Caramel Crunch Cake by LaRocca

This was the challenge.

And this was my answer...

I've seen this cake in Loblaws, I always wanted to buy it... but as you know, I'm frugal and this cake was $14.99 for a 7" cake. How could I possibly pay $15 for a wee little cake! It's not like spending $23 for a glorified rubber chew toy for the baby (I'll get to that story one day). After years of starring this cake down behind the bakery glass, I finally bought it. (to be accurate, K bought it, I think I would have chickened out at the cash). Let me tell you... this cake was worth the wait. It was fantastic! I was in trouble, because there is no way I could ever bring myself to buy the $15 cake again.

I accept the challenge!

Hazelnut Meringue
What I did What I would do next time
4 egg whites 5 egg whites
3/4 cup white sugar 3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 walnuts 1/4 cup hazelnuts (or walnuts)
2 Tbsp corn starch 2 Tbsp corn starch

Preheat oven to 250 C. Draw 2 8" circles on parchment paper and place on a cookie sheet. Beat the egg whites in a glass or metal mixing bowl (meringue will not form peaks in a plastic bowl) until soft peaks form. Slowly add white sugar and beat until hard peak forms. In a food processor grind nuts and corn starch together until it reaches the consistency of corn meal, or a little bit bigger. Fold the nuts into the meringue. Place meringue in a piping bag (or a ziplock bag as I did). Pipe meringue in a spiral fashion onto the parchment paper circles. Bake in the oven for 1.5 hours or until the meringue is hard throughout. Remove from oven, remove parchment paper when meringue is cool enough to touch, place on a cooling rack.

Caramel
(2) 1 can of sweetened condensed milk

Use one of these methods to make the caramel. I used two methods, I wasted 1.5 hours cooking the milk in the oven. It wasn't the right color when it came out, so I put it in the microwave for another 8 mins in 2 minute intervals. Next time I would cook the caramel using the microwave method or the stove top method, and I would cook it until it was a bit darker and richer in color.
Refrigerate the caramel until cool (approximately 3-4 hours depending on the size of the bowl).

Stabilized Chantilly Whipped Cream
(basically this means a thicker (stabilized) sweetened (Chantilly is a fancy way of saying the whipped cream has sugar in it) whipped cream)

2 cups 35% cream
1/4 cup white sugar (optional)
2 packets of Whip It (in the baking aisle)

Make sure all of your ingredients and your bowl are very cold. Add the Whip It to the cream and beat until soft peaks form. Slowly add in your sugar. Beat until hard peaks are formed. Do not over beat or your cream will turn into butter. Next time, I might try to stabilize the whipped cream with gelatin, I think it might result in a more firm cream that holds up longer, but I would like to test it first.

Assemble the cake just prior to serving. Divide caramel in 2 portions, leaving about 4 Tbsp aside for garnish. Spread caramel onto both of the cooled meringues, pipe whipped cream on top of the first layer. Place the second meringue on top, pipe whipped cream on top. Using the caramel you set aside, place it in a ziplock bag and add a design on the top of the cake. Refrigerate until serving.

$2.99 Condensed milk
$3.49 whipping cream
$1.29 Whip It
$1.25 eggs
Delicious cake... priceless!

Really me,
Challenge completed
Nik

Let's Talk About Sex- Sex 101

That's right, it's time for that dreaded sex talk. Recently I mentioned charting to my sister. She stared at me kind of blankly. She goes to a Catholic high school, and I thought for sure they would be teaching them about charting as a birth control method (since it doesn't go against the church and all) But to my surprise, she hadn't heard anything about it. Her class never did the condom on the banana thing, and she wasn't aware of many of the other methods either... it was time to have a talk.

Before I get into the nitty gritty I want to make it clear that I am in no way condoning sex, and I am in no way telling you not to have sex. My point is to provide you with some very basic information on how to protect yourself, avoid pregnancy, and avoid STIs/STDs.

Some very very very important points
1. The ONLY way to avoid pregnancy 100% is not to have sex (abstinence).

2. No birth control method (the pill, IUD, condoms etc.) prevents pregnancy 100% of the time.

3. The pill, IUDs, the depo shot etc do not protect you from Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI), you should still be using a condom.

