Mama Loves Carrot Cake

Flowers. Cake. Presents. 

This year, my mom didn't ask for anything special for Mother's Day, which is what she says every year. But, I still wanted to make it a special day for her, so early in the morning I picked up fresh flowers, and wrapped up her gift - a picture frame that says 'family' on the bottom, purchased from Chapters. We have one that says 'friends' displayed in the front of our house, so I have a feeling the 'family' frame will go near that one. 

Even though my mum didn't ask for anything, I knew she had wanted some real, authentic, home made carrot cake for quite some time. Mother's Day was the perfect occasion. I spent my Saturday night baking up a storm in the kitchen. I used this recipe because it had a high rating. I did make some substitutions such as: less sugar, no coconut or raisins, more carrot, more cinnamon, and I subbed a cup of all purpose flour for whole wheat flour. These changes made it a tad healthier, but everyone still raved about the flavor and texture of the cake. I also baked it for 10 more minutes because I had a feeling it was not done through the toothpick test.

Since I baked the cake on Saturday night, it had the chance to completely cool off overnight. I sliced off the top portion with a long, serrated bread knife, in order to make it flat. If you're going to frost it, it's a good idea to gently flip the cake over, like shown above. Another tip is to place the cake in the freezer for 1-2 hours before frosting. It will slightly freeze and firm up, therefore making it easier to cut and less crumbs everywhere, especially mixed with the frosting. Don't worry about perfecting it here, the frosting covers it all up.

The next step is to cut the cake in half because two layer cakes are much more interesting than single layer cakes, right? I suggest using a long, serrated bread knife again to evenly cut through. If you mess up the cut, that's OK! Trust me, the frosting covers it up and no one will notice.

The recipe that I used for the cream cheese frosting can be found here. I used 2/3 vegan cream cheese and 1/3 of regular cream cheese. Delicious frosting, especially infused with organic vanilla extract. After the layers were separated, I used a spatula to spread on approximately 1/3 of the frosting in the middle. This is why cooling the cake is important: since it's firm, it's easier to deal with and the frosting wont become runny.

Once there is a layer spread in the middle, stack the other layer on top. Now, you can begin to frost the outside. Don't be stingy! Apply a huge dollop on top, and carefully spread it around with your spatula. Avoid making it too thin because you will bring crumbs up from the cake that mix with the frosting (it looks more visually appealing with less crumbs mixed in the frosting).

Reserve a bit of your frosting because you're going to dye a portion of it orange, and another small portion green. If you having piping bags on hand, those work well, but plastic Ziploc type bags are also fine for this. Use a spoon to insert your orange frosting into a corner of the bottom of the bag and squeeze it down. Cut a tiny hole at the tip and now you can make your carrot designs on the cake. Repeat the process with the green, but in a separate bag.

And voila! The final cake. My cursive could use some work... but poor penmanship won't change the taste, I promise! Cream cheese frosting + moist carrot cake + a crunchy outer crust...

... of pecans! I took crushed pecan pieces, chopped some up and slapped it onto the sides of the cake. Authentic carrot cake with the addition of nuts! You can use walnuts too.

Now for the taste test: everyone loved it! Especially my mom :) Making people happy with food is one of my favorite things about baking. Seeing one's face light up as they let the flavors develop on their tongue, it's always a lovely feeling. I'm already coming up with new ideas for what to create next... any suggestions? What do Fathers like as desserts?

Happy Mother's Day! 

The Naked Eye

I might be the millionth blogger to finally talk about the Urban Decay Naked palette, but it's better late than never, right? I got mine as a Christmas present, so I've had it for quite some time now, thus have had the chance to create a variety of different looks using different combinations. I know they already launched the second version of the Naked palette, but I'm a big fan of the first one, so I'll probably hold off on the second version... for now at least. 

The full shot. 12 beautiful shades. The website says, 'shades range from delicate champagnes to dark, gritty gunmetal'. As you can see, there are two light shades, and two dark colors and in between fall the 8 gorgeous browns, from sparkly, metallic, matte, etc. The Urban Decay eyeshadows are known for their great pigmentation, and when they're paired with the famous UD primer potion, you're guaranteed great pay off for many hours in the day. It's definitely worth the investment [you also get a great brush and mini primer!]. 

It also comes with a mini version of the primer potion, and an eyeshadow brush that fits inside the palette. I like using the brush for the base color, crease, and others, and I use my finger to apply the highlight under the brow bone. I'll use an eyeliner brush with a light, shimmery color in the inner tear duct, and finally blend it all together with my MAC 217 blending brush, concentrating on blending the darker outer/crease shade into into the inner part of my eyelid. Then, top if off with a few coats of volumizing mascara and liquid eyeliner if I'm feeling the darkness for that night, and voila! That's all that goes into my Naked look! 

