Watch the BEE with ME! Part 2

My liveblogging of the National Spelling Bee continues...

See Part 1 of the liveblog here.

9:29 - Just took a break to brush my teeth. I created a new salad dressing for dinner tonight: balsamic vineagrette, olive oil, pureed strawberries, and a squirt of lemon juice. Delicious, but super strong aftertaste. Anyway, I am a huge fan of the Crest ProHealth Toothpase in Cinnamon flavor. Except it is so foamy that it clogs my bathroom sink, so I sometimes brush my teeth in the kitchen. Is this weird?

9:31 - Rose is up. She looks nervous. She gets "sheitel" (wig worn by a Jewish woman). Aw, Rose is out. But she's still smiling!!!

9:33 -- Sameer is up with "nacarat." I like this kid...great sense of humor. With Rose out, I hope he wins. And he spells it correctly. And breathes a huge sigh of relief (as do I).

9:37 - Okay, I am checking out other Bee blogs and there appears to be a great Tia-backlash. She's being described as both robotic and Kobe Bryant-esque.

9:41 - Kavya's out!!! But she has one more year of eligibility. She'll be back!!! Aw, her little sister is so cute!

9:42 - Was Scott Remer's shirt always untucked or is this an indication that he's getting nervous? He's up with "thymele." I don't think he knows it. Aw, the announcers name is Dr. Bailey...just like Grey's Anatomy.

Scott's out. BOOOO!!! My official pick is out. GO SAMEER (my unofficial pick)

9:49 - And we are on to the 25 word Champion list. If no champion emerges from this list, co-champs are named. We have three spellers, Tia, Sameer, and Sidharth.

Kobe Bryant, er, Tia Thomas is up with "Oxylophytic." And she nails it. And she's excited!

9:50 - Sameer is up with "sinicize" (modify by Chinese influence). He looks nervous. I think you can sound this one out. Then again, I am just sitting on my couch. I don't have the spotlights and the TV cameras and pressure on me. So what do I know!?! Sameer gets it!!!! WOOHOO!!!!

9:58 - Tia's up. For the first time ever, I do not think she knows the word, "opificer." She's doing a nervous head jerk thing...it's very distracting.

Tia's out. And she gets a standing ovation. She looks completely ticked off.

10:01 - We've entered the third hour of the Bee. Whew.

Sameer is up with "hyphaeresis" (omitting a syllable from a word). I hope Sameer does not commit hyphaeresis in the spelling of the word. YES! He's gets it right!!!

Okay, this Sidharth character is like a spelling machine. But if he can spell "Kulturkampf" correctly....which he does.

And Tia continues to look traumatized.

10:04 - Sameer is up with taleggio which can be pronounced 97 different ways...none of those ways being "numbnut." It's a soft creamy cheese. I'm in. Yum. And Sameer spells it right.

Sidharth is up with "introuvable" which he pronounces with a perfect French accent. I don't like this kid.

10:06 - Sameer is back up with "esclandre." LOVE the way Sameer mocks the announcer's pronunciation of the word and then nails the word. This kid is adorable.

Sidharth has "prosopopoeia." He knows it. But spells it wrong. He misses the "i."

GO SAMEER!!!!! COME ON, YOU CAN DO IT!!!!! He gets "guerdon." Okay, I'm so nervous for him. I am tempted to hit mute...okay, I did hit mute.

10:10 - HE WON! HE WON! HE WON! HE WON! SAMEER WON!

He looks so happy. I think he's crying!!! And to think, this is the kid that said "numbnut" on national television.

10:11 - And that ends the Bee. Until next year...

Watch the BEE with ME!

One of my guiltiest pleasures is reading the live blogs of the Oscars/Emmys/MTV Movie Awards. Live blogging is basically taking notes and sharing commentary as you watch a show and posting it to your blog.

I have always wanted to do a live blog and the Spelling Bee seems like a great opportunity to try it out.

Note: I am really going to try to not make catty remarks about the contestant's appearance. Lord knows that I still have self-esteem issues stemming from my middle school/high school years and I never had to be on national television.

So tune in with me tonight!!!!

7:58 - And we're off! Live from Washington D.C., both the Bee and Me! I'm all settled in on the couch with a glass of water and my laptop. Yes, this is my Friday night. Any illusions that I lead a glamorous life should now be put to rest.

8:00 - And the Bee has started!!!!! WOOHOO!!! Ugh, they are starting with an allegedly funny bit with the host of the show, Tom Bergeron. I hate forced funny bits. They are just....awkward.

8:01 - The twelve finalists have taken to their stage with their parents. The parents look more nervous than the kids. Oh, good. The kids are wearing nice clothes and not the awful, not-at-all flattering red Bee shirts that many had worn in the earlier rounds.

8:03 - Looking at the picks of my colleagues, the early favorites are Kavya Shivashankar, Tia Thomas, and Scott Remer. I picked Scott. Although, given the length of Kavya's last name, she might be the better choice.

8:05 - Can I get a job as a spelling bee analyst? I would be so good. First word, "bowlderize" (to remove objectional material).

8:06 - Tia Thomas is up!!! She get "shamateurism." And she spells it like is the easiest word in the world. Tia's on fire!

8:07 - Ugh, awkward host chat. The analyst thinks Kavya is the favorite as well.

