Another week, another experiment. This week's foray into cakedom was a cake for a luncheon celebrating 3 adult graduations. I wanted to make the lemon cake again but thought that if it was a bigger cake the cream cheese frosting would be way too sweet if used throughout. It wound up being 4 layers 2 with strawberries, 1 with the lemon curd frosting mixture I've used before. It was a good combination. Next time I may use a stabilized whipped cream frosting in combination with the beloved lemon curd and still add the strawberries.

The main thing that came out of this event was the little mortar boards I put on the cake. I wanted a chocolate version of the decorations I had seen and had grand visions of draping white chocolate ganache over mini muffins for the base. At around 11:00 pm I discovered white chocolate doesn't work like regular chocolate in the world of ganache. I had three sticky little muffins to show for my efforts. There were no square molds around that would work for the mortar boards themselves so I just melted some chocolate and spread it on foil to harden. When I tried cutting them they were too hard and broke. That was around 5:30 this morning. Writing Congratulations even with my bleary eyes worked well piped with melted chocolate but I had intended to luster dust it gold and forgot to do that. I made another attempt at the mortor boards and found they cut easily when the chocolate was just barely warm. Leaving them in a slightly warm car for an hour this morning worked perfectly! The tassles were another matter. In my mind's eye they would be made of royal icing that draped beautifully over the side. The royal icing somehow never materialized and the hats really needed something. Luckily the white chocolate was at just the right maleability to create little tassles that could be set up to curve over the side of the chocolate square. A big blob of frosting served for the base of each hat. I'd like to do more with molding white chocolate. I hear fondant is nasty tasting and have seen some cake decorators use white chocolate.

The lemon crop is coming in here in California. Everyone I know is trying to distribute lemons to worthy recepients. Besides making some wonderful lemonade and lemon curd I'm trying my hand at limoncello. I even had a snazzy Patron bottle that I didn't have the heart to get rid of. Basically the process calls for letting lots of lemon peels sit in vodka for weeks. Here's the recipe I'm using.

Melinda Lee is featuring some wonderful lemonade recipes this weekend, one uses lavendar. I think I'll try the mint version.

This week's cooking adventures included creating some interesting meatloaf nuggets for a weeknight dinner. I didn't want to a. wait a whole hour for my meatloaf to finish and b. heat the house any more than I had to so I put my standard recipe, the classic Lipton Onion Soup version tweaked with 1/2 the amount of breadcrumbs replaced with oatmeal, into cupcake pans. That way the individual servings are ready and freezing the leftovers are easy. The fact that my significant other refers to them as meat bombs has more to do with their size and shape than to their taste or aftereffects. If he insults something he's actually giving props - I tell myself.

An influx of sushi grade yellowfin, bluefin and albacore from a friend back from a long range fishing trip was a pleasure to deal with. I've got all the paraphernalia for sushi but am hesitant to strike out and try it. I just stick to a quick sear with a little garlic. A drizzle of Paul Newman's Sesame Ginger salad dressing was a successful experiment. I did make up some ceviche from the ahi and used a well tested recipe:

• 2 cups cubed ahi
• 2-3 chopped serrano chilis
• 2-3 green onions
• 1/4 cup minced cilantro leaves
• 1 tsp Mexican oregano
• 1/2 cup lime juice

Mix everything together. Refrigerate. The lime juice cooks the fish and will take 2-3 hours. I usually leave it overnight. When the fish turns opaque it's done. Mix in 1 roma tomato - chopped, and serve with tortilla chips.

I love to cook so I use any excuse to get in the kitchen. Of late I've been fascinated with cupcakes. They're small enough to allow you to have one and not derail your diet, especially the mini versions. Chockylit's blog has not only gorgeous photos but wonderfully creative recipes. The Cupcake Queen got me started on this kick.

I figured out that serving frozen desserts is easier if made up as individual cupcakes. I did this when I catered a bridal shower and used my new silicon cupcake pan for my favorite Frozen Lemon Mousse recipe. You have to turn them inside out to get them out of the pan.

I wanted a red, white and blue dessert for my 4th of July barbeque and made up a frozen dessert as individual cupcakes. Chocolate crust, vanilla ice cream, raspberry sorbet and some frozen raspberries and blueberries. Once they were frozen hard I popped them out and topped with whipped cream. I thought an addition of a tiny flag was cute, but my dad, who doesn't really see very well, almost ate one!

Earlier in June I made up Bon Appetit's orange layer cake as cupcakes to bring to a barbeque. They were quite festive. As is usual with me I was rushing to get everything done and didn't take a picture. I used my fabulous new silicon cupcake pan and figured everything would pop right out - not so much. The cupcakes took just as much persuading to get out as they would have in a regular pan. I decorated the top with a berry or two and a drizzle of raspberry juice. The drizzle really looked nice on the big cake, but sort of looked like, well, blood on the white frosting of the cupcakes. They'd be great as eyeballs. I'll have to remember this recipe for Halloween.

One of my recent experiments was with a lemon cake for a friend's birthday. Pillsubury Lemon cake, frosting from Bon Appetit's recipe (orange water replaced with lemon peel) and Martha Stewart's lemon curd on top. The filling was the outside frosting with a couple of tablespoons of lemon curd. My significant other said it looked like a step pyramid. My friend and her family all liked its lemoniness and have asked for the recipe.