Michelle Not Martha

Another Sunday

2010-05-09T19:37:00.004-05:00

It was cloudy and cool today. We had a nice thunder storm last night so any planting I had planned today was out.

It's ok though. With the oven on all day, it was better that it was a bit cool. I tried, and tried to keep the cupcakes I made down to two, but three slipped up on me. Oops.

I also made some treats for my furbabies and of course made enough to share. I don't know if anyone will take them, but I'm going to put them out with the cupcakes tomorrow.

I actually do make savory recipes too, I just usually forget to take pictures of them so I don't post about them, but tonight I remembered.

Stuffed Pablano Peppers

Click on over to Food to see what Monday's line up is all about and for the recipe for the peppers.

Cupcake Monday

2010-05-02T21:30:00.003-05:00

Whew! It was a very successful baking weekend. Even with the mishap of overfilling the cups on one recipe.

Not only did I make 100 (ok not quite, but close) cupcakes (mini and standard), I made Spaghetti and Meatballs and Enchiladas!

The SO was pre-occupied all weekend painting a friends Harley so I had the kitchen all to myself and that's where I spent most of the weekend. Ok, all of the weekend besides a little shopping Saturday morning.

The whole run down is on my Food page! I hope you enjoy reading about it.

Ohhhh...Ahhhhhh...More Cupcake Liners

2010-04-28T17:48:00.003-05:00

Hehehe. These are greatness.

These are Reynolds Brand Foil Liners. Not your average silver ones you get in the grocery store either. As you can see though, the inside is foil.

I searched the Internet for them several days ago and wa'la! I first found them and ordered them from My Brands. Today I also saw them for the first time at Bake it Pretty.

I already know what cupcake I'm baking this weekend to go in the black and white liner.

On another related note, Cupcake Monday at the office was a success. My taste tester gave all the cupcakes he tried a 10. Woo hoo. I dispersed about 3 dozen cupcakes through out the building coffee rooms and all were gone by about 2:00.

I'm going to try a Vegan recipe soon, if not this weekend.

Stay tuned!

It had me at Calvados

2010-04-25T17:15:00.007-05:00

I have spent the entire weekend in the kitchen. I got compeltely carried away and I had the place to myself most of the time, which lends itself to baking.

I had intentions to make 2 cupcake recipes. Both I had made before. But this is what I ended up with.

Click on over to Food for more and to find out about that Calvados.

Bake it Pretty

2010-04-24T14:08:00.007-05:00

That's what I'm talking about. If your going to bake it...make it pretty. A friend of mine gave me this link Bake it Pretty. They have some really cute stuff!

I got my order today and it was just so sweet. It came Priority Mail and when I opened the box, this was inside.

And this was on the invoice.

Here are the liners I ordered

The site is laid out really well. The standard baking cups are all together...unlike another site I ordered from where they are all mixed up and for someone new to their cupcake obsession it's really easy to order the wrong size.

I hope you check it out and find something cute! Now I'm off to the kitchen to bake. I just gottta decide which liners to use...so many choices.

Obsession Part 2

2010-04-22T19:49:00.008-05:00

My cupcake obsession is in full swing. I have proclaimed Monday at the office as Cupcake Monday. Hey, we have donut Friday, so why not cupcake Monday? Works for me and I get to unload my goods.

So, if you are going to be obsessed with cupcakes and bake all day Saturday and most of Sunday and get nothing else done, you want your cupcakes to LOOK good. Right.

Hence the cupcake liner! I can't stop looking at them or ordering them. I have some hits and misses.

Most recently I ordered quite a few that weren't even standard size. Not even standard mini size. I don't even own a pan they will fit. I think they might be Fairy Cake size? It would cost more to ship them back than I paid for them, so I'll figure out something to do with them.

Then another lesson learned...not all foil liners are created equal. Reynold's Brand foil liners are foil through and through. Other brands are foil covered paper and some recipes will stick. Maybe like the Tres Leches Cupcake recipe posted over on Food.

Don't ask me how I know.

A real hit, I just got today. From A Baker's Place

I can't wait to bake something in them this weekend.

