ma boulangette, susan (the ice cream edition)

yes, you're looking at a cake.

yes, this is an ice cream cake.

of course, it's been created by susan.

it was created all in the name of my boss...it was his birthday yesterday.

sidenote: i've decided to call susan "la boulangette".

i might be mangling my french, but a boulanger is a baker...so, i'm assuming that one of a petite stature would be deemed a "boulangette"...

whatever. if it's wrong, i'm sorry, france. i didn't mean to murder your language...in fact, i think it's a very nice language and i promise to learn it inside out...as soon as i can get my hands on the rosetta stone...

i couldn't keep up with my french classes. (i'm a horrible person, i know. so non-committal.)

...but back to more exciting things. the cake.

imagine an asteroid made of chocolate and a planet made of vanilla...a meteor shower comprised solely of thin mints, space dust made of cocoa powder, two rocket ships (one made of chocolate ice cream and one made of vanilla ice cream) and a very large space capsule lazily floating around filled with homemade whipped cream.

...now...

imagine if, by some catastrophically aggressive gravitational force, all of these things came crashing together in an deliciously epic (delepic!) "big bang" moment.

...leaving only rays of happiness in its wake...

and wishes for a siesta.

this is how i believe this cake came into existence...

except susan was the gravitational force and all the components were not in space...the "big bang" was the moment susan decided to put everything together.

...in other words, i just really like making up stories to try to express how i feel about certain foods.

this cake was like a planet.

...with its sheer existence, it could support a small race (in this case, a boutique company) for many years (in this case, the rest of the work day), while keeping them happy (in this case, awake).

can i just take a moment to say that i'm fantasizing about this cake as i write this post?

yeah. it's true.

in short, the boulangette successfully strikes again!

this time...with ice cream!

initiation...

so, i've been placed on the back of the winged god of ovens and been taken for a soaring ride...straight into the fiery mouth of baked-good-culture.

...and ya know what?

i like being nestled in the belly of the baking beast...there's something cozy about it...almost like knitting...though much less convenient to do in the subway or on an airplane.

i've decided that it's time...

i've reached that point in my life where i need a stress-relieving hobby. i've realized up until now that most of my hobbies have been stress-inducing (illustrations have to be perfect, photographs have to be exactly what i want, graphic designs need to be accurate down to the pixel).

so, i've discovered baking through my dear friend, amit, and we have been giving it a spin as a duo. so far, we've had 2 successful cupcake rounds, 1 successful brownie round and 2 failed frostings. it's all very exciting.

i even purchased a 9-speed handmixer.

9 speeds!...i haven't even tried the 9th level yet...but i've never been able to beat egg whites into peaks so fast in my life...

in a way, i feel like i'm trying to carry on my mother's legacy...one she let go of decades ago.

her lemon-poppyseed cake, baumkuchen, and cream puffs were epic.

...and this reminds me, i need to learn to make those baked goods, stat!

my co-workers won't know what hit 'em.

excitement abounds!

in other good news, the website re-haul is finally complete.

now i can tick that off my new years resolution list. the joys.

...and the birthdays keep on comin'...

you guessed it...it's another creation by the ever-baking genius, susan!

all i can say is that i ate 2.5 slices of this cake...and i could've inhaled the entire thing had no one else been around.

nothing hits home for me like strawberry shortcake...and if it's homemade, all the better.

every birthday during my childhood involved a strawberry shortcake and they make me beyond-happy.

so, all i can say is, "thank you, sherry, for having a birthday" and "thank you, susan, for flipping my nostalgia switch again in the form of a fluffy delight."

it made my afternoon.

now i just want to desperately take a nap. i'm crashing hard and starting to nod off...gotta hold on.

butter lane...is in my mouth & in my eyes...

i just wanted to take a minute to mention the epic win that is the cupcakes mellisa got me for my birthday.

The minute i saw the "BUTTER LANE" stamped on the box, my heart was all aflutter with the excitement brought on by images of the magic that awaited me inside that beautiful brown box. (oh, sidenote, the flower on the box IS REAL...and smells lovely.)

