Pumpkin Pie in a Cupcake

Almost two years ago, N found this recipe on Foodbeast, and asked me if I would try replicating. You know how I love a good challenge!

I finally carved out a whole day to tackle this, and that day was Sunday.

I assembled the pumpkin pie filling, rolled out the pre-made pie crust,
and used a small drinking glass to cut out round discs.

The round pie discs fit perfectly into my mini muffin tin.
Then, I started filling them with pie filling.

I baked the mini pies for around 17 minutes,
and while they were baking I prepared the vanilla cupcake batter.

In a regular size muffin tin, I layered cupcake batter and gently nested the cooled mini pies. Then I dropped another scoop of batter on top.

These don't look that special, just a regular vanilla cupcake. But oh, the surprise inside!

I whipped up some cinnamon cream cheese buttercream frosting, and made it a bit more stiff so that the twirl would be camera-ready. Purdy!

The recipe made about 30 cupcakes, so I was able to evenly split them into two batches so N and I could spoil our respective coworkers with them!

Have you tried any creative or risky baking recipes lately?

Ode to Massholes 2

More material from my morning drive in:

• driving approximately 55mph in the rightmost lane
  
• blocking traffic flow in the cloverleaf interchanges so that the off-ramp traffic actually blocks the on-ramp traffic from getting on the highway
• taking a turn onto a perpendicular road by swinging into a wild and exaggerated arc, as if manuevering an 18-wheel truck
• putting makeup on at a stop light. honey, the makeup isn't going to help you look or drive any better.

And look! Other people have funny things to say, too! Here, here, and a special shout-out on Urban Dictionary.

MLK day... nerd alert

The temperature has finally plummeted and it feels like winter, eventhough it doesn't look that way. This entire weekend we enjoyed a bright blue sky and sunny weather. Since I had Monday off from work for the MLK holiday, I knew I didn't want to waste a day inside, and thought I could get a different type of exercise outside of my regular gym routine.

Being of hearty, cold-weather stock (upstate New York and Maine), my friend, A and I decided to hit up some local historical areas to enjoy the frigid winter and bright sunny weather.

Our first stop was Walden Pond in Concord. Our plan was to hike around the pond, a short 1.7 mile walk. But after the first loop being rather flat, we decided to take a higher ridge trail around the pond. All in all, we walked around the pond twice, which logged us in at 3.4miles!

After that, we drove a short 2 miles to the Concord town center to visit The Old Manse, which is a house that is "the most important historical home in America."

This home belonged to the Emerson family since the 1600s. You might recognize the family name from Ralph Waldo Emerson. Over the years, the home hosted new-age thinkers who spawned the Transcendentalist movement, including Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Here, if you look closely, you can see writing etched into the glass, using a diamond.Can't see it? Look in this second picture, in the area around the tree trunk. You'll see etchings from the Hawthorne's and Emerson's. Old school graffiti, or as the young-uns call it today: tagging.

This is a view of the Concord River behind the home. Beautiful clear water with icy patches near the shore.
This monument commemorates the "Shot Heard 'Round the World", or, where the American Revolution started. For some reason, I thought it happened at the Lexington Battle Green. Hermmm.
Although it was a beautful day, I look forward to returning in the summer months to explore more of the Minuteman Trail that runs nearby.

Ode to Massholes

This is going to be the first in a series of rants that illustrate what is wrong with Massachusetts drivers. I will derive most of my material from driving to/from work on I-95.

• Honking at you if you decide to not take a "right on red"
• Speeding in the left-most passing lane, only to fade across 3 lanes to get off at an exit
• Breaking on an on-ramp merge
  

Stay tuned for more, or add your own!

Maker of Useful Things: Eva Zeisel

As you probably know, Crate and Barrel is one of my favorite retailers (this is not a paid ad, since I attract roughly 4 readers).

During one of my frequent online browsing jaunts, a new piece that caught my eye. Dinnerware, by Eva Zeisel. I'm a sucker for mid-century modern, and this seemed to fit the bill.

Her design asthetic is simple but timeless. As is written in the product description, "each...elegant piece is a masterpiece of form and function." My particular favorite pieces include: sugar bowl, creamer, teapot, and sauce boat. Crate and Barrel resurrected this design line of hers from the 1952, and is reselling it today.

Unfortunately, as I was googling info about her life to share with you, I came across her obituary in the New York Times, and Washington Post, from just last week.

A couple more ways to learn more: her website, and an interview.

I think this post is a timely honor to her. Thanks Eva!

Calling all ideas!

I'm in need of a new name for this blog! Send me your suggestions-- quirky and clever!

City squirrel

Look who greeted me this morning when I looked out the window.Hello, lil fella.
At first, it looked like he was smoking, but really he's gnawing on a cracker or chip!

Vodka Infusions

I tried my hand at vodka infusions over the past couple of years.

Last year, I infused handpicked blueberries with vodka. The resulting product had a subtle hint of blueberry; the essence of a Maine summer. While I appreciated the flavor, it was fairly faint compared to commercially flavored vodkas. I'm not sure I would try this again.

This year, a recipe inspired me to try my hand at strawberry basil vodka. Wow, this was a winner! It had a strong strawberry essence without being sweet, and the basil added a nice herbal note. This would be a delicious accent to any summer meal. All you need to do is keep the mixture in a glass jar (I used a pickle jar) in a dark place for 3-4 weeks, rotating the jar each week. I packaged some of these infusions in cute flasks and gifted them to friends for Christmas. I sampled it as a vodka tonic. Yum! Next year, I'll ask N to design me some labels!

I also went out on a limb and tried a rhubarb infusion. As you may know, I'm fairly obsessed with rhubarb (technically a vegetable, but cooked like a fruit). I have close to two pounds frozen in my freezer. Turns out, the rhubarb wasn't a strong enough flavor (yes, it is tarte enough, but not bold enough to compete with the vodka).



Do you have any peculiar combinations that you would recommend as an infusion?