A Hodgepodge Post

Some recent observations:

1.) My obsession with food continues to grow. I not only walk around most of the time physically hungry, but lately I find myself mentally hungry. I want to know more about how food works, where it comes from, how you cook it, how you grow it, how it interacts with our bodies, how it tastes. I don't know much about these things, which when you really think about it, is downright bizarre isn't it? I eat food everyday and yet I don't even know where it comes from or how it is made? Hence, my recent reads, which you can check out here, here or here.

This obsession strikes me as both a bit odd and yet a natural progression. I've always had a "healthy appetite" in the colloquial sense. (Translation: I happily stuff my face.) But "healthy" in the dietary or environmental sense? Psshaawww. This has been a more recent undertaking.
But I'm learning that
a.) it's more do-able than you think
b.) more fun
c.) food tastes better!

And that is really all I'm after: Deliciousness 3.5x's a day.

2.) Having a kitchen larger than your dorm room closet is much more conducive to cooking at home. So that's what I've been doing more of: cooking. And I need all the practice I can get. One day I plan to do a post on kitchen disasters because I have a higher than average percentage, trust me. All highly comical.

3.) The world of cooking shares several commonalities with the world of fashion. Snobbery is abundant, trends rampant and common sense hit or miss. There's whole lot of Ego in the kitchen and I'm not referring to the waffles.

4.) I made my first omelet ever this week! On a whim and in an effort to use up some of the goodies in our fridge, I threw together some of the fresh eggs from my dad's chickens (another post) with some onions, tomatoes, spinach, and of course, cheese. Shaloot said it was purty good. (His jaw dropped when he found me cooking up bacon. I believe his exact words were "Did hell freeze over or did I miss an American holiday that I knew nothing about?")

Of course, there's always room for improvement, but I am rather proud since I can't stand eggs. I hear you already, how do you not like eggs? I just......don't. Never have.

According to my birth mother, eggs were fed to me....once. And promptly ended up back on her shirt. A couple more cycles of that and she got the hint. I do not like eggs Sam I am. But girl pass me the ham!

5.) Cupcakes are DA BOMB! Especially White Chocolate Sour Cream Amaretto Cupcakes!



A co-worker of mine recently made these delicious little bad boys for a baby shower at work and I knew instantly that I had to have this recipe. So I geared up to labor (get it?!) and make cupcakes from scratch for my friend Elise's baby shower, only to get the recipe and find that it calls for pre-made cake mix!

Are ya friggin kiddin me? Cupcakes that taste that good and I don't have to sift flour, sugar and baking soda? Sign me and my carpal tunnel wrists up!

And I'm signing you up by giving you the recipe below. Enjoy and be sure let your ego soak in all those compliments you'll get when you make these!

White Chocolate Amaretto Sour Cream Cake:
1 box French Vanilla Cake Mix
1 box white chocolate instant pudding
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teasp. salt
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup amaretto
1/2 cup oil
1 cup sour cream
1 teasp. pure vanilla extract
1 teasp. almond extract

Now here are the directions:
Take all those ingredients and Mix them in big-ass bowl. Then turn on your mixer while jamming out to some classic '80's tunes on your Pandora station (musical style optional).
Then pour the batter into your cupcake pans, filling about 3/4 of the way.
Bake at 350 for about 15 mins or so.

For the Frosting:
3 sticks of butter (oh you know its gonna be good!)
1/2 cup of Crisco (my arteries shudder, but it tastes so good!)
(1) 2 lb bag of powdered sugar
6-8 Tbsp Milk (or half-n-half....if you're completely abandoning your diet)
2 tsp. vanilla (or almond) extract.

Combine butter and Crisco with vanilla and mix well. Add half bag of powdered sugar and 3 tbsp of milk. Mix until thoroughly blended. Add remaining sugar and 3 tbsp of milk. Mix until thoroughly blended. Test for consistency. If it's really thick, add more milk (up to 8 tbsp.) This can be refrigerated until ready to ice cupcakes.

Happy Baking!