Goodbye--and Hello!

I just wanted to post here about my absence in recent months. I mean, since September.

During those months, I have been pursuing my secret dream-to open my own cupcake bakery.

And now-its reality! I am now in business baking cupcakes! I have rented commercial kitchen space to do all my baking in, and my office is from home. I offer free local delivery--and the freshest, most delish cupcakes you can possibly imagine! So I will sign off of this blog, but never fear! I am in the process of getting a blog up on my new site--so you will be seeing more of my creations in the VERY near future!! For now, you can catch up with me on Flickr or through my website. I will also be participating in Iron Cupcake: Earth every month--incentive to develop new flavors as well as network with other cupcakers around the world! So although not here, I will be around.

Ciao!

Omnivore's 100

How the Omnivore's 100 Works:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.

2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.

3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.

4) Optional: Post a comment at Very Good Taste, linking to your results.

**Wowzers, I impress myself with my apparent cultural diversity!**

82/100 My Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison

2. Nettle tea

3. Huevos rancheros (yum!)

4. Steak tartare

5. Crocodile

6. Black pudding

7. Cheese fondue

8. Carp

9. Borscht

10. Baba ghanoush

11. Calamari

12. Pho

13. PB&J sandwich

14. Aloo gobi

15. Hot dog from a street cart

16. Epoisses

17. Black truffle

18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes

19. Steamed pork buns

20. Pistachio ice cream

21. Heirloom tomatoes

22. Fresh wild berries

23. Foie gras

24. Rice and beans

25. Brawn or head cheese

26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper

27. Dulce de leche

28. Oysters

29. Baklava

30. Bagna cauda

31. Wasabi peas

32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl

33. Salted lassi

34. Sauerkraut

35. Root beer float

36. Cognac with a fat cigar

37. Clotted Cream Tea

38. Vodka Jelly/Jell-O

39. Gumbo

40. Oxtail

41. Curried goat

42. Whole insects

43. Phaal

44. Goat's milk

45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth $120 or more

46. Fugu

47. Chicken tikka masala

48. Eel

49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut

50. Sea urchin

51. Prickly pear

52. Umeboshi

53. Abalone

54. Paneer

55. McDonalds Big Mac Meal

56. Spaetzle

57. Dirty gin martini

58. Beer above 8% ABV

59. Poutine

60. Carob chips

61. S’mores

62. Sweetbreads

63. kaolin

64. Currywurst

65. Durian

66. Frogs’ legs

67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake

68. Haggis

69. Fried plantain

70. Chitterlings or andouillette

71. Gazpacho

72. Caviar and blini

73. Louche absinthe

74. Gjetost or brunost--this is one of the most AMAZING cheeses I have ever tried, its so unique!

75. Roadkill

76. Baijiu

77. Hostess Fruit Pie

78. Snail

79. Lapsang Souchong

80. Bellini

81. Tom Yum

82. Eggs Benedict

83. Pocky

84. 3 Michelin Star Tasting Menu

85. Kobe beef--I think I have tried this, but it was after alot of sake, and I can't exactly say for sure...

86. Hare

87. Goulash

88. Flowers

89. Horse

90. Criollo chocolate

91. Spam

92. Soft shell crab

93. Rose harissa

94. Catfish

95. Mole poblano

96. Bagel and lox

97. Lobster Thermidor

98. Polenta

99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee

100. Snake

Please be sure to check out the contestants for Iron Cupcake: Earth and vote for which cupcake you Deem to Reign Supreme! (A vote for My Sweet Cupcakes guarantees you a year of good Karma, of course.)

Procrastinators Might Finish LAST...

But, we do finish!!

This whole month was such a blur for me. I haven't been feeling all that great. My one big "hoorah" in the kitchen for Iron Cupcake was about all I had energy for. This past week, I am FINALLY snapping out of it. I am full of energy...ready to take on the world!

I really thought I was going to give this months Daring Bakers Challenge a miss. Not because I didn't want to make them; I actually was REALLY excited to learn that we would be making ECLAIRS this month. Heaven! But as the days passed by, there was nothing happening in the kitchen.

Last night, dear friends of ours gave us a call. They were busy this weekend, going golfing. But I thought HEY! I can make the eclairs and give them to our friends! Its that kind of motivation I am after. I promised to have them delivered to them by noon today.

So this morning I got up, fed the kids, and then kicked my darling husband and the 2 wee ones outside so I had some time to myself in the kitchen. 9:15am.

This recipe courtesy of Pierre Hermé was pure HEAVEN to work with. It was my first time making a choux pastry. Now, while this might SOUND terrifying, trust me when I say it isn't! They came together beautifully. Of course, I had the whole month to watch the other DB'ers do their own eclairs, and I took the advice of altering the baking time for the pastry. I actually came across this post on 5 Types of Sugar and Other Treats while I was taking in my first coffee of the day and took her instructions for baking time and temperatures.

