tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37846899891750748132024-03-16T02:27:34.512-07:00C&C CakeryC&C Cakeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104837180740026550noreply@blogger.comBlogger205125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3784689989175074813.post-44326090340342389412014-05-24T18:37:00.001-07:002014-05-24T18:41:52.530-07:00Darth Vader Double Chocolate Cake (Gluten Free, Vegan)I want to share two things with you today.<br />
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The second thing is this cake:<br />
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<a name='more'></a>As you can see, this cake is beautiful and chocolatey and shaped remotely like Darth Vader. It is also product of my super awesome gluten-free/vegan recipe that I've muscled together. I know how my vegan buds and celiac dudes crave a good cake, but aren't often able to find one. That's the shittiest. So here is a easy cake, just for you!<br />
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And for the people who eat wheat and/or butter, you're invited to the cake party too! Seriously, just think of this one as the easiest, most delicious cake ever. Gluten-free/vegan or not.<br />
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Anyways, that was the second thing. Here's the first thing:<br />
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<i>This picture was taken by <a href="http://emeraldcitycomicon.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">an ECCC minion. Yay them!</a></i></div>
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Your eyes are not deceiving you. That is a <i>male</i> Slave Leia. We like to call him Prince Leia (he was inspired by<a href="http://madartlab.com/2013/02/11/slave-leo/" target="_blank"> this great cosplayer over here</a>). And next to him is Lady Han Solo, being all scruffy-lookin' and the like.<br />
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These are this year's cosplay. You might remember our <a href="http://www.cccakery.com/2013/04/captain-carrots-dwarven-carrot-cake.html" target="_blank">first year's costumes</a>. And then <a href="http://www.cccakery.com/2013/09/x-men-jubilees-funfetti-cookies.html" target="_blank">last summer's</a>. But these ones we're really proud of because of the amount of new skills. Sewing, casting with latex and resin, working with wonderflex and plastic, modelling with clay - we did it all. If you're interested in our cosplay, we do post pictures in both our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/CC-Cakery/56108447492?fref=ts" target="_blank">facebook</a>, and <a href="http://cccakery.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">tumblr</a>, so go check that crap out.<br />
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Okay, let's get back to the second thing.<br />
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Make this goddamn Vader cake. It is delicious.<br />
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<b><u>Double Chocolate Cake (Vegan and Gluten Free)</u></b><br />
<i>adapted from <a href="http://joythebaker.com/2012/02/simple-vegan-chocolate-cake/" target="_blank">Joy the Baker</a></i><br />
Makes one 8" cake (or <a href="http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?sku=2105-3035" target="_blank">Vader-shaped cake</a>)<br />
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2 1/4 cup gluten free flour mix (make sure it's a one-to-one mix. Or, if you don't care about gluten, just use regular ol' flour)<br />
1/2 cup cocoa powder<br />
1 1/2 cup sugar<br />
1 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1/4 teaspoon baking powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
1 1/4 cup coffee or dairy free milk (whichever you got on hand, really)<br />
1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil<br />
2 teapoons vanilla extract<br />
1/2 cocoa nibs or bittersweet chocolate chunks<br />
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1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil your pan, line the bottom with parchment paper (this is important for later) then set it aside.<br />
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2) Pour all your liquids (coffee or milk, oil, and vanilla) into a medium bowl and whisk until everything is fully incorporated. In a larger bowl, whisk together your flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir it together with a wooden spoon. No need to worry about over-mixing - that's the beauty with gluten-free flour! Add the cocoa nibs/chocolate chunks when the batter has come together. If it seems to dry for you (depending on your gf flour mix, it'll act differently), you can give it a glug or two of your coffee/milk to smooth it out.<br />
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3) Pour the batter into your pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until your cake tester comes out clean. Gluten free cakes <i>should not</i> be left in the pan to cool - this will make them all gummy. Flip that pan and take that cake out as soon as possible (and that's why you have that parchment paper bottom - it will help greatly. Let the cake cool before frosting.<br />
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<i>Tofu fudge frosting (seriously, you'll be eating this stuff with a spoon)</i><br />
12 oz bittersweet chocolate (chopped)<br />
1 package (about 12 oz) of firm silken tofu<br />
1/4 cup non-dairy milk<br />
2 Tablespoons agave or maple syrup<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
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1) In your food process, chop up the tofu until it's smooth. While it's processing, melt the chocolate over a double boiler. Spoon the melted chocolate into food processor with the tofu. Continue to process while adding the milk, syrup, and extract. Mix until everything is combined. Slop on your cake like a boss.<br />
<br />C&C Cakeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104837180740026550noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3784689989175074813.post-1161763608658580262014-04-22T13:02:00.002-07:002014-04-22T14:24:47.250-07:00Emperor's New Groove: Yzma CupcakesDisney movies have left me a bit cold recently. And, yes, that's a <i>Frozen</i> pun. Shut up about it.<br />
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I miss the days of hand-drawn cartoons with great music and characters with unique views on life. Pixar did show me that computer animation has it's place, but now is spitting up reboot after sad reboot. Yes, I loved <i>Nemo </i>and <i>The Incredibles</i>, but do we really want to give them the chance to ruin something so great? Isn't this the same studio that's pumping out <i>Cars 4</i>? </div>
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Remember a time when you didn't walk into a Disney movie already wincing? Whenever I see a new ad or preview, I have to give a little prayer to the animation gods: "Man, I hope this isn't <i>completely </i>horrible." It depresses me that this is a constant reaction to what is produced now-a-days. You've got some <i>good </i>movies, but not <i>great</i> movies. I'll still watch it, but I know that it's not going to be another <i>Lion King</i>.</div>
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To be fair, I have this opinion about everything now that I'm closer to 30 than to 20. Nostalgia value, right? I am big enough to admit that most of my favourite childhood infatuations <i>were absolute shit</i>, though. Try sitting through <i>Rock-a-Doodle</i>. I dare you.<br />
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At Emerald City Comic Con last month, a duo of cosplayers reminded me of a great Disney movie from my past. At the time, I was a brooding teenager, who went to the theatre with my not-yet double-digit sister. It was one of the last colourful hand-drawn Disney animations. And, god helped me, I still love it.<br />
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Eric of <a href="http://coregeek.net/" target="_blank">Coregeek </a>creates some amazing props and costumes. You're going to have to check out the<a href="http://coregeek.wordpress.com/2014/03/02/working-with-worbla-king-loki-build-helmet/" target="_blank"> Loki armour</a> he produced as well - I am, by no means, a Loki fan, but that costume was the best trickster god at ECCC. Not only that, the entire Coregeek family gets involved with most everything that comes out of that evil laboratory. Father/Daughter as Kronk/Yzma? This, my friends, is truly the bee's knees. It melts my cold, Disney-shunning heart. </div>
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Make sure you keep tabs on this amazing cosplay family through the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/coregeekcc?fref=ts" target="_blank">Coregeek Cosplay & Creations Facebook page</a>. The photo above comes from <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/camerarch/" target="_blank">Tran Imaging</a>.</div>
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Now, let's celebrate this amazing cosplay with cupcakes. PULL THE LEVER!<br />
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<b><u>Ymza Cupcakes</u></b><br />
<i>makes just over 2 dozen (~27) mini cupcakes, or 9 regular cupcakes</i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;">1 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;">1/2 cup strong coffee or espresso</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;">1 large egg</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;">1/3 cup vegetable oil</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;">1/2 cup buttermilk</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;">1/2 teaspoon vanilla</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;">1 cups sugar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;">1 cups flour</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;">1/2 cup cocoa powder</span><br />
1/8-1/4 teaspoon chili powder (optional - add to suit your own tastes)<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;">1 teaspoon baking powder</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;">1/2 teaspoon salt</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;">1) Preheat your oven to 350F. Chop up your bittersweet chocolate and melt it into your strong coffee. Make sure to stir so that there are no large bits of chocolate left. Set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, chili powder (if you are using it) and salt. Set aside.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;">2) In a large bowl with a mixer, whip up the eggs for about 3 minutes - until they're fluffy, pale in colour, and almost doubled in volume. One at a time, add the oil, buttermilk, and vanilla. Mix while adding to make sure everything is incorporated. Add the chocolate/coffee mixture and beat until everything is evenly mixed. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;">3) With a wooden spoon, stir in your dry ingredients until just combined - do not overmix! Pour a large spoonful of the batter into each cupcake liner - 1 Tablespoon each for mini cupcakes, 3 Tablespoons for regular cupcakes. Bake for 15-17 minutes (minis) or 20-25 minutes (regular), or until your cake tester comes out clean. Set out to cool before icing and filling.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;"><b><u>Dulce de Leche filling</u></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;">1 can (14 oz) of condensed milk</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;">couple pinches of sea salt</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;">1) Preheat your oven to 425F. Pour your condensed milk into a pie plate and sprinkle with the sea salt. Put in a larger pan, so you can use it as a water bath while it's cooking. Fill the larger pan half full with water, and carefully set your pie plate in it. Cover the whole shebang with aluminum foil, and put it in the oven for about an hour.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;">2) At the end of the hour, carefully take out the pan and give it a good stir. Put it in for another half hour, or until the condensed milk has thickened and taken on a nice caramel colour. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;">3) Core your cooled cupcakes and spoon some of your homemade dulce de leche right into it. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Baskerville Old Face;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;"><b><u>Vanilla Swiss Buttercream</u></b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;">1/2 cup sugar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;">2 large egg whites</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;">3/4 cup butter, softened and cubed</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;">1/2 teaspoon vanilla</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;">1/2 vanilla bean</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;">Purple food colouring gel</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;">1) Place egg whites and sugar in a double boiler. With the water simmering, whisk the whites until the sugar grains have all disintegrated. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;">2) Remove from heat and pour into a large bowl, careful not to drip any water into the eggs. With an electric mixer, beat the eggs until they form stiff, glossy peaks. Reduce the mixer speed, and slowly add the butter, one small cubed at a time. Mix until it seems like your mixture has begun to curdle (don't worry, it hasn't!) and then keep mixing until smooth. This will take quite a while, but don't give up!</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.17599868774414px;" />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Baskerville Old Face;"><span style="line-height: 22.17599868774414px;">3) After smooth, add the vanilla extract, the scrapings of your vanilla bean, and a small amount of your purple food colouring gel. Pipe on top of cooled cupcakes. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Baskerville Old Face;"><span style="line-height: 22.17599868774414px;"><br /></span></span></span>C&C Cakeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104837180740026550noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3784689989175074813.post-52127395157963680192014-04-13T12:08:00.001-07:002014-04-22T14:25:01.661-07:00Game of Thrones: Sansa's Lemoncakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you have connected with us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/CC-Cakery/56108447492?fref=ts" target="_blank">facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/CCCakery" target="_blank">twitter</a>, or <a href="http://cccakery.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">tumblr</a>, you know what we've been up to for the last couple months. For the rest of you who have been waiting patiently, today's the day it will all be revealed to you. Aren't you <i>excited?</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.emeraldcitycomicon.com/" target="_blank">Emerald City Comic Con</a> took place at the end of March. Months beforehand, Colin and I were prepping and sewing and moulding and sanding and painting. Out of all of that chaos, some pretty cool costumes came out of it. Like, some totally kickin' rad ones.<br />
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Today I'm not going to talk about our costumes, however. Today, I want to talk about another group whose costumes <i>brought tears to my eyes</i>. You may think that's a hyperbole, but, man, you have no idea. When these guys walked across on stage at the cosplay masquerade, you could hear the room's collective jaws hit the floor.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1yhtVqrXokX4474ZqMaDjRg5l71Gkbwm3pr6W2HVgrvXXfWfLLzeZK64TwR_k0023YkT4E7o0ZGOcts5YNxBrTGChJdTNjSsH0WrzwAIUBisLHkQdkhofwtKWNpDqiazlZ053lwXw38/s1600/ECCC+(98)small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1yhtVqrXokX4474ZqMaDjRg5l71Gkbwm3pr6W2HVgrvXXfWfLLzeZK64TwR_k0023YkT4E7o0ZGOcts5YNxBrTGChJdTNjSsH0WrzwAIUBisLHkQdkhofwtKWNpDqiazlZ053lwXw38/s1600/ECCC+(98)small.jpg" height="188" width="640" /></a></div>
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Now, this small photo I took shows only 9 of them. I believe there were roughly fifteen. They could barely fit on the stage. The most amazing part is that each costume was absolutely <i>stunning</i>. No shortcuts were taken with any of them. They even had tiny Bran, in full northern leather armour. Out of all of the characters they represented, however, the one I fell in love with the most was the Sansa:<br />
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The amount of fabric, love, (and probably tears), and embroidery that went into that thing was <i>incredible</i>. As the only member of the real Game of Thrones crew who doesn't back-stab, murder, and fuck her way through the plot, Sansa's become my top pick when it comes to inheriting Westeros. But what do I know? I don't have the guts to read the books.<br />
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If you're a fan of Game of Thrones, and amazing costumes, check out this groups facebook page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/IAFCosplay" target="_blank">Ice and Fire Cosplay</a>. The Sansa above is the lovely <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SeattleCosplay?fref=photo" target="_blank">Seattle Cosplay</a>, the picture is taken by <a href="http://www.sharctank.com/" target="_blank">SharcTank</a>.<br />
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In order to celebrate the new season of Game of Thrones, here's one of my favourite recipes from that universe. It's light and sweet, a little delicate, but also a little dangerous (especially if you eat too many of them). There are many recipes for Sansa's favourite treat out there, but this is the one I think is the closest you can get to cannon. It takes some patience and finagling (it took me a couple tries before they came out perfect), but the result is worth a little bit of effort. I mean, come one, one does not simple take over an entire kingdom in a day anyways.<br />
