recipe: homemade funfetti cake

I grew up on the quintessential American street. It wasn't a large block - just a couple dozen houses, many of which the vacuum manufacturing company down the street built around 1920 and sold to its workers. My parents bought one of those houses soon after they got married. When I was growing up, some of the men on the street still worked at the company and walked to work.

A lot of young families lived on the street, so kids were always playing games in the street or playing hide-and-go-seek through the neighbors' backyards or drawing with chalk on the sidewalks.

When my parents brought me home from the hospital, the neighbors down the street had just brought home their two-week-old baby girl, Valerie. She and I grew up together, walked to school together, and marked a lot of milestones together.

Our lives went in a lot of different ways after high school, and we didn't stay in touch. But then last summer, she moved to D.C. for a fellowship, and she ended up moving into an apartment that is (literally) just down the street from where I live. Neighbors again. We see each other often now. It's funny how life works out that way.

The other weekend, Valerie turned 30. Which means, of course, that my own 30th birthday is right around the corner. (Cue the panic.)

Anyway, we had a really fun time celebrating Valerie's milestone with good, old-fashioned bowling at the Fort Myer Bowling Center. (It was a pretty rad place, so I'm planning to post a separate blog about the center.) The bowling alley has a party room, and they let me bring a cake to the party as an exception to the center's no-outside-food rule.

Valerie requested a Funfetti cake. Instead of picking up a boxed cake mix, I did a Google search to see if anyone had perfected a homemade version. Lo and behold, I found a recipe that turned out to be awesome.

It was super moist, had a lot of vanilla and butter flavors and was pretty easy to put together. My cake didn't turn out as white as the boxed version or the pictures on the original recipe writer's blog - but I still give this recipe very high marks.

Homemade Funfetti Cake

Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

• 3 1/3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1 1/2 cups milk (I used almond milk)
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup sprinkles (not nonpareils)
• additional sprinkles for the top

Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Whisk in sugar and brown sugar. Whisk in eggs, yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract.

Slowly mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients.

Stir in sprinkles, being careful not to overmix, which would cause the sprinkles to bleed.

Pour batter into prepared cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 33-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

When cool, frost cake with recipe that follows.

Vanilla Frosting (for a two-layer cake)

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• up to 3 tablespoons milk

Combine powdered sugar, butter and vanilla in a stand mixer bowl. Add milk, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, until frosting is a spreadable consistency.

dining out: batter bowl bakery

How about that weekend weather! Our neighbor told me that Sunday's gorgeous weather was only about 5 degrees above average, but it's been so unseasonably cold lately that it felt like a much larger reprieve.

Saturday, Tony and I took advantage of the nice weather to clean up the yard. And on Sunday, we met up with Ben for lunch at Batter Bowl Bakery on H Street. We followed that up with a game of bocce at Valerie's apartment with Ben. (Guys won.) And then Tony and I took advantage of the extra daylight to do some more yard work at home. (We're getting the backyard ready to put in a raised vegetable garden! We ... er, Tony, has started on the demo.)

Batter Bowl Bakery is at 4th Street and H Street Northeast. It's right next to Ethiopic, the Ethiopian restaurant, and in fact, the two restaurants are sister companies. Batter Bowl Bakery is a relatively new restaurant, and it's been on my list of places to try.

The bakery is beautiful inside, albeit a little crowded when the rush comes. And the food is great, which is really the most important part.

I originally had my heart set on a parfait with granola, fruit and SOY YOGURT. I feel like if a restaurant puts soy yogurt on its menu, I should order it regardless of the time of day, just to reward the restaurant for offering a dairy-free option. But alas, the bakery ran out of soy yogurt. So I opted for an open-faced sandwich of hummus, garbonzos, avocado and tomatoes. The flavors were wonderful. My only suggestion is that the bakery, being a bakery and all, serve the sandwiches on thicker, sturdier bread.

Tony also ordered an open-faced sandwich. His was tuna, and he loved it.

I ordered the fresh-squeezed orange juice, which was lovely. I'm not a coffee drinker, and Tony only drinks coffee occasionally at work. He really liked his iced coffee at the restaurant, though. "I forgot what good coffee tastes like."