Needless to say, my shells came out PERFECT. Light and airy, they did not sink after cooling! I was so impressed with myself! I made the Pastry cream with vanilla bean instead of chocolate, and it was just amazing. Look at those vanilla flecks of goodness in there!

I used what chocolate I had in the house for the glaze; I ended up using some belgian dark and semisweet chocolate. It worked great. As I was cooling my glaze and preparing to top my eclairs, I noted the time: 11:30am. Only 2.25 hours to have a beautiful tray of home made eclairs?! Not bad!!!

Perfect choux pastry+amazing vanilla bean pastry cream+sinful chocolate glaze=died and gone to heaven people! I am so glad I was able to share these treats with my friends, otherwise my husband and I would have eaten them all ourselves!!

A big THANK YOU to this months hosts Meeta and Tony, this was a great challenge! Be sure to check out the Daring Bakers Blogroll for the 1000+ bakers from around the world who dare to step out of their comfort zones every month and create something new and wonderful!! I can't wait to see what September brings...

PS: And while you are here, please take a second to head over to the Iron Chef Poll for the August Cupcake Challenge (and vote for yours truly, that would be swell!)

Time to Vote!

Ok peeps, its that time. All the Iron Cupcake Chili submissions are in, and our gracious host has put the cupcakes up for your review. Please take the time to check out all the AWESOME submissions and vote for which Cupcake you Deem to Reign Supreme!

Allez-Cupcake!

Twisted Thai Cupcake

When I saw what the selected ingredient was for this months Iron Cupcake: Earth challenge, I was a bit intimidated, I admit. I a not one of those people who enjoy their spicy and sweet together. The prospect of desecrating anything Sacredly Chocolate with spicy chili's gives me the creeps. Just not my cup of tea.

That evening, my husband remarked, "Hey, you haven't made your Pad Thai in a while. I've really been craving that!".

Hmmm.

My husband and I love Viet-Thai food. I started thinking of my favorite flavors that go into some of the Thai dishes we enjoy. Coconut. Lime. Peanut. And those darling little chili peppers...

Just over a week later, and I haven't made Pad Thai for my man yet. But I did create this little salute to a cuisine I really enjoy.
The chili pepper most common in Thai cooking is known as the prik kii noo. On the "Spicy Hot Chili Pepper Scale", where Habanero and Scotch Bonnets would rate a 10 (the hottest), these Thai chilis would rate a 9. Thats really freakin hot folks. So the disclaimer is here. When you handle these peppers (or any other ones, for that matter), take care and wear protective gloves to avoid getting the hot stuff on your skin (which you could transfer to your eyes, nose, lips, or any 0ther area you might not want to get hot n spicy on). You might have some luck finding these little devils in your local supermarket. I, living in a rural area had a terrible time tracking them down locally. I used to live in a larger metropolitan area, and I would take weekly trips to our local Asian grocer (only a few blocks away) and have my pick of the most beautiful chilis, not to mention other wonderful foods fresh and prepackaged. If you have an Asian grocer near you, I highly recommend you check it out sometime, as a learning experience if nothing else. If you cannot find real Thai chilis, I am sure you could substitute any other fresh chili you prefer. Dried would even do in a pinch. Feel free to adjust the amount of peppers you use to suit your taste.

While I love cupcakes, I don't think I have ever tried an icing-sugar based frosting that I really really liked. I adapted my moms 'Great Frosting' recipe for this cupcake. If you haven't made this type of frosting before, you are seriously missing out. the original, or my Twisted version below, are out of this world and not overly sweet.

While the inspirations were many, this creation is all my own. I am actually pretty pleased with myself!

Without further adieu, I bring you my August contribution to the Iron Cupcake: Earth challenge...



(Hey, its better than calling it the Peanut-Coconut-Thai Chili-Cupcake-with Coconut-Lime Sugar-Frosting-and-Candied-Chili-Garnish. I think.)

The Verdict:

(For the faint of heart: remove the candied chili. For the brave-eat it. But remember this little guy is HOT!)

When you bite into this cupcake you get this wonderful, peanutty, rich cupcake with a decadent coconut frosting, punched with the essence of lime. The chili didn't hit me (or any of my testers for that matter) until after you swallow the first mouthful. An aftertaste, you could say. Kinda like being peppered in the back of your throat. It was not over the top, just very interesting in a quirky cupcake kinda way. I loved it because it let you enjoy all the flavors in this cupcake without being overshadowed by the heat factor. If you love spicy, this recipe could support being upped in the Chili quotient. I think even 4 chilis wouldn't be out of line.

I sent the 10 remaining cupcakes with my husband to work this morning. He just called me to tell me they're all gone now. He got emails from around the office praising this cupcake (some ate the chili, and some didn't hehe).

Would I make this again? YES. I admit it, I was wrong. There is a place for spicy and sweet to live together in harmony. Who knew my nirvana was in Thailand?

Ok, and now down to business.


