Hello Cupcake :)
At long last some blue skies and sunshine have aligned with our weekend hours. I am anxious to get out there and go for walk along the river! However, first I am baking cupcakes for my Mom's birthday -- the house smells amazing! When I get back from my walk I will fill and ice these yummy morsels.
I found this recipe a while back on the Internet, but have adapted it to be lower in sugar, higher in cocoa and with the addition of baking soda -- replacing some of the baking soda. No birthdays in your world for a while? Why not celebrate the summer sun, a random happy moment, or wonderful, delightful, party and pastry-worthy YOU? Hope you will try, enjoy in good health and let me know how you like them.
Cream Filled Chocolate Cupcakes
Batter Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup canola oil
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. sea salt
3 cups all purpose unbleached flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
2 - 2/3 cups granulated white sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
Combine eggs, water, oil, milk, vanilla and salt in a large bowl, beating until well-combined and slightly frothy. Mix the remaining ingredients together in a mid-sized bowl and add the dry mix gradually to the liquid to form a smooth batter. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line 24 muffin tins with paper liners. Ladle batter into the cups and bake for 20 minutes.
Allow to cool completely and then pipe in creamy filling using a pastry bag (filling recipe follows). To fill, first make a cross cut in the top of each cupcake with a sharp knife, then insert the pastry bag tip and squeeze until the cupcake swells slightly at the crown. Ice with favorite icing or use my Easy Chocolate Glaze (recipe follows filling).
Creamy Cupcake Filling
1/4 cup softened butter
1/4 cup shortening
dash of sea salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups icing sugar
3 Tbsp. milk or cream
Beat together butter and shortening, adding in salt and milk (cream). Add in vanilla and gradually mix in the icing sugar to form a creamy filling. Pipe into cooled cupcake centers using a pastry bag with steel tip.
Easy Chocolate Glaze
1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Tbsp. canola oil
Microwave in small glass bowl on High setting for 2-3 minutes, stirring after the first minute and each 30 seconds thereafter. Watch carefully as chocolate can easily scorch and the time needed to melt/combine will vary from one microwave to another. Drizzle or spread while lukewarm over cooled and filled cupcakes. This glaze will harden and be glossy -- also nice to use for dipping fresh fruit or animal crackers for a quick dessert.
Yield: 20 - 24 medium to large sized muffins. Based on 24 muffins, the calories per are 294, 14g fat per, and 24 mg cholesterol per. Enjoy!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
June 8, 2010
Soulful vs. Woeful
This was a day of highs and lows, a roller coaster ride for the emotions. On one hand I had the great privilege of attending a creativity workshop this a.m., and on the other I attended a funeral for a friend's Father. My friend is taking this particularly hard, and for those of us who have lost a loved one, it is so difficult to see their pain and suffering and to be unable to carry that burden for them -- we each have to weather that storm of loss within us, and in a way that personally brings some resolution and peace.
The Balancing Act
In retrospect, I am even more grateful for the creative workshop in the morning hours that sparked the deepest part of me, the real me who strives to be heard and express itself among the hustle and bustle and mundane striving without core purpose. In this way I was bolstered against the storm of sorrowful emotion that I was witness to (but not consumed by) in the afternoon hours.
Three Girls with Three Gifts
My dear friend is one of three sisters and they each sweetly told about the loving and generous nature of their dear Dad, and how he gave them so much in his years with them. Of all of the hundreds of things, they each selected one gift to speak about. My friend spoke of how he taught her to love and to be good to others -- she sobbed and sobbed but her words came genuinely and clearly through her grief. In so doing, she added water to the lovely flower that was her Father's gift. Such fine girls; I was so proud of each of them as they shared so freely -- I am certain they were each viewed as a precious treasure by their Dad :)
Feels like a Friday...
So, it's been quite a day -- inspirational, poignant and joy-filled in spite of the tears. I am SO sapped tonight that the thought of even a short evening walk is just impossible; but I will allow myself a bit of additional rest to face the remainder of the week. (It really feels like tomorrow should be Friday, not Wednesday!) I think my heart and soul aged a few extra days today, but that is not a complaint -- but growing can take the rounds out of us :) Share your gifts this week -- I am going to be much more conscious of my own offerings and will be more mindful of the need to be generous will all whom I encounter. We are capable of doing much more than going through the motions -- our actions can create great goodness xo
This was a day of highs and lows, a roller coaster ride for the emotions. On one hand I had the great privilege of attending a creativity workshop this a.m., and on the other I attended a funeral for a friend's Father. My friend is taking this particularly hard, and for those of us who have lost a loved one, it is so difficult to see their pain and suffering and to be unable to carry that burden for them -- we each have to weather that storm of loss within us, and in a way that personally brings some resolution and peace.
