Snow: Round 2

We're still in DC and it's snowing again! It really is so pretty. The flakes just fall on the tip of your nose and melt. It's been so long since I've actually seen this much snow and while I'm glad to be a part of this weather that the area is experiencing, but it makes for lousy travelling conditions, no? We were scheduled to leave out of here tomorrow morning (Wednesday) but we've been delayed until Thursday evening. And that's still not a definite.

To those of you who are unaware of why we came to DC at this time of year during this crazy weather... we came for a military funeral. We didn't know that there was supposed to be so much snow until the day before we left and the service was Monday morning. Leaving yesterday was not an option and flights have been cancelled today and tomorrow so we are at the mercy of mother earth. If we were just on vacation for pure pleasure then we would have rescheduled.

An anonymous commenter left a comment on my last post about the snow and seemed to be offended by the fact that I didn't feel the weather here was indeed a blizzard. I guess the beauty of it all is that we're allowed to have differing opinions. I am certainly not offended by those of you who disagree with me. That's kind of like when I complain that 40 degrees F in Texas is cold when it's in the teens in other parts of the states and people tell me I'm a wimp. It's all a matter of opinion and it all depends on what you're accustomed to and should be taken with a grain of salt. No malice was intended.

Anonymous, I'm sorry that you felt I was making light of the extreme weather the northeast coast is experiencing. I, in no way think that this is a joke. I never said that and I don't feel that way. I did mention that this storm is/was dangerous and people were stranded at home and living without electricity. Buildings were damaged and trees collapsed. Traffic is horrible (if you can even manage to get your car dug out of the mound of snow it hides underneath) and a lot of businesses are suffering because of it. I get that. The poor lady who delivered breakfast to our room Friday morning is still here at the hotel on a Tuesday! She's been living at the hotel because she can't get home because public transportation isn't running. She has been working double shifts because they're understaffed and is working from 6am-2pm, then she takes a nap and goes back to work from 3-11 pm. No, I do not take that lightly and I greatly appreciate her all the men and women who are doing the same.

I've seen a blizzard. Well not in person. But I've seen pictures of a blizzard (in Texas, mind you)and the snow was covering my grandma's house like a tidal wave! They opened the front door and they were met with a wall of white! That to me is a blizzard. But if you haven't seen that, then I would understand why you felt otherwise. I acknowledge the DC area is indeed experiencing a lot of snow and wind and it is overwhelming. So please don't think that because our visions are different that I am being insensitive to the regions of people who are in the midst of this snowstorm.

I could go on but I won't. I just wanted to update you all with where we are and let you know why I haven't visited your blogs in a few days. And also to let you know that I appreciate each and every one of you who subscribe to my blog, to those of you who have added me to your favorites list, to those of you who email me to tell me that I inspire you. That is so humbling to me and it overwhelms me sometimes by how many people actually read my blog. I thank each and every one of you who stop by and encourage me. You are the reason why I continue to do this. I would never purposely say anything that would offend or hurt you in any way. If I have please accept my sincere apologies.

Monica

Dude Where's My Car?!

We made it!

Our original flight was cancelled but we managed to get an earlier flight into DC. In fact it was the last flight of the day and we were some of the last few stragglers in the airport. We got in and it was snowing pig puffy flakes of snow. So pretty.

Mr. H and I went to dinner last night and it rained snow. Cold+wet= not good! We walked past McPherson Park and saw these giant sitting birds in the snow. We got closer and realized they were sitting ducks eating snow! awesome. I love the tracks they left in the snow. By the time we got out of dinner they were gone. We went home and were in bed by 9:30. Senior citizen discount here we come!

We had big plans for today but we woke to to over 2 feet of snow. It fell at about 3 inches an hour and never stopped. So we were hotel bound for the day. Mr. H and I managed to put on our snow gear and trek around the block to Thomas Circle. The snow was gorgeous and glistening, so white and fluffy.

We've been watching the news since we don't get many channels in the hotel and fishing on ESPN was not so exciting. They've been calling this the Blizzard of 2010, which cracks me up because 2 feet of snow does not a blizzard make. It is cold, there is a lot of snow, it is windy and dangerous (an airport hangar and a church roof collapsed, there are power outages from broken tree limbs) but no where near a blizzard. No offense Washingtonians :-) Granted this is the most amount of snow at one time that this city has seen since the early 1920's. There was an eventful snowball fight at Dupont Circle today so at least people are enjoying all this white stuff.

Thank you all for your concern regarding our safety. We are cold but surviving thanks to the hotel and their wonderful staff. Most businesses closed on Friday and today but hopefully things will start opening up tomorrow since the roads have mostly been cleared and the snow stopped earlier this afternoon.

I may not get on the computer for a couple days since I don't really like paying $12.95 a day for internet service but I sincerely appreciate your comments and I look forward to reading them when I log on. I hope you are all staying warm where ever you are.

Cake For A Crowd

I'm scheduling this recipe to post in advance since we're in DC this weekend. Well I hope anyway, as long as they don't cancel our flights because of the snow! Cross your fingers for us and have a great weekend :-)

This is the first Pioneer Woman recipe I've ever made. Who's Pioneer Woman? Well unless you live under a rock then you probably know who she is. I think everyone and their momma in food blog land had made this cake. Am I right? It's been on my "to bake" list for a while but it makes a lot of cake so I had to wait til we had a large family gathering to make this. That just happened to be a couple weeks ago. And while there were 12 of us there, I still had cake leftover!

Let me start by saying that I liked this cake. But was it the "Best Chocolate Sheet Cake. Ever."? My answer is simply no. Don't get me wrong, this cake was very good but I would make a few changes next time. I would grease the pan (the recipe says not to) and the cake stuck a little bit. I would also bake it in a deeper pan like a 9x13. I guess then it wouldn't be called a sheet cake, would it?

The cake was very thin and once you add the frosting on top it starts to soak in a bit. As it cools it gets almost fudgey. It reminded me of a Little Debbie frosted brownie. Seriously how many people did I just offend by that statement?! I didn't mind the texture but I wish there was more cake to icing ratio. Speaking of icing, I opted to leave the nuts out since my cousin is allergic to them, but I made a smaller version in a mini loaf pan for Mr. H that had nuts in the frosting.

I make a Texas sheet cake every year for Mr. H's birthday that is very similar to this except that I add cinnamon to the frosting, so I did that here as well. Because if you haven't tried cinnamon and chocolate together then you are really missing out. Granted my version involves a cake mix and some of you may not like that but my husband much prefers it over this cake. But I think it was because of the texture and density of this cake not flavor. There are a ton of people out there that love this cake so make it this weekend for your football loving friends and see for yourself.

Chocolate Sheet Cake from PW

FOR THE CAKE:

• 2 cups Flour
• 2 cups Sugar
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• 4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
• 2 sticks Butter
• 1 cup Boiling Water
• ½ cups Buttermilk
• 2 whole Beaten Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla

FOR FROSTING:

• ½ cups Finely Chopped Pecans
• 1-¾ stick Butter
• 4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
• 6 Tablespoons Milk
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 3 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon (my addition)

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together. Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make the icing: Chop pecans finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.

Allow to cool before slicing into squares.