i feel a hot wind on my shoulder

In light of my recent confessions about my inability to keep any plants alive, I wanted to amend that statement slightly. I am awesome at growing cacti.

In fact, succulents in general.

They're beautiful, they come in a huge range of colors and shapes, and they do amazingly well if you forget that you even own them.

Perfect!

a family of trees wanting/ to be haunted

In honor of Earth day, I thought that I would share my recent attempt to grow a malanga root. Malanga is an edible sub-tropical plant that is supposed to grow really quickly and be almost impossible to kill.

Given that I am so good at killing plants that I've chosen it as a career, I thought this would be a good choice for me.

Fill a large terra-cotta pot about 1/2 of the way full with your potting mix of choice. I went with organic because I am a dirty hippie. And because it's what they had at my friendly neighborhood Target.

Plant the malanga root just at the soil line.

Cover with potting mix.

Water with your adorable watering can.

And there you have it! Now cross your fingers with me and we'll wait for it to grow.

(ETA: The malanga root never grew. I dutifully watered it every day, but to no avail. I am an amazing pathologist. (Shh, this is my excuse.))

see the world in green and blue

Hello everyone! I hope that whether or not you are celebrating the religious aspects of today, you are taking a moment to enjoy the spring weather, and the excuse to be a kid for a day. Because who doesn't love chocolate and brightly colored eggs? (Ok, so I cheated and didn't have to hunt these.)

Although the technique was a little different when I was a child. :) You know you're an adult when...

Happy first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox!

hopping down the bunny trail

I may be breaking some unwritten law here, but it would be criminal to keep this recipe to myself.

For years, my grandmother's coconut cake has been the go-to cake for family events. As a layer cake for special occasions, cupcakes for birthday parties, and... bunny cake. Always the best part of Easter. Because this cake is amazing.

Last time I was home, I couldn't hold back any longer. I begged my grandmother for the recipe. And she handed it over. Just. Like. That.

And it turns out that grandma has been hiding a secret from us all this time. Two little boxes.

Seeing as how this is my grandmother that used to be a semi-professional wedding cake baker/decorator, this is something of a surprise. But who am I to judge? I went with it.

Mix: 1 box white cake mix, 1 box instant vanilla pudding, 1 1/3 cups water, 4 egg whites, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, and 2 cups shredded coconut.

I used my shiny new red KitchenAid stand mixer (a Christmas present from my engineer!).

Pour batter into greased and floured (or lined) pans. For a bunny cake, you need two 9" rounds.

Be sure to use your smiley face spatula. (My sister gives me the coolest kitchen gear!)

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes. Let cool.

While your cakes are cooling, make the icing. Mix: 4 tbs. softened butter, 8 oz. cream cheese, 2 tsp. milk, 1 box confectioners sugar, 2 tsp. vanilla, and another 2 cups of shredded coconut. Now, I hate cream cheese frosting, but this turns out to be amazing. Fluffy, creamy, not too sweet, and definitely not tasting of cream cheese.

Once your cakes are cool, it's time to assemble the bunny. Level the tops of the cakes (I won't tell anyone if you keep all the scraps for yourself) and make bunny ears and a bowtie out of one of the rounds, using the cake pan as a cutting guide.

Ice, cover with extra coconut for fur (can you tell that I love coconut?), and make your face with whatever candy you prefer. Jellybeans and twizzlers are traditional, but I love chocolate, so I went with M&Ms.

Slice and serve to everyone you know and love. This cake is delicious in any form, but it does make a pretty perfect bunny cake.