my so-called life

moved... for now

2009-07-10T14:44:00.000-07:00

currently blogging from: http://ohbabyitsababy.blogspot.com/

see me there!

china

2009-03-28T14:47:00.000-07:00

No, not the country, the dishware. since according to my husband I am obsessed with all things stupid and wedding-y, I thought i'd gripe about the cost of china.

i was lucky enough to be given my grandmother's china by my grandfather shortly after my grandmother passed away (now this was truly a blessing b\c I am the youngest granddaughter)! of course, i haven't seen it in about 5 years b\c it's been in my parents basement that long, but it's mine. so i was very excited about registering for everyday dishes (or anything for that matter), but who knew it would be so troubling.

I first found the perfect pattern at Crate & Barrel in late 2006. It was aptly named "Audrey" and it was a robins egg blue and brown. See here:

then i finally get engaged, and sure enough when i go to check out c&b's website, it has a nice little note saying that the manufacturer is discontinuing this pattern, blah, blah, heartbreak. so i registered for it anyway, and although we had a very short engagement- most of the in-stock dinnerware was gone before our wedding date even arrived. For some reason however, the platter that went with the set was still in stock, and I managed to score 2. They are gorgeous!

So, with a heavy heart I had to pick something else out. I wasn't pick, so I thought, but I do however have expensive taste. My next choice was this, which was at Bed Bath & Beyond

Awesome right. It also came with a really cute name: "Kate Spade." Know her? I wish I did... When we registered at Macy's, I found it came in more colors, and found a style more awesome than the previous

Of course, the price of this was so high- $22.00 for ONE dinner plate! Over $250 just for a 12-piece service, and that was JUST dinner plates! I unfortunately don't know anyone that rich, plus I thought those dishes might be a little fancy for everyday dinnerware, and so I broke down and removed Kate and her plates from my registries.

Luckily, I have a pretty awesome mom who knew what I was on the lookout for, and she found me a wonderful pattern that was in my color palate with an adorable pattern.

And bless my parents hearts- they got me the entire 12-piece setting as a shower gift. I LOVE them, LOVE them. So now, me and my dishes are happy together (except for my fear that they will all shatter into millions of pieces when we move).

This doesn't mean I don't still look at things like china- I am a totally girly girl after all. So I was perusing BB&B last week when something in their "Easter" section caught my lustful eye

How beautiful is this? And being that i'm totally obsessed with birds lately, it's just perfect. The pattern is called "Chirp" and their sets of bowls, platters and pitchers have cute names like, "Dish it out", "serve it up" and "pour it on." This particular pattern is by Lenox and a 4-piece set (salad and dinner plate w\ bowl and mug) runs at $99.99 making a 12-piece set over $1200.00!

Seriously? I just can't believe how much things cost these days. For now I will dream about birds on china because paying that much for dishes is, as they say, "for the birds."

Things I'll Miss About Atlanta Part I: Dining Experiences Part IV

2009-03-23T10:45:00.000-07:00

14. Mary Mac's Tea Room- Words cannot express my love for MMTR. There is NOTHING bad on this menu (well, ok, they have carrot and raisin salad, fruited jello and pear salad- three things that i LOATHE, but that's not their fault). Meatloaf- awesome, oysters- awesome, burger- awesome, country fried steak- awesome. Everything here is amazing. I love to come here and just get the vegetable plate though- the veggies are that good. They have almost 40 veggies to choose from and for me, that's a really difficult decision. Also, with every meal you get bread, and they have the best little cinnamon rolls and delicious yeast rolls too! If it's your first visit to Mary Mac's you get your free cup of Pot Likker (which I will "eat" if you don't like it). They have the sweetest sweet tea and a crazy mint julep. Plus any restaurant where you might end up getting a free back rub is fine by me.

