Gypsy

You know what this blog is missing?  More pictures of my dog.

Here's one of my favorite pictures of us!

Gypsy is an almost six year old (Birthday is at the end of this month) rescue mutt from our local county animal shelter.  We think she's a mix of German Shepherd, Husky and Collie, but obviously we don't know for sure.

Here are some fun facts about Gypsy:

1.  She is afraid of almost everything.  I have seriously never met such a cowardly dog. Here's a list:

• Big Wheels
• Puppies
• Bubbles
• Stairs
• Small dogs
• Doors
• Fireworks
• Parades
• Our Ottoman
• Drawers
• Ice

There are probably more things.  The other day I fell over while walking her and she hid behind a tree.  She's a little neurotic.

2.  She will do anything for a kringla.  Seriously, they are her favorite thing ever.

3.  She once managed to get a hold of a steak, that was thawing on our counter.  Instead of eating it, like a normal dog, she buried it in the couch cushions where my brother later found it while looking for the remote.  He was not pleased.

4.  She is smart for a dog.  In our apartment building, she plays tricks on the other dogs.  When we walk by their door she sticks her nose under it, which of course causes them to bark.  Gypsy then happily prances away while the other dog is yelled at for barking.  She knows exactly what shes doing.

5.  She will not fetch things.  If you throw something, she expects you to go get it.  And she'll just stare at you until you do.

 After my bridal shower, we tied one of the balloons to her collar.  She was quite confused as to what we were laughing at.

 We also dressed her up so she could win the cutest pet contest at our apartment complex.  She didn't win.  But I think the people who did win cheated.  Plus Gypsy is way cuter than any cat.

And this is her "get the hell out of my face" face.

She is Awesome.

Pumpkin Cake

I chose a bad time to start a blog.  You may have noticed this from the lack of posts.  It's been a rough couple of months here in Iowa land.  We've been dealing with the death of a close relative, job problems and health problems.  Hopefully, now that all of that is mostly sorted out, I can go back to writing on a more regular basis (and I use back in the loosest sense of the word, because as we all know, there are only three posts here.)

So today, I present to you the cake that you will be making for your next fall/Halloween related party.  The pumpkin cake.  And no, I don't mean a pumpkin flavored cake.  I mean a cake shaped like a pumpkin.  And you don't even have to be an all-star baker to do it.

Step 1:  Pick your cake recipe. I used the apple cake recipe from earlier in the blog.

Step 2.  Prepare two batches of it.

Step 3.  Bake said batches in two bundt cake pans.  (I'm poor and only have one so I just repeated this step twice.  It turned out fine!)

Step 4.  Choose your frosting.  I made a cinnamon buttercream, which I will post a recipe for at a later date.  It was delicious.

Step 5.  Make said frosting, or get said frosting out of can. (I prefer homemade frosting, but I know it's easier to just buy it.)

Step 6.  Turn one cake upside down onto the platter you will be using to serve.  Cover the bottom (which is now the top) in frosting.

Step 7. Put the second cake on top of the first cake.  Cover the entire thing in frosting and decorate according to your tastes.

That's it.  An idea so easy and simple, anyone can do it.  Even me!

Here's how mine turned out:

I'm still working on my decorating skills.  But for someone completely untrained in the art of cake decorating, I don't think it's half bad.  The best part is, the bundt cakes naturally make the shape of a pumpkin, so no carving or molding is necessary.  Just coat it with frosting and you're done!

Enjoy!