Inspiration

Two blogs in one month?! Lucky you!

I often ask myself why the few of you enjoy reading my posts. I'm never consistent and it's only little old me writing. I then remember that the funniest things seem to happen to me in the kitchen. I sure hope these few and far between posts provide comic relief for you. Besides, what else can we do but laugh at ourselves?

Before I begin, let me brag. Last week was psycho, and I'm not joking. I got to do my first solo teaching in the classroom of 6th graders, and as exhausting as it was, it paid off. I even had them blogging on Wednesday! So cute! (www.theazteclearners.blogspot.com) Then, Thursday night, I got to witness the engagement of my two wonderful friends, Katie and Corey (BIG congrats here!) Saturday it was a night of celebration for Katie and Ash's birthday(s). I have had a week worthy of blogging, for sure. Okay, on to the purpose of THIS blog:

Today I took inspiration from many places:
1. I have heaps of homework that I would rather not do.
2. One of the other teachers on my team at school baked these cupcakes (amazing.)
3. The sermon on Sunday was all about skillful living, and a member skillfully baked us all Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Whipped Ganache Frosting and Maple-Roasted Bacon (Great blog, check her out!)
4. Thanksgiving is here and cupcakes are a means of celebrating, don't you agree?
5. I FINALLY watched Julie & Julia.
6. (Okay, this is after the inspirational fact, but thank God it's happening) The apartment smells SO delicious!

Today I bring you Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting. Oh yes, I did. You hate me, don't you? The batter looked so fluffy, if that is possible. It also looked to be similar to baby food. In my minimal adult experience with baby food, I assure you, this is what it looked like. (Good thing the batter tasted tons differently, I'm sure.) I mixed so many ingredients (ground cloves, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon) and then pumpkin puree. I decided it was necessary to taste the puree before I poured it into the batter, and this, I again assure you, is definitely what baby food tastes like. (Good thing we dumped in the sugar, yes?) The cakes are out of the oven cooling and looking fantastic, and I'm sure the smell has something to do with the way they look. 

So, where are these puppies going? First and foremost, we baked them for Jon's family at Thanksgiving dinner. I cannot wait to see how they feel about my baking skills! The remainder will be for Jon and I: the bakers who deserve the payment!












Happiest Thanksgiving to you, my faithful readers!






Recipes used today:
Pumpkin Cupcakes (Crazy about Cupcakes by Krystina Castella)
Maple Frosting (From some cupcake book, via a teacher friend)

Finding Out What Life is as a Graduate Student

Well, friends, I, again, apologize for the lack of cupcaking. It has taken its toll on my heart, too. Grad school is eating me alive. It isn't that I am always so busy, but the rare free time I do have is spent watching television, not baking! Another factor playing its role here is money. Holy wow, graduate school is expensive, as are those "living-on-your-own" bills.

But, rest assured, today, I bring you some cupcakes! I recognize that posting these adventures in the kitchen and pictures to boot tend to give a craving or two. Well, with todays cakes, you won't have to worry about those cravings for two reasons: 1. They are not that great. 2. Mark Fincham is not here to taste test. (Nor is Jon, or anyone else for that matter.)

After a day of homework, I remembered that it is November and a few of my classmates have birthdays around here, so I decided to whip something up. I have been bragging about my baking skills since July, and have failed to prove them. Hence, todays baking inspiration. I went through my few cupcake books and found a recipe that seemed simple and easy. Simple, as in, I have no ingredients or money to get some. Easy, as in, "I forgot to do that homework!" They are called Chocolate Muffins and consist of butter, flour, brown sugar, egg, and milk. That's it. Which is why I assume they do not taste good. It is my belief that the harder something is to bake, the better it will taste. I also used a new book, so I am a little hesitant to serve these puppies. Not only am I used to yielding 24 cupcakes (only 12 here), but I have 17 people in my cohort to serve! I'm stuck on the fence as to if I will bring these to school tomorrow or not. Opinions?

In short, I'm so happy I had my delicious, homemade leftover frosting in the freezer to spruce these cakes up!

Happy Fall!

Recipes used today:
Chocolate Muffins (Cakes and Cookies from ImagineThat publishing)
Vanilla Frosting, frozen/thawed from last time (Crazy about Cupcakes by Krystina Castella)