I'm Profiled in The LA Examiner!

Partial screenshot of the lengthy LA Examiner article that profiles Happy Go Marni

Today, the LA Examiner's Fine Dining reporter profiled Happy Go Marni, and the girl behind it! It is a wonderful article, and I'm extremely flattered and humbled to be written in such a bright light. It has a thorough overview of my food-loving background, including the fact that I wrote my master's thesis on food blogging, and served as sous chef in a Bay Area bistro at age 14. If you are at all curious about the gal behind this blog, please, by all means, read this LA Examiner piece! We're friends, right? Get to know me better! :)

Pure Genius: Using a Bundt Pan as a Vertical Roaster

Photo Credit: The Kitchn

Oh Kitchn, how I love thee! I read this idea on The Kitchn blog a few weeks ago and have been meaning to comment on it for awhile. It's pure genius! Instead of roasting a chicken on a vertical roaster, why not try using a bundt pan! You're probably more likely to have a bundt pan in your kitchen anyway, plus, the bundt pan lends itself perfectly to cooking a chicken because you can also cook a bunch of vegetables in the bottom and let the bird rest on them. So it's an all-in-one meal.

Photo Credit: The Kitchn

Vertical roasting, as a technique for cooking chicken, is one of my absolute favorite ways because the chicken comes out extremely juicy. The chicken stands upright on a pedestal and the juices fall straight down, naturally basting the chicken the whole time. Plus, it takes less time to cook and browns the chicken more evenly because it's getting heat from all sides. Trying the same technique using an item I typically use for cakes makes cooking a lot more exciting...not to mention resourceful! I can't wait to try this! Now all I need is a lesson on how to carve a whole chicken. Help? :-)

Go ahead, try the recipe The Kitchn posted for roasting a chicken on a bundt pan. Perhaps you'll start using your bundt pan more often now!

Top Chef Season 2 Winner Ilan Hall and the Castle Cake He Made for My Friend's Birthday

Me and Chef Ilan Hall (I'm holding up a latke!)

Ah, Saturday night. I attended a friend's birthday held at The Gorbals, a restaurant-bar in downtown LA run by Bravo's Top Chef Season 2 winner Ilan Hall. You might have heard about Hall's somewhat controversial menu item: bacon-wrapped matzah balls. His father is from Scotland, his mother is from Jerusalem. Go figure! As I don't eat bacon, I didn't order these daring matzah balls and can't testify to their brilliance or ridiculousness. But! I did try the latkes with applesauce and honey and wow they are amazing! I think I might have to drizzle some honey on applesauce every time I eat it from now on!

A menorah is parked at the restaurant's cash register
reminding you of some of the menu items

Plus, the cocktails are unusual and feature bourbon and gin in interesting flavor combinations, and the beers on tap are great. I ordered a pale ale that went down light and easy, and then a beer called the Abbey, which was significantly stronger and served in a rounded lowball tumbler glass probably more appropriate for scotch. So fun and unexpected!

The open kitchen allows you to watch Chef Ilan Hall in action

Besides the menu, the atmosphere makes The Gorbals an awesome venue. The Gorbals is located inside the historic Alexandria Hotel of 1906 so be sure to get intentionally lost on your way in or out so you can see some of the neat architecture and design touches (though with plenty of a feeling of abandonment from this no-longer-functioning hotel). The interior of the restaurant includes an open kitchen so you can watch the chef do his thing, and there's a long communal table in the middle of the place for you to sit at unless you opt for a more private dining experience at a table for just your group. The waitress we had was spectacular, super attentive and kind, always offering us water, and making sure we were happy. Hall looked like he was having a great time balancing cooking with stepping out of the kitchen and mingling with the party folk. He's a very friendly guy.

And speaking of friendly, Hall is friends with my friend, the birthday boy. So naturally, what is a chef to do when his friend hosts his birthday party at his pal's restaurant? Hall made a giant castle-shaped bundt cake, deep fried it, drenched it in some sort of vanilla glaze, sprinkled powdered sugar on top, and then finished it off with sparkler candles. Deep frying the entire cake basically resulted in a giant donut. And it was delicious!

