Posts tagged favorite
April 2, 2010 · Filed under nuts, other sweets, Philosophy · Tagged chocolate, favorite, My Kitchen, other sweets, Philosophy
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.
March 22, 2010 · Filed under business, favorite, gluten-free, local color, media, My Kitchen, Nomadic Kitchen, nuts, other sweets, pantry, philanthropy, Philosophy · Tagged business, chocolate, club, favorite, flour, food, fresh, friends, ingredients, local color, My Kitchen, sharing, skills, suggestions, supply and demand, toppings, travel
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)
- listen to Beru
- plan trips… cupcake tour???
- visit more are bakeries and form my own opinions (starting with My Vegan Bakery today near GMU).
- create a better work schedule
- play in the dirt
- pay off debt
- meet more bakers/find projects to do together
- 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!
December 28, 2009 · Filed under alcoholic ingredient, gluten-free, local color, My Kitchen, Nomadic Kitchen, not vegan..., nuts, other sweets, puppy, savory, travel · Tagged alcoholic ingredient, business, favorite, fresh, friends, sharing
If you hadn’t heard, the east coast got rocked by Thundersnow 2k9 and I have to say, at first I was pissed. I was frustrated that when I’ve got so little time cut out for the people I love, we were snowed in and not able to spend it together.
But you know what, f*#% that bah humbug bull-honkey. I’ve got the world’s cutest sidekicks to taste test while I bake away my frustration. Results: spumoni, chocolate chips, and sugar cookies, 2x sweet potato coconut pies, a couple batches of cupcakes and a really great Christmas.
So, though the Motown and Soulfood party has been post-poned, thank goodness this is VA, so even 2 feet of snow melts quickly. I’ve gotten to enjoy a lot of time with friends and family I don’t see often enough. While I get back to work, please know, that if I missed you, please call or write me. I hope you’ve had the joy of spending time with people you love, and I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
December 17, 2009 · Filed under business, favorite, My Kitchen · Tagged favorite, mobility, money, My Kitchen, shop, skills
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!
December 7, 2009 · Filed under alcoholic ingredient, business, local color, My Kitchen, Nomadic Kitchen, not vegan..., nuts, other sweets, puppy, suggestions, travel, unusual ingredients · Tagged business, chocolate, experiment, favorite, friends, holiday, local color, sharing, shop, suggestions, supply and demand, travel
Happy Holidays homies, (enjoy this Cocoa Bean e-greeting)!
This is my favorite time of year. I’m hoping to get my tree up tonight so I can sit in the dark with the lights twinkling while I try to drag Cocoa Bean away from the beckoning ornaments!
So far, I’m having a great time! So much celebrating! I enjoyed a flawless family Thanksgiving + Lars and I got a little weekend time with my homies back from grad school , too. And upon reflecting the future challenge of life without Can Can, my wonderful Corolla DX wagon, I went on my usual existential bend and concluded my life purpose is to concoct and share cupcakes. (It’s getting real: business cards are ordered and I’m working with a friend to write up a business plan!) Meanwhile, we had a great 2009 Holiday Party for our community of volunteers, students and staff here at the Literacy Council, Cocoa Bean enjoyed her very first snow, and I was again blown away by the culinary feats of the Perry House homies at Friendsgiving. (:
All these ooey gooey sharing caring events have my cupcaking noggin churning ideas for new cupcakes and business ideas… thinking about what I need to do to certify my kitchen for commercial use, how to market more effectively to people I don’t know, how to do community service with cupcakes… Could GDC hold workshops for the community or be totally structured as a non-profit? We’ll see…
In the meantime, be on the look-out for Cranberry Maple cupcakes, the Motown and Soulfood party, and if you really feel like sharing your love, you can order a batch of cupcakes or be philanthropic instead of buying gifts (… but if you really want to buy gifts, these are my suggestions for the favorite cook in your life)!
yes, those are pound puppy slippers
November 23, 2009 · Filed under favorite, Nomadic Kitchen · Tagged birthday, business, favorite, new recipe, toppings, travel
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.
October 17, 2009 · Filed under favorite, local color, My Kitchen · Tagged business, experiment, favorite, local color, My Kitchen
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!
Pumpkin tastes so good as a cupcake...
chomp
i'm getting pretty alright at braiding the tops
look out, Hallows Eve brings its own mischief.
September 29, 2009 · Filed under favorite, My Kitchen, pantry · Tagged experiment, extract, favorite, My Kitchen, new ingredient, new recipe
So you may notice, I’ve veered away from the classic cupcake flavors and I’m looking for something for more pizazz. It’s easy to go flavor crazy, especially when you have the basic vanilla cupcake down and just mod flours, oils, thickeners, and obviously flavor extracts. So, I did just that last night with my new Bananaramadingdong banana cupcakes! Makes me think of my favorite Jetson’s song and the Violent Femme’s cover.
