Wordless Wednesday

Wicked Weekend With The Jones Bros

One of my favorite musicals is Wicked.
The music makes me cry.
The show makes me giggle.
And the book is shocking.

I saw it 2 years ago in Omaha.
My sister and I couldn't NOT see it when it returned in June.
My BFF Maggie got to go with us.
YAY!

We decided to make a day of it.
Old Market, good food and Jones Bros Cupcakes!
We Googled Old Market food online and came up with
The Twisted Fork.

Hidden in the depths of the OM
it turned out that some Omaha friends were
unaware that it existed.
Can I just say it is a must venture place!

The food was phenomenal and HUGE!
The drinks were VERY interesting.
I had a liquored up strawberry basil something or other.
Maggie had a Bloody Mary:

We had read on line about their signature appetizer,
Chicken Fried Bacon.
None of us wanted to admit it sounded DE-LISH.
As the waiter started to walk away Maggie shouted,
"BRING US SOME BACON!"
(Maybe she didn't shout but it was definately an afterthought.)

This is what he brought us:

If you think it looks wrong...
You are right.
And, NO, that isn't chicken strips under all that scrumptious breading...
IT'S BACON!

I am excerpting a piece of the Wikipedia post that accurately
describes this most yummy dish:

"Since the dish is rich in saturated fat, those health experts that favor low-fat diets suggest consuming it in moderation or not at all.[9] Sally Squires of the Washington Post acknowledged chicken fried bacon's appeal to the palate, but suggests moderation.[9] Other experts note the dish's low nutritional benefits: "They've taken fat, they've double-coated it in fat, they've fried it in more fat, and then they've served it with a side order of fat."[2] Jane Hurley, senior nutritionist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington, D.C., stated she's "never heard of anything worse."[2]"

It doesn't get more accurate than that.
When we got together again on the 4th (a MONTH later),
we found ourselves STILL talking
about the CHICKEN FRIED BACON!

We all had delicious sandwiches.
My sister and I both had the French Dips and decided next time
we would share a sandwich. I had mashed potatoes with mine
and she had waffle fries I believe.
Maggie had a HUGE burger and had to cut it in half to even begin
to be able to deal with it!

The decor is WONDERFULLY kitschy and I googled
the chandeliers when I got home.
I've put them in my pretend bakery.
We give The Twisted Fork 5 STARS!

On to the show.
I've already talked a bit about that.
I don't have words to describe Wicked.
It's worth the money.

Then onto the place I'd waited since Cupcake Wars to see
and sample!

Yes the dork there is me...

I am a cake addict.
I love cake.
I make cupcakes at least once a week.
I love for people to ask me to make cupcakes.

My sister had been here once and gave it, yes...
5 STARS!
I had been FBing them for weeks asking about their
"Wicked" cupcakes.

I was so unbelievably excited but Bill was not working.
His parents, however, were sitting at a table very close to us.
I threatened to make a big scene.
But I showed GREAT restraint.

See my excitement?
Mickie not so much.
She's humoring me at this point.
Mind you I had just had a mini meltdown
about a driver who was texting with a kid in the front
seat and a baby strapped in back. NOT GOOD!
I needed cupcakes!

The one on the left is lemon.
The one on the right is strawberries and cream.
S&C is my favorite.
It is OMG! good.

Yes that dork is me...

Jones Brothers is located at
2121 S 67th st, East Omaha, 68106.
You will not be disappointed.
They are on FB.
They have a cupcake of the day, usually about 96 of them.
If you come in an name it you get 1 for free.
They don't last long especially if it's chocolate!
They have also ventured into gluten free that launched this week.
Tell the Jones' that Sheila sent you!

The Twisted Fork Grill and Bar is located at
1014 Howard St
Old Market
Omaha
Definately get the Chicken Fried Bacon.

Thanks Maggie for the pictures!

Tale of the Tiki

Another chapter in my adventures in caking.

We had a 4th of July luau this weekend.

My sister and I decided to change things up a bit.

My mom thinks we're crazy.

I suspect she's right.

I searched online for weeks for authentic luau food.

My sister found red, white and blue leis.

We thought we were pretty fabulous.

Sir Fattington and Vinegar just had to be in on the action.

So my most fabulous, favorite niece turned 13 on the 1st.

We had a 4th of July/Birthday luau.

I can't believe she's 13.

Mostly because it means Sadi will be 13 in 6 months.

I made Lu a cake.

I joked on FB that I was going to make it look like this:

My mom had a little meltdown and thought this was disgusting.

First of all it was a joke and

B, I'm flattered she thinks my caking abilities are up to this. :)

Soooo... I looked at a cake that looked like a coconut.

I hate coconut though so that was out.

Then I thought a cake shaped like flip flops would be cute.

I kept searching luau, tropical themed cakes.

I happened on cakes that looked like tikis and

the idea was born!

Lu requested chocolate and that I could surprise her with the icing.

I chose cookies and cream. Yum!

I was entering new territory as I was going to have to do a little carving on this.

I found myself worried about maybe overestimating my abilities once I started.

Five 6 inch layers of chocolate cake.

It's filled and frosted with my SUPER SECRET cookies and cream icing.

Here it is covered with Duff's chocolate fondant.

Fondant YUCK! you say?

I'm a fan of this brand. The chocolate tastes like fudge.

It's not difficult to use.

This being my first completely covered cake and it being 100 degrees...

I was NERVOUS!

I kept the air set at 68 degrees while I worked on this baby!



He is a very happy tiki!

I should have taken a picture when we sliced the face off.

The layers were perfect.

I was so proud of myself.

And the cake got rave reviews.

Lu took the face home to eat later. :)

Happy birthday my most fabulous Lu!