The castle cake Ilan Hall made for my friend's birthday

To top off an already fun evening, I said a little hello to some comedians who came out for my friend's party, sending my celeb interaction quota for the day off the charts. You see, my friend is in the comedy business. In fact, I was told there were plenty more comedians in the room, but unless they're from Zoolander or they're about to host the 2010 MTV Movie Awards, they just look like the next guy to me.

I highly recommend you grab a drink and order some small plates at The Gorbals. And say hello to Ilan Hall. If you two hit things off and become fast friends, maybe he'll make you a giant castle birthday cake donut thingy, too!


The Making of the Giant Castle Birthday Cake Donut Thingy in Pictures:

Deep frying the castle cake

Pouring the glaze over the hot, just fried cake

Sprinkled with powdered sugar, the cake gets some sparkler candles

The candles are lit and the Happy Birthday Song is about to commence!

The Details:
The Gorbals
501 S. Spring Street
Los Angeles, California 90013
(213) 488-3408

Marshmallow Failure: You Can't Win 'Em All!

The finished product before being cut into squares, and retitled Ugly Marshmallows

This is my first ever attempt at making marshmallows. It didn't work out according to plan. It was supposed to be easy. They were supposed to be beautiful and impressive. I was supposed to be triumphant. But no. It was an ugly, sticky mess and now that I'm done pouting, I'm willing to share the photos with you.


I'd like to be able to say it was 4am when I made these and I was too tired to read the instructions carefully, but honestly, I have no idea where I went wrong and it wasn't 4am. Baking mishaps happen to everyone and this is my new personal favorite. The blob in the photo at the top makes me giggle to no end! I will say, though, that the final product does taste very much like a marshmallow. You just need to be blindfolded from the hideous sight while nibbling. Better luck next time!

National Food Bloggers Bake Sale - From LA to SF

Seriously, what are the chances of what I'm about to tell you happening?

I was very sad when I realized I had booked a weekend getaway to the Bay Area during the National Food Bloggers Bake Sale - a national event where cities across the country organize their own blogger bake sales, all scheduled for the same day, and 100% of the money raised goes to charity. I would have baked and participated in the Los Angeles one had I been in town. Plus, I was sad to miss out on tasting the wares of dedicated LA foodies who I follow online.


So, as I said above, what are the chances I'd be in San Francisco with my mom on the day of the national event and stumble upon the San Francisco version of the national bake sale! Holy bujeezus! Take me to Vegas to win big! I couldn't believe I wasn't going to miss out on the event after all and was standing in front of several tables of delicious-looking baked goods, all grouped by price, and sold by their bakers. Breads, muffins, cookies, French macarons, spicy caramel corn, even cake pops!


And when I asked one of the bloggers for her blog business card so I could check out her blog when I got home, I read the name on the card and fell speechless for a moment. It was Anita of Dessert First, a blogger I've been following for years already. I was buying baked goods made by a blogger I already loved. How lucky am I? My mom and I ended up purchasing quite a few tasty treats, including a banana bread cake ball, rhubarb ginger crumb cake, a three-pack of lavender sugar cookies, spicy caramel corn, a chocolate chocolate chip cookie, and an almond tea cake with apricot pieces. Everything was outstanding.


More information about the bake sale can be found at What's Gaby Cooking, home of the blogger who ran the nationwide event.

I hope this blogger bake sale happens again. I just LOVE the idea of it!

Baking with Avocados

My coworker brought this large basket of avocados to work today. A tree in his backyard is, well, prolific, and office mates have been the lucky recipients for several weeks now. I'm taking a few home with me, and I'm hoping to try baking something sweet with them. Cupcakes, yeast bread, pancakes, ice cream, not sure!

If you have any tips or suggestions or recipes for great avocado baking, please let me know! I did make Sweet Pea Cupcakes with 2 cups of mashed canned peas once, and let's not forget the ever-popular Pork-n-Beans Cake Minus the Pork; so I'm no stranger to bizarre ingredients in baking. But I'm new to the avocado baking scene. Inspire me!

James Beard Foundation Recognizes Jewish Delis!

