Ok maybe it’s not new new. But it’s new to me!

Recently I received an email from Fiona on behalf of Threadcakes. (See the logo+info on side menubar.) It’s an online cake competition hosted by Threadless.com and Chris Cardinal that combines the creativity of tshirt design into edible art! How cool is that? This is only their second year but I have a feeling this competition will be around for a LONG time.

Obviously I LOVE the idea and just HAVE TO enter. Prizes aside (and there are some awesome prizes) you all know how much of a blog event freak I am right? I decided to check out the Threadcakes Gallery for some inspiration. And I was pleasantly surprised to see some cupcake entries so I just had to share with my readers.

(Please click the link under each picture to see the original tshirt the cupcake was based on. The cupcake is more amazing when you see the inspiration. Trust me.)

Revenge of the Sushi

Face

Dandy Lions

Be Cool

Yes or No?

Introduction to Molecular Bonding

Catburger

Alphabet Zoo

Mmmm… Delicious
(I know this isn’t a cupcake but I’m a sucker for cute!)

Now that I know my cupcake competition, I am off to figure out my cupcake entry. Wish me luck! (I have to admit after seeing all the great entries, I’m “this” close to wussing out!)

LONG LIVE THE CUPCAKE!

Stay tuned.

Yesterday was my birthday. Yes yes, I am an Independence baby. It’s alright to be jealous. The whole country celebrates my birthday with fireworks. How cool is that? Ok maybe it has something to do with America’s independence from Great Britain but I’m sure my birthday has a little to do with it too. Although I “might” have illusions of grandeur. (Who me? Naaaahhhh…)

If you read my Twitter, you know that I’ve been anticipating my husband baking my birthday cake. I’m such an evil wife. But in my defense I didn’t think he’d actually agree!

PS- Is it just me or are you singing the subject line to the tune of Gilligan’s island theme song? Ok so it’s just me then…

♪♫The mate was a mighty sailin’ man,
The Skipper brave and sure,
Five passengers set sail that day
For a three hour tour.

The weather started getting rough,
The tiny ship was tossed.
If not for the courage of the fearless crew,
The Minnow would be lost. ♪♫

—————————————————–

8:32am: I tiptoe into the bedroom (since I’ve been awake since 630am to watch the Serena vs Venus Wimbledon finals) and whisper to Hubs if he’s ready to bake my birthday cake yet. My answer is some incoherent mumbling, grunting and then finally a snore followed by the “roll over”.

9:17am: Hubs stumbles out bed in a zombie-like state, with arms outstretched, repeating “Coffeeeeee Coffeeeee”.

10:03am: After savoring his morning ritual of Grape Nuts (gross!) and his favorite coffee cup, he’s ready to bake. Actually I think his exact words were “BRING IT!” HA HA

10:10am: Notice that it took him 7 minutes to get started? He needed that time to set up his mini DVD player in the kitchen for any “down time” he said. Um. Sure husband. That makes sense. Since he bought the cake mix himself I wasn’t sure what he was baking. I assumed it would be funfetti but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that he came home with red velvet. It’s not like it’s *MY* birthday right? He was actually quite excited to find red velvet cake mix. Duncan Hines red velvet to be exact. Probably more excited than the average man should be. Something about red velvet. Doesn’t seem to have the same affect on me. Go figure.

10:10am-10:12am: Two minutes. Count it. Two minutes to read and reread the instructions on the box. His first question. What kind of pan do we have? (Box says 325F or 350F depending on the type of pan)

10:13am: Hubs prepping the pans with PAM. He’s a tad overzealous with spraying so one pan has a good 1/2″ of PAM soup at the bottom. When he heard me make a little peep he replies with “Too much?” and starts blotting with paper towel. I realized when he started to move my KA mixer towards him that I am more protective of Ginger Spice than I thought. Yes, I named my KA mixer.

10:19am: Time for some vegetable oil, eggs and water. He was quite perplexed staring in my baking cabinet at the vegetable oil, canola oil, peanut oil and corn oil. When I called him on his hesitation, he argued that corn oil could be considered a vegetable too so he was weighing the options of using either. *smacks head* I have no words.

10:22am: His exact words were “Oooh it turned red!” followed by “Am I allowed to use my fingers?” (Gosh I hope so b/c I am a batter finger licker myself!)