15. Taqueria del Sol- mmm, "tacos of the soul" as Dave likes to call it. I think AJC says it best:

"You know the line looks long but moves fast. You know not to grab a table early or break the house rules because the system works. You know the airy, screened-in patio will be a terrific spot to kick back with a margarita and a basket of warm chips with three salsas and chunky guacamole. And you know the fish tacos are as addictive as the Memphis pork barbecue tacos, and that the red sauce over an enchilada will put you in chile heaven."
John Kessler, Atlanta Journal Constitution

So true. They have a small menu, but it's just enough. Just give me a fish taco and a fried chicken taco and I'm happy. Starters- amazing. I love the salsa trio, cheese dip and guacamole! I love this place and I hope that the Chicago-area has delicious taquerias! Last visit 3/20/2009

16. Waffle House- Of course. A southern love of mine. They don't have any Waffle Houses in Illinois, and that's a crime against humanity. Yummy and greasy, it's the stuff that hangover cures and late night study sessions are made of. My trip to the WH is complete with a pecan waffle and an order of hashbrowns scattered and diced. YUM. Last Visit 3/18/2009

There are many other restaurants I love, but these were my faves!

Things I'll Miss About Atlanta Part I: Dining Experiences Part III

2009-03-09T10:58:00.000-07:00

11. The Highlander- Yes, the Highlander is a dive (which may be why it was featured on Diners, Drive-In's and Dives....), but my love for the Highlander is in the fact that this is where we play Trivia on select Sunday evenings. Now, we've only won once when I've been there, and placed 3rd another time, but we've come close to winning multiple times, and normally it is only because we second-guess ourselves. I'm not sure if I remember any meal I've had that's stuck out as amazing, and i have to scrub myself down after leaving the place, but I've never eaten anything bad there and they have tots. May the Dumpster Babies continue to dominate at trivia!

12. Ted's Montana Grill- I love Ted Turner- he's crazy, he was a great owner for the Braves, and he brought me Turner Classic Movies- he can basically do no wrong in my eyes. I also love his chain of restaurants- Ted's Montana Grill. Now, the one near our house, is tucked into Cumberland Mall behind the overrated Cheesecake Factory (CF- i adore your cheesecakes, but everything else, (except your Thai Pasta)- meh). On any given evening, pull up to Cumberland and you will see the CF is slammed full of people, but with Ted's you can walk right in and be seated immediately, and served your dinner not too long after. Maybe it's because no one knows about Ted's or it's awesomeness, or just that people want to eat at an overrated restaurant. Enough about CF. Ted's has bison, delicious bison. It's leaner than beef and chicken, and it's just plain tasty! The bison meatloaf is amazing, the burgers, fabulous. Their salmon is fresh and yummy! Salt and Pepper onion rings- gigantic (you get 10 in an appetizer) - with horseradish dipping sauce! My favorite thing here- and it's not even a meal- their parmesan creamed spinach! Plus, you get to eat the tangy half-sours (pickles) while you wait. There are no microwaves in the restaurant, 1 freezer (for ice cream), no styrofoam, and the straws are made of paper. Good food, plus an friendly focus on the environment- i love it! Good news- Ted's is located in Illinois (i just found this out)! Looks like I will be introducing the fam-in-law! Last Visit- February 24, 2009

13. Figo- I realized I didn't really have an Italian restaurant, so I wanted to include one! Figo- you walk in (don't seat yourself, yet), select the pasta and sauce you want from their menu (about 20 pastas & 12 sauces), and then you seat yourself. I left with a stuffed belly! Also good- their bruchetta, and their tiramisu (ok, i haven't ever really had bad tirimisu)! Last visit: 03/16/2009

tbc...

Things I'll Miss About Atlanta Part I: Dining Experiences Part II

2009-03-02T09:17:00.001-08:00

So here is the continuation of my favorite Atlanta restaurants and everything that I will be missing about them in the coming months/years...