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<b><u>Sansa's Lemoncakes</u></b><br />
makes four, 7oz cakes<br />
<i>recipe adapted from Tom Colicchio's Game of Thrones foodtruck</i><br />
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2 eggs (separated)<br />
2/3 cup buttermilk<br />
2 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice<br />
1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon zest<br />
3 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon flour<br />
1/2 cup sugar<br />
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1) Preheat your oven to 300F. Butter four 7oz ramekins and dust them with sugar. Whip your egg whites into soft peaks and set aside.<br />
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2) Using your mixer, whip the egg yolks for a bit, then slowly add the buttermilk, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Continue mixing and sift it the sugar, than the flour. Fold in your egg whites, then divide the batter between your ramekins.<br />
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3) Set your ramekins in a water bath, cover with aluminum foil, and let bake for about 27-30 minutes, until your cakes spring back when touched. Take off the aluminum foil, and let cook for another 15 minutes more, so the tops get a bit golden. When finished, let cool for a bit before running a clean knife around the edge. Turn upside down on a plate to serve, or just eat it right out of the ramekin.<br />
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<br />C&C Cakeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104837180740026550noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3784689989175074813.post-55889929368174531062014-02-14T21:25:00.000-08:002014-02-15T17:43:06.579-08:00Superior Spider-Man Chocolate Coconut Cherry Truffles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In comic books, relationships don't really end well. For anyone involved. Even couples who you thought were completely safe have had<a href="http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/09/08/dc-comics-and-the-war-against-marriage-comics-batwoman-aquaman/" target="_blank"> the chairs pulled out from under them</a>. Which, for someone who is invested in this sort of stuff, is cruel and unusual punishment.<br />
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On this Valentine's Day, I'd like to celebrate some famous super couples, as well as the ways they were ripped from out of our hearts. (Warning - this is pretty DC Comics heavy, because that's what I grew up with. Marvel fans, please weigh in in the comments about how Valentines Day sucks for your side of the comic store too).<br />
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<b><u>1) Superman/Lois Lane</u></b><br />
<b>The Relationship: </b>Can we even talk about these two anymore? Am I allowed? Or is completely verboten by <a href="http://www.rickworley.com/2012/06/18/dan-didio-douchebags-of-comics/" target="_blank">Grand High Poobah Didio</a>? Lois was the role model I craved as a teenager - she was tenacious, kickass, and, more importantly, she didn't take sass from anyone. That 90's gemstone,"The Adventures of Lois and Clark", showed me I didn't have to worship the endless line of male superheroes - I could have a real female hero who had real human powers <i>I </i>could attain. What's more, Lois dates someone who was literately one of the most powerful men alive, <i>but that didn't define her as a character. </i>A woman? Not defined by who she's screwing? Wowwy!<br />
<b>The Fallout: </b>The new DC reboot left Ms. Lane in the dust. She's still around, but definitely not married to Clark. Nor is she aware that that big ol' nerd with glasses is actually the Man of Steel.. <i>Come on Lois, you're smarter than that.</i> And don't get me started on the whole "Supes/Wonder Woman" situation. I don't want to talk about it.<br />
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<b><u>2) Batman/Catwoman</u></b><br />
<b>The Relationship: </b>No matter what DC Comics tells you, Selina Kyle is not just a set of boobs in a tight cat suit. Again, here we have a woman who is independent enough to live without a man, yet knows how to use one to her advantage. Criminal turned anti-hero turned hero, she does what suits her. Selina is one of the few ladies who can crack that hard outer "MY PARENTS ARE DEAD" shell of Bruce's. That in itself is a feat. The fact that she does it while stealing diamonds behind his back is even better.<br />
<b>The Fallout:</b> Yes, Bruce <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talia_al_Ghul" target="_blank">fell for another girl.</a> And even <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damian_Wayne" target="_blank">made a small child with said girl</a>. Catwoman's relationship with Bats is a bit confusing nowadays. When I was growing up, the whole "cat and mouse" act was part of the fun.<a href="http://dcwomenkickingass.tumblr.com/post/44507533601/cwcostumes" target="_blank"> Now Selina and Bruce are laying around, post-coitus</a>, on the front page of her comic? Meh, no thanks.<br />
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<b><u>3) Aquaman/Mera</u></b><br />
<b>The Relationship: </b>For as long as I remember, these two have had one of the most real comic-book marriages around. Arthur (or Orin) even has given up his superhero ways to work on his relationship with his Queen. What a guy.<br />
<b>The Fallout: </b>So, suddenly, <a href="http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/09/07/aquaman-is-not-married-to-mera-in-the-new-52/" target="_blank">Aquaman is not married</a>? So, all that touching character development is gone? Aquaman is just a sad dude who talks with fish? Jeez.<br />
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<b><u>4) Apollo/Midnighter</u></b><br />
<b>The Relationship:</b> This couple answers the age old question: What would happen if Superman and Batman hooked up? The answer is: awesomeness. These two are both badass superheroes, and the most caring couples in all of comics. The best part? These even adopted a super-powered kid. Hot gay dads are the best dads.<br />
<b>The Fallout: </b><a href="http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=49257" target="_blank">Their comic title, "Stormwatch" has been cancelled. </a>Welp.<br />
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<b><u>5) Spider-Man/Mary Jane Watson</u></b><br />
<b>The Relationship:</b> To be honest, I'm really on the Peter Parker/Gwen Stacy boat. So why include these two? Why not Mr. Miracle and Big Barda? Arrow and Canary? Blue Beetle and Booster Gold? First off, Spider-Man and MJ had their own comic book, aptly named "Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane." It was one of the only light-hearted, romance-centred comic books we had back then that was sans Archie Andrews. I like comic books that prove you don't have to be all tough and brooding. They can be hilarious, a bit odd, or even just down right sugar coated fun. Seriously, comics, push the envelope and try something new.<br />
<b>The Fallout: </b>Really, it's no big surprise that "Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane" was cancelled after a handful of years. And what of the rest of the relationship? Well, right now Otto Octavius is stuck in the body of Peter Parker, making him a weird Spider-Man/Doc Ock mix. SpOck, I guess? Anyways, now MJ is dating Otto. Which is kinda gross. Man I miss Peter.<br />
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So, there you have it - my bitter review of how comics break your heart. Now it's time to feel better by eating a bunch of chocolates. Superior Chocolates.<br />
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<b><u>Superior Spider-Man Chocolate Truffles</u></b><br />
White chocolate and dark chocolate melting wafers (you can use tempered chocolate, but this shit is so much easier)<br />
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate<br />
2 Tablespoons butter<br />
~3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut<br />
~1/4 cup sour cherry preserves (cherry jam will do in a pinch)<br />
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1) Carefully paint the bottom and sides of your chocolate mould with your white and chocolate melting wafers. To make it extra spidermany, use this special <a href="http://www.entertainmentearth.com/prodinfo.asp?number=DC72382#.Uv7utvldWSo" target="_blank">properly themed silicone ice cube tray</a>. We actually got ours from <a href="http://www.tazmaniancomics.com/" target="_blank">our very favourite local comic book shop</a>. Leave the chocolate to harden while you work on the filling.<br />
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2) In a double boiler, melt the bittersweet chocolate with the butter until everything is nice and smooth. Add and stir in your shredded coconut and your cherry preserves - I would start with my recommended portions, but you can scale up or down as your tastes suits you. Let everything cool a bit before spooning into your chocolate moulds. Let cool again, then top off the back with another layer of chocolate melting wafers. Enjoy with your beloved before your comic gets cancelled.C&C Cakeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104837180740026550noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3784689989175074813.post-13724997943146739542014-02-03T20:18:00.002-08:002014-02-03T20:28:15.351-08:00Powerpuff Girls: Power Puff MarshmallowsSugar. Spice. Everything nice. That's what little girls are made of?<br />
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Wrong. We are all Chemical X, baby. And we're here to take names and kick asses. So I'm going to need some names.<br />
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We'll get back to the ladies in a moment. For now, I want to tell you about one of our favourite community events: <a href="http://www.wcgeeksversusnerds.com/index.php" target="_blank">West Coast Geeks vs. Nerds</a>. During this monthly venture, two teams of three go on stage with nothing but their wits, a couple of beers, and a super insane knowledge of obscure nerdom to debate their hearts out. The debate goes through five rounds, my absolute favourite being the "Who would win in a fight?" round. If the debaters get a little nuts, the night is kept somewhat sane by the host, the Lord High Mooman, and his nerf gun. The audience will decide who is the most deserving by hootin', hollerin', and bangin' things against tables. In the end, there is one victor, but a whole hell of a lot of fun.<br />
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Tuesday night (February 4th), myself and eight other ladies will be up on the West Coast Geeks vs Nerds stage for their annual <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WcGeeksVersusNerds" target="_blank">Femageddon</a> - a night devoted to womankind. Not only are there all female debaters, we will also be debating about famous female characters from popular culture. Tomorrow, Ms. Frizzle will be up against Mary Poppins for who is the most extraordinary educator. Afterwards, the headliner debate pits the Powerpuff Girls against the Salior Scouts for who is the best female fighting force. Things are going to get crazy up in here.<br />
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So if you're in the general Vancouver area and have nothing to do Tuesday night, <a href="http://www.wcgeeksversusnerds.com/tickets.html" target="_blank">come and join in the fun</a>. This time around, we've donated some of our Power Puffs - giant marshmallows of bad-guy fighting goodness. Come on down, buy a raffle ticket, win some marshmallows, and be a super giant nerd with the rest of the Vancouver nerd community. If you're not in the general Vancouver area, try the <a href="http://www.wcgeeksversusnerds.com/debates.html" target="_blank">West Coast Geeks vs. Nerds podcasts</a>, and whip up these dang Power Puffs yourself.<br />
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<b><u>Power Puff Marshmallows</u></b><br />
Makes about 15 huge marshmallows<br />
<i>recipe adapted from <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/" target="_blank">smitten kitchen </a></i><br />
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2 envelopes of unflavoured gelatin (that's about 1 Tablespoon + 1 1/4 teaspoons)<br />
1/2 cup of cold water (divided)<br />
1 cup of white sugar<br />
1/4 cup light corn syrup<br />
1/8 teaspoon salt<br />
1 large egg white<br />
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract<br />
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (not needed, but it makes it extra special)<br />
Confectioners' sugar (at least a cup, if not more)<br />
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1) In the bottom of your standing mixer (or a big bowl), combine your gelatin with 1/4 of your cold water. Give it a quick mix, then set aside.<br />
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2) In a heavy saucepan, whisk together your sugar, corn syrup, salt, and the other 1/4 of cold water under low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat and boil until your candy thermometer reads 240F. Remove from heat and pour into your gelatin/water mixture, that has been sitting nicely at the bottom of your mixing bowl. Mix on high for about 10 minutes, or until everything has turned white and has tripled in volume.<br />
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3) While this is mixing, whip up your egg white until it's reached stiff peaks. Spoon the egg whites into your marshmallow mixture and continue to whip until everything is combined.<br />
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4) Cover a 5 x 8 pan with confectioners' sugar and spatula in your marshmallow mix. Careful - it's going to be super sticky. Smooth everything out and cover the top with more confectioners' sugar. Chill until firm (about three hours or so), then remove from pan, cut into desired slices, and roll finished marshmallows in another layer of icing sugar. Defend Townsville from evil.<br />
<br />C&C Cakeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104837180740026550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3784689989175074813.post-71222922270746584752014-01-24T21:01:00.000-08:002014-01-24T21:01:55.750-08:00Sherlock: Mrs. Hudson's Lemonade SconesYou Sherlock fans are masochists.<br />
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I first found out about the show via Tumblr. Of course Tumblr. Every now and again, I would see a hilarious gif sets of Arthur Dent/Bilbo Baggins with some British dude, whom I would call "Ridiculous Cheek Bones". Turns out said dude was Cumberbatch - a man who was adored throughout the internet by flocks of "Cumberbitchs" (I wish I was making that up). </div>
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Finally, my curiosity peeked. I got my hands on the first three episodes of season one, and really enjoyed them. I then set out to find the rest of season one, only to be told by both twitter and tumblr that there were, in fact, only three episodes per season. Then the show goes on hiatus. For, like, almost two years. Then it comes back again. For another three episodes.<br />
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Jeez.<br />
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I don't know how you can take the punishment, Sherlock fans. I guess it's nice that each episode is an hour and a half (which, by the way, I can't even get through in one sitting. My ADD kick-starts about 40 minutes in). I hope you got some solace when the third season came around and Sherlock turned out to be not dead (not spoilering that shit 'cause <i>duh</i>).<br />
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I have yet to go through the third season myself. Hell, I haven't even made my way through the latest season of Walking Dead yet. But, to celebrate you, the Sherlock fandom, we made teeny tiny lemonade scones - something I'm sure Mrs. Hudson would bake up for the residents of 221B Baker Street.<br />
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<b><u>Mrs. Hudson's Lemonade Scones</u></b><br />
<i>Inspired by the amazing <a href="http://sherlockfood.tumblr.com/" target="_blank"> 221 Bakery Street</a>. Original recipe comes from <a href="http://www.aww.com.au/" target="_blank">Australian Women's Weekly</a>.</i><br />
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Makes about 10-12 mini scones<br />
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3 cups flour (plus extra for dusting)<br />
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons salt<br />
1 cup whipping cream<br />
1 cup fizzy lemon drink (I used lemon <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Pellegrino" target="_blank">San Pellegrino</a> - you can use whatever, but make sure it's bubbly and lemony)<br />
Jam and clotted cream to serve<br />
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1) Preheat oven to 375F. Place all dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together. Add the cream and the lemon drink. Mix until just combined, then scrape onto a floured surface to knead. Knead lightly until your dough comes together, then roll it until it's about 1" high. Cut out your scones with a round 2" cutter. Bake until brown on top, for about 15 minutes. Serve with jam, cream, and a mystery.C&C Cakeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104837180740026550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3784689989175074813.post-37106652058229733652014-01-05T17:05:00.000-08:002014-01-05T17:05:03.334-08:00Doctor Who: Giant TARDIS Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Time travelling is hard. Seriously.
