Hello loved ones! I missed you. Please pardon my absence. I’d been feeling a little as if Gimme Dem Cupcake’s possibilities had collapsed when I realized it’s ineligibility for farmers market and other temporary venues. I still want to take Gimme to the big time, I just have to re-navigate the path. Meanwhile, I decided to recommit to a modified vegan diet. Everything I make in my kitchen for my consumption is vegan. I also try to include as many ingredients as possible from my garden. That means I’m challenging myself to take my favorite dairy laden meals like pesto, bahn mi, pizza, and saltenas into vegan delights. So far, so excellent.
And while I’ve never been all about the summer slim down trend, this year I have recommitted to taking care of my body. I do naturally tend to be more active and a lighter eater during the season, but I also signed up for a Bikram Yoga class close to my house. I retired my car, Can Can and I really wanted to find something new to boost my self esteem, especially since I can’t meet my Artie’s homies for Tuesday morning runs. So, it’s been two weeks and I feel like I have a new body. I didn’t know about the calorie count til after I started, but overall, I feel fantastic. I’ve been really good about pushing my body for work, but now I’m pushing it for health, both mental and physical. I feel capable and strong as I do the posture and afterwards I’m beautifully sore. I’ve only been to three classes but I wake up with a flat stomach and everything is starting to tone up. While maybe Bikram isn’t everyone’s favorite way to line the body up with the mind, I love the self-propelled intensity. It fits in with my way of being and sort of balances me out. I feel charged for a great day afterward, every time. Let me know if you’d like to come to a class with me!
The past couple days, I was really bumming, but I went into the restaurant last night and decided to stop feeling so sad for myself; just get back to running shit and loving my everyday. It worked. I had great guests and even when things weren’t perfect, I was able to course correct and really connect with people in a good way. I even got into a really nice conversation with a couple about their 6 kids, blogging, and baking. Inspired and feeling full of love, though I went home tired, I decided to get into the kitchen.
So, you may or may not know, the meaning of life is locked in the braided dough of a delicious salteña. A childhood favorite, I learned how to make it vegetarian recently in the past couple years. Today, I have reached true baking nirvana: VEGAN salteñas. Last night, I prepped my vegan mod of the traditional filling and I chilled a batch of Terry Romero’s empanada dough over night. It was perfect. Less buttery and heavy than the original, these salteñas were just as satisfying and flavorful as I ever remembered. Check it out:
Original Recipe for traditional Bolivian salteñas is here. Vegetarian mod. Ultimate Vegan mod.
Results:
Thank you to everyone who continues to send good vibes to Gimme Dem Cupcakes!
Heyo, I just wanted to write a message full of my infinite gratitude to all the supporters who helped my RAFA donation order go off without a hitch. Helpers I expected didn’t show and unexpected helpers did; it was all really smooth through production, clean-up, delivery, presentation, and CONSUMPTION!!! Boom even helped put together a pretty sweet foam core sign last minute! I tried to document along the way. I coasted through two evenings of late night baking with great company and sailed through the event day on a total high, delirious with joy and fatigue. In the end RAFA had about 500 participants and the staff eagerly took home the leftover cupcakes. I didn’t staff the food are of the event but the volunteers said the cupcakes were the most popular. I didn’t put out many business cards and I did get some email addresses on my newsletter sign-up. Special thanks to Jenny, Gloria, Patrick, Nasser, Lars, Joy, Dad, Mom, Auntie Gabe, and everyone who helped me make it happen by coming to my aide in a big way!
So during the aftermath, it feels sooooo good to have a success of that scale under my belt. It taught me how to organize, execute, delegate, and I think it really helped me see my technique. Now I’m trying redirect all that energy and organize my to-do list. First I list, later I’ll get to the prioritizing, most of them will be concurrent anyway:
write recipes/experiment
try to cater a wedding this season (promote me, suggest to brides to be-I’ll give a friendly discount)
find a venue for recurring Gimme Dem Cupcakes beit house shows, farmers markets, gallery openings, or something else small and community based (send me your ideas: wait-listed at Falls Church and Mt. P farmer’s markets)
prepare my first ever cupcake workshop for the after-school program at James Lee Community Center!
There’s always so much to do, but I am so pumped! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you all!
