Welcome!

I've finally decided that I am a writer - all the other things I do just pay the bills. Someone eloquent once said that if you do what you love, the money will follow. Well, let's just see about that.

RIP Aggie

RIP Aggie
Aggie was my fifteen-year-old cairn terrier - or maybe I should say I was her 55-year-old person! She was my faithful companion, spoiled rotten and I am still trying to figure out what to do without her.

Peter the Cat...

Peter the Cat...
This is Peter the gingersnap tabby! He's seven years old and has just been promoted to Peter the Very, Very Good. He is working his way up to Peter the Great...

Bee - the Cat Who Came From Somewhere Else...

Bee - the Cat Who Came From Somewhere Else...
Bee is Peter's buddy. He's eight years old and has made himself right at home. I guess cats really do come in pairs or sets of three!

And Jasper makes three!

And Jasper makes three!
Jasper is our new guy - the Cat From Another Place. He's four years old and we think he likes it here - so far, so good!

Buzz about...

Saturday, December 31, 2011

The baking frenzy...

began early this morning (well, early for a Saturday) when I embarked on making four dozen - count them: forty-eight - cupcakes for a New Year's Eve Party.  Two dozen yellow and two dozen red velvet, with either chocolate, cream cheese or coconut frosting.  First, I discovered that I only have one standard-size cupcake pan; I thought I had two.  Turns out I have two jumbo muffin tins - what's up with that?  So I ended up baking the cupcakes a dozen at a time.  Not a big deal, because I got to try out my latest gadget!
A handy-dandy batter dispenser from the wonderful people at Chicago Metallic - the same people who make the greatest baking pans in the world.  Or at least I think so.  This thing is amazing!  Hold it over the cupcake liner and squeeze the handle; when it's full enough to suit you, let go of the handle and move on to the next liner.  No drips, no mess - no baked-on gook to scrub off the cupcake pan.  I suppose you could also use it for pancake batter if you are of the pancake-making persuasion.
To keep the cupcakes from getting smashed and the frosting from being mussed, I dropped each cupcake into a small plastic cup and then into a cute holiday plastic bag and twist-tied it closed.  I decided to forgo the raffia bows and tags reading red velvet - blah, blah, blah - no one would have cared that I went to all that trouble anyway.  I've learned over the years that there is such a thing as overkill when it comes to taking stuff to a holiday party - people really only care how what you brought tastes.  I re-purposed a pizza box into two flat trays by covering the cardboard with Santa paper.  Cute - and I don't have to worry about getting my tray or basket back.
Another lesson learned the hard way...
Unfortunately, I ran out of the snappy little snowflake bags and had to resort to using some supplies I had on hand.  The flowers and pumpkins are festive - but just the wrong season.  We'll just have to see if anybody notices.

1 comment:

  1. Looks great!! By the way.....it is January FIRST!! Remember what we are supposed to read today? I didn't find it......yet.

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