8:10 - Austin is up with the word "tralatitious." I believe his nervous habit is twirling his hair around his finger. And he spells out. He does have very shiny hair though. I wonder what product he uses.

8:12 - Kavya's being interviewed and she is soooo calm. And her little sister, Kavya's "biggest cheerleader," is back. She was kind of the showstealer last year. And she gives the cutest interview and tells her sister to "do the best she can." Awww....

8:16 - Does anyone have connections that can get me into the Bee next year? The event is closed to the public but there has to be some way in. Hmm, do they need volunteers? I could bake treats for the comfort room (where the eliminated spellers go after they leave the stage).

8:18 - Kyle Mou is up. Kyle is a member of his school's robotics team. And he has apparently caught on to the D.C. Male Uniform: baby blue shirt and khaki pants.

8:19 - Rose Sloan is up! "Hemeralopia" (day blindness). She's asking a million questions (origin, definition) but I think she knows the word. She has a big smile...that's her tell. And she gets it.

8:22 - Kavya's up!!!! Empyrean - sphere of fire and light. And she spells it with complete confidence.

8:26 - The movie The Rookie with Dennis Quaid is on ABC tomorrow movie. It's a VERY good movie. And probably what I'll be watching tomorrow night. Although, I do have Juno coming from Netflix tomorrow so I may be watching that.

8:27 - They are doing the musical interludes from the musical "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." I saw the musical at the National Theatre last Novemberish (I think). It is very funny but I would hesitate bringing kids to see it. It has some, um, rather adult themes/song in it. I noticed a few parents getting really uncomfortable.

8:29 - Is Kat Cojucaru related to Steven Cojucaru? I always liked his fashion reports on the Today show. He would always say wildly edgy things and make Katie and Matt SO uncomfortable. And then he had a liver transplant and I never saw/heard from him again. Is he doing okay?

8:31 - Scott Remer's favorite word is Xebec (a small, three-masted vessel of the Mediterranean, formerly much used by corsairs, now employed to some extent in commerce). I don't know if I have a favorite word. I like the word "xenophobe." I learned that one during my sophomore year of college while watching Armageddon with my floormates. My friend/college roommate/current blog reader Saira had VERY strong feelings about the xenophobic tendencies of that movie. I have not been able to watch that movie since then without thinking about it (but I still LOVE that movie).

And he spells "digerati" correct (I think I spelled that right.)

8:33 - Round one is over and 11 of the 12 spellers remain.

8:35 -I did a little Wikipedia research and Steven Cojocaru is apparently doing well. He has actually had two liver transplants and most recently, he appeared on the Daily Show.

8:36 - Aw, yay. Steve Carrell and Will Ferrell are doing a spelling bee bit. I love them!

8:37 - Samia Nawaz kicks off round 2. Her role models are Angelina Jolie and J.K. Rowling. Okay, did Angelina have the twins or not? I have been reading conflicting stories all day long.

8:38 - Tia Thomas has gone through the dictionary seven times!!! Wow, I should add that to my summer to-do list. Her family seems surprisingly normal. If you get a chance, watch Spellbound. You will get a better idea of how obsessed families can get with the Bee. I love that her mom admits that it is a challenge having a child that is more intelligent than her parents.

8:42 - Justin Song gets "Rorschach" (the psychological tests). I know this one!!!!

8:43 - How tall is Kyle Mou? I can't tell if he is really short or if it's the camera angle.

Rose Sloan is up and she knows her word. "Alcarraza" She busts out in a huge smile when the announcer says the word. She would NOT be good at poker. I hope she wins. I think she would have to BEST reaction.

8:44 - Sameer gets "numnah." Except he thinks the announcer said "Numbnut."

Best. Bee. Moment. Ever.

The crowd goes wild. In a quick interview, Sameer was most concerned because "numbnut" can be spelled numerous ways. Um, how many ways can you spell it?

8:52 - Sidharth Chand is up with "ommateal" which reminds me of "oatmeal." He spells it correctly.

8:58 - Has anyone actually emailed Dan@sprint.com? Did he write back? Let me know.

8:59 - Round two is over. I think this Bee is going to take a while. We still have 11 spellers. I took a nap this afternoon so I should be able to make it through.

9:02 - Samia kicks off the third round! She loves fashion and her favorite movie is The Devil Wears Prada. I love that movie too. We have that in common. She can spell "escabeche." We do NOT have that in common.

9:03 - Does Tia Thomas look like Abigail Breslin (the kid from Little Miss Sunshine) or is it just me?

9:04 - Okay, it is NOT a good sign when the announcer cannot even pronounce the word. "Satyagraha" is Justin Song's word. And no one can pronounce it. And Justin cannot spell it.

Kyle Mou spells out with lapies. And we are down to 9 spellers.

9:12 - Hey, the creator of Grey's Anatomy is live blogging the Bee too. See it here. Apparently all the cool kids are live blogging the Bee this year.

9:14 - Sameer is up again. He gets "chorion" and I don't think he knows how to spell it. He's running out of time....Quick, Sameer....spell it!!! Whew, he gets it.

9:15 - Kavya's role model is Nupur Lala. Okay, I had no idea who this was. I was thinking it was some Ghandi-like person. But nope, Nupur won the 1995 Bee. Do they have Bee champion reunions?

