Ruby's Pirate Booty...

...is seriously outgrowing her pants. The cupcakes I attempted this weekend aren't helping matters. Good thing I'm taking them all to work tomorrow!

I don't know what got into me, but I felt the need to do some serious baking this weekend. I was inspired by the "Ming Makes Cupcakes" website. Instead of the raspberry sour cream, I substituted Greek yogurt and blackberries. I attempted the marscapone cream frosting (I churned butter instead), so made a honey cream glaze (followed the browned butter maple icing recipe, substituting honey). I also baked the Guinness Chocolate cupcakes (those taste phenomenal!!) and made the cream cheese fluffy frosting and used a tablespoon of leftover Guinness instead of the vanilla.

I'm disappointed with the consistency...the cupcakes barely hold when I peel away the liners. I'll need to experiment with higher temps/longer bake times or maybe something more to bind the ingredients? One lesson learned is blackberries are too big for small cupcakes...really need to stick with the smaller berries like blueberries or raspberries. Another lesson is to try other frosting recipes. While taste is alright, I'm not getting the consistency I want. Either too flat/sticky or too hard.

There is a fine line for beating the marscapone cream into soft peaks before it turns into butter. Literally. Very sweet tasting, but that's what it is. Probably tasty for a crusty roll or bagel, but not for a cupcake. Definitely want to try this again, but I'm looking for a very fluffy/light result.

The browned butter honey glaze...tasty, but too flat. I want a honey frosting. Something that has more air in it. Need to experiment more.

The cream cheese fluffy frosting was not the expected fluffy. I wanted something airy like a buttercream. Something I could frost with a knife and make a nice cone shaped peak. This was fluffier than the glaze, but it had the viscosity of plasma. Would make a better filling than topping. But that taste--this was exquisite. Adding the little bit of Guinness was a good move. Will experiment with that again.

So I expected the finished cupcake to be great, but it basically fell apart after the first bite! The cake doesn't hold up. I need to experiment on this, too. But it tastes really good, so at least that's a start!!

Tastes like a ho-ho

Had a great night out with friends tonight. I went to Tastings for wine and tapas. Rachael baked three different kinds of cupcakes. Each were divine...the "tall hats" are these dark chocolate/coffee cupcakes with a marshmallow meringue covered in chocolate glaze. Kinda like eating a grown up Ho-Ho. Then there was the vanilla bean with coconut frosting. And the red velvet with cream cheese icing. Fabulous doesn't even begin to cover it. Let's see, three cupcakes, a few bottles of wine, cheese, olives, oh, and a lap dance. Made for a very memorable birthday party.

Did I mention tonight is the Final Four? After the Butler/Michigan game (go Bulldogs!), these State fans showed up to drown their sorrows (drinking martinis at a wine bar, but who am I to judge?). I was serenaded, lei'd, and had my own special lap dance. I'm hoarse from laughing so hard.

As if the night could get better, Bethany discovered a stack of screen printed t-shirts behind our chairs right before we left. Imagine, we are at an upscale wine establishment connected with the Conrad and Bethany finds a pile of shirts someone was selling for the game. This might have something to do with the guy who stored his suitcase behind our chairs for part of the evening. He kept opening it up to take out clothes and then he'd leave for a while, only to return empty handed and do it all over again. All I know is that I came home tonight with a silicone tagine (thanks Jamie!) and a Butler t-shirt. I loved that Bethany thought it was a gigantic breast pump.

I took a cab into downtown tonight to avoid the madness. After the trouble I had getting a cab to take me home, I now remember why I hate cabbing it in this city. First was the cab that refused to pick me up, instead waiting for some "very important people" inside the Conrad. Second was the cab that wasn't metered and tried to charge me $50 to take me home...interesting given that it was less than nine bucks to get downtown in the first place. Last was the cab that misunderstood where I wanted to go and wasn't going to take me home. At the point that I thought he was going to leave me stranded on the outskirts of downtown, I had to bribe him with my extra cupcake to take me home.

