When I was a kid we had to walk up hill both ways in the snow to get to Pinterest.

For those of you who hear me during any given day, you are now, I am sure, well aware of my addiction to Pinterest.  I have this new talent of tying everything back to some pin I put on a board.  "Speaking of the election, I saw this great recipe for all-American cupcakes I could make on election day."  "Speaking of the NBA playoffs, I saw the cutest basketball cake pops the other day on Pinterest."  "Speaking of your dog's fleas..." You get the picture.  Pinning pins onto my boards gives me a high and then when I check the pins off my list I feel an immense sense of accomplishment (sadly potentially more than my master's degree diploma that is currently still sitting on my desk waiting to find a proud little place to hang).  Which makes me wonder, can I print out my pinboard on a plaque and hang that?  Don't put it past me.  It could happen some day.  Pins take up so much of my life, from the cowboy cookie mix in a jar I made for teacher appreciation week to the snickerdoodle bundt cake I made for Fat Friday at school or the dinner of fried rice, Asian cabbage slaw, and a honey ginger chicken with a marinade recipe meant for pork chops (which I failed to pin so I guess that deliciousness was a one time occurrence, wah wah wah).  Here is the dinner:

Yum. Right? Thought so.  I am convinced Pinterest has made my life at least 3.25 times more interesting than it already was.  There are a ridiculous amount of recipes I have compiled and I am now even more convinced that my desire to live in a 1 room house with just a kitchen is logical.  I have so many pins to cook up that I have no need for any other room.  So... who's gonna build that for me? 

The funny thing about Pinterest is that all of these clever ideas and cutesy themes are now becoming common place because everyone sees them and copies them.  I would like to count how many Superbowl parties this year had chocolate covered strawberries made to be footballs or Christmas parties had brownies with Santa hats made out of strawberries.  Originality has taken a hit with the making of Pinterest.  This is why when I was asked to bake some cakes for Fat Friday at school, I was so proud of my baby shower cake idea.  Cake idea: bumblebees all over it with a message that said "Congrats on the ba-bee". I wanted a trophy because it is the first cutesy thing that I have made in a while that was not "pin"spired. 

Cute and trophy worthy, right?  And did you notice my new word? "pin"spired. I am forever and always now adopting my new word "pin"spired for those things you make because you saw them on Pinterest.  Use it.  Spread it around.  It's gonna be famous. It's also going to be useful.  Pinspiration is a reality.  Without it, when I barbecued asparagus, portabello mushrooms, peppers and pineapples, I would not have also tried grilled watermelon (which is to die for by the way) or spicy honey chicken. 

To Pinterest I owe many much thanks for all of the deliciousness that has occured in my kitchen.  Being pinspired is glorious but all jokes aside, I am grateful for an inspiration that comes from a Greater Source. God has created us each with unique passions and talents.  I have been recently in reflection on how to use my passions for God's glory.  Let's see how God uses shakin my hips in Zumba class to further His kingdom.  Not sure how, but I am convinced there is a way...  So this summer this plan is to take my God given talents and inspirations and figure out how they can be used next to bring more people to know Him.  Can't wait!  Now its time for some soul searching, which isn't really something that can be found on Pinterest but I'm sure I'll use bake therapy to help me along the way...

"For you created my inmost being;  you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,  I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalms 139:13-16

Cupcake Wars: Eating to World Peace

I am a gym rat.  I also bake a lot of high caloric foods.  Maybe that is why I am a gym rat.  Necessity.  The dichotomy is not really that blatant until I am at the gym watching Cupcake Wars as my machine reads that I have just finished a 900 calorie work out.  I would like to formally apologize to those at the gym with me who are stuck watching it.  I have no desire to change this behavior.  I like both activities. I like them simultaneously.  But if you ever run into someone who mentions that they go to the gym with some crazy who watches the Food Network while at the gym, you can go ahead and tell them I sometimes feel guilt about this (since they probably aren't reading this blog). 

