This is a pretty new song that really struck me. My favorite part is "I know my heart will never be the same, but I'm tellin' myself I'll be okay...even on my weakest days...."
It's really true. At some points, life gets really hard, and sometimes you're going to feel like you simply can't do it anymore, but you just have to get up and live your life. Sometimes you have to ignore the pain until it slowly dulls and eventually leaves you. That doesn't mean you'll forget, but you'll be so much stronger if you just keep going. Perhaps your heart will never be the same, but after an experience like that, you know you can make it through anything—that you are stronger than the circumstances of your life, and that knowledge is priceless.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Blueberry Banana Cake
If you're like me and don't really like blueberries, and only mildly like bananas, the title of this blog post just ain't that appealing. But slap your grandma! This is by far the best cake I've ever had in my life. Seriously.
My old roommate and a friend made this for me for my birthday last year, and I decided to make it for my mom's this year. Brief description: a delicious dense cake that includes fresh bananas and blueberries topped with cream cheese frosting.
Cue picture from the website to make you want it.
Anyway, here are the...
Directions
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons rum (optional)
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (from about 3 bananas)
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 lemon, juiced and zested
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups blueberries, washed and picked over
For the cream cheese icing:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package light cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon rum (optional)
3 cups confectioners' sugar
Pinch salt
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a 9x13-inch pan with parchment paper, with enough paper that paper hangs over the two long sides. Grease lightly with baking spray or butter.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer) cream the butter with the sugars. Blend in the eggs one at a time, and whip until creamy. Add the vanilla and rum, if using, as well as the bananas. Mix until creamy.
Add the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir the mixture roughly, but do not combine completely. In a large measuring cup, mix the lemon juice with the milk. (Reserve the lemon zest for the icing.) With the mixer running, slowly pour the milk into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Mix until smooth. Fold in the blueberries. Spread the batter in the prepared pan.
Bake the cake for 75 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. (Start checking after 60 minutes.) When the cake is firm and a tester comes out clean, remove the cake from the oven. Run a knife between the cake and the short edges of the pan to help release the cake. Lift up on the parchment paper to remove the whole cake from the pan, and place the cake, parchment and all, on a cooling rack. Place the rack in the freezer for 30 minutes. Remove from freezer and let the cake cool completely before icing.
For the icing: In a large bowl, whip the butter and cream cheese together until very smooth, with no lumps remaining. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 tablespoon rum, if using. Add the confectioners sugar, reserved lemon zest, and salt and beat on low speed until combined, then on high until frosting is smooth. Spread on cooled cake. Garnish with blueberries and sliced almonds.
End directions.
The recipe is from this website. It makes a lot of cake, but hey, that's okay, because if you keep it in the fridge it stays fresh for a long time.
And here are a couple of pictures of how mine turned out!
It's delicious, I tell you!
My old roommate and a friend made this for me for my birthday last year, and I decided to make it for my mom's this year. Brief description: a delicious dense cake that includes fresh bananas and blueberries topped with cream cheese frosting.
Cue picture from the website to make you want it.
Anyway, here are the...
Directions
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons rum (optional)
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (from about 3 bananas)
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 lemon, juiced and zested
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups blueberries, washed and picked over
For the cream cheese icing:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package light cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon rum (optional)
3 cups confectioners' sugar
Pinch salt
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a 9x13-inch pan with parchment paper, with enough paper that paper hangs over the two long sides. Grease lightly with baking spray or butter.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer) cream the butter with the sugars. Blend in the eggs one at a time, and whip until creamy. Add the vanilla and rum, if using, as well as the bananas. Mix until creamy.
Add the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir the mixture roughly, but do not combine completely. In a large measuring cup, mix the lemon juice with the milk. (Reserve the lemon zest for the icing.) With the mixer running, slowly pour the milk into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Mix until smooth. Fold in the blueberries. Spread the batter in the prepared pan.
Bake the cake for 75 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. (Start checking after 60 minutes.) When the cake is firm and a tester comes out clean, remove the cake from the oven. Run a knife between the cake and the short edges of the pan to help release the cake. Lift up on the parchment paper to remove the whole cake from the pan, and place the cake, parchment and all, on a cooling rack. Place the rack in the freezer for 30 minutes. Remove from freezer and let the cake cool completely before icing.
For the icing: In a large bowl, whip the butter and cream cheese together until very smooth, with no lumps remaining. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 tablespoon rum, if using. Add the confectioners sugar, reserved lemon zest, and salt and beat on low speed until combined, then on high until frosting is smooth. Spread on cooled cake. Garnish with blueberries and sliced almonds.
End directions.
The recipe is from this website. It makes a lot of cake, but hey, that's okay, because if you keep it in the fridge it stays fresh for a long time.
And here are a couple of pictures of how mine turned out!
It's delicious, I tell you!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Taio Cruz, Ludacris | Break Your Heart
There are some songs that when I'm driving along and they come on the radio, I freak out with excitement and turn it up super loud. I really do. Admittedly, there are a lot of songs that fall under this category, and this is probably the top one. Yeah it came out a while ago, but I'm still in love with this song, and I have it memorized, yes, including Ludacris's part. This isn't the official music video. I don't wanna be a bad example by postin' that. But here you go.
(P.S. I dedicate this post to Amy Takabori and Erin Anderson, the only two that might love this song as much as I do.)
(P.S. I dedicate this post to Amy Takabori and Erin Anderson, the only two that might love this song as much as I do.)
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Tulip Trees
Every spring on BYU campus, these trees, which normally sort of fade into the background as just another tree, suddenly come to life with the most stunning large purple blossoms.
I had never seen a tree like that before I moved to Provo. Apparently it's a type of Magnolia tree often referred to as a tulip tree. These are amazing! Here are some photos I took of this beautiful creation.
I had never seen a tree like that before I moved to Provo. Apparently it's a type of Magnolia tree often referred to as a tulip tree. These are amazing! Here are some photos I took of this beautiful creation.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Jimmy Fallon & Stephen Colbert
In honor of it being FRIDAY...
I love the kind of humor these guys have with each other. You may have seen the second of these videos, but you probably haven't seen the first one. It kind of explains the second. Also, if you don't know "Friday" by Rebecca Black (Have you been living in a cave?), you MUST go to Youtube and watch that first so that these two videos make sense. Click here for that.
I love the kind of humor these guys have with each other. You may have seen the second of these videos, but you probably haven't seen the first one. It kind of explains the second. Also, if you don't know "Friday" by Rebecca Black (Have you been living in a cave?), you MUST go to Youtube and watch that first so that these two videos make sense. Click here for that.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Bruno Mars | Just the Way You Are
This song is so fun and it totally makes any day better. Luh-luh-LOVE this song!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Simon Tofield | Simon's Cat
I found this today. I love cats, and these little animations are really cute and funny, exploring everyday happenings of a cat.
To see more of these, visit http://www.youtube.com/user/simonscat?blend=1&ob=5#p/u/0/AYdDRTRaWr8.
To see more of these, visit http://www.youtube.com/user/simonscat?blend=1&ob=5#p/u/0/AYdDRTRaWr8.
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