4. You can get an STI from having oral sex.

Birth Control Methods

Condoms (male)- A condom is most often made of latex. Make sure to read the package to learn how to properly put on a condom. It is my belief that all young girls should know how to put them on, so ladies, practice on a banana if need be. Depending on what stats you're looking at condoms are effective in protecting against pregnancy 82%-98% of the time. They effectively protect against STIs 80%-95% of the time when used correctly. They are the best method to protect against STIs. Condoms are available with spermicide (not good for oral sex), lubricated, and non lubricated as well as many other shapes, sizes, colors and tastes. (Interesting fact: A person who is allergic to apricots is often allergic to latex. If that is the case non latex condoms are available in most drug stores.) You should never use 2 condoms at the same time for 'extra protection'. 2 condoms actually decrease the effectiveness and heightens the chance of the condoms breaking.

Condoms (female)- The female condom is inserted into the vagina and there is a hard plastic rim that keeps it from slipping all the way in. It is not made of latex so it can be used by people with latex allergies. The female condom is 80%-95 percent effective against pregnancy when used correctly. It may be a little tricky to learn how to use, so it is not suggested if it's your first time.

The Pill- The birth control pill goes by many different brand names, you need to see your Dr. to be given a prescription. You do not need your parent's permission to obtain a prescription, and the Dr. must keep it confidential. The Pill is a series of 21 (or 28) pills that a woman takes every day, that release hormones into your body which prevents an egg from leaving your ovaries. The pill must be taken at the same time every day or it decreases it's effectiveness. If you have a 21 pack you will stop taking the pills for 7 days. If you have a 28 pack the last 7 pills are simply sugar pills. The pill is effective in preventing pregnancy 92% of the time when used correctly. The pill does not protect against STIs. ***Certain antibiotics/medications can make the pill ineffective, ALWAYS tell the pharmacist if you are taking the birth control pill.***

The Patch- The birth control patch is a thin beige square that releases hormones into your system which prevents an egg from being released from your ovaries. It can be placed in several discreet places on your body. You wear one patch a week for 3 weeks, the fourth week you do not wear a patch. Repeat. You must see a Dr. to get a prescription. The down side to the patch is that it collects dirt around the edges much like a bandaid and may not look very attractive by the end of the week. When used correctly the patch protects against pregnancy 92% of the time. The patch does not protect against STIs.

The Birth Control Shot- (Depo) The shot is a long acting hormone which prevents an egg from being released from your ovaries. The shot must be given at a Dr's office every 3 months. If you miss your shot, or delay your appointment you run the risk of becoming pregnant. When used correctly the patch protects against pregnancy 97% of the time. The shot does not protect against STIs.

IUD- IntraUterine Device. Is a T shaped device that is inserted by a doctor into your uterus. IUDs make it difficult for an egg to implant in your uterus, it also prevents sperm from getting to the egg. IUDs may shift or move so it is very important to check them frequently. When used correctly they are one of the most effective forms of birth control preventing pregnancy 98% of the time. IUDs do not protect against STIs.

Charting- (a.k.a the rhythm method) Charting is the method often recommended by the church. It involves taking your temperature every day before getting out of bed in the morning, keeping track of your period, observing your cervical fluid and really paying attention to your body. This method relies strongly on the woman to be very aware of her most fertile days, and only having sex when she is the least fertile. Most women need to chart for several months before they understand their bodies enough to know when the safer times are and when she is more fertile. Either way if you are having sex without protecting odds are very high that you will get pregnant. This is the least effective method of birth control.

The morning after pill- Is a high dose hormone pill which can be taken up to 72 hours after having unprotected sex, or in the event where a condom breaks. In Canada the morning after pill can be purchased at the drug store, but you need to speak to the pharmacist. It may cause nausea, and may cause you to get your period. The morning after pill is effective in preventing pregnancy approximately 98% of the time. The morning after pill is not meant as a birth control method, but it is available in the event that your main line of birth control fails.

True or False?

If he pulls out, you can't get pregnant

BIG FAT FALSE. The pull out 'method' is not a good method of birth control. There are many many things that could go wrong. He might not pull out in time for one. Secondly if he ejaculated prior to intercourse there could still be sperm hanging around in there which means they could make their way into you during intercourse before he's even thinking of pulling out. And there could also be sperm in the pre-cum

You can't get pregnant your first time

FALSE. As soon as a woman gets her period she is able to get pregnant. It is not dependent on how many times you have or haven't had sex. In fact, the egg is released before you get your period, so it is possible to become pregnant before you even get your first period.