Of all of the shows I watch on the Food Network while at the gym, Cupcake Wars is quickly becoming a favorite.  Who knew cupcaking could be an extreme sport?  Those cupcakers are kind of hard core and their contribution to society does not go unnoticed.  Cupcakes are so cute and cuddly.  It is hard to be mad at life with your mouth full of cupcake.  Try it.  Stop reading. Bake a batch of cupcakes.  Eat them and then mid-bite try to be mad about something.  Can't do it?  Just as I suspected.  I hypothesize that cupcakes are the answer to world peace.  Anyone want to sponsor my bakery so I can test this theory? Please and thank you. 

I got to have a little cupcake wars of my own this weekend.  Carrot cake cupcakes vs. devil's food cake cupcakes vs. cheesecake cupcakes. 

Contestant 1:

Contestant 2:

Contestant 3:

Oh wait.  The were all sugary therefore delicious therefore they all won.  Cupcake war over.  I guess its a good thing I am not a judge on the show. It would turn into the YMCA where everybody is a winner as long as they had fun.  I don't think you could produce a show on such principles.  They probably need some drama to make it enjoyable for the viewers. 

I might be a bad judge of cupcakes but I am a good judge of how much my kids have learned.  Yes, yes, yes we have standardized tests that show how much kids have learned from you but the most telling event happened for me today.  We were taking our district wide reading test and when my one of my students finished, she said, "Ms. A, that was easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy!"  I was elated. Not because she found the test easy (although that was a bonus) but because she quoted me.  I say that all the time.  I'm not sure what that says about America's future that I have a lot of mini-me's floating around out there calling things easy-peasy-lemon-sqeezy but I am gonna say I felt this I'm-a-rockstar sensation bubbling up from within.   Changing kids for the better is a pretty awesome job to have.  I wouldn't trade it for the world.  The happiness that stems from these types of moments is priceless.  Whether it is the moments like biting into a melt-in-your-mouth-fresh cupcake or waking up and driving to do what you love, just do it.  Life is too short to not seek joy.  As they say in the book of James, life is but a mist.  Fill it and fill it well.  Where your passion is, where your heart is, there lies your meaning.  Fixate on these things; seeking purpose and finding that which spurs you on to leave a legacy of your own.  I wouldn't say that this task is so "easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy" but I would say it's the cream filling to your Hostess.  It's the good stuff. 

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." Philippians 4:8

Save the planet. Recycle your cakes!

Earth day was Sunday.  Yay Earth!  I spent the day riding my bike and reminding my skin that while I hang out with a lot of tan people, I am not a tan person.  My wardrobe today avoided the red hues as to not accentuate my lobster-like coloring.  Not gonna complain though.  Life on a bike is always better.  I appreciated the excuse to zoom around on two wheels and get an awesome hair-do from my helmet.  What I love about being a Coloradan is I went to church immediately after my ride, and my slightly flattened (and yes believe it or not my hair does have the ability to flatten) hair matched about half of the people there who had also been sporting about all day.

 

Being a Coloradan, recycling is also rampant.  In an effort to support our planet and save the earth, I decided cake recycling should also be practiced.  You know how you cut a cake, enjoy a cake and then want to enjoy it the next day and it has not held it's moist state and then you want to cry?  Well, recycle your cake instead.  Go green.  Do cake pops.  While some fools have been tricked into buying expensive cake pop machines that bake the cakes into cute little balls, they do not know what they are missing.  If you take the already baked cake and mix it up with the frosting and roll it into a meatball it is like heaven in your mouth.  Trust me, heaven is worth the few extra calories.  Then these cake-y meatballs are dipped in the melted goodness and rolled in cookie crumbs.  Oh yes.  Recycling can be delicious.  No more dry cake.  No more tears.  Just heaven in a spherical form.
 

