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!
Some people make the world better just by being. They might look as effortless as a fallen leaf, just light and full of grace. I aspire to have such moments. This week/month is not an example… In fact, this week has been kicking my butt. Maybe it needs it, maybe it doesn’t; I’m just feeling the burn…
So, unsolved mysteries of life aside, I’ve noticed I’m blessed by the presence of such beautifully infectious beings. So dedicated to Lars, Joyous and the hospitable staff at Artie’s esp lovely Sarah; I’ve concocted the “Southern Hospitality” cupcake. Sweet tea with a candied lemon twist, it’ll invite a bite of relaxation while you let the sultry heat of summer ease out of a tired body. Pic coming soon.
Hey friends- Sorry for the incredible lag in posting, it’s not for a lack of ideas, promise. My laptop finally died and I have been sleeping more (… on the couch with Cocoa Bean while watching Netflix on my Wii). I actually was attempting to use the WordPress App on my new Droid last night but conked out to Arrested Development instead. I hope during this radio silence, my Tweets and incessant picture posting (thx Droid!!!) have kept your taste buds salivating. I’m hoping the gardening will contribute to some new savory summer cupcake projects too, so be on the look-out!
So let’s talk heart break. I’ve been putting off a break-up with one of my recurring customers… Remember Safeway Al? He’s a sweetheart, but his orders have been a lesson in professionalism. He’s pretty much wanted weekly orders the past month or so and he only pays about half the time. It was too good to be true. He is a friendly night stocker who made regular orders, an easy stop at one of the best supplied baking ailes in town, accessible for drop-off after a late shift at Artie’s… But erratic payment and moderate flirtation fizzled my patience, and when I tried to be more strict about order confirmation, we played phone tag. So now, I’ve decided to cut him off and it feels weird. New/reaffirmed rules:
It’s ok to sell to people you know, but always set a policy of prepayment.
Set firm pick-up/drop-off times and confirm them the day before.
Only do night deliveries to public places or homes of those you know.
I shouldn’t shop at overpriced grocery stores just because they have better hours. It’s not cost effective.
But all is not sadface, we have some other great news. For those who haven’t followed the other Gimme Dem/kt new media feeds:
I made a really extra cute baby shower order:
tax day was met with success and celebrated with Joyous and George Bluth inspired cupcakes.
Saturday, Gimme Dem is donating 150 cupcakes the Radio CPR Record Sale! (If you have an event you’d like Gimme Dem Cupcakes to donate to, please email me!)
I’ve nailed down dates for the most substantial of my vacation plans, so I will not be taking orders July 1-7 (GA bound with the BF), and I likely won’t be taking orders the last weekend of June (Annual AmeriCorps Almuni reunion!)
Come see me Saturday and you can look like this too!
Today, I went to work feeling exhausted which has kind of been happening too frequently. The fatigue has been slowing down my productivity at the office and it isn’t really helping me smile at the restaurant. Everything is ok. Everything is routine, I just know I’m not operating at my best. What could be wrong when I’m pursuing the righteous path of the cupcake calling?
Well, Easter quickly approaches and I’m feeling disappointed in my efforts this Lent. My Lenten promise was very modest this year (15 minutes of time dedicated to reflection or prayer), but in actuality I really flat-out failed. Most days I bolted from bed to get ready for whatever each day was packed with. Especially compared to more successful efforts in the past, I kind of know I missed the boat. Lent’s a time of reflection and worship, and I feel as if I’ve enjoyed so many other opportunities without taking responsibility for my spiritual health. I’ve missed church almost every Sunday since winter started. I don’t feel obliged to participate in the Catholic faith just because of my membership; I chose it because I believe in it. I like having a place and a community and the routine and comfort of ritual. But lately I haven’t chosen it as often as I’d like. I feel good about my relationship with God, I know He knows I care and that He cares for me. It’s more that His house and the rituals offer me the mental switches to recalibrate; and I haven’t. So I feel a bit out of tune. Some might say I’ve very liberally cherry-picked what are morally right and wrong traditions to follow, especially in the eyes of the Catholic church; and it’s true. I think there are many ways to seek truth. Maybe I lack the inner divinity to be at peace any old where. But I like being Catholic and the ways I celebrate my faith. I like the sense of belonging and peace I have even when I go to the 8:30 mass and fight the heaviness in my eyes or struggle to understand the accent of my Haitian priest when it’s his turn to lead mass. I like the social justice activism, the bilingual newsletter, and shaking hands with relative strangers, and how it all fills me with a sense of renewed love for the world around me.
So what am I going to do about it? How will I refocus my efforts? Well, tonight, after a nice late supper on the balcony talking with my dad, I made banana bread for my bestie and my Nana. My sister, Lars and I will take an overnight trip to my Nana’ for a whirlwind pizza/canasta night and then an early mass at their church. So in advance, I apologize for the lack of Easter dinner for my family, but I’m so glad I will be able to carve out some time to be with them on such a special day. After that, I think I might have some new mass options. A friend at Artie’s goes to a GMU mass at 10pm which’ll be way better than the 7:30AM at St. Leo I’ve yet to make it to. And in May, hopefully, I’ll have rearranged my sched so I can have time for church and Bible study, and a whole day off. Ambitious yes, but a well centered cupcaker probably makes more satisfying cupcakes. I love you all and wish you a wonderful Easter.
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.
