A New Toy!

My New Red Salter Scale

I know it's not my birthday or a special occasion or anything particular for that matter, but I decided I had to have this Salter Kitchen Scale.

I have never had a kitchen scale before, so this is a new toy for me.  My mind is spinning just thinking about all the recipes with weight measurements I'll now be able to try!  And it's red... which means it matches my Kitchen Aid mixer, which is a nice bonus.  (I do believe it comes in black and white versions as well.)

I purchased it from Williams-Sonoma while in Portland, Maine. Although Williams-Sonoma is known for it's lovely, quality and innovative kitchen ware, it is also known for it's very high pricing.  Lucky me, I found it on sale!

Why I love this scale:

Clean, smooth glass surface that wipes clean

Weight can be read in pounds/ounces or grams

Easy tare function - use any container 

Slim and easy to store

And of course because it's red :)

A Chocolate Cake

Since I've been so excited about trying out my scale, I decided to start by making the Choco Choco Birthday Cake.  This is how it turned out:

This cake is not a super sweet cake, but it is lusciously moist, while also being quite light and spongy.  The frosting is so smooth it's luxurious!

By halving all of the ingredients the recipe produced this two layer 7" cake and there was plenty of left over frosting.  Both layers were baked as one cake and then sliced horizontally.  Normally I'd have baked them separately, but considering the heat on the day I baked, I just couldn't stand to have the oven on any longer.  I was pleasantly surprised with the consistent texture throughout the cake, though I did have to bake it for longer than expected.   

Thank you Sweetapolita for delicious cake number two!  

I will be trying another soon!

Portland, Maine...

... Not to be confused with Portland, Oregon on the other side of the continent, which is also nice and I may talk about at another time, but this small city is a less well known gem found on the East Coast.  If you've never heard of it before, not to worry.  I hadn't, either, until I was sent there for work.  

My vantage point is from the Double Tree hotel, where happiness starts with a warm cookie and continues through the night under a comforter and your choice of four different pillows.  I think Sebago, a local brew pub, named for a lake in the area, is a great place for food and a drink in the evening.  Maine Mall is directly across the street and it offers a few shops we don't have in Canada such as Macy's, JC Penny and Anne Taylor LOFT.  It's a good place to spend the afternoon if it's rainy, especially because it seems to be one of the only moments I seem to find for shopping.  

A view from the south end of Promenade Park

However, if it's a nice day downtown is the place to go.  It's quaint with all the old brick buildings and cobbles and has an artistic and earthy flare which mirrors the flavour of the people.  The picturesque harbour has numerous restaurants serving lobster pretty much on the water, or you could catch a hockey game at the arena, Cumberland County Civic Center, home to the Red Claws, and watch future NHLers play.  I particularly like Bintliff's American Cafe, where breakfast is served late, Reny's, KnitWit, a yarn shop where the entire line of Quince & Co. Yarn can be found, Eastern Promenade Park and all of the art galleries and interest shops along the way.  Catch the bus there - it's about a 40 minute ride and $1.50 each way.

I haven't had the opportunity to drive around to explore in the area, but the view from the plane makes me think New England is probably a really lovely outdoor vacation spot.