Can you see all the moistness that is happening in the middle of that?  Cake pop makers you by at the store are a weak attempt at delicious in comparison.  They just bake cakes into spheres. Don't even waste your pantry space (which you know is precious).  I have been oogling over a lot of kitchen gadgets recently.  Kitchen stores are a dengerous place.  There are so many things to buy.  I mean, who doesn't need a special brownie pan that makes all edge pieces, a heart shaped donut pan, a blow torch or an icing gun?  Obviously those are necessities.  And since you are saving the Earth now by recycling your cakes, being a greater consumer of baking materials won't make a huge dent in the environment.  Everything balances out in my book. 

*Sigh* Justification is a glorious thing.  It allows me to get totally uneccessary baking tools, eat frozen yogurt by the pound in the name of "it's better for you than..." or drink massive amounts of caffeine because I am sure I can identify someone who has a worse addiction than me.  Justification allows for my zero calorie rules and my overly type-A-if-I-don't-do-it-who-will attitude.  This kind of justification however, while it excuses bad behaviors and character flaws is no comparison to the Jesus kind.

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," Romans 5:1

I can dig that. 

Wedding Cakes and Easy Bakes

It is official.  As my lease ends in September I have come to the glaring realization that my next residence needs nothing more than a kitchen.  I will have a bed that turns into a dining room table, or maybe not even have a bed, just buy more Rockstars and Starbucks.  I think this is a wise investment, as I spent Thursday afterschool pretending like my size-of-a-miniature-poodle kitchen was really a commercial size kitchen and proceeded to make a baseball hat carrot cake, a coconut baseball cake, chocolate cupcakes, an ice cream cake and 3 flavors of frosting.  Things got interesting. It is never a good idea to have dense carrot cakes that are sculpted into a baseball hat delicately balancing on your coffee maker with the prayer that it doesn't fall when the sculpted cake has reached the status of being called "my baby."  Its like trying to bake a wedding cake in an Easy Bake oven; it just shouldn't happen.

These cakes were then transported and my friends who helped in the transporting probably didn't realize that they put their lives on the line for coming to my aid because if they dropped one, I was prepared to make them pay ("end them" if you will).  Yeah, I get attached to my projects sometimes.  Character flaw? Probably.  But I have decided that instead of dealing with this unhealthy attachment to my baked goods, I should probably just move into a kitchen and mask the issue.  Logical.  Regardless, the cakes made it to their destination in one piece. 



See?  This is the cake.  At it's destination.  In one piece.  There was one smudge of black icing but I decided to spare my helper's life since it was a 98.4% success (which is a passing grade).  Smudged icing is still delicious icing.  In addition, the baseball cake in the background made it without a hitch.  Plus?  In Ace of Cakes people have commited greater errors in transportation and they still maintain their living and breathing status and even their jobs as cake gurus so I decided a little grace was in order.  Thank goodness I have Jesus to teach me how to be nice to people like this, eh? 

That is something that has been running through my mind a lot lately.  We all have these things that bring the carnal side of us out, the ugly parts of us that we would rather others not bare witness to.  The reality is there is a whole lot of my character that has been transformed by the grace of God.  This grace covers me and compells me to be a better me.  Though flaws are abundant, there is a clear mark left by my Maker who continually refines me and for that I praise.  I am compassionate and sweet not because I am massively sugared from all of my baking projects but because I am loved greatly by the greatest Lover of all time. 

"We love because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19

Dentures, depends and desserts.

Titles can be misleading.  Everyone has been recommending (and by everyone I mean random people on Pinterest I don't even know who have been deciding my most recent culinary endeavors) this recipe called "I want to marry you" cookies.  I have decided that the title is missing an important piece.  I am choosing to call these cookies "I want to marry you quick because pretty soon all of the butter in this recipe will go to my hips and then you won't want to marry me anymore" cookies.

