Alive and Well

Happy New Year!

Yes, I am in fact still here. The last few weeks have been quite a ride...a super fun, action packed, noisy, cork-popping, cookie-filled, laughter-inducing ride but it's time to hop off now.

2 weeks with no school, 11 house guests, 2 major holidays, 7 rolls of wrapping paper, 8 airport runs, one 17-pound roast beast, 0 missed Insanity workouts (dig deeper, right?) and way too many new toys, books, and art supplies to count have left me gasping for air. Happily, no one starved or had to sleep on the dreaded air mattress (I know Aerobed makes a super comfy one but trust me, this ain't no Aerobed). Of course it just wouldn't be Christmas without a scuffle or two but for the most part everyone came out unscathed. Thanks so much to all of our wonderful family and friends that put forth the effort and expense to come spend time with us and make merry this Christmas and New Year!

Today it's back to reality. All 3 of the munchkins are back at school, the tree is out, the lights are down, the stockings packed and sadly there's no excuse to eat a piece of fudge right now or start drinking before 5 pm.

Fortunately I have a few new toys of my own to help me through the transition! Thanks to a somewhat miraculous survival football pool victory this season, I have a brand spanking new tripod and ball head scheduled to arrive today. I can't wait since my "starter" tripod shakes more than my hands and that's on the rare occasion I can get the camera screwed down properly. I haven't used it in months because it's more trouble than it's worth. I'm also learning the ropes of Photoshop Lightroom and working on my RAW photo editing skills. Last but not least I'm catching up on current issues of Cooking Light, Fine Cooking, and Food Network Magazine and flipping through my newest additions: The Food 52 Cookbook Volume 2, Barefoot Contessa Foolproof, and The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. No shortage of inspiration over here!

Icing on the Cake

There's a snazzy icing color chart on pages 88-89 of the latest issue of Food Network Magazine (May 2012). Forty-six shades from Pina Colada to Pinot Noir, and you can mix them all with any basic Red-Blue-Yellow-Green box of food coloring. Honestly, what is more satisfying than swirling a few drops of yellow and red into a pristine bowl of ivory buttercream, instantly transforming it to a sunny papaya orange?! I got so excited mixing my colors I busted out the piping bag for some spring flower cupcakes. I didn't even let the kids help!

I made simple buttercream using the following recipe, but the chart in the magazine provides variations if you'd rather skip the mixer and use white grocery store frosting. It's important to use the ratio for your particular frosting, since the butter in real buttercream gives the frosting a soft yellow cast, while frosting from a can will appear more bright white.

Simple Buttercream Frosting

1 cup unsalted butter
3 cups confectioners sugar (or more if frosting is too soft)
2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
3-4 tablespoons milk

Beat butter until smooth. I find that if I use the paddle attachment on my KitchenAid stand mixer, I don't need to soften the butter. If you're using a hand mixer with beaters, you might want to let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before you begin. Add powdered sugar and beat again, starting slow so the sugar doesn't go flying all over the place. Once the sugar is incorporated, add your vanilla and the milk, one tablespoon at a time, until you get the consistency you'd like. And if you don't like the consistency, don't worry. This is a most forgiving formula.

If your frosting comes out too soft, add a little more confectioners sugar until it firms up a bit. Too firm? Add a splash more milk and beat again. 

Fortunately I had someone to frost for this week. Happy Birthday to my dear friend, Rhea! I hope you liked your cupcakes.