They were delish! I picked up some banana extract at Great Wall and used a little almond extract to give it a warm nutty base. I did about one teaspoon banana and a half almond. I think I might up the banana next time. The frosting though… holy moly, that’s the best part! I used a whole mashed banana, 1/8 cup of vegan margarine, 2 tsp of banana extract, and about 2 or 3 cups of powdered sugar.
As I made the frosting, the banana flavor was so intoxicating I kept wanting to lick my fingers only to realize it was just the extract and none of the sweetness. For those of you who’ve licked extracts, you know they tend to be kind of bitter. This got me thinking about chocolate…
To pull it all together, I decided my leftover ganache would be perfect sandwiched between the frosting and cake. 
It’s all oozy and delicious so this is definitely a cupcake that requires refrigeration. Boy, was I right! The banana was so fresh and and the chocolate and almond gave it just the right tones and bring it down from a Runts inspired sugar high. I definitely look forward to sharing this one soon.
September 24, 2009 · Filed under favorite, gluten-free, My Kitchen, Philosophy · Tagged business, chocolate, design, experiment, favorite, flour, ingredients, money, skills, substitutions, suggestions, supply and demand, toppings
In case you haven’t tasted one yet, look out, my cupcakes ooze with love. This week, I got my first commission to bake 30-36 mini cupcakes of my choosing for the Literacy Council’s Back to School Night. I decided on Choconut, Jelly Donut, and Dreamsicle. Ultimately, it was a good learning experience with a mixture of success and failure.
The event was Wednesday night, so Tuesday after a marathon day at the office, staffing both James Lee registrations, I set out to the grocery store. On the way I checked my voice mail only to find I did not get the little puppy pending adoption at Animal Welfare League of Arlington. Then, I of course only found imitation almond extract and forgot to buy more cupcake liners. Woe is Kt B. When I got home, my sister and I mourned the puppy while we crushed most of a 500 piece puzzle. 
At about 11:30, I went about my preparations, seeing I’d have just enough if I didn’t make any mistakes. 
Then, struck by the mood to improvise, I tried subbing out my regular unbleached all-purpose for gluten-free flour with a little almond flour as well as subbing coconut oil for vegetable. I rushed a little and put regular size cupcakes in with the mini pan. You can see where this is going. I was starting to lose my steam especially since I was sad about Ty the puppy. The end result was less delicious, slightly deflated crumbly cupcakes. 
Not something I’d be proud to present as my first sale. So, a little more defeated, I went to bed wishing happy thoughts for Ty and his new owner(s) and brainstorming what I’d need to do in the AM.
I got up at 8 and decided to use some sick leave to collect my self and make some redemption cupcakes. I stopped at Safeway hoping to find a 2nd mini-cupcake pan and the almond extract. No pan, but I tried Micheals in the same shopping center. They were sold out, but they did have the this cool pearl stuff I ‘m thinking of using for another project. At home, I resolved that Ty is a beautiful puppy and though I’m sad and allowed to be sad, it showed me the kind of bonding I’d like to have with a dog I do adopt. I also decided there wasn’t a second mini pan because I needed to go at a slow pace and be a little more careful and loving.
Nailed it. I think I made the best buttercream and cream cheese icings in kt-history. I also nixed the gluten-free urge. I did use real vanilla beans for the batters and did find the pure almond extract. I did try to candy an orange peel 1. by baking 2. by simmering it in sugar water until i forgot about it… Whoops. baking made a really dry rind, so in the end, I opted to use rthe candied ginger I had. 
End result: gorgeous black and white Choconut, melt in your mouth Dreamsicle, and classic Jelly Donut. Moreover, my office-mates were thrilled they got to eat my “mistakes.”
Then came the last dilemma, Suzanne insisted the Council pay me. I had no idea how to price it so I handed her the receipt from Safeway for a reimbursement on supplies instead. She argued with me but ended with a grin and hug, proud and happy for the sweet little tins we put out for the volunteers. Whew.
Next project: the “American Dream” cupcake… <3
September 8, 2009 · Filed under media, suggestions · Tagged favorite, friends, suggestions
Who doesn’t love web comics? Jake found this gem for me!
My favorite blogger on cupcakes and sweets is Cakespy! She creates and sells her own art and has great articles all over the publication world!
Another thing I love? I love Google Products. If you’re interested in seeing what else I read, you can check out my Google Reader. Also, I’m going to share a Google Doc with those who are interested in helping me brainstorm my cupcake creations. Shh! It’s top secret. Email me if you want to join: beckmaka@gmail.com!
Hero, Anna Pascal.
“Life is a buffet, and most poor bastards are starving to death.” -Auntie Mame
young people…
Cakespy inspires me everyday…
Muppets… plus cupcakes=dreamy!
The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics
