Happy Birthday Rummy

For my Mister's birthday I made some Irish Car bomb cupcakes. I found 2 websites with recipes that varied slightly. [cupcakerehab.com & bigcitycooking.blogspot.com] Since this was my first time making these and it was a special occasion I decided to reserve my usual shenanigans of selectively following the script for another time. I settled for cupcakerehab's recipe overall because it was an easier recipe to follow: less steps, it called for less butter and a whole bottle of Guinness rather than just a cup.

GUINNESS STOUT CUPCAKES

source: cupcakerehab.com

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch fine salt
1 bottle stout beer (recommended: Guinness)
1 stick butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
¾ cup sour cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt.
In another medium mixing bowl, combine the stout, melted butter, and vanilla. Beat in eggs, 1 at time. Mix in sour cream until thoroughly combined and smooth. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.

Divide the batter equally between muffin tins, filling each ¾ full. Bake for about 12 minutes and then rotate the pans. Bake another 12 to 13 minutes until risen, nicely domed, and set in the middle but still soft and tender. Cool before turning out.

***

Both recipes had virtually the same instructions for the frosting. I used less confectioners sugar, 2 cups, one stick of butter and I used way more Baileys than the recommend 4 tablespoons.

BAILEYS FROSTING

source: cupcakerehab.com

3 to 4 c. confectioners sugar

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 to 4 tbsp Baileys

***

The filling was a challenge. I tried to be true to the (Big City) recipe but it was not working. The "Ganache Filling" called for 8 oz bittersweet chocolate. I left that out. Maybe that was what ruined the texture for me? I used the 2/3 c. heavy cream 2 tbsp butter, 2 tsp Jameson Whiskey but ended up having to add a cup of confectioners sugar to thicken the filling. (C.C. Rehab) had a much easier recipe for the "glaze". Just Jameson and confectioners sugar. That is where I got the idea to add sugar to the mix to thicken it. Next time I will do less cream, and maybe then less sugar. I ended up with leftover filling.

JAMESON FILLING

Adapted from: bigcitycooking.blogspot.com and cupcakerehab.com

2/3 c. heavy cream

2 tbsp butter, room temperature

2 tsp Jameson Whiskey

1 cup confectioners sugar

Overall I was really happy with the outcome. The cupcakes were moist but not too sweet which is great because the filling and frosting are. I need a better tool to cut the hole into the cupcakes and another recipe for the Jameson cream-filling would be nice too. Birthday Panda loved them and I loved making them.

$40 my ass

In the August issue of 'Los Angeles' magazine a profile of shops located on Hollywood Blvd-(East) features a do-it-yourself store called Fresh Pressed where for $40 you can silkscreen a design on a t-shirt. That's pretty cool except for around the same price you can buy a silkscreen kit at Blicks. Plus, I don't like going to Hollywood AND as my mother used to say, "I'm not shitting money". However, since I like the idea and there IS a t-shirt I have always wanted that is only sold at the Leftorium, I decided to give the whole venture a try; lefty lowbrow style.

***

I drew out the letters, and my baby-bro cut out the stencil. (an x-acto knife makes this task easier) We picked up some Tulip fabric spray paints and double sided tape from Michaels. The whole thing cost about $14 bucks. I already had the V-neck shirt, part of a pack I bought at Target a while back.

1.) Place double sided tape on the stencil and tape it onto the t-shirt. Lay flat and spray the 'black diamond' paint.

2.) An hour later spray the sapphire paint.

3.) We let that shit dry for about an hour then I removed the stencil. I could have done a better job taping the stencil to the shirt and spraying the paint but I am very happy with the outcome. The satisfaction of a job well done earned from a long awaited honest day's labor of love is priceless.

nowhere woman

Last week 'yahoo' profiled this broad who reconstructs ugly fat ladies clothes and chronicles her journey in a blog titled, "new dress a day". The idea of refashioning 365 dresses using 365 dollars in 365 days is essentially inspired from the "Julie&Julia project". Encouraged by the free-time afforded to her through her recent lay-off she has taken ugly dresses and fashioned for herself, a closet full of new clothes, quasi fame and notoriety and a sense of renewed purpose through creative self expression.

It has been 2 months to the day since I got shit canned and I have nothing to show for myself. Blinded by anger and feelings of resentment it has been hard for me to avoid falling into a funk. I sleep till noon, write only occasionally and I have yet to find a job OR even reduced the clutter that envelops my life. I lay awake at night thinking about some magical get rich quick scheme, mulling over job options, pressing my eyes tightly hoping the winning lotto numbers will flash across my lids, as I tell myself that tomorrow is a new day for me to figure things out. Except tomorrow becomes today and today quickly turns into yesterday and I am no steps closer to finding my place in the universe.

My goal is far less ambitious than that of the bargain seamstress. I don't want to become the next blogging sensation, or have a movie made of my life. But I would like to capitalize on my new found freedom as she has. For four years I slaved away at a job I hated and like some damaged animal I have spent the last 2 months lamenting its death. But now it's time for me to fuck the shit out of this precious free time I have been blessed with. By reading Celine, making those cupcakes from scratch, bedazzling my sunglasses, or maybe even finishing that gray corduroy skirt I started 10 years ago. Fuck it, maybe I will take the train somewhere, anywhere. Why the fuck not, I'm free!

Monte Vista St./N Ave 59

Monte Vista Street & Ave 61

"Mmmm. Move over, eggs. Bacon just got a new best friend - apple pie.”

In a Homer moment of clarity I decided to do the unthinkably delicious- make a bacon apple pie.

I opted for the traditional double crust pie rather than attempting a bacon lattice (the criss-crossing pattern of strips). The lattice looked appetizing and decadent but the idea of messing up and potentially ruining all that precious bacon…I just could not bring myself to risk it. This being my first attempt and all. I figured that I would get another chance to fine tune the recipe anyway. next time...

I found 3 different recipes for bacon apple pie on the inter-web and as usual I took what I wanted/liked from each to come up with my own. I am not into plagiarizing or hijacking original thought so check out the recipes that inspired me:

http://elicooks.wordpress.com/2008/10/09/bacon-really-does-make-everything-better/9/bacon-really-does-make-everything-better/

http://www.suntimes.com/recipes/pies/713091,122607applepie.recipe

http://bacontoday.com/the-bacon-apple-pie/

Ingredients:

6 apples: 3 Granny Smith and 3 Pink Ladies peeled, cored and sliced
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon of pumpkin spice (I did not have nutmeg)
2 tablespoons flour
¾ cup of white sugar
½ cup of maple syrup
8 slices of fried chewy bacon
2 tablespoons butter (the real stuff)
Ready made crust (2)
cook: 350 degrees for 1hr+ (until the apples are cooked, sauce is thick and the crust is golden brown)

What I will do differently next time:

- Spend more money and get a better ready made pie crust

-Use 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar 1/3 cup of white

-4 tablespoons of butter

-More flour (2 1/2 or 3 tablespoons) or some cornstarch

-2 more strips of bacon, 10 in total

Making this pie is a piece of cake, especially since I did not make my own crust. The most time consuming part was peeling, coring and slicing the apples. The rest of the stuff is mixed together in a bowl. First the dry stuff mixed well. Next the apples with the maple syrup then add the bacon. I cooked the bacon chewy, not crispy. I let is cool and drain onto a napkin then I tore it into pieces. Lastly toss in the cut/diced butter. Fold together and pour into the crust. Bake, set and eat. See, cinchy. The hardest part is waiting for the pie to cool and set.