This is my little shout-out to Jewish delis! Yahooooo! The James Beard Foundation Awards (which, for those who don't know, is like the Academy Awards in all categories of food) just announced its nominations for 2010 and various food-related books and TV shows and radio shows and people are being written up and congratulated all over the Internet. Some more often than others, maybe because they're trendy or familiar. The LA food scene is celebrating nominations of several Los Angeles chefs and writers. You can view all nominations by downloading this pdf.

But honestly, what excited me most when I read the nominations, was the JBF Awards nomination for Save the Deli by David Sax. I remember when this book first came out and I was thrilled that someone would dedicate his life, at least temporarily, to researching delis across America and even the world. Sounds like a tough (read: awesome) job, but someone's got to do it! And we're talking about a guy who's totally and utterly obsessed with delis. There could be no better person for the job. He has traveled to Montreal, Paris, London, even Poland, to find the best pastrami on rye. He visited the classics in the states, from Katz's in New York, to Langer's in LA, to Corky and Lenny's in Cleveland (which, by the way, is fabulous. You must try their corned beef on latke sandwich!).

House-cured pastrami from The Kitchen Table Restaurant in Mountain View, CA

David Sax is calling attention to Jewish delis in a big way. If it weren't for his efforts, I wouldn't have even known that there's a decline in deli and they need our help. I'm ready to open the phone lines! Sax's mission statement on his blog is great. Here's the intro:

Save the Deli is a space dedicated to the preservation of the Jewish delicatessen, a hallowed temple of salted and cured meats. The past half century has seen the deli’s numbers decline greatly, in New York, across the USA, in Canada, and Europe. Those that remain are endangered and in need of our support. Though the challenge is arduous, and the deli’s foes are many, we will persevere.

Take a look at this trailer Sax put together for the release of his book last year. It just makes you love him a little more!



When I visited the Amazon listing for the book, I found a letter written by Sax to Amazon customers. It's hilarious and worth a read. Here's one of my favorite excerpts, which will make you realize how much you need to own the book:

Do you know what it's like to be blown away by kishke? It's akin to a religious moment; your mouth is so in love with this crackling fat-stuffed sausage that it floods your brain with endorphins. It's a watershed event. I'd love for you to experience that.

So David Sax, if you're reading this, I just want to give you a big hug and congrats. You are keeping deli on the map. I hope you nab the JBF Award when they announce the winners May 2nd, but the nomination is already a fantastic start! Here's to pastrami on rye for generations to come.

Texas Barbecue Put the Baking on Hold

Iron Works Barbecue

I just spent the last 5 days eating Texas BBQ at SXSW Interactive in Austin. Soooooo yummy. But now it's time to rededicate myself to my sweet tooth and say buh-bye to my carnivorous side. And I think I'm going to eat only vegetables for the next MONTH!

New Blog Design for Happy Go Marni!

Notice anything different today?????

It's the new and improved Happy Go Marni!

I had been wanting for ages to change up the look of my blog because I was using a template from Blogger and it did not feel Marni-enough or personal. Good thing I have talented friends, because my wonderful, amazing, can't-say-enough-good-things-about-him friend Hillel Smith very generously offered his time and creativity to redesign my blog!

I think the new look really speaks to the theme and content of this blog. It's bright and cheerful in color and mood, and it doesn't overpower or darken the food photos; on the contrary, it warms everything up! Even the logo at the top has my curly brown hair. What's not to love! And I wouldn't expect anything less from Hillel; you should visit his site and see some of the amazing work he's produced over the years.

Hillel and me

I will be introducing you to Hillel's amazing artistic abilities more in an upcoming post, but for now, since we wouldn't want an elephant in the room, I have to address the fact that no, you are not on the wrong blog, it's just new and improved and, well, Happier Go Marni!

Baking Bread in Jerusalem

The baker carefully pulling the baked bread out of the oven with tongs

As I mentioned in my last post, I just returned from 2 weeks in Israel. I traveled all over the country and took over a thousand photos and an hour and a half of video on my HD Flip Mino. Much of the footage is of my meals, or of restaurants or markets. I'm a little obsessed with food. And the food of Israel is delicious and amazing.

