"Kid Friendly Cupcakes" aka I'm super lazy!

So a few weeks back I decided that I was going to attempt the individual coffee cakes that are in my Sweet Cakes magazine (you'll remember the Ginger Cupcakes I made from the same magazine) and then realized that I wouldn't be able to finish them for the week I had planned, so I better think of something quick. The following were aptly named "Kid Friendly Cupcakes" and are also from my Cupcake Deck
These cupcakes had a basic cake batter and a pretty simple frosting that I flavored with Almond Oil Extract and decorated with non-perils.

 The results: Happy co-workers at Mr. T's job

And a neglected pup from my night of baking:

Cinnamon Apple Swirl Cupcakes Rounds 1 and 2

The first batch of these I messed up so bad that I won't even bother telling you the details. The second batch went much, much better. I got the recipe from The Cupcake Deck that my HLM Maddy got me for Christmas last year. It is the first recipe I've tried from it.

Some Details:

From Start to Oven: 25 minutes. Including grating the apple. Hell yeah!

Oven time: 18 minutes

Replacements: I used vegetable oil instead of canola/corn oil. I'm not sure if that made a big difference or not.
What I loved: Only one spoon is needed for this recipe, no electric mixers required. Also- hello, delicious cupcakes that could pass for muffins in less than an hour?! These were also the simplest I have made thus far, making them a winner for kids and people that just got home from a long work day (like me.)
What I didn't love: That they were greasy enough to make the cupcake liner greasy. I prefer cakey cupcakes that don't mar up my pretty tin liners ;) In the future I'll definitely be looking for thicker "grease proof" liners.
Yield: 12 Cupcakes (you'll have no problem polishing them off)

 Bretta's favorite part? That she gets the apple core....

What we've been cooking: Creme Brulee and Veggie Comfort food

For my Mother-in-law's birthday, the other Mrs. T, we were given the assignment of bringing dessert. Not wanting to bore with a batch of obligatory cupcakes and wanting to stray from the typical "berries and ice cream" routine we decided to take a leap: Epicurious's  Creme Brulee With Berries.
Mr. T and I both forgot to photograph the Creme Brulee but we were very pleased with the results, considering my flub. I tried to follow the recommendations from the comments section, and only use eight egg yolks, instead of 9, and then realized we only had 7. And then when I cracked number 5 it also cracked the yolk, so we ended up with 6. We did use the 2 cups of cream that other people suggested, and came out with more of a pudding-like Creme Brulee. I think in the future I will not be so lazy and go to the store to get more eggs, even if it is late Wednesday night and I've got an early day ahead of me. Even missing 2 egg yolks, I thought it turned out pretty well.

A few months back I asked some ladies on my local messaging board what I could do to get Mr. T to enjoy Swiss Chard more. One of the women who's cooking stories I'm always drooling over suggested Epicurious's Sweet potatoes, apples and braising greens  Since Mr. T does most of the cooking during the week, he decided to give it a shot. The end result was very nice. I do recommend taking it easy on the salt though. ;)

 (shown with a Gruyere topped pork chop and apple sauce)

Bretta has been working on her front seat-steal maneuvers

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

For Easter I had to go with something bunny style- so I chose Martha Stewart's carrot cupcakes
I skipped adding coconut to the icing and almost used up all the icing this time. Naomi would be proud.
These ended up being a little heavier than I would like and slightly greasy. Unfortunately my cute cupcake papers weren't quite up to the task and the tulip design on the outside is unrecognizable. One bonus of these was that they come out with a flat top, making them easy to decorate.

 Please note that myoven is only about 4 inches wider than my standard muffin pan. Gotta love renting!

See the little pink and orange spots? Those are supposed to be tulips :( I'm disappointed with the greasy cupcakes Martha!

Bretta has been especially entertaining the last few days with all of the sunshine. This is her "monster baby" routine. She rolls around snarling on the carpet/in her crate/on "her" chair. It normally means that she's really pleased with where she is and also very tired. Sometimes we rub her belly and that gets her started too. Notice her demonic eyes created by the camera flash. Yikes!

I'm so flattered, I've been tagged

One of my online fav's, the Crazy Bunny Lady, tagged me in her blog post! I've never tried it before but here goes:
1. Who is your style icon?
I dread this question, but since I live a double life I'll give you two:

When does Jennifer Aniston not look fabulous?

Not to mention I love Scarlett Johansson's style.

I like to think I have my own style that I carry out well, which is dress for your surroundings. Hence the reason that I need a bigger closet.


2. What is your favorite Socialite Lit. book?
Umm... Can you repeat the question? The closest I get to socialite lit books are Jane Austen and since I thought reading Emma was comparable to being in a torture chamber I'll name my favorite:

3. Favorite Party Theme?
OOhhh... That's a hard one. I love themed parties. Boxers and Bowties was fun and easy. Not to mention we had some fab make-up.

Maybe this wasn't our best theme ever but we had some rockin' bods!


4. Go to Halloween costume
Anything 80's

5. Extravagance You can't live without:
I pretty much try to live my life without extravagances but I guess mine would be expensive mascara

6. Living person you admire
Grandma B. I strive to be as kind, compassionate and grounded as she is.

Conveniently I took this picture of B and Grandma B last weekend. Because It wouldn't be a post without a little Bretta love :)

7. Greatest Fear

8. Trait(s) you deplore in yourself?
Amen Crazy Bunny Lady

9. What talent would you most like to have?
I would love to have an awesome voice. Like Grace Slick.

10. What is your greatest achievement?  
I don't really feel like I've achieved much in life other than being in a good happy place. I passed the series 7 and 66 exams and have done fairly well in my current career endeavors, that's always a sense of pride but I wouldn't say they are my greatest achievements. I'm looking forward to a bright future.

Now it's my turn to get tagging: 
1. My hetero life mate, Maddy
2. Mrs. A
3. Cole
4. Danni
5. and a fellow financier LLL

xoxo