"So soon you will learn to forget
Bad times, the rules and regrets
One day they won’t reach out for you"
-"Drown" by Carolina Liar
Bad times, the rules and regrets
One day they won’t reach out for you"
-"Drown" by Carolina Liar
Sometimes songs follow me, and as I listen to the lyrics I often feel as if they are speaking to me or for me. This was the case both yesterday on the way home from work and today, on the way in to work, as "Drown" by Carolina Liar was playing on my satellite radio. I have to say that I enjoy Carolina Liar, so I'm not surprised that I liked this song as well.
What a strange day! Today was a teaching day, and my students had to present their summer projects. Needless to say, they ranged from artsy to intellectual, but overall, they were very thoughtful! A few of my students did collages, and a couple did dioramas (I had to ask someone what this was since I didn't know). I find that I get most of joy these days from being with my students. They make me laugh, and sometimes they make me want to cry. But no matter what, they make me care - and this is what I think has been missing for me lately.
Cupcakes, Cupcak
es Everywhere - And Plenty to Eat! To treat my students I also made them cupcakes today. The requests were for chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry (Neapolitan cupcakes - go figure!), so I made them all from scratch. And then, surprise!, one of my students made me cupcakes, with sprinkles since yesterday was my birthday. Thanks Nancy - they were delicious!
And for those who are health-conscious (as I am), I did bring some fresh fruit for those students who didn't want to cupcakes.
Chocolate Cupcakes
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup boiling water
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pans with baking liners. In the mixer, combine the dry ingredients and combine. Add in the eggs, vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla, and mix well. Pour in the boiling water and stir. The batter will be thin. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 18 - 22 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in pan for a few minutes, then remove and cool on wire racks.
Strawberry Cupcakes
24 oz of strawberr
ies
1-2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup milk at room temperature
6 large egg whites at room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cup cake flour
1 3/4 cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
If strawberries were not frozen or saved from before, slice and toss lightly with 1-2 tsp of sugar. Allow to sit out for 2 hours to allow them to form some juice. Place into blender or food processor and puree. You'll use about 3/4 cup of this puree in the batter.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with liners.
Combine the strawberry puree, milk, eggs, vanilla, and mix with a fork. Put the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into the mixer and combine on low. Add the butter until the mixture resembles moist crumbs. Add the liquids and beat at medium speed for 1 minute or until fully mixed. Then hand beat the batter for 30 seconds. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 20 - 25 minutes. You can use the rest of the puree on the cakes before you ice them, or reserve and use later.
Remove from oven and let cool in pans for about 10 minutes. Then remove to wire racks.
Vanilla Cupcakes
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sat
1/4 cup milk.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake pan with liners. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the vanilla. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a separate bowl. Add the flour and the milk alternately in 3 additions, flour - milk - flour (ending with flour). Batter will be fairly thick. Spoon batter into prepared pans and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
Basic Buttercream Icing
Now that I've learned how to make buttercream, I flat out hate buying icing at the store. This basic recipe produces a very nice batch of buttercream every time I make it.
1 cup softened butter (unsalted)
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp boiled, hot water
1tsp vanilla extract
Beat the butter until it is soft and fluffy (the amount of time will depend on a number of things, including the temperature and where you live, so it could take 2 minutes or 5 minutes or more). Add in the sugar, hot water, and vanilla extract and beat until pale and creamy. It usually takes me a good 5 to 10 minutes to get the buttercream to the consistency I like.
The Perils of Driving to Work
So after loading up the cupcakes (I only iced the strawberry ones before going to work), I was driving very carefully so that I did not upset the cupcakes. But alas, how I drive isn't important - it is how others drive. And someone not paying attention and tailgating managed to nearly cause a 3 car pile-up (with me as the 3rd car). Luckily I was watching and started braking very early. But when I got to work, of course the cupcakes had flipped upside down in their container. The only good news? The buttercream held up and I didn't lose any! I finished icing the others at work (so much easier and less mess). The students enjoyed them and my colleagues got the left overs.
So Where Am I At Today?