10:26am: Watching my husband pour batter into 2 pans made me realize how ambidextrous you have to be to bake. Let’s just say that he didn’t really take advantage of the spatula in his left hand and preferred the “shake and jiggle” method of pouring the batter.

10:31am: Since there was some cake batter left over Hubs took the initiative of using it to make cupcakes. At this moment I realized why I love this man. We share the same philosophy: No batter left behind. Using the ice cream scoop was a little perplexing for him and he liked the slow and steady “pour” instead of pushing the release lever. Then switched to the scoop+spatula duo instead.

10:38am: Time to bake. At which point he refuted my mocking him about setting up his dvd player and proceeded to grab one of the dining chairs and sit in the middle of the kitchen and watch Scarface while the cake/cupcakes baked.

10:58am-11:08am Cupcakes come out first and then cake 10 minutes later.

11:08am-11:35am: Break for lunch while cakes cool. Side note: Asian Noodle Salad w grilled shrimp is tres delicious!

11:36am: I asked Hubs if he wanted to level the cakes with serrated knife or just frost uneven cakes and he went for it. What a trooper! He cracked me up after he was done b/c he started counting his fingers to make sure none were lost in the process. Do not try this at home, kids. We’re professionals.

11:38am: Frosting time! Watching Hubs frost the first layer was pure entertainment. There was no concept of “crumb coat” to him b/c he explained that the 2nd cake would cover the crumbs anyways. Touché Hubs touché.

11:41am: Now I don’t know about you and I don’t claim to be a professional cake layer-er either but when I put the second layer on, I use slow concise movements so that both layers are lined up exactly but Hubs does the “grab, hold above and drop” method. Hey whatever works right?

11:42am: I remember when I bought my cake turntable, Hubs didn’t understand why I couldn’t just use a plate but he admits after frosting the top and sides that it *IS* pretty useful. Duh?!? Again he had no concept of crumb coat and explained that the bits of red velvet cake in the frosting reminded him of sprinkles and he knows how much I love sprinkles. I swear this man could sweet talk a lamb to fall in love with a lion. (A little Twilight talk for all you fans out there! haha)

11:51am: I have to admit, crumb coat aside, I was very impressed with his side frosting spatula skills.

11:56am: Imagine my surprise when he asked me if I wanted him to write anything on the cake. Now I love my Hubs but he’s not known for his steady hand. Asking him to cut on the dotted line is an extreme undertaking. I really couldn’t torture him by telling he had to write something on my cake could I? Oh what the heck! It’s my birthday! Don’t worry. Hubs got me back. See the quotes. “29th” indeed. I blame a birthday card I got from a friend with “29″ that put the idea in his head. (Yeah I’m talking to you A!) But I think he felt a little guilty and put sprinkles all over to make amends. I do love me some sprinkles.

12:06pm: I bet you thought he forgot about the cupcakes huh? I admit that I put together the piping tip and bag for him b/c he just couldn’t grasp the concept of filling it with frosting by himself. I even prepared myself for a big blob of star shape tipped frosting on each cupcake but he did awesome! He does the outside-inside swirl method (I do the inside-outside) but tell me that doesn’t look perfect? Shock doesn’t even begin to describe my reaction. He mentioned that all those years as a barista in high school+college serving up hot coffee drinks with whipped cream paid off to see my face. We just won’t mention the fact that frosting squirted out the top of the piping bag. Don’t wanna spoil his moment. Just our little secret. Shhhhhh… *wink*

12:16pm: Ready to see the final product?

(Click images to enlarge)

JOB WELL DONE HUSBAND! I am so impressed. Best birthday present ever.

Husband rating: A+
“Of course it’s an A+ grading. I made it!”

Wifey rating: A+ for effort/A- for taste
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a cake mix snob at all but I think my scratch red velvet is better than the box. Even Hubs agrees with me and he’s a red velvet connoisseur.

Other rating: A+
We brought the cupcakes to watch fireworks with friends and they raved. I think they were just as surprised as I was that Hubs made them! I’m telling you. His aversion (reputation) to artsy craftsy precedes him. HA HA

Most of my friends know that if they invite me to any party that requires food, I’ll be in charge of dessert. They know me so well that they don’t even bother asking me what I’ll be bringing b/c 99.9% of the time it’s gonna be cupcakes. But I thought I’d do something a little different this time…

What’s better than a cupcake?