 

The butter that left it's shiny trace on each fingertip was a gentle reminder that while these cookies contained oatmeal, they are a negative five on the health scale.  It is recipes like these that make me excited to get old because when I am old and retired with my own little bakery, I plan on eating whatever I want.  Ice cream for breakfast.  Everyday.  For lunch too.  Maybe dinner.  I deserve to celebrate each breath I continue to take, and I plan on celebrating with tons of the things I said no to while eating my greens in my 20's when it mattered.  I think I need a Pinboard reserved for the recipes I will make for myself when I am 80 and there is zero hope for me ever having a six pack.  I'm not going to say that I won't enjoy a salad or two when I am older, but my rigid diet will not be a priority.  I will eat what I want when I want and lick the plate when I finish.  I will make many much "I want to marry you" cookies drenched in butter and own at least 5 ice cream makers to ensure that I have a wealth of ice cream selections available to me at all times. 

Among the many things I dream about doing when I'm old like opening my own bakery and having brightly colored sweat suits for doing Jazzercize, I am excited to grow old with someone.  I may let go of nutrition and adopt ice cream as my sole nutrient but love is something that will not be relinquished.    Bouquets, letters and sweet moments walking hand in hand will crescendo into a beautiful symphony of romance as we get old and prune-y together.  It will be beautiful.  So, I wait for the days of my frozen dairy diet and watch God's plan unfold in the process, enjoy every rabbit meal I nibble at and smell the flowers delivered to me today with the scent bright promises. 

"And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."   Romans 8:28



No peeps were harmed in the making of this bread.

On lovely days like today, there is nothing better than a trip up to the mountains.  Mountains give perspective of a world that is much bigger than the little bubble we call our reality that often consumes us.  Mountains are big, so they kind of force you to get over yourself for a minute or two.  I got up to camp today to discover that they were serving a silent retreat for a user group.  As a rule, I don't succeed at silence.  I chose to be illiterate and continue talking.  Mark Twain says there is little difference between one who chooses not to read and one who can't, so I think I'll follow his philosophy today and ignore the signs.  These same silent people also had a dietary request list longer than the Nile, so it was time to get creative in the kitchen.  This was my adventure into vegan zucchini bread.  It took some hunting to find a recipe I could use, because I don't carry things like coconut oil and cocoa nibs on my person (while that might be surprising to you). With a few tweaks for being at altitude, the bread turned out yum-o-rrific.

Here is my zucchini bread in all of its vegan glory.  The silent people seem to like it.  I didn't hear any cheering or hooting and hollering in its honor but it's disappeared off the plate as I typed, so I'll take that as a "yum". 

Maybe today I am not minding the quiet so much though.  I am attempting to ween myself off of caffeine.  Note:  I am not giving up caffeine, but am sure that a daily diet of 40 oz. of coffee, 20 oz. of Rockstars, 40 oz. of Pepsi Max, and a few cups of tea a day can't be good for you.  I don't know how it always gets this bad.  It starts innocently enough with one cup of coffee at the beginning of the school year each day and then just expands.  It's my winter activity. Bears hibernate in the winter; I caffeinate.  It's about this time of year when I add up my caffeine intake and decide that I should share the wealth.  I could use up the world's supply and people might get irate.  Nobody wants that.  So today, my one Rockstar and 20 oz. of coffee is the limit.  My pounding head is reminding me of my detoxing, and is welcoming the mutes.  Plus, thanks to the mutes, I now have another vegan baking recipe in my pocket (the pocket where I apparently also need to start carrying cocoa nibs and coconut oil so I can try this recipe instead). 

Speaking of vegans, peeps are vegan, I believe.  Peeps are also weird.  I put them in the category of things-I-can't-believe-I-begged-for-as-a-kid, along with twinkies, beans-and-weenies, and going to Casa Bonita.  They are taunting me every time I enter any supermarket since Easter is coming.  I don't think I will ever understand the revolution of Peeps (which are now not only a staple Easter treat but coming in different colors and being even made into pumpkins and Christmas trees).  They are like a virus, invading all of the holidays.  I would have killed a few peeps to make this recipe, but it did not call for them.  You are safe today, Peeps.  Next time? Maybe not so much.  If a student of mine gives me some this year, as has happened in the past Easters, I will politely say, "Thank you, dear student, that is so thoughtful!" and then take them home and leave the package open "accidentally" until they are too stale to eat and throw them away.  Can't eat stale food, right?  (That's my justification so I don't feel bad for not eating a gift from a student.)  Were you thinking of giving me peeps?  Now you know that is a bad life choice.  When in doubt? Chocolate. Many much chocolate.  Or even better? Give me Jesus.  That's what Easter is all about anyways.  Thanking Jesus today for all of His glory.  Glory that is more than I can fathom.  Glory that kicks the butt of any pillow-y sugared chick we call a Peep. 

