The one with Orange Blossom Cupcakes

Today, I decided to make cupcakes for a charming man who has been commanding quite a bit of time in my life. Cake is one of my favorite things in this world; being so, cupcakes likewise bring me great joy.  My favorite vanilla cake batter recipe calls for 4 egg-whites whipped into hard peaks, as of late, I have become a bit of an expert with getting those beautifully shiny peaks as shown below. 

The batter comes out light & very fluffy because it's a mixture of 3 main components: the egg meringue, a sugar-butter mixture, & a dry mixture. I filled cupcake tins (I always loved the look of silver tins around cupcakes. Weird?) 2/3 full & popped into the oven for 30 minutes: slow baking also leads to fluffiness :)

I also decided to add some Orange Blossom Water to the batter to add a hint of delicate flavor to the cakes. When they came out of the oven I couldn't help myself, I had to try one!!

It is imperative to proper cupcake-making that the cupcakes are fully cooled before frosting.

I decided to go with a simple chocolate frosting in order to compliment the Orange Blossom. Here's the link for the Frosting Recipe. Since blueberries are in season, they made the perfect little garnish.

Cupcake to go?!?

I had originally made all the cupcakes the same -- which is my usual style, but while playing with the last of the frosting, I stated putting these little "kisses" as I called them (resemble Hersey Kisses) around the edges of one cupcake. I continued & soon enough had a cupcake full of Kisses for my man. Might be silly, but it made me smile!

So tempting, can't wait to get into these!

The one with Haunting treats

I find joy in the simplest of things, it's an incurable affliction. So when my office announced that there would be a small Halloween lunch get-together, I naturally started planning out what tricks & treats I would bring to the celebration.

The idea which originally struck me was Disneyworld's Haunted Mansion, & they're quirky-humorous gravestones which line the entryway & leave only traces of a spooky element. Thanks to GoogleChrome, I came up with a slew of ideas within minutes, & happy created the sweets you'll see before you. I find myself often concerned with making consideration for everyone in projects like this, so I made both a vanilla & a devil-food cake. First they got a nice earthen-like frosting of vanilla, next a sprinkle of crumbled oreo cookies (no cream) to continue to communicate the look of earth.

Once I was satisfied with their appearance, I began placing the gravestones (complete with humorous epitaph) into my little cupcake-cemetery. I was wildly excited with how perfectly precious they looked together.

I next did the same with my chocolate frosting..... needless to say they were the talk & enchantment of the office party!

Some of the Epitaphs read as follows:

Barry M. Deep

Real E. Old

I. B. Dead

Yul B. Next

Creek E. Bones

Ted N. Berheed

Hugh Jass

Under A. Rock

Dee Kaying

Justin Peces

M. T. Tomb

Y. Z. Stil-Livin

Les Manly

K.A. Put

Rattle M. Bones

Myra Mains

Bitby A. Snake

Lotta Dust

As for my frosting, which I insist on making from scratch (canned tastes dull & lacking integrity), it is the simplest thing ever! 3 tbsp cold butter, 1 pkg cream cheese, 1 tsp vanilla, 3c. confectioner sugar. Blend very well together & then you can add whatever flavors you want, almond, lemon, orange, strawberry, chocolate, etc. LOVE!

The one with SugaRush

Today I discovered a brilliant little cupcake shop just down the road from my work! It's called SugaRush & they have entirely made my day! I went in on my break to find an assortment of very tasty looking cupcakes! After choosing the Red Velvet, they took one which was un-frosted, placed it in it's own Chinese-carry-out-style box, iced it fresh, & dashed on some fresh sprinkles! The package could not be beat in charm! The cupcake itself, even had a plaid cupcake wrapper -- cute!

Beyond their brilliant marketing & packaging techniques, SugaRush follows through with their promise of a delightful cupcake. The cake was moist & rich, the frosting slightly tangy, it was a delicious compliment. After my afternoon latte, it was a perfect treat & I'm truly glad I only had one cupcake on hand!! I can't wait to go back & share them with my friends -- get this, the "Cupcake Bar" is open until Midnight Saturdays! Such fun :)

Another simple comfort today, came in the form of first seeing DEV's video for "In the Dark". I've said it over & over, but this lady is under-appreciated. I truly enjoy her work & look forward to the day she sees a little more recognition -- hopefully it won't change her!

The one which is Bastille Day!

C'est la vie...I decided to celebrate Bastille day with some elan vital (excited force) by adding phrases en Français....but au contraire mon ami...they looked at me as though to say "merde alors!" (damn it) It is a good thing j'ai la bonne vivant! (I live the good life). To them I simply replied "excusez-moi" before singing happily to myself "Un éléphant se balançait" the first french song I learned beyond Frere Jacque. Haha c'est amusant!

Sur la tas (on a whim) I decided to make some cupcakes de regle de la Français (in the custom of the French) for the office. I started with a basic yellow cupcake, added a simple cream cheese frosting, myrtilles (blueberries) & fraises (strawberries). Et Voila!

The majority of the day's GrooveShark was dedicated to Yelle, my favorite French artist these days. Of her songs, I enjoy Ce Jeu (This game), Tu es Beau (you are handsome), & above all others Safari Disco Club

Ah Paris....we'll always have those memories! Bien fait, n'est-ce pas?

The one where it's Summer in Chelsea

Let me begin by saying that Chelsea is one of my favorite areas of Manhattan; many people may knock it, but I will continue to showcase the blooming flowers among the thorns which is the remnants of the meat-packing district.

One such place is the Chelsea High Line: this used to be nearly 1 1/2 miles of freight railroad before it was slowly converted & opened in 2009 as an open-air walkway/park above the streets of the lower-west side.

It's an idyllic little place, almost like a secret garden. It is progressive in that traffic moves along the walk; however, along the way there are many little sitting areas, bird-houses, theater-like seating, & lounge areas which seamlessly blend together. I think the most remarkable thing, is the way in which the design allows both urban & wild to co-exist & nearly merge together. It's a wonderful spot to chill, walk, enjoy the sun, chat with friends, or just escape for a while. They even have performances along the High Line: Autumn Crossing. Regardless of your reason, I will suggest over & over that you check it out, it's a fun community of sorts.

We stopped by Chelsea Brewing Company, which is a little-known-spot which I used to adore. Sadly, the menu has changed & my favorite items (gourmet burgers & sweet potato fries) have been evicted. I was thrilled to experience their new item -- Prosciutto bread -- this ingenious bread has pieces of prosciutto baked into it, with a garlic & parsley dipping oil!! YUM! Needless to say, it's still a great spot, with brewed on the spot beer, water-front setting, & a chill atmosphere. A relaxed dinner for a warm summer evening!

Later as we took the subway uptown, we encountered the most obnoxious human in Manhattan, yea, we found him. I had the urge to pose this question "Exactly how many times in a day do you get slapped? On Average?" I truly had to remind myself to be a good person in order to refrain.

No friend afternoon would be complete without trying on ridiculous outfits together. To the left is 80's reincarnate (stay-tuned for the work-out video) & on the right is a magenta kangaroo in dress-form.

The train ride back from the city was the picture of any NJTransit advertisement. Divouring gourmet cupcakes (Chocolate fudge w/mocha icing) & drinking individual bottles of rose wine! Sure Grand Central has God's view of the heavens, but Penn Station sells cold-single-serve Wine!! Childish-Adult fun at it's best!