Vanilla Heaven Success!

With no major disasters, extra trips to the store, or tears I successfully made Dylan's birthday cupcakes!  I combined past experience with some tips offline to make this job enjoyable and truly easy. 

Finished product!

Here are some helpful tips for treats you can't afford to mess up on: :) 

• Cake flour makes a difference!  Although, regular flour is a fine substitute if you don't want to spend the extra money.

• Buttermilk in the batter is something you won't regret. :)  You could even add it to a box mix to have extra moisture and some more yum-yum in your mouth.
• No need to buy pastry bags or pastry tips unless you think you will use them in the future.  I put the icing in a freezer bag and cut the corner to fashion a homemade bag.  Worked like a charm!
• Plan ahead!  I did one step a day for three days.  Day 1- decorative icing Day 2- cupcakes Day 3- cupcake frosting and drop off.  So much more fun than spending hours in the kitchen in one sitting.  I would definitely be more likely to throw in the towel and go out to eat after such a long episode!
• Lastly, don't be afraid to try anything!  Always have extra sticks of butter just in case you have around two. :)

Yumm

 Aaron posing with the fresh pre-frosted cupcake and I forgot to mention the cups were footballs.
So boy! :)  He was so engrossed in his movie he wouldn't smile.
What movie captivated Aaron more than my homemade with love cupcake?

(a) Kill Bill
(b) a John Wayne western
(c) Top Gun
(d) Sleepless in Seattle....hahahhaha

If you guess right I'll be happy to make you cupcakes from the Daniel kitchen! :)

I've got great news to come in the next few weeks!  I can't wait to share.  And no, I'm not preggo so don't get excited. ;)

Much love,
  Nicole

My first baking gig!

My sweet friend Renee's son is turning 7 today!  She has asked me to make cupcakes for his birthday party tomorrow.  I was excited she asked me because I LOVE to bake.  I feel adventurous and free since I'm not a pro so I don't feel pressure.  :)  Although, I am an overachiever and a perfectionist so my mind has been wandering all week about the fancy cupcakes I could make.  I decided to make it sweet but simple since this is my first "baking gig." :)
I went with this design------>

They have purple letters and yellow icing since he is a die hard LSU fan (even at the age of 7!)  They start young these days.  The icing for the letters is a swiss meringue butttercream frosting.  It's as delicious as it sounds.  Want to know why?  4 sticks of butter.

The cupcake recipe I decided to use looks divine and I can't wait to try it.  Dylan requested vanilla on vanilla but I thought I could spice it up for the adults so I'm adding buttermilk in the batter with a cream cheese frosting. Recipe found here. 

This is why I run people.  So I can eat anything dealing with butter and cream.
I can't wait to show you all the finished product tomorrow! 

Happy Saturday!


Nicole

Kitchen Talk

You can tell a lot about a woman from the goodies in her kitchen. My whole kitchen exploits my personality. The decor, layout, contents, and most definitely the details in my fridge and cabinets. If I plan ahead, guilty pleasures, and if I experiment. It would be fun to gather different staples into columns and put everyone in a category but since we are women which makes us naturally complicated, I won't go there. :)

My kitchen dominates most of my time and is my favorite room in the apartment. I love cooking and baking. It is soothing and makes me feel confident. It extenuates the natural servant and nurturer in me where I naturally find self satisfaction. In my kitchen I am the author, planner, and performer.  All three aspirations that may only go as far as the kitchen!  I hope whatever comes out of my kitchen will satisfy a sweet tooth, brighten someone's day, or if you are my husband, bring laughter.

I like all of my great gadgets exposed. My pots and pans hang proudly, my kitchen aid mixer never leaves the counter, and even if it's not currently being used I always have a cookbook open on the counter. This may mean I like to put on a good show?!  I am a performer after all! Or it means I'm lazy and find no need to put them away after every use.   Yeah, that's it.

98% of the time I have a bag of semi-sweet morsels in the cupboard.  You just never know what the day will bring.  Ladies, it is essential that we all have a bag of morsels on hand.  It has been known to transform my whole day. :)

I currently have 4 bags of flour.  Why?!  I'm the type when the recipes calls for an ingredient I must have that exact ingredient.  No substitutes.  Now I will admit I have gotten much better about this since marrying Aaron.  This definitely relates to the "type A I have a hard time adapting to change and just stick to the rules" woman in me.

Lastly, I almost always have at least one item in my fridge that is past the expiration date. I just can't throw away food. I feel guilty and I always think of the starving children. Aaron reminds me that they couldn't eat it anyway because it's nearly rotten. This means I'm over sensitive and I have hoarding tendencies BECAUSE I'm over sensitive. I think I have every card anyone has ever given me. I cry at the sight of someone sitting alone in a restaurant or any google commercial when the dad writes a letter to his daughter. I'm over sensitive. That's all you really need to know about my rotten food.

 Thank the Lord cilantro or green onions have no feelings.  I'd be done for.

Nicole