This is my contribution to Iron Cupcake: Earth. If you haven't heard of it, get with the program!
I have seen a few other IC:E cupcakes posted already, but I expect in the next two weeks the blogging world will be inundated with spicy sweet treats. If you don't create, you still play a vital role in this endeavor. YOU VOTE. Mark your calendars, folks! On August 31, 2008, all the participants will be posted at No One Puts Cupcake In a Corner and you'll be able to vote for your favorite creation. Voting will close on September 4th, 2008.

While it would be self-serving of me to say "Vote for ME!" (because there are REALLY great prizes to be won, from the likes of Cakespy, Jessie Steele Aprons, Cupcake Courier, and Taste of Home) what I really want you do do, is just vote, period! Show your support for this great group in its debut month. I am sure there will be a TON of great recipes posted, and maybe one will tickle your fancy enough to try yourself!

(And I still haven't made my husband Pad Thai. Maybe this week.)

Allez-Cupcake!

I am a Bad, Bad Blogger

Oh, its been a crazy week.

Ok, every week is crazy here. My husband works shifts. My 2 stepkids were here (13 and 11 years old) and I have 2 little ones, almost-2 and almost-4. I am no domestic goddess, I do what chores I can. But dinner is made (pretty much) every day. I even manage to do quite a bit of baking (usually when the little ones go to sleep-thank goodness they have a really early bedtime (and they like it that way!).

So this weekend, I made the following blog-worthy foodstuffs:

a FANTASTIC potato salad. I was actually inspired to create my own after reading the current kerfuffle over using a Cooks Illustrated recipe. I actually hate potato salad, so the fact that I am in love with this one I created (which is nothing like the one linked here) is something remarkable. As is the fact my husband and the brood of kids enjoyed it as well.

I have made it twice this week (its that good) but I haven't taken any pictures.

It was my Grandpa's 84th birthday on Monday, and I brought desserts. Notice the 's' there. The first reason I did that (my extended family lives 2 hrs away from us, so its a bit of a travel for us, let alone any goodies I make) is that my family has been really into buying ice cream cakes. Not only is that a sacrilige to cakes--there is nothing cake-like about it, except the shape--but it tastes terrible. That processed soft-serve, the bits of chocolate crumble reminiscent of scrapings off a bakery floor, and I can't even put words to that stuff they decorate the top with. So I told my family-I WILL MAKE A CAKE. Thankfully no arguments ensued.

Last month when I saw my Grandpa, the first thing he asked me was "Where is the cherry pie?" Well let me tell you, my Grandpa has never requested a dessert from me. So if he wants cherry pie, he gets cherry pie. So the travelling desserts entailed his birthday cake and 2 fresh sour cherry pies. One for company, and one for him to enjoy on his own.

I didn't take any pictures of my finished desserts, and I didn't bring my camera to the celebration.

I have also become quite enamored with no-knead bread. More specifically, the magic that is Artisan Breads in Five Minutes a Day. While making the basic bread loaf itself is amazing, I love it as a pizza crust. Especially on the barbeque. I've made this at least a half-dozen times in the past month.

And yep, you guessed it. I have no pictures to document it.

I don't know how to force myself to take pictures. The camera is in the kitchen. The batteries are charged. I think what stops me is that we are under serious renovations right now, and my 1950's kitchen that looked groovy when we bought this place is now my nemesis. There is nowhere to take a good picture, there is no good lighting, and it annoys the heck outta me.

Fingers crossed, I should have my own Barbie Dream Kitchen before Christmas (oh lord, please before Christmas. I am going crazy here!). Until then, I promise to try to take pictures, no matter if it is framed by custom-made baby-blue 1950's kitchen cupboards. Just excuse the clutter-I have a 2' length of counter space to work on.

There's a New Cupcake Competition In Town!

CALLING ALL ADVENTUROUS BAKERS AND CUPCAKE CREATORS!

You've seen it with subtitles. You've seen it with Bobby and Mario. You might have even seen it in Milwaukee.

Now, there's a new kid in town. Are you ready for it?


On the first of every month, a 'secret ingredient' will be posted for all Iron Cupcake'rs to ponder over, and come up with the most creative and delicious cupcake incorporating that ingredient! August is the inaugural month. This months secret ingredient: Chili!! I am mulling my idea over in my head and getting ready to create it soon. I can't wait!

If you think you are up to the challenge and having some fun, why not join in? This is open to everyone-from around the world!

If the thought of an excuse to bake isn't enough, I should tell you that there will be MONTHLY PRIZES for the winner. And they are AWESOME. Augusts prize is worth over $100 already. It includes great items like The Cupcake Courier , an apron by Jessie Steele , CAKESPY stuff, and a brand new publication by Taste of Home . Is that awesome or what?

Ok, so now that you wanna join in, here's what you have to do:

To join, all they have to do is email IronCupcakeEarth AT wi.rr.com with the following information to join.

Name
City, State, Country
Blog Address
Flickr Name
Referral: MySweetCupcakes (thats me, folks!!)

So there ya have it. Looking forward to seeing you all there.

Allez-Cupcake!