Here are some other hits and misses.

Don't worry I've got more on the way.

Next I'll have to invest in a case of spaghetti holders.

Cute storage idea, huh??

Pancake Creations

2010-04-18T09:19:00.004-05:00

I love pancakes. I could eat them every day for breakfast and not get tired of them. Growing up my Great Aunt made the best pancakes. They had a certain flavor to them and she just mixed them up sometimes from what seemed like nothing.

I've tried and tried to duplicate that flavor and the only thing that has ever come close is Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix. What? Could it be? Was I duped all those years into thinking my Aunt ID was cooking from scratch when in fact she was using a mix?! Could be. Actually, that is likely the case.

Well that's all right. She made most everything from scratch so I think I'll cut her some slack on the pancakes. They were darn good and we ate them alot. Sometimes for dinner with a soppin egg on top (over easy fried egg).

Please click on over to Food for my pancake creation of the morning.

My Easter Table

2010-04-03T16:45:00.005-05:00

On the way home from work yesterday I decided to stop by Ross. I hate to shop, I detest shopping, but every now and then I get the urge to puruse my local Ross. I was actually wanting to look at their cupcake pans and see if they had one I wan, er I mean needed. Or any measuring devices I might need. That's another area where I may need an intervention. I love to buy measuring spoons and cup and the like. I'll have to post about that another day.

Anyway while I was browsing the table cloths I came across a lovely green job. Then it dawned on me that I hadn't even thought about how I was going to set the table for Easter lunch with my in laws. I sort of had a loose center piece idea, but that was it.

They actually had place mats to match the table cloth and I loved it. Got home, set it all up and started on the center piece. Put it together and wasn't real happy with it. It need some height so I decided I would hit party city this morning on my way to run other errands.

Party city had nothing. Oh they had some cute stuff and I rarely leave there empty handed but nothing really grabbed me.

On to Walmart for a few last minute groceries. While searching for just the right candle...I need it to be tallish and thinish...not like a taper and not like a pillar...I ran across the cutest little gardening pot shaped votive holder, but all they had was funky colors. No clear.

Then it hit me. Mini terracotta pots! This would call for a trip to Hobby Lobby. Lord help me. I despise this store...but I scored!

Here is what I ended up with.

And here is more of the table.

I was pretty happy with it. Food was good. Everything was on time. Still can't win in the pie crust department and I must have failed meringue 101, but it all tasted good.

Cupcakes

2010-03-30T18:45:00.002-05:00

I may need an intervention.

I'm obsessed.

I have at least 3 cupcake recipes I am dying to try. Right Now. AND I found a square cupcake pan. I've been eyeing it for awhile and I got it today. Last one on the shelf at my Walmart.

Know what I've noticed? Seems as though about 97% of the cupcake recipes I find are adapted from Marth Stewart in some shape form or fashion. What does "adapted from" really mean anyway?

Did the person doing the baking change the recipe? I don't know and I haven't compared two recipes side by side. Yet.

Maybe Martha Stewart is the only person that every created a cupcake recipe and they all just evolved from there.

No. I know that can't be. Who invented the cupcake? I may have to research that.

I do know one thing. I will be the Queen of the square cupcake!

I can't wait to try out that pan.

Tres Leche Cupcakes

2010-03-28T13:22:00.001-05:00

The dinner party was alot of fun last night. Check out the food section for a detailed review of the Tres Leche Cupcakes and Dulce de Leche Buttercream.

2010-03-26T06:28:00.002-05:00

Happy Friday! I'm up and just about to head out to the gym.

Later tonight and tomorrow I'll be making a few yummy things for a dinner party Saturday night. Empanadas and Tres Leches Cupcakes. Maybe I will figure out how to post some pictures and do just that.

2010-03-25T17:36:00.000-05:00

Wow, I think I just created a blog. Woo hoo. This is where I will be posting all kinds of yummy recipes that I try from other blogs and around the web and all kinds of fitness/weight loss related stuff too. I have two obsessions:

Food and Fitness. The two don't exactly meet in the middle...but I manage.