I would love to start posting some makeup tutorials on my blog, and I would love to start with my favorite smokey eye look using this palette. Since there is such a broad color range, the possibilities are endless and I think I've found a great combination - especially for my green eyes! Colors are usually harder to work with, but browns/neutrals can be pulled off by anyone, as long as they're blended properly! Major pet peeve: poorly blended eyeshadow - ick! 

Q: What's your favorite eyeshadow look: colors, neutrals, black smokey eye, or bare? Do you try to match them with your natural eye color? Please share! 

Adios April

Hello lovelies! I'm so glad that you all enjoyed my last post with my Alexander McQueen scarf. It was definitely an investment piece, but so worth it. I have already started thinking about my next fashion investment piece. I'm leaning towards a handbag, perhaps a Marc by Marc Jacobs bag? I have been eyeing them at Aritzia for years, but can't seem to save up enough money - it all goes to Starbucks! Any other fancy coffee addicts out there? If you are, head to Starbucks for their annual 'Frappuccino Happy Hour' (info). 

I was going to talk about my favorite dresses in this post, but I thought a recap post looking back on the month of April would be more appropriate. It passed by SO quickly, right? That means 1/3 of 2012 is already over. Insanity. One thing I'm currently obsessed with is the iPhone app, Instagram. I showed some of my previous pictures here, but I wanted to feature a few more recent ones in this post, so that's what the images are from. See more photos on my Instagram. 

On the sad news front... my laptop adapter broke. I haven't been able to go on it for about a week, and that is where I upload all of my photographs. I could upload them on my mom's computer [which I'm on now] or my sister's, but I don't think they would enjoy millions of my selfies. Or they might, who knows? Realistically, I could drive over to Future Shop and get a new one, or have it repaired within a few minutes, but I've been lazy. Oops. It doesn't help that I love my mom's desktop computer and my sister's Macbook Pro so much more than my Sony Vaio [that's 2.5 years old]. 

This photo in this post is one of my favorites that's recently been taken. Statement jewelry + striped blazer = a great look. I took photos of myself in the outfit, but since my laptop broke, it's hard to access them. But seriously, I think you guys will love the outfit :)

Another thing that I wanted to mention... the May Photo Challenge! This has been going on for at least a few months now, and I've always wanted to take part. I may be starting three days late, but late is better than never, right? I'm going to try to catch up and get them all in. Let me know if you are taking part in the challenge too! 

Anyways, that's enough rambling from me. I just though I'd get a few words in before I begin taking summer math courses at University. I need them to transfer into the Commerce program, which I've been working hard for. The courses are Monday through Thursday evenings, and basically all summer long [until the end of august]. There goes my summer, but I'm determined to get good grades in the classes and then I'll be accepted into the business program at my school. It will all be worth it. Hard work is always worth it. That being said, I may not be able to reply to as many comments or post as frequently as I'd like, but I promise I won't fall of the face of the earth! Rambling over. 

instagram ~ tumblr

Q: How did you find the month of April? Other than it being rainy, I enjoyed it! Exams were finished and parkas were put away. Bring it on, summer! 

Fit For a McQueen

I may or may not have neglected my beautiful Alexander McQueen skull scarf that I received on my 18th birthday way back in September. It's tucked in the bag, hugged by tissue paper just like the way it was bought. When I do wear it, I like to wear it as the statement piece. It's easier to work with, as opposed to some other statement pieces because of the black and white contrast. I paired this scarf with a simple, black, long sleeved top and the tall leather boots. Simple, and the statement piece is the focal point and that's what makes it work.

Scarf: Alexander McQueen ~ Top: Aritzia ~ Jeans: Forever 21

Rings: American Eagle, Forever 21 ~ Boots: Aldo

Q: How do you like to wear statement pieces?

Friday Finds

Lately I realized that I spend a lot of my time on the internet, like looking at inspirational pictures, looking at funny pictures, watching youtube subscriptions like workout videos, or sxephil [daily favorite!] or fashion videos, and definitely catching up on my Google Reader subscriptions. Of course I spend time with friends, family, in the outdoors, or on school work, but since I spend a lot of time uncovering new things like recipes and cool articles, I wanted to start a new weekly series called, 'Friday Finds', and through this, share it with you guys! Basically, i'll post a few links/pictures of things I find on the internet throughout the week and I'll share them with you! I hope you enjoy this series!