"The Son radiates God's own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven." Hebrews 1:3

I tried shamrocks and horseshoes but cheesecakes are luckier.

I am just curious exactly how much green food dye you all think is sold in the month of March?  Like is this something I should by stock in every February and sell back in April?  Its kind of amazing.  Thanks to Pinterest, the green food dye obsession was not limited to an alcoholic beverage, it was baked into things.  Many much things.  I chose to convert this cheesecake from a red velvet one to a green velvet one.  I usually pass up on eating my desserts and it is not because they are bad but mostly because I have the will power gnat.  (Just so you know: I started writing the phrase "I have the will power of a..." and then I had no idea of something that had little will power, so then I googled it and the first thing to pop up was will power of a mature dandelion.  Huh.)  This dessert, however, passed my lips.  I must admit it because the recipe called for 2 bottles of food coloring and you were left with a green tongue so I cannot deny its consumption.  It was delicious.  It would be glorious to make it every month and dye it a new color.  What color is April Fools? or could I do tri-colored for Cinco de Mayo?  Oh the possibilities! 

In all of my research for my St. Patties bake-a-thon, I was challenged by someones comment in my online recipe hunt who said that green food dye was a weak attempt at Irish creativity.  I am competitive.  You had better believe I scoured through recipes to do a "one up" on St. Patties Day treats.  So I met this fine young recipe for Irish Coffee Blondies.  Oh yes.  It happened.  Two monumental things occurred for the baking of this treat.  Monumental thing #1: I learned how to make brown sugar.  It may have been monumental enough that I was out of a baking ingredient, since my supply is usually great when it comes to these things.  But I was OUT OF BROWN SUGAR.  I was not out of Google however, so I googled a recipe for brown sugar and made it.  Turns out all it is is granulated sugar and molasses.  Win.  Life moved on.  Monumental thing #2: I had to buy whisky.  I needed 2 tbsp. for the icing.  I bought what I later, lacking the proper terminology, described to my roommate a baby bottle of whisky (apparently is called a shooter).  In case you are ever wondering: these said shooters have 4 tbsp. of whisky.  Now you know.  So I did not help the green food dye stocks in the making of this blondie, but I did help my competitive spirit.  Take that random person who I read online.  I win! 

I finished with a celebratory lunch.  Roasted red pepper and carrot soup was a glorious tribute to my protestant ways on this day.  I added some snap peas. Awwww look at those catholics and protestants being friends and sharing the bowl! 

Between these endeavors and the surprise leprechaun party I threw for my kiddos on Friday, yes friends, St. Patrick's Day was a celebration to be repeated.  I already have new recipes in mind to try for next year and research to do on the profit made from investing in food dye. 

The food was a success and I think the leprechauns put a little magic inside every bite I ate, because it has resulted in two consecutive days that were genuinely good from start to end.  Loving life is a beautiful thing.  As Elf would say, "Smiling is my favorite," and I would have to agree.  It's not always easy though.  Lately, I have been challenged with that.  When circumstances change, the smile does not always shine with ease.  Many times challenges and loss revert even the most dignified of people into why-me-ers, foot-stompers and fist-pounders.  It also often creates a wondering about God and His goodness if such a thing was able to happen.  I think one would be hard pressed to find someone who has not had this wondering at one time or another.  Today, in light of that wondering, I have been encouraged by this:

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you...^. Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him." James 1:2-6,12

Encouraged by His promise and feeling a little luck o the Irish,

Me