6. Six Feet Under (how appropriate)- What can I say about 6FU except that I love it dearly. It's right down the road from my old apartment, so it was a place that was always close by. It's also in one of my favorite areas of Atlanta- Grant Park. I can say nothing bad about 6fu- the food is awesome. They are known for their seafood dishes and their oyster bar- I am not brave enough to venture past the seafood dishes. They have delicious Po'Boy's of every variety- shrimp, crab cake, oyster- and I am pretty sure i've had them all. Their homemade chips that come with the meal are amazing, and the atmosphere is wonderful. Even their chicken fingers are good because our friend Jay gets them EVERY time we go! I last ate there right around Christmas time (the first time I had dined since they moved up the street) and the only thing different is that they have a lot more room. I don't know if the new location boasts this, but in the old location you could sit on the deck above the restaurant and overlook Oakland Cemetary (hence the name). We always seemed to be eating there either when it was freezing outside or late at night- so I've never had the chance, but if the new restaurant offers this, i'm going to jump on it. I also plan on ordering the "Spicy Rat Toes" an appetizer that normally sells out. Of note: located next to the old 6fu (which is now Tin Lizzy's, which i hear is awesome) is a little restaurant called Ria's Bluebird- they're only opened for breakfast and lunch/brunch- so you have to be there before 3. Amazing!!! Pancakes topped with walnuts, banana's and drenched in syrup! Perfection! Last Visit: 03/18/2009

7. Agave- I have only been to Agave once, and I have not forgotten. It's been almost 2 years now- the night of my Bachelorette party. I don't remember too much, but I know I want to go back for more. I don't even remember what I had to eat, but I know I drank a ginormous margarita (maybe 2) and it was awesome. Agave took good care of our group of 10 giggling girls, puting us in their upstairs area and waiting on us hand and foot. I have to go back here one more time!

8. LaFonda- I was introduced to LaFonda when I was working at LAB 601 4 years ago, and in the year I worked at LAB I ate a lot of LaFonda. We ordered there from work on a regular basis because it was cheap, fast, and everyone loved it. When friends were in town, we went to dine-in. I pretty much always get the same thing there, which is usually not my style, but at LaFonda I think i'm always ordering the best thing. They have a salmon burrito which will knock your socks off- filled with slaw and a spicy jalapeno sauce (i have an odd relationship with spicy foods- i LOVE them, but I can't tolerate the heat- makes no sense to me either). Plus they have awesome chips & salsa, guacamole and cheese dip. I've also had the fish tacos (tilapia or salmon) and the paella. Every dish comes con arroz y habas. Yummy!!! Last visit: 03/10/2009

9. Moe's- It might be a little silly that I put Moe's on here, but it has been part of my life in Georgia. Moe's began as a legend for me- burritos as big as your head- i didn't believe it. Plus there wasn't a Moe's in Conyers, for, like, forever. I did eventually get a Moe's burrito and it was delicious and as big as my head! But, time passed on, and eventually I was introduced to the Close Talker- my life hasn't been the same since. Sadly, I could probably eat a salad from Moe's every day. Whenever I am in Conyers, and I have lunch with my mom, I pick Moe's- it's like a joke at her office. Plus, it's the place Amanda & I always go to when we have our catch-up meals- it's tradition. Yes, I know that there are many Moe's located in the greater Chicago area, but I am going to be living with people who prefer Chipotle, which is good, but it's owned by McDonald's people- McDonald's. Plus, you can't forget: "Welcome to Moe's!!!!" Last Visit- 03/08/2009

10. Olive Bistro- Oh, how can one deny themselves delicious Greek food?! Gyros, hummus, baba ghanoush, antipasi platters, falafel, etc. I love this place and all their Greek goodness. I do know that at least there is 1 gyro place in Chicago that can compare, but until then I need one more trip to the Olive Bistro to remind me what I will be missing. YUM

Only 5 more to go...

