Birthday cupcakes

For M's birthday a couple of weeks ago, we decided that we wanted to celebrate a deux, and I promised to make cupcakes, instead of buying a birthday cake. I looked around the internet for different recipes, and finally settled on white chocolate cupcakes with raspberry filling from Good Things Catered, one of my favorite cooking blogs. However, I did not want to use shortening in the filling (shortening still kind of creeps me out), and Sharone was kind enough to forward me a low-fat, non-shortening recipe, so I used that instead. Then, I searched around for easy and waist-line friendly frosting recipes and found a chocolate cream cheese frosting (forget where). I was so excited to get a-baking, until I realized that I had pretty much none of the necessary tools. For one, I did not own a mixer. So off I went to Sur la Table, and back I came with my tail between my legs. Obviously, they were under the impression that money is falling out of my ears, because the cheapest hand mixer they had was around $70. So off I went to Target, and came home with a handy-dandy hand mixer which I already fantasize about trading in for a stand mixer. Sadly, this will probably only come to my counter when money is falling out of my ears...

I also did not have: cupcake paper cups, cornstarch, chocolate (white or milk), sprinkles, cream cheese, filling bags/tips ... basically anything involved in making my cupcakes! The only ingredients I had were flour and sugar... enough to make a sugary paste, but not enough for super duper birthday cupcakes!

After much fun was had exploring the baking isle at Safeway, I was revved and ready to bake!

Everything but the kitchen sink

Fresh out of the oven. Smelled delicious!

Now comes the filling! A bit messy but sooo yummy!

Ooey, gooey

Finished product

Recipe, as adapted by moi:

White Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling

Cake Ingredients:
8 oz. Ghirardelli white chocolate chips
1 3/4 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 c. oil
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 c. canned unsweetened coconut milk
3 large egg whites

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 325 degrees and prepare muffin tins with paper liners.
-Place white chocolate in metal bowl set over pan of barely simmering water.
-Stir until melted and smooth (this was really fun!).
-In medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
-In bowl of stand mixer, beat sugar, butter, and vanilla until blended and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
-Slowly add in oil while running and mix until combined.
-Add hot white chocolate to sugar mixture; stir to combine.
-Add flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with coconut milk in 2 additions, beating batter just to combine between additions. (I think I could have gotten better quality coconut milk, or maybe I'm just not used to its texture, but it was kind of clumpy).
-Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in medium bowl until soft peaks form. (umm white peaks didn't really form... this is where I need more practice)
-Gently fold egg white mixture into batter.
-Divide batter among muffin cups (about 1/4 cup each).
-Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
-Cool completely. (try really really hard not to eat the cupcakes)
-Using melon baller, ball out small portion of the top of each cupcake and discard. (or, as I did, EAT).
-Fill disposable bag with raspberry filling and pipe into scooped out portion of each cupcake until just reaching height of top of the cupcake. (this was a big mess!! definitely need practice with the filling bag!)
-Ice as desired. (I made a chocolate cream cheese icing that turned out a bit runny but I did not use as much sugar as the recipe had called for. I think that would have made it stiffer). I also sprinkled colored sugar on each cupcake for a more festive, birthday-ish feel :)

Raspberry filling:

1 1/2 cups raspberries
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
a small handful of Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips

In a small sauce pan, combined all of the ingredients and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Let cool. Take little scoops out of each cupcake with the fruit scooper thing, and using the frosting bag, inject a bit of the filling into each cupcake. Mine turned out a bit messy but no biggie. The filling turned out tangy and very raspberry-ish, which was perfect!

Gourmand ambitions

Something very exciting has been happening lately -- amidst a subtle and ongoing midlife crisis, I have discovered that I really enjoy cooking and baking; this is probably a felicitous discovery considering how much I like eating!

Since domesticity has never been among my strong suits, at first I was surprised by my own epicuriosity. I blame three people for this new interest: my mother, M, and Sharone. While my parents visited, my mother cooked almost daily, reminding me of how much I love her food. At first, I didn't understand why she wanted to spend so much time slaving away cooking, especially with some of the more time-consuming dishes she made. But then, I started realizing that cooking wasn't just meant to be a means of feeding us, but rather an expression of her creativity, ability, usefulness... in short, identity. When you cook something, you put yourself into that food, and it becomes a signal to those eating the meal that you took the time and effort and pleasure to create this food for them. You are nourishing them in a very particular way - your way, and at the same time telling them that they are important enough for you to cook for them, and that you are important enough to be trusted with this responsibility. I guess I am realizing that when not done out of sheer necessity, cooking can become an outlet for one's personality much like creative writing, painting, playing an instrument can. But unlike all these other outlets, it yields tasty, delicious food!

