Cupcakes Make Me Smile!

When you look at a cupcake, you've got to smile.
- Anne Byrn

Cupcakes are fun. And delicious. This is a picture of my Pink Lemonade cupcakes with lemon cream-cheese frosting that won 2nd prize at the State Fair this past summer. If I ever find where I put misplaced the recipe, I'll post it here. In a nutshell, I started with a basic vanilla cupcake recipe and modified it, adding color and flavor here, modifying this and that until I thought it was just right. Then I did the same with a basic cream cheese frosting, adding some tangy lemon zip here and a little color there and topping it off with a yellow gumpaste rose. The sweetness of the cupcake - lightly lemon, contrasted nicely with the tangy zip of the lemon cream cheese frosting (if I do say so myself).

And if you're looking for more baking inspiration, Check out the super delicious cupcakes at Poppy Mallow Cupcakes and Cupcakes Take the Cake. Yum!

And EpiCute - the cute food blog  is awesome! It has more than just cupcakes. It's chock full of all sorts of cute foods and snacks.


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Random Quote of the Day (And Winter Weather, Sunflowers and Squirrels)

"It was one of those chilly and empty afternoons in early winter, when the daylight is silver rather than gold and pewter rather than silver."
- G. K. Chesterton

That describes yesterday to a T. With a high of 20 F and lots of clouds, everything was gray, silver and pewter. A good day to remember this beautiful sunflower that we had growing in the back a few months ago.

It grew all summer long, getting taller and taller. We all watched the bud grow larger and larger, checking it daily for signs of blooming. Then it finally bloomed, huge and bright, following the sun every day. And when it finally faded, it provided entertainment for us and nourishment to the squirrels.

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MY EYES! THE GOGGLES DO NOTHING! (Tuna Adventures)

At the grocery store a month or so back I found an awesome little gadget. They've probably been around forever, but this is the first time I ever saw one. It's a can strainer:

You put it on the top of the can, tip and all the juices spill out, leaving the food behind. Cool, huh? Especially cool for straining tuna.

This is what used to happen when I opened a can of tuna:
Get out the can opener and open the top of the can.
The cover is loose now, so press it down to squeeze out the tuna water (I like the kind packed in water, not oil).
A few drops of water drip down the drain.

The rest of the water squirts out from around the edges like a lawn sprinkler, spraying me, my clothing, the sink, the walls, the counter, my eyes (MY EYES! THE GOGGLES DO NOTHING!) and everywhere else. And along with the water are little bits of tuna.

Into the sink.

Onto my clean shirt.

Into my eyes.

 Onto my passing husband.

Onto the cat.

Oh. Wait. I don't own a cat. Well, you get the idea. Tuna shrapnel everywhere! It's a stinky, messy, gross, mess.

Then, ooh, aah, along comes The Tuna Strainer. And now suddenly, when I prepare tuna I hear birds chirping! I see rainbows and kittens! I smell flowers! The sun comes out and all is right with the world! Tuna has never been so wonderful!

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Lights on the Lake (Somebody's Been Watching Too Much TV)

Each year we go to Lights on the Lake to check out the awesome holiday light displays. It's two miles of holiday lights along the shores of Onondaga Lake. We drive through along the trail and take in the sights along both sides of the road - twinkling lights, moving displays, Santa, elves, reindeer and just about everything else.

According the website it has:

• Towering Holiday Displays
• Larger-than-Life Land of Oz
• Twinkling Fantasy Forest
• Colorful Section Arches
• Delightful Victorian Village
• Fairytale Magic Grand Finale
• Memorable Animated Scenes

It really is a nice thing to do each year around the holidays. We thoroughly enjoy it. Here are some snippets of the conversations that ensued during this year's trip:

Dad: And here's Victory Village, celebrating warfare through the ages.
Mom: That's Victorian Village.

Dad: And over there are the snipers.
Mom: It's just flashing lights in the trees. It's pretty.

Dad: Look at that cow. They highlighted the chuck roast and flank steak.
Mom: It's just his spots.

(While Entering the Land of Oz)
Dad: And there's Dorothy and her little cat.
Mom: Meow
Doodlebug: Kitty
(surprisingly no one corrected us)

Dad: Wow look at the princess. She sure is fat!
Mom: Daddy!
Dad: Oh wait. There she is again. It's just her butt that's really big.
Mom: Sigh! (It was a hoop skirt)

And there was a slight disconnect between the front seats and the back. The sound waves were not traveling well:
Mom: Oh look. A sign for Petland. That's where we got Frosty.
Sweet Pea: What land?
Mom: Petland
Sweet Pea: What land?
Mom: PET land!
Sweet Pea: Oh. That's where we got Frosty!
Mom: Yes it is.

Oh the fun!