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After my experience, I've sworn off spinning through time and space. You may think it's all romance. A mysterious man in a fez and a glowing screwdriver grabs you by the hand and pulls you into a giant blue box and BAM you're in the 25th century. Or the 15th century. Or whatever. But my experience was not like this. Instead of the Doctor, I had a no-nonsense stewardess, and instead of the TARDIS, it was a 747. Sounds a lot like flying, eh? Well, yeah, it was. But use your <i>imagination</i>. When I took off, it was noon on January 1st. When I landed, it was 7am on January 1st. WHERE IS YOUR GOD NOW?<br />
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Well, really, it could be explained by time zones. And the rotation of the earth. Et cetera, et cetera. But that's no fun. Forget <i>logic</i>.<br />
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I learned this Christmas vacation that time travelling is not for me. Even if my form of "Time Travel" just involved passing through the International Date Line on the way back from Australia. If the Doctor offered me the companionship of a life time, I'd have to decline. It really screws with your head, man. Constantly not knowing what day (or year, or universe) would be tough. Your inner clock would be messed up hard core. I mean, do Time Lords even <i>need </i>to sleep?<br />
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In order to celebration the Day of the Doctor (and time travellers in general), we whipped up this giant (and I mean GIANT) blue police call box (better known as the TARDIS) for Nerd HQ in our hometown of Burnaby. This thing was three blue velvet sheet cakes, eight cups of vanilla swiss buttercream, and a shit tonne of blue colouring gel. It was beloved by a whole gaggle of time lords, as well as a covey of companions.<br />
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<b><u>Giant TARDIS Cake</u></b><br />
<i>Makes one giant TARDIS cake - feeds a large group of Time Lords</i><br />
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For the Cake - This is the recipe for only one of the sheet cakes. To make the Tardis, you will need three (aka three seperate batches of these). Better get baking!<br />
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<b><i>Ingredients</i></b><br />
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2 1/2 cups AP flour </div>
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3 3/4 teaspoons baking powder</div>
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1 1/4 teaspoons salt</div>
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1 teaspoon baking soda</div>
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1 1/2 cups oil</div>
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1 1/2 cups white sugar</div>
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2 eggs</div>
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1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar</div>
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1 teaspoon vanilla</div>
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1 cup buttermilk</div>
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blue food colouring</div>
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1) Preheat your oven to 350F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Make sure everything is thoroughly mixed together. In another small bowl, whisk together your oil, eggs, vinegar, and vanilla until everything is well incorporated.</div>
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2) Slowly pour your wet ingredients into your dry, stirring well with a wooden spoon. When everything has just begun to be incorporated, start slowly adding your buttermilk and a your blue food colouring. Continue to stir until your batter is without lumps.</div>
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3) Pour into a 9x13 cake plan (make sure it's lined with parchment paper) and bake for about 17-20 minutes, or until your cake tester comes out clean. Let cool completely. Now repeat until you have three full sheet cakes.</div>
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For the Frosting - this should give you enough to fill and frost the cake. </div>
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<b><i>Ingredients</i></b></div>
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8 large egg whites</div>
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2 cups sugar</div>
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2 3/4 cups + 1 Tablespoon butter</div>
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1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract</div>
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blue food colouring gel</div>
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Chocolate and white chocolate melting wafers</div>
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1) Place egg whites and sugar in a double boiler. With the water simmering, whisk the whites until the sugar grains have all disintegrated.</div>
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2) Remove from heat and pour into a large bowl, careful not to drip any water into the eggs. With an electric mixer, beat the eggs until they form stiff, glossy peaks. Reduce the mixer speed, and slowly add the butter, one small cubed at a time. Mix until it seems like your mixture has begun to curdle (don't worry, it hasn't!) and then keep mixing until smooth. This will take quite a while, but don't give up!<br />
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<b><u>Assembly</u></b></div>
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1) Use one sheet cake as the main part (the "box") and use the second to create the top and bottom lip. Frost this all with the white icing (including the sides), making sure that you have a good amount of filling on the top. Stack the third whole sheet cake on top of the box, then use the rest of the second cake to form the second layer of the top and bottom of your Tardis. Crumb coat the whole thing (don't worry, we're putting another layer on top of that. Use some extra white on the top "light" of the Tardis - that is the only thing that will not be blue.</div>
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2) Set about a half cup of white icing aside, and colour the rest deep blue with your food colouring gel. Frost the whole thing with the blue, then stick it in the fridge (if you can find room) to harden slightly. Colour the rest of the white icing a lighter blue (for the front panels). Take out your cake and put strips of parchment paper where you do not want the light blue to show (check out our pictures for a helpful guide). Smear on a thin layer of the light blue icing on the top to make the panels, then pull off the parchment paper so you have a clean edge. Put it in the fridge to cool/harden.</div>
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3) Use your melting chocolate to create accents, like the sign, the doors, and the "Police Call Box" top. Serve to your most favourite Doctor Who fans, and watch as everyone's tongues go blue. </div>
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<i>The following pictures are from Nerd HQ patron, Stephen Gray - you can check out more of his neato photos on his <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/zemekiss/" target="_blank">Flickr page</a>.</i></div>
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<br />C&C Cakeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104837180740026550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3784689989175074813.post-79340380180313354722013-11-17T18:27:00.000-08:002013-11-17T18:52:50.086-08:00Firefly: Shepherd Book's Rosemary Biscuits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's November. Grab a sickly sweet pumpkin-spiced latte. Wrap yourself up in your Batman snuggie. Warm up a buttery biscuit, schmear that shit with butter, and stuff it right in the ol' pie hole.<br />
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Wait, November already? What the hell happened to October?<br />
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Usually, I really get into the Halloween spirit and inundate you with a gaggle of spooky baked goods.This year, however, November snuck up on us way too quickly. One day, I'm trotting along through the grocery store, buying bagfuls of those little mellowcreme pumpkins and then BAM - CANDY CANES OUT OF NO WHERE.<br />
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But there is a flip side to this whole thing. There may not have been any orange and black goodies on the blog, but we did spend October doing what we do best: baking for a group of charities and special events that make Vancouver really fantastic. In fact, we dropped off more donations in the last month and a half than ever before. We'll get back to those warm buttery biscuits later (I promise you), but, for now, I want to share with you want we baked up last month:<br />
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<li>There's a neat little space on Main Street that is an haven for artists and art-lovers alike called<i> <a href="http://hotartwetcity.com/" target="_blank">Hot Art Wet City</a></i>. The owner, Chris, has turned his little gallery into a safe and supportive place for local artists (professional and newbies alike) to share their work with the public. The show themes are usually open to everyone, and are totally accessible - some of my favourites include "Boobies & Wieners", "Great White North", and "May Laforge Be With You". We got to donate the lovely cake you see above to the opening of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chris_planb/sets/72157637233433335/" target="_blank">"No Memes No"</a>. Me gusta. </li>
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<li>C&C became official sponsors of not one, but two great events in Vancouver. The first, <a href="http://wcgeeksversusnerds.com/" target="_blank">West Coast Geeks vs. Nerds,</a> is super special to us. There are not many places where a large group of enthusiastic people are encouraged to drink, argue, and wear costumes, all in the name of dorky debates. And I'm talking about the "Who would win in a fight, Superman or Goku?" type of dorky debates. No matter what your passion is, West Coast Geeks vs. Nerds is a place to celebrate it. And yell and scream about it. Which is awesome. We've baked up everything from Elder Signs to Vulcan Salutes for them, all of which get raffled off to the audience. Last show, all the sweet sweet raffle cash went to support <a href="http://ca.movember.com/?home" target="_blank">Movember Canada</a> which, if you've been with us since the beginning, you know is pretty special to us. These guys even have<a href="http://ca.movember.com/team/976349" target="_blank"> their own Movember page</a>, so make sure to donate to the cause if you haven't already!</li>
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<li>We've also begun sponsoring a new improvised show in town - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/480815078615754/" target="_blank">Improv Against Humanity</a>, hosted by <a href="http://www.thefictionals.com/index.php" target="_blank">the Fictionals Comedy Company</a>. This show was named "The Best Improv For Horrible People" and, really, it's not something you bring you dear sweet granny to. But, for a "horrible" show, the Fictionals keep everything hilarious, but not creepy or uncomfortable. Plus, these guys do some pretty neat stuff out in the community - the most recent being the Momentum Youth Arts fest, where they worked with some spunky high school students. If there's one thing I love, it's teaching and inspiring young men and women to grab confidence by the balls, step on a stage, and be yourself. To help out, C&C have whipped up some chocolate frogs and butterfinger ghouls to raffle off at their shows. This month, we'll be baking up some Nightmare Before Christmas Cookies, so you seriously don't want to miss those</li>
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<li>Finally, we were able to get in the Halloween spirit with our buds, the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BCSuperfriends" target="_blank">BC Superfriends</a>. We dropped off some zombie red velvet cupcakes, spider bite cookies, and butterfinger ghouls to their local hangout, <a href="http://www.meetup.com/Nerdhq/" target="_blank">Nerd HQ</a>. The Superfriends will be using all the proceeds to build and support safe spaces and education programs devoted to helping out LGBTQ geeks and their allies. Definitely keep an eye on these guys, because they'll be putting together some amazing events.</li>
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So that's a lot of stuff going on, eh? That right there, friends, is a metric crap load of butter, flour, and sugar. In order to keep the ball rolling, we rely on non-donation orders to help us out. Order a cake, cupcakes, cookies, chocolates, or candy from us, and all the money goes directly to help out events and charities (like the ones we mentioned above). Our favourite individual order last month was this super Sonic cake and batch of Chaos Emerald cookies. The funds from this order went into making the Halloween sweets for the BC Superfriends, and topped off a donation to the Geeks vs. Nerds Movember page. Awesome, right? </div>
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So, to sum up this giant behemoth of a post, our October was devoted to helping the Vancouver Nerd community. Seriously, you will not meet a group of people who are more passionate about promoting friendship and enthusiasm. To celebrate this, we want to share with you a recipe that was first developed for another wonderful geek charity group, <a href="http://serenityscreeningvan.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">Can't Stop the Serenity Vancouver</a>. These are some little pieces of buttery love that is inspired by Shepherd Book (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeNBS1IY3pY" target="_blank">of Firefly and Serenity fame</a>) and his infatuation with spic<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">es. "Remember," he tells us, "the important thing is the spices. A man can live on packaged food from here 'til Judgement Day if he's got enough rosemary."</span></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;"><u>Shepherd Book's Rosemay Biscuits</u></b></div>
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">Very slightly adapted from Martha Stewart<a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/" style="color: #9900ff; text-decoration: none;"></a></i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">Makes about 14 biscuits</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">4 cups AP flour</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">4 teaspoons baking powder</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1 teaspoon baking soda</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1 1/2 teaspoons salt</span><br />
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1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary (roughly chopped)</div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1 teaspoon sugar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1 cup butter (cut into cubes)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">2 cups buttermilk (whole fat, please!)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1) Preheat oven 375 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, rosemary, and sugar. Using your hands, mix in the butter until you're left with a sandy texture and pea sized chunks of butter throughout. Add the buttermilk and mix until you've created a stick dough.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">2) Place a hefty amount of flour on your work space, and flatten the dough onto it, creating a disk that's about one inch flat. Cut out circles of dough, about two and a half inches in diameter, and place them on your baking tray. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until they tops have begun to get golden brown. Let cool slightly before enjoying.</span>C&C Cakeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104837180740026550noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3784689989175074813.post-47085984182677970872013-09-15T19:15:00.000-07:002013-09-15T19:15:08.235-07:00X-Men: Jubilee's Funfetti Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Summer is over in my books. Today was the first day that the blaring light of the sun didn't wake me from my long weekend slumber. Fog and rain clouds have now taken control. But that's okay. I have been growing tired of the heat and sunburns. I'm ready for fall to roll in.<br />
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That said, we did have a pretty fantastic summer. Mr. C and I went road tripping. We met new friends and baked for some awesome local groups and charities. The best part, though, was the new cosplay we cobbled together.<br />
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Paper. Resin. Fibreglass. Bondo. Lots of sanding. Some pretty nifty LED work. Vacuum forming. This cosplay had it all.<br />
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Yep. Daft Punk. We began crafting these helmets as a June post-school celebration. I somehow got it into my head that I wanted to go out drinking in a Guy Manuel mask. Things happened, including an epic PET-G fail, and we were left with only a Thomas helmet. Which I still took out and got drunk in.<br />
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That wasn't the last of it, though. Version two of both helmets were reworked and recrafted, and we were able to wear them out during the Vancouver Pride Parade with the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BCSuperfriends" target="_blank">BC Superfriends</a>. It was hot and sweaty and ridiculous, but probably my favourite part of summer.<br />