Things I'll Miss About Atlanta Part I: Dining Experiences Part I

2009-02-27T08:42:00.000-08:00

In honor of my previously-unannounced move to Chicago I have started a new series entitled: Things I'll Miss About Atlanta. I could just make this a short entry by typing "everything" but that requires no thought. So today's first entry honors some of my favorite restaurants and my plan to dine at all of them before leaving (which should give me another 20 lbs).

1. The Varsity. Yes, the Chicago hot dog is a fave of mine, but nothing compares to the delicious heartburn-inducing goodness that is the Varsity. A hot dog with mustard and chili and my soul is warmed. Fries or onion rings (I can't decide!)? What'll you have, what'll you have? And you better know upon approaching the counter. Varsity, I'll miss you. Last Visit: 03/13/09

2. Chick-fil-A. The concept of a chicken sandwich is foreign up north. The concept of hospitality like you receive at Chick-fil-izzle is too. I've been hooked here as long as I can remember- to everything (minus carrot and raisin salad). I even worked here for 4 years and I'm not afraid to eat there- and that's saying a lot. Luckily my access to Chick-fil-A won't be totally cut off. There are a few CFA's in Illinois, but none near Chicago... although, Dave's grandmother lives in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and they have not 1, but 2 Chick-fil-A's. Sorry grandma, but I will miss at least one of your delicious meals in favor of a #5 with a diet lemonade. Last Visit: Weekly

3. Ru-San's- Edgewood. Ah, I was introduced to Ru-San's at a birthday dinner. I loved it so much that 3 months later, I had my birthday dinner there. Ru-San's is awesome, and cheap. Plus, they have about 14 menus, so if you aren't a fan of sushi, there's still something for you. Back to the cheap- I can have a meal + edamame and a drink for under $15 bucks. Their dishes also have creative names. My favorite here- Gone With the Wind (i picked it for the name, and it was awesomely delish). Plus you can't beat techno versions of "In the Air Tonight" and the little sushi chef who never stops dancing. I do try to avoid eye contact with the manager, who I thought would kill me for bringing 15 friends friends with me for dinner- and I swear he would remember my face... When I say "Sake" You say "Bomb"

4. Vortex- Little 5. The cool place in the cool neighborhood. You may think you're walking into hell when you walk through a skull's mouth, but you're about to have the best burger! The Vortex brags that they have over 200 burger combinations. I am no where near trying them all. Although they have taken my favorite item off the menu without my consent (Mexican Heart Attacks) and have removed a few burgers, they have added even more items to tempt the taste buds. What I have been waiting to try: The Elvis Burger topped with peanut butter and fried banana. Although I was waiting until I was pregnant. Nothing beats a burger from the Vortex. Or their sweet potato fries, or their tots. Last Meal: 2/27/09

5. Top Spice- I was introduced to this delicious Thai restaurant a few years ago when I worked at Lab 601. I don't know much about Thai food, so people may not find it authentic, but I think it's amazing. The price is great, they have tons of choices, and they deliver! My favorites: Pad Thai w\ Shrimp, Masaman Chicken Curry, and Basil Rolls. I'm not much for spicy, so I don't eat a lot of things, but everything Dave has had, he's enjoyed too. Yumm-o. Last Meal: 2/12/09

I will be covering more of my favorite restaurants later!

are you there God, it's me, Melissa

2009-02-11T22:17:00.000-08:00

with all the bad things that seem to be happening in my life lately. the depression alone should help me drop those 20 lbs.

2009-02-03T22:09:00.000-08:00

my aunt passed away last night in her sleep at the age of 45

it's just not fair.

Someone ELSE called me fat...

2008-11-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

So I had to work one afternoon a couple weeks ago. Dave had the day off, so we had ran some errands beforehand. I came back to get ready for work, and I was already wearing this black H&M shirt that I love, so I decided to just keep it on under my work jacket (we have to wear black t-shirts or v-necks). Now, I was feeling a little self-conscious wearing this to work because the t-shirt I usually wear is loose and hides flaws, whereas the H&M shirt is a little less flattering when paired with standard-issue black tux pants that I'm required to wear. I shared this with my husband and he said that it shouldn't be a problem...