You can't get pregnant if you have sex while you're on your period

FALSE While it does lessen the odds, it does not make it impossible. Sperm can live up to 10 days in a woman and an egg can live 3 days. Do you really want to risk it?

As Sue Johanson used to say. 'If you're not mature enough to buy condoms, then you're not mature enough to have sex.'
http://www.talksexwithsue.com/

If you have any questions about sex make sure to ask somebody more experienced than you, whether that be your mother, teacher, older sister, cousin, friend's parents. Heck, e-mail me. Just make sure you're getting your information from a reputable source.

I'd also like to invite everybody to share their sex myths and knowledge.

Really me,
Sex ed
Nik

I like baseball games

My dad plays baseball on Mondays. Last Monday Demi and I were out, so we decided we would go catch some of Gampa's baseball game. Off we got to the park.

Now you know that I'm 29... how the heck did that happen? It's been a long time since I was honked at, whistled at, cat called or been anonymously grabbed on public transit. That was back in the day when I looked like this....



Once on our way home from school my friend and I nearly caused an accident cause we were just that hot wearing our kilts and tank tops. That was a regular occurrence. I mean really, look at that tan! .... But I digress.

What was I saying? Ah yes, this park has 2 diamonds, we were at the wrong one. We walked up to the benches as I scanned the field, Demi in tow. All the guys on the bench turned and looked at us... several times. Now of course there were no cat calls, but I attribute that to the fact that these men were far too well behaved to make the cartoon style wolf calls that were obviously brewing in their heads in front of my 'younger sister'.

Eventually I asked one of the guys if there was another diamond around. All the other guys of course were jealous that he got to speak to me. He directed us to the other diamond... and they all watched me walk away.

I think we'll have to go to more of Gampa's baseball games and get the wrong field. ;)

Really me,
yup, I've still got it
Nik

Ok, ok, K keeps asking me if I'm going to tell you how old these guys were. They were 50 ok, it was an over 50 baseball league!!! There, I said it! You happy now!! lol

Oh, excuse me, correction... my dad would like to point out that it is over 45, not 50. Thanks dad, that makes it a lot better!

Carnivore Fish

Remember I told you that we had a carnivore fish. Here.
Let me tell you the story. We fell for the whole 'fish are easy to take care of' thing. Demi seemed to love fish, so we caved, bought the tank, and bought two fish. Well it was tank cleaning time, and I asked K to do it this time around. We used some bleach to get all the algae off, I told him to rinse everything really well. In go the fish after a few hours. When we come downstairs the following morning, Demi runs to the fish tank to feed her favorite new pet... I have to explain that the fish are now albino, and they are very tired, that's why they're just sitting on the bottom. Great job daddy!

Luckily Demi either believed my story, or really didn't like the fish that much in the first place. I clean the tank and bid a sailor's goodbye to the fish, off to PJ's we go. This time we decided we would get some cute fish. We got a Gupy, which Demi dubbed the ballerina fish, a neon and an algae cleaner. When we got home we noticed a little tiny 4th fish in the bag. Nobody had noticed, including us. It was the size of a minute, Nanna would say. Whatever the heck that means. It was tiny and cute and stripy, so we decided we would keep it.

Well this tiny fish grew. It grew fast. We often noticed it chasing the other fish around. "Aww it's so cute and feisty!" Right up until Ballerina fish went missing.

We came down stairs one morning, turned the fish tank light on as usual, fed the fish. But Ballerina fish was nowhere to be seen. We thought maybe it was hiding in the rocks. After a day of not seeing it, we thought maybe it died and checked the tank for it's body. No luck. Then we thought maybe it jumped out of the tank and the dog ate it. K talked me out of that one pretty quickly. It would be quite the feat for that fish to jump out of the little food hole, and then if it did that, to have the dog eat it.

I checked the tank every day, and every day that not so tiny fish would swim up to the side of the tank and challenge me. It would even hit it's little head up against the glass like "What lady! I ain't scared of you!"

That's when we knew what really happened to Ballerina fish.

Really me,
Baracuda owner
Nik