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As a celebration for the end of summer, I'm going to share with you one of the sweet recipes we baked up for the BC Superfriends. It's a cookie based on our favourite spunky mutant, Jubilee. And I'm talking the 1990s version. You know, the one in the slammin' yellow duster. We took all the power of her fireworks and put them into this sprinkle-filled funfetti cookie. Awesome to the max.<br />
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<b><u>Jubilee's Funfetti Cookies</u></b><br />
Makes about 13 cookies<br />
<i>slightly adapted from <a href="http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/" target="_blank">Sally's Baking Addiction</a></i><br />
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1/2 cup of butter<br />
3/4 cup white sugar<br />
1 egg<br />
1/2 teaspoon vanilla<br />
1/2 teaspoon almond extract<br />
1 1/2 cup flour<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
1 teaspoon baking powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1 teaspoon cream of tartar<br />
1/2 cup sprinkles (we used the small round ones)<br />
Extra star sprinkles to top before baking<br />
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1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whip together your butter and white sugar until really light and fluffy. Add your egg and continue to beat on high until everything is nice and light. Add both your vanilla and almond extract. Sift together your flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cream of tartar and stir in with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle the sprinkles throughout your batter while you fold it a couple of times.<br />
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2) Scoop some dough and roll into golf-ball sized balls. Press them down slightly onto your baking pan, and then sprinkle some extra stars on top. Bake for about 7-8 minutes, or when you start to see cracks forming across the cookies, before they start to get golden. They will be super soft, but that's a-okay. Keep them on the pan to cool completely before taking them off. Enjoy with some milk and take some time to find your hidden mutant powers.<br />
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<br />C&C Cakeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104837180740026550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3784689989175074813.post-10583018613135026922013-09-07T17:38:00.000-07:002013-09-07T17:58:57.153-07:00Portal Mini CakesI don't play a lot of video games. Because of this, I feel a little left out of geek culture sometimes. I gobble up comic books and board games and cosplay stuff, but I'm always in the dark when people around me start talking about what they got during the latest Steam sale.<br />
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This has never been so evident as when I visited <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WcGeeksVersusNerds" target="_blank">West Coast Geeks vs Nerds</a> at our local nerd bar, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/expbar" target="_blank">EXP</a>, when they hosted a video game trivia night. Mr. C, my two best buds, and I formed Team SkyrimJob and felt semi-confident about our skills. I had watched hours upon hours of <a href="http://didyouknowgaming.com/" target="_blank">Do You Know Gaming?</a> beforehand, hoping that <i>something </i>would sink in.<br />
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Nothing did, as it turned out. We came in dead last. At least the <a href="https://twitter.com/cartoonmoo" target="_blank">Lord High Mooman</a> felt bad for us and gave us a pitty prize.<br />
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I have great respect for the people who devour games. I find the majority of them too much for my anxious little brain to handle. Even Kingdom Hearts made me a bit too high strung. I remember trying Left 4 Dead once, which just consisted of me panicking for an hour and a half ("OH GOD WHAT'S THAT WHY IS IT DOING THAT I'M JUST GOING TO STAND IN THE CORNER HERE AND NOT MOVE"). Co-op games are usually fine - Balder's Gate and X-Men Legends were favourites during university - but I am usually the character who stood in back and fired off wave after wave of DPS. If the enemy got anywhere close, I would panic and run. Much to the chagrin of my fellow players.<br />
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Now I'm perfectly content to sit and watch Mr. C play. This way, I get to experience the game without needing to go through the hysteria of fighting stuff and dying constantly.<br />
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Video game cake is a different matter altogether. The most famous of all is the one that appeared in Portal - a chocolate promise at the end of the game that makes the whole ordeal worth it. Even if it is a lie.<br />
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<b><u>Mini Portal Cakes</u></b><br />
<i>Adapted from Martha Stewart and <a href="http://www.snackordie.com/" target="_blank">Snack or Die</a></i><br />
Makes about 16 mini cakes<br />
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3/4 cups butter<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
3 large eggs<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
3/4 cup cocoa powder<br />
3/4 cup flour<br />
1/2 teaspoon baking powder<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
1/2 sour cream<br />
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1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. With your mixer, whip together your butter and sugar until nice and light. Add the eggs, one at a time, and continue to beat until fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix a few more times. Sift in your dry ingredients - cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt - and stir with a wooden spoon. Add your sour cream, and stir until all your ingredients are combined.<br />
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2) Put liners in your cupcake tin and scoop two heaping tablespoons of batter into each one. Bake until your cake tester comes out clean, about 15 to 17 minutes. Let cool before you take the liners off.<br />
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<i>Chocolate Coating</i><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1/4 cup butter</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">7 ounces bittersweet chocolate</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1) Melt your butter and chocolate in a double boiler. When everything has melted, carefully dipped your cooled (with no liners!) cakes in the ganache and place on a cooling wrack. Decorate right away.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;"><i>Decoration</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">bittersweet chocolate squares (grated), about 3-4 ounces</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">royal icing (I used <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/857635/royal-icing" target="_blank">this recipe</a>, halved)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">Large red nonpareils </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">candles</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1) Right after you've dipped your cakes in the ganache, roll them in your grated bittersweet chocolate. After the ganache has hardened completely, pipe six little dots of royal icing and stick one large red nonpareil in the centre of each one. Stick candle in the middle, and enjoy your cake after a hard day of sciencing. </span>C&C Cakeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104837180740026550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3784689989175074813.post-30309169649215249812013-08-27T22:07:00.001-07:002013-08-28T09:36:17.970-07:00Pokeball Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Mr. C and I just got back from a very long vacation. We climbed to the top of a volcano in the middle of a larger volcano. We went hunting for translucent cave bacon. We geeked out at a Shakespeare festival. Or, <i>I</i> geeked out at the Shakespeare festival. Theatre's in <i>my blood, yo. </i><br />
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A lot of our vacations are pretty busy. For instance, at Disneyland, we opened <i>and </i>closed the park. In typhoon rains. For five days. It was epic. And tiring. And so very full of blisters. But that's just how we roll. This vacation was full of hiking and travelling, but we had a lot of downtime, which was nice for a change. We even slept in until 10am one morning, which is unheard of during C&C vacation time. It was really refreshing to roll out of the bed at the hotel, turn on the tube, grab some pre-packaged oatmeal, and zone out to some cartoons.<br />
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Now, I cancelled our TV a month ago. I don't miss it much, but I do feel a little empty without my Saturday morning cartoons. I think I became a little starved for bright moving colours, because I watched <i>everything</i> animated while on vacation. I watched <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YUauib8k2Y" target="_blank">really really good shows</a>. And some <a href="http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/tv_shows/beyblade/index.html?atclk_gn=picker_Beyblade_Shogun_Steel" target="_blank">not so good shows</a>. I even came across some old friends - which I feel like I need to talk about.<br />
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I last watched Pokemon maybe, I don't know, seventeen years ago? Was it even on that long ago? I remember Ash, Brock, and Misty galavanting around, throwing balls at other people, and making silly little creatures fight each other for no moral purpose. I loved it. I played Red and Blue and Yellow. I even went to the first movie with my little sister. So, it was quite surprising for me to come across Pokemon in my hotel. It was also quite surprising to see that Ash was touting around two new doofuses: a cute little girl with <i>giant</i> hair, and a "Pokemon Connoisseur". What the <i>fuck</i> is a "Pokemon Connoisseur"? Does he pair wine with sous vide pokemon? I mean, they <i>have to</i> eat pokemon. Maybe that's why they make these things fight - the losers get barbecued. That or is everyone in the universe is vegetarian.<br />
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For a pokemon throwback, we baked up these tasty, oh so sugary pokeballs for you to relive your childhood. Or, if you watch the current show, you can stuff your face and pretend you're a Pokemon Connoisseur. Because that's a thing now.<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;"><u>Pokeball Sugar Cookies</u></b><br />
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">Makes about 16 cookies (depending on the size of your cookie cutter)</i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1/2 cup butter</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1 cup sugar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1 egg</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1 teaspoon vanilla</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">2 cups flour </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1/2 teaspoon baking powder</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1/3 teaspoon salt</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">red food colouring</span><br />
dark chocolate melting wafers<br />
white chocolate melting wafers<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Baskerville Old Face;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">1) In your mixer, whip together your butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add your egg, then your vanilla, and continue to mix until completely incorporated. In a separate bowl, sift together your flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir your dry ingredients into your wet ones with a wooden spoon until it starts to forms a dough. Stop and divide your dough in half - take half of it out and form into a disc, cover completely with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge to cool. Add some red food colouring to the other half and mix with your mixer (a paddle attachment is best) until the colour is distributed throughout. Smoosh it into a disc, cover with plastic wrap, and cool in the refrigerator with the other dough for at least a half hour.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">2) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Roll out your plain dough to about a quarter inch thick. Use a circle cookie cutter (I used my 2.5" circle) and cut out your cookies. With a knife, cut each circle in half. Do the same with your red dough. On your cookie sheet, carefully piece together a half of a red circle and a half of a plain circle. You can mush it a little with your fingers to make sure the pieces stick together.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;"> Bake for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until your cookies start getting a little golden. When they come out of the oven, place one white chocolate melting wafer right in the middle of your cookie. Let everything cool completely, then pipe your dark chocolate melting wafers across the middle of your pokeball and around the white chocolate wafer. Let the chocolate harden, then try to capture small creature with them. Or eat them. Whatever. </span>C&C Cakeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104837180740026550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3784689989175074813.post-83019771107578251902013-07-21T19:16:00.000-07:002013-07-21T19:20:52.321-07:00Event: BC Superfriends' Pride Menu 2013If you're stalking us on <a href="https://twitter.com/CCCakery" target="_blank">Twitter </a>and/or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/CC-Cakery/56108447492" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, you know that we're very excited about a new group that just popped up in our neck of the woods.<a href="https://www.facebook.com/BCSuperfriends" target="_blank"> BC Superfriends</a> is a LGBT and Allies group that aim to host super geeky inclusive events in and around Vancouver. Their goal is to create a safe space for everyone to be their nerdy selves, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Seriously, these peeps are amazing.<br />
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Their first event takes place on August 4th, where they'll be cosplaying in the Pride Parade. Afterwards, we'll all be meeting at<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/154372221415767/" target="_blank"> Rainbow's End</a>, a Queer Geek After-Pride Party that will seriously rock the house. The BC Superfriends have just begun to spread their super fantastic glittery wings, which means they need a little help to start up the fabulousness. That's why they've got<a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/bc-superfriends-pride-fundraiser" target="_blank"> an IndieGoGo</a> on the go - check it out, donate what you can. We're baking up some special edition Pride cupcakes for anyone who pledges $30, so make sure you go and do that.<br />
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Speaking of Pride and baked goods, we've been busy developing a BC Superfriends menu. If you're going to Rainbow's End, you can order from the list below and all the treats will meet you there on August 4th. If you're not going to Rainbow's End, but you still want some amazing baked goods, you can still order from the menu and the treats will be delivered right to you (as long as, you know, you're in the Greater Vancouver area). <b>All orders need to be in by July 31st!</b><br />
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Have a gander at the menu, and remember that all proceeds will be going straight to the BC Superfriends. If you'd like to order, or if you have a question, please email us at<a href="mailto:cccakery@gmail.com" target="_blank"> cccakery@gmail.com</a>.C&C Cakeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104837180740026550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3784689989175074813.post-60746582014253571182013-07-17T16:23:00.001-07:002013-07-17T16:23:53.271-07:00San Diego Comic Con Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I got my Con cherry popped not too long ago by<a href="http://www.emeraldcitycomicon.com/" target="_blank"> Emerald City</a>. It wasn't planned - I hadn't thought about going at all. One day, however, two of my best buds mentioned that they was taking <a href="http://www.theknittrix.com/" target="_blank">their comic</a> on the road to Seattle.<br />
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"Boy," said Mr. C, "it would be cool to go down and hang out with them."<br />
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"Yeah," I said, "and, like, cosplay and stuff."<br />
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We laughed. And then looked at each other with intensity. It dawned on us. This was our chance to finally see what all the fuss was about. I'm pretty sure I didn't sleep well for months after that - All I could do was think about finally going to my first convention. What would it be like? Would it really smell like BO and regret? Would I get to talk to someone famous? Would I spend all my money on Booster Gold figurines? Would my very first cosplay end up in pieces on the vendor floor? SO MANY QUESTIONS.<br />
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Emerald City came and went. It was like a blur. At the end of it, I was tired and sick and achy. But, boy, could I not wait to do it again.</div>
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I bet you San Diego is a thousand times this.</div>