The Balancing Act
In retrospect, I am even more grateful for the creative workshop in the morning hours that sparked the deepest part of me, the real me who strives to be heard and express itself among the hustle and bustle and mundane striving without core purpose. In this way I was bolstered against the storm of sorrowful emotion that I was witness to (but not consumed by) in the afternoon hours.
Three Girls with Three Gifts
My dear friend is one of three sisters and they each sweetly told about the loving and generous nature of their dear Dad, and how he gave them so much in his years with them. Of all of the hundreds of things, they each selected one gift to speak about. My friend spoke of how he taught her to love and to be good to others -- she sobbed and sobbed but her words came genuinely and clearly through her grief. In so doing, she added water to the lovely flower that was her Father's gift. Such fine girls; I was so proud of each of them as they shared so freely -- I am certain they were each viewed as a precious treasure by their Dad :)
Feels like a Friday...
So, it's been quite a day -- inspirational, poignant and joy-filled in spite of the tears. I am SO sapped tonight that the thought of even a short evening walk is just impossible; but I will allow myself a bit of additional rest to face the remainder of the week. (It really feels like tomorrow should be Friday, not Wednesday!) I think my heart and soul aged a few extra days today, but that is not a complaint -- but growing can take the rounds out of us :) Share your gifts this week -- I am going to be much more conscious of my own offerings and will be more mindful of the need to be generous will all whom I encounter. We are capable of doing much more than going through the motions -- our actions can create great goodness xo
Sunday, June 6, 2010
June 6, 2010
R & R Crisis!
My Mom, the wise mother of seven kids, once said "Small children, small problems..." As I have raised my own three kids, I realize how true that is. Little ones keep you busy 'round the clock with meals, laundry, supervision and so on, but the adult children occupy you with worry: late nights, dating, driving, working challenges, etc. etc. etc. The bigger they get, the more terror and frustration they can elicit, guaranteed.
Explosion of the Dirt Monster...
Most recently (last night) my two adult daughters were at a wedding social -- we had friends over and were up later than usual; almost to 2 a.m. I went to bed and slept soundly, and did not hear the kids come home. When I woke up I saw what I initially thought were Oreo cookie crumbs on the kitchen floor -- actually first felt the grit under my feet. It was dirt! I looked for broken flower pots, but that was not the case.
What the...?
Next stop the bathroom -- yes, the dirt monster had been here too... There was black mud on the walls, the cabinetry, the tub and tub-surround and even on the toilet bowl and sides. By this point I was beginning to connect the dots as to who the monster was, or as to who may have invited the monster into our home!
Final stop was the back landing and - you guessed it -- more mud, lots of it all over the steps, landing, walls, and area rug. Of course, we just freshly painted those walls a buttery French vanilla colour last weekend... sigh! And I had just swept, wiped the floors and put out a fresh rug yesterday afternoon.
The "Evil Parent"
By this point I was not a happy camper - -I think my older daughter must have heard my swearing! She came stumbling out of her bed, looking pasty and offered to help out. Her story: her friend, "C" fell into a puddle on the way to our house and my daughter had helped her clean up. I countered, "That's what the garden hose is for." My reasoning is, if you act like a pig you don't belong in a human bathroom. My daughter thinks I am terribly harsh-minded -- evil Mommy who doesn't understand her particular brand of drunken altruism. But she has yet to clean Evil Mommy's bathroom, so... I rest my case.
Thank you, Rug Doctor :)
So all of this leads to me spending the first sunny, warm day we have had in about a week indoors, while the carpets are steam cleaned upstairs and down. I decided to bake my nine-year-old son some cookies -- to try and get in touch with my Happy, Nurturing Mommy persona :) Always nice to do something for the little ones who still love you back.
My little dude loves shortbread, which I have only ever made at Christmas, but I decided to break with tradition and made a favourite whipped recipe, with a twist. Here they are, kid-tested and adult-friendly too. Not a diet recipe by any means, but one small cookie is only 60 calories, so hope you will enjoy in moderation; we all need a little food love sometimes and these fruity, buttery delights may be the ticket to accompany your next hot cuppa...