A GIANT CUPCAKE!

My Hubs bought me the Wilton Giant Cupcake pan a couple months ago from Tarjay but I haven’t had a chance to use it. So I decided that since my baking group, Tuesdays with Dorie, was scheduled to make Dorie Greenspan’s Perfect Party Cake, it would be the “perfect” recipe to christen my pan.

Since the pan didn’t come with instructions (at least mine didn’t *shrugs*) I kinda just winged it. Probably not a good idea if you are baking this for an important event like a friend’s bbq but I’m a daredevil like that so I jumped in head first. Literally! I got cake batter on my face and hair. Advice? Make sure you remember to flip the correct switch on your KA mixer. Left is mix. Right is lock. Not the other way around. Bright side? The cake batter was yummy. Hey! Don’t judge me. How else was I suppose to clean it up? HA!

Perfect Party [Cup]Cake
Recipe adapted from Baking: From My Home To Yours, Dorie Greenspan

INGREDIENTS

For cake
2-1/4 cups cake flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups whole milk or buttermilk (I used buttermilk per Dorie’s suggestion)
4 large egg whites
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp grated lemon zest (It was about 1 large lemon for me)
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 tsp pure lemon extract

For meringue buttercream
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (It was about 2 small lemons for me)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

seedless raspberry preserves, to taste (I used strawberry preserves)
sweetened shredded coconut, to taste

gel food coloring, amt as desired (I used about 4-5 drops of Ateco fuschia)
white dragees, garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously spray PAM in giant cupcake pan. Put the pan on a baking sheet.

To make cake—
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Combine buttermilk and egg whites in a bowl and set aside. (I think using a large Pyrex measuring cup is much easier to pour later.)

Whisk together the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.

Working with a flat beat or a hand mixer, add butter and beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light. Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture. Gradually add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk+egg white mixture in 2 additions, ending with the flour mixture. Give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.

Fill the “bottom” part about 2/3 full and bake for 15 minutes, then filled the “top” about 2/3 full and bake both batters for another 30 minutes. (I read various reviews that recommended doing it this way to prevent over baking the “top” part.)

To make buttercream—
Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or another large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a plan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes.

Remove the bowl from the heat. Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes.

Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one (I just used my whisk and it worked great!), and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth. Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes. During this time the buttercream may curdle or separate. Don’t worry! Just keep beating and beating until it becomes smooth and silky. Gradually beat in the lemon juice, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla extract.

To assemble cupcake—
Use serrated knife and cut off tops of “bottom” and “top” of cupcake so they are level. Cut the “bottom” into 4 pieces.

Using a Wilton 12A round tip, pipe a barrier and fill with strawberry preserves. Then top with a layer of buttercream. Repeat for other 3 layers. Using an offset spatula create a crumb coat.

Let crumb coat set and then apply a second layer. Immediately after the second layer pressed coconut all over the sides. Then gently put the “top” on the “bottom”. Use gel coloring to tint the rest of the buttercream pink. Using an offset spatula apply a thin coat of buttercream to the “top”. Using a Wilton 1M piping tip, pipe rosettes following the natural curve of the “top”.

(For a little bling I added white dragees at random and topped with a strawberry.)

ENJOY!

Husband rating: A+
He’s a red velvet man but I’d say that the Perfect Party Cake is a close second. He loves the meringue buttercream (but not as much as cream cheese frosting).

Wifey rating: A+
It’s not “perfect” for nothing. Love this cake. So moist and yummy esp with the preserves. I’m a big SMBC lover too! I wish I could have taken a picture of the layers but I have a feeling my friends wouldn’t appreciate a chunk of cake missing. HA HA

Other rating: A+
I made this cake for a bbq. Friends raved about the cupcake cuteness factor and loved the flavors of the cake. Definitely a hit. I wish I could have gotten a picture of my godson’s face when he saw the “Giant Cupcake”. Priceless.

As always I LOVE reading the comments from my readers. Thanks for making Erin’s first giveaway a success. I know she had a great time reading the comments as I did.

But who knew a simple question like “Cupcake vs Cookie?” would evoke such passionate answers. Some of you really struggled to answer too. I know you did. I could feel the indecision in some comments. I think my favorite comments were the ones that said “cookie topped cupcake”. See how they did that? They took the easy way out! Come on now. MAN UP! Choose one! HA! I kid. I kid. It’s one of those questions like “What came first? chicken or egg?” Rhetorical. At least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it! *emphatic head nod*

Since Erin and I have a (friendly) competition about the cookie vs cupcake debate, I for one was curious about how the comments would turn out. Wanna know the final answer?

