Living City Plant CSA

For the garden this year, I've bought a share in a plant CSA.  It works a bit like a regular CSA namely that I pay out money upfront and then they set me up with starts and seeds I should be planting at the correct time of the year.  I picked up my first batch today.  It included: a rhubarb crown (very good as mine died a sad death), a couple of walking onions (I've been wanting some for a few years now) and four packets of seeds (arugula, fava beans, snap peas and German chamomile).  I look forward to getting those into the ground.

I also got a list of the rest of the plants and seeds I would receive.  This is all very exciting and I'll report back as to my progress.   

What happens when you don't level your layers.

You have to use a lot of frosting to spackle in the spaces between the layers and then there is nothing left for decoration fun.  Alas.

Mom's birthday cake.

She wanted "that white cake you made that one time, that was so good."  So I pulled out the Joy of Cooking Recipe and made it.  I did use Vintage Cake's Vanilla Bean Buttercream recipe to frost the cake though.
 

Sadly, I did not level my cake layers before I frosted and thus ran out of frosting.
 

Also, I forgot to remove the waxed paper before freezing the layers and had a heck of a time peeling it off of the frozen cake before frosting.
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It wasn't a pretty cake, but it tasted all right.

New cooking school

We found a new cooking school near us.  SHARP, which features the food and service of the students of the International Culinary School, serves a three-course lunch for $12.00 on Thursdays and Fridays.  What a deal!

Our pre-first-course starter:  an apple slice with blue cheese, honey and walnuts.
 

Sadly, I forgot to take pictures of the first course (Eggplant Bruschetta, Winter Squash Soup) and the main course (Macaroni & Cheese with brussles sprouts, Goose leg with spatzel)

But here is dessert:
Key Lime Pie with gingersnap crust.
 

Tasting of Woodblock Chocolates.
 

Matt was also fond of the pear ginger shrub soda.

Sharp was good food at a good price.  I'm sure we will visit again.