Wednesday, April 20, 2011

these cupcakes are the irish car bomb


I am always in the mood for a cupcake. The other week I was searching for a cupcake recipe with some new flavors and a chance for me to attempt creating a pastry more with slightly more complicated steps. After browsing a few food blogs, I turned to Smitten Kitchen, one of my new favorites, for some inspiration. Even though St. Patty's had passed, I decided to try my hand this delectable Irish Car Bomb cupcake. Obviously, several types alcohol (Guinness, Irish whiskey, and Bailey's Irish Cream) gave these little guys their kick-ass flavor! 




I had never baked with alcohol before. As I was simmering the cup of Guinness with a glorious amount of butter, the mixture was not combining. The oil from the butter and beer looked like a sad mess. No matter how many times I whisked the liquid it looked disgusting. I was about to throw up my flour clad hands, throw off my apron, and pout on the kitchen floor. I'm happy to report that I pulled myself together and decided to add in the flour mixture anyways and hope that all the ingredients combined in harmony. They did. All was right in the world. Your beer will not ruin the cakes. Attempt the recipe here!





Though aside from the near Guinness catastrophe, the problem with making cupcakes in my apartment is that Erin and I can only eat so many! Suddenly, after a day of gazing at their lovely piped buttercream and wistfully thinking of the ganache filled centers, I realized I still had 20 cupcakes sitting in my fridge. They needed to GTFO of the apartment before us two college students started using them as meal substitutes. Mmmmm, buttercream...


PS- And why haven't I posted on my bike?! I keep forgetting to take my camera with me when I unlock it from my basement below. I need a sunny day (Friday, I'm hoping!) and the little Fuji will get it's very own shoot! It's a beaut.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

sans color


It is finally spring! I can wear little flats and not die from the frigid bitter cold! Yippie! Sadly, the start of warm (OK, above 40 degree temps) usually signifies the beginning of baseball season and one crowded Fenway area. Needless to say, this past weekend (the opener) was a crazy time to be running around my neighborhood, but what the hell. It was gorgeous! The photos this week are not the best stylistically. The sun kept dipping behind the clouds, making the light impossible to maintain! UGH.


This little vintage jacket is one of my favorite new pieces. I bought it at one of my most treasured vintage clothing stores in Jamaica Plain, 40 South Street, last fall when my mother was visiting. It is an awkward piece to wear sometimes, I fear. The structure and line of the jacket usually require a "three piece outfit" to be broken up but a few accessories or else I tend to look too androgenous and less like my girly self. The cords are from J Crew, the Jeffery Campbell flats are from Goodwill (!!) and the top is most likely from UO.


Also, I bought a beautiful new bike today. I'm super excited about it and will post soon! Have a wonderful week!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

trinkets

The looming, disconcerting, and simply uninviting Boston weather kept me indoors this afternoon. After a short jaunt to Jamaica Plain to my favorite kitchen store Kitchen Witch with my darling friend Leia, I settled back into my apartment to try out my new stock pot with a new recipe. While waiting for my load of laundry to tumble-dry and my chicken stock to simmer, I grabbed my Nikon and snapped some some photos of the collection of dearly loved trinkets that cluster around my apartment. 




My mother is Swedish and was sure to send me off to school with little reminders of my heritage; Tomtes (Swedish elves) and a Carl Larsson tin! Aren't they precious? Also before moving back to Boston for the school year, I had this urge to make a boatload of paper flowers to decorate my room. You know, those ones you made in 3rd grade for May day, or whatever. I ended up buying an obscene amount of colored tissue paper by mistake...Geez.



What are some of your favorite treasures? I love my collection of vintage saucers. I have them in so many colors! A post on those is soon to come... Have a fabulous week!

Friday, April 1, 2011

thurday night treats


By the time Thursday rolled around, I was ready for a little something special this week. School has begun to consume my life again, but the end of the semester is in sight. I've almost completely abandoned my tiny kitchen in the past couple weeks, in lieu of sandwiches and soups that can be practically inhaled so that I can get back to all the work that has been piling up.

Luckily, my friend Michael and I planned to cook a fantastic dinner last night, and eat all this excellent food we'd been discussing at work in the past week. I volunteered to bring the dessert, of course.

I have more baking ingredients in my pantry than actual edible items. Is that bad? I am my mother's daughter. Sadly, I sometimes forget that I am not in her kitchen with every gadget on Earth at my disposable. A zester, I do not have. I had to get rather creative with that lemon peel...

I don't even know... Molly insisted I post this haha.
These little guys were definitely a success at Micheal's. Here's a link to the recipe if you're feeling berry-ish... I found it on one of my new favorite food blogs, Can You Stay For Dinner?

Remember to follow me on Google Friend Connect!

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...