For years, I’ve loved the idea of getting a tattoo. Ideas are great, but sometimes not realistic. I think we have a lot of right and need to control our body image and so I decided to really flush out some concepts to see if it really was important to me.
“In Cupcakes We Trust” is a phrase that echoes in my mind along with “Burritos and Justice for All.” These are some of the sort of whimsical kt-isms that have made the idea of getting a tattoo make sense. Yet, before there was food, hippos were my first obsession. They are just such a funny dichotomy between the doughy, friendly things humans like to idealize, and the actually massive, territorial, dangerous animals that they are.
vs.
I’ve always said, that if i ever got a tattoo, it’d have to fit certain criteria:
1. Whatever idea I get has to stick after at least a year of ruminating in my head.
2. The phrase or image should be in a place I can see it so it’s for me and not just other people to look at.
3. Most importantly, the phrase or image should represent me.
4. And lastly, it’d be nice to have original artwork.
So, I finally selected a concept and an artist I think will do great work, and I’ve decided my first tattoo will be a roaring hippo tattoo to go on my side probably 6-8″ tall/wide. Something like this image
I’ve stewed on the idea a whole year and I still really love it. Matt, the artist does great things and I’m really excited about working with him. A co-worker has already lined up an appointment with a tattoo artist for April, so sometime soon you can poke me in the side and I’ll wince! It’ll be “in the flesh!” I’m planning to see how I like the hippo and then get the other two phrases for my biceps and eventually I’d love something like this, placement and time tba.
I think I’ve shaken off the narcoleptic haze of Snowmaggedon hibernation and I’m ready to resume the normal operations of the haphazard kt machine. Weather is one of those great larger than life phenomena that remind us all to stop being such control freaks, me especially. Through the onslaught of blizzards, I got almost a week and a half of real rest and relaxation. I totally unwound and unplugged as all the appointments on my Google Calendar went unmet, soupssimmered, cookies and cupcakes baked, movies were watched, a little Scrabble was played, and puppy and the bf were well-loved. That of course doesn’t mean I was unproductive! I spent a lot of time on researching for Gimme Dem and got a couple new recipes out : 1, 2, 34 and 5. I also totally cleaned my apartment! The really awesome thing about getting snowed in with such amiable company is, they let me buzz around like a nut without getting irritated and when I’m ready to relax they are awesome cuddle buddies. I’m so glad I got to enjoy the comforts of a warm home and good company, as I hope you all did.
After I got a donation out for Lucky Dog and a special order for Jenny V Friday the 12th, I got to thaw out and warm up with Lars and Cole for a really fantastic Valentine’s in Philly with the goal to see the Jack Rose tribute show. It was incredibly moving to see so many performers so close to the artist performing in his honor and I felt really lucky to be there. I don’t leave town much but I continue to be impressed by the nice and talented people Lars has for friends. Sarah, her roomates and the city of Philidelphia were excellent hosts, stuffing me with good food, canolis, and delicious beverages… Needs met!
In summary, I hope we all go ahead and pull up a love seat, cuddle, and share some cupcakes because we may realize we have a lot of responsibilities that sometimes get the best of us, but Valentine’s or not, build the world you want and spend time the way you’d like with people you care about.
So to prevent burnout, after the crazy LCNV/Artie’s combo Monday, I took Tuesday morning off to hang out with Cocoa Bean, Dad and my kitchen. We had a great time. End result: The Grumpy Grizzly, Ginger Bread, and Thai Tea Cupcakes. They were very well recieved when I shared at the office and the restaurant. Here are some pictures
It’s decided. The kitchen is open for business. Tell your friends, tell your neighbors. For reals. Merry Christmas to Gimme Dem Cupcakes. Last Thursday, I distributed my newly minted business cards that I got in from Moo. I used Jake’s design and two of my favorite photos. Business cards don’t last when you have fans.
I got an order right off for a 1 year anniversary for pick-up Friday. It was cutting a little close. It was Thursday afternoon, and I was on my way to Artie’s and I had to work a double Friday. So when I got off Friday, I went I made up a batch of chocolate mini before bed, ready to top in the morning. See the story in pictures here.