I'm also going to start this post off with a theme, and this one is one I know you'll all love! What could that possibly be... FOOD! So, this is the first of a foodie friday finds post [hello, acronym]!

I begin with a cute Pinterest find that makes a great appetizer! Greek salad is so refreshing in the summer. It's packed with flavors, nutrients and yumminess. Instead of making a salad, perhaps marrinate the vegetables/feta in greek dressing, slip them onto a toothpick, and voila: greek salad skewers! Cute, right? Authentic greek salad flavor in a few bites. 

After vegetables comes dessert! Here we have grilled peaches, poached cherries, and vanilla bean ice cream. Hello, heaven?! Since the weather is gradually getting warmer, it's the perfect time to bring ice cream back, especially with seasonal fruits. Balance, right?

If you're not a chocolate fan, then this vanilla bean latte cake is for you. Honestly, even if you don't think you like vanilla, just look at this 3 layer cake - thick, sweet, authentic vanilla bean induced icing, spread between fluffy layers of cake. Now, this slice would be the perfect treat with an afternoon latte for a pick me up.

[for some reason this picture won't work]

I'm a huge fan of starting the day off on the right foot with a healthy and whole some breakfast. This thin green spinach and herb omlette [or flour less crepe] screams eat me. I love the addition of fresh herbs and goat cheese. They add lots of flavor and richness to any dish. 

I think many of us have a go-to cookie recipe that will always be a top choice, but a lot of them are traditionally loaded with white flour, butter, sugar, etc. With some tweaking, it's easy to make recipes healthier and still retain amazing flavor [and your figure]. Lately, I've been trying to cut down on my gluten, so I've been looking into recipes with almond flour [basically crushed almonds], and this one looks like a winner. Sure, it's still got butter and sugar, but the white flour is out and that makes these almond flour chocolate chip cookies a yummy gluten free choice.

Q: Which recipe would you love to try? Do you love food blogs as much as I do?

Have a great weekend! Maybe get in the kitchen and cook up a recipe!

A Splash of Pink

After writing my post on color blocking, I decided to look through my closet and see if I had any bright/neon articles of clothing to wear. Unfortunately, I found a lot of dull colors and old awkward fitting clothes. I really need to do a closet makeover by getting rid of old, worn out clothes. I find it so hard to part with old clothes, and yesterday I even wore an old TNA hoodie from the eighth grade... I'm a first year university student now/going on second, so that just tells you how old it is, but I guess that says something about the quality, right? 

At 9am on Saturday I wrote my first final: Math. I think it went well, but not A+ well. Now, I'm just anxiously awaiting the outcome, but in the mean time, I have 3 more finals to write: Sociology, Anthropology and English. On top of that, two Philosophy essays. The next two weeks are going to be stressful. 

Before writing my exam, I desperately needed to get a good cramming session in, so my sister and I headed to Starbucks, early Friday morning. I rediscovered these black skinny jeans that have not been worn in 6 months. I love my new (or 3 month old) gray anorak jacket. It's perfect for the Spring weather we have right now [my favorite!].

Jacket : Aritzia ~ Top : Urban Outfitters ~ Pants : American Eagle

Shoes [cream colored oxfords] : Forever 21 ~ Bag : Aritzia (TNA)

To fuel my obsession with Instagram and other iPhone apps, I spent way too much time editing this photo, but it turned out nicely, making its way to be my new Facebook profile picture. Feel free to check it out, and let me know what you think!

Q: Did you wear any bright colors last weekend? And, I also got a new header! I love it, because it's simple, adding a pop of color and it flowing with the layout/design of my blog. Thoughts? 

Mauve Love

Since we have officially been in the Spring season for about three weeks, I have been trying to incorporate more color into my daily outfits, whether it be from pastels or brighter shades. Color blocking is a huge trend this season and I've been seeing it all over Tumblr and around campus. A great way to add color into a wardrobe is to start with colored jeans. I do not own any colored pants myself, but I've been lusting over white, maroon, turquoise and mauve shades. 

Which of the two do you think if more expensive? If you can't guess, I'm on the same boat. The pair on the left is by J Brand, and they retail for $215.00 from Aritzia (but you could probably find a cheaper pair online), while the jeans on the right go for $44.47 [I believe the prices are Canadian for both]. You really can't even tell the difference in appearance, although as with most expensive clothing, you are paying for the quality, so it really is up to you which pair you go for. I think I would go for the American Eagle pair, and perhaps pick up another if I liked the first pair. Thoughts? 

These outfits are great for inspiration:

What are your favorite spring trends?