9:16 - The lovely outdoor shots that they keep showing of D.C. are quite accurate. The weather has been wonderful this whole week. Today was stunningly beautiful...a perfect weather day. I am thoroughly enjoying it because I know the dreaded D.C. humidity is imminent.

9:18 - Cat gets "bogatyr" (a medieval hero of Russia). She is making a series of completely perplexed faces. She does not know this word. "Can I have any more help?" lol, she actually asked that. HA! She is going to have to guess. And she gets it wrong. She's upset. Her mom is comforting here. aw....

9:21 - Scott gets "lemel" (metal fillings). I have three lemels in my teeth.

Okay, I love Jahnavi Iyer's sarcasm. She gets "parfleche" and says, "That sounds nice". But it's not. It's rawhide soaked in lye to remove the hair. Gross. She does not spell it correctly. She apparently is "Miss Bee Congeniality" because all of the other contestants go crazy supporting her.

9:24 - Okay we have reached the point where the words the spellers are getting are not in blogspot's spell check dictionary. Or I am spelling them wrong. I think it's the former.

Read the conclusion of the Spelling Bee liveblog here.

It's my most favorite day of the year!!!!

And nope, it's not the Banana Republic Summer Clearance sale.

It's the National Spelling Bee Championship!!!!

I love, love, LOVE this event!!!! As a former Bee-er (1993 Wisconsin State Bee Finalist...not to brag or anything), I love the nerdy anxiety of this event. Kids who have literally trained all year for this. It's such a amazing display of dedication at an incredibly young age. (Note: I was never that hard core. I am just a good memorizer. I do still love my sparkly Bee trophy though! ) If you ever want proof of this dedication, watch the movie Spellbound (or Akeelah and the Bee). It's amazing and thoroughly enjoyable documentary!!!

I have already arranged the office Bee pool and when the finalists are announced in the next hour, everyone will be making their Bee champion picks. The Bee finals are at 8 p.m. on ABC. It will BEE awesome!

In the meantime, if you want to test your own word prowess, check out Freerice.com. It is a website created by John Breen to help end word hunger through, wait for it, vocabulary. Take the online vocabulary test and for each correct answer, 20 grains of rice will be donated to someone in need of food.

I'm baa-ack!

Sorry for the lack of bloggery this week! My cable has been out all week so no Internet, no television. I have never felt so disconnected from the world. I had no idea what was going on "out there."

And I always watch the weather in the morning when I am getting dressed so that I am somewhat ready for the elements that I may face. Without the morning weather report, I was SO lost. I swear to goodness, out of desperation on Wednesday morning, I stood at the window, took a whiff, and said, "It smells like rain." And packed my umbrella. Note: It did NOT rain.

But my cable is back for now after a week long battle with Comcast. I just wish one of my calls to them would not end up with me in tears. And this time, as an added bonus, the Comcast customer service rep had a complete breakdown on the phone. She had put me on hold to talk to her supervisor and when she came back on the line, she was completely sobbing. I had NO CLUE what to do so I uttered, "it'll be okay." Completely baffled me!

Suffice to say though, if you ever hear a news report of an Angry Rebecca attacking the Comcast headquarters with an inflatable pink Princess hammer, it's probably me.

Baking puzzle!

And my cookbook collection continues to grow. It's an addiction really. I am sure there is rehab program for people like me. (Something like, Step 1: Betty Crocker is not your friend. Step 2: Amazon.com's Speedy Checkout is not a good thing.) Anyway, there are probably worst habits I could have.

The newest member of my cookbook family arrived via a conversation with some colleagues who were oogling some adorable panda cupcakes in the free Metro newspaper. The cupcakes were inspired by the book Hello, Cupcake! by Alan Richardson and Karen Tack. And after looking up the book on Amazon, it was too irresistibly cute to resist.

The book takes normal cupcakes and transform them into pieces of art using everyday grocery items (Junior Mints, doughnut holes, M&Ms, etc.) Clowns, puppies, penguins, and ocean scenes are among the many masterpieces created in this book using the trendy mini cakes.

So my mom and I attacked one of the ideas in the book with a vengeance this past weekend. I have included pics of every step of the artful process. See if you can guess what the end result will be!

Here's a hint: This creation was inspired by a vacation that I have taken in the past year.

It all began with 23 cupcakes.

Add a little murky green frosting. The frosting part was the hardest part of this whole process.

Add a few upright Oreo thin crisps to some of cupcakes.

Figured it out yet? The next step should make the answer a wee bit more obvious.

Add a few cut-up marshmallows and two dark green jellybeans.

And then add some marshmallows and Junior Mints.

And meet Prada the alligator!

Gucci was pretty cute...

...but Prada is even sweeter!

S'more nice weather, please!

One of my favorite traditions that my Mom, Dad, and I all partake in is a S'mores night. Well, when it's warm outside. I love S'mores but standing outside on a mid-February, deep freeze night roasting marshmallows? That would rank right up there with ice fishing on things that are not appealing to me...at all...ever.

My parents have a super cool "retreat" area in their yard. With its fish pond, water fountains, and comfy seating, it's a very meditative place. But it also has a brand new fire pit area that is perfect for roasting marshmallows.

(Note: I am NOT a very good marshmallow roaster. On a camping trip in college, I managed to send a flaming marshmallow spinning through the air and when it landed, it nearly set a friend's pants on fire. Not coincidentally, that was the last time I went camping.)