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Comic Con is everywhere right now. Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr. Even freakin' Pinterest. Even though our best buds are going (and hopefully will pick me up some sweet art and/or a <a href="http://www.venturebrosblog.com/2013/06/naked-brock-samson-action-figures-convention-exclusive/" target="_blank">naked Brock Samson action figure</a>), Mr. C and I will not make the pilgrimage this year. I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty bummed about it. I mean, I'm not really into going to panels. Or getting swag bags. Or getting my photo taken with famous people. I really want to go to Comic Con to experience that feeling of being <i>home </i>with my fellow nerd brethren. I don't have to pretend to be a professional so-and-so there. I don't have to wear my mask of social acceptance. I can just be myself <i>and totally nerd out. </i>That, to me, is the coolest thing about Comic Con.<br />
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If you are one of the lucky nerdlingers at Comic Con today, I want to leave you with something that really hit me in the old ticker from super geek, Tony B Kim. In his blog, <a href="http://crazy4comiccon.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Crazy 4 Comic Con</a>, he goes over the ins and outs of how to survive Nerdvana. It was <a href="http://crazy4comiccon.wordpress.com/2013/07/15/tip-of-the-day-27-two-things-that-will-change-everything/" target="_blank">his video on Monday</a> that really hit home, though. He reminds us - inside and outside of Comic Con - to be kind to your fellow nerd. Go out of your way to do something nice. Make someone's day. Go out and offer to buy coffee for someone who looks like they're having a rough day. Ask that little kid in the Batman cosplay if you can take a picture with him, because he's so totally awesome. Smile. Brighten up the nerd community. We can't be there to spread the joy in San Diego, so we made a goddamn huge cake to celebrate with everyone.<br />
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So, Comic Con friends - enjoy! And tweet lots and lots of pictures. We're jealous already.<br />
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And, seriously, someone needs to grab me that naked Brock action figure. For reals. <br />
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<b><u>San Diego Comic Con Cake</u></b><br />
A note: This cake is huge. Like, ginormous. Have several friends handy to consume extra cake.<br />
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<i>Espresso Chocolate Cake</i><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">3 ounces bittersweet chocolate</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1 cup espresso or really strong coffee</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">2 large eggs</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">2/3 cup vegetable oil</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1 cup buttermilk</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1 teaspoon vanilla</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">2 cups sugar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">2 cups flour</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1 cup cocoa powder</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">2 teaspoons baking powder</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1 teaspoon salt</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1) Preheat your oven to 350F. Chop up your bittersweet chocolate and melt it into your hot espresso. Make sure to stir so that there are no large bits of chocolate left. Set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">2) In a large bowl with a mixer, whip up the eggs for about 3 minutes - until they're fluffy, pale in colour, and almost doubled in volume. One at a time, add the oil, buttermilk, and vanilla. Mix while adding to make sure everything is incorporated. Add the chocolate/coffee mixture and beat until everything is evenly mixed. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">3) With a wooden spoon, stir in your dry ingredients until just combined - do not overmix! Pour your batter equally into two greased 9" cake tins. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until your cake tester comes out clean. Set out to cool before cutting and icing.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;"><i>Yellow Cake</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">adapted from <a href="http://www.cakespy.com/" target="_blank">cakespy's </a>recipe from <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/The-Secret-Lives-Baked-Goods/dp/1570618534" target="_blank">The Secret Lives of Baked Goods</a></span><br />
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1 cup butter<br />
1 1/2 cup sugar<br />
1/4 cup brown sugar<br />
4 eggs, separated<br />
2 teaspoons vanilla extract<br />
1 cup sour cream<br />
1/4 cup milk<br />
1 cup cake flour<br />
1 1/2 cup AP flour<br />
2 teaspoons baking powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
yellow food colouring (if you'd like a nicer Comic Con Yellow colour)<br />
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1) Separate your eggs. Take your egg whites and whip until nice you've hit soft peaks. Set aside. In your mixer, take your butter and whip up with your two sugars. Add your egg yolks, one at a time, and continue to whip until everything is incorporated. Stir in the vanilla and your food colouring (if you are using it).<br />
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2) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Sift in both of your flours, baking powder, and salt. Give it a couple stirs, then add your sour cream. Mix with a wooden spoon a couple of times. Add your milk, and then stir until everything is incorporated. Take those whipped egg whites you've set aside and gently fold into the batter using a spatula.<br />
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3) Pour your batter equally into two greased 9" cake pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until your cake tester comes out clean. Set out to cool before cutting and icing.<br />
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<i>Swiss Meringue Buttercream</i><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">2 cups sugar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">8 large egg whites</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">3 cups butter, softened and cubed</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">2 teaspoon vanilla</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1) Place egg whites and sugar in a double boiler. With the water simmering, whisk the whites until the sugar grains have all disintegrated. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">2) Remove from heat and pour into a large bowl, careful not to drip any water into the eggs. With an electric mixer, beat the eggs until they form stiff, glossy peaks. Reduce the mixer speed, and slowly add the butter, one small cubed at a time. Mix until it seems like your mixture has begun to curdle (don't worry, it hasn't!) and then keep mixing until smooth. This will take quite a while, but don't give up!</span><br />
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<i>Putting together your cake</i><br />
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1) Take your four cooled 9" cakes and put them on your cutting board. First off, level your cakes, making sure that they're both the same height. Take a 6" and a 3" cake pan (or draw yourself 6" and a 3" circles and cut them out). Start with your 6" and place it right smack dab in the middle of your cakes and cut around it. Next, do the same thing with your 3" circle. Very carefully disable your cakes - so you should have four 9" rings, four 6" rings, and a small 3" circle.<br />
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2) Now it's assembly time! Start with a yellow cake 9" ring, slide a chocolate 6" ring inside, then finish it off with a yellow 3" circle in the middle, making what looks like a sweet cake bullseye of goodness. Cover with a thin layer of buttercream, then carefully start your next layer. You started with the yellow cake 9" first, so now your next layer will start with a chocolate 9" ring. Carefully stack it on top, then slide in a yellow 6" ring, and then a chocolate 3" circle. Continue your stacking until you've got all four layer stacked beautifully with a small layer of buttercream in between.<br />
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3) Cover the rest of your cake in buttercream - we tinted ours grey first. If you'd like a neato San Diego eye like the one we've got, you can use <a href="http://cakejournal.com/tutorials/how-to-make-a-frozen-buttercream-transfer/" target="_blank">a buttercream transfer technique</a>. Enjoy cake with, like, twenty friends, and dream about going to Nerdvana next year.C&C Cakeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104837180740026550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3784689989175074813.post-44497988781541236442013-07-12T15:30:00.002-07:002013-07-12T16:09:28.393-07:00Game of Thrones: Dothraki Blood PieDo you remember playing Junior Monopoly? The one where you had to buy up rides to create the most badass amusement park <i>ever</i>? Or Guess Who? The one where you had stare at twenty of the ugliest faces ever illustrated by the gaming industry? Or Sorry? The one where you were allowed to be a total dick to your friends?<br />
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Man, tabletop gaming sure has changed.<br />
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I'm lucky to have found a group of friends that encourages gaming. We roleplay - World of Darkness, Call of Cthulhu, D&D - and have been doing so on and off since university. Just recently, we've fallen back in love with the boardgame. Starting with Catan, we've blundered our way through the Resistance, Flux, Chrononauts, and Bohnanza. Those were a hoot. But then we started to get serious.<br />
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We brought out the Game of Thrones: The Board Game. And a large amount of wine to go with it.<br />
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Now, I have to tell you something about my buddies - when we go out, we go <i>all out</i>. Themed potlucks. Themed drinks. Even more themed drinks. Which usually leads to a lot of themed yelling and threatening. We love each other, really we do, but when comes to moving little guys across an imaginary land, we can get downright <i>vengeful</i>.<br />
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When we brought out the Game of Thrones game a couple of months back, it was quite the experience. Firstly, the rules were a novel. And this isn't an hyperbole. I'm sure in the future they'll study these things in a Grade 11 Lit class. Then the wine came, and the rules got a little harder to understand. Then the hard liquor came, and the rules went out the window. Families across Westeros started to curse and throw ships at each other. Fights broke out across the land. Kings Landing fell and rose a dozen times. By two in the morning, we had a new King on the Iron Throne. I seriously cannot tell you who it was, though. Way too much wine.<br />
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I'd recommend the Game of Thrones board game if you're a big fan of the books first and foremost. Mr C loved it when he was able to play certain notorious members of your chosen clan - Patchface was a favourite of the group, but I couldn't tell you why. (Silly book nerds, getting excited about book stuff). I would also recommend you bring a lot of food and wine - it'll help the reading of the rules go much quicker.<br />
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This was a dish we baked up for our first GoT gaming night. It's a savory pie, which is usually not our forte, but when I found hanging around the <a href="http://www.innatthecrossroads.com/" target="_blank">Inn at the Crossroads</a> website, I knew I had to try it. Now, "blood pie" is not the most delectable name, but it is intriguing. If you've never tried blood sausage, then here's your excuse to go out and grab some. Don't be scared - you have my promise that it's <i>amazing. </i>And this is coming from a vegan. Or <i>former</i> vegan. Very former. The pie is a creamy slice of amazingness - full of cheese, egg, and, well, cream. It's not a diet food. But, when you're a Dothraki warrior, calories are not of your concern.<br />
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<b><u>Dothraki Blood Pie</u></b><br />
<i>slightly recipe from <a href="http://www.innatthecrossroads.com/" target="_blank">Inn at the Crossroads</a></i><br />
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<i>Crust</i><br />
1/2 cup unsalted pistachios<br />
3/4 cup whole wheat flour<br />
1/2 cup chickpea flour<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes<br />
1 egg<br />
ice water<br />
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1) In your food processor, pulse your pistachios until it's fine. Add your two flours and salt, and pulse several more times. Add your cold butter and pulse several more times until it resembles coarse crumbs. Spoon out into a large bowl and add your egg. Stir with a wooden spoon until your dough comes together. Press your dough into a disc and chill for about 30 minutes.<br />
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2) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Roll your chilled dough out until it fits over your pie tin and is about 1/4 of and inch thick. Press it in the tin, cut any overhang off, and poke holes in the bottom of it with a fork so it doesn't bubble. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until you've got a golden crust. Take it out to cool before filling.<br />
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<i>Filling</i><br />
1 leek, chopped and washed<br />
2 cloves garlic, minced<br />
fresh thyme and rosemary (about 1/2 teaspoon each)<br />
2 large eggs<br />
4 ounces chevre<br />
2/3 cup heavy cream<br />
1/2 lbs blood sausage (we used, and totally recommend, black pudding), sliced<br />
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1) In a pan will a little oil, fry up your leek and garlic until tender. Add your thyme and rosemary, stir for a couple seconds, and then take it right off the heat. Set aside to cool. In a big bowl, whisk up your eggs until nice and fluffy. Add your cream slowly while whisking. Crumble in your chevre.<br />
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2) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle your leek mixture onto the bottom of your pie crust.Then add your blood sausage slices evenly. Pour your egg mixture over top of everything. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until everything has set up nicely. Serve warm with a large glass of Dornish wine.<br />
<br />C&C Cakeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104837180740026550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3784689989175074813.post-21690202244506531702013-07-05T16:23:00.000-07:002013-07-08T14:17:39.846-07:00Mario Starmen CookiesWe've been busy little bees lately.<br />
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Remember all those times in Mario - it doesn't matter which one, you can pick - when your tiny little plumber man is on his last legs, being chased by turtles or venus flytraps or ghosts, and you're desperately trying to bash some bricks apart to find <i>something</i> that can help you? Those little mushrooms are great, they'll make you grow bigger, but Mario starves for more. More <i>power</i>. After wading through those bricks for what feels like hours, the star appears. You grab it. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iK0vebKhwq0" target="_blank">The music starts</a>. And you feel like you can destroy the world. Because, lets face it, you can. </div>
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That's what the last few weeks have felt like to me. Holy moly. <br />
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Lets do a little recap, shall we? First, we'll start with telling you about one of my favourite charity events, because it involves Mr. C and I running around Vancouver like complete idiots. <a href="http://therushvan.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Rush</a> is an urban scavenger hunt and race around the lower mainland. We had to find ten secret locations, where players are challenged physically and mentally - this year these challenges included eating worms, heaved volleyballs at David Hasselhoff's face, and running doggies through an obstacle course. So much fun. The best part? Mr. C and I came in ninth. Holy moly again.<br />
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The best part of Rush this year was all the little video game references they threw in. They created a <a href="https://twitter.com/therushvan/status/342320198818349056/photo/1" target="_blank">map of Vancouver</a> that would be home in any 8-bit world. They let us have a "Player 3" - a Yoshi to our Mario and Luigi - who took part in an online scavenger hunt to help us out during the real thing. Best of all, this year they introduced the 1-Up - a sweet card that allowed the team to skip half a challenge. We won one - I won't tell you exactly what we had to do for it, but it involved pudding and Gangnam Style - and it really helped us through our adventure. </div>
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The fundraising for this year is over, but Rushers have raised $60k to date for the BC Lung Association. We'll be kicking it Rush style next year as well - wouldn't miss it for the world.</div>
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If you're looking for some other video game charities you can throw your sweet sweet money at, we've always got recommendations for you. Here's a couple we've had on our scope for the last couple weeks:</div>