Cupcakes = 100 votes
Cookies = 61 votes
both = 11 votes
did not answer (ie wussed out!) = 5

We’ll also say +-8 for error b/c some comments were just confirming their email or deleted by the author.

IN.YOUR.FACE, Cookies! * double fist pump*

Uh… I mean. Cupcakes won? Cool.

I suppose if we’re being all scientific and nerdy-like I could say that the random selection of comments wasn’t very random since some of them came by way of a cupcake blog. But we’ll push that doubt aside and celebrate in all our cupcake glory.

Can I get a HELL YEAH fellow cupcake-istas?

Alrighty. Enough jib jab. Ready for the winners?

*drum roll*

Congratulations Sarah!
You won the Martha Stewart Cookie prize package. Please email me your address!

Congratulations Courtney!
You won the Martha Stewart Cupcake prize package. Please email me your address!

Thanks losers everyone that left a comment! Even though you didn’t win, I hope you had fun. As always there’s more where that came from. There is bound to be another IHC giveaway in the future. Be there or be square.

Interview Part II with Erin of Erin’s Food Files after the cut.

Clara: What food do you NOT eat?
Erin: Hmm… I’ll pretty much try anything, but I don’t think I’ll eat bugs.

Clara: What is your fast food vice?
Erin: I can’t believe I’m admitting this, but I actually like Taco Bell’s bean burrito (with no onions). Now, I don’t eat it very often at all, but when I do, I sure enjoy it!

Clara: What is your earliest childhood memory with food?
Erin: For some reason, I remember my babysitter used to fix spaghetti with butter as a topping. Now if that ain’t healthy… Haha; And, I used to love it when my mom would let us make “mini pizzas” using refrigerated biscuits!

Clara: Name a pantry staple you always have on hand.
Erin: Chocolate Chips. You never know when you’ll need to make cookies! ;)

Clara: What is your favorite food related show (on PBS, Food Network, Travel Channel, etc)
Erin: For some reason I like Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on Food Network. I like the off the beaten path, kitchsy-type places, plus I think I’m strangely addicted to the food they serve at those places, because you know they’re like 1500 calories a plate, and nothing I’d EVER order!

Clara: What is your dream foodie lover’s vacation spot?
Erin: Probably Italy. Gelato, pizza, bread, wine, olives; the five food groups.

Clara: What is one cookbook you want?
Erin: I wouldn’t mind Martha Stewart’s Cupcake book! haha… but I don’t think I’m eligible to win this giveaway!

Clara: Name 3 things on your baking bucket list.
Erin: Bagels, perhaps a pizza dough that didn’t end in tears, doughnuts. Yes, I am a carb-addict. I realize this, and have to try and limit myself. Hence the reason these have all been on my list of things to try for a while.

Clara: What is your biggest kitchen mishap?
Erin: Pizza dough. Let’s just say it was a huge mess with flour all over the place, the *f* word said a LOT, and me in tears.

Clara: What is your favorite spice? Least favorite?
Erin: Cumin. Least favorite? Not a spice, but I HATE cilantro!

You can read my interview answers on Erin’s blog. Go ahead. You know you want to…

Ah Iron Cupcake. How I heart thee.

I’m not sure if you know this about me but I’m kind of a cupcake event freak addict. I know I know. I hide it well. But when I find one I get a little giddy. I think it’s because I find a lot (See Nikki? 2 words!) of inspiration from themes that someone else chose for me. Don’t ask me why but ideas seem to flow more freely after I have the theme figured out. I know. I’m wackadoo.

This month’s theme is summer berries and here in California the sweet strawberry goodness is abundant. I’m buying strawberries by the case every week from Costco. You can often find Hubs hulling strawberries by the bowlful for an after dinner treat. He even offered to help hull the strawberries for this recipe without me even asking. It’s pretty darn cute how much he loves his Oxo strawberry huller. So I knew as soon as I saw the theme I would be using strawberries.

But finding the right time to bake seems harder in the summer for a couple reasons:
(1) I become a lazy baker in the summer
(2) It’s harder to find ppl to give away my goodies during bikini/diet season.

Thankfully Father’s Day gave me a perfect opportunity to bake. *fist pump*

Now I know what you’re thinking… What’s up with the pirate theme, CB? *shrug* What can I say? I’m a sucker for cornball names and themes. And flowers and ladybugs didn’t seem very manly for a Father’s Day cupcake. Arrrgh matey? (That’s pirate talk for “Ok friend?”.) No more questions or you’ll be walking the plank.

Happy (belated) Father’s day to all the dads out there.

Thanks to IC’s sponsors this month–
*A sweet cupcake ID bracelet by INSANEJELLYFISH, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5021935
*A groovy linocut piece from BLOCKHEAD PRESS http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6108705
*A sweet surprise from Sweet Cuppin’ Cakes Cupcakery, http://www.acupcakery.com/
*A sweet artist piece CAKESPY, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5243382
*HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS, http://www.fiestaproducts.com
*HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, http://blog.hellocupcakebook.com
*JESSIE STEELE APRONS http://www.jessiesteele.com
*TASTE OF HOME books, http://www.tasteofhome.com
*A t-shirt from UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM http://www.upwithcupcakes.com/
* 1-800-Flowers, http://www.1800flowers.com

Straw-Berried Treasure Cupcakes <– Get it? I crack myself up!
Recipe adapted from Cupcakes by Martha Stewart & 4 Ingredient Cookbook

Print this recipe

Makes about 18 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

For one-bowl chocolate cupcakes
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder (I used E. Guittard unsweetened red dutch process cocoa)
1-1/2 sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup warm water

18 strawberries, wash, pat dry and tops removed

For marshmallow cream cheese frosting
2 jars (7oz each) marshmallow creme
2-8 oz cream cheese, softened (I used Neufchatel cheese)

brown sugar, garnish

To make cupcakes—
Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare cupcake pan with liners.

Using an electric mixer on medium speed, combine flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking power and salt. Reduce speed to low and add eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla extract and water.

Fill cupcake liners about 1/2-2/3 full. Bake for about 17-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

To make frosting—
In a stand mixer, fitted with a flat beater, combine marshmallow creme and cream cheese until it is smooth and creamy.

To assemble cupcakes—
Remove the center of the cupcake using the cone method. (I used a 1.5″ cookie cutter as a guideline.) Insert strawberry into the cupcake. Using a Magic Tip 7ST tip (or your favorite star tip) pipe the frosting on the cupcake. Garnish with some brown sugar on top. (Don’t skip the brown sugar. Trust me.)

ENJOY!

Husband rating: A+
I always know when he likes a cupcake recipe when he eats more than 1 without me asking if he wants another one. He’s a cream cheese frosting purist but said that the marshmallow creme added a yummy combination.

Wifey rating: A+
This chocolate “cake” was so easy and fast to make. That Martha is a genius! Definitely bumped my current go-to recipe off the list. I love the chocolate, strawberry and marshmallow+cream cheese frosting combination. The sprinkle of brown sugar on top made for a perfect sweet crunchy bite!

Other rating: A+
I brought the cupcakes over for a family Father’s day party and T’s dad raved that this was the best cupcake I’ve baked so far! (And trust me. He’s eaten ALOT of my cupcakes!)

Hello readers. It’s me… Margaret. Kidding kidding. It’s CB.

You got a minute? I wanna introduce you to someone. Erin … readers. Readers… Erin.

Now that we’re all acquainted let me give you the low down.

I joined a foodie event (Yes… another one!) called Adopt-A-Blogger (AAB) about 2 months ago. AAB is the brain child of Kristen of Dine and Dish and her desire to create a mentoring program for bloggers. Someone you can turn to for questions, someone you can brainstorm with on ideas, posts, pictures, someone you can email at 3 in the morning when inspiration strikes etc. (Just don’t expect a reply from me at 3am ok Erin?) Call me a geek but I love that stuff. The whole mentoring thing. And for some strange reason (ok I admit I bribed her) Kristen thought I’d be a good mentor. Boy did I fool her huh? But I am loving my newbie, Erin, so we’ll keep it our little secret mkay? HA! You can read more on my food blog.

To celebrate our AAB friendship and give you a little nudge to check out Erin’s blog (which is fabulous btw) we’re doing a little giveaway. A co-giveaway if you will.

