IMPRESSED

Two amazing things to take away from this weekend:

First of all, my roommate is home and to welcome her back, I presented her with something edible - as opposed to something pet-able. Haha.

I made some mini cheesecakes from a recipe posted on a friend of a friend's blog. They tasted great and looked amazing. But since it was my first try, they were kind of a pain. The cheesecake part was easy, it was the crust that threw me off. The whole reason I made them is because you're supposed to drop a vanilla wafer in a muffin tin and voilà: crust. But, the cavities in the mini muffin tin that I was instructed to use (after 2 trips to the grocery store to find mini muffin tin liners) were way too small for the vanilla wafers. I couldn't even wedge a wafer in there. It wasn't going to happen. But the normal size cavities in my other pan were too big - there was extra space all around the wafer. So after some thought, I used wafers for the normal size cheesecakes, made a quick crust for the mini cheesecakes, and decided to wait and see which tasted better.

The verdict: cheesecake, like pizza , is good no matter what. I cut strawberries for a topping (too big for the mini ones, FYI; use a smaller berry). Roommate really enjoyed them and so did this girl.


I fixed a whole dinner for us (I even timed it so that everything was ready at once - can you believe it? I'm getting better!) and then we settled in to watch the ACM awards.

Of which I have this to say:

I am so happy for Miranda Lambert. I started clapping when she won Album of the Year. She deserves much more accolade from the industry than she gets. She writes all of her songs, which is pretty much the same (/only) reason Taylor Swift is famous (although I'm pretty sure that suggestive little romp in the water will go down in ACM history), and Miranda sings circles around her and Kellie both. Carrie is her only glass ceiling. But Album of the Year is a huge honor and I think she deserves it fully.

Now for my other favorite moment of the night:



This man? Amazing.

Garth, if you're reading this, please come back to us. Raise your kids in Oklahoma, take time off, do what you gotta do, but then! Please! Make your long-awaited descent on Music Row riding a cloud and strumming a guitar. You see, Garth, what's happened since you've been gone is that a whole generation is growing up believing that country music is sung by people like Rascal Flatts and this guy, who - let's face it - would be rather be singing Jamaican music but he can't grow dreadlocks. Sure, he's got the tight pants part down (and judging by last night's performance wardrobe, you never took them off) but that's it! Country music, the real authentic kind, needs you back Garth! Though watching you last night, it was like you never left us.

And speaking of authentic: I got chills when Trisha Yearwood came out and they didn't go away for a good 30 seconds (and have come back without fail each of the the five six many times I have watched that part of the video this morning [now in double digits]). I loooove that song, and it's not like they go performing it together every weekend. That was a rare moment. And, tight pants be damned, a rather hot moment. Watch his face as she walks away: Chemistry. Sparks. Amazing. Do you think they're in love?