Recipe: Easter Creme Eggs

This is my third year making homemade Cadbury knockoff eggs for Easter, so I figure it's about time to share the recipe. My photos are a bit lacking in terms of 'in progress' shots - my kitchen has exactly zero windows, and it's super dark and rainy this weekend, anyway. But the important part is being able to make them yourself! (If I ever take process shots, I'll come back and add them in.)

Since making these, I don't really enjoy the Cadbury variety that much - the chocolate is too cheap and milk-y, the filling is overly sweet, and the chocolate to creme ratio is a bit high. This is probably good - it prevents temptation in the Easter candy section, but obviously it requires a bit more effort to get my fix! It's totally worth it once a year though.

You'll need a few tools for these:

• egg molds (I tried plastic easter eggs and couldn't get the chocolate out in one piece, so I recommend investing in some sort of silicone candy mold) - I use these, and a smaller, non-egg version I picked up at Daiso
• a stand mixer, or a hand mixer if you're willing to put in a bit more effort
• a double boiler for melting chocolate (you could also use the microwave, but I find it melts a bit more evenly and is less likely to burn on the stove) - I use a regular pot and a metal bowl on top
• piping bags (but you can try large ziploc bags)

Chocolate coating:

• dark/semi-sweet chocolate (chips or baking bars) - get a pound, but you may not use all of it
• 1-2 tablespoons canola oil (optional, for shine and smooth melting)

1. Bring water to a simmer. Put about half the chocolate and 1 tablespoon of oil in the top of your double boiler and melt, stirring continuously with a heat safe spatula, until almost entirely smooth.
2. Pull from the heat and keep stirring until any remaining chunks are melted. Let rest for 5-10 minutes to let it cool down a bit (but not long enough for it to solidify!)
3. Make sure your mold is clean and dry, and put a dollop of chocolate in each well. Using a regular spoon, smooth the chocolate around inside and up the sides of the mold, making sure there aren't any holes.
4. Pop in the freezer while you start the filling. Keep the remaining chocolate around - you'll need to reheat it later!

Filling:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 2 cups + 2/3 cup powdered sugar (used separately)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract OR 1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
• 3 egg whites
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon almond extract (or extra vanilla, or another flavor of your choosing)
• yellow food coloring

1. Cream together the butter, corn syrup, 2 cups powdered sugar, and vanilla, using the paddle attachment on your mixer. Set aside.
2. Start your double boiler again - this works best if you can use a one of the bowls from your stand mixer over your simmering water. In the metal bowl, whisk together egg whites and granulated sugar, then place over the boiler. Whisk constantly until the egg whites are foamy and the sugar is dissolved (pinch some between your fingers - it shouldn't feel grainy at all).
3. Move the egg white mixture to your mixer, add the whisk attachment, and whip on speed 8 until it's room temp - this will take several minutes.
4. Once it's cool, switch to the paddle attachment (no need to rinse from the earlier mixture) and add the butter mixture, remaining 2/3 cup powdered sugar, the cornstarch, and the almond extract. Beat on medium speed until it's all combined and fluffy.
5. Remove about one third of the mixture to a smaller bowl and tint yellow.

Assembly:

1. Put the white and yellow filling mixtures into separate piping bags. Get your chocolate shells from the freezer.
2. Pipe white filling into each chocolate shell until it's about 2/3 full, then go back through and pipe a bit of yellow in (they should be full but not overflowing - see photo below!). Return to the freezer.
3. Melt the chocolate over the double boiler again, adding more chocolate and/or oil if necessary. Let cool for a few minutes as before.
4. Once the filling is cold and slightly firm, dollop some chocolate on each egg and spread to completely cover the filling. Return to the freezer one more time.
5. When the last layer of chocolate is completely hard, you can pop the eggs out. Silicone molds are great because you can just push the mold inside out, and the candy will come right out.
6. If you have more chocolate and filling than molds, you may need to repeat the melting, chocolate coating, filling, and final chocolate layer steps again, with a bit of freezer time between each step (maybe this is a good time to start cleaning up).
7. All done! Store in the fridge or freezer in an airtight container - eat cold, or bring to room temp for a gooier filling.

And, some photos from last year (put sprinkles in the molds before adding the chocolate):

hello, 2013.

Oh boy. 2012 was not my year for blogging. Not sure that 2013 will be, either, but I wouldn't mind getting back into it a bit. This is a very wordy post - it's as much or more for me than anyone else, trying to organize my thoughts and expectations for the upcoming year.