Batter Bowl Bakery is a great neighborhood spot and a great addition to the area. We'll be back.

things to do: alice's adventures in wonderland

If you're looking for something to do this weekend and you have a little scratch to splurge with (and you love the ballet!), let me advise that you get yourself to the Kennedy Center to see the National Ballet of Canada's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Valerie scored free tickets through a MyTix giveaway, and I was her date. Andrew and Tony, meanwhile, parked themselves at Froggy Bottom Pub for two and a half hours. The stereotypical gender division was agreeable to all parties.

I told Tony afterwards, though, that it's a shame he's sat through so many ballets over the years, and THIS is the one he missed. He would've really liked it. It was as if the set designers and costume designers had no limits to their imagination.

I was skeptical that the set folks would be able to make Alice shrink when she drank the potion and grow into a giant when she ate the cookie in a believable way, as this is a live stage show and all. But they did it! Thanks to video projections of doorways that got really, really big when Alice drank the potion. And the doors got really, really tiny when Alice ate the cookie.

And the caterpillar! That was my favorite costume. He paraded across the stage with his long body trailing him. His legs were those of eight ballerinas walking en pointe. The ballerinas' heads and bodies were hidden by the long body costume, so only their legs showed.

The duchess and the cook's bloody costumes and kitchen were disturbing and wonderful. The cook's sausage-making operation included the hindquarters of a pig sticking out of her meat grinder. *Shutters.* Disgusting.

The ballet is full of surprising, interesting moments like that. Highly recommend Alice before the show closes this weekend. (P.S. You can see a video with some of the costumes and sets here.)

<3

In other news, how neat was it to have a little bit of snow this morning? I hope my bulbs survive, though.

things to do: arboretum picnic

This weekend, we got a little bit of a break from our winter weather. (Although this winter has been admittedly mild.) So Tony and I took advantage of the nice temps with a picnic at the National Arboretum with Ben, Mandy, Valerie and Andrew. It's one of my favorite places to be outside in D.C.

It's striking in the wintertime with the bare trees.

After lunch, Ben busted out his bocce ball set. And I have to say, I did pretty well, considering I thought we were playing croquet at first and was wondering where the mallets were. (Bocce novice here.)

See? That's my red one.

Here's hoping spring arrives quickly, so we get more of these lovely weekends.

dining out: busboys and poets

Tony and I had a super festive Saturday evening. We started out in Old Town at the holiday boat parade, and we ended up at Avery's Christmas party in Shirlington. And in between all that Northern Virginianess, we stopped for dinner at the Busboys and Poets in Shirlington.

I'm a big Busboys and Poets fan. I love the food, and I appreciate how many vegetarian dishes are on the menu. Before last weekend, I'd only ever been to the U Street restaurant, which is great, but there always seems to be a wait. In Shirlington ... no wait! Same good food, same cool vibe, no wait. You just have to go to the burbs.

I ordered the tempeh sandwich, which I very highly recommend if you're into that kind of thing. It's my favorite thing on the BBP menu.

(It also made me think that I should make more tempeh at home. Note to self.)

Tony ordered an appetizer for his dinner -- vegan nachos. He's not vegan (not even vegetarian), but I always give him credit for being an open-minded eater.

<3

The boat parade, by the way, was a nice wholesome holiday event. Tony, Valerie and I parked ourselves at the end of a dock behind the Torpedo Factory and watched the decorated boats drive down the Potomac. My favorite boat was dressed up like Rudolph, haha:

These sailboats were fun, too. The boat on the left was pulling a dinghy with a snowman in it, and I thought that was funny. And the green one that's lit up like a tree was purty.

Also, how quaint and festive is Old Town:

Holiday boat parade -- a good holiday outing. It's something to keep in mind for next year at this time. 

recipe: pesto-spinach-feta pizza

All this fall, Tony and I have been spending our Monday nights at Valerie and Andrew's apartment, eating dinner, hanging out and watching The Walking Dead. (Except we haven't seen the mid-season finale yet - no spoilers!) Valerie and Andrew both are great cooks, and a few weeks ago Andrew made us a pesto-spinach-feta pizza that I have not been able to get out of my head.

So when Dena came over to our house for dinner Sunday, I wanted to replicate the deliciousness that Andrew created. You will love this pizza.

For the crust, I used my hands-down favorite crust recipe from Cook's Country, which is crispy like Pizza Hut crust.