So with Valentine’s and the rumor of budding trees, hopefully Spring will be upon us with a refreshing warmth. In the meatime, the Lenten season of reflection is at hand! Though it is a solemn occasion, it always brings me a lot of joy to feel as if I can find something when I do my soul searching. For those who don’t practice Catholicism or other Christian faiths that practice this tradition, you may believe in taking time to relect on the suffering and wonder of the world and how you are connected to it. You may think about what brings value and meaning to your existence and share that practice with a community. I think it’s a healthy practice to believe in more than one’s own being and to acknowledge the intricate relationships and patterns that keep us all so tightly knit together. Believe it or not, Gimme Dem Cupcakes can credit its existence to my lenten efforts to be vegan last year and they continue to be a source of joy and an opportunity for personal reflection on my self and the world around me. With so much pain in life, it’s important I have a place to always put love and to challenge yourself to give more and be a better person.
Jesus shared bread and wine, I share cupcakes. I wonder what his favorite flavor would be? So happy anniversary Gimme Dem Cupcakes! You are one whole year old. I wish everyone a succesful and productive Lenten season.
So this winter has been a lesson in humility and acceptance. Father Winter, these Black Ice cupcakes are dedicated to you. Twice I have attempted to throw together a raucous celebration of Motown and Soulfood. This week, I took a bit of a f-you attitude towards Father Winter, but considering my wishes are mingling in the ether with millions of other people’s wishes, I probably doesn’t hold much weight. I guess that free will really matters. Maybe the wishes of one-girl-working-everyday battling against the millions of weekday-workers in the DC area, it’s more convenient to snow on the weekends… even if it’s the weekends I pick to party.
So what do I take from this? Snow keeps my income suppressed, people don’t go to restaurants and I don’t get my office hours. I miss time with people I love, because these events are one of the rare moments I carve out a niche of time for myself and I get to see more people at once. When I get snowed in, the only one I can play with is Cocoa Bean and her bum leg gets sore after a while. So what’s a girl to do?
Turn that frown upside freaking down. Even though it’s super inconvenient, we’re equipped. I’ve got plenty to keep me entertained if I get snowed in: cupcake experiments, story-boarding for the new stop motion, the Evil Dead Trilogy, and some cookbooks I need to get back to. I think I’ve gone about how to use my time somewhat the wrong way. I think I need to revisit my scheduling and build in more free time weekly and not just the time I wrestle free. Snow or not, I’m probably overtaxing the haphazard kt machine. I need a little more fun during normal waking hours. And hopefully, this weekend won’t be a bust. If we time it right, maybe Beckybot can get snowed in with me or we’ll be able to Gchat and share hot cocoa remotely. And in the meantime, I can take a trip to my favorite grocers for the party supplies on the off chance Motown and Soulfood turns into a slumber party. I think I’ll also rustle up some Grumpy Grizzlies to share with Cocoa Bean and my family, too.
today was one of the most frustrating days i’ve had in a long time. so much so, i’m gonna go old-school kt and use no caps, because caps are like yelling and i feel like whispering. but back to the point, today has ultimately inspired a cupcake, and this post will be about that meandering thought process.
today was not my routine… summary: a pseudo-stranger thought i was engaged to my ex and my sister’s bf had a fender bender in my car while doing me a favor of picking her up while i was at work . wtf? i think that’s as much back story as you need to know it messed up my zen-master training.
as i resume focus just left of center, i realize, when i’m sad i like to think of moments when i’m falling in love. so i’d like to concoct a cupcake that captures that concept. something that’s both fragile and dense, but that somehow has a quality of light. sensual and dark but oozey and delicate. serious and silly. i’m picturing a dark chocolate almond flour cupake with a rasbperry coulis center and some kind of mousse instead of frosting … i want i to be messy. something that might be fun to smother in a friends face or lick off your thumb. and i’m going to call it the Bastard Cupid. yes, it required caps.
it’s happenin.’ i have to get more sugar and such, but be on the lookout for pictures tomorrow night or friday.
Dad was watching the Today Show as usual (he’s turned into a teary pouty middle-aged woman) and Ann Curry barreled through the announcement that Obama had won the Nobel Peace Prize. ::Gasp:: Everyone’ surprised, and at first I was realing.
I’m glad I had baking time set aside to process. The AmeriCAN Dream cupcakes are almost grotesque, I love it. It so suits my reaction to the Nobel Committee’s announcement. I called my two best friend Joy and Becky to hash it out. Did I miss something? When was the last time Obama went on a hunger strike? But that isn’t the point. It’s not really about the man, or his actions exactly. It’s the messages and how they moveothersto make a better life. It’s about how he represents a shift in attitude and approach; dignified posture that sheds the shameful, neanderthal approach of the Bush administration and gets back to approaching leaders and talking instead of shooting. I have to agree, he must be stretched thin, and not that much policy has changed, but he’s leading a movement, he’s changing minds. Maybe he hasn’t gone on strike but he’s made moves, and moreover, I’m he’s sacrificed. He’s going to make so much more possible. I worry that as this award is somewhat premature, it amplifies the expectation we all place on him. Can he really save us?
Mr. President, free cupcakes for life. That’ a promise. Just say when.
I’m glad I got to churn out these awkward litle lovelies on such a special day.
cherry, backberrry, blueberry
Until the President calls, I’ll have to share elsewhere.
