Gimme Dem Cupcakes is still toddling along in its early stages, but its been such an empowering outlet for me to share my energy. Thank you to all my supporters. Just for fun, I’d thought I’d share this super sweet email I got just into the new year:
The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:
The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads This blog is on fire!.
Crunchy numbers
A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 4,900 times in 2010. That’s about 12 full 747s.
In 2010, there were 34 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 66 posts. There were 92 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 39mb. That’s about 2 pictures per week.
The busiest day of the year was October 22nd with 89 views. The most popular post that day was Don’t Be Too Blueberry.
Where did they come from?
The top referring sites in 2010 were vegdc.com, facebook.com, twitter.com, flickr.com, and WordPress Dashboard.
Some visitors came searching, mostly for gimme dem cupcakes, i miss you cupcake, food trucks, food truck, and i love you cupcake.
Attractions in 2010
These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.
Some of you may be wondering where I spend my time when I’m not baking or who I share my yummies with… Ask no more! Check out the blog for Literacy Council of Northern Virginia to get to know the staff and the daily haps of my daily grind (aka best place to work and volunteer)!
I woke up feeling awful this morning, my whole body aching as I tried to do my morning stretch. My sister just got over the same cold that laid her out for almost a week of coughing, feevers and general uselessness. “Crap, ” I thought. “I have so much to do,” as I thought about the training, paperwork, and other projects I had piling up on my desk. After a cup of mornign tea with my dad and a peak at the apple pie I made for today’s potluck, … Read More
We don’t all have fairy god mothers, magic shoes, or leagues of talking animals to help us along our way. What we do have is our own free will and the wonderful people we meet to help us make the days full of love and laughter. After a very long and hard September, I had a weekend with good friends to refresh me.
Lars, Becky, and Jenny with me, I had a chance to enjoy the fresh air, campfires, and lots of delicious food. These kinds of weekends are more magical than any movie.
Now that I’m back to normal, after my weekend getaway, how do I continue to celebrate the everyday? Well, I realized, a day without good food doesn’t make for a very good day. I’ve been trying to keep Mondays reserved for family dinners. So yesterday, I bought some herbs de provence for a roast for the fam and fennel for some savory lentils. To round out our first autumn meal together I concocted a new cupcake recipe: the Red Rose. It’s a combination of my favorite everyday tea and rosewater. Sweet, warm and simple, the Red Rose is fit for the everyday princess in all of us.
[This batch was gobbled... New batch and picture coming soon]
When I need to recover from my infinite work-week, I look forward to the bliss of Saturdays. They seem brighter, freer, and fresher. Usually I go to the market with my sister, but this Saturday was extra special. I woke up and made three batches of mini-cupcakes (tiramisu, chocomint, and dreamsicle) for DC’s first Cupcake Camp! I was satisfied with the presentation, but I wish I had gone with an original recipe and more ambitious decorating for competition.
Overall, it was a great event though. On possibly the most gorgeous day in September, a slew of cupcake bakers and consumers shared mutual love of food and experience. Dedicated volunteers managed a blog to build buzz and organized volunteers to manage the event. Cupcakes were divided into rounds to be distributed to judges and then spectators every 15 minutes. I wish it was a bigger venue and that they had anounced the rounds, but I did meet some nice bakers and I totally chowed on so many cupcakes. Next year, bringing containers so I don’t go into sugar coma. Lars helped me recover with a catnap and a pretty serious session of bbq consuming. Check out the Flickr pool to see more pictures from the areas cupcake camp! Can’t wait ’til next year!
this morning’s post requires subtlety, so it’ll be sans caps in true kt b style. it’s after 4 this am and i still haven’t gone to sleep. i’m listening to yankee hotel foxtrot and the slide guitar has me swaying as i type the last few notes up for my training meeting. i needed this music tonight. these past few weeks have been really difficult for me; not the hurtles i have to face or the action i use to pass them, but just my mental place. i still think i might be half super hero, but i know i’m susceptible to the kryptonite effects of self-doubt and its ability to distort the perception of reality.
i’ve been going and going strong, two years helping my family, urging each of us to seek our own strength and independence. i’ve grown a lot and met many wonderful people along the way. while we each have tasks or jobs in life we wish were easier, different or just not there, i realized, i too have limits. i need to be careful of the doors i leave open, inviting people to take advantage of me. and i also need to know there will be relief. my faith has been shaken by the fact that my parents divorce still isn’t resolved after two years of separation. i’m an ambitious young 26 year old woman and i have no savings and school loans to pay off. and what about what they want. they don’t want to be in this permanent purgatory between poor marriage and independence. i know each of us is capable of success, we just haven’t succeeded yet. i’m realizing my parents might not feel strong enough to. i’m realizing i can’t make up for that kind of vulnerability with money or favors. they need self worth and trust in self after too many years of sinking into a turpentine clouded by the layers of beautiful youth and strength that eased into cold forgetful compromise of independence. they didn’t have a partnership, they shared a sense of the other as a stranger, both creating horrible reflections in their mind of the other.
so as the busy fall season approaches, as painful as this self reflection and revelation has been, i hope i don’t forget it. i hope i hold my family accountable for their responsibilities in hopes that we can have more healthy relationships. i’d like to say i’m baking a family of gingerbread people to commemorate this all, but really, i’m giving my self til 5 in the office and then i’ll be busy with two other gimme dem orders. i’m glad for it. i’m glad to see the things i don’t like because i know they don’t have to stay that way. i’m glad i know my self and my free will enough to choose a better life. and i’m glad i have you, my friends. a baker like me is always looking for a place to put her sweetness. screw the fantasy of a terrible present or a impossible dream of the good life. as jake/oasis would say: build a better place and call it home.