Pam's Cranberry Shortbread
Ingredients:
1 lb. softened butter
1 cup sifted icing sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/8 tsp. sea salt
1-2/3 cups dried cranberries
3 cups sifted all-purpose, unbleached flour
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a large bowl, beat the butter together with the salt and icing sugar until fluffy. Mix in the cranberries and salt. Combine the flour with the corn starch and beat into the butter mixture gradually. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto aluminum baking sheets (I use the insulated ones - these are never fail and help ensure even baking).
Bake 10 minutes; yield 5-1/2 dozen cookies approx. 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Finished cookies should be slightly golden but not browned -- be sure to watch carefully in the last two-three minutes of baking, depending on you oven; I always bake a test cookie and set my timer accordingly thereafter.
Great with a cold glass of milk, hot coffee or Earl Grey Tea.
My Mom, the wise mother of seven kids, once said "Small children, small problems..." As I have raised my own three kids, I realize how true that is. Little ones keep you busy 'round the clock with meals, laundry, supervision and so on, but the adult children occupy you with worry: late nights, dating, driving, working challenges, etc. etc. etc. The bigger they get, the more terror and frustration they can elicit, guaranteed.
Explosion of the Dirt Monster...
Most recently (last night) my two adult daughters were at a wedding social -- we had friends over and were up later than usual; almost to 2 a.m. I went to bed and slept soundly, and did not hear the kids come home. When I woke up I saw what I initially thought were Oreo cookie crumbs on the kitchen floor -- actually first felt the grit under my feet. It was dirt! I looked for broken flower pots, but that was not the case.
What the...?
Next stop the bathroom -- yes, the dirt monster had been here too... There was black mud on the walls, the cabinetry, the tub and tub-surround and even on the toilet bowl and sides. By this point I was beginning to connect the dots as to who the monster was, or as to who may have invited the monster into our home!
Final stop was the back landing and - you guessed it -- more mud, lots of it all over the steps, landing, walls, and area rug. Of course, we just freshly painted those walls a buttery French vanilla colour last weekend... sigh! And I had just swept, wiped the floors and put out a fresh rug yesterday afternoon.
The "Evil Parent"
By this point I was not a happy camper - -I think my older daughter must have heard my swearing! She came stumbling out of her bed, looking pasty and offered to help out. Her story: her friend, "C" fell into a puddle on the way to our house and my daughter had helped her clean up. I countered, "That's what the garden hose is for." My reasoning is, if you act like a pig you don't belong in a human bathroom. My daughter thinks I am terribly harsh-minded -- evil Mommy who doesn't understand her particular brand of drunken altruism. But she has yet to clean Evil Mommy's bathroom, so... I rest my case.
Thank you, Rug Doctor :)
So all of this leads to me spending the first sunny, warm day we have had in about a week indoors, while the carpets are steam cleaned upstairs and down. I decided to bake my nine-year-old son some cookies -- to try and get in touch with my Happy, Nurturing Mommy persona :) Always nice to do something for the little ones who still love you back.
My little dude loves shortbread, which I have only ever made at Christmas, but I decided to break with tradition and made a favourite whipped recipe, with a twist. Here they are, kid-tested and adult-friendly too. Not a diet recipe by any means, but one small cookie is only 60 calories, so hope you will enjoy in moderation; we all need a little food love sometimes and these fruity, buttery delights may be the ticket to accompany your next hot cuppa...
Pam's Cranberry Shortbread
Ingredients:
1 lb. softened butter
1 cup sifted icing sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/8 tsp. sea salt
1-2/3 cups dried cranberries
3 cups sifted all-purpose, unbleached flour
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a large bowl, beat the butter together with the salt and icing sugar until fluffy. Mix in the cranberries and salt. Combine the flour with the corn starch and beat into the butter mixture gradually. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto aluminum baking sheets (I use the insulated ones - these are never fail and help ensure even baking).
Bake 10 minutes; yield 5-1/2 dozen cookies approx. 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Finished cookies should be slightly golden but not browned -- be sure to watch carefully in the last two-three minutes of baking, depending on you oven; I always bake a test cookie and set my timer accordingly thereafter.
Great with a cold glass of milk, hot coffee or Earl Grey Tea.
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