So, I go to work, and I'm hard at work (jacket-less because per usual it's 100 degrees) when some guy that I've worked with since I started there comes up to me and says,

"I need to go to your house and eat what you've been eating."

::shocked look::

"Yeah, I keep getting skinnier, and you've put on a little weight"

::shocked look, stuttering response::

Seriously, dude. I hope you don't talk to your wife like that.

It's been 5 years- but you're still famous on The Hill

2008-10-22T12:12:00.000-07:00

and you have me to thank for the "proof"

thanks mother for waiting until i was 27 to ruin my self-esteem

2008-10-10T20:52:00.000-07:00

so my mother has never been the kind of person that would say things to me when i was growing up like, "you've put on some weight" or "your face is really broken out"...

so imagine my shock when i was telling her that next weekend we are driving to Ft. Wayne, Indiana, so that Dave's cousin can make some actual wedding pictures for us that include the bride & groom, and she responded by saying:

"are you still going to be able to fit in your wedding dress?"

um, thanks mom. thanks a whole lot.

so when i tried to dispute this she added, "well, you have put on some weight since you've gotten married"

yes mom, it's bad enough that i have to step on the scale every day and view my 5'1" frame creep closer towards obesity, but I don't need you pointing it out.

love me for who i am, mom!

i'm about to drop 20 pounds off on y'all! boo-yah

chain of blogs

2008-09-29T11:20:00.000-07:00

So, Katie has tagged me for a blog chain. I usually ignore these, but I'm only doing because you live far away. I don't know if i can come up with quirks.

1. I have eaten like I was pregnant my entire life, I'll grab a glass of milk and a couple pickles, and that's a snack. I mostly enjoy eating condiments and dips, and little things like that, so I can't wait to see what I'll put together when I do get pregnant.

2. I hate hearing other people use the bathroom. Sure, everyone does it, but I don't want to hear it.

3. I love surprises, but I think I like ruining them more. Whenever my husband says, "i got a surprise" or something for Christmas or whatever, I am SO excited about it, I try to find out what it is. Most recently he got us something from Amazon. I just signed into his Amazon acct. to find out what it was... LOST season 3.... yesssssssss!

4. I usually don't decide it's time to clean until it's way past bedtime. Say, 1 AM.

5. I hate the Burger King Man. I hate Oompa Loompas.

6. I don't know. I need to start getting ready for work.

Okay, I tag:

No one reads my blog

fashion

2008-09-21T20:45:00.000-07:00

the subject of finding something to wear for a funeral i am attending tomorrow has led me to believe that I dress too immaturely for my age. 1. i have nothing very appropriate to wear to a funeral. 2. anything i found that was appropriate was terribly inappropriate.

how should i be dressing at my age? i can't afford anything classy- i can barely afford anything. nothing fits my body type. i feel like i'm the worst-dressed person I know most days, and that my height leads me to look frumpy in everything.

here's how badly i can't find anything to fit me- my husband gave me a $100 gift card to use on anything i wanted recently, and after searching and trying things on, I returned with 7 pairs of shoes. needless to say, he wasn't happy, and my feet now have blisters.

seriously though, i can't afford to shop anywhere mature- so i'm relegated to forever 21 because everything is less than $20, but i really think i'm getting too old for a lot of stuff there.

it's terrible to avoid a funeral b\c of a lack of something to wear, but if i don't find something appropriate, then i'm going to have to duck out.

so it's back upstairs, hopefully to find something appropriate to wear, and then to lie in bed depressed about my age and wardrobe.

the o.c.