I’ve been a bad blogger but a much better baker. I’ve had orders alost every week, but it’s been full tilt boogy with my work schedule. I pack something in every day and it’s turning out to be a very full summer.
So the other evening, I was slouched in a seat on the metro when I was overtaken by a whiff of nostalgia. A smell of food service, the kind of smell that comes from no-slip shoes that have tread the kitchen many times, day in and day out. The feet that walk across the floor when it’s pristine in the morning, half-covered with crumbs during the rush, and sudsy mid-mop at the end of the day. They are decidedly stinky shoes with a layer of grime that is embed in the sole. I still love that smell, though. My parents worked at restaurants when I was little, one a kitchen manager, one a server, both rigorously emptied of energy each day.
I remember visiting them at work, meeting their coworkers, playing flashlight tag during power outages, helping myself to their cheese cakes, crab legs, and whatever else the smörgåsbord of the moment provided. The restaurant regulars and workers were our community of friends and neighbors. When my parents weren’t working, I’d want them to relax, playing server to them at home. I’d scoot a little cart to carry their food or beverages. Maybe it’s that romanticism mingling with manifest destiny that I now find myself a server to support my dreams of full time baking.
I work almost as many hours at Artie’s as I do at the office and I realize that you can’t spend that kind of time in a place for three years and not fall in love with the people. It’s hard not to make them cupcakes… Wednesday afternoon, my last guests were the sweetest middle aged couple I’ve ever met. About 3:30, a smallish man around 60 and his wife sat down at a window near the door and we fell in love. Over the few moments it takes to serve water, a bowl of soup, the crab cakes and a crème brûlée, we fell in love. I was overjoyed and refreshed as they graciously thanked me for every little thing. That’s the sort of people who come, nice people, people who care about how they treat others nd care about how others treat them. The same goes for my coworkers. Since I got back from vacation, the company has been in a huge staff transition since a good number of our servers are going back to school or moving on to other jobs, some firings, and the stress of spreading our talent to the new restaurant opening in September. So this month has been full of hellos and good-byes and it’s made me reflective. I realize, I’m really very proud of the work I do and what it helps me do for myself and my family, and I’m really glad I’ve gotten to work with so many wonderful people.
I always thought what mom and dad and all their coworkers do was beautiful. Every kitchen is a magical place wherethe human touch can create not only fuel for the body, but something that pleases the senses and cravings–something that pleases the mind, too. I’ve always found cooking and cleaning to be a mentally calming activity especially when its full of tension. So, learned behavior, genetics or choice, my love of giving places me close to a kitchen.
Hopefully things will come together and it’ll be a kt kitchen all the time. I’m on the lookout for kitchen shares or rentals and/or getting experience working for a bakery I believe. Next month, I have a counseling session at George Mason and I’m going to DC VegFest on the 11th. In the meantime, check out the new and improved online order form and pick out something special or just write me and say hi!
I have to say, this like many recent posts, is going the long way ’round before we ever get to the cake… Today was Katie Beckman day, aka my 26th birthday. Where am I? Who did I enjoy my birthday with? While I usually spend most Independnce days and birthdays with my immediate family or closest friends; today I was in Georgia with my boyfriend and his family. I got to meet his mom, dad, brother, sister in law, and her two little sisters (flickr album). This is my first time in GA, first time meeting his family, first time meeting a family that lives so far from me.
I’ve spent a little over a year getting to know Lars, and as much as I love him, I knew he was part of a family of good people. Our first night and day of vacation was in Athens, and while I was immeditely drawn to the open and inclusive culture of one of the country’s best college/music towns, I found myself at the edge of my seat with excitement as we drove to his family’s home in suburban Atlanta. As I entered the door, they immediately hugged me hard and made me feel so welcome and so loved. I can’ fully describe how good and how complete each moment has been, but I feel incredibly blessed. I hope for more, but I’m so satisfied for what is now.
We’ve had a wonderful few days, and today, they celebrated my birthday with me. Lars’s mom has been very accommodating to my dietary decisions, and today was no exception. She prepared a gorgeous cake, the oh so decadent Death by Vegan Chocolate cake from The Grit cookbook. Accented with blackberries and served with one of the delicious teas, I was surprised to open a great collection of records to accompany the new record player from Lars.
The evening was punctuated with family stories, music, and delicious food. I can’t believe we leave Wednesday, but I feel like this has been the most relaxing vacation I can remember. Every year feels like I’m more and more me, and I’m lucky to have the company of such wonderful, wonderful people. I hope I remember how much I love them, however long they’re in my life.
I hope as you read this post, maybe you can have some idea of how special it is to love, and then fall in love a little deeper. Please remember, I love you all and know I send you lots of happy thoughts! As soon as Lars posts bday pictures, you’ll have a better idea of the cake and Jude’s wonderful culinary skills.
Today was excellent. I slept in til and made some time to bake and meet my man for lunch before an afternoon in the office. I wound down with anice family dinner and a bout of baking.
What did I make? Well, you remember, I had one criteria the first time I tried to be vegan: sweets. Now, it’s take two, the Suzie-homemaker mod: everything I produce for my own consumption will be vegan. I made that dream real with last week’s success creating vegan salteñas. My coworkers requested a made to order salteñas day, so now I have 18 beautifully browned pockets of savory goodness and a great how to for dough braiding “fresh out da box!”
I was sad I couldn’t find any demo videos for braiding to link last week, so I made one for you tonight. Enjoy!
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!
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!