On my very last day in Israel, my friend Joel, who moved to Jerusalem about 10 months ago, took me to a bakery in Jerusalem just outside the shuk (outdoor market). It was my birthday. Joel thought I'd get a kick out of the unusual way this bakery bakes its bread. He was right. I was fascinated by the bizarre oven pits and baking method. You stretch out the bread dough on what looks like a round pillow cushion, then carefully hold the edge of this cushion with your hand, stick your arm in the oven, and slap the cushion against the oven wall so that the dough sticks to the wall. It bakes for 3 minutes.

The baker saw how interested I was in what he was doing, and kindly invited me into the kitchen. He showed me the whole process, then showed me the scars on his arm from several burns, and then asked me to try my hand at slapping dough into the oven. Um, in that order. Let me repeat that. First he shows me his battle wounds, then says it's my turn. Suffice it to say, I was scared to death.

Without further ado, here's my 5 minute video of bread baking in a Jerusalem bakery. Enjoy!


Video: Marni and Joel Go Inside a Jerusalem Bakery Kitchen




Photos: In the Bakery Kitchen!

The baker preparing the portions of dough

The baker and Marni hanging out in the kitchen

Dough baking against the oven wall

The bakery sign as seen from Agrippas Street

My friend Joel and me enjoying the just-baked bread!

I'm Back and Birthdayed with Mark Peel!

My sister Beth, Mark Peel, and me!

I just returned from two amazing weeks in Israel (and I'll have more to say about that in upcoming posts). The last day of my trip was spent in Jerusalem, and it was also my birthday. Pretty special to celebrate the day in the Holy Land. This weekend, back in Los Angeles, I got together with friends for a little belated birthday bash at The Tar Pit, chef-restaurant mastermind Mark Peel's latest endeavor, and wow, my first impression was great! The vibe was cool and classy. Giant glass chandeliers, mirrored walls, and beautiful and comfy armchair seating. The drinks were fantastic and I thoroughly enjoyed my mint cucumber cocktail.


Being reunited with my friends after two weeks away, and doing so at a neat new bar-restaurant run by a man who's already proven himself to me with Campanile Restaurant and La Brea Bakery, made this birthday celebration a hit. But an unexpected bonus appearance by the real deal, Mark Peel, put this night over the top and gave me what friends pointed out on my face as a giant grin and glow. It's true, I couldn't stop smiling. So this is exactly what happened...

We are surprised and elated to see Mark Peel personally
delivering a dessert plate and birthday candle to our table!

I saw a man walk through the restaurant in a white chef coat and I immediately knew who it was. I stretched my arm and pointed him out to my friends. My friends tried to stop me from pointing, thinking I was identifying (and outing) some incognito celebrity who had just walked in. I explained to them that this man was the chef-owner. When they realized the level of excitement on my face, they encouraged me to go up to him and say hi.

I'm about to make a wish...

This wouldn't be the first time I'd met the man. He was a judge at the KCRW Good Food Pie Contest where I took home first place in the Creams category. So I got out of my seat and ran up to Mark Peel and said to him I wanted to re-introduce myself. He was so friendly! I told him it was my birthday party and he wanted to know where we were seated, what we were drinking, what we were eating, and if we were having a good time. Then he came over to our table to say hi to the gang. He told them I was Queen of Cream Pies, which made me blush. I couldn't believe I was chatting with Mark Peel. Then he went off to the kitchen. A few minutes later, he came back out with a yummy dessert plate of banana and coffee ice creams, an assortment of mini cookies, and a lit candle. He placed the plate in front of me, sang happy birthday, and sat down beside me. I made a wish and then got a photo with him. He stayed to chat for a few more minutes. Ain't life sweet!

The delicious dessert plate. Thank you, Mark Peel!

Mark, if you're reading this, you are a gracious host. Thanks for putting my birthday celebration over the top! I will definitely be returning to The Tar Pit; I have unfinished business there, needing to try the dinner menu and other delicious-sounding cocktails.

The Tar Pit
609 North La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 965-1300

Happy New Year and Away I Go!

Happy 2010! I've already mistakenly written 2009 four times this year. I wonder at what point I'll catch on. I am looking forward to another fun year of baking and experimenting and learning new things. Oh, and sharing all that with you!

But first, I'm going to disappear for two weeks and do a little traveling. It's a great way to start off the new year! When I come back in late January, I'll be ready to go in baking mode.