2008-09-12T13:01:00.001-07:00

i still love the o.c. soapnet shows it from 2-4 following my newest favorite show- one tree hill. today was a special treat as the 2 episodes being shown were the series finale, and the pilot.

as silly as this sounds- i still get a tear in my eye watching the finale (so sappy, i know) and the pilot is still one of my favorite pilot episodes, ever.

why do all my shows get canceled? i have a theory that I am tv show cancer. I'm going to test this theory this year, and I'll let you know if i'm right. I'm not going to say what it is yet- i'm just going to wait it out to see if it's really true...

i'm going to new york tomorrow!

i know i already told you about this

2008-09-03T10:57:00.000-07:00

i saw a friend this weekend, and her parting words to me were- "if you get pregnant, I'll kill you"

now tell me that's not taking it just a little too far?

the sisterhood of the shrinking pants

2008-08-27T18:57:00.000-07:00

my pants legs always look so long when I hold them up and look at them, and I think, "hey, i'm leggy!"

and then i put them on.

yay, babies!

2008-08-25T13:09:00.000-07:00

DAVE & I ARE AN UNCLE & AUNT AGAIN!!!!

Hooray! We have a new nephew, Jason Michael Nykaza (still trying to figure out if that's correct considering, our other nephew already has "Michael" as his middle name- and that confuses me). He was 8 lbs 7 oz, and that's about all I know. He was born about 3 hours ago!

So, it looks like I am going to have to give up trying to go to the UGA- GSU game and make a trip to Chicago. Not exactly where I'm wanting to spend my 1 year anniversary, but I digress.

Does anyone know if frozen top layers of wedding cake travel well?

2008-08-06T20:25:00.001-07:00

i was taking a hiatus while Peg Sutter was on hiatus, but now she's back and i have some catching up to do...

tick tock, tick tock

2008-06-23T09:01:00.000-07:00

so, I am now another year older, and it is starting to sink in a bit.

but really, what can be said about growing older, and having another birthday.

maybe this: time flies- it's not just a saying. i remember turning 16, which was over a DECADE ago, 21, 25. it's crazy. i just keep telling myself, "i'm not supposed to be this old."

i'm not having any major freak-outs about my age yet. 25- maybe. And geez, was that dumb, just wait till 30 gets here!

I think i will continue to stay cool about my age, as long as I look younger than I really am. I mean, come on, my co-workers think i'm 18.

And that's all they need to know. ;)

Eleanor Rigby

2008-06-11T20:51:00.000-07:00

Eleanor Rigby, picks up the rice
in the church where a wedding has been
Lives in a dream
Waits at the window, wearing the face
that she keeps in a jar by the door
Who is it for

Yes, Dave & I picked the most depressing Beatles song to name our dog, but it's a catchy song, and it beat out Penny Lane and all Dave's other lame suggestions in the dog-naming process.

She is pretty much awesome! She's getting along pretty well with Mr. Famous too! Here are some photos of the little cutie!

sleeping, per usual

Here is me and El on the way home from the Humane Society!

Here are the babies together in the crate!

RE: Homemade Frosting My Butt

2008-06-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

So I got a very quick reply from the folks at Betty Crocker Magazine, in fact, I got a reply from their actual editor.

They had a few ideas about what may have went wrong with my cake, which they shared with me in this email:

Hi Melissa,

I'm so sorry that you were disappointed with the Strawberry-Lime Layer Cake. It is so frustrating to buy ingredients and invest a lot of time and then have the recipe not turn out. You certainly had a great, creative solution for fixing the problem. I checked our testing files and we made this recipe a minimum of three times and got results similar to our photo. Thank you for your suggestion to add a time for the beating of the frosting - our notes indicated we beat it 5 minutes; I'll add this for the future. So, the food editor and I have tried to understand what might have made the difference for you. Here are a couple of thoughts:

Did you use a low-fat butter or margarine? These often contain extra water.

Did you use butter spread with canola oil? This could make a difference in results.

Did you use frozen strawberries or did you add sugar to your berries? This would provide extra liquid.

Was it a really warm or humid day? Was the butter so soft it was almost melted? (should be soft but hold its shape)

Only 1/2 cup of the chopped strawberries should have been added to the frosting - did you inadvertently add more? did you add the sliced berries? They were to be put on top of the frosting between the layers.

