Cupcake Friday: Thanksgiving edition

Yum, yum, a thousand times YUM.

Whatever you are doing, stop it right now & go bake these cakes!!

ORANGE-GLAZED CRANBERRY SPICE TEA CAKES
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp grated orange zest
1/2 cup sour cream
1 c fresh or frozen (and thawed) cranberries, finely chopped

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
4-5 Tbsp whole milk
1 tsp grated orange zest
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325. Spray 3 mini muffin tins (for 36 tea cakes) with non-stick cooking spray. Sift flour - nutmeg in a medium-sized bowl & set aside. Beat eggs & sugar on medium speed in a large bowl until mixture thickens and lightens to a creamy color, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer & scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. On low speed, mix in applesauce - orange zest until blended. Mix in the sour cream until no white streaks remain. Mix in the flour mixture. Fold in cranberries. Fill muffin cups with about 1 1/2 Tbsp batter, to just below the top of each cup. Bake just until the tops feel firm & a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 16 minutes. Let cool in muffin tins for 5 minutes. For the glaze, whisk powdered sugar, butter, 4 Tbsp milk, zest & vanilla until smooth. Add up to 1 more Tbsp milk if needed. Remove warm cakes from pans. Use a toothpick to poke 3-4 holes in each warm cake. Use a spatula to spread a thin layer of glaze over each. Let cool completely; glaze will become firm.



P.S. If you can manage not to gobble them up straight away, they're even better after they've set (sat?) overnight.
P.P.S. Would you think less of us if I confess that Jan Michael didn't even take any to work & we kept them all for ourselves?

The calm before the (very happy) holiday storm

Outside my window... Leaves are everywhere (beauuutiful!) and it's not raining, at least for now. It almost makes me consider an afternoon run. Almost, but not quite :)

I am thankful for... We know lots families welcoming - and getting ready to welcome -brand new, precious babies this fall season. I'm thankful for parents who want to be parents, who can't wait to meet these new little ones, and who will love them to pieces as they grow.

I am learning... to control my irritation when I go through self check-out at Safeway. The computerized voice that always says "Have you scanned your club card?" makes me madder than a wet hen. Jan Michael has had to correct me several times about the absurdity of getting angry at a silly machine.

From the kitchen... The kitchen is about to become a crazy flurry of activity; Thanksgiving is 10 days away!! Very soon I'm going to make a list of when to make what (three cheers for make-ahead mashed potatoes!) - I think the frenzy will begin Saturday.

I am wearing... nothing fancy & nothing special. The usual :) In just a bit I will be wearing a big pile of blankets while I take a nap.

I am creating... Our Thanksgiving table has jumped out of my idea notebook and into real life. I have made - and I'm quite pleased with my ingenuity - chargers to sit underneath our dishes. I used pizza pans from the dollar store and covered them with three cans of gold glitter spray paint, and if I do say so myself, they are a far cry from the cheap-o, scuffed, scratched, unevenly painted jobs I've seen in stores.

I am going... to fold a pile of laundry that has been growing exponentially. I am going to make the beds and clean the bathroom (but probably not today.) I am going to clean out the refrigerator to make room for a Thanksgiving feast (but definitely not today.)

I am reading... In my read-the-Bible-in-one-year schedule, we are in the middle of Ezekiel and John. Actually, we're at the end of Ezekiel and will begin in Daniel tomorrow; I'm looking forward to that. Also, I just started re-reading (for the 700th time) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

I am hoping... that we do not have any unwelcome company for Thanksgiving. (See below.)

Around the house... There is, and I hesitate to say this in case we never have visitors again, a mouse in the house. Actually, no - there is a RAT in the house. We thought it was a mouse, but a very nice, helpful exterminator confirmed just last week that we have a rat. Then, not two days after he showed us the hole that the rat is using as his front door, I SAW IT RUNNING THROUGH THE COMPUTER ROOM. I've said before that finding a slug in the house was the last straw, but a rat darting around in broad daylight is outrageous.

I am hearing... the clack of the keyboard and not much else.

One of my favorite things... on a Thanksgiving relish tray is a pickled beet.