Until then!

Scavenging Los Angeles Cupcakeries in a Chevy Camaro and Equinox with Best of Tours

Image credit: When Tara Met Blog

Say what now?

Yes, on Saturday, I spent a couple of hours with fellow food bloggers, being chauffeured around town in Chevy demo cars, going from cupcake place to cupcake place to cupcake place to cupcake place.

Image credit: When Tara Met Blog

More specifically, we all met up at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles, where a couple of Chevy Equinoxes and one Chevy Camaro were lined up in the horseshoe, waiting for us. Giant magnet decals stuck to the outsides of the cars that read Best of Tours. That's because we were about to embark on a best-of-Los-Angeles-cupcake-bakeries tour. There were four stops planned: Crumbs Bake Shop, Sprinkles, SusieCakes, and Vanilla Bake Shop. The drivers had their printed-out cupcakeries maps ready to go. We got in the vehicles, taking turns riding in the Camaro because there was only one, and because it was so freaking awesome (bumblebee yellow and black and special Transformers edition with the Transformers logo on the outside of the car and stitched on the leather center armrest).

Our first stop was to Crumbs Bake Shop in Beverly Hills, and Harley Bauer, the owner and West Coast partner of the company, was there to greet us and personally hand us our cupcakes to sample. He was very hospitable, offering everyone coffee, additional cupcakes, and staying to chat. He was also wearing a fantastic t-shirt ("Jews do it for eight nights"), so I was an instant fan. I've always enjoyed Crumbs because they have a great ratio of frosting to cake (in other words, a TON of frosting), they even have fillings, there are tons of flavors to choose from (Reese's Peanut Butter Cup is my absolute favorite), and they stay open later than any other cupcake shop I can think of so you can get your fix late at night. Crumbs is also certified Kosher, and that is one HUGE leg up over the competition in this very Jewish city, and much appreciated, might I add. :-) Getting to meet the owner behind this great brand was really exciting, and for him to turn out to be such a doll and so inviting and friendly only made my experience at Crumbs Bake Shop better. In fact, I can tell you right now, this first stop was the highlight of the tour for me.

Hanukkah cupcakes at Crumbs Bake Shop

But I will blab on a bit about the other three stops because, well, there was a lot more sugar to be had, and I did have other positive experiences.

Sprinkles, just down the street from Crumbs Bake Shop, was our second stop. I really enjoy Sprinkles cupcakes. The ones I love the most are the ones that do, indeed, have sprinkles on them. For the tour, we pre-ordered a couple of boxes so we wouldn't have to wait, and we stood outside the shop to taste these. There is almost no room inside and we wouldn't all have been allowed in at once. Without getting to meet the owners or even the staff at Sprinkles, I simply didn't have the same positive feeling about this cupcakery that I had at Crumbs; it was missing the personal experience. But the cupcake itself was delicious. I had a vanilla cupcake with chocolate frosting and sprinkles covering every last spot of the frosted top.

Tara of When Tara Met Blog being fed a Sprinkles cupcake by pal Zendi

Then we were off to SusieCakes in Brentwood. The staff were warm and helpful. The holiday decor in the shop was everywhere, from the full-sized Christmas tree to the shelf displays to the baked goods, and they had a lot of seasonal options, not just in the form of cupcakes. In fact, while I got the gingerbread cupcake with cream cheese frosting, and it was spectacular, I also had my eye on a gingerbread whoopie pie with buttercream frosting sandwiched in between. Wow. SusieCakes makes a great cupcake. I am very impressed with how moist the cake part of the cupcake is.

Seasonal cupcakes at SusieCakes; I ordered the gingerbread ones
on the left with cream cheese cheese frosting

Amazing-looking gingerbread whoopie pies with
buttercream frosting from SusieCakes

My make-shift Tupperware is filling up!

Finally, we stopped off at Vanilla Bake Shop in Santa Monica. There were some cutely decorated cupcakes for Christmas with dyed green frosting, and mini versions of some of the flavors. I opted for a chocolate cupcake with toasted coconut frosting. Yum.

Lindsay, friend and co-editor of LAist, sitting in the
backseat of the Chevy Equinox with me.