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The Adventures of Mister Sinister : A Trip to the Rainforest

Did you know that apple snails are tropical? They enjoy warmth, such as a nice warm aquarium. I would image that they also enjoy entertainment. And did you know that the bottom muscled part that they crawl upon is called their foot? It is. And that they have a 'shell door' - a hard flat structure they can pull in to seal the shell to survive drought and protect against predators? They do. And your reading pleasure and as evidence of these facts, read on:

(For the first installment in the Mister Sinister adventures, The Adventures of Mister Sinister : Snack Time, read here.)

The fuchsia coral glowed softly in the tank, just as it did every night. The filter motor hummed and the water burbled. The guppies swam lazily back and forth and the ghost shrimp skittered along the bottom. Just like always. Another calm and peaceful night in the aquarium. Just. Like. Every. Other. Night. What's a snail to do?

Mister Sinister's tiny eye stalk peered around the coral at the familiar scene. It was time for something new. Seeing that the coast was clear, Mister Sinister glided quickly across the tank, past Frisky and Whiskers, past the ghost shrimp, Creepy, Crawly and Crud Muffin. He slid up the side of the tank like a melting glob of ice-cream in reverse, dripping up rather than down. The guppies ignored him.

He carefully pushed up the aquarium top and peered around the room. The coast was clear - not a soul in sight. With a faint squelch as he curled himself over the top, and a faint tap as the aquarium lid dropped back in place, he was on the move - down the side of the tank, down the table to the floor. As he reached the floor he paused. He looked left toward the pantry and the potato chips, then straight ahead down the hall, then to the right. He glided forward a few inches, stopped, then turned right, leaving a slight, glistening right angle on the linoleum. After a moment he reached the rug and slid along it and under the arm chair. He was out of sight for several minutes then appeared from underneath, curled up the side and continued up and over the arm, across the seat to the other arm - the arm that held the remote control. He slid up to the top, to the power button and with every muscle usually reserved for holding onto his shell, he depressed the button. The room was bathed in a soft glow and a news announcer's voice broke the silence.

Mister Sinister, as quickly as his foot would allow, slid down to the volume button and lowered it a few clicks. A quick slide and he began flipping through the channels. News, more news, a commercial. He stopped, eye stalks quivering. A child leapt into a sparkling blue swimming pool and water splashed everywhere. The image shifted and a woman baking cookies appeared. Mister Sinister flipped the channel. A music video, a sitcom, a woman crying, a passionate kiss, a tropical rainforest, an infomercial for an ab-roller. He flipped back. A tropical rainforest - dripping water, a river, frogs and the soothing voice of a narrator talking about life in the rainforest. Mister Sinister was motionless, enthralled. His tentacles quivered. His siphon stood straight up. His eyes pointed straight ahead. Every appendage pointed at the TV in rapt attention. The narrator droned on about frogs, fish and wildlife of the rainforest. Mister Sinister was motionless. "Up next," said the narrator, "Tropical predators." A scene flashed - a large snake snapped up a frog swallowing it whole as the creature struggled, feet flapping in the snake's throat.

Mister Sinister's tentacles lurched, his siphon snapped into his shell. He quickly slid up to the power button, depressed it, and then slid down the chair side and across the rug to the floor as fast as his foot would carry him. He slid off the rug onto the linoleum with a jolt, then up the side of the aquarium, over the edge and dropped into the water, sinking to the bottom like a rock. He pulled in his shell door, sealing off the outside world. A slight tremble caused a mirage-like shimmer of water around his shell. Creepy, Crawly and Crud Muffin skittered over, pawing at the quivering shell for a moment before moving on. The familiar always feels safer than the wild, uncertain, unknown. Will he venture out again? Stay tuned.


Quack!

Look at that Strange Woman with the Huge Furry Purse

This weekend I whipped up a case for my dulcimer. I pulled out my sewing machine and just sat down and made one.

Wow! Just typing that makes me sound like some kind of seamstress goddess. "I just pulled out my sewing machine and made a [insert wonderful sewn item here]."

But really, it's nothing like that. I enjoy making things (out of paper, beads, glue, wire, pencil and paint, words, cake, dough, batter. . . ) I also love little hand sewn things like the things made here, here, here and here. I'd love to be able to make these kinds of things. But I also know that I have limits. Sewing is not something I generally enjoy. I can hem pants (with much swearing and finger pricking). I can sew on a button (again, with much swearing and finger pricking). And I recently discovered the wonder of iron-on patches for the knees of little boys (and little girls, but especially little boys) pants. What an incredible invention those are! No needle and thread required! And they can be cut into shapes that little boys approve of. (Doodlebug will NOT wear a plain circle or square patch thank you very much!)