A few plans for the rest of the week...
- A date with our favorite 3-year-old girlie
- Cooking and baking, baking and cooking
- On Friday we pick up Soren at the airport, which is the official kick-off to our second annual week-long, we-hardly-ever-get-to-see-Soren party.
- On Saturday there will be football and board games, and a house full of boys. I can't wait!
- Also on Saturday, I'll run in the Poultry Predictor race. If I run 4 miles in the time I predicted when I registered (42 minutes, which is a gross under-estimation; I don't know what I was thinking), I'll win our Thanksgiving turkey!

Mud & Chocolate

This morning I ran in my first official race.

No, wait. This morning I ran/walked in my first official race, because about halfway through, my knee said "NO WAY, WOMAN."

But nevermind. The point is that I trained for it, and barring creaky, old lady joints, I am quite capable of running 4.5 miles.

Now, some lessons learned:
- Eating my weight in Mexican food the night before is possibly not the best pre-race preparation.
- The next time I run in a trail race (which, for information's sake, is precisely 3 weeks from today) I will wear two knees braces, and maybe also two ankle braces. My body is a fan of braces, it seems.
- The next time I run in any race at all, I will be sure that my ipod is playing well before I hear, "Ready, set, go!" I didn't do this today, and my fingers were too frozen to get it to work. Any and all running is made better by Lionel Richie and songs from the Top Gun soundtrack, you know.

Now, some things I already knew but were confirmed again today:
- Any and all running is made better by wearing a running skirt. I feel sorry for boys that have to wear boring, old shorts.
- We have fun, enthusiastic, seriously awesome friends. Craig, Caleb & Jen were totally on board with this from the get-go, and I'm grateful for it. We didn't all run at the same pace, but I loved knowing we were all out there together, working toward the same thing.
- Encouraging, you-can-do-it words from our very supportive family friends are just the neatest, sweetest things. I need to remember this whenever I have the opportunity to help build someone else up.
- I am married to my biggest fan :)

My husband was born to run; I've mentioned this before. In high school he ran cross country, and one year this was printed on their t-shirts. Paying homage to him 20 years later = super fun :)
Was it cold?...
YES IT WAS.
Ready to rumble!

I am loved and here's some proof: While we were out huffing & puffing on the course, Jan Michael was hoofing it himself - he wanted to be able to meet us along the route in order to record our smiling faces & to scream our names. 3 miles in a parka & non-running shoes is just adding to the list, people.
Finished! And with chocolate medals to show for it! :)

We ride.

This year's sequined awesomeness made possible by our sis.
And Happy Halloween from Gus, too!

Cupcake Monday: Happy Halloween!

Halloween is too, too fun; I don't think I'll ever outgrow it.

OK, there's no time for messing around; let's cut to the chase!

DEVIL'S FOOD CUPCAKES
(from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes)
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 cup hot water
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp coarse salt
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 32 muffin cups with paper liners. Whisk together cocoa & hot water until smooth. In another bowl, whisk together flour - salt.

Melt butter with sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat & pour into a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat until mixture is cooled, 4-5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla & then cocoa mixture; beat until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with sour cream, and beating until just combined after each addition.

Fill each cup 3/4 full. Bake, rotating halfway through, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire rack to cool 15 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks & let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months in airtight containers.

SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM
5 large egg whites
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar
Pinch of salt
4 sticks unsalted butter, cut into small pieces & at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine egg whites, sugar & salt in the heatproof bowl of a standing mixer set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved (the mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips).

Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low & gradually increasing to medium-high speed, whisk until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy & glossy, and completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl), about 10 minutes.

With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. Once all butter has been added, whisk in vanilla. Switch to the paddle attachment, and continue beating on low speed until all air bubbles are eliminated, about 2 minutes. Scrape down side of bowl with a flexible spatula & continue beating until frosting is completely smooth. Keep buttercream at room temperature if using the same day, or transfer to an airtight container & refrigerate up to 3 days or free up to 1 month. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat with paddle attachment on low speed until smooth again, about 5 minutes.

And now for the fun! (Thank you for pretending these pictures do not represent the worst food photography you've ever seen.)

