Easter Cupcakes

Today is Easter and we are going to see friends. Yesterday I decided to make cupcakes to take with us. Now, in about 24 hours I am leaving for Amsterdam and then off to South Africa and Zambia for an almost 3 week trip and I have yet to even begin packing. We are leaving in a couple of hours for Easter and I am going to try to get some packing done, but it may have to wait until I return home. I am a terrible packer. I would really prefer to bring my entire closet and bathroom with me when I go on a trip - god knows I've tried. It's not like I need to be all fancy and dressed up, why start that on vacation, but I get worried that I won't have what I need when I arrive. Packing is so overwhelming to me that I put it off and put it off (and even make cupcakes) until the very last minute when I then just throw everything in a bag and hope that it resembles something to wear when I arrive. Another issue I am facing on the trip is that as we speak it is snowing in Amsterdam and about 80 degrees in Africa. Hello! How I am supposed to pack for this situation.
Anyways, back to the cupcakes. My friend Mike has had a red velvet cake from a bakery near his house at most of his birthday bashes and he even brought two to Tami's and my 80s birthday party. It is to die for and I don't even like cake. I have seen some recipes for this cake here and there, but figured that I couldn't do it justice like that bakery. Well, yesterday I got a bug up my butt and decided to make it for Easter (seriously trying to avoid packing), however I don't have cake pans so I made the recipe into cupcakes instead.


The recipe called for 2 tablespoons of red food coloring. After 1 tablespoon it was so red that I didn't add anymore. Here they are, ready to be put in the oven. The batter was RED.


Here they are baking in the oven.



Here they are baked and frosted. Aren't they pretty. I must admit, they are delicious! The cream cheese frosting is so yummy. Mike, I think I can bring them to your birthday next month and you will be very, very happy.
See more pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/pumpkindelight/.
Now I am off to pack, maybe!

Blech!

I think I have said this before, but in case I haven't, I HATE to clean. I like things clean, but I hate to do it. Dirt, dust, water, grime, and other things that go along with cleaning give me the willies. I have an issue with things that aren't aesthetically pleasing and dirty things like the kitchen floor or the bathroom are just gross. Which is why Manuela, my housekeeper, is one of my most favorite people. I don't ever see her, but twice a month she slips in and out of my house like my fairy godmother and when she leaves my house is clean.

Over the last week, there has been a funny smell in my refrigerator. I have been busy with work and getting ready for my trip so I did not investigate further than just holding my breath when I opened up the door. Since I am very picky about my food - again it must be aesthetically pleasing - food that has gone bad makes me want to vomit. Over the last couple of days, I would quickly look through the fridge to see if I could find the culprit, but it sickened me a bit so I just closed the door and tried to forget about it.


This afternoon I got home from running errands and the smell had escaped the refrigerator and was now floating around the downstairs. Holding my breath and my nose, I rolled up my sleeves and got to work.

Digging through the mess of bottles and cartons I noticed that there were so many things that I never used. One-by-one I pulled out bottle after bottle smelling each of them with a grimace trying to locate the guilty party. It could have been the left over black beans that got pushed to the back and I apparently forgot about them, the milk that was a couple of days out of code, or the sour cream that I don't even use so who knows how long it's been in there. I didn't stop there however. I kept cleaning and cleaning until only about the half the contents remained.

Here they are in my sink. Looking through these things I see that most of them are things that I either bought for other people or other people brought to my house. There are 3 bottles of mustard? I don't eat mustard. There are two bottles of bbq sauce. Bbq sauce? There was also a lemon juice lemon that expired in 2005. I do use lemon for cooking, but only real ones. Why did it take me 3 years to throw it away?

Anyways, now I have a nice, clean, albeit empty fridge. I sure hope my next visitor doesn't want any mustard.

Picture Quiz

I love quizes. I found/copied this one from hikinggirl70 http://www.tv.com/users/hikinggirl70/profile.php?action=show_blog&entry=m-100-25343478 while perusing for pictures for another post.

Here are the rules: Answer each question using only pictures.

What is your name?

Favorite Food?

Relationship Status?

Celebrity Crush?

A TV Show you like?

A band you like?

What did you eat for breakfast?

One Thing You're Wearing?

Favorite Color

One word to describe you?

Favorite electronic?

Fun thing you did in the last 3 months?

How do you feel right now?

Your turn!