Anyway, we decided to make S'mores last night. Just after my Dad gone outside and started the fire, the skies opened up, pouring down rain. But we are a pretty hard-core S'mores crowd. So we put on rain coats, put the marshmallows, Hershey bars, and graham crackers in Ziploc bags, and headed outside. The fire was still burning strong (I have no idea how but it was.) And S'mores night fun ensued!

My dad.




My mom and me. Now for those of you who know my personal crusade against the Washington Post Fashion Editor's assertion that navy blue and black match, you are probably gasping in horror at the fact that I am wearing navy blue and black in that pic. Yes, sadly I am but please know that I am dying a fashionable death on the inside. I was cold and did not pack a sweatshirt so my mom gave me that one to wear. That I was wearing black yoga pants when I put it on was just a cruel twist of fashion fate.


Even Lady got in on the fun and cleaned up our skewers for us.



Happy Memorial Day everyone! Have a S'more for me!

My parent's backyard is pretty much just like watching Animal Planet

Even though my parents technically live "in town" (or I guess "in the village" if you want to be technical), when "town" is pretty much in the middle of nowhere, it's still pretty countryish. Their neighborhood borders on a fairly woodsy area (and I have been collecting the wood ticks to prove it) but we rarely ever have deer wander into the yard during the day. During the night, I believe they do wander into the garden and partake in what must be the deer equivalent of Old Country Buffet.

But today, my Mom and I were busy baking inside the house when my Dad summoned us outside. A deer was wandering in the field across the street. My Dad grabbed his bird watching telescope and we had a front-row view of the deer...that had just given birth. Yep, joining the fun was a brand new baby deer that was all leggy and wobbly. The doe was trying to get the baby out of the field and into the high grass for its safety. Which is easier said than done given that the baby had not quite figured out the whole walking thing. Off to the side watching (and protecting) was another doe with twin fawns by her side. It was among the sweetest, most serene and heartwarming sights ever! SOOOOO cute!

My dad, an avid and quite talented wildlife photographer, captured this super cute picture of the new addition to the world.

Everyone together now, awwwwww!

Leaving on a jet plane!

I am just about finished packing and will soon head to the airport to begin a long holiday weekend back home in Wisconsin. Nothing relaxes and recharges me like a nice weekend there. A weekend filled with shopping, baking, roasting marshmallows, and taking the puppy for walks (I would say "long walks" but my tiny hometown has a limited number of streets to walk down.) But I also will be quite content plopping myself down on the patio with my laptop and the 27 lbs of magazines that have accumulated on my coffee table and getting caught up on my reading and writing.


Have a great Memorial Day weekend everyone!!!!

Do not disturb me tomorrow at 10 a.m.

Ever since I "gave up" celebrity gossip for Lent earlier this year, I have to say, I have really not paid as much attention to it at all even though Lent has long since ended. I realized that life actually did go on even if I did not know who Paris Hilton is dating.

That said, tomorrow at 10 a.m., I will absolutely be clicking over to the People magazine website when they release the pictures of the Ashlee Simpson/whomever she married wedding. And honestly, it has absolutely nothing to do with celebrity curiosity and everything to do with the theme that the wedding took.

You will not find a bigger fan of creativity out there but even I cannot fathom coming up with this for a wedding reception "The Alice in Wonderland themed reception featured a wedding cake by Sam Godfrey of Perfect Endings with a top hat, tea pot, stop watch and a pot of flowers on top. The elaborate centerpieces of black magic roses were by Mark's Garden."

Additionally, my favorite part of the decor description is this: "Inside the tents the decor was goth rocker: black rugs, white couches with red pillows, black chandeliers and lots of red roses."

Nothing says forever like a little goth rocker!

I need to see pictures of this (and don't think I have not been searching the web frantically for any sort of photo)!!!!

Updated Thursday, May 22nd at 6:15 a.m.

Okay, I feel misled. Yes, People magazine released a picture. But if not for the veil, it could have been taken any time. Oh, and what is the dog wearing? I may or may not be known for putting cute outfits on my parent's puppy but even I would never make a poor dog wear THAT!

So I guess I will have to buy People magazine to see the rest of the pics. And by "buy," I mean "pick the longest checkout line at the grocery store so I can page through the magazine and put it back before it's my turn to pay."

Introducing the World's Cutest Bowling Bag

When you first move to a major city where your commuting is mainly done via public transportation, the first thing you figure out is that you need comfortable shoes or else your feet will hate you. I mean, seriously hate you. Yeah, I still see people tottering done the sidewalks and down the Metro escalators in stilettos and all I can think is 1) they don't even look comfortable and 2) that cannot be good for their knees/feet/back/etc (A while back, one of my trainers drilled it into my head how bad flip flops and extreme heels are for the body.). Luckily, shoe manufacturers have caught on in this arena and there are plenty of super cute, comfortable, feminine shoes out there. My feet, in fact, have never looked quite as fashionable as they have of late.