Sorry to say that I didn't wake up happy this morning. I'm trying to monitor this so that I don't take my anger or sadness in to work. Luckily the students gave me a burst of energy that lasted about an hour. Then I found myself exhausted and dragging out of the door at 6:30 pm, feeling like I was even further behind than when I started that day. It's mostly an illusion but I know some of it is real. I'll try not to let this feeling get to me as well. Day 2 has been survived. On to day 3.
What a strange day! Today was a teaching day, and my students had to present their summer projects. Needless to say, they ranged from artsy to intellectual, but overall, they were very thoughtful! A few of my students did collages, and a couple did dioramas (I had to ask someone what this was since I didn't know). I find that I get most of joy these days from being with my students. They make me laugh, and sometimes they make me want to cry. But no matter what, they make me care - and this is what I think has been missing for me lately.
Cupcakes, Cupcak
es Everywhere - And Plenty to Eat! To treat my students I also made them cupcakes today. The requests were for chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry (Neapolitan cupcakes - go figure!), so I made them all from scratch. And then, surprise!, one of my students made me cupcakes, with sprinkles since yesterday was my birthday. Thanks Nancy - they were delicious!And for those who are health-conscious (as I am), I did bring some fresh fruit for those students who didn't want to cupcakes.
Chocolate Cupcakes
2 cups sugar3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup boiling water
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pans with baking liners. In the mixer, combine the dry ingredients and combine. Add in the eggs, vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla, and mix well. Pour in the boiling water and stir. The batter will be thin. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 18 - 22 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in pan for a few minutes, then remove and cool on wire racks.
Strawberry Cupcakes
24 oz of strawberr
ies1-2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup milk at room temperature
6 large egg whites at room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cup cake flour
1 3/4 cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
If strawberries were not frozen or saved from before, slice and toss lightly with 1-2 tsp of sugar. Allow to sit out for 2 hours to allow them to form some juice. Place into blender or food processor and puree. You'll use about 3/4 cup of this puree in the batter.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with liners.
Combine the strawberry puree, milk, eggs, vanilla, and mix with a fork. Put the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into the mixer and combine on low. Add the butter until the mixture resembles moist crumbs. Add the liquids and beat at medium speed for 1 minute or until fully mixed. Then hand beat the batter for 30 seconds. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 20 - 25 minutes. You can use the rest of the puree on the cakes before you ice them, or reserve and use later.
Remove from oven and let cool in pans for about 10 minutes. Then remove to wire racks.
Vanilla Cupcakes
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sat
1/4 cup milk.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake pan with liners. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the vanilla. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a separate bowl. Add the flour and the milk alternately in 3 additions, flour - milk - flour (ending with flour). Batter will be fairly thick. Spoon batter into prepared pans and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
Basic Buttercream Icing
Now that I've learned how to make buttercream, I flat out hate buying icing at the store. This basic recipe produces a very nice batch of buttercream every time I make it.
1 cup softened butter (unsalted)
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp boiled, hot water
1tsp vanilla extract
Beat the butter until it is soft and fluffy (the amount of time will depend on a number of things, including the temperature and where you live, so it could take 2 minutes or 5 minutes or more). Add in the sugar, hot water, and vanilla extract and beat until pale and creamy. It usually takes me a good 5 to 10 minutes to get the buttercream to the consistency I like.
The Perils of Driving to Work
So after loading up the cupcakes (I only iced the strawberry ones before going to work), I was driving very carefully so that I did not upset the cupcakes. But alas, how I drive isn't important - it is how others drive. And someone not paying attention and tailgating managed to nearly cause a 3 car pile-up (with me as the 3rd car). Luckily I was watching and started braking very early. But when I got to work, of course the cupcakes had flipped upside down in their container. The only good news? The buttercream held up and I didn't lose any! I finished icing the others at work (so much easier and less mess). The students enjoyed them and my colleagues got the left overs.
So Where Am I At Today?
Sorry to say that I didn't wake up happy this morning. I'm trying to monitor this so that I don't take my anger or sadness in to work. Luckily the students gave me a burst of energy that lasted about an hour. Then I found myself exhausted and dragging out of the door at 6:30 pm, feeling like I was even further behind than when I started that day. It's mostly an illusion but I know some of it is real. I'll try not to let this feeling get to me as well. Day 2 has been survived. On to day 3.
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