I have gotten a bunch of requests for PattzR's famous chocolate icing that is almost as good as the first five minutes of Episode 10.
Your wish is my command!
You guys - this is the easiest recipe EVAH. Tracey and I have been having this icing since we were wee bairns. When my mother makes it, she will save some in tupperware, freeze it, and present it to us when she brings the cake on our birthday.
There is nothing better on this planet.
(Except for the first five minutes of the 10th episode of Season 1 of the Outlander series on Starz, entitled "By the Pricking of My Thumbs.")
A wee bit of "OMG!!!"
4 squares BAKER'S Unsweetened Baking Chocolate 1 pkg. (16 oz) Powdered Sugar (about 4 cups) 1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter or Margarine, softened 2 tsp Vanilla 1/3 cup Milk
Tracey's birthday was just a couple weeks ago. Bet she didn't get anything as good as Episode 10 as a gift. :)
MELT chocolate in a double boiler (or silver bowl placed over a pot of steaming water) stirring every 30 seconds until chocolate is completely melted. Cool 5 minutes or to room temperature.
ADD sugar, butter and vanilla. Gradually add milk, beating with electric mixer on low speed until well blended. If frosting becomes too thick, beat in addition milk by teaspoonfuls until frosting is of spreading consistency. (You can use coffee if you don't have more milk.)
That's it! VERY simple...no fancy ingredients (although I'm sure you could get fancy and see what happens.) Just amazingly flavorful, chocolatey goodness (that still isn't quite as good as the first five minutes of Ep 10.) :)
MOPOutlander ChatTonight - MONDAY NIGHT - at 9PM Eastern! WHAT A WEEK!!! There is much to discuss! Bring your thoughts on Episode 9...and your Tartan Affair stories! :) It's Tracey's birthday (happy birthdayyyyy toooo youuuuu!) so she will most likely only make it in for a few minutes toward the end. I am on vacation in Florida...but I should be able to get there with no issues (crossing fingers!) If you get there and neither of us is there, just GET THE PARTY STARTED and we'll be along shortly!
As I'm sure many of you know, many heavy hitters from the cast of Starz' Outlander series were at the Zeigfeld theatre in NYC on Wednesday night for the show's mid season premiere. And as you may *not* know, Tracey and I were lucky enough to be on the red carpet! (Thank you, Starz!)
My amazing, Outlander-loving
friends who put up with my
MOP rambling on a daily basis
The event started out with my Outlander friends and I meeting up with Tracey, her Outlander mentor, Emily, and Third Sister Jill at Randolph's in the Warwick Hotel. We were lucky enough to snag a table near the window, so we could frontload have some refreshments, watch the festivities out the window, and giggle like 7th graders.
Tracey, Third Sister Jill, Carol & PJ
After some much needed libations, Tracey and I headed over to the press tent, where we were treated like rock stars by the staff over at Starz. We had never done a press event like this before and felt really welcomed by everyone we dealt with.
We then spent the next 2.5 hours in our little spot in the press area, waiting for the stars of Outlander and kabitzing with our fellow bloggers/journalists. (We have to send a shout out to Beth from That's Normal for being fabulous and giving us some pointers on what to expect on the red carpet.)
First, we were treated to a conversation with the seriously stunning Lotte Verbeek (TALK about cat eyes!) about the psycho-licious Geillis Duncan. And as cookoo as Geillis is on the written page and on your tv set, that's how absolutely lovely Lotte is in person. Not only was she gracious and answered our questions, but she actually asked to have her picture taken with Pocket Jamie. You have no idea how that made our day. Can't say enough about this fantastic actress. (I only wish I'd told her how amazing she was in The Fault in Our Stars):
Was I right? Lotte Verbeek is a doll. And an old Hollywood-style star. I absolutely adore her.
NEXT we were treated to the dynamic duo of Graham McTavish and Gary Lewis. These two were quite a hilarious tag team...and a ton of fun to meet. We discussed sibling rivalry...among other things!
TELL me you wouldn't want to hang out with these two? Forget the castle, they are seriously down to earth fellows...and EXUDE Scottishness from their pores. We were in awe.
NEXT - after I saw him coming and had to regain my composure - we spoke with Tobias Menzies about how much time he spends with Sam off screen during filming, as well as the possibility of plans to bring The Fever to New York.
I had to bite my tongue to stop from fangirling when Blake from OutlanderCast asked about Tobias' role as Brutus in Rome. My sincere apologies go out to Blake because I know I jumped his train when I spit out, "he was conflicted!" as he was telling Tobias how much he loathed Brutus. LOL I can't stand when people steal others' celeb moments, but Tobias Menzies brings out the feisty in me.