Trust me. You’re gonna love this. She’s cookies and I’m cupcakes (Hello Captain Obvious!) so look what we came up with for you guys.

Wait for it…

“Martha Stewart’s Cookie book has tons of great recipes. I’ve barely scratched the surface so far, but I’m excited to share the book with someone else. The Pampered Chef Medium Cookie Scoop will ensure perfectly uniform cookies, and it’s very sturdy. Also, this Mini-Spatula is perfect for transferring cookies; I haven’t broken a cookie since I got it! And it’s great for bar cookies as well.”

~Erin, Erin’s Food Files

“I am a BIG fan of Martha Stewart. Love her or hate her, the girl knows how to bake so I jumped at the chance to buy her new cupcake book. I’ve made her 1-bowl chocolate cupcake and now it’s my go-to chocolate cupcake recipe. One bowl people! The woman is a genius. I can’t wait to try some of her other recipes. I have her snickerdoodle cupcakes on the brain next! Of course I couldn’t just offer a cupcake book without some party nut cup liners (non-waxed) and my favorite Wilton 1M star tip too.”

~Clara, iheartcuppycakes!

What did I tell ya? Are you loving it?

♪I’m lovin’ it!♪♫ <— Great! Now I have that McDonalds commercial stuck in my head!

Now bare with me for 30 secs to read the fine print.

Rules:
(1) Only those who live within the US and Canada eligible to win prizes. (Sorry my international peeps!)
(2) Please make sure you have a valid email address so we can contact you if you win.
(3) One entry per person.

To enter leave a comment on Erin’s blog: (All comments left on this post are invalid)
Given a choice, would you choose a cupcake or cookie?

Deadline: Saturday, June 27th @ 11:59pm EST

Winners will be chosen by Mr. Random Generator.

Interview Part I with Erin of Erin’s Food Files after the cut.
Check out my interview answers on Erin’s blog.

CB: Name 10 things in your frig RIGHT NOW.
Erin: greek yogurt, organic milk, greens from my CSA, peanut butter, Diet Pepsi Jazz Caramel Cream, lots.of.condiments, string cheese, apples, greens from my CSA, Crystal Lite

CB: Why did you start a food blog?
Erin: Really it began as a way to keep up with and remember all the recipes I’d been making. I had begun to do a lot of experimenting with new recipes, and really had been inspired by a lot of food blogs I’d been reading.

CB: What is your comfort food?
Erin: I could eat peanut butter every day, but I guess my ULTIMATE comfort food is my Mammy’s Chicken & Dumplings. They are unlike any other I’ve had at any restaurant or potluck. I only want them the way Mammy makes them.

CB: What would your last meal be?
Erin: Mmmm… Not sure. But I KNOW it would end with ice cream, cookies, cake, and brownies.

CB: What is your favorite can’t-live-without-it kitchen gadget?
Erin: Yikes, that’s so hard to choose. I have lots of little gadgety things, but I guess the thing I REALLY can’t live without is a good knife.

CB: What is your favorite blog(s) to find inspiration?
Erin: Foodie Bride was probably the first food blog I ever visited more than once. I think I had googled pink lemonade cupcakes or margarita cupcakes. I landed on her blog, and began to visit regularly. I love the photographs and recipes. Sometimes I think I want to BE Joy the Baker, she seems to have a happy fun filled life in California. I love her blog design, and her cute, witty commentary, not to mention she has some gorgeous pictures and Simply Recipes I thought was a professional company website. To discover it was actually a food blog written mainly by one person, I was amazed! I’ve often found myself browsing the great recipes she has.

CB: What are 3 adjectives that describe you?
Erin:stubborn, passionate, adaptable (I adapt well to changes, and I think most of the time I have a “go-with-the-flow” attitude)

CB: How would you describe your blog to someone?
Erin: It’s just a peek inside my kitchen. You can see the kinds of things I like to eat & make. You’ll see that I love desserts, but I also love a good healthy meal. I prefer to cook & bake from scratch, using ingredients free of preservatives or artificial ingredients, but that doesn’t mean I’m ALWAYS above making something from a box or mix. It’s just if I do, it has to be something more. :)

CB: What are your short term goals for your blog? Long term?
Erin: I guess my short term goals are to continue to try and post at least once a week. I like to post 2-3x a week, but that doesn’t always happen. My long term goals would be to have my blog redesigned into what I have in my head! I just don’t know enough about HTML to pull it off. Plus, I haven’t really got the time to learn!

