Washington Tokyo Women's Club ~ board appreciation gift

This past year was my first year serving on the Washington Tokyo Women's Club (WTWC) board as Hospitality Chair along with my partner in crime Pam (right) and our Japanese counterpart Akie (center). What a year! It was really fun....after I recovered from the initial learning curve and got oriented with my job.

It was Akie who inspired me to get off my butt (because of how we take luncheon reservations, menu choices & table assignments) to finally learn Microsoft Excel...and as soon as I got a pretty good grip on the program, I bought my new MacBook Pro and have had to relearn everything I hardly knew to work in "Numbers." After about 293 more ONE TO ONE Apple classes this Summer I may have it down pat. Until then, I'm gonna cry every day that Akie left us to go back to Japan :o(

I wanted to share the beautiful (and creative!) gift that our WTWC President, Susan, gave each board member at our last meeting to thank us for serving on her 2011-2012 board.

This year was the centennial celebration of the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. In 1912 the Japanese gave us 3,000 cherry trees from Tokyo, Japan as a reminder of international friendship and the peace between our countries.

The post office created a special FOREVER stamp commemorating the 100 year celebration. The scene above is actually TWO stamps that create a whole scene.

I went right away to get a few booklets and they were nearly sold out before the cherry blossoms even bloomed!

Susan took the 2-piece stamp and mounted it on a matte.

I believe she used scrapbooking dots (or square foams) so that the stamp is raised.

Here's one stamp ~ The left side

Here's the other stamp ~ the right side

I love the Japanese and American families in the scene

Susan painted the frame with chalkboard paint and then sanded it some to make it look worn.

Before it dried she scratched in "WTWC Board 2011-2012"

And the stamps are dated 2012. I love this idea! 

A memory of the 2012 Centennial Cherry Blossom Festival ~ The Friendship we have with Japan ~ and the year we served on the board.

Susan's a genius! I loved my first year on the board and all of the memories we made and I love my gift! Domo Arigato, Susan xo

Pam & I decided to serve on next year's board as the American Hospitality Team once again. We will miss Akie so much, but we also look forward to working with the new Japanese team and another great year in WTWC!  

I'd better go book another Apple class asap.

The Best [VEGAN] Chocolate Cake EVER!

Back in March my friend Debbie T (in the blue & white floral sweater) secretly got some of my girlfriends together to celebrate my 44th birthday at Celadon Thai Cuisine Restaurant. It was so fun and I was very surprised to see them all sitting there. I was speechless...and anyone who knows me knows that's a very unnatural state for me to be in. For realz.
I had a wonderful time. Completely blown away. Thank you Debbie T!!

I'm the birthday queen, crown and all. Felicia L (who's in the back left by me, balloons near her head), made me the best cake ever. And it's vegan! 

I'm 100% vegetarian, however, I'm completely fascinated (borderline obsessed) by vegan cooking. I love the idea that I can create simple, clean, environmentally responsible meals that are free of all animal products, contain no cholesterol and are also delicious.

I don't eat many sugary sweets or desserts, but I do enjoy a treat on special occasions - like birthdays!!

Felicia found this recipe through a google search and landed on www.instructables.com It's called The Best Chocolate Cake EVER and you can find the recipe --> HERE <--
I will also post the recipe at the bottom of this post, but I want to make sure I give credit where credit is due.





I'm stunned at what these 9 little ingredients can do: 
(dry) flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, cocoa powder 

(wet) water, vegetable oil, vanilla extract & apple cider vinegar.

And these 4 ingredients are all you need for a glaze. DOH! I forgot vanilla. OK pretend there is vanilla in this picture~I'm too lazy on this Sunday evening to attempt to photoshop it in:
[non-hydrogenated] margarine (I use Earth Balance), sugar, cocoa powder, soy milk & vanilla extract.

(If you don't want to make it vegan you can use butter and dairy milk)

This recipe cannot be any easier and you can actually do the mixing in your 8x8 pan to save 2 bowls. I like to use a wire whisk so didn't want to ruin my nonstick baking pan. 

Preheat your oven to 350*Dump ALL dry ingredients in.....

Mix well.

In a small bowl (or in the 8x8 pan if you choose), dump ALL wet ingredients in.

Mix well...

Combine (if you are using 2 different bowls, like me)...

Mix well....

See? Didn't I say it was easy? Pour into an 8x8 pan sprayed with nonstick spray.

Tap out some of the bubbles.

In you go! 350* for 30 minutes. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven begin your glaze.

Mix the first 4 glaze ingredients in a small sauce pan (DO NOT ADD VANILLA EXTRACT).
Bring to a simmer. Turn down heat.

Simmer and stir for 2 minutes ~ glaze will get thick.

Remove from heat & stir continuously for 5 minutes.
(Here's where I forgot to show another photo...) ADD VANILLA EXTRACT. Stir in well.

Pour on warm cake.

Spread glaze evenly on cake (don't wait, icing sets quickly). 
Note: This is the point where you'd add some sprinkles or finely chopped pecans on top if you so desire. I will experiment in the future.

Now the hard part. Let cool for 1 hour.

I mean it. 1 hour.

Don't touch it. Don't even pick at the icing...Practice. Self. Control.

Stay away. Even though it's so tempting  and your kitchen smells heavenly. 

NOW! It's been an hour and the cake is nice and set ~ GO FOR IT!

My husband & I poured ourselves a glass of soy milk and got lost in this delectable dessert, neither of us speaking a word. Just sitting there. Glassy eyed. 

It's hard to believe this recipe has: no eggs, no milk, no yogurt, no butter, etc. It's as moist & flavorful as any cake I've ever eaten. Try it! You probably have everything in your pantry right now. 

Enjoy! 

Thanks Felicia L for bringing this treat into my life. It's here to stay xoxo
Thanks Alicia Katchmar for posting on instructables.com for us all to enjoy.
Best [VEGAN] Chocolate Cake EVER!(Mix) Dry Ingredients:1 1/4 cups all purpose flour1 cup sugar1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder1 tsp baking soda
(Add) Wet ingredients:1 cup warm water1 tsp vanilla extract1/3 cup vegetable oil1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Chocolate Glaze1/2 cup sugar4 tbsp non-hydrogenated margarine (such as Earth Balance) 2 tbsp soy milk2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder(add AFTER removed from heat AND stirred 5 minutes) 2 tsp vanilla extract