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<li><a href="http://www.mariomarathon.com/" target="_blank">Mario Marathon 6</a> - A group of gamers from Indiana play as many Mario generations as they can handle for your amusement. This year, they've raised $67k+ for <a href="http://www.childsplaycharity.org/" target="_blank">Child's Play</a>. The marathon is over now, but you can still donate via their page. </li>
<li><a href="http://desertbus.org/" target="_blank">Desert Bus for Hope 7</a> - Some awesome local BCers play the world's worst NES game ever. Their marathon starts up in November, but you can watch and participate in the <a href="http://desertbus.org/join-the-craft-along/" target="_blank">Craft Along</a>. All donations go towards <a href="http://www.childsplaycharity.org/" target="_blank">Child's Play</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://hiddenheartpiece.org/" target="_blank">Hidden Heart Piece</a> - Started in the summer of 2011, these Massachusetts boys marathon their way through Pokemon game after Pokemon game. This year they're raising money for <a href="http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=f87d4c2a71fca210VgnVCM1000001e0215acRCRD" target="_blank">St. Jude Children's Research Hospital</a>. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.extra-life.org/" target="_blank">Extra Life</a> - Now you can join in on all the video game marathoning fun. Sign up, get pledges, and play until your butt falls off. Proceeds will benefit the <a href="http://childrensmiraclenetworkhospitals.org/" target="_blank">Children's Miracle Ne</a><a href="http://childrensmiraclenetworkhospitals.org/" target="_blank">twork</a>. </li>
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If you have a favourite nerd charity, or if you are a nerd charity, drop us <a href="mailto:cccakery@gmail.com" target="_blank">an email</a> and we'd love to help out any way we can!</div>
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Charity work is a rush. If you're planning on helping out, you better take a Power Up.</div>
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<b><u>Mario Starmen Cookies</u></b></div>
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<i>Makes about 3 dozen star cookies</i></div>
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Adapted from <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/" target="_blank">Smitten Kitchen</a> </div>
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3/4 cup butter</div>
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2/3 cup confectioners sugar</div>
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Zest of one lemon</div>
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3 Tablespoons lemon juice</div>
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1 Tablespoon vanilla extract</div>
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1 3/4 cup flour</div>
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2 Tablespoons cornstarch</div>
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1/4 teaspoon salt</div>
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<i>Icing</i></div>
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2 cups confectioners sugar</div>
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1/4 cup lemon juice</div>
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yellow food colouring</div>
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melting chocolate</div>
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1) In your mixer, whip together your butter and confectioners sugar until nice and fluffy. Add your zest, lemon juice, and vanilla, and continue to whip. Sift in your flour, cornstarch, and salt, and stir with a wooden spoon until everything comes together to form a dough. Roll into a disc and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill in your fridge for at least 30 to 45 minutes.</div>
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2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out on wax paper until it's about a 1/4 inch thick and use your star cookie cutter. If the dough is a little sticky, then sprinkle it with a little flour or toss in the fridge for a bit longer. Bake your stars for about 10-13 minutes, or until the edges have just started to brown. Take out to cool before icing.</div>
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3) In a large bowl, mix together your 2 cups confectioners sugar, lemon juice, and food colouring until it's nice and thick. Dip your stars in, making sure to cover the tops, and set them down on a cookie wrack so that the excess can drip away. If you find your icing is too thin and it's not covering properly, add some more confectioners sugar. Let the cookies harden before melting your chocolate and drawing on eyes. Enjoy and become INVINCIBLE.</div>
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C&C Cakeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104837180740026550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3784689989175074813.post-69622515140819706792013-06-15T21:01:00.000-07:002013-06-15T22:35:24.690-07:00Big Bang Theory: Sheldon Cooper's Red Velvet CookiesWhat the hell is "Bazinga"?<br />
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I see it on t-shirts. Within memes. All over the internet. Yet, I still have no idea what it means.<br />
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At least know it has a connection to that nerdish TV show, <i>Big Bang Theory</i>. I say "Nerdish", because I always feel like it's trying to make an effort to appeal to a geeky fan base, but a lot of it seems forced. For the longest time, I avoided the show like a plague. The laugh track was just too much. But, very soon, I felt left out. This show has quite the following. It even has a <i>board game </i>for god's sake. I mean, was I missing out? I don't have patience for a lot of TV shows, but is this one worth my time?</div>
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Luckily, <i>Big Bang</i> reruns are always hanging around the boobtube. Like <i>Seinfeld, Friends, </i>and <i>The Simpsons, </i> I can always find it on one channel or another. So I watched it. I think it was about cosplay? Or, at least, forcing their next door neighbour to dress up like Wonder Woman, because she was the only female they knew to be a part of their Justice League. I appreciated the Aquaman humour. But, overall, it was meh.<br />
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So, why was it so popular? Was I was just not nerd enough to appreciate all the nuances? I had to find answers, so I scoured youtube to find a clip that would actually make me laugh. Or at least giggle.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pQvyo3o5kc" target="_blank">I found it</a>.<br />
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Wil Wheaton playing himself. As a total douche bag. It's a beautiful thing.<br />
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Any show that has Wil on it has to be a-okay in my book. And, after a while, a couple other characters grew on me. Sheldon's annoying uber-nerd tendencies were a little trying at first, especially when paired with his BFF (the laugh track), but his character slowly became (dare I say it?) endearing. He's one of those geeks who knows it's okay to wear your nerdom on your sleeve. And I'm all about that. Also, he has, like, the coolest shirts ever. <br />
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These cookies are based on Sheldon's good ol' fashioned southerness, and his love of the Flash. The recipe is slightly adapted from Nerdache Cakes (who is an awesome little lady and you should all <a href="http://nerdachecakes.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">go over to her blog and fawn over her awesomeness</a>) - it's soft and slightly chewy, with the right sort of tang you want in a red velvet. Let me tell you, if your "red velvet" recipe, no matter what form it's in, doesn't have at least vinegar, cocoa, and baking powder in it, then it's no velvet.<br />
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Anyway, someone still has to tell me what "Bazinga" means. It's driving me nuts.<br />
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<b><u>Sheldon Cooper's Red Velvet Cookies</u></b><br />
Makes about 16 cookies<br />
<i>Slightly adapted from <a href="http://www.nerdachecakes.com/" target="_blank">Nerdache Cakes </a></i><br />
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1 cup sugar<br />
1/2 cup butter<br />
1 egg<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
1 Tablespoon white vinegar<br />
Red food colouring (I recommend using gel colouring)<br />
1 1/2 cup flour<br />
2 1/2 Tablespoons cocoa powder<br />
1 teaspoon cornstarch<br />
3/4 teaspoon baking powder<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
White chocolate<br />
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1) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In your mixer, whip together your sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add your egg and continue to mix until completely incorporated. Add your vanilla and vinegar, as well as your red food colouring (use just enough to give it your desired shade - We added just a couple squirts of red colouring gel, but you might want yours to be brighter). Continue to mix, being sure to get the sides of your bowl, until everything is distributed evenly.<br />
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2) Sift in your cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt and give it a couple stirs. Add your flour and baking powder, and mix slowly, making sure to get an even dough. Roll into golf ball sized pieces (warning: your hands will get pretty red!) and bake for 9-12 minutes, or until you get some good cracks going. Cool and drizzle with white chocolate. Enjoy and . . . Bazinga?C&C Cakeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104837180740026550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3784689989175074813.post-82901988724262317162013-06-08T15:32:00.001-07:002013-06-08T15:41:28.345-07:00Game of Thrones: HoneycakesDo you . . . do you want to talk about what happened?<br />
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I mean, it might feel better to get it all out.<br />
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Yes, I know. Walder Frey is a total dick. So is Tywin Lannister. And the Boltons. Screw them. </div>
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But let's look on the bright side. Or, not-as-bloody side. Robb really wasn't into being king anyway, was he? By the end of it, he just looked tired - Tired of losing men and having whole clans leave his army. Tired of arguing with his mother. Tired of people asking him if he turns into a goddamn wolf. Tired of dealing with Edmure's crap. Getting shot with arrows and stabbed was just a way for him to get out of a war he didn't <i>really</i> want to fight any more, right? I guess it would have been better for him if, you know, he was killed in glorious battle instead of being backstabbed. Honestly, though, trusting untrustworthy fellows and getting betrayed like that kinda runs in the Stark family, doesn't it?</div>
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Anyways, I can tell this conversation isn't making you feel any better. Could you at least stop crying? <i>Please?</i> Maybe some medieval sweet cakes will make the world a little brighter for you.</div>
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These honeycakes are yeast based, and are soaked in all sorts of sweetness. They are fluffy little pillows, filled with so much glucose that you'll forget all about the Red Wedding.</div>
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Oops. Sorry I mentioned it. Please stop crying.</div>
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<b><u>Honeycakes</u></b></div>
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<i>slightly adapted from <a href="http://www.innatthecrossroads.com/" target="_blank">Inn at the Crossroads</a></i></div>
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makes about a dozen</div>
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3 1/3 cups flour</div>
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3 Tablespoons honey (divided) (plus more for filling/topping - at least a half cup)</div>
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1 Tablespoon sugar</div>
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3 Tablespoons ground almond</div>
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1/4 teaspoon almond extract</div>
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1 teaspoon ground anise seed</div>
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1 packet yeast</div>
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1/2 pint (1 bottle) brown ale or wheat beer</div>
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1/2 teaspoon salt</div>
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1) Warm up the ale or beer to about 100 degrees and mix in 1 tablespoon of honey. Dump your yeast in and set aside for about five minutes to let the yeast grow and froth. In a large bowl, mix together your sugar, ground almonds, anise seed, salt, and flour. Make a well in the middle and pour in your yeast/ale with the rest of your honey and your almond extract. Mix together with your hands until a dough forms. Leave it covered in a warm place until it doubles (about 30 minutes). Knead it a couple times, then form it into 12 small buns. Cover again and let rise for another 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until your buns are golden and their internal temperature has reached 160 degrees.</div>
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2) With a small knife, cut a hole in the middle and pour in at least 1 tablespoon of honey into each bun. Let it soak and add more if desired. Drizzle with extra honey and queue up "The Rains of Castamere" on your mp3 player before enjoying. </div>
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C&C Cakeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104837180740026550noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3784689989175074813.post-58988970818304450192013-06-01T19:47:00.001-07:002013-06-05T13:14:19.003-07:00Arrested Development: Tobias's Blue Handprint Sandwich CookiesI was really worried about this new season of Arrested Development.<br />
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When I heard Netflix was bringing it back, I was, like the rest of you probably were, <i>thrilled</i>. Finally, we'd be getting back the family we all loved to hate. Finally, I felt vindication for still having all my inner monologues sound like Ron Howard. But then I really <i>thought </i>about it. Did I want it back? Really? Arrested Development went out on, more or less, a high note. What if it came back, and <i>sucked?</i><br />
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It's kinda like having your significant other dump you. I mean, you knew it was coming, but you were definitely not ready for it. "Sorry," they tell you, "I think I just need some space to grow. You'd be better off without me. Why don't you try my buddy, American Dad. He's pretty cool." You don't hear from them for 8 years - yes, they post on facebook every once and awhile about the new, neato projects they're working on, but they're overall pretty silent. Suddenly, they appear on your doorstep one day. "I want to be back in your life," they tell you. "In fact, lets move in together. Right now."<br />
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I wasn't so sure I was ready to make that sort of commitment. I was already sort of seeing Game of Thrones, so marathoning some small time Netflix show felt almost <i>dirty</i>. Did I really want to cheat on John Snow? For a show that might not be that good? I don't know, guys. I didn't want to be a Westeros homewrecker.<br />
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Mr. C talked me into the first episode not too long ago. I begrudgingly agreed, and soon fell in love again. Yes, I'll admit it: seeing my first Arrested Development after 8 long years made me laugh like a madwoman.<br />
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I've only seen a handful of episodes, but I'm seriously ready to drop Game of Thrones in the dust and marathon this bitch. The way they concentrate on one character per episode is wo<span style="font-family: inherit;">nderful - especially when they get to a character that you've been missing the most. For me, it's Tobias "Analrapist" <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">Fünke.</span> When I saw he was the star of the show's <a href="http://insertmeanywhere.biz/#/home" target="_blank">viral marketing ploy</a>, I swooned. Especially when I saw <a href="http://vimeo.com/66129406" target="_blank">the results</a>. </span><br />
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When I first started to watch the original series, the visual gag that really held onto me was the Blue Man Group storyline. The fact that they left blue handprints and smudges all over the set throughout the season made me fall in love. This was a show that <i>thought </i>about what they were putting on television. We don't see that enough nowadays.<br />
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To celebrate the new season of Arrested Development, I want to share with you a baked good based on that awesome running gag. These cookies are a little finicky - as are any cookies that are cut into difficult shapes - but worth the work. Our lovely sweet sugar cookies are dyed blue, then slathered in a homemade oreo cream and sandwiched together. The best part of this cookie is that you'll be reenacting the Blue Man Group episode in your own home - BLUE FOOD COLOURING EVERYWHERE! Seriously. Oh my god.<br />
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Now to marthon me some more Arrested Development. I'm so glad you're back in my life. Just don't leave me again. Like Firefly.<br />