I hope I get to partake in another Best of Tour because I had a lot of fun. It was neat to meet bloggers whom I only knew online via their blogs or on Twitter, plus going to eateries and sampling food is always a good time. And then of course, there's the aspect of being driven around in brand new vehicles with that new car smell...

The Chevy Equinox was a fun ride. Kind of reminded me of a Honda CRV. Outdoorsy and rugged, yet sophisticated enough to work as an everyday car. We even tested out the On Star feature, calling the hotline for directions back to the Pacific Design Center. There was plenty of leg room and the leather was comfortable.

Chevy Camaro and 3 Equinox cars taking us around LA

The new Camaro was a great ride and in a totally different way than the Equinox. It was sporty and sexy and bulging with biceps, if you know what I mean, and I could tell people on the streets were paying attention. And we weren't in just any Camaro. It was the bumblebee, meaning bright yellow with black striping detail all the way down the car. And it was the Transformers special edition with logo detailing on the outside and on the leather interior. The only thing missing from the scene was Shia Labeouf.

The sexy bumblebee Transformers special edition Chevy Camaro

Transformers logo affixed to the Chevy Camaro!

Transformers logo embroidered on the interior leather of the Chevy Camaro!

Special thanks to Tara of When Tara Met Blog for organizing the event. Thanks also to Chevy and GM for providing the transportation and to the cupcakeries for putting up with a crowd of chatty, photo-snapping, inquisitive bloggers.

Speaking of these bloggers, if you want to follow some really interesting, opinionated, fun ones on Twitter, why not start with the attendees from this event!

Here are their Twitter handles:
@BakeSpace
@squashblossom
@Kat_Taf
@LetMeEatCake
@LAOCFoodie
@Kimmycocochanel
@tarametblog
@kathleenbush
@katelin
@carolineoncrack
@happygomarni
@fauxlahipster
@pleasurepalate
@juliewolfson
@bestoftours
@GMNewsSoCal
@MeshaThomas

And here are recaps of the day by some of the bloggers:
Caroline on Crack: "Best of LA Cupcakes Tour with Bloggers and Chevy"
Let Me Eat Cake: "Cupcake Coma"
When Tara Met Blog: "Best of LA Cupcakes Tour with Chevy"
Pretty Sandy Feet: "Cupcakes and Wedding Dresses!"
Faces of GM: "Bloggers, Cupcakes and Chevrolet"
L.A. and O.C. Foodventures: "Thankfulness for Cupcake Tour Around LA"
LAist: "Tuesday is National Cupcake Day: So Who Has the Best?"
Edmunds Inside Line: "Chevrolet Goes on Cupcake Tour in L.A."
Pleasure Palate: "LA Cupcake Tour Powered by Chevy"

I've retired from cupcakes for a few days.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is Thanksgiving and I thought I'd take a moment to share a few things I'm thankful for this year. It's certainly not a comprehensive list. It's simply a little look into the past year and some of the things that have put the Happy in Happy Go Marni.


I'm thankful for my family. My mom Joyce and I talk every day and are as close as a mother and a daughter could be. She is my baking inspiration, an accomplished physical therapist, and the strongest woman I know. My dad Mark is brilliant and artistic and creative and fun. I call him for advice or to run ideas by him and he always has great feedback. My sister Beth is an amazing pediatric physical therapist, adventurous and curious, and always happy to try new restaurants or see shows with me, not to mention share precious sister-talk. My brother Zachary is a walking, talking dictionary. He just finished his masters degree at the London School of Economics and I'm so happy he moved back to the states. He can pretty much spout off any historical info on demand and shares my passion for social media.

I'm thankful for my LA community. I surround myself with supportive, fun-loving friends and together we explore the city, take turns hosting dinner parties, share or exchange clothes, and listen when someone needs an ear. It is a truly wonderful network of friends and I am so lucky!

I'm thankful for my KitchenAid standmixer. I didn't get this machine in 2009, but it's the gift that keeps on giving. I get so much pleasure from this machine that it's just about the biggest ROI purchase I've ever made. Baking in the Happy Go Marni kitchen would not be complete without my KitchenAid.

