WARNING: This is Not Paleo (Lemon Cake Pops)

I don't want what I'm about to say to come between us, but I mean it when I say that most "cheat" food isn't worth it. Like, I'm a really good cook. Seriously, have you seen this? Or what about this? And I can't forget this. I mean, the things I can do with paleo ingredients is just...beyond. Consequently, it takes something non-paleo that's really REALLY good to make deviating from the dietary lifestyle I've chosen worth it. These lemon cake pops are worth it.

So if that first thing I said didn't come between us, this next thing probably will: I used a boxed cake mix to make these. Go ahead--SHUN MEEEEEEEE!!!!! I have it coming!! Despite my firm belief that homemade is ALWAYS better than boxed cake mix, which I've vehemently verbalized, I just couldn't bring myself to make it from scratch because I was knee-deep in a variety of other goodies for book club.

In my defense, which believe me, I know I have none, I did make the icing from scratch. You see, to make cake pops, all you do is bake a cake, crumble it up with a fork, and then combine it with icing until it just barely starts to come together. Homemade frosting flavors > boxed cake mix and thus, it all turned out okay.

Because I wanted to be able to eat like, 7 of these myself (and believe me, you'll want to), I wanted a flavor that wouldn't be too rich by the 6th pop, hence my decision to make them lemon.

So, to repeat, that's lemon cake, lemon cream cheese frosting, formed into balls, and then dunked into white chocolate and sprinkled with yellow sanding sugar.

Could you just die? I mean, could.you.just.die???

In case you're living somewhere Starbucks doesn't exist (and by God, I hope that's none of you), and you've never had a cake pop, they basically taste like the moistest cake you've ever had in your life coated in chocolate. 

It's like I said...very few things are "worth" it. These are. Even if you do have to make two trips to the grocery store to get the right white chocolate when the first bag you get seizes up.

For more cake pop ideas, check out Bakerella!

Who else has made cake pops? Do you find them a pain in the ass to make? Do you also like to eat half a dozen in one setting??

Book (And Drinking And Eating And Gossiping) Club

A long, long time ago, in like, 1996, Oprah launched her official Book Club, finally giving women the world over an acceptable excuse to gather to stuff their faces with tea sandwiches, get drunk off of wine and punch, and gossip about their husbands/boyfriends. And so, in something of an ode to Oprah, that’s exactly what I did with a few of my best lady friends this weekend.

{White flowers in the name of Daisy. I mean, I wanted daisies, but when they didn't have any, I just got these}

I was planning to re-read The Great Gatsby before seeing the remake this Christmas next summer(!!!!), so when we started talking about a book club selection, I was quick to force my preference upon my unsuspecting friends. I was surprised but entirely excited when they took the bait. So, we read the first half of the book and got together to chat about Nick’s reliability as a narrator, whether Gatsby really is who we think is, and what in the HELL is Daisy’s deal, even?!!? And then after those 5 minutes, we just got crunk, y’all.The champagne punch I made was laughably easy to make and served with a pretty straw helped set the tone for what would inevitably morph from a classy gathering to a hot, hot mess. 

In the vein of classy lady gatherings, I made two varieties of tea sandwiches: I bought chicken salad from Whole Foods because it’s really effing good but added red grapes to it because that’s how I like it and served it on thinly sliced wheat bread and I put a new twist on cucumber sandwiches by tossing diced mint and a pinch of salt into the cream cheese spread. I don’t know about you, but in my opinion, you’re not having a party if you’re not serving/eating cheese. Cue these caprese bites drizzled with balsamic and brie and smoked gouda cheese plate!!

If dairy doesn’t get your digestive system working the right way, there was also a corn and black bean salad (recipe below) to amp up the gastrointestinal excitement!And like, duh, there were definitely desserts! I made lemon cake pops (recipe coming tomorrow)…

…Laura brought these dark chocolate sea salt caramels…

…and Ashlee made some incredible mini desserts that I apparently was to inebriated to take pictures of—mango panna cotta and mini peanut butter pies!I don’t care what Oprah says, book clubs have little to nothing to do with reading and far more to do with gluttony!

Black Bean and Corn Salad 

• 2 cans black beans, drained
• 2 cups frozen corn, thawed
• 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1 small shallot, diced
• 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp. salt
• (you can also add tomato, bell pepper, avocado, red onion…it’s a very versatile recipe)

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients until well incorporated (add more salt if need be). Cover and refrigerate for a at least 3 hours before serving to allow flavors to develop.

Do you have a book club? What are you reading?? What do you serve at your book club??