In a nutshell

Our last 4 days went something like this:

- Lemon curd and blueberry french toast
- Queen Anne:
- the waterfront
- Pike Place
- the aquarium:
- the opera
- the total domination of girls over boys, Cranium style
- gingerbread & whipped cream (thank you, Bill & Sheryl!)
- Rock Band until the wee hours:
- more games
- fried rice & fortune cookies
- more & more games
- shopping for girly bath essentials, husbands excluded
- the Museum of Doll Art, no boys allowed
- 500 different kinds of Coke & Fanta, courtesty of Taco Time
- lots of laughing, a little less sleep

And the very, very best part - a dear friendship cemented for the ages:
Angela, we started missing you the minute you walked through the airport doors! We can't wait for next time! :)

Today

I've stolen this idea from Amanda. Thank you, friend!

Outside my window... The sun has set, but today was lovely - sunny and warm enough for mowing the lawn and wearing shorts. I did both!

I am thankful for... Time and opportunity. Mercy and patience. Quiet time. Jan Michael. (You know the list is endless, right?)

I am learning... a hundred different clever things, all courtesy of Pinterest.

From the kitchen... Earlier tonight I spilled a bottle of salad dressing all over the floor; such a waste of good balsamic vinaigrette! Yesterday I found hibiscus sorbet made with coconut water at the Grocery Outlet. I like it, I think, although I bet I would have liked the Ben & Jerry's Carrot Cake more :)

I am wearing... semi-sweaty exercise clothes.

I am creating... a tablescape for Thanksgiving. The creating is mostly in my mind, but I have decided that orange glitter spray paint is going to be invovled.

I am going... to run. Tomorrow. At the crack of dawn. I'm sticking my tongue out at plantar fasciitis, too.

I am reading... I just finished The Help by Kathryn Stockett. It was wonderful & awful all at the same time. I'm going to start (skimming, not really reading) The Dukan Diet. On the top of the cover it says 'The real reason the french stay thin.' We'll see about that.

I am hoping... that it doesn't rain cats and dogs on Friday. (I'm not holding my breath about this, though!) We have a super special VIP coming to stay with us for the weekend, and we're taking her to the city for the day.

I am hearing... It's very, very quiet just now. And I like it.

Around the house... This house is in for a good scrubbing; it won't know what hit it.

One of my favorite things... to drink after a workout is Twinings Cold Brewed Iced Tea, specifically their Green Tea with Mint. I have it stocked piled in the cupboard :)

A few plans for the rest of the week... Gospel meeting, cat sitting, sushi with our brother (maybe, hopefully, I'm crossing my fingers!), the opera, Rock Band, whipping my fantasty football lineup into shape

Cupcake Saturday

Raise your hand if you think fall is a delicious, dreamy season.

Now raise your hand if you're convinced a good part of the magic comes from pumpkins. (I'm raising two.)

I could go on and about the wonder of a pumpkin, but for today, it's rocking the vote because....

This week's cupcakes are the best yet. I say so, Jan Michael says so, the whole office crowd says so, and there you have it.

PUMPKIN GINGER CUPCAKES
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted & cooled slightly
1 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 large eggs
1/4 cup (about 1 1/4 ouces) crystallized ginger, cut into 1/8 - 1/4 inch pieces

CINNAMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp cinnamon
1 - 2 Tbsp whole milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 14 muffin cups with paper liners & coat with cooking spray. Sift flour - ginger into a medium bowl. In a large bowl on low speed, beat melted butter - pumpkin until smooth. Mix in the eggs & ginger. Add the flour mixture & mix until incorporated; batter will be thick. Fill each cup with a generous 1/4 cup batter. Bake about 25 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes in muffin tins before removing to wire racks to cool completely. For the frosting, beat butter - vanilla on low speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding whole milk to thin out the frosting if needed.
* The recipes for both the cakes & the frosting are from Elinor Klivans' Cupcake Deck.
** I didn't use the crystallized ginger; is it becoming clear that I have trouble following recipes? I also made two batches, and added chocolate chips the second time around.
*** I gave the frosting a little more pizzaz with my vanilla cinnamon sugar spice grinder; I'm not sure that it made a difference taste-wise, but it looked pretty :)

Gearing up & counting down

Halloween is 18 days away. We are gathering our costumes, spiffing up the bikes & generally working ourselves into a fever pitch by watching fine productions from Halloweens past, like this, circa 2009:

Newport

I'm home (sweet home!) again from my happy-birthday-to-Anne weekend at the seashore. It went off without a hitch, and I'm so glad she was able to have a proper celebration. A birthday just screams for a great, big to-do, no matter the number; I endorse this fact very enthusiastically.