The second person I blame for my newly discovered passion is M. If he wasn't so supportive of all my whacky ideas, and didn't encourage me to do whatever it is that makes me happy, and didn't like to eat as much as I do, I may have been prevented from obsessively creating Amazon wish lists of all my new "must-have" cooking and baking needs! Our apartment would not suddenly feel too small because it cannot house all the hundreds of spice jars, dozens of baking molds, etc etc etc that I suddenly want to spend half my paychecks on.

Thirdly, reading Sharone's blog encourages me to take chances on things I never previously wanted to make. Her amazing ability to squeeze in time to create Margarita Cupcakes and gorgeous fluffy clouds of deliciousness while juggling wedding showers, work, grad school, and life has convinced me that there is always time for a tasty treat!

I think this cooking thing is part of a bigger picture. Lately, I've been overwhelmed by new hobbies that I want to pursue, from camping and backpacking, to spin classes and running, to cooking and becoming the next finance guru (okay, that's a bit far-fetched. But I do have this fantasy of creating a super-duper portfolio that is chock full of diverse investments, and participating in conversations in which I confidently command the usage of words like "maturity," "municipal bonds," and "hedge fund.")

Wherefore these interests? Wherefore now? I blame the clock. The clock that in a voice akin to Chinese water torture tells me each day, "You are getting older." And, without magical ear plugs to shut out this evil clock, I somehow along the way decided that "older" will not mean "boring," will not mean "settled," will not mean "slow" or "fat" or "dowdy." I have decided that if fate must be left to her devices and pull me into adulthood and all the things that come with it, I will do it on my own terms.

So, for now, I spin, I run, I ache. I eat, I cook, I bake. (I couldn't help myself!)

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Ridiculousness

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith


My rating: 1 of 5 stars
Oh, Jane... Jane, Jane, Jane. Seriously, let me just begin by saying that the only redeeming aspect of PPZ is Austen's text.

I began this book entirely open minded, but expected it to be what it claims to be: P&P with zombies in it. I expected the characters to be the same people I fell in love with so many years ago, and I don't want to give too much away, but they simply aren't. For some reason, Seth Grahame-Smith felt compelled to provide a completely contrived and ridiculous back story to the Bennett girls -- they are trained in Chinese martial arts in China by some famous Master Liu, and entrusted to be the defenders of their sleepy little British town, which for years has been terrorized, like the rest of England, by "unmentionables" (umm, I thought that was underwear). Even Lydia is a super-duper warrior, albeit one obsessed with boys and bonnets.

Other than the ridiculous character changes, there are also really stupid plot decisions, especially one involving Mr. Collins. Poor, poor fat, insipid Mr. Collins...

Let's talk about the men for a second. Actually, let's expand and talk about the sexual undertones in PPZ. I suspect Grahame-Smith felt really proud of himself for the seventh-grade humor that stains this book like a greasy hamburger leaking oil onto an Austen classic. However, while maybe a "balls" joke may have some giggle appeal the first time around, the second, third, ad infinitum time it loses its charm. There are other lewd moments, and the most enervating thing about them is that they appear as private jokes between Lizzie and Darcy.

I am convinced that even had I not known the PP plot and characters prior to reading PPZ, I still would have found this book ridiculous. Which, I suppose is the book's main goal, but it succeeds so well as to render it baffoon-ish rather than droll.

Now all I want to do is read Pride and Prejudice and revel in the banter.

View all my reviews >>

Doing that crack cocaine thing...

This is hilarious. Senator Jeff Sessions during the Sotomayor hearings on July 16:

Things to come

1. Photo proof* of my culinary adventures, including my soon-to-become famous white chocolate, raspberry-filled, and chocolate cream cheese-frosted cupcakes.

2. Impressions of 4th of July camping trip.

3. Additions to my foot woes/whoahs series, including adventures in barefoot running and my high hopes for five-toed running shoes.

4. Discussions on upcoming events, including Kenny Chesney concert, Wharf-to-Wharf run, and possibly Harry Potter film.

5. Most likely a review of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

* Cupcake shown in banner was not made by yours truly.

#99: Grammar

Stuff white people like, #99: grammar.

Word of the day: Ridiculous

ridiculous [ri-dik-yuh-luhs]
adjective
causing or worthy of ridicule or derision; absurd; preposterous; laughable.
ORIGIN 16th century

Photo credit: Jim Wilson/NYT, appeared on front page of NYT July 12, 2009.