The recipe that follows will make two 9-inch pizzas. (I made three pizzas Sunday by increasing all of the ingredients by 50 percent.)

Pesto-Spinach-Feta Pizza

For the crust

• 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 1/3 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon (1 packet) yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the pesto

• 1/2 cup nuts (pine nuts, walnuts or almonds -- I used walnuts)
• 2 cups greenery (basil, spinach or arugula -- I used spinach)
• 1/2 cup cup olive oil
• 1 garlic clove
• dash of salt

Toppings

• 2 handfuls spinach, chopped
• 2 ounces feta
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella

As you start on the dough, heat the oven to 200 degrees. When it comes to temperature, turn it off.

In a saucepan, heat milk to almost boiling. Off heat, add sugar and 2 tablespoons olive oil.

In a stand mixer bowl, mix flour, yeast and salt. With the dough hook attached and the mixer on speed 2, slowly add the milk mixture. When dough comes together, continue mixing for 5 minutes.

Shape dough into a ball with your hands and placed into a greased bowl. Cover and set in warm oven for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the pesto. In a frying pan, toast the nuts over medium heat. Then add all of the ingredients to a food processor and pulse until pesto comes together.

Prepare two 9-inch round cake pans by placing 3 tablespoons of olive oil in each pan. Note: 8-inch pans also will work.

Once dough has risen, divide in half. Use a rolling pin to roll each half into a 9-inch circle. Place dough into the prepared pans. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes.

After dough has risen, poke each crust with a fork 8 times. Top each pizza with 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup pesto. Add half of the spinach, half of the feta and half of the mozzarella to each pizza.

Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove from oven and let sit for 1 minute. Use a flexible spatula to slide the pizza from the pan and onto a cutting board. Cut each pizza into six pieces.

recipe: roasted pumpkin seeds

My friend Valerie -- who grew up down the street from me in Ohio and by sheer coincidence now lives down the street from me in D.C. -- came over last Sunday for an evening of pumpkin carving and a seasonally appropriate dinner. (I made minestrone soup in the crock pot and and homemade pull-apart rolls -- recipes coming soon!)

Valerie and I each carved pretty awesome pumpkin faces. Tony also carved a pumpkin. But I can't think of a nice way to describe it with words. Pictures are at the end of this post.

And after we finished carving the pumpkins, we ended up with a boatload of pumpkin seeds, which means ... roasted pumpkin seeds!

(Sidenote! I have a thing for vintage Pyrex bowls. And this Amish pattern is probably my favorite pattern of them all.)

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

• Pumpkin seeds
• Salt

After scooping the seeds from your pumpkin, wash away all of the pumpkin guts.

Place pumpkin seeds on cookie sheets. Sprinkle with salt and toss with a rubber spatula to coat. Ensure seeds are in a single layer

Bake at 275 degrees for 40 minutes or until seeds are dried out, stirring once.

<3

Now, and I know you're dying to see what our carved pumpkins look like. 

Ta-da!

And I know you're thinking, wtf is wrong with that pumpkin closest to the camera? Yeah, that was Tony's pumpkin.

Valerie's cute Nightmare Before Christmas pumpkin is in the middle, and mine is on the end. (Pumpkin carving tip, courtesy of Valerie -- rub vaseline on the exposed areas of the pumpkin to hold off the rot.)

Here's a close-up of my pumpkin:

That face, by the way, is kind of my signature thing. Triangle eyes, triangle nose, big grin with a few teeth.

Observe, Halloween 2011:

Halloween 2006:

Halloween 2005 (with what appears to be a bonus Harry Potter-inspired scar):

Hey, if you find a good thing, stick with it.

<3

So I have the pumpkins on the porch. The inside of my house isn't quite so festive, but I do have a few Halloween decorations. My favorite: these small vintage jack-o-lanterns. My mom bought a box of them at a flea market for $1, and she gave me three, which I have in my living room, dining room and kitchen.

And on my dining room table, I have a pile of gourds. I tried setting them out in a bowl for a centerpiece, but I didn't like how they looked, so I just put them in a pile, and I kinda dig it.

So now we're all set for Halloween! Except for the candy for the trick-or-treaters. That has to be a last-minute purchase because chocolate doesn't last in this house for too long.