The second thing you have to figure out is which bag will fit everything you need to get you through the day. No longer do I have the luxury of throwing my gym bag in the trunk of my car. Nope, I now carry with me everything that I will need (breakfast, lunch, ipod, cell phone, planner, gym clothes, sunglasses, sunscreen, etc.) from the minute I step out the door at 5:00 a.m. until I return home around 7:30 p.m. It takes a bit of planning and the appropriate bag. I have struggled to find this bag. I have gone through the Bag Lady phase (carrying multiple bags) and committed the ultimate fashion faux pas (the Backpack, ugh...but I could fit so much in it). I am convinced that I have owned every single tote bag ever created at some point. But I have never found the perfect bag.

So on my recent trip to Chicago, I was determined to return to D.C. with an fab bag. And guess what, I found it! (This never happens. I'm sure you know the feeling. When you are determined to find something in a store, you never can. The minute you no longer need it, you find 100 of them.)

We had wandered into lululemon, a store that my Pilates teacher had raved about but I had never been (they have one in Georgetown). And I saw a bag that I liked a lot. The sales lady then showed me a messenger style bag. Okay, messenger bags never work for me. The way they cut across the chest area....it's just not a flattering look.

Then, EUREKA! There they were. In a variety of colors and prints, they could be deemed...um, the trendiest set of bowling bags ever? I feel in love with the light purple one immediately.



The bag is big but not bulky. It has pockets for a laptop, cell phone, Ipod, cell phone charger, make-up, and more. I can easily fit my gym clothes, my lunch, and everything else I need to get through the day in it.

But what really sold me on this bag is the shoe storage area on the bottom. Because I really never want my shoes next to my turkey sandwich. Gross.


The Wannabe Domestic Goddess' Verdict
I have been carrying this bag for about a month now and LOVE it. It has gotten me through a variety of events: regular work/gym day, work/gym/Pilates day, day when I carried 48 cheesecake lollipops, day when I went straight from work to happy hour (I had the largest purse in the bar), and even as a carry on bag a recent trip.

It was a little pricey (around $70 plus Chicago's ridiculous sales tax) but it was so completely worth it. Did I mention the shoe pocket?!? Or the fact that the designers thought to include a cell phone charger pocket (I just discovered this pocket last Thursday and had to show it everyone in my office)?

And the bag is waterproof, which is so helpful given that D.C. has taken on rain forest qualities during the past few weeks.

The last time I checked lululemon did NOT have an online store but if you are ever in a city with one DEFINITELY check it out. I almost prefer their stuff to my usual workout apparel fave, lucy.

I should also say that the Green Goddess in me was SO pleased to receive a reusable shopping bag when I made my purchase at lululemon. The store offers an environmental discount if you reuse the bag. I am so glad to see that non-grocery stores are beginning to offer discounts when customers reuse bags.

Can horses have self-esteem issues?

Having recently confessed my love of watching horse racing, it should come as no surprise that I dashed home from an eyebrow waxing appointment yesterday to grab a front row seat in my living room to watch the Preakness.

I was half-listening to the pre-race banter between the race commentators, half reading the newest issue of Self magazine. Then I heard the one announcer say "he's looking a little heavy" and "that's where he carries his weight." It honestly took me a minute to realize that they were talking about a horse and not one of the jockeys.

Thus began a lengthy discussion about the weight of Gayego, one the horses in the race. And then, the announcer said something along the lines of "I had hoped he would have dropped some of that weight since the Derby." Um, the Derby was TWO WEEKS ago! Is there a horse version of South Beach or Atkins? Or was he supposed to do Master Cleanse or the Grapefruit Diet? Maybe a little Apple Cider Vinegar with his oats? Or would the oats be too high carb?

I do not know the specifics of horse racing but I would imagine that leaner horses probably do have the advantage. Nor do I really know anything about horses but this horse looked beautiful.

All I do know is that I felt so bad for this horse and his weight issues being analyzed on national television.

America...where you can never be too thin or too beautiful...even if you are a horse.

(Note: Gayego actually led for a good portion of the race before losing to Big Brown. But he did win my heart yesterday. I really just hope he is not walking past a mirror in the stable asking "Do this saddle make me look fat?")

Lollipop, lollipop, Oh lolli, lolli, lolli, lollipop

I have decided that my current dream job would be working in a candy store at Disney World (Okay, after about a day, the kids would probably start annoying me). Thanks to my fav new book Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey: Desserts for the Serious Sweet Tooth , I have stepped out of my baking box of cookies, brownies, cakes, and cupcakes, and have added a few new items to my repertoire. First it was Heaven on a Stick. I now present Cheesecake Lollipops! So much fun to make, so delicious, soooo cute!!!





Cheesecake Lollipops

Ingredients
Five, 8 ounce packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy cream
boiling water as needed

Thirty to forty 8-inch lollipop sticks
1 pound baking chips (any flavor milk chocolate, dark, chocolate, white chocolate, etc.)

Directions
Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer set at a low speed, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at a low speed) after each addition.

Lightly grease a 10-inch cake pan (I ended up with enough batter to fill a 10-inch round cake pan and an 8x8 cake pan). Pour the cheese batter into the cake pan and place in a large roasting pan (I used a 9x13 cake pan). Fill the roasting pan with boiling water until it reaches halfway up the side of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake us firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes.

Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

When cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 2-ounce balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 to 2 hours.

When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate coating. Place half of your chocolate wafers/chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir. If the chocolate is not completely melted, microwave for 30-second interval, stirring until smooth. Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Hold the pop over the melted chocolate and shake off any excess. Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate wafers as needed.


Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve. Makes 30 to 40 pops (I ended up with 48).

The Wannabe Domestic Goddess' Verdict
This may be my most favorite thing I have made yet. HUGE hit at a recent office bridal shower.

I had way, way, WAY too much fun being creative with my flavor combinations. I dived into my baking chip/sprinkle stash and came up with a variety of flavors (P.S. I inherited this baking chip hoarding mentality from my mom. I know this because the same weekend that I was making these, my mom was busy making twelve dozen (!) cookies so she could use up her baking chip stash.)

Anyway, my cheesecake lollipop menu included:
Strawberry Cheesecake - A layer of strawberry jam covered with dark, milk, or white chocolate
Mint Chocolate Chip - Melted mint chips with chocolate sprinkles
Turtle - A layer of caramel covered in dark or milk chocolate and coated in crushed pecans
Butterscotch Toffee - Melted butterscotch chips coated in toffee bits
Heath Bar - Melted milk or dark chocolate sprinkled with toffee bits
Coconut - Melted milk, dark or white chocolate topped with coconut
Cinnamon - Melted cinnamon chips
Gingersnap - Melted white chocolate coated in crushed gingersnap cookies
Sprinkles - Melted milk, dark or white chocolate topped with a variety of sprinkles (including dinosaur sprinkles!!!!)
Mochaccino - Melted cappuccino and semisweet chocolate chips

(I do need to get better at my chocolate dipping technique. This part of the process was just not as perfect as I wanted it to be. Do they offer classes in these types of things?!?)

To display them, I bought three cute little containers at the Container Store. They look like giant cupcake liners and were super cheap ($1.99 each). I loved the bright colors! And I put a small piece of Styrofoam on the bottom (to pierce the lollipop sticks through) and filled it with bright, color-coordinating tissue paper.

Each lollipop was wrapped in cellophane and tied with a ribbon and labelled with a flavor (yes, the color of the label font coordinated with the color of the ribbon. It's all in the details, people!).

If you have a party or office event coming up, MAKE THESE!!!! Heck, I'll even make them for you. I had SO much fun doing these!

And I would NEVER label these as healthy, but the lollipop does offer an element of portion control. Instead of sitting down to a huge slab of Cheesecake Factory over-caloric-achievement, this is just enough to satisfy. Yet still quite indulgent!

And a funny little story to add. A colleague of mine was telling his wife that he had one of these and her reaction was along the lines of oh, my goodness, that's like a heart attack on a stick. Not that these aren't, but he later found out she thought he said Chocolate-covered cheeseSTEAK on a stick. LOL! It really is all in the details. :)

You Know You Love Me, XOXO Domestic Goddess

And if you understand the title of this blog, you too are gearing up for Gossip Girl.

I was catching up on some DVR'd episodes of GG over the weekend and totally squealed with delight when I realized that Serena (the main character) had the same laptop as me (as she used it to watched the blackmail video given to her by the deliciously evil Georgina).

I think I fell in love my new laptop a little bit more. Okay, seriously, I know it's not as though my laptop is one of a kind. But I'm the kind of girl who got excited when I had the same beach towel as Joey Potter (pre-Tom Katie Holmes) on Dawson's Creek. Or when Lorelai Gilmore on the Gilmore Girls used the same Pier 1 cereal bowl that I have.

I'm just that geeky. And I'm okay with that.

Gotta go! T-minus 6 minutes until Gossip Girl begins!

Mom's Day!!!!

Happy Mother's Day to my favorite shopping buddy and best friend! Mom, you are the domestic goddess I aspire to be!




Isn't this a fab picture (with a little cameo appearance from my dad)?!? I think I am 3 or 4 in this picture. And as proof that styles rotate back...I was wearing a shirt similar to my Mom's just the other day!!! Mom, if you still have that shirt, can I have it?

Portioning Cuteness

My life has been kind of crazy busy as of late. Although it is starting to calm down, it's just getting caught up on everything that got put off---um, dusting?--- that is keeping me running.

And I will totally and completely confess to being a stress/emotional eater. (I have friends who are the opposite. They lose their appetite when they are stressed. I am so jealous.) So these past few weeks, er, months have not been indicative of my healthy eating habits. But I am getting myself back on track. And more importantly, having a blast shopping for those tools to get me back on track.

For one thing, my portion controls are out of whack (and normally, I am overly conscious of this). When you have 5 minutes to whip together a lunch, speed not accuracy is of greater importance.

So I "happened" to be at the Georgetown Anthropologie last weekend, shopping with a friend and we came across the most adorable measuring cups. Not just boring baking measuring cups (I have about a million of these). Rather, they are cute ones that I can actually eat my shredded wheat, milk, and blueberries right out of!



I actually resisted buying them at the store. But then went home and found an even cuter set on the Anthropologie website. And I promptly ordered them. They are so cute!!!! I love the "mug" look with the measuring amount stamped at the bottom. My cereal tasted even better this morning. I credit the new measuring mug.

Heaven on a Stick

If you could place a sequence of perfection on a stick, what would you put on it? Fruit? Meat? (um, ew!) Chocolate?

How about marshmallow, caramel, chocolate?

Welcome, my friends, to Heaven on a Stick.




I recently professed my love of the cookbook Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey: Desserts for the Serious Sweet Tooth. And I delved into trying some of the recipes. First up was "Heaven on a Stick."