CB: What do you do when blogger’s block strikes?
Erin: I just don’t blog! Haha… I haven’t really been hit with this problem. My problem more is getting around to importing the pics, editing them, uploading them, and writing the post. I don’t think I’m that great of a writer, so I do a LOT of editing to my posts. Plus I prefer to “sleep on it” when it comes to blogging. I’ll write up a blog, edit it and think I have it the way I like it, then I like to just save it. The next morning I’ll usually re-read it and edit it some more. I need to see it with “fresh eyes”. I do this a lot in my real job too. Step away from something, and then come back to it.

Stay tuned for Part II next week when we announce the winners.

MeMe Roth (pictured above) says she is fighting a crusade. A crusade against cupcakes, donuts, cake, ice cream, cookies and other “junk food” in her fight against child obesity.

You can read more here and here.

“Show me an American that knows what ‘moderation’ means,” Roth said.

Ooohh me! Pick me. Over here. I know what moderation means.

I’m not a parent so take what I say with a grain of salt.

I get where she’s coming from. No really. I do. Her family has a history of obesity and she’s trying to do what every good parent wants to do. Protect her children from making the same mistakes. Her message is admirable but her method is questionable. You know that saying? You can catch more flies with honey…” Apparently she isn’t into sweets even in her actions either.

Giving your child a tupperware “junk collector” and telling them not to eat any sweets at school but rather bring them home to discuss with her before they eat it doesn’t work for me. I won’t lie and tell you that I weigh 100lbs and eat carrots sticks instead of cupcakes but I can tell you from experience that overzealous restrictions don’t work. I feel they have the opposite affect. Haven’t you ever been told you can’t have something and it makes you want it more? Chalk it up to human nature. The first chance you get, you’ll give into your temptation. I know I have. (But that’s a post for another day and time.)

Let me tell you a story. I knew a girl in high school that was so sheltered by her parents that she wasn’t prepared for the real world. She got to college, with boys and booze, no parental control or limitations and went wild. Last I heard she flunked out her first year. The End.

I won’t deny the fact that child obesity is on the rise. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over the past three decades the childhood obesity rate has more than doubled for preschool children aged 2-5 years and adolescents aged 12-19 years. It has more than tripled for children aged 6-11 years.

But let’s forget the restrictive, rude, loud and crude approach. What about some education? Some personal responsibility to ourselves and our kids? What about teaching 3 simple words, “No thank you”? What about a balance between broccoli and Snickers? What about exercising *WITH* our kids? What about guiding our kids to make good choices? Not making the choices *FOR* them like a dictator.

Like I said. I’m not a parent. What do I know?

Hmmm… All this ranting makes me hungry for a cupcake. “Mother, May I?”

* Special thanks to Dawn, Tania and Anna for letting me post their Twitter replies.

This is my godson. This is on my godson eating a cupcake. Isn’t he the cutest thing EVER?

Yesterday I spent some time with my favorite family. We’ll call them Mr. and Mrs. UCLA. They have 2 little bruin bears (see the 18 month pictured left) that I adore like my own kids. (Don’t get too excited, Nikki. Doesn’t mean I want my own mini me running around.) So when Mrs. UCLA called to ask if I would help her with a cupcake gift idea for her generous neighbor, how could I say no? esp when Mr. UCLA promised me a steak dinner. I AM SO THERE!

Mr. and Mrs. UCLA recently moved into their first home and to welcome them into the neighborhood, one neighbor has been bringing them flowers and plants. How sweet is that? I hope someday when me and Hubs buy our first place that our neighborhood will be just as welcoming. There’s something to be said about good neighbors. Makes a HUGE difference in your day to day life IMO. I can tell you that from experience since I HATE DESPISE LOATHE my upstairs neighbor right now. I mean really? Who plays Dance Dance Revolution at 3am? SERIOUSLY? *smacks head*

Sorry off topic. But my neighbor does suck. I’m only being real.

Since Mrs. UCLA’s neighbor has been bringing them plants she asked me for flower cupcake ideas and I knew we had to make a cupcake flowerpot.

PS- Sorry anti-cake mixers out there. We went the boxed route but hopefully you’ll forgive me when you see it was Funfetti. There’s just something about Funfetti.

PPS- Pictures aren’t the best quality but it was about 9pm when we finished so all natural light was long gone.