At one point I even managed to make an adorable little lady-bug costume for Sweet Pea when she was a baby and it came out beautiful. I also managed to make a damn nice Rennaisance Faire outfit for myself complete with a blouse, skirt, over-dress with ribbons and boning and big loose sleeves. It really came out nice and I always get compliments on it from complete strangers. But something happened in the 7 or 8 years since I've done that. It may be that I just don't have the time for it any more. It takes patience, which I usually have a lot of, but when it comes to sewing it somehow disappears. It also takes time, which is somewhat at a premium right now. And it takes planning - finding or making patterns and picking out coordinating fabrics and isn't something that you can just do on a whim.

But for some crazy reason, I decided to make a case for my dulcimer. With fabric. And a sewing machine. I wasn't able to find a case online that was reasonably priced and that I was sure would fit my instrument (dulcimers come in a lot of different shapes and sizes). So I pulled out my fabric box.

Now, for someone who professes to not like sewing, I have a lot of fabric. A huge Rubbermaid tote full. (I like the idea of sewing, it's just that the actual act of sewing doesn't often live up to the image in my head.)

I pulled out a nice heavy, woven, cotton print in a light turquoise and cream pattern. I traced my dulcimer and cut out some pieces of fabric in the right size. Then I went back to the box searching for a suitable lining. Something that wouldn't clash with the turqoise (red and blue plaid flannel anyone?). In the box was a large piece of fur; something I purchased years ago with the intention of making something cute and fuzzy for Sweet Pea. My husband joked that it would make an excellent dulcimer cover.

And voila! It practically made itself.

There are definite issues with it. If I did it again, there is one major thing I would fix as well as several other minor things, but hey, with all that fur, no one will notice a crooked seam, or a misplaced stitch. They will be all, look at that strange woman with the huge furry purse. What is she doing? Did she really leave the house with that thing? Doesn't she own a mirror?

And I'll be all oblivious as I strut down the street, proudly displaying my homemade (really?) fuzzy dulcimer case.

Yes, it's rediculous. That's what makes it so much fun!


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Family Resolutions (Just Don't Tell Them)

As I said yesterday, I resolve to drink more milkshakes. But what about the rest of the family? What do they resolve? Let's see. I imagine that . . .

• The hubby resolves not to make resolutions (although he will partake of mine - milkshake anyone?)
  
• Sweet Pea resolves to tease her brothers less (until we let her out of her room again, then all resolutions are off)
• Snickers resolves to get more fresh air (every time we push him outside. Go play!)
• Doodlebug resolves to get more exercise (running around and around the house shooting bad guys and rounding up misplaced kitties)
• Mister Sinister (mystery snail) resolves to get out more (stay tuned for his upcoming rainforest adventure)
  
• Frosty (gerbil) resolves to bite us less (if we stop trying to pick him up)
• Oreo and Eleanor (guinea pigs) resolve to eat healthier (every time we bring them some more lettuce, celery and carrots)
• Sandy (gerbil) resolves to keep his cage cleaner (by kicking all the chips and unmentionables out of the cage, onto the floor)
• Sunny, Guppy 1, Guppy 2, Guppy 3, Guppy 4 and Guppy 5 (fish) resolve to spend more time with family (after they make more family - I expect baby guppies any day)
• Crudmuffin (ghost shrimp) resolves to live another day (Crawly died the other day and Creepy is missing. There's some bad shrimp mojo going on in that tank)

Quack!

In 2010, I Resolve to Drink More Milkshakes

Yes, you read that right. I resolve to drink more milkshakes.

Really.

I got a blender just before New Years. I've never owned a blender before. This is exciting! (I've owned several food processors, but none of them last more than a couple of uses. I must be doing something wrong! Hopefully I'll have better luck with a blender.)

Now I know, most new years resolutions involve eating less junk food, eating healthier, losing weight, being more creative, spending more time with family, getting in shape, improving your life and things like that. All that is important. Absolutely. And I plan to do some of that, but in a more overall, this-is-the-way-life-should-be kind of way. I should eat less junk, not just as a new years resolution that will soon be forgotten, but as a part of day-to-day life, for the rest of my life. Ditto with eating healthier, being more creative and spending time with the family. But for a real, easy-to-follow, OK-to-let-it-slide in mid-February kind of resolution, drinking more milkshakes is a pretty good resolution.

 

I'm not saying I'm going to drink them at every meal, or even daily. Probably not even weekly, but I'd say monthly is a good goal, don't you think? Once a month for something I really enjoy that is arguably not the healthiest snack. For the last 10 years or so I average about one or two a year. It's time I changed that. A nice milkshake (full of calcium and vitamin D) every once in a while would be nice. Chocolate, vanilla, Oreo, mint chocolate chip . . .

And if I get cold from drinking such a frosty drink, I can always whip up a batch of this super delicious, uber delectable cocoa.

What's your new years resolution?

Quack!

Super Delicious Homemade Hot Cocoa

I found a recipe this year for homemade hot cocoa and decided to give it a try. It sounded yummy, just the thing for the snowy weather. With cocoa powder, cream, chocolate chips and cinnamon how can you go wrong? So I whipped up a batch.