To be honest, 2013 hasn't gotten off to the smoothest start. A mouse moved into our bedroom wall Christmas week and stuck around for about three weeks, digging and keeping us up almost every night (but not venturing into the actual house, where we could trap or kill it). Our fridge broke on New Year's day, and around the time that we got those things settled, we both came down with the flu, and that's kept us under the weather for about a week and a half now. Meanwhile, back in October we learned that our rental home's "pets negotiable" status ended up meaning no dogs... So I'm trying to find a new place, but I'm disappointed that similar homes in our area are about $1000 more per month than they were last year when we moved in.

In better news, I switched to an engineering role at ModCloth, something I've wanted since before I started at the company (I took a QA position because that was the only opening they had, but I've been fighting for this move for over a year). I'm stoked about the change, and I love the work I'm doing and my new team, but of course working my ass off to ramp up is exhausting in its own way.

I really want to get into the new year excitement and work on bettering myself and my life, but so far I've just been so exhausted. I'm hopeful that everything will settle down soon, and I'm trying to work on what I can in the meantime (mostly focusing on work and my health). I came up with thirteen goals I'd like to work on this year, in part to distract myself from the annoyances outside of my control (mostly my dog-free living situation).

1. Stop picking my hair. I have this awful nervous/stressed/bored habit of picking at my split ends (and thus further damaging my hair). It needs to stop asap.
2. Travel - leave the country. I haven't traveled much at all since family trips in middle and high school (trips to Tennessee to see my family hardly count, and even those are infrequent these days). These days it's out of laziness more than anything - not a good excuse. I'm planning on two big trips with Tim this year - one to somewhere beachy (Mexico or Hawaii) and another to France. I have yet to pick specific dates or buy tickets, but I really want to make this happen.
3. Settle in - feel at home in my house. Whether it's in my current place or a new one, I want to decorate a bit more and make it feel like home. Some bright paint would be nice, but that can be tricky as renters, especially when I don't know how long I'll stay in one place. I need to try to quell the restless part of me that wants to move every year and make a home for myself rather than constantly looking forward to the next move.
4. Make the most of my home time. I really, really like my time at home. I need that alone time to decompress after work or hanging out with people. But I feel like I waste a lot of that time watching crappy tv and reading unimportant stuff online. I'd like to get in the habit of relaxing while doing something more meaningful, whether it's baking, blogging, working on decorating my home, knitting or sewing, or some other yet-to-be-discovered hobby.
5. Rock it at work. This is purposefully vague. I just achieved the career goal I've been working towards for over 3 years, so I want to focus on getting ramped up and kicking ass in my new position before working towards anything more specific at work.
6. Use most of my cookbooks. I've amassed a pretty big cookbook collection over the last few years. While I love to cook, I find myself either making things without a recipe or looking up recipes online most of the time. I definitely want to use most of the books I have (many of which I've never actually made anything out of) - I bought them all for a reason (or in some cases, took from my dad's old collection), and I'd like to branch out a bit more.
7. Cut half of my rarely-used clutter. I kind of have hoarding tendencies, and this shows through well in my crafting collections. I have so many supplies (paint, boxes to decoupage, ribbons, blank picture frames) that I've had for years and years and never use. I think it's becoming clear that it's not going to happen - and if it does, I can always replace what I've gotten rid of - so it's time to suck it up and part ways with a lot of it.
8. Focus on the good, not bad; the present, not future. I've noticed myself being a lot more negative in recent months. I am constantly angry with drivers (especially as a biker - yeesh) and disappointed with humanity in some ways. While I try really hard to appreciate how fantastic my life is, there are always things I wish were different, things I'm looking forward to, but I take it past goals and hope to dwelling. The dog thing is a great example of this. I want to pay attention more to the great things happening right now and enjoy the journey as I get to the stuff I'm excited about happening in the future.
9. Explore SF more. I love living in the city, but I find it's so easy to just stick to home and work and my corner grocery store. There's so much to do - within a few blocks of my house and in the few miles surrounding it - and I need to take advantage of it. I'd love to try a lot more of SF's fantastic bars and restaurants and also explore some of the parks, overlooks, and bay/ocean views all over the city.
10. Make time for my closest friends.  This one has certainly been falling by the wayside this month, between work and being sick, but I hope I'm able to prioritize it later in the year. I'm very much an introvert, and I want to make sure that doesn't cause me to lose the friends I do have. I want to make sure I don't force myself to do big group things I won't enjoy much, but also make up for it by spending time in small groups of people I really do want to stay close to.
11. Don't let my closet keep growing. Working at ModCloth has its perks, and one of them is definitely the discount. I'm currently using most of my existing hangers, and the closets are full but not stuffed. I'd like to make sure it stays that way. I'm sure I'll always buy new things while I work at ModCloth, but at least I can donate/give away some of my older stuff as new things rotate in.
12. Take more photos. I 100% got out of the photo habit this year (aside from occasional instagram photos - not the same). I'd love to get into the habit of documenting little everyday parts of my life, but with a better camera than the one in my Android phone. If I get back into it, I might reward myself with an Instax - I would love some casual physical photos to hang up around the house but can't justify it right now. (Side note - have you seen Elsie's photo wall? I would have expected it to look tacky, but I'm kind of in love.)
13. Give ballet another shot. Along with work, this is one of the few goals I've already gotten a start on! I'm not a huge fan of most workouts, but I love beginner ballet classes when I finally force myself to go. The flu has put a bit of a damper on this, but I've been once a week so far in January, and I'm hoping to get in the habit of twice a week soon!