And so it is with a sated and happy heart I bid you goodnight. I'm about to crash from all of the sugar and wine I've had this evening. 35 isn't looking so bad after all.

Boogie Fever

I went rollerskating today. Like quad wheel, old school, skate club rollerskating. For something that seemed simple and uncomplicated in my mind, it really put me through a physical ringer in the present. Seriously, I broke into a sweat before even making it to the rink (could barely stay upright), and I was drenched in sweat after my first lap (helplessly scrambling along the railings and the wall all the way around it). I was breathing heavier and worked up more sweat after 5 minutes on skates that I do after 45 minutes on a spin bike.

I was a vision of flailing arms and legs and wheels. Quite the sober reality check to my fantasy roller derby alter ego, The Naughty Professor (or Wheelie Insane...I'm still working on it).

Let's take Keira to the skating rink and teach her how to skate, she said. What a fabulous idea, I said. We can start practicing for when we try out for The Naptown Roller Girls, I said. We just need to get into shape and then we'll be set for Touretta Lynn's Boot Camp! We are stupid.

I am so bent on getting a handle on my health, I tend to approach each idea without fear (full acceptance of humiliation but naively so) and then find myself stunned when the activity is much harder/less fun/more dangerous that I remembered it to be. Will I ever learn?? I started and stopped kettlebells last year. I was just getting into a groove when my carpel tunnel treatment went array. I've picked it back up because I am not doing enough for my weight loss (failing horribly with the diet). So there's 40 minutes on the elliptical in the mornings, spinning class on Monday nights, kettlebells three times a week, and I've confidently talked Dano into taking tennis lessons with me this summer. I've already started to talk up the roller derby fantasy with her...though today was a clear indication that we have much work to do before showing up at the tryouts. I do have some dignity that remains.

If I could just get the dieting under control then maybe I would see results??!?! Kettlebells nearly did me in last weekend, but I survived. No pain after Wednesday's routine, and we're doing it again tomorrow morning. [Sidebar: this is so cute...Dano bought a smaller exercise ball and a set of 2 pound dumbbells for Keira who wants to work out with us...can't wait to see her try to pump some iron. Go Keira!] I hope I didn't overdo the rollerskating today. I'd like the use of my legs tomorrow.

Torture

The insides of my thighs are burning. I fear I overdid the kettlebell workout Saturday. Seriously. When I first start to walk after sitting at my desk, my stomach clutches and I feel faintly ill. I'm going to do this 3 times a week now? Wow...I can't believe I talked Dano into doing this with me! I struggled with even sitting down to pee. That's rough. I felt like I needed a walker or something to hold me upright today!

And then spin class tonight. Not as bad as I expected. I'm definitely getting used to that bike, but I could go for a soak in a hot tub right now!

One day down, three left this week before our 4 day holiday weekend. CANNOT wait. Need this break from work. Looking forward to rollerskating with Dano and Keira Friday and then wine-tasting at Tastings on Saturday. Counting down the days...

Never Be Ready

Nothing like a long intermission to make it hard to get back into the show...

Rather than fill in the missing time, I'll just start where I'm at now. It's my birthday next Saturday and I'm still not any less anxious about making it an occasion with other people. And I'm still unhappy with my weight, my job, and my life. However, I'm making more of an effort to avoid negativity and just do something.

I thought about writing on the topic of "crushes" tonight...I've noticed a trend that each year I have a new musical and acting crush. This year it's David Gray (although this doesn't mean Mat Kearney is gone, just that I have two crushes). Christian Bale is still a favorite acting crush, though he shares the space with Leo and Joaquin. They each cultivate these fascinating characters...so different each time. Yet then there are actors like Timothy Olyphant and Jonathan Rhys Meyers who have this tendency to portray that there are parts of their own personalities shining through their characters. Who knows if that's true or not, but I do pick up a subtle consistency in each character.

I went to the David Gray show last week. Loved every minute of it. I really connect with artists who use their music to tell stories, I think. Maybe that's my point? The storytelling compels me...

It's my birthday Saturday. Not sure how I feel about that yet.