No TV Challenge

We don't have a television in the house, but my handy-dandy laptop enables me to watch TV. There are several programs I enjoy, but once I sit my butt down and get comfy I'll not move for hours! Thus the "No TV Challenge!" I started when we returned from visiting the in-laws in Houston. I haven't watched any TV in 4 days. So far so good. I've not really even been tempted to watch anything. When I think, "hmm, maybe I'll catch the latest episode of Bones" I instead grab my super fabulous Kindle and read. When I finish a book, I just download another. I've been reading a lot more and that's great, it's a better use of my time.

Also, there's always the kitchen calling me, "Come bake! Make something tasty!" So many more wonderful options than watching TV. Hopefully I can break my last "No TV Challenge" of 3 months. That was when I was single in St. Louis and boy did I ever bake. I made banana nut bread, cheesecake, cookies, brownies, and turnovers all from scratch and boy did my neighbors love me!

The hubby's been great about getting to work earlier and coming home at a reasonable hour which allows us to walk the dogs. Exercise that we ALL need! The dogs sure enjoy the walks and it's great to catch up with my sweetie about his day and what's happening in his life, how his book is coming along, etc. And, right now the evenings are spectacular! Nothing better than being outside in this wonderful weather.

Oh and there's card making and scrapbooking too! After our trip to Houston I want to capture all the fun in a little scrapbook. And with Father's Day, co-workers' birthdays, etc. coming up soon there are plenty of cards to be created. What fun!

Plenty to do, don't know why I'd ever watch TV again... well, at least not for more than 3 months as I want to break my previous record.

Darn Diet

I've been wanting to make more cupcakes... but now that hubby's on a diet it's just cruel to tempt him. Oh yeah, and I need to shed a few pounds too! Cutting down four trash containers worth of tree branches has helped, but I gotta keep up the exercise if I'm ever going to get rid of that last ten pounds.

I think I'll expand my baking horizon and try to make French bread or some other semi-healthy items to devour. The hubby asked me to make croissants, sure they're French, but I have no idea how that would be helpful to his diet goals as croissants require a ton of butter?! I LOVE croissants but as I understand it, they're a lot of work. Maybe I'll attempt this when I can actually move without moaning. Right now my my arms, legs, and back are sore, so I think I'll take it easy.

200 and counting

I was baking and baking and baking and loving every moment of it! For a friend's 40th Birthday Bash I made over 200 cupcakes (48 regular size, the rest the little minis).

The regular size (and kid friendly cupcakes) were chocolate with coco malt butter cream frosting, as well as vanilla with vanilla frosting, see:





The more adult cupcakes were the minis and these came in three varieties:

Vanilla cupcake with rum and macadamia nuts with a toasted coconut vanilla butter cream frosting. These were interesting as the rum is very light and created very puffy cupcakes that were much lighter in texture than the others.



Kahlua chocolate cupcake with a coco malt butter cream frosting. Rich, moist, and quite tasty.



Mai Tai (surprisingly enough no booze in these?! I was going to add rum to the frosting, but ran out) - strawberry, pineapple and coconut cupcake with a vanilla butter cream frosting. These were soooooooooooooooooo moist due to the pineapple/pineapple juice. I'm not a huge pineapple or coconut fan, but these were fantastic! Plus the pretty pink color is always fun.



What I discovered during this baking extravaganza is: I need a bigger kitchen, more cooling racks, and more cupcake carriers.

Chocolate Caramel Orange Cream

One rich bad@$$ cupcake! This fella is filled with a creamy caramel cocoa. It's a basic yellow cake mix with a hint of orange. The frosting is an airy butter cream with cocoa and malt. This light (in texture, sure as heck NOT lite in calories!) sinful treat literally melts in the mouth. Oh yeah!

Strawberry Maragrita

What this cupcake lacks in looks it more than makes up for in its taste. It's your basic lemon cake mix, but for the liquid I added a strawberry puree and Tequila! The frosting is a cream cheese with lemon curd and more strawberry puree. According to the hubby it tastes just like a Strawberry Margarita. Mmmm, wanna get drunk off cupcakes? Andale, andale!

Orange Almond Cupcakes and Bon Bons

Tonight's delight is yellow cake with a touch of orange topped with a butter cream frosting consisting of Grand Mariner and crushed almonds. I also made cake bon bons, which is cake, frosting, and caramel mixed together and rolled in a crushed almond and powder sugar mixture - very rich, but quite tasty!

Chocolate rum malted milk ball cupcakes

These are chocolate rum malted milk ball cupcakes with 3 milk balls baked within each cupcake. The frosting is a wonderfully light and airy coco malt butter cream. Sweet, but not cloyingly so. The hubby LOVED them. The rum taste is very present, but I don't think it's overwhelming, since the malt flavor really helps temper it. I think these will be a hit at the hubby's presentation today. He's giving a speech on the topic of "Separation of Church and State." Here's a cupcake with a chocolate covered graham crackers to help emphasis the point of hubby's presentation.

My new favorite website

While looking for malted milk powder to make a rich, yet not too sweet frosting, I chanced upon this site: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/

I'm sure there are thousands of wonderful sites but this one caught my eye. Some of the recipes look amazing and I can't wait to try them - as cupcake toppers! Like this one for instance (click here for the recipe):



I feel like Homer Simpson, drooling all over myself at the mere idea of these bad boys. Just imagine a bit of this atop a cupcake?!