Epic Fail

Let's just say that my Grasshopper Cake looked nothing like this--
and that today was also an Epic Fail in some ways. But tomorrow is another day.

I like Figgy's teen term for a big disaster: epic fail. She made me laugh when she used it to describe the cake I made for Moey's 48th birthday, in August 2009.

Moey loves chocolate-chip mint ice cream--has since we were girls. So although I usually make her a cheesecake [which she also loves] for her summer birthday, last year, I decided to make the Grasshopper Cake, from the book Baked.

Let's just say that while I've had great success with other recipes in the book, I had less luck with this. I spent hours and hours on it. The classic chocolate cake layers and the mint chocolate ganache came out great. But I had a problem getting the crème de menthe buttercream to set properly. It was just too soft and slid all over, even though I chilled it.

But we had to get to Moey's--she was having a bunch of friends over for dinner on her deck--and so I assembled a monstrosity that I called a Shrek Cake. All green and big and messy. The 30-minute car ride up the Garden State Parkway to Montvale helped it tilt a little more.

Epic fail, Figgy said, good-naturedly, as I sheepishly revealed it and then later, as she took a generous helping.

But it wasn't really. It just looked like one. It tasted fabulous. Actually, I'd love to make it again sometime.

One More Flop
Today, however, was another epic fail. No sooner had I weighed myself and liked the number I saw then I promptly sabotaged my success [well, four hours later] by eating all kinds of sweet things. Then, I almost got hit by a car when crossing Valley Road tonight.

Do you want to get hit by a car? I didn't see you, a woman called out of the passenger seat window of an SUV. I didn't see you. She spoke to me as though I were crazy.

No, I don't want to get hit by a car. But I was too dumbfounded and embarrassed to reply. Maybe I caught that lady and her driver off-guard, but she caught me off-guard, too. It's not my fault that the road was closed for tarring but I had to get dry dog food for Sug at Kings, and a special brand of chocolate-covered pretzels for someone in the hospital [a brand I can find only at Kings], so I had to park far away and then cross the road at a spot where people don't usually cross. I guess I should have realized that drivers would not see me, in my black ribbed sweater and skirt, in the dark at 9 P.M.

Epic fail. Good night.

Source for fabulous photo: picturesofcake.blogspot.com, c/o http://www.jessicasreed.com/.