I didn't take my customary 700 pictures, and I suspect this is because we spent 95% of our time either eating or shopping. It also occurs to me that I have spent two weekends at the Oregon Coast over the past several years, and neither of them have involved my husband. We will fix this egregious mistake sometime in 2012!

Cupcake Friday...

a day early this time! I'm flitting off to the ocean tomorrow to celebrate my friend Anne as she turns 35, so today it is.

Some of Jan Michael's (crazy!) co-workers very politely declined the Carrot, Orange & Golden Raisin cupcakes from two weeks ago when they caught wind of the raisins. I feel so sorry for people who don't like raisins. What kind of life is it when you can't have ants-on-a-log, or a gigantic oatmeal raisin cookie? Anyway, the point is that I very purposely chose a safe recipe this week, so as not to cause the raisin skeptics to faint.

These remind me of gingerbread, with a very heavy emphasis on the ginger. They also aren't overly sweet, but never fear - the frosting makes up for it! The recipe calls for whipped cream as frosting, which I'm sure would be lovely, but we decided to ignore that & use a 'real' frosting recipe instead.

MOLASSES AND GINGER CUPCAKES
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 c unsulfured molasses
2 large eggs
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup hot water
9 ounces fresh ginger, peeled and minced (1 cup)

BROWN SUGAR CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Line 26 standard muffin cups with papers. Whisk together flour, baking soda & salt. In another bowl, whisk sugar, molasses & eggs until smooth; whisk in melted butter & hot water. Stir in flour mixture until just incorporated; stir in ginger.

Divide batter evenly among cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, about 20 minutes. (Cupcakes will not be domed.) Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

For the frosting, beat butter, cream cheese & brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth. Use immediately, or refrigerate up to 3 days in an airtight container. Before using, bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth.

This picture is awful and I know it:


Oops, I almost forgot: The cupcakes and frosting both came from Martha Stewart's CUPCAKES.

Beauty for cheapskates

The following fun is brought to you by Pinterest. I've decided the only way to justify the time I spend on there is to actually try some of the things I find.

PUMPKIN SPICE SUGAR SCRUB
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup + 1 Tbsp oil - vegetable, sunflower or safflower

1. Mx the sugars and pumpkin pie spice until there are no lumps:
2. Add the oil and mix well. Put into clean, sealed jars and store for months out of direct sunlight, just like you would store oil:
3. Take a nice, long shower & scrub yourself down. (No picture of this, ha!) Skip your face, though - I think it's too abrasive. Then, if I were you, I'd follow up the scrub with a nice slathering of cocoa butter from the dollar store. But that's just me :)

MIRACLE MASK
2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

1. Mix everything together. Apply the mask to your face & let sit for 30 minutes - maybe while you listen to Bryan Adams Radio on Pandora & mess around on Pinterest. (Before putting it on your face, you may want to test it on your wrist, just to be sure you don't have a bad reaction. I, of course, somehow missed this step, so we'll see in a few minutes if disaster has struck.)
2. Wash the mask off with warm water, rubbing in circular motions for (in my case) much needed exfoliation.

There now. An all-natural evening at your very own spa without breaking the bank!

Three thankful things...

about this last day of September:

- Flip-flop sunshine, orange leaves falling from the trees, and air heavy with the smell of wood smoke, all at once

- The mama and her fawn that have been making themselves at home in our backyard all afternoon

-Leaving the house this morning under this:

Where the river meets pickle relish

Today I needed to go on a date. I needed, in this exact order, some very good, quality time with my husband, to be in the middle of this crazy beautiful weather, and to eat a cheeseburger.

Fortunately, Jan Michael cheerfully agreed to this even though his date has not taken a shower or brushed her teeth since yesterday.

Cupcake Friday!

First things first: Today's recipe is from The Cupcake Deck by Elionor Klivans. The Apple Streusel Cinnamon Swirls from two weeks ago are from the same set. Actually, the next 6 recipes I plan to play with come from The Cupcake Deck; it's such a fun collection! And whoever thought to put recipes on cute little cards instead of in big, cumbersome books gets a thumbs up from me!

