Guest Blogging

I'm going to be doing some guest blogging over at Simply Recipes, one of the most premier food blogs on the internet. I'll be actually actually breaking away from cupcakes and focusing on cookies for a change, the first one being pumpkin biscotti. Be sure to check it out, and keep an eye out in the coming months for cookies that will be perfect for your upcoming holidays!

Cupcake Round-Up 2!

So Cheryl and I have been chatting and it's almost been a year since the last Cupcake Round-Up, so we decided to do it again! We're doing it in fall this time through; last time it was winter and we wanted all participants to have access to all the seasonal produce of fall.

If you enjoyed the round-up results last time, or have just been looking for an excuse to make a unique cupcake of your very own this is the perfect chance!

We've added a theme this time as well for an extra challenge: Re-Invention! We saw a lot of reinterpretations of classic desserts last time, from baklava to tiramisu adapted into cupcake form. Cheryl has adapted green bubble tea, and I've even taken inspiration from butternut and sage soup and a masala tea to create some of mine. If you have a favorite food, be it soup, entree, drink, appetizer, or other dessert, try to reinvent it into a cute little cake.

To participate just create a cupcake of your very own, post it or your blog / LiveJournal / flickr account / whatever, and then send your name, the name of your cupcake, a link, and a picture to both Cheryl (chockylit{at}gmail{dot}com) and me (vanillagarlic{at}yahoo{dot}com).

All submissions are due by October 21st, and the round-up results will be posted on the October 29th.

We also added a new rule: No old posts will be taken as submission, we want you to take a fresh approach. Utilize seasonal fruits, veggies, herbs, spices, and cheeses and find inspiration in your favorite dishes! Cheryl and I will make, photograph, and post our favorite submitted recipes in a subsequent post after the results are posted.

Happy Baking!

Coconut Cream Ice Cream

I wanted one more run on the ice cream maker before it became too chilly. Luckily, Chocolate and Zucchini had a simple recipe with ingredients I had in my pantry. It's very tasty sweet. I upped the amount of coconut by about a cup and used some dark rum and vanilla sugar. It's quite a treat.

Be sure to tune in on Monday! Something special is going to be announced.

Street Food

Sometimes the most comforting food in the world is the kind you buy from a cart along the street. In Poland in perogies, Vietnam it's pho, in the U.S. it's more often than not the great hot dog. Given, a pretzel or churro can also be equally pleasing, but I love me a good hot dog. It is one of the worlds greatest foods. You can keep your truffle oil, your designer chocolate, your fancy shmancy French food.

Give me a foot long, onions, pickles, mayo, ketchup, and some spicy mustard thank you. My personal hot dog dives are Luau Dog on CSUS, The Hotdogger in Davis, and a little cart I love on 20th Street during the Sacramento Second Saturday.

What are you favorite street foods and where do you go to find them?

On Cats, Black Cornbread, and Nudity

From the Archives...
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An old entry I found from a LiveJournal I kept back in college. Hope you enjoy!
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So deciding to bake some delish n' shibby cornbread, I whipped up some batter, let it pour into the set baking dish, and popped it into the oven for the said 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Simple right? I've got 30 minutes to take a quickie shower and clean my groady self. Why am I baking before I shower you ask? Because I felt like it and I don't answer to you, so nyah. So I hop in the shower, groom myself all purty and hop on out.

"Hmm..." I think to myself, sniffing the air, "Smell's like burning." Gentle towel dry to prevent split ends and flaky scalp, and suddenly the hamster hits the wheel.

"Oh Jesus." Eyes wide as dinner plates.

Quickly fumbling the towel on and making a sort of tuck-in knot thingy. Normally I would have just run naked, but today would be the day that my blinds are pulled up, and the people living in the apartment next door right outside my window picnicing. Natch.

Switch to the P.O.V. of the said picnicers:

"It is a lovely fall day, isn't it Cecil?" *I have no idea what their names are, but Cecil sounds fine enough right now. And I added a British accent.

"Oh, but it is Miss Archer, it most certainly is."

"I say, but look in that window. Is he running around almost naked? Whoop, never mind, the towel dropped. I guess he's running around fully naked now."

"And still in the kitchen? Odd. I say, do you smell burning?"

Switch back to me now.

So yes, running like a screaming, sociopathic nudist I throw the smoldering brick into the sink and let the water go. In the process of all this I have slipped on the tile, almost burnt myself, and of course I dropped the towel. I think of covering myself for minute with a fry pan, but 1) that would be just too cliche', and 2) I realize the counter now blocks me from the waist down.

Screw it.

Looking down I see the timer busted, a salt shaker, and an oven mitt on the floor. The dial for the stove is now maxed at 500 degrees. Apparently Cid was playing and in the process, he then slipped off the stove and knocked into everything. God damn cat.

I turn around and wave to the people trying not to look into the apartment of the mad, swearing, now naked crazy person. I wave. Smile. Grab my towel. I go back to the bathroom.

And I really wanted that cornbread. *sniff*