Cupcakes and Pie

We celebrated Big Red's birthday this week, in fact we are still celebrating.
Yesterday, Red had meetings all over town and I found myself alone with both a half dozen gourmet cupcakes AND a Michigan blueberry crumb pie. Took all the willpower I had to avoid the kitchen. But, I did it.
I am definitely a sugar-chaser. If I have a little sugar in the morning, I will chase it all the live long day.

Last night, I had just half a cupcake. A Just Baked Snowball cupcake. I am still thinking about it. A rich devil's food cake topped with a marshmallowy creamy frosting and shaved coconut. Oh my. I ate every last crumb on the plate. I could have stuck that plate back in the cabinets without anyone the wiser. (I didn't)

This weekend we'll celebrate some more with my big family--with a dinner out, a homemade dessert and a ping-pong tournament.

How do you celebrate with the important people in your life?

love and light and cupcakes
Deborah

science a'la mode

every family needs one baker.

needs.

in my family....it is my sister. not me.

she makes all the desserts for every birthday and holiday.

i'm pretty sure she's baked her own birthday cake several years in a row.

i think that is probably at least a little wrong.

b says to me, "she bakes her own birthday dessert? really? that's kind of sad. " in my defense i say, "well, would she want something i baked?" b gives me the arched eyebrow.

baking is science. i earned a minor in science. i should be set.

cooking is art. i love art.

i love the art of cooking--of adding a little more of one thing. maybe a little less of something else. of tweaking and following my instincts. of letting creativity and what's in season lead my hand. maybe some orange peel. and a bit more pepper. out of white onion? maybe i'll add red. the tomatoes are so good--toss those in too.

i've learned you cannot just fly by the seat of your pants, baking. i will pretty much fly by the seat of my pants any chance i get. baking will humble a person like that--like me. i thought i had followed one of my grandma's recipes last christmas for *butterhorns*--a light and flaky pastry shaped into crescents and filled with an apricot preserve. i have such happy memories of those butterhorns and my grandma.

i made cement in a bowl. i did manage to save said bowl--i chiseled it out.

i can make/bake a box mix....i'm not that inept, but the *from scratch* recipes have me scratching my head pretty much every time. (though i do have one *no fail* recipe, i'll share later)

so next year, i promised to bake my sister her birthday dessert. i'm not promising it will be great. i'm going for edible.
she's requested a chocolate torte--my grandma's recipe. oh boy. chisel--check, hammer--check:)


best
deborah