Not-So-Weekly Recipe

I love carrot cake. Like, lovelove. I found a recipe online for a low-fat version, and modified it a little more. Here it is. Trust me, you'll lovelove it too.

Carrot Cake

ingredients

4 egg whites
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 8oz can crushed pineapple, with juice
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup egg substitute
2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (I like to use a little extra)
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (or pumpkin pie spice...)
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups finely grated carrots

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Coat baking pans with cooking spray. Whip egg whites in a medium mixing bowl until stiff. Set aside.
2. Cream sugar, apple sauce, syrup, and can of pineapple in a large mixing bowl. Beat in egg yolks and egg substitute. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt to mixing bowl, and beat on low speed until blended. Fold in egg whites. Stir in grated carrots and spoon mixture into prepared pan(s).
3. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

A side note about the frosting: I've tried twice to make cream cheese frosting, and neither time it came out right. Save the hassle and buy it already made. After grating all those carrots, you'll thank yourself for at least one short cut!

The picture is a mini-cake. To make, do cupcakes. Cut off tops of cupcakes, and icing like normal. Viola...mini cake. Totally cute, right?

Enjoy!

You know it's true

Happy Arbor Day!


...Earth Day's ugly little sister.

So I'm reading this news story. Joe looks over my shoulder and says, "Yeah, I was reading that earlier, but didn't want to say anything to you, because I knew you'd get upset."

Me: "Um, yeeeeah." I went off, spouting different points from the article.

Joe: "That was all in the past. It was the 1940s. 'You've come a long way, baby!'"

Me, after a pause: "Did you just try to give me a motivational phrase from a cigarette company ad?"

Joe: "Uhh. Yes."

Earth II: The Return of Water, or the Earthening!

Have you seen this?
I love finding out about new planets. It's the future!

Scientists find most Earthlike planet yet

You never know, do you?

The other day, Joe and I headed into town for a few supplies. And by town, I mean Wal-Mart...because that's pretty much all there is. It was a nasty, gray, rainy day. We drive by an old man walking with crutches. Joe turns to me, and asks if I mind if we give the guy a ride.
"Um, really?" I ask, with flashes of mass murders going through my head.
"He's an old guy...with crutches...in the rain," he says.
I pause, again, and shrug. "If you want."
So we turn around, I roll down my window when we get close, and say: Excuse me, sir, would you like a ride?
He stops, looks at us and says, "Not unless you're going to Hell."

Seriously. He said that.

My eyes go huge, and I silently shake my head. Totally surprised. This dude looks like a slimmer Santa Claus, a nice old man.

"No? Well then..." and he walks off. I turn to Joe, and we just look at each other for a second.
Then Joe says, "Did he just say that...? What in the world did that mean?"
As we drive off, all I can say is "there are lots of strange people in the world."

Later, as we're walking out of Wal-Mart, we see the guy checking out at a register.
Going to Hell, huh? Well, I guess it was close enough.

It was bound to happen sometime...

Joe yelled at kids to get off our lawn.