To balance out this text-heavy post, a couple of photos from my home (trying to work on number 12, here!):

I got myself this beer+food pairing calendar on etsy, and it makes me so happy! Tim and I are both beer people, so it's a good fit.

I finally picked out all new bedding for our room. We've been using a combo of my and Tim's old bedding, and combined with only one window and a dark headboard, it made the room feel pretty dismal. I got new white sheets, a white linen duvet cover, and a teal coverlet to go in between for a pop of color. They're still not quite as soft as the old bed set, but I am in love with the fresh new look! (If you're interested - sheets, blanket, duvet cover.)

A political post

I'm not really sure where (or if) I'm going with this blog, but I wanted to share my reasons for my excitement over last night's election, and this seems like an appropriate place.


I know I offended some people by sharing my strong beliefs on social networks this year, and upsetting people was never my intent. I am stoked that Obama won, and I don't know that I ever truly explained *why* I feel so strongly about these issues if we haven't had a discussion in person. Especially if we don't see eye to eye, I'd really appreciate it if you'd read this. Maybe it'll help you understand a little bit of where I'm coming from?

- LGBT rights - Obama supports my gay friends' right to marry. This doesn't mean gay people will flood your churches looking for your priests to marry them. This is about basic American rights that two mature, loving, committed adults should have in the eyes of the government. I'm so happy that 4 states made major progress in this area last night, and I hope that this continues for many more (and our federal government) soon. I also strongly believe that qualified gay parents should be able to adopt/have children and raise a family. The biggest risk to those kids is the ridicule from other kids (and grownups) who disapprove and bully the children.

- Women's rights - This became a *major* issue this election, and it pains me to see women voting for republicans that obviously disrespect them.  Between republicans making light of rape (out of ignorance, not malice, I'm sure... but ignorance so strong that I can't fathom them being in charge of making decisions that affect me), pushing back on birth control as a right for women, and wanting to take away a woman's ability to choose, this hit me really hard. Middle aged male politicians are trying to make decisions that couldn't possibly affect them like they do half of the country's population, and they don't see how destructive those decisions can be. I don't think abortions are this fantastic procedure to be used as back up birth control, but I do think it's the woman's right to decide that (and to have it done in a sterile clinic, not with a dirty coat hanger). Birth control doesn't always make the woman a slut. I personally got on it before I was sexually active because I had debilitating cramps and I needed that regulation to live a normal life during that time of the month. Women are definitely still a minority in government, and until that changes, it's absurd to me that the government tries so hard to regulate our bodies and lives.

- Taxes and welfare - I firmly believe that the richest should pay higher taxes than the middle class (and I assure you I will continue to feel this way if/when Tim and I reach those upper brackets). A millionaire will suffer less from higher taxes than someone who may be struggling to pay their mortgage - it's simple. I don't buy into the "job creator" stuff necessitating lower taxes. As far as programs for the poor go: sure, people will take advantage of them. There is always someone taking advantage. But there are millions who don't, who need those programs to get back on their feet. And I *assure* you there are millionaires taking advantage of those Bush tax cuts and not giving back in the expected way.

I don't think that Obama is perfect, but I do think he's more or less honest, good hearted, and he agrees with me for the most part on the above issues. I'm really hopeful for the next 4 years and hope that we can keep moving forward on these issues and more. PROGRESS and freedoms, not stagnation or back tracking!

If you disagree and have a mature response, I'm really interested to hear it! Comments are off on this post, but presumably you know how to get in touch.

A San Francisco Saturday

My Saturdays usually consist of me lounging around in yoga pants, watching Netflix and cleaning up the house. This past weekend, however, I actually got out and did not just one, but three different events around the city! It was an awesome change, although I was wiped out for a couple of days after.

First stop: brunch! Of course. This week we tried out Just For You Cafe. Beignets, mimosas, breakfast burritos... can't go wrong.

The beignets were cheap ($1.75 each) and fresh from the fryer - yum!

I went with a fresh grapefruit mimosa, and Alex opted for champagne, which came in a water glass and was almost filled to the top. My kind of place!

I got a breakfast burrito, because I crave those way more often than I actually have easy access to them. It was the perfect complement to my sugary beignet and mimosa. 

Next up: the de Young Museum in the heart of Golden Gate Park. There's an exhibit on Jean Paul Gaultier, whose name I'm ashamed to say I'd never heard (spoiler alert: he's the guy behind Madonna's iconic cona bras). I really enjoyed the exhibit. Lots of couture fashion, which isn't usually my thing, but it was really awesome to see it all as works of art. I didn't want to be that guy and take photos of the whole thing, but I got one closeup of a denim and ostrich feather number. It was fantastic and I totally recommend stopping by if you're in SF before August!

The last stop of the night - Hot Glass Cold Beer at Public Glass. Honestly, I think this is one of the coolest things to do in the city. Twenty five bucks gets you a handblown glass or chalice, snacks, demonstrations, and all the beer and wine you want in your lovely new cup.

I picked out the lovely glass above - I love the bold orange rim. As you can see below, there is quite a variety of options.

mmm, IPA.

demos!

I was given a free pendant from one of the demos! I haven't put it on a chain left, but I'm excited to have a wearable souvenir. Alex got a matching one!!

Isn't this amazing? A glass flower inside another pendant. I am just floored whenever I look at it.

And now, back to my regularly scheduled week.. but hey, it could be worse! This week has basically been like Christmas, except Santa is me and all my presents are new platform wedges. Pictures to come soon, I hope!

Outfit bits and pieces

I'm kind of phasing out my fancier camera, and I had some issues figuring out the self timer feature on my other camera this morn (don't worry - Google has since cleared things up for me). Thus - little self-portrait snaps of various pieces of my outfit.

I recently ordered this scarf, and while I love it, I can't quite figure out how to wear it. It looks nice in these photos, but the top/front looked awkward (the scarf is a little too short and my hair is a little too curly), so I took it off after the pictures. I guess I'll try again another day...

I am pretty excited about this new cardigan - it just came this week. It's a pretty spring pink-tangerine color, and it's a lovely light weight, perfect for San Francisco layering.

I kind of liked the juxtaposition of black and spring colors (this is the closest I get to pastels). What do you think?

details: wedges and cardigan: ModCloth; tank top and shorts: Express (old); tights: We Love Colors; scarf: Red Velvet

Maybe the best brunch ever

I never used to be a breakfast person, and I thought that brunch was just a terrible thing that forced breakfast up into my beloved lunch's time slot. And then - San Francisco changed everything. I started having weekly brunch dates with my friend Alex, and I discovered that brunch foods can be some of the most delicious. The biggest selling point for me was the fact that brunch is basically the one time it's totally acceptable to overindulge in three of my favorite things all at once - delicious food, coffee, and booze.

This week, Alex and I (along with her roomies, Carmen and Henry) tried a new place - Hair of the Dogpatch. It's actually a temporary popup inside of Yield Wine Bar over in the Dogpatch neighborhood (a place I never venture to). Oh my goodness, the trek was completely worth it.

 Alex and me   |   Carmen and Henry

For starters, I got to avoid breakfast-y foods entirely - the menu was an all-you-can-eat vegetarian tapas lineup.

menu, via my instagram

$20 got us all you can eat food and a mimosa each!

Mimosas came out first. They were a little more orangey than I like, but the fact that it was straight-from-the orange juice, no sugar added totally made up for it. Yum.

Next, lots and lots of food.

little bite-size salads

tortilla espanola - like a frittata with tons of veggies

patatas bravas

flatbread

At this point I had finished my mimosa and started to order another, but the server offered up champagne with housemade syrups instead. Lemongrass ginger, lavender lemon, or strawberry rose. Umm, yes please!

mine - lemon lavender. very subtle but definitely delicious.

Alex got strawberry rose

After finishing everything but the tortilla/frittata, we got to order more of our faves. I got more pickled veggies (not pictured, but delicious - asparagus, carrots, ramps, and some root vegetables), and we split seconds of the flatbread and fried dates with chevre (also not pictured - they weren't much to look at but sure were tasty!). All in all, one of the best brunches I've ever had. If you're in SF, definitely go check it out. It's only temporary, so make it over in the next few months!!

Rainy Days

We had a rather dry winter in the bay area this year. Like... hardly any rain at all. And this is our "rainy season". It was both exciting and annoying when the rain finally picked up this month. We had another nice, sunny week last week, but it looks like we're in for more rain for the next week or so.

I love this ring from etsy, and it was perfect for the weather. I got a sunshiney one, too, but I'm a cloudy weather girl,
so I think I'll be getting more use out of this one.

The downside to the rain: riding my bike to and from work is terrible. I ended up taking Muni more.
This was one of the worst days, during the above-ground leg of my ride home.

My sunny yellow JoTotes bag, happily repelling rain from my things!

It seems like the east coast started getting spring just as our weather went downhill... How are things where you are?