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<b><u>Tobias's Blue Handprint Sandwich Cookies </u></b><br />
<i>Makes about 18 sandwich cookies</i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1/2 cup butter</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1 cup sugar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1 egg</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1 teaspoon vanilla</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">2 cups flour </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1/2 teaspoon baking powder</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1/3 teaspoon salt</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">blue food colouring</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Baskerville Old Face;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">1) In your mixer, whip together your butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add your egg, then your vanilla and blue food colouring, and continue to mix until completely incorporated In a separate bowl, sift together your flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir your dry ingredients into your wet ones with a wooden spoon until it forms a dough. Form into a disc and cover completely with plastic wrap. Cool in the refrigerator for at least a half hour.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">2) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. For the cookie cutting, you can use a hand cookie cutter</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;"> you have at home, or <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Cookie-Cutters" target="_blank">make your own</a></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">. Cut your hands out and place on a baking sheet. Bake for about 6 to 8 minutes, or just before the tips of your fingers start to get golden. Set them to cool before putting icing on them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Baskerville Old Face;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><i>Homemade oreo cream</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Baskerville Old Face;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">1/4 cup butter</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Baskerville Old Face;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">1/4 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Baskerville Old Face;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">2 cups confectioner's sugar</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Baskerville Old Face;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Baskerville Old Face;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">pinch of salt</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Baskerville Old Face;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">1) In your mixer, whip together your butter and shortening until completely combined. Add your confectioner's sugar a bit at a time, and then add your extract. Spread over the bottom of one cooled cookie, then sandwich it with another cookie. Enjoy with your dysfunctional family.</span></span>C&C Cakeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104837180740026550noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3784689989175074813.post-52777700163568030492013-05-26T19:32:00.002-07:002013-06-02T12:46:34.824-07:00Wash's Cupcakes: "Curse Your Sudden But Inevitable Betrayal!""I am a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."<br />
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If that phrase makes you feel like you've been punched in the gut, you're a true Firefly Browncoat. Hoban Washburne was one of those special Whedon characters that the audience usually feels a direct attachment to. They're the Xanders or the Agent Coulsons. They make us smile, and they usually voice what the audience is thinking, only far wittier. No wonder we hate it when Joss maims and/or kills them.<br />
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Let's not talk about maiming or killing, though. Let's just talk about Wash. The happy-go-lucky Wash. The Wash that doesn't have a giant piece of metal sticking out of his chest.<br />
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When I first starting watching Firefly, Wash was, by far, my favourite character. He was the bright personality in a sometimes dirty and dark universe. The loud Hawaiian shirts and silly red hair made him endearing. While the other girls were into Nelly or Eminem, I was totally smitten with a pilot from a sci-fi spaghetti western. When Serenity came out in 2005, I was head over heals with excitement.</div>
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And then Joss killed Wash. Thanks Joss.</div>
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But I promised this post wasn't going to be about death. Really, if I wanted to be bitter over that, I would have made Wash's cupcakes a little bloodier. But, instead, I wanted to bake up something that reflected Wash in life, not in death. The cakes are homemade funfetti, reflecting Wash's loudness and personality, while the topping is a light and fluffy marshmallow frosting, because we know that he always had his head in the clouds, both metaphorically and physically.<br />
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We baked the first batch of these Wash Cupcakes for Vancouver's <a href="http://serenityscreeningvan.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">Can't Stop the Serenity</a> celebration, which happened yesterday. We had a blast with our fellow Browncoats, and raised over $200 for Equality Now and other local women's charity organizations. This nerdy get together was our first big event three years ago, and it continues to be a favourite of ours. Everyone is friendly, and ready to help you through the Firefly universe, even if it's your first time. And they're incredibly generous to boot.<br />
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Next year we'll bring more of Wash's Cupcakes. We promise.<br />
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<b><u>Wash's Cupcakes</u></b><br />
<i>Makes one dozen</i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1 1/4 cups AP flour </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">2 teaspoons baking powder </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1/2 teaspoon salt </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Baskerville Old Face;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons butter</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1 cup sugar </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">3 large egg whites </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1 teaspoon vanilla extract </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1/4 teaspoon almond extract </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1/2 cup milk </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1/4 cup rainbow sprinkles</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1) Preheat your oven to 350C. In a small bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">2) In a large bowl with an electric mixer, whip together your butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg whites, one at a time, until thick and white. Add your extracts and mix again. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">3) With a spoon, slowly mix in your dry ingredients and milk, alternating between the two. When everything comes together (taking care not to over mix), add the sprinkles and lightly fold in a couple times. Again, do not over mix or your colours will get all muddy. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">4) Spoon in the batter to liners and bake for about 15-17 minutes, or until your tester comes out clean. Set out to cool before icing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Baskerville Old Face;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><i>Marshmallowy</i></span></span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;"> Frosting</i><br />
<i>(Note: for CSTS, we used our Vanilla Swiss Buttercream for easy travel - if you're going to enjoy these at home, totally go for this Marshmallowy Frosting)</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1/4 cup water</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">2/3 cup sugar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">2 egg whites</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1/4 tsp cream of tartar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1 pinch salt</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1) In heatproof bowl, whisk together the water, sugar, egg whites, cream of tartar and salt. Set the bowl over saucepan of simmering water and beat constantly until mixture holds stiff peaks (about 5 to 7 minutes).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">2) Remove from saucepan. Beat until frosting is cooled, about 2 minutes. Beat in orange extract and food colouring (if you wish). Pipe onto the cooled cupcakes. Add star sprinkles and little plastic dinosaurs. Wash would have wanted it that way. </span>C&C Cakeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104837180740026550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3784689989175074813.post-29482434980462723772013-05-19T15:53:00.000-07:002013-06-01T20:54:22.902-07:00Dr. "Bones" McCoy's Space Supplements (Gluten Free Vegan Fudge)When I was growing up, there was only one Star Trek universe for me. Well, there was more than one, but Voyager didn't count. Deep Space Nine sometimes counted, but only when I was really desperate. No, Next Generation was the only version of Star Trek that I was interested in. And, now that I look back at it, it's amazing that teenaged-me would have liked a show like that. It was . . . intellectual. Seeing as I was also a fan of Saved By the Bell and Boy Meets World, it's weird that I would pick up a show like Next Gen. But I did. And I loved it.<br />
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Maybe it was my first foray into science fiction. I know my Dad would love watching it as well, so maybe it was our attempt at some daughter-father TV bonding time. Or maybe it was Wil Wheaton. Because, if you were a teenaged girl in the 90s, you had a crush on Crusher. End of story.<br />
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Next Gen was the be-all, end-all of Star Trek for me. The original series never held my interest. Maybe it didn't have all those <i>awesome</i> 1990s special effects. I mean, the green screen shots on a couple of those episodes <i>blew my mind.</i> (Of course, so did the puppeteering in <i>The Dark Crystal)</i>. But, now that I look back at it, I'm surprised that Kirk and company didn't peak my interest. I mean, while Picard was intellectually stimulating, Kirk was a bash-em-up and take their women sort of leader. Goddamn, he was cool. I'm sure having Shatner helped Kirk's image. </div>
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JJ Abrams' new series of movies have helped spread the word of the Trek. For that, I'm thankful for. Picard is awesome, but he's not wooing many young people nowadays. Now Chris Pine, Zachary Quito, and Cumberbatch . . . they sure have the Tumblr crowd's attention. I mean, they're no 90s Wesley Crusher, but I understand the obsession.<br />
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For me, the best part of the new movies is seeing the contemporary characters take on the personas created by Roddenberry in the 60s. Simon Pegg's Scotty is amazing, but my favourite is the new Bones. His look, general attitude, and the way he spits out his lines would feel at home right next to Shatner and Nimoy.<br />
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To celebrate the new movie, and the new generation of Trekkies, we've put together our Space Supplements. These little fudge bits of goodness would be something Dr. McCoy would prescribe his crew (maybe paired with a stiff drink or two). They are vegan and gluten free, with no processed sugar - something to give you a quick-me-up before you're off fighting the Romulans. No, it doesn't come from Picard's food replicator, but it's still a little piece of Sci Fi magic.<br />
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<b><u>Dr. "Bones" McCoy's Space Supplements (Gluten Free Vegan Fudge)</u></b><br />
Makes about two dozen squares of fudge<br />
<i>Slightly adapted from <a href="http://www.justgoodenergy.com/" target="_blank">Just Good Energy </a></i><br />
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3/4 cup walnuts<br />
1 cup raisins<br />
1 cup pitted dates<br />
1/4 cup natural smooth peanut butter<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
1/2 cup cocoa powder<br />
2 cups shredded coconut (unsweetened)<br />
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1) Dump your walnuts, raisins, dates, peanut butter, and vanilla in your food processor. Blend until it's all chopped up and mixed. Add your cocoa powder and coconut and continue to blend until it forms a wet dough. Press into a lined 8x5 pan and cool until hard. Cut into 1" squares and keep in the fridge until you're ready to distribe to your crew.C&C Cakeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104837180740026550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3784689989175074813.post-54591144276055270962013-05-11T16:52:00.000-07:002013-06-02T11:47:37.638-07:00The Walking Dead CupcakesAs pointed out in the latest episode of <a href="http://www.wcgeeksversusnerds.com/" target="_blank">West Coast Geeks vs Nerds</a>, everyone has a zombie apocalypse survival plan. Hell, there's even <a href="http://www.tuaw.com/2011/10/28/5-apps-for-the-zombie-apocalypse/" target="_blank">aps </a>for this very purpose. Our household's plan is probably very similar to yours: grab a chainsaw, wing our way through London Drugs, then hold up in the closest Costco. Well, to be honest, that's Mr. C's plan. My plan goes a little bit differently: unsuccessfully escape from the horde, get bitten by zombie, have Mr. C shoot me in the face. Really, I'm just being honest with myself. I'm a lover, not a fighter. When the walkers take over, I'm not going to last very long. I'm loud. I cry a lot. I'm not a sprinter. I'm as good as dead.<br />
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Being a realist is an important part of the zombie apocalypse.<br />
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Zombies have always been with us - through books, movies, comics, and video games. The Infected, The Undead, The Zeds - whatever you call them, they'll still end up shambling behind you and biting your face off. The Walking Dead comic, which started up in 2004, rode the wave of zombie enthusiasm and gathered quite the following, When the comic turned into the TV show in 2010, those Biters made the big time.<br />
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Now, I could a total nerd, and start going on <i>"How the comic is so much better than the TV show" </i>but I won't. That shit's annoying. What I <i>will</i> tell you is, if you enjoyed the TV show, pick up a couple of volumes of the comic and you won't be disappointed. You'll get much more of the hammer-wielding Tyrese, a way more badass Andrea, and a much more satisfying ending when it comes to the Governor. <br />
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I picked up several issues here and there, but was not as faithful as I should have been. Now there's, what, eighteen volumes of the stuff I have to catch up on? I decided to start from the very beginning (that way I could get Mr C into it as well, as he had never touched any of the comics) and picked up Volume One from our favourite comic shop, <a href="http://www.tazmaniancomics.com/" target="_blank">Taz Comics</a>, on <a href="http://www.freecomicbookday.com/Home/1/1/27/992" target="_blank">Free Comic Book Day</a>. Funny enough, I bought more comics on that day then I got for free. Oh, Taz, you sultry minx. You know I just can't help myself.<br />
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To celebrate the comic, the TV show, and all those other zombies that are floating around us, we created The Walking Dead cupcake. The cake itself is a tradition red (or should I say bloody?) velvet - think more cocoa and less food colouring. The icing is my favourite old fashioned, with a bit of a chocolate kick that reminds me of those Wendy's Frosting I used to consume as a child. Roll the sucker in graham cracker and oreo crumb "dirt", top with blood and guts, and you've got yourself a Biter cupcake.<br />
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<b><u>The Walking Dead Cupcakes</u></b><br />
<i>makes about two dozen cupcakes</i><br />
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2 1/2 cups flour (minus 3 Tablespoons)<br />
3 3/4 teaspoons baking powder<br />
1 1/4 teaspoons salt<br />
1 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1/4 cup cocoa powder<br />
1 1/2 cup oil<br />
1 1/2 cup white sugar<br />
2 eggs<br />
1 Tablespoon white vinegar<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla<br />
1 cup buttermilk<br />
red food colouring gel<br />
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1) Preheat your oven to 350F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Make sure everything is thoroughly mixed together. In another small bowl, whisk together your oil, white sugar, eggs, vinegar, and vanilla until everything is well incorporated.</div>
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2) Slowly pour your wet ingredients into your dry, stirring well with a wooden spoon. When everything has just begun to be incorporated, start slowly adding your buttermilk and a small amount of red food colouring. Continue to stir until your batter is without lumps.</div>
