itty bitty cupcakes minis

"good afternoon,Edgewod Management!"
that's what i do....fortunately somedays the other end of the line says something along the lines of "Yes....Michelle? we have a pizza down here for So-and-So". Not only am I the Phone Master (a much cooler title that "receptionist") I am also the Food Master. obbbvi.
so i go downstairs to the front desk and i inquire about the surprise pizza delivery, and am greeted with a large pizza box with a little tie-dyed label that says "Baked by Melissa". the delivery man, says "hold it carefully,they're delicate".
so i get to the elevator and TEAR the box open. what i find is.....breathtaking.

one hundred little cupcakes! from left to right
Cookie Dough, Peanut Butter/Chocolate, Red Velvet, Oreo.
So-and-So says he read about them in the New York Times last week and thought he should give them a try.
The fantastic thing about these little guys is you can try all the flavors, and you've barely eaten the top of one cupcake.
I first grabbed a red velvet and a cookie dough. (sort of like the hybrid from a few weeks ago) Of the two, the cookie dough had a much more prominent flavor. although the cream cheese frosting was present in the red velvet, the burst of cookie dough was very impressive and distinct. the frosting reminded me of Easy Bake Oven frosting, and in my book that is a GOOD sign.
a few hours later, there were about 40 cupcakes left, so I snagged the last two flavors i hadn't tried. Convincing myself that nothing could compare to the cookie dough, I tried the peanut butter/chocolate cupcake and the Oreo cupcake.
The main problem with the peanut butter/chocolate was that the peanut butter completely overwhelmed the who cupcake. which is understandable, considering the cake is the size of a quarter and peanut butter overwhelms EVERYTHING. there was even a little PB filling in it!
but then......THEN!!!! I had the oreo cupcake. and everything seemed brighter and happier and the phones rang more quietly and clients complimented my beautiful voice and my hair stayed where i wanted it to. which is to say....it was dayum good.
so...i had 2 more Oreo Cupcakes, which brought me to a total of 6 little itty bitty cupcakes, and i was ready to call it a day. sometimes mondays just truck right along.

Muffin-palooza

good god i love making muffins. my first cookbook was called, very simply, "Muffins". Mama Shmoops got it for me along with my very first muffin tin. they're so simple to make, so versatile, and carry this feeling of home and warmth.
so, today i was grumpzilla. i'm not gonna lie. i had to run to the train, which wasn't so bad; what was bad was how out of breath i was when i got to the train and realized i had only run about 5 feet. it was pathetic. then it was rainy all day, and all i wanted to do was go home and put on some sweats and watch ellen and write all day. so, there i am, sitting at work, stewing in my grump, when i realize i should do something about it! and what puts me in an almost instant good mood? Looking through recipes and making plans to bake something.
and...need i remind you i LOVE making muffins.
so, welcome to MUFFIN-PALOOZA!
ok,i only made two kinds, so i don't know if this qualifies as a "Palooza" but my mood improved exponentially.
Lemon-Poppy Muffin
I made lemon poppy muffins about a month ago, but since they only sell poppy seeds in 5 pound containers, i've been making them more often. the best part of this process was rubbing the sugar in the lemon rinds with your hands. it was fun in a little -kid-who-likes-to stick-their-hand-in-sugar kinda way, and the smell was amazing. it smelled like sunshine :)
this recipe was interesting because it used Greek yogurt. I just discovered Fage yogurt this year, and it's really unique compared to other yogurts. it's a bit sour, but very substantial and smooth. there was 3/4 cup of it in the muffins, so they came out moister (is that a word?) than your average muffin. besides that, it was business as usual!
i also made Buttermilk Oatmeal Muffins, which were surprisingly more popular than the lemon poppy muffins. they were very moist and tasted lightly of brown sugar and heavily of oatmeal. I think they were such a hit because they were only 2 Weight Watchers Points. a co-worker helped me figure it out, using the calories, fiber, and fat content, and once this knowledge was known, they went like hot cakes. or hot muffins, whatever.

oh, and a bit off topic but i found this really handy awesome sugar container!! ah yes, it's the little things.


til we meet again,
the sunny robot

So You Don't Have To : Butterfinger Buzz

Welcome to the second installment of So You Don't Have to, in which i take a hit for the team so you don't have to eat such things as the waffle sandwich from dunkin donuts, or in this case Butterfinger Buzz. Let me explain how i happened to stumble upon such an......i'll say it....abomination. I got a Blockbuster membership to feed my dangerous LOST addiction. it's been going swimingly, the people are pleasant, i return my movies on time,a very healthy relationship. what's not so healthy are the racks of snacks displayed where the line forms. filled with those paintbrush lollipop things, burger king flavored chips (not a specific flavor, just Burger King) 10 pound bags of sour patch kids(ok, that one is pretty damn awesome.) so as i'm waiting, in the corner of my eye a BRIGHT orange box catches my eye. i am their target audience. distracted easily, childlike taste buds. it called i answered, that's about all it took.
So i ate it at work today. when do you need an energy boost more than 3:42 pm on a Monday? I got the King size (obbbviously). I could only eat half! For those that know me, you know that is rather unheard of.
It was butterfnger on crack. i mean, that's not an astute observation by any means, but it was just MORE sugar, i think. the sugar was crystallized like rock candy, and had a very natural burnt orange color. The ingredients did have the word "Caffeine" in them, but, and i may be wrong in this, isn't the ingredient list a bit more specific normally? Like taurine or something? I don't know, and wikipedia confuses me (and with lostpedia so closely related i get easily distracted...told you!)
anyway!so i ate it, slowly, picked out the sugar caked on my teeth, and waited. Waited for that RUSH that made me want to alphabetize everything on my desk and take inventory on everything. didn't happen. I did run into a wall at exactly 4:16, but i don't think that had anything to do with the "energy bar" that boasts "With as much CAFFEINE as the leading energy drink."

It even has a warning not to be consumed by pregnant women, for fear their children will never blink or something. But don't take my word for it! go grab one, before the limited edition Butterfinger Buzz bars sell out!!
which they won't. so don't rush. and as a matter of fact, take my word for it. stick to coffee and chewing on splenda packets.
because the only thing that happened when i ate this was this :

which is business as usual.

the day is upon us

(not my kick ass picture, found here)

WATCHMEN IS OUT.
so, go forth and prosper, and try to keep it clean when your brain explodes. which it will.
This evening I will be meeting with friends and cohorts for pizza and prep. we are going to the 7:30 show at the Union Square theatre, so the plan is to stock up on gummy things and gatorade, and head over an hour early to snag some seats.
Dorkus Malