graham cracker, do you still love me?

So I've made the Key Lime cupcakes, only there was no Key. So they were just lime. Good, but not great. The next time I'm in a big city (bigger that Pikeville with more than a super Wal Mart), I'll have to look for some.

Now, what to do with the other half of the cupcake batter? It's a graham cracker based batter, so whatever I do will have to be compatible with graham crackers. BTW, graham crackers are Newman's favorite treat. Who is Newman, you say? Check out my other blog at www.blogmydog.wordpress.com. He gets some face time over there.

I figure my options for the graham cracker cupcakes are limited to a few ingredients like marshmallow, chocolate, coconut... can't think of any more. Maybe I could do a cheesecake icing and put cherries on top. I don't know at this point. I've been getting home from work so late that I'm way too tired to stay up till midnight making cupcakes, so the batter is in the fridge waiting for me.

Every day I ask it, "Graham cracker, do you still love me?"

The Word of the Day... LIME

No Key Lime juice could be found at my local Mart of Walls, so I had to go with plain lime juice. The cupcakes turned out really good, though.

I misread Paige's instructions and made a double batch of the graham cracker cupcake base. So, tonight I'm going to experiment with some semi-sweet chocolate chips and peanut butter icing.

Here's half of the graham cracker cupcake base:

And this is what the graham cracker batter and lime mixture looks like when barely combined (per Paige - don't totally mix together)

In the process of baking... almost done...

Beginnings of the icing...

Adding a little lime zest to the icing...

The finished product...

Hey... wait a minute... where'd that cupcake go? See the missing one in the lower left corner?

Was it Harper Lee?

Not that sweet, innocent face.

Ok, I admit it. It was me.
Someone had to test - quality control, you know!

Key Lime Dreams

See those cupcakes? Yep, those. The green ones. They're being duplicated at MY house this weekend. Will any make it to work on Monday? No promises.

Strawberry Semi-Success

Take these...

and this...

and this...

Get these...

do this...

and this...

twelve times...

And get this...

He liked them...

The cake was a little too heavy. I think I should have omitted some of the other liquid in the mix, as the strawberries provided a lot of moisture.

The frosting was just a mix of fresh strawberries and a canned cream cheese frosting. Delish.

Cupcake Queen Paige... any suggestions for next time?

Tye Dye? Or "Tribute to the Gays"

Ok, I admit this is one of the worst pictures of the cupcakes. After making about a dozen, I got to the point that I didn't have enough of all the colors to get the tye dye effect for the last few. I'll call this one "Mardi Gras". I didn't want to cut any of the "good" tye dye cupcakes because I was taking them to work. I should have gotten a picture of one of our students diving into them.





In our awesome government office, we all received an email from the Secretary of Labor last month telling us that it was homo month - I'm sure she worded it differently, but it was basically gay rights month. So, in honor of our Secretary and the gays, I created the Gay Pride Cupcakes. I just loved telling the conservative religious co-workers that the cupcakes were for "the gays".
(It's ok that I refer to them as "the gays"... I have exclusive permission.)





On a side note, I also made devil's food cupcakes with chocolate fudge icing... it goes a little something like this...

The cupcakes were a big hit... even the "gay" ones!

Work Cupcakes

I made some cupcakes for work last week and took lots of pictures. Will post soon!
I made the famous tye-dye cupcakes, as well as some devil's food chocolate with chocolate fudge frosting and little pastel sprinkly dots on top.
In the forthcoming pictures you'll see the most awesomest invention ever - the Cupcake Courier. The one that's pictured is blue - borrowed from my friend Susan.
And what came in the mail last week? My very own Cupcake Courier in pink! (No pics of it yet.) I can't wait to use it. It will hold 36 cupcakes or muffins, is easy to transport, and is very attractive. I always get compliments when I borrow Susan's CC. Now I have one of my very own. It was a Happy Birthday to me (from me) present! Those are the best kind - you always get what you want!

So... stay tuned for some tye-dye and devil's food pics.

Tiffany and Mamarazzi - You GO Girls!!

Mamarazzi's swap was focused on red, white and blue. For me, it was difficult to find things that were red, white and/or blue, but I managed to put together a box of goodies for Tiffany, my blog swap partner.

Check out all the goodies I got from Tiffany today. You won't believe it. I didn't believe it and I opened the package!!

Overall pic of the goodies when I opened the box...

RED nail polish. I only wear shades of red or bright pink on my toes and this one is PERFECT...

Strawberries!!! I have to grow them. Oh no! :) ...

Cinnamon apple candles...

Groovy photo album...

