Something Pretty

Giant Mushrooms and Dinosaurs

Erin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:33:52 +0000

While hiking in Vedauwoo, we found two mushrooms that were approximately the size of our heads. And two frogs which posed nicely in mute terror while we snapped away. The T Rex is a sculpture outside of the Geology Museum on campus. We always take visitors to see it.

Rainbow Cupcakes

Erin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 01:09:35 +0000

It’s no secret that I love rainbows, and I love baking. I’ve been wanting to make these rainbow cupcakes for a while now, and found the perfect excuse when we had guests stop by on their way to San Francisco.

I used the recipe found at Baking Bites, but I modified a few things:

1. I only used 2-3 drops of food coloring per color instead of the 1/2 teaspoon.

2. I added 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract to the batter (in addition to the vanilla).

3. Instead of buttermilk, which I didn’t have on hand, I combined 1/2 cup of milk and a tablespoon of vinegar in a glass cup and let it curdle for a few minutes.

4. I only got 9 cupcakes, instead of the stated 10. But the baking time remained 15 minutes.

I almost always halve frosting amounts; I just find giant towers of buttercream to be rather excessive (that’s not fat-conscientiousness talking–I ate a large slab of brie yesterday without remorse). So in lieu of their frosting recipe, I used:

2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon milk

few drops of vanilla extract

approximately 1 cup of powdered sugar

Mix all together to a consistency and taste that you like.

Rainbows, Bunnies, and Fluffy Clouds

Erin — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 19:04:09 +0000

…and a taxidermied badger (dude wanted $125 for it). Suffice it to say, I am not the new owner of said badger.

Taken in Laramie, Fort Collins, and Denver.

Frontier Days + Denver

Erin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 01:57:28 +0000

When The Circus Came to Town

Erin — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:49:18 +0000

Oh, Look, More Photos

Erin — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 04:08:37 +0000

Oh, Hey There

Erin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 03:11:02 +0000

Yeah. Long time no see. Me? Oh, I’ve been busy doing things. Flying back home to see my brother get married, visiting friends in Pittsburgh over the holidays, learning how to snowshoe, backpacking, cross-country skiing, visiting Portland and Denver…I think those are the highlights. And of course, taking tons of photos.

Displaced People of Wyoming Thanksgiving Extravaganza!

Erin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:12:58 +0000

For Thanksgiving this year, I tried tofurkey for the first time. I used, with a few modifications, this recipe. I did not attempt to shape it into a turkey, because, come on, no one’s gonna fall for that. Overall, I was pretty satisfied. No one would mistake it for turkey, but it was turkey-ish. And our lovely hosts took some of the leftovers. Another first was Yorkshire pudding, which is not pudding at all. No, it is a delicious eggy biscuit sort of thing, and I’ve already made another batch in the few intervening days.

New Math

Erin — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:29:17 +0000

I have a serious aversion to math, nurtured by my complete ineptitude in it. New Math, however, adds a fun and witty twist to that much-maligned subject.

Like many awesome findings, I’m pretty sure I learned about this site from swissmiss.

Rail Yards

Erin — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:12:35 +0000

There’s something so romantic about trains. In high school, we would walk along the tracks late at night and talk about hopping trains without ever actually doing it. The hobo dream remained untouched for several years, when I would learn all about the ups and downs of unlimited freedom and open space. I like to return to rail yards when I’m feeling down.