I thought it was absolutely delicious!

My hubby, Sweet Pea and Snickers all thought it was absolutely disgusting. Undrinkably disgusting.

Gah! How can they say that? This is the drink of the gods! It was smooth and creamy, chocolately and downright delicious. I refrigerated the leftovers and microwaved myself a cup or two each day for the next few days. It was oh-my-god-this-is-sinfully-delicious good. Really! I don't know what's wrong with them! With their taste buds!

Well, the kids are kids. It wasn't sweet - wasn't the cocoa they are used to. I can understand that. I probably wouldn't have liked it when I was a kid either. But now my taste buds have matured. (Yeah, that must be it.)

And hubby, well, he doesn't appreciate the taste of cocoa powder. And he really appreciates the taste of sweet. (Must be why he married me, because I'm so sweet. Right? [deafening silence]). Anyway, this has a definite cocoa taste and it is not overly sweet.

It did not bear much resemblance at all to those little packets of hot chocolate mix that taste mostly like sweet milk with a hint of chocolate flavor. It didn't taste at all like hot chocolate made with Hershey's syrup or Nesquik powder. You could definitely taste the cocoa in this. It was closer to the cocoa made following the recipe on the side of the Hershey’s Cocoa powder tub, but much much better even than that simple, yet excellent cocoa. And that's how I like it. Not too sweet and with a nice subtle bitterness from the cocoa powder. I even added extra sugar to theirs to sweeten it up a bit, but apparently it didn't help. Maybe if I'd left out the cocoa powder and cinnamon and chips and added a packet of cocoa mix that would have helped. ;-)

If you are a fan of the instant cocoa mix, you may not want to try this. You probably won't like it. But if you like the flavor of things made with cocoa powder, definitely give it a try. Add extra sugar if you'd like, or extra milk or cream if it's too chocolately (is that possible?)

I will say that I had to water it down somewhat - it was actually rather thick! (due to the chocolate chips I think). But mixed 1/2 and 1/2 with some skim milk it was just about the perfect cup of cocoa.

This is the original recipe:

Super Delicious Homemade Hot Cocoa

4 cups milk
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp nutmeg

• Pour the milk into a large saucepan and add the cinnamon stick. Cook over medium heat until bubbles appear around the edge. (Until it's very hot, but not boiling). Remove from heat, cover and let steep for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
• Remove and discard the cinnamon stick. Stir cocoa, sugar and nutmeg into milk until thoroughly blended.
• Add cream and chocolate chips and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the chips are melted and the drink is piping hot.
• Pour into individual mugs and top with whipped topping or marshmallows.

The recipe as prepared above would make about 6 servings and each would have about 300 calories per serving and 16 grams of fat. (Wow!) But prepared as 1/2 the above and 1/2 skim milk like I've been drinking it, that cuts it down to about 200 calories and 8 grams of fat. Much better. You could also prepare it without the cream at all and that would cut out a lot of fat and calories (or substitute whole milk or 1/2 and 1/2 for the cream.)

Then, just because I felt like it, I made it again the other day with a few modifications. I left out the chocolate chips to see how much the flavor was affected, and if it would make a difference in how thick it was (ie, how much I had to thin it with half milk).And I left out the nutmeg because when I first made it, I wasn't sure I liked the flavor of the nutmeg with the chocolate. I'm used to nutmeg in cookies and I found the flavor slightly overwhelming or distracting or something. It didn't seem to fit the drink. But now that I think about it, after the cocoa sat, when I was reheating it in the following days, I didn't notice the nutmeg much. Just when it was fresh was it noticeable.

The modified recipe was also delicious, but not quite on par with the first recipe. Leaving out the chips and nutmeg made it more ordinary, whereas the original recipe was extraordinary. When I make this again, I will stick with the original recipe, but possibly use more milk so it's not so thick (so it doesn't need to be 'thinned' with milk before drinking).

In any case, I highly recommend this recipe. If you like real homemade cocoa, give this a try and let me know how it goes.

Quack!

Be Creative! Every Day!

I found this cool site recently while surfing the web - it's the Creative Every Day blog where artist Leah Piken Kolidas shares her artwork, inspiration and creativity. She hosts two challenges, one of which is the Creative Every Day Challenge, a low-pressure, year long challenge where she encourages people to live more creatively in any way - through cooking, photography, sewing, art, writing, dancing, decorating, music, etc.

And since it's the start of a new year, what better time to try to be more creative? I think this challenge could be just the thing I need - a little push, a reminder to be creative every day. Whether it's through writing, drawing, baking, dulcimer-ing, scrapbooking or something else. Who else wants to join? Check it out. Give it a try.

And for my first go at being creative in 2010, here is my "Melon Bird":

Quack!