Now a word regarding lemon/orange/lime zesters: They are fantastic. Everyone else has probably known this for years, but I just bought my first one in June; it leaves my poor cheese grater in the dust. Gone are the days of gnashing my teeth when I see a frosting recipe that calls for 2 tsp of zest!

Also, two quick notes about these cupcakes: Every other recipe I've made says to use either cupcake papers or to spray the muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. This recipe says to use papers coated in spray, and it's not kidding. I did as I was told, and it was still tough to peel the cupcakes out of the liners. Then, just like the Apple Struesel Cinnamon Swirls, these are much more muffin-esque in density, but this time we have... frosting! And lots of it! :)

CARROT, ORANGE & GOLDEN RAISIN CUPCAKES
Cakes:
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp grated orange zest (Get out that zester and go to town!)
1 cup finely grated carrots (Hooray for food processors!)
3/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (about 2 ounces)

Frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
6 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp grated orange zest

Preheat oven to 325. Line 12 muffin cups with liners & spray with non-stick cooking spray. Sift flour - cinnamon into a medium-sized bowl. In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar on medium speed until smooth and thick, about 1 minute. Mix in the applesauce - orange zest on low speed. Mix in the flour mixture. Mix in the carrots, raisins & walnuts. Fill each muffin cup with 1/4 cup batter. Bake about 28 minutes, until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean. Place muffin pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pan and cool completely on wire rack. For the frosting, beat the butter, cream cheese & vanilla in a large bowl on low speed until thoroughly blended, about 1 minute. Add powdered sugar, mixing until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute more. Use a large spoon to fold in orange zest. Now, lick and the spoon and then frost away!

September..

has been very, very kind these days, nudging us so merrily from summer into fall. It's this kind of thing that makes it easy-peasy to get my miles in each week :)

Cupcake Friday...

becomes Cupcake Saturday because I'm a day late :)

First, I want to give credit where credit is due because this is certainly not my own recipe! I've forgotten the name of the book this came from, though - or actually, the name of the box the recipe card came from. I'll do some digging and figure it out in time for the next edition of Cupcake Friday.

Now, a few notes: These seem more like muffins to me, especially because they don't have frosting. This just means you can eat more and not feel guilty! Also, I always substitute unsweetened applesauce for oil in my baking, mostly in an attempt to feign healthful eating. Again, eat more! This was a really fun recipe to make, and easy-peasy, too. Grating apples goes so much faster than regular, old slicing, and I didn't even need an electric mixer. Not having to wash beaters is a big bonus for lazy me! And one more thing - we didn't have any on hand, but I think apple butter would make these especially yummy. Or pumpkin butter, if you're feeling wild and crazy :)

APPLE STRUESEL CINNAMON SWIRL CUPCAKES
Swirl & topping:
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Cupcakes:
1 c peeled, grated apple
2 Tbsp cinnamon sugar from above
1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cups sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 c applesauce - or canola or corn oil, if you don't fear an expanding bottom :)
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with cupcake papers. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon; set aside. In another small bowl, mix together the apples and cinnamon sugar. In a large bowl, stir together the flour - salt. Make a well in the center and add the eggs - vanilla, stirring until blended. Stir in the reserved apple mixture, along with any juice that has been released. Spoon about 2 Tbsp of the batter into each muffin cup. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp cinnamon sugar into each cup. Spoon the remaining batter into each cup, a scant 2 Tbsp for each. Drizzle the tops with melted butter. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar over each. Bake until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool cupcakes for 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Remove cupcakes to the wire rack to finish cooling completely.

P.S. No pictures again this week because I'm a terrible food photographer. Any pictures I could post would probably make you run screaming from this recipe, and we don't want that :)

Oink!

Who: The two of us + Eric, Tessa and Miss E
What: THE FAIR
Where: Down the road; it pays to live in the country!
When: Monday, all day long - we even earned our very first sunburns of the summer!
Why: We were hungry for fun, of course! ... And absurdly expensive fair food :)




WHY do we not own one of these?!! Or six or seven?!



Best 4 bucks we spent all day :)



Two carousel rides: $12
One sparkly hat: $6
A chocolate ice cream cone: $2.50
A messy kiss from the cutest-almost-3-year-old-on-the-planet: Priceless :)