Sunshine and Cupcakes

Today my co-workers hosted a farewell luncheon for our director of development. I didn’t participate in passive protest to how he’s handled his impending departure.

The story is... he and his partner are relocating to New York, and although I’m sure this move has been in the making for months, he only informed us of his resignation two weeks ago. Yes, I know two weeks notice is standard, but this guy is a director of a department and in charge of coordinating our annual fundraiser scheduled for the first Sunday in June. Prior to, and since his resignation, he’s been totally lax in pulling the event together.

Now… I know we'll pull it off, but his decision to leave at this stage of the game has left us in a terribly vulnerable position. I just think the responsible thing to do would have included either giving at least a month’s notice or postponing his departure until after the fundraiser. When working in a non-profit environment, you're usually working with too few hands to accomplish all that needs to get done, and I would have just appreciated it if this cat had gotten his hustle on, so that the rest of us wouldn't be left scrambling to do three month’s worth of work in less than a month.

Sure, maybe I should have approached him directly to let him know how I feel, but I didn’t trust my tongue. I was afraid I’d just let loose and cuss him out and that would have simply been counterproductive. So, I’ve kept my distance, been professional and counted down to his last day. I just couldn’t bring myself to put on a happy face for a staff lunch in his honor, while it’s remained unsaid that his departure is leaving us in a lurch. Right before lunch commenced, I grabbed my bag and headed out to run a few errands in preparation for this weekend’s show. No harm, no foul.

I’m sure my recent disposition hasn’t been helped because it’s like the 10th consecutive day of dark clouds and intermittent rain showers and thunderstorms. I’m aware of how I’m sometimes affected by limited exposure to sun light. We had a bit more sunlight today and it looks like the weekend may bring even more, so I’m hoping my spirits will get a lift.

One thing that did lift my spirits this week is my newest cupcake creation. I've decided to call it my “Matisse Cupcake.” I caught glimpse of this scrumptious little devil over at 37 Paddington. It’s a vanilla cupcake with each layer a different color. Olivia used her talents as a visual artist to create an outstanding color palette. Below is a delicious recipe I found over at iheartcuppycakes.com. Enjoy!

Mango Mama's Matisse Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
2-1/2 cups AP flour

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1-1/2 cup sugar

12 tbsp (1-1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature

2 large egg + 2 egg white, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk (I used a ½ cup of milk and ½ pf buttermilk)
food coloring: red, orange, yellow, green, purple (I used Wilton’s coloring gel)
 garnish (skittles, peeps, sprinkles)

buttercream frosting (favorite recipe or canned)
[NOTES: You could substitute a white cake mix for the cupcake recipe too.]

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350F. Line cupcake pan with paper liners.
In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer, fitted with flat beater, beat the sugar and butter until well combined, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs and egg whites, one at a time, beating on low.
Then add vanilla.
Gradually add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk in 2 additions, ending with the flour mixture.

Divide the batter into 5 different bowls.
Add food coloring per bowl and mix to combine until you get the vibrant color you want.
Add batter color by color, about 1 tbsp of each color until all the colors fill the cupcake liner about 1/2-2/3 full.

Bake for about 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire cooling rack.

By My Own Hand

These past months of dire economic news has got me to thinking about my own financial stability… or better yet, my ability to ensure my financial solvency in case Loverman or me lose our j.o.b.

I remember my grandmother always reminding us to have something to fall back on in case our Plan A falls through. My dad went to barbering school and cut hair on the weekends while he was in undergrad. About 20 years ago, my mom started making jewelry and now not only does she make and sell some fabulous stuff, she also teaches jewelry making classes to kids and adults. I’ve always admired my girl, Kim, because when she was a child, her mother taught her how to sew and she’s a wizard with the sewing machine.

Sure, I’m talented, but for the longest, I’ve been at a loss when trying to identify something I can make (and possibly sell) by my own hands. Well… no longer… I think I’ve finally found my “homemade thing,” that can keep a little mad money in my pocket. It’s CUPCAKES! That’s right--- cupcakes, the world’s most perfect food. I’ve been a fan of cupcakes all my life and sure, I know in chi-chi places like NY or LA, cupcake boutiques may be passé, but cupcakes are the original comfort food and as long as kids are celebrating birthdays, cupcakes will be in vogue.

I’ve been serious about baking cupcakes for the last 18 months, trying different recipes and pawning them off on family and friends for feedback. Most of my efforts have been successful, but despite how tasty they are, my icing/decorating efforts have been woefully lacking. In other words, they taste good, but look homely and homemade.

That’s until last week when Olivia and I got a hands-on cake-decorating lesson from a talented teacher at the kids’ school. This young lady decorated cakes as a way to finance her college education. She actually made wedding cakes on the side while getting her undergraduate degree. During our three-hour lesson, we learned how to use the pastry bags, couplers and different decorating tips. We had an absolute ball and are looking forward to learning a lot more.

Yesterday I decided to bake a fresh batch of cupcakes and practice my newly acquired skills in preparation of my babies’ upcoming April birthdays. Witness my newest creation--- Lemon Drop Cupcakes, and I’m happy to say, these little sweeties look as good as they taste!

My Addiction

Yesterday, I came face-to-face with one of my greatest (and sweetest) temptations and I’m very proud to report that I did not succumb! This is a huge step for me because late last spring I developed a non-ceasing jones for Whole Foods lemon bars. My desire for this lemony treat was primal and I’d lost total control under its spell. I rationalized this indulgence by not eating an entire bar in one day, but even just a half a bar a day is way too much. Instead of eating the damn bar, I should have just slapped it up against by rear end and rubbed it in, because in my more rational moments I knew that’s exactly where it was headed.

The seriousness of this situation revealed itself one Sunday afternoon in August when I stopped by the local Whole Foods to pick up my week’s supply (like this alone wasn’t a red flag!) and they didn’t have any. I felt a bit stressed, but decided to just let my fingers do the walking and I came home, grabbed the Yellow Pages and called around to the other Whole Foods in the area, only to find that none of the stores had them available. Management told me, that there was a problem with the supplier. That’s when not only the real panic set in, but also disgust when I realized that I’d become tricked out by this little yellow bar.

Right then and there I decided to take control of the situation, but I wish I could report that I said adios to those lemon bars and never looked back, but that’s not what happened. I just moved on to another addition--- cupcakes, the world’s most perfect food. That’s right, when I couldn’t get my hands on the Whole Foods lemon bars, I went online and found a recipe for lemon cupcakes and baked the most scrumptious lemon cupcakes with butter cream frosting. The upside of this confectionary passion is that I enjoy baking the cupcakes a bit more than eating them, so I satisfy my craving with a few finger dips in the batter, then share the bounty of cupcakes with family, neighbors, co-workers, friends, the mailman--- anyone, just get them out of my house. My repertoire of recipes has expanded to chocolate chip cupcakes, vanilla and chocolate cupcakes and this weekend I’m going to try a delightful red velvet cupcake recipe--- Mmmmm!