Ingredients
36 to 48 Large Marshmallows
12 Bamboo Skewers
1 can (14 ounces) Sweetened Condensed Milk
4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Bag (14 Ounces) Caramel Candies, Unwrapped
1 Pound Semisweet or Milk Chocolate Confectionery Coating, Melted

For Decorating: Chopped Nuts, Mini Candy-Coated Chocolates (like M&Ms), Sprinkles, Chocolate Sandwich Cookie Crumbs

Directions

Thread 3 or 4 marshmallows onto each skewer. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine the condensed milk, butter, salt, and vanilla in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook until the butter melts and combines with the milk. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in the caramels and cook, stirring constantly, until the caramels melt and mixture is smooth. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the caramel, stirring, for 1 minute longer. Remove from the heat and dip the skewers of marshmallows into the caramel, rolling them around and coating them completely. Holding each skewer over the pan, shake off any excess caramel. Place the dipped marshmallow skewers on the prepared baking sheet and store in the freezer until the caramel hardens and the skewer is easily lifted from the parchment, about 30 minutes.

When the caramel has hardened around the marshmallows, dip them in the melted chocolate coating, then roll them in chopped nuts or candy pieces, sprinkles, or cookie crumbs as you like. Refrigerate the skewers until the chocolate coating hardens, 10 to 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can skip the candy or nut coating altogether and instead allow the dark chocolate to cool and harden, then drizzle the skewers with melted white chocolate.

The skewers can be refrigerated for up to 1 week, or packaged in cellophane bags and tied with a ribbon.

I am really trying to focus on presentation of my baked goods so I picked up a galvanized bucket ($3) at World Market and some green gardening stones ($4) and placed the Heaven on a Sticks in the bucket like flowers and made a cute little sign.

Final Word: These things are SO SO SO....um, heavenly. SO dreamy good. I brought them to a cookout a few weekends ago and everyone loved them. One person described them (and I hope I get this right) as "sort of a perverse corn dog."

In the future though, I may do two marshmallows on a skewer because I could only eat half. The preparation involves multiple steps so it takes some planning to get it done and done efficiently.

If you sprinkle when you tinkle, please be neat and wipe the seat

Every office has one. That person who makes you say, "Ah, geez!" when you walk into a bathroom stall. Their work sometimes leaves you wondering if they somehow defied gravity while going about their business. You have your suspects. You cast accusatory glances their way when you walk in and out of the bathroom.

Yes, I am referring to "The Tinkler," as they have been named by Lisa Kogan of Oprah.com (Seriously, there is even a Tinkler at OPRAH!?!? Is nothing sacred?!!?).

My office bathroom not only has at least one Tinkler, it also has someone who decorates the stalls with streamers of toilet paper. Now in most cultures, the hanging of the toilet paper on a stall gives the "look out, this stall is out of TP" warning. But in our office, it is more the act of a wannabe interior decorator who gave up her dream to seek out a life of data analysis.

This article by Kogan made its way around my office today and was enjoyed by all.

Beware of the "Tinkler"

By Lisa Kogan, Oprah.com

On any given day here at "O, The Oprah Magazine," there are somewhere in the neighborhood of 69 very talented, extremely detail oriented, high-energy, hardworking women and men all doing their jobs and doing them well. I love a few of them, I like a lot of them, I despise one of them. She is the Magneto to my Wolverine, the Saruman to my Frodo, the Dr. Octopus to my Spiderman. I call her The Tinkler.

It's a typical Tuesday; the office is humming along. I'm answering e-mails, writing cover lines, scheduling a dental appointment here, partial highlights there, kicking myself for not getting sushi at lunch. The sun is shining, the color printer is working -- my life is good.

I mosey into the ladies' room, glance at the mirror, remind myself that fluorescent lights make everyone look as if they're in the final stages of tuberculosis, and head for a stall. And then I see it: The seat, even the floor, is covered in little yellow droplets. The Tinkler strikes again.

To date, I have been able to deduce only four things about her:
1. She is female.
2. She attacks between the hours of 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.
3. She works alone.
4. She was raised in a barn.

I've been her victim more times than I can count, and it has turned me from a happy-go-lucky columnist into a bitter, paranoid germaphobe.

She has become the bane of my existence. We live in a world where our soldiers lack sufficient body armor, where Rupert Murdoch is blurring the line intended to keep the business and political interests of media owners from influencing the presentation of news, where the White House still refuses to respond to questions they promised to answer as soon as the Scooter Libby case was closed, where studies indicate that worrying you're going to get sick will actually get you sick -- and yet I am devoting an entire column to The Tinkler.

Any shrink worth his or her salt will tell you that it is a mistake to think of your colleagues as family. But what is a family if not a group of people who care about you and irritate you and show up for cake on your birthday and look at pictures of your kid even when they don't feel like it and think it wouldn't kill you to put on a little makeup and a pair of heels once in a while?

I've been earning a paycheck for 30 years. Whether rinsing conditioner off a Lhasa apso during my stint as shampoo girl at Mr. Whiskers Pet Boutique or breathing on the chicken breast I was about to serve a rude diner during my waitressing days, I've always found that the people I work with matter to me. Their moods, their opinions, their style influence my life. They've appreciated me, humiliated me, surprised me, and antagonized me. I've gotten flowers and I've gotten fired (and I'm pretty sure I didn't do anything to deserve either), but I've never experienced anything like The Tinkler.

