(no subject)

Snow: Still there!  I'm astounded.  Who wants to meet at my place for cocoas and tiny little snowmen?

My head: Miserable.  Still hurts like stabbity to swallow; skull feels rather like an egg, filled 2/3rds with liquid Quik-rete and the rest of the way with spirits of ammonia (the latter being my brain; I certainly had strange dreams).  If I move my head suddenly I go all whoaaaa.

It will have to be very cautious  snowmen.

(no subject)

Justin is impatient and wants to open our Christmas gifts now. I am a traditionalist and want to wait until Christmas Day. The problem is that tomorrow, we are leaving here around noon to go to Longview for Christmas with his family, and we probably won't be back in Greenville until dinnertime Christmas Day. I am perfectly willing to wait until Christmas Night, perhaps opening one gift apiece tomorrow morning (since I got him an item of clothing he'd like to wear to the party), but it would just seem wrong to me somehow to open them all in the morning. He proposed letting majority rule by posting a poll.

[Poll #408000]

(no subject)

BEST CAKE EVAR!!!1one
AKA Triple Chocolate Coca-Cola Cake, à la Cracker Barrel.

Am in the midst of baking one for Christmas festivities right now; Justin had to go to the store to get shortening, though. It's time-consuming and requires the use of three mixing bowls and a saucepan, but it's worth it.

Ingredients for the cake:
1/2 cup real butter
1 cup Coca-Cola
1 oz. square semisweet baking chocolate
3/4 cup mini marshmallows
2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk

Directions for the cake:

In a saucepan, bring the butter, cola and baking chocolate to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in marshmallows until dissolved. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.

In Mixing Bowl #1, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In Mixing Bowl #2, with an electric mixer, beat together sugar, shortening, oil and vanilla until fluffy, then beat in eggs and buttermilk.

Beat in half of the dry mix from Bowl #1, scraping sides of bowl and making sure it mixes well.

Add the cooled chococolamallow mixture from the saucepan.

Add the rest of the dry mix and beat for 4 minutes. The batter will be thick.

Pour into a 13x9x2 baking pan and bake on the top rack at 350 for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.


Ingredients for the frosting:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup cola
1/4 cup chocolate syrup
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar

Directions for the frosting:

This is going to end up being Bowl #3, and probably Electric Mixer Beater Set #2.

Cream butter with an electric mixer. Beat in the cocoa powder, cola, syrup and vanilla. Slowly add powder sugar while beating with the mixer. If the frosting seems dry, add small amounts of cola until you reach desired consistency.

Frost cake while warm.

For best results, serve warm (microwaving it for a couple of seconds works wonders) with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on the side.

I'm not kidding about the microwave thing. It's an ok cake at room temperature, but eat it while it's hot, and it's freakin' AMBROSIA.

(no subject)

I'm considering proposing the following compromise to the Christmas Dilemma:

We'll open all our presents to one another tomorrow morning, so that we have a full day of Christmas.  Then we'll get more presents at the party tomorrow night, and even more with his parents Christmas morning - but we'll wait until Christmas night to open our presents from my family, and I'll call and put them on speaker-phone when we do it, if it's before 9:00 E.S.T. 

Stockings will be debated later.

(no subject)

What are the criteria for being "married" for car insurance purposes?  When I called Progressive to get a quote for adding Justin to my insurance policy, I referred to him as my fiance - because that's what he is - and they asked whether they should quote us as married or single.  I said single, because technically that's what we are, but now I'm wondering what the criteria are.  Is it  legally married - i.e. marriage certificate or common law?  We have joint everything - bank account, lease (for which we applied as a married couple, because for the lease the criteria for 'married' was "are you moving in together to be together, or to split the rent?"), etc., and if I were so inclined (and he didn't have health insurance from his mom's job AND the school) I could list him as my domestic partner under Staples' health plan, but that doesn't mean we're actually married for any other intent or purpose... and we won't be until '06.