Mirror compact and lipstick case.
Funny thing... I sent Tiffany a purse-sized mirror as well!

White bath fizzies...

Homemade journal...(Tiffany, did you make this?)

Gum. Yummm...

GORGEOUS necklace... (Tiffany - did you make this, too?)

Cool blue bucket with star cutouts.

Did you know stars are my favorite shape?

Thanks Mamarazzi and Tiffany. The swap was great!

Not So "DARING" After All

I had signed up for a monthly cooking challenge at the beginning of June. The recipes are a "surprise", so I couldn't be added to the list until the next challenge appeared- which was today.

I was so excited to learn some new techniques, go outside my comfort zone and create some new dishes. Until I saw this month's challenge. While it's a secret, I will reveal that it involves a concept known as "molecular cuisine". I'm having a hard time with my friend Mr. Google in coming up with a definition of "molecular cuisine" or even "micro cuisine". The closest thing I can find is something to do with combining science and cooking, using powders and strange ingredients.

This month's recipe called for four different powders that are made with dried herbs and spices, and even dried banana chips. And all this goes with FISH? Only one powder was actually used on the fish. The other three were swirled on the plate. I would have to travel over 100 miles to obtain some of the off-the-wall ingredients and I'm not going to do that. Don't these people know I live in rural Kentucky!!?? This whole recipe sounds like a lot of trouble for a crappy result. I'm sitting out on this challenge. If next month's isn't more appetizing, I'm withdrawing my name from this Daring Cooks thing.

I'm still going to be a member of Daring Bakers (I think). I won't be able to see July's recipe until the beginning of July. If it's as absurd as this fish and powder thing, I might just go back to my Tuesdays with Dorie.

*Speaking of Tuesdays with Dorie, I couldn't participate this week because I don't have an ice cream maker - and I'm not going to buy one just to do one recipe. Maybe I'll have better luck with next week's recipe. Maybe I should just give up on this cooking thing and stick with cupcakes!

M.I.A.

I'm not really Missing in Action, just absent for a little while. I've been in WV for the past week, and working long hours (not to mention the hour and 15 minute drive to work each day). Don't fret dear bloggie readers, I'll be back in KY soon and working on some delish goodies for you. Can't wait.

Tuesdays with Dorie - My First Week

This week was my first week posting a dessert I made from Dorie Greenspan's book

"Baking: From My Home to Yours".

This week's recipe was
Chipster-Topped Brownies.

This is the first time I had melted chocolate and butter
in a bowl over boiling water.

But it turned out great. I don't know that I would go to this much trouble to make brownies again, but it was good experience.

I added pecans to the brownies because
I didn't have walnuts (and I really like pecans).

I was also short an egg yolk for the cookie batter.

The top crust of my cookie layer was very crisp, almost brittle.

I blame that on the missing yolk.

I thought the cookie to bownie ratio was too small.

I would have liked to see half cookie, half brownie.

Overall, it was a semi-sweet success.

Next time I would take half the brownie batter

and bake it in its own pan, just to have brownies.

I think that would make a better overall brownie/cookie combo.

This is my first week with TWD

and I'm looking forward to more baking and cooking.

I regret that I'll have to skip the ice cream week next month,

as I don't have an ice cream machine.

Iron Cupcake - Disappointment

It's a sad, sad day. After more than a week of idea development, product purchases and planning, I failed in the Iron Cupcake challenge. This month's ingredient was "savory". I thought about cornbread muffins with sour cream and chili, a savory herbed cheesecake with a pretzel crust and marinated green tomato topping... my thoughts were dancing.



What happened? Life. Life got in the way. Too many things going on at work, at home, with family... just life. Better luck next month.



Since tomorrow is a holiday (Memorial Day), I'm going to spend tomorrow making the Tuesdays with Dorie challenge. Check it out here.

To The Right...

Check it out... to the right. Yep, there it is. The badge. I'm officially enrolled in Iron Cupcake: Earth! I'll be working on my recipe this week and posting by next Sunday.
Don't you just love how the colors match my cupcake above?

Welcome Kentucky Cupcake Fans

Welcome to Kentucky Cupcakes!

This blog will provide undeniable proof that cupcakes can live outside the city. The cupcakes (and various other goodies) featured on this blog will be created in a rural area in Eastern Kentucky. The closest city to these cupcakes is Lexington, and it takes the cupcakes more than two hours to get there.

Thanks to the world of the internet, the cupcakes can have access to all new recipes, flavors and ingredients, decorations, pans, liners, icing... there are no limitations.

These cupcakes are ready for battle. Let the cupcake making begin!