This poor baby looks like it's being exorcised... Why would anyone want this woman touching her infant, let alone writing on her with a probably toxic Sharpie?!?!

RIDICULOUS!

Happy Fourth of July

On July 2, 1776, after much turmoil, the Congress of the twelve colonies voted to adopt Richard Henry Lee and John Adams' resolution to declare independence from Great Britain. In a letter to his wife Abigail, Adams wrote about this momentous day that it "will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America." He followed, "I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more."

After 233 years, Adams is still right about the spirit, if not the date, of celebrating Independence Day.

The Fourth of July, much like religious holidays, is often consumed as a blind commodity than a somber celebration. Over time, the Christian Easter has somehow been stripped of the miracle of Christ's sacrifice and his rebirth, redeeming mankind. I fear to think how many people "celebrate" Easter each year without stopping for a second to think about what the holiday represents. Likewise, the Fourth of July aught to remind us of the sacrifice that people made so that the United States could become an independent state that would go on to become a beacon of strength, liberty, and honor for other countries around the world. Yes, like Adams wanted, we should fully partake in pomp and parade, bonfires, and illuminations, but always remembering what these celebrate.

The twentieth century saw the demise of empires as they had existed for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. However, the destruction of large empires did not stop the unbelievable destructive force that humans seem unable to set aside. Millions of people today suffer under oppressive regimes, cruel families, crippling self-hatred. Often, I believe, these three combine in such a way as to make possible tyrants who willingly and knowingly inflict awful conditions upon the people they are supposed to protect. Countries like Zimbabwe, North Korea, Iran, how many countless others, are transparent enough to us now, due to modern media and technology, for us to look at them, look at ourselves, and know how truly lucky we are. I feel privileged each day to wake up and know that a Mugabe will never be possible in the United States. In the song "It's America," Rodney Atkins assents that "we may not always get it right." We sure don't! But the important thing is that we at least try. In 1776, a people who had been born into colonialism thought, enough is enough. They pulled themselves up by their britches, and fought to become an independent state that above all else valued freedom. But they did not get it all right. It took many, many years, for the children of the infant country to realize even a semblance of true freedom and equality. But they tried.

Anyone who knows me at all knows that one of the things that I absolutely cannot stand is blind, stingy patriotism, in which those professing to love this country do so while simultaneously decreeing their assumed superiority of right and might over others, often others who are also Americans. To these people, I would only say that the spirit of democracy and freedom is not meant to be oppressive or dismissive, but rather focused on doing the right thing. Sometimes, doing the right thing is the harder choice to make. Actually, I think every time, doing the right thing is the harder choice to make. For the thousands of people in Iran and around the world who are voicing their objection to Ahmedinejad's blatant refusal of a democratic process, the harder choice to make was putting themselves and their families at risk while protesting in favor of the democratic process. These people inspire me to remember that choices about governance are so hard - is Moussavi the better choice? who knows? The point these people are making is that democratic process needs to determine the outcome, not the strong hand of a corrupt leader.

Below I am posting a YouTube video of Johnny Cash talking/singing about the American flag. The premise is simple, humble: an old flag has become tattered, shabby, old. But each wear and tear represents a triumph of right over blind might, of freedom over oppression. On a more personal level, I appreciate the fact that at the beginning of the clip, Johnny Cash says that he is heading out to Romania soon. I wonder when this was... I think probably the 70s, a "golden" period, if you will, of communism in Romania. Anyhoo... Johnny Cash says that regardless of where he goes abroad, as much as he enjoys it, he is always happy to be back in the States. I have to say, that I totally feel him on that. I remember flying back to California after being abroad for a couple of months at a time, and there was a feeling of relief almost at hovering over the Los Angeles freeways before landing at LAX. A feeling akin to a huge breath being released, knowing that there will definitely be more breaths to come. If that makes sense...



I would also like to share, in honor of Independence Day, the following video of Rodney Atkins' "It's America." I have a few bones to pick with this song. It's so manipulative in its pride, but it means well and is harmless. I just think it is patriotism at is silliest - being proud of empty symbols like fireflies and Chevys... But, it's also the catchiest damn song, and it kinda makes me smile when singing along... so, here you go. In honor of our great country's struggle over time to continue to grow and mature and hold on to the founding values of liberty, freedom, personal and community honor, and a stubborn refusal to back down in the face of bigger, scarier foes, I give you Rodney.


As for me, I'll be flying my American flag on our tent this weekend!