decreased productivity. “Sure thing boss, as soon as that temperature gets to 77 I’ll get right back to work.”

Sweet Dreams

I am a dreamer. I mean literally—I always have vivid dreams. I also have several different recurring dreams. I had another “episode” of a particular recurring dream the other night, so I thought it was time for me to do some investigating. In this dream, I am back in high school as a cheerleader. It’s always one hour before game time and I don’t know which uniform to wear! Gasp! Okay, that might not sound like a big deal to most of you, but to a cheerleader, this is literally a nightmare! I mean, what outfit we wear is practically our biggest decision for the game. To show up and not match the squad would be humiliating. In my cheer squad we took turns deciding which uniform to wear for the game. Each uniform had a name like, “Bulldogs,” “Unity,” “Paws,” or something like that. In my dream I realize that I don’t know which uniform to wear, and I COMPLETELY panic. (Give me a P, give me an A, give me an N, give me an I, give me a C…what does it spell? PANIC!) I run around, frantically trying to find out which uniform to wear that night. Is it Unity? Is it Paws? I don’t know! I call my teammates and no one answers. What will I do? What if I wear the wrong uniform? Aaahhh!! And then I wake up.

So I decided to do some research, and here’s what I found. According to the “world wide web,” here are some possible interpretations/things my dream is telling me:

• “You like things to be in order, predictable, in alignment” (No surprise there—I mean, I color coordinate my closet for goodness sake)

• “You feel ‘uniform’-- the same, like a cookie cutter version of a human being” (You mean, I feel like a gingerbread woman?)

• The uniform is a “symbol of liking to put on a fake persona, a cloak to hide the inner truth of who one truly is” (That's weird, I always thought my true self was a cheerleader.)

• “The dream might be a metaphor to ‘cheer up’” (I know, I’ll do the perfect cheer!)

• “To dream that you are a cheerleader signifies your self-confidence and self-esteem. You need to be more active and more positive in some waking situation in your life.” (Should I do a few cheers at the office?)

• “It may point to a conflict, situation or matter in your waking life that remains unresolved or unsettled.” (Should I initiate a cheer squad reunion?)

Hmmm…not much help there. I don’t feel like a cookie cutter human, but perhaps I do need to be a bit more “cheery” in my life. I’ll give that a shot. If you have any other interpretations for me, I’d love to hear them. Oh, and if someone knows which uniform we’re wearing to the big game this weekend, please let me know ASAP!

Winner, Winner

Winner, winner! Monday night was the end of another season of the Bachelorette, which also means the end to our Bachelorette office pool. And you’re looking at the second time winner! That’s right folks—I am getting scary good at this. Last season I predicted Emily would be the winner, and this season I predicted JP.  Conundrum: Is this a sign I’ve seen too many seasons of the Bachelor/Bachelorette, or merely a sign I should go to Vegas and put money down next season? Well, either way, thanks to the Bachelorette for picking my pick. I guess they don’t call me Paige the Sage for nothing.