Again, I'm so sorry this didn't work out for you. If you'd like to call me to discuss this, you can reach me at 763.764.####. We're glad you enjoyed the Grasshopper Fudge Cake.

Warm regards,

Jackie Sheehan, Editor

I love how she applauds my "creative solution." If she had seen my cake, she would have found it more to be a necessity than anything else.

But were I to respond to her, I would say as follows:

Did I use margarine? Yes your recipe told me I could. If you know margarine might ruin the cake, then don't tell your readers they can use it! It's not like it would have really hurt me to pick up some sticks of butter along with everything else I bought to make the cake.

Canola Oil? No

Frozen Strawberries or Sugar? No. Your recipe did not call for either of those items, and as stated above, i followed the recipe to a T.

Was it a really warm or humid day? This is Georgia. It didn't matter that it was 2am. What do you think?

My favorite part is where she leaves me her phone number, which I doubt I'll ever call. I think I made my points.

homemade frosting my butt

2008-06-01T00:11:00.000-07:00

so I made this cake for the Anniversary Lunch at Church, and during the process I got so angry and fired up I had to send my friends at Betty Crocker and email sharing my experience. Needless to say after you read this email, you won't be able to take my anger seriously, as I got more tickled writing it than I did angry.

Dear Betty Crocker Magazine Editors:

When I first decided I was going to make this cake for a church function, I was really excited and I knew everyone else would love it too. By the time I was finished with the cake, I believed it was better off being relegated to my garbage can. So what I would like to know is how was this cake REALLY made?

From what I can tell by looking at your frosting and the frosting that turned out in my bowls from your recipe, it looks like you really used can frosting instead of the homemade frosting. I followed all of your instructions to a T. My first problem came when slicing the cake- the cake was so moist that one half of the layers split completely down the middle after being sliced (and I wasn't even touching that part of the cake or slicing in that direction. So that made for great fun when I put it on the frosted cake (it finally split into 2 pieces and slid right off the cake). My main problem was the strawberry-butter-sugar frosting. I probably beat it for about 5 minutes- maybe I didn't beat it long enough- your recipe says until fluffy- which is very general, and well, it looked fluffy to me. Maybe suggesting to your readers something like "about 10 minutes" or however long it REALLY takes, would be helpful. Once I started frosting the cake I knew it wasn't going to be pretty; the frosting started sliding down the sides of the cake, and my sliced strawberries were going with it. By the time I frosted 4 layers, I had about an inch worth of frosting in the bottom of my cake dish. The pink frosting also had a mottled look to it- maybe that's because my idea of what "fluffy" is varies from what Betty Crocker's idea of "fluffy" and I didn't beat it long enough-? Maybe the butter started congealing? Whatever it was, it looked terrible (although it was tasty from the bowl), and it just kept getting soupier. Once I realized it was so runny, I took the remaining 3/4 of the frosting and beat it another 2-3 minutes, but it still was just as runny as the first 1/4.

In the end, I had to cover the ENTIRE cake with the whipping cream frosting just so I didn't have to look at the pink "frosting" anymore- or rather my husband did because by that point I was so angry/upset I had given up. Hopefully this cake will not mutate into something else overnight, and if not, maybe I won't be so embarrassed about taking it to a function. I have documented this monstrosity with a photo, which is living proof that my cake turned out to be NOTHING like the cake shown in your magazine. And hopefully next time I make a cake from your magazine it won't look like the cake I made with my brother for my mom's birthday when I was 13. I have only made 1 other cake from this book- the Grasshopper Fudge Cake, and it turned out identical to your recipe/photo (twice).

I'm asking please, when having readers make homemade frosting give them a more specific idea of about how much time is needed when using your mixer- I'm sure it probably makes a difference.

Sincerely,

Melissa Mc

Eagerly awaiting their response.