Blunders and successes aside, I am thrilled to be celebrating the year of the cupcake and holiday celebrations with a Motown and Soulfood party with all my favorite taste testers this weekend. It’s been a great joy to share my love and energy through these little sweets and I’m hoping to make it the way I “bring home the bacon.” Thank you for the support, I’ve got lots of love to share!
Homies, last week was a little emotional to say the least. But at the root of the matter, a totaled car can’t stop the haphazard kt machine. Even though Can can, the sex machine that she is, has aged gracefully, one good punch can lay any of us out. While I wait for the inspection sticker to expire, I wonder if I really need a car at all and maybe even I can quit Artie’s… In the end, everyone is safe and in the mean time Can can’ll get me around for local cupcake deliveries and work, so I’ve got no reason not to smile.
So let’s start with the happy making! Yesterday I got to visit my bestie, Becky down in Harrisonburg, and it was a gorgeous drive and a great day for birthday celebrations. Of course I made cupcakes. Dad lent me his car, I had the wonderful company of Jaz. We were starving when we got there so we all went out for a great brunch. Afterwards, Dean and Becky kicked our butts at Balderdash. (Flamingo balls and slow dancing). And who knew Adventures in Babysitting was such an awesome coming of age in a racially and class divided Chicago!?
I plan to let the rest of the week continue the trend of giving, sharing, and loving. Tomorrow, I have baking night with my favorite Artie’s bakers. Wednesday, I have two cupcake orders in the bag (Chocolate Peppermint x2 and Dreamsicle) and I plan to start my break early and do a half day Wednesday so I can relax before I have all my family together Thursday. And Saturday, I dedicate to my lovely Jenny V who is home from grad school. Even though I’m busy, who can’t love life with so many lovelies to make cupcakes for.
Sometimes, when destiny knocks at your door, you should invite them in for cupcakes and soymilk because they might introduce you to a really sweet puppy. Destiny, aka Laura, over at Lucky Dog Animal Rescue is just the kind of dedicated volunteer making the dream of pet-people matching possible. Their organization has only existed for about 6 months and they already rescued over 700 animals.
My sister and I have been scouring the local Arlington and Alexandria Shelters with weekly visits and daily scans of their websites, but after a few strikes out, we finally found our dog. I sent in an Adoption Questionnaire about a week ago after I met Laura at Crafty Bastards at the beginning of the month. She did a phone interview Wednesday and after I sent my follow-up paperwork this morning, we’ve been matched, been approved after our home visit, and Coco Bean will come home with us tomorrow!
I won’t say I’m not nervous. The reason we tried shelters with boarding first was so we could meet the animals and make sure they could connect to us. However, I have to say, after a couple months of researching, I really love Lucky Dogs’s process. They animals are in the gentle hands of foster families until they can meet their owner through Adoption Events. Meanwhile, adoption coordinators work to pair by need rather than first come first serve, enabling more numerous and compatible matches.
I’m so excited to meet Cocoa Bean. When Jen and I were toying with names, I told her, if we adopt a dog that doesn’t know its name yet and it suits them, I’d love the name Cocoa Bean. Cocoa is close enough! I believe she’ll bring a lot of joy to the family and I really look forward to doting over her and shooing her away from the batter or cuttings that slip off the counter or tripping over her when she finds a perfect place to lay out in the middle of it all. I look forward to hearing all your suggestions and sharing my happiness with you all, too. And yes, she’s definitely getting homeade treats.
It’s true, I’ve been dishing it out Mama B style… relentlessly. I’m not the garden variety bag lady. You can’t catch me at da’club ’cause when I’m not feeding you cupcakes or working like a dog, I’m chillin with my homies at the grocery or kicking it in the kitchen… that’s how I do me. I’m on a first name basis with the late night stockers at more than one Safeway. I love grocery shopping after a long shift at Artie’s. Being surrounded by colorful plenty puts me at ease.
So, what’s cinnamon got to do with anything? Pumpkin cupcakes, that’s what. And I’ve been experimenting. I’m all jazzed for Autumn after pureeing fresh pumpkin and going apple picking. Green to gold against these grey skies makes me crave a long morning in bed and endless nights in the kitchen making delicious meals and sweets.
Here are some pictures from some of my favorite October things… Crafty Bastards, pumpkin prep, apple picking, pumpkin cupcakes, and saltenas for RB’s baby baptism!