INGREDIENTS

favorite cake mix (I used funfetti)
2 cans premade frosting
lollipop sticks or skewers (I used 6″ lollipop sticks)
styrofoam ball
terracotta flower pot
tissue paper, any color
sprinkles, any color

INSTRUCTIONS

Bake cupcakes as instructed on box. Let cool completely.

Insert the styrofoam ball inside the flower pot. If the ball doesn’t fit inside perfectly you can always take a serrated knife and cut it down. Make sure it fits snugly.

Place the cupcakes one by one on the ball secured by the lollipop stick. (I went through the top of the cupcake into the styrofoam ball.)

Take small pieces of tissue paper and fill in the gaps between cupcakes to hide the styrofoam ball. Using a Magic Tip 7ST (or your favorite large star tip), pipe on the frosting; Starting from the middle and using a circular motion to resemble a rosette. Garnish with colored sprinkles.

ENJOY!

Husband rating: A+
Mr. UCLA and Hubs kept saying “You girls are so creative.”

Wifey rating: A+
These were so much fun to put together. Love how whimsical the funfetti, multi-color tissue paper and different color sprinkles looked for this project. Next time I might color the frosting pink, yellow or red for roses and use green tissue paper for grass for a different effect. I think these are such a great thank you gift or Mother’s Day gift!

Other rating: A+
Mrs. UCLA was so excited to give it to her neighbor she went out that night to ring their doorbell instead of waiting until morning. She said they couldn’t believe it was cupcakes!

You know those white party nut cups (aka souffle cups) that I bake my cupcakes in?

Well… that has to be the #1 question I get asked by all my readers.

I love them b/c they are simple and classy. I’m just a simple and classy girl like that. I buy mine at Smart&Final. They come in the 3.25oz (regular cupcakes) or 2oz (mini cupcakes) size in quantity of 250 for $5.00. Sweet deal right? You bet it is! I bake so many cupcakes that I’d be eaten (no pun intended) out of house and home if I bought those cutesy cupcake liners all the time. Although I admit I have my fair share of cutesy cupcake liners in my pantry. (Shhhh! Don’t tell my husband! It will be our little secret.)

Now I realize that not everyone has a Smart&Final near them so another recommendation but in smaller quantities is from Michael’s craft store in the Wilton baking aisle. Unfortunately it has come to my attention (Thanks for letting me know, Nina!) that Wilton party nut cups are NOT oven safe. *smacks head* I didn’t realize that their new party nut cup design is coated in wax to be leak resistant. Uh… What kind of nuts are they eating? Nut leakage? Scary thought. Next thing you’re gonna tell me is that potato chips give you anal leakage. That just aint right.

Click image to enlarge

For more info, please read –> http://cakecentral.com

Anyone else have a party nut cup source? Apparently my Wilton one went and got waxed.

I’m on a roll. Two blog posts back to back! I’m impressed with myself! Aren’t you?

Blogging for Babies is hosted by my friend, Holly of Phe/mom/enon. (I absolutely adore her blog name!) I already thought she was a phenomenonal person and blogger but after reading about her son, Cole’s story, I was immediately overcome with emotion. I knew that whatever small part I could play in participating in her food event, I would.

Cole’s story was a little “too” close to home for me.

I was born 2 months premature. I weighed a little more than 4lbs. I prefer to say that I was actually lucky to weigh that much. I really don’t know too much about my NICU days b/c my parents don’t like to talk about it. I think it brings up too many sad memories for them. But every now and then my mom will tell me little snippets and even 30 years later, I see the crystal tears well up in her eyes.

It must be an incredibly overwhelming time for a parent. I can’t even imagine. I guess more than anything I just wanted to take the time to tell my friend, Holly, that there is life after pre-mature birth. A full and active life with the help of conscious proactive parents like her.

I am wishing her and Cole all the best for years to come. ♥

I decided to use a cat as an inspiration for my mom. Not sure why. Just felt like my mom has that mother cat mentality. Of course it had to be the cutest cat I know, Hello Kitty! The mini cupcake has 3 red bows that represent me and my 2 brothers.

You can find the chocolate cupcake recipe here.
You can find how-to Hello Kitty instructions here.

Happy Sunday readers.

“You only live once. Make sure it’s enough.”
~The Most Interesting Man in the World, Dos Equis