I'm thankful for my DVR. I watch a lot of TV series. But I'm also a busy girl, who works hard, commutes 2 hours a day, still manages to go out, see friends, play piano, frequent the sushi bars, bake, and fit in sleep. I don't let my TV shows dictate my life. The DVR allows me to watch shows in between the rest of my activities. My guilty pleasures of Glee, 90210, Melrose Place, Parks and Recreation, Private Practice, Big Bang Theory, The Middle, How I Met Your Mother, Iron Chef, Ugly Betty, Family Guy, and others can all wait!

I'm thankful for my cookbook collection. This collection grows every year. I have a disease called Must Buy More Cookbooks. It's a bad disease. It has infested my living room. There are two giant bookshelves near the couches and the only things in them are cookbooks. That's how many I have! Even when I'm not in the mood to bake, I'll still pull a cookbook off the shelf just to read it, study the recipes, the forward, the index, the photos, whatever. It makes a great night cap to an evening, just before bed. I mark the pages of these books with post-its, each one indicating a recipe I plan to try one day. At this point, with probably hundreds upon hundreds of post-its used, it's not realistic I'll get to them all and that makes me really sad and frustrated. There aren't enough hours in the day!

I'm thankful for my job. I am fortunate to have such a wonderful job with great coworkers, a supportive and involved boss, and work that constantly challenges me both intellectually and creatively.

I'm thankful for running. It was just over a year ago that I discovered running. At the time, October 2008, I started in order to train for a half-marathon in honor of my friend Rachel who was diagnosed with lymphoma. But even after the half-marathon ended, I ran in two more races and have kept up my running ever since. It's an incredible full body workout, a great stress reliever, and it allows me to catch up on whatever music I've just downloaded to my iPod.

And finally...

I'm thankful for my blog readers. I have a great time baking and writing up these blog posts and it's doubly fun to know that others are enjoying reading them. Hearing that someone made a recipe off my blog and it was a success is very rewarding. Hearing that my step-by-step photos are helpful is also really rewarding. I've met a lot of wonderful bloggers and non-bloggers through this blog. It's surprising and awesome how much fun this blog has brought me. So thank you to you, dear blog readers!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yes, I Really Did Attend a Johnny Cash Tribute Band and Live Cooking Show

Friday night, I took my friend Maya, the awesome blogger personality behind Shop Eat Sleep, and her boyfriend Rory, to "All Cake, No File," a show in Culver City with an unlikely match-up. It was part live cooking show and part Johnny Cash tribute band. Jewell Rae Jeffers, in a blond, 1950s wig, and thick Southern accent, led the cooking portion by demonstrating her Coke Cake on stage. It was a cake mix, some Coca-Cola, eggs, pecans, and a few more things, plus frosting with marshmallows. She offered up social commentary on the prison system while she baked and made funny mentions about all the products she was using in her cake that the show was not endorsing. The show was silly, but what do you expect from something that's part of the WTF?! Festival?

L-->R: Me, Jewell Rae, Maya

I have to tell you, walking into the theater before the show started and seeing a KitchenAid on the stage was a huge thrill. It almost didn't matter what the show was like because I just loved that it involved a KitchenAid. But the show did turn out to be fun and funny. Jewell Rae interacted with the audience throughout the show, and in between baking, an amazing Johnny Cash tribute band called With a Bible and a Gun performed some classic Johnny Cash songs. They were such a talented band! And they are actually doing a prison tour, performing for inmates all over the U.S.! They don't pretend to be Johnny Cash or his bandmates, other than wearing black and playing his music, so it's not a tribute band in the full sense of the word. Wayne Kramer of the MC5 also made an appearance and performed a few songs.

Standing with Corby Gallegos, the leader singer of With a Bible and a Gun,
who sounds just like Johnny Cash!

When the show ended, everyone was invited to the patio to have a slice of the cake and schmooze with the performers. Yes, the night ended with cake! Isn't that how all shows should end? Next Friday, November 27, is your last chance to see this show and Jewell Rae will be baking a different cake!

This was my first time at the Ivy Substation and at any Actors' Gang event. There really is not a bad seat in the house and the back courtyard area is a neat touch with heatlamps and a bar. I would absolutely go back to this venue, with or without a KitchenAid on stage.