"Dammit!" I say upon encountering her latest Jackson Pollock imitation. Pat, Suzan, and Valerie each come out of their stalls to see what's wrong. I point in horror. Pat groans, Suzan moans, Val throws up her hands in disgust, and we fall into silence.

Then I rally, "At least we know it's not one of us." But everybody else is a suspect. "It can't be Sudie," Suzan volunteers. My eyes narrow. "What are you basing this on?" I ask. "I've seen her," she answers, "she always heads straight for the paper seat protector." "And," Valerie adds, "we can cross Mamie off the list -- it happened twice while she was in Sweden."

Sixty seconds ago, the four of us were editors; now we are FBI profilers. "She probably likes to burrow into small spaces," Pat conjectures. "This never happens in the big, wheelchair-accessible stall ..." "It's very primitive, as if she's marking her territory. This is clearly a hostile gesture," Suzan declares with authority.

We're finally getting somewhere. "So, really," I say, "we just need to be on the lookout for an aggressively mean-spirited, mole-like cavewoman who is not confined to a wheelchair .. is that right?" Val is the first to realize that we're losing our minds. "I'm out of here," she says, and exits the ladies' room.

Later, I complain to J.J., poor, naive little J.J .. She tells me that it can't be any of us, that the toilet is somehow to blame. I leave J.J. in her special world -- a place where troubles melt like lemon drops and Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone -- and resume writing my column. Gina drops by and reads over my shoulder.

Suddenly she has an epiphany: "It's you!" she announces, pointing at me like she's Javert accusing Jean Valjean of stealing silver candlesticks. "Think about it," she says. "What better way to cover your tracks than writing an outraged piece on the subject?" I kind of like that Gina believes I am an evil genius, and I don't have the heart to tell her that I once refused to sit my daughter on the lap of a department store Santa Claus because I had no idea who else had been sitting there.

Another day, another bathroom break. "Steer clear of the third stall," Yeun warns as she dries her hands and heads for a meeting. Jennifer emerges from door number four to see what exactly's going on behind door number three. She is appalled yet philosophical. "Believe it or not, every place I've ever worked has had a Tinkler -- maybe sharing a ladies' room just sends certain people into a passive-aggressive snit. It's the dark side of office life."

Lately, my daydreams bear a striking resemblance to one of those black-and-white Sherlock Holmes movies: The entire team sits, sipping brandy in an ornate drawing room. "I suppose you're wondering why I've gathered you here today," I begin in an inexplicable British accent. "Well, my friends, one of you is The Tinkler."

The research department averts their eyes. The art department fidgets nervously. An intern gasps. "And," I go on, "nobody is leaving this room until I reveal the person who refuses to work and play well with others." My assistant, Polly, looks up. "You mean you've figured out the identity of The Tinkler?" she asks, filled with an admiration for my powers of reasoning that she has never once expressed in real life. "It was elementary, dear Watson. I merely -- " but before I can unmask The Tinkler or explain why I refer to Polly as dear Watson, the lights suddenly go out ...

I could go on, but I'm bored silly whenever someone feels compelled to relay every nanosecond of a dream. Suffice it to say that I usually wind up in the arms of Tyrone Power. As for The Tinkler? She's still on the lam.

There are lots of days when I find myself wishing life were closer to a gorgeous movie from the '40s -- women wore fabulous hats and pearl chokers, and I don't think they actually went to the bathroom back then. They were too busy dancing with Fred Astaire and smoking unfiltered cigarettes to schlep to an office every day.

Now, some of us are running the offices, but it seems we've brought a few low-grade lunatics along for the ride -- and they're wreaking havoc in the ladies' room. Where have you gone, Edith Wharton? I'm not asking for cloth napkins and classical music. I don't need a mint on my pillow. I just want a bit of common courtesy, a modicum of civility, a touch of class, or, failing all that, a good supply of Lysol.

"Steel bars wrapped all around me"

Confession: Earlier this evening, I was walking through the grocery store on my way to the dairy section. Suddenly, I had an out-of-body experience and found myself singing along to the radio. I knew every word to an entire verse.

And then a look horror crossed my face as I returned to reality and realized, Oh. My. God. I'm singing along to a Michael Bolton song.



I understand if we can't be friends anymore.

Derby Saturday!!!!

Horse racing is my favorite spectator sport. Why? Because the race lasts under 2 minutes! Before I even have the chance to get bored and whip out my copy of US Weekly to read, it's over! No never ending overtimes, no ridiculously long halftimes, no commercial breaks. It's heavenly.

But seriously I love the Kentucky Derby. The hats. The mint julep. There is just something so proper about it. I feel very grown up watching it (says the girl who watched this year's Derby wearing a Hello Kitty t-shirt while eating a bowl of grapes).

I want to go to the Derby SO badly. It's on my Life List. I often think about what type of hat I will wear when I actually go to the Derby one day. It would have to be the perfect combination of whimsical and trendiness, perhaps with a bit of edge. Probably a little classier that these:

I like this one but I would love a bigger brim.

And I truly adore this one but I would probably alter the color scheme a little (chocolate brown and pink, anyone?)

So congratulations to Big Brown, this year's Derby winner!