...and what magic it was.

i can't even begin to tell you the joy that these cupcakes brought me, filling the days following my birthday dinner with a much-appreciated sweet endnote.

i have one left and i'm going to devour it tonight with no mercy.

thanks again, melissa! xo!

...and a cake?!

so, the festival of my birth lasted the entire week and with it came a birthday dinner of epic proportions (for me, anyway...i'm the type to hide on my birthday) on Saturday evening.

the time? 7pm.

the place? the pink pony, of course.

the attendees? 19 people that i adore.

the evening began with me running late...mhmm. typical.

as i rushed to the restaurant, teetering along in platform heels and a beautiful, corseted, sleeveless number (thank you, allsaints...and, more importantly, thank you to my paramour for gifting me with such a beautiful dress), i received several text messages from attendees stuck in traffic, on late trains and in cabs...all apologizing for their lateness. little did they know that i would be, more or less, the last person to show up.

...which is fine. i rather show up after everyone has settled down and figured out where they were going to sit, what they were going to order and all that...and to think, i was actually considering making name tags and having a seating chart to try to get people to mingle...

oh, but they, more or less, mingled on their own. so, there wasn't much to worry about.

i realize now that i have neurotic-hostess syndrome. i have to make rounds and make sure i get in at least 5 minutes of uninterrupted talk-time with each person at the party to try to show my gratitude for their showing up...which worked out well this time...mostly because of my dress.

i'm pretty sure it was the five guys burger & fries i ate earlier in the day that led to me calling dear liam to come over and help me zip into the dress...it's a dress that gives you perfect posture and one that is far more comfortable when you're standing up...

so, back to what i was discussing...because the dress was better standing up, it was the perfect get-up for the neurotic-hostess, milling about, hopping from table to table to ask if the food was ok, if people were having a good time and to thank people for gracing me with their presence. i truly did appreciate it and it was nice to finally have people in my life meet each other. there's always something so satisfying about that.

...but i digress...orders were finally taken around 9pm as we all sat around, chatting, staving to death...and the majority of the guests ordered the steak au poivre, which made me even happier. (it's one of my favorites, as you know)...

the food came, everyone conversed at candlelit tables, laughter echoing from time to time...and just when i thought the party was winding down, an incredibly large, red velvet cake, emblazoned with candles, suddenly appeared in front of me. (thank you for the cake, sherry!) i was in shock and awe as the entire dining area, strangers included, sang a very sweet & gregarious "happy birthday" to me...i'm pretty sure i was blushing, but i cropped that out (thanks to my dearest melissa for the photo above).

the cake did us all in...and there was still some left over. i gave a slice to the wild tarot card reader who was chatting up the patrons. did i mention someone bought me a card reading? well, they did...and the tarot card reader told me the following:

• you will be coming into prosperity - this is good news.
• you make good decisions, but must stop second-guessing yourself - story of my life.
• stop dwelling on the past and enjoy the now - something i've struggled with endlessly.
• amorous activities of a kinky nature are in the future - well, that's nice to know.
• stop worrying about finances...the minute you worry, that's when they'll nosedive - duly noted.
• you are looking for a partnership - hmmm. business or pleasure? - could be both.
• an older, male libra will be of guidance - hm. i think i might know who, though it seems unlikely.
• aquarians think too much, but are very dynamic with you - she was an aquarius
• stay away from capricorns, they're boring - ha!
• partnering with another aries might be ok, but don't forget the follow-through - business venture, here i come!

she was raunchy and hysterical...and, so, clearly deserved a slice of cake.

the party thinned out after that. departing hugs, heartfelt thank-you's and last minute laughs commenced. by a little after midnight, everyone had cleared out and i wandered briefly with a few remaining friends to another party and then for a quiet latte with liam at a random cafe.

i got home around 2am, just in time to catch the most horrible movie ever made (i seriously watched the last half hour of this), blissfully exhausted and extremely grateful for the wonderful people in my life. i had a great time. to everyone at the party, merci beaucoup. you made this girl very happy indeed. xo.