Cherry Chocolate Wine Cake

I made the most amazing bundt cake for my mom's birthday!  It was my first bundt, and I had two go-arounds with it (the first one fell apart as I was taking it out of the bundt pan, and yes, I swore like a sailor). 

Ingredients:

Nonstick vegetable cooking spray

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1 cup red wine, such as cabernet sauvignon

1/3 cup whole milk

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cup (10 2/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 large eggs, slightly beaten

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 box (.3 ounce) sugar-free black cherry gelatin

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Wine Glaze

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup red wine, such as cabernet sauvignon

1 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for serving

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix all the dry ingredients together.  Mix the sugar, butter and eggs together with a mixer until fluffy.  Melt the chocolate and mix with wine and milk in another bowl.  Combine all mixes now in one large bowl, mixing well on low until smooth with no lumps.  Generously grease the bundt pan and pour in the mixture.  Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.  Let cool for 15 minutes.  Tip over and release bundt on a cake dish.  When ready to serve, make the wine glaze by mixing the butter, red wine, sugar and vanilla in a small sauce pan until a syrupy consistency.  Sprinkle powdered sugar over cake and drizzle the wine glaze over each serving with a garnish of fresh berries. 

This cake was delicious and moist.  Everybody loved it!

Our Three-Year Anniversary

Our third anniversary was January 3. I know, I'm pretty late in posting the pictures of our overnight getaway. I've been busy!!! Anyway, we went to Carmel and stayed at a cute little bed and breakfast walking distance from the beach. We got a killer deal on the room because we stayed the day after New Year's. So we really celebrated on January 2, but it's okay!  Time slips by too quickly.  I can't believe we've already been married three years.  Hey, in another two, we'll be able to adopt from any country we want!!  We just won't have any money left.  Details, details...



We had dinner at this little French bistro called "Le Bicyclette."  Good food!

Here's our room!  Very cute and cozy.  Too bad I had a cold and Daniel got food poisoning from lunch.  We were both passed out by 10:00, haha!

The morning of our anniversary, getting ready to head back home.



Have you ever seen a gas station sign this cute???  Only in Carmel...

Shellac!

Okay, so I will be the first to admit that I'm not the person who people are calling off the hook for beauty advice, and my sisters are not shy about reminding me of that.  Picture hiking boots, ponytail, sweatshirt and jeans, and that's pretty much me when I'm not at work.  But...I do like to have pretty nails and try to keep them painted and looking nice.  I do them myself, though.  I was at a nail salon with my BFF, getting ready for her wedding, and she told me to try shellac.  She said I would LOVE it!  And she was right.  I absolutely did.  But I watched the manicurist closely, and all shellac really breaks down to is painting your nails with a special polish that cures under the UV light.  But that manicure cost me 30 bones. 

So I told my friend Carrie, "There must a cheaper way I can do this at home," and she looked at me like I was certifiable, since the whole point is to be doted on at a salon!  Well, not for me.  I am a very busy woman, and I don't like being doted on.  It makes me uncomfortable.  So I plopped myself down in front of the computer and searched on Amazon for a UV light and shellac polish, and voila!  For $85, I bought a light, four polishes, and this would give me at least 30 manicures.  That comes out to $2.83 per manicure.  Can you really beat that?????  No!  So here's what you need to get nails looking like these:

You need a Thermal Spa UV light that will accomodate both hands.  $45 on Amazon.com.

You will need a base coat, a top coat, and a color coat of any brand, but I like CND.  You can get them on Amazon.com.  They run about $10 to $15 a bottle, but keep in mind, it will give you 30 applications.

You will need cotton balls and 91% rubbing alcohol.



AND THAT'S IT!!!  So here are the steps:

1.  Push your cuticles back.
2.  Apply the base coat and place hands under UV for 20 seconds.
3.  Apply color coat and place hands under UV for 2 minutes.
4.  Apply second coat of color and place hands under UV for another 2 minutes.
5.  Apply top coat and place hands under UV for 2 minutes.
6.  Your nails will feel sticky at this point.  Take a cotton ball and soak it with alcohol.  Rub nails until they are smooth and shiny.  And that's it!!!  You will have beautifully shellac'd nails for two weeks.  No chips, no breaks, looking amazing for two weeks.  When you are ready to take the color off, the polish literally peels off, doing no damage to your nails.  Honestly, I will never go back to a nail salon again.  At $2 a manicure when it is most convenient for me, why would I?
7.  Enjoy!! Anything to keep my mind off the adoption, right?