The Average Bro Makes a CAKE!

Strap in for a long day! I woke up early today to go to the Ferrari Club meeting. On the way, I grabbed a nice custard filled doughnut. It's the weekend; these carbs don't count.

Upon arriving at the Ferrari Club, I was ecstatic to see a car there that I had been waiting a year to see. Last October, a bro in the KC area took delivery of a Ferrari 458 Speciale. But it wasn't just any 458 Speciale. No, it was special. It had one-off design elements on the exterior as well as the interior. It was the only one to date painted in Rosso Fuoco, which is slightly darker than the usual Rosso Corsa and Rossa Scuderia. The one-off exterior design included a special racing stripe as well as unique white pinstriping in several different areas. The car had every single option available, which included all of the carbon fiber options. I saw a few pictures of the car, but I hadn't seen it in person. A year later, that would change.

It really was magnificent to behold. The way all Ferraris make other cars look boring, this 458 Speciale had a way of making other Ferraris look relatively boring.

Not to mention it was a beautiful day.

Other notables in attendance included a 430 Scuderia (one of my personal favorite cars ever)...

...an Aston Martin DB9...

...and a Porsche 991 GT3.

As a contrast between where Ferrari was in the early 1980s compared to now, take a look at this Mondial.

Now look at the 458 Speciale.

Amazing, isn't it?

The details on this car are just beautiful.

As another contrast, let's go back even further. This time to the mid-1960s and the 275 GTB.

What's amazing about the 275 is that in recent years the value of these cars has been skyrocketing. They're now worth over $3 million. And this baller keeps a couple gas cans in the car at all times.

It's pretty special to see the history and evolution of Ferrari design all in one parking lot.

There was also a 360.

After the meeting, we happened across another Ferrari. This time it was a California.

Sidney and I then went and looked at a few houses on the Parade of Homes. In one house, in  the bathroom, I came across a cute little Phidippus audax jumping spider.

Isn't it just so cute?! After this, Sidney and I then decided that it was time for lunch. We stopped by a Subway and got just that.

We also got a cookie, and let me tell you, after eating Sidney's cookie, this thing was a little underwhelming. Sure it was alright, but it's just not a Sidney cookie.

Later in the day, we headed to my parents' house. There I found some pizza. But it wasn't just any pizza. It was Leo's pizza, also known as the best pizza in the world! Sadly, there was only like one slice left, so I wouldn't be getting huge...yet. (That's for later)

I mixed up so ketchup and hot sauce for the fries.

Plus I had some milk to go along with it.

Later in the night, it was time to get down to business. My dad's birthday had come and gone, and I had yet to make a cake. I would remedy that situation tonight. I wanted to make a special cake, and since I have a background in making unusually colorful cakes, I decided that I would continue this tradition tonight. Here is a little sneak peek:

I made a white cake from scratch that surprisingly didn't look at all white:

There were two thick red layers and one thin yellow layer. But all would be secretly concealed under a layer of crusting buttercream frosting.

It was so unassuming, just sitting there all innocent. And by the time all was said and done, it was already the next day.

September Birthdays, Part 2

With my chemistry lab looming, I needed some brain boosting brotein. Make it so!

Afterward, Sidney and I headed to my parents' house for my dad's birthday. On the way there, we pregamed with a couple cookies.

When my dad finally settled on a restaurant, he chose J. Gilbert's in Overland Park. I've always heard good things about it, but I don't think any of us had ever been there before.

The first thing you need to know is that it's a steakhouse. That's all you need to know.

Like any good steakhouse, bread was the first thing to be consumed.

We all need some good carbs to warm us up for the impending brotein indulgence.

Interestingly, it seemed as though our waiter had it in for me, or at least for my wrist. He placed the steak knife sharp side up very near where my right arm would go should I choose to have poor manners.

But back to the bread. It was warm and the butter was soft. Backups were surely needed.

When the rest of our food came out, I was shocked when I saw my dad's baked potato. He had asked for extra butter, and they sure did not disappoint!

I got the bone-in ribeye with creamed corn and lobster macaroni and cheese.

First, there was the steak.

Then, there was the corn.

Then there was the mac and cheese.

Finally, there was dessert. My dad got the chocolate velvet cake, which came with raspberry ice cream.

I was originally going to go with the same, but then I saw that they had crème brûlée with raspberries. Sidney and I being quite the crème brûlée connoisseurs, I had to get it.

I would say the caramel layer was good; look at the size of that piece!

All in all, this was one of the better steakhouse experiences I've had. This rivaled that of Plaza III. Everything was amazing, the atmosphere was excellent, and the service was very good. I would not hesitate to eat here again.

September Birthdays, Part 1

I had my brotein bar. Enough said.

Later in the day, I would be picking Sidney up and we would be heading south to Tallgrass Prairie. It's about an hour and a half drive, and since I don't get out of class until around 1600, we would need to leave immediately thereafter. That means we wouldn't have time for dinner. To avoid potential hangriness, I picked up a couple Crunchy Chicken Cheddar wraps from the Underground.

When I got to Sidney's work, we ate these beauts.

This is the best food item available at KU and maybe at any college in the United States. Back in maybe 2012, some website did a College Food tournament, and this thing made it at least to the Elite Eight. I never could find the final results, so I don't know what ended up happening. I'm just going to assume it won.

Fast-forward about two hours, and we were in the midst of one of the largest remaining native tallgrass prairies in the world.

It was actually stunningly beautiful.

There was even a wild mint to be spotted.

After the drive back home, my late dinner consisted of bread...

...and pot roast.

Not a bad way to end the day! I made sure to get extra potatoes because delicious.

I had a little more bread, but the butter was too hard to spread. First world problems, for sure.

Luckily, Sidney is a wizard and knew exactly what to do. She heated up a glass with hot water and then placed it over a stick of butter.

Enter, spreadable butter!