NEXT we all gasped when Caitriona Balfe came along. As beautiful as she is on the show, you canna imagine how pretty she is in person. And I think it has to do with her friendly personality. She's so easy going and fun to talk to - like hanging with your BFF at the mall - and quite hilarious. We had a lot of laughs while discussing the three P's: Her version of Purgatory, Pranks on set (or lack thereof!), and who else? Pocket Jamie!
What did I tell you? The woman is positively adorable. I have never felt more comfortable around an actor. She is seriously the real deal.
LAST but as far from least as one could possibly get, we spoke with Sam Heughan. Sam was so gracious and answered all our questions about his own version of Pocket Jamie, Purgatory, and how Jamie Fraser would feel about the modern day world (those of you who come to chat know how I obsess over that concept; I had to know how he felt about it, too!)
Squee, right? I mean, seriously. How do you follow that up? What in the world do you say after having a conversation with this man? He's beyond description. "Nice" is just not going to cut it, although that's what he is. A very sweet person who doesn't put on airs or give off any feelings of pretense. Oh and an amazing actor. So yeah...he's got that going for him, too. :)
Soooo....after the red carpet, Tracey and I were seated in the theater while the show was already well in progress. I'll give you a hint as to where it was; "You're tearing my GUTS out, Claire!" I was in stare-at-the-screen mode instantly. The episode was fantastic, as all are...and our feelings were thoroughly discussed in our recap video which you can watch here.
The cast of Outlander at the Ziegfeld Theater on April 1, 2015
The Q/A with the cast was quick...but fun, as they had another showing and were running very
behind schedule (undoubtedly because the actors were so sweet about not rushing us and answering all of our questions!)
I would be lying if I said I wasn't already dreaming about the Episode 1 premiere of season 2...and if we'll get an invite to that premiere, as well. Whistle, whistle...looks at the sky...
Hope you've enjoyed our red carpet recap! And stay tuned for more interesting conversations with some other Outlander folks who gave us some pretty important info about what's to come!
Headed into the city in a little while...and wanted to let you all know that Tracey and I will be broadcasting LIVE via Periscope (a Twitter-owned app) tonight! Apparently Outlander Starz is, too...so if you don't have a Twitter account, you may want to register for one, even if it's just for the evening!
We tried out Periscope over the weekend and had a blast (although had no clue what we were doing!) Check out the video!
Looking forward to reporting back to you guys tonight! We hope to see some of you there...and spend a few minutes with the cast!
Got questions for the cast? Ask 'em in the comments!
MOPOutlander ChatTonight - MONDAY NIGHT - at 9PM Eastern! We'll be discussing what we should ask the Outlander cast members on the red carpet on Wednesday night! So COME PREPARED! :)
We're taking the night off from MOP CHAT tonight y'all...but we'll be back next week to discuss YOUR predictions about the upcoming 9TH EPISODE of Outlander on Starz!! Have a great week!
Laura interviewed Outlander fan site owners - including Tracey and myself - about our feelings on the Outlander series on Starz...and whether it's measuring up to the books.
Want to know what we thought? Go check out the article! I'll wait! :)
Tracey and I went to the Sergeantsville Inn last year and had the greatest experience with our family.
The bar was SO aged (and awesome) and the doorways were all so low from back in the 18th century when George Washington's height was certainly not the norm. You could feel the presence from centuries ago.
It was the quintessential Revolutionary wartime tavern. I hope they are able to rebuild. :(
LORDDDDDDDD the awesome artwork. What a FANTASTIC concept. Whoever thought of changing the poster (and adding Black Jack!) to reveal the evolving storyline is genius. Gene-YUS. Seriously. Couldn't have asked for a better or more creative surprise before part deux. Kudos.
Just for fun, I did some research to see what it would cost for my family (of 4) to fly to Scotland over spring break. It's 5 weeks away...so I wasn't expecting great fares.
When I was a newbie Outlander fan...(or a "newb" as my Minecraft-loving 4th grader would say)...Tracey got me the original Outlandish Companion...and I canna tell you how helpful it was in remembering/calculating/studying all things Outlander!!! BUT - alas - it only went so far...into Drums of Autumn, I believe? So come October, you'd better BELIEVE I'll be buying #2!!!
There will be no Monday Night MOP Chat tonight in observance of the Presidents Day holiday in the United States. Have a great week and we'll see y'all next Monday!
WOW! This is SO COOL!! Cat, over at the Sunshine Mountain Lodge in Allenspark, Colorado (outside Boulder) is a huge Outlander fan...and is running an "Everything Outlander" retreat in April, after a hugely successful retreat in 2014!
Even better news? The retreat will be run by none other than My Outlander Purgatory friend, Susan Leidy!!! Or, "Sooz" as we refer to her here at MOP.
Who is Sooz, you ask, and what qualifies her to run an Outlander retreat?
MOPOutlander ChatTonight - MONDAY NIGHT - at 9PM Eastern! Tonight's topics: Whatever YOU want to discuss...Sam and Cait's side projects...and the ever-popular guessing game regarding S1 E9. Hope to see you there!!
Have you ever noticed that Claire never seems to have to worry about clothes? She stepped into the18th century and...people just...dressed her! Mrs. Fitz was like her very own personal stylist in Outlander. And don't get me started on how well she was dressed in Dragonfly in Amber...or even as far ahead in the series as MOBY (no spoilers shall I give!)
Ever wanted to be dressed by someone else...just like Claire...but you figure it's too expensive to have your own stylist? Well kiss THAT thought goodBYE! Lassies, I have discovered something new*...
Yes, I am obsessed. This is the most exciting concept in clothing to come down the pike since Spanx. All you do is fill out a style profile on the Stitch Fix website...and VOILA! Your own personal stylist sends you five articles of clothing and/or accessories.
The shipping is FREE. The returns are FREE. (And to a USPS box, no less. SO easy.) All they charge you is $20 for the monthly service of styling you (or only quarterly if you prefer)...and if you keep even just one article of clothing, the $20 goes toward the price! How can you go wrong?? It's like Rachel Zoe - or Mrs. Fitz - showing up in your closet!
I received my first shipment in January and have another scheduled for February. Who doesn't want their own personal stylist??? Especially when it's FREE if you order one piece! And another perk? They will credit you for referrals. I'm telling you, sassenachs...this service is worth checking out.
Why should Claire have all the fun?! :)
*From what I can tell, they only ship to the US...but keep checking their site. Who knows what will happen in the future!
MOPOutlander ChatTonight - MONDAY NIGHT - at 9PM Eastern! Tonight - along with general Outlander discussion - we will definitely be covering the following: 1 - Do fandoms go too far? 2 - What did you think of the first scene preview of episode 9 on Starz?! Hope to see you there!!
MOP Chat will be cancelled tonight in honor of the great Martin Luther King Jr., whose national holiday is being celebrated today in the US. Have a great night and we'll see you next week.
"True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes
to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring."
~Martin Luther King Jr.
Check out this oldie but goodie I've posted before...but it's worth another look. Why? Because my friend, Hugh from Scotland is visiting Philadelphia this week...and guess what his room number is?
This was made by my daughter, Keelin.
She is too young to read Outlander, but is
a voracious reader and just...understands.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DIANA!
It's always a tremendous day every year. Remember sassenachs, Diana Gabaldon IS Jamie and Claire. Without her, none of us would be having so much fun on Mr. Fraser's Wild Ride.
ALSO - got the following DG BIRTHDAY TWITTER info from the Outlandish Observations site. (Thanks Karen!) To celebrate Diana's birthday, we're going to try to send the hashtag#HappyBdayDG around the world on Twitter. Please tag your tweets with #HappyBdayDG TODAY, January 11, from 7pm - 9pm in your local time zone. Let's see if we can get it trending! (And feel free to use the hashtag for ALL your tweets today, if you want to. This is just for fun, after all.)
MOPOutlander ChatTonight - MONDAY NIGHT - at 9PM Eastern! 9:00 - 9:30: Spoiler-free Outlander chat! 9:30 - 10:00: The entire Outlander series will be discussed!
So get this...my friend, Jule was at her friend's condo...and when she went to hook up with her friend's wifi, guess what someone else in the building had named theirs?!
MOPOutlander ChatTonight - MONDAY NIGHT - at 9PM Eastern! 9:00 - 9:30: Spoiler-free Outlander chat! 9:30 - 10:00: The entire Outlander series will be discussed! Hope to see you there! PS - My apologies if you are getting this email update on TUESDAY! I am trying to remedy this!
THANKFULLY, Droughtlander comes to a close next Saturday, April 4th...but in the meantime, I've been looking for a book to read in its absence. 
by Paullina Simons. THAT'S what. Trust me. Have I ever steered you wrong??? 
! 
...what are you waiting for??? GO GET IT!!!!
website...and VOILA! Your own personal stylist sends you five articles of clothing and/or accessories. 