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3) Spoon approx. three tablespoons in each of your cupcake liners. Bake for about 17-20 minutes, or until your cake tester comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.</div>
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<u><i>Old-Fashioned Icing</i></u></div>
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<i>Enough to frost two dozen cupcakes</i>1/4 cup flour</div>
1 cup milk<br />
2 cups butter<br />
4 teaspoons vanilla extract<br />
3 cups confectioner’s sugar<br />
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1/4 cup cocoa powder</div>
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<i>Optional: </i></div>
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Graham cracker crumbs (about a 1/4 cup)</div>
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Oreo cookie crumbs (about a cup)</div>
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red melting wafers</div>
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candy zombie body parts</div>
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1)In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the flour and milk and keep on mixing until it starts to take on a thick, pudding-like consistency. Scoop into a wide bowl and cover the top with plastic wrap, pressing it right against the custard so a skin doesn't form. Set it in the fridge to cool completely.<br />
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2)Fluff up the butter in your mixer. Add the confectioner’s sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract and mix until everything has come together. Add the cold custard and beat for up to 6 minutes. The frosting will start to take on a lighter colour and will have a real creamy, whipped-cream like texture.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Baskerville Old Face;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">3) Frost your cupcakes, then carefully roll in your graham cracker and oreo cookie crumb topping. Stick on your zombie body parts with some red melting wafers. Sit back and enjoy the zombie apocalypse.</span></span></div>
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C&C Cakeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104837180740026550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3784689989175074813.post-38583483458857514232013-05-08T06:54:00.002-07:002013-05-08T06:55:39.033-07:00Nerdy Giveaway #1: WINNER!<div style="text-align: center;">
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/24be900/" id="rc-24be900" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script></div>
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Jennifer W - you are the winner of our first Nerdy Giveaway! Your package full of Star Wars Sweets will be flown to you via TIE fighter. Unless there are some pesky rebels hanging around. In that case, we'll have to rely on the Jedi powers of the Canada Post. Lets hope nothing gets lost in the Dagobah system.</div>
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A big thanks to all of you who entered - make sure you hang around. You never know when we'll have our next Nerdy Giveaway!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/43xHa9S.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://i.imgur.com/43xHa9S.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from the amazing <a href="http://mrhipp.blogspot.ca/2010/06/wampad.html" target="_blank">Mister Hipp</a></td></tr>
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C&C Cakeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104837180740026550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3784689989175074813.post-57785553370090177962013-05-04T18:00:00.001-07:002013-06-01T20:54:30.718-07:00Blue Milk and Cookies Star Wars Cupcakes<div style="text-align: center;">
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May the Fourth be with you! And may many horrible Star Wars puns be with you as well!</div>
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This post will be short and sweet, as Mr C and I will be off to our local nerd pub to enjoy in the Star Wars day festivities. I believe twi'lek bellydancing will be involved. It makes me regret not having a couple of jedi costumes ready and waiting. </div>
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In fact, I think the best part of the night will be the Star Wars trivia. The best part of pub trivia is, of course, the pub trivia team names. Our buddies have been brainstorming all week, and have come up with a few golden apples</div>
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<li>Obi One Kenobi Nil</li>
<li>Wampa, there it is</li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: white; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Salacious Apple Crumble</span></span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: white; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Willrow Hood's Ice Cream Machine</span></span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; line-height: 17px;">Nabootros boutros ghali</span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; line-height: 17px;">Alderaan Duran</span></li>
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Like I said, may many horrible Star Wars puns be with you as well.<br />
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Anyway, lets get to the sweet things. These cupcakes are one of my favourite of our Star Wars treats. We've introduced them at VCON a couple of years ago, and thought this would be a good time to bring them back. The cake is a cross between funfetti and cookies and cream, while the frosting is our good ol' friend, Swiss Meringue. The flag logos are from an image by <a href="https://www.teepublic.com/user/361" target="_blank">David Perillo</a> - <a href="https://www.teepublic.com/show/913-bantha-milk" target="_blank">Go buy his shirt!</a> Before enjoying, make sure you turn up your speakers and play<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWO5Ai_a80M" target="_blank"> this song </a>on repeat to make the experience more authentic.<br />
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<b><u>Blue Milk and Cookies Cupcakes</u></b><br />
<i>Makes about a dozen </i><br />
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1 1/4 cup flour<br />
2 teaspoons baking powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons butter<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
3 egg whites<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
1/4 teaspoon almond extract<br />
1/2 cup buttermilk<br />
blue sprinkles<br />
~6-8 Oreo cookies (chopped into small pieces)<br />
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1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, sift together your flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In your large mixing bowl, whip together your butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add your egg whites and continue to mix until completely incorporated. Add your vanilla and almond extract.<br />
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2) Sift your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until it just beginning to incorporate with each other. Add your buttermilk and continue to stir until your batter is without lumps. Mix in your oreo cookie pieces, mix, then add some blue sprinkles and give it a few good stirs.<br />
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3) Fill your cupcakes liners and bake for about 20 minutes, or until your cake tester comes out clean. Leave out to cool before topping with frosting.<br />
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<i>Blue Milk Frosting</i><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">3/4 cup sugar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">3 large egg whites</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">18 tablespoons butter, softened</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Baskerville Old Face;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">blue food colouring</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">1) Over a double boiler, whisk together the egg whites and sugar until the granules have a disintegrated. Pour the whites into a mixing bowl, careful not to get any condensation or water into it. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">2) With an electric mixer, whip the whites until it forms soft peaks. Continue mixing and slowly add the butter, about 4 Tablespoons at a time and mix until completely incorporated. Mix well - after adding your butter, your buttercream will reach the "curdled stage". Don't worry, just keep mixing and it'll smooth out.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">3) After everything has smoothed, add the extract and your blue colouring. When everything is incorporated, use buttercream to pipe over your cooled cupcakes. Enjoy.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span>C&C Cakeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104837180740026550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3784689989175074813.post-38276891311619812642013-05-01T19:14:00.000-07:002013-06-01T19:49:02.080-07:00Nerdy Giveaway #1: Star Wars Day 2013This weekend is going to get pretty busy for us. It's the holiday weekend in Nerdville - there's not one, but <i>two </i>major events happening on Saturday, May 4th. First off, make sure you visit your local graphic novel store to celebrate Free Comic Book Day. Pick up something from the awesome selection of free comics, including my personal favs, JLA and Adventure Time. Be sure to support your comic store too, and purchase something that you've had your eye on for a while. I know I will - I'm looking at you new Walking Dead comics and old Booster Gold editions.<br />
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May 4th is also Star Wars Day - as in, "May the Fourth be with you." (Yuk yuk). Even though I will go down as a Trekkie forever, our house is firm Star Wars territory. I'm sure if Mr C ever won the lottery, his first ridiculous purchase would be a custom built light saber. Or a ton-ton sleeping bag. Even our car has some Star Wars insignia.<br />
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We'll be presenting our official Star Wars Day treat this weekend, but to get your blasters charged, we're having our first Nerdy Giveaway. That's right - a package full of special geeky treats will be sent off right to you so you can enjoy C&C in real life. I promise, the real ones taste even better than the virtual ones. This time around, the secret snack will be something Star Wars themed. We'll give you a hint:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/k5bD1ij.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i.imgur.com/k5bD1ij.jpg" width="229" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>from <a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Wampa" target="_blank">wookieepedia</a></i></td></tr>
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Want to enter? First off, make sure you live in the United States or Canada. I don't think any of our treats would make the long journey outside of North America. Then fill out the entry form below - there's lots of chances to win, so go nuts!<br />
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This contest ends next Wednesday, the 15th, so make sure you get all your entries in by then. Hurry, our X-wings are standing by!<br />
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/24be900/" id="rc-24be900" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>C&C Cakeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104837180740026550noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3784689989175074813.post-25918394019516430442013-04-28T21:27:00.002-07:002013-06-05T13:16:27.870-07:00Captain Carrot's Dwarven Carrot Cake SconesSir Terry Pratchett is 65 today. I bet you he enjoyed a small party with friends and family, full of laughter, smiles, and cake. If you don't know Terry, you should. Maybe you've seen him hanging around your <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Omens" target="_blank">favourite Neil Gaiman novel</a>. Or maybe you've come across his surname taking up at least three shelves in the fantasy aisle of your favourite book store. The man has a goddamn <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psephophorus_terrypratchetti" target="_blank">ancient sea turtle named after him</a>, for god's sake.<br />
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All I'm saying is, if you haven't read Pratchett, then you really <i>really </i>should.<br />
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I don't think Pratchett and his novels have gained as much ground in North America as it has elsewhere in the world. England, South Africa, and Australia all have conventions celebrating the Discworld, a flat planet that is carried on the backs of four elephants, who are all riding on top of a giant turtle. If you're a little lost now, don't worry. The ins and outs of Discworld are a bit hard to describe, but I think I'll start with the City of Ankh-Morpork - a medieval parody of London, with a dash of renaissance Florenc<span style="line-height: 19.1875px;">e thrown in for a little colour. My favourite Discworld novels feature the stories of the City Watch - a rag-tag group of coppers who try their best to keep the peace by knocking a few skulls and kicking in a few pairs of teeth.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.1875px;">The two members of the Watch that I've really taken to is Captain Carrot (the 6 ft tall, flaming red headed human raised by dwarves) and Sgt. Angua von Uberwald (Carrot's somewhat reluctant werewolf partner). Maybe because I see a lot of their relationship reflected in my own. Or maybe it's the fact that Mr. C makes a pretty good Carrot. </span></div>
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<i>This photo isn't ours - some amazing fan took it at Emerald City. If it's yours, please let us know!</i></div>
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If you follow us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/CC-Cakery/56108447492" target="_blank">Facebook </a>or <a href="https://twitter.com/CCCakery" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, you may have seen this photo before. I mentioned our<a href="http://www.cccakery.com/2013/03/the-littlest-she-hulk-green-velvet.html" target="_blank"> newfound love of cosplay</a> on this blog, but here's the proof. For our two local comic conventions, we dressed as our favourite literary characters - Carrot and Angua. A lot of people loved our costumes, but gave us pretty strange looks when we tried to describe who we were. But then there were people who ran down the aisles, frantic to confirm that we were in fact representing Pratchett's finest. In fact, our best experience at Fan Expo this year was a lovely family of Brits who tracked us down, took pictures, and had a lovely chat with us about Discworld. I even think we talked the little girls into dressing up as Nobby Nobbs and Cherri the dwarf next year.<br />
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In order to celebrate Sir Terry's birthday, and to celebrate our first successful cosplay, we've created something that Carrot might find in his packages from home. Dwarf bread and cakes are famous - they fight wars over it, and with it. It's notorious for being hard as a rock, and as hardy as a rock as well. Our dwarven scones won't break your teeth, but they will give you a satisfying and sweet breakfast.<br />
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<b><u>Captain Carrot's Dwarven Carrot Cake Scones</u></b><br />
Makes about 8 scones<br />
adapted slightly from <a href="http://everydaychampagne.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">Everyday Champagne</a><br />
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1 1/2 cups shredded carrots (about three carrots)<br />
1 cup whole wheat flour<br />
2 cups AP flour<br />
1 cup brown sugar<br />
1 Tablespoon baking powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
1 teaspoon cinnamon<br />
1/2 teaspoon allspice<br />
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground ginger<br />
3/4 cup cold butter<br />
1/2 cup buttermilk<br />
1 cup raisins<br />
lemon juice<br />
1 cup icing sugar<br />
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1) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Shred your carrots by hand, or in your food processor. Set them aside in a bowl. In another bowl, combine both flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and ginger until it's completely combined. Chop your butter in small cubes and, using a pastry cutter or your hands, cut your butter in with your dry ingredients until your butter is the size of peas. You can also just pulse all these ingredients together in your food processor until your butter is the right size. Either or will work out just fine.<br />
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2) Slowly add your buttermilk a bit at a time until your dough forms - you may not need all the buttermilk. The dough should easily gather, but should not become too sticky or wet. Transfer your dough to a flat surface and add your shredded carrots and your raisins to it by hand. Flatten into a large disc, roughly 2-3 inches thick, and cut like a pizza into 8 slices. Place on a baking sheet and bake until golden for 16-19 minutes, or until the internal temperature of your scones reach 160 degrees. Set out to cool before icing.<br />
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3) For the drizzle, put your icing sugar in a large bowl and add your lemon juice 1 tablespoon at a time until it gets to be the consistency you like - I like mine with more lemon, but some people like it a bit sweeter/thicker. Spoon into a plastic bag, cut the tip off, and pipe/drizzle over your cooled scones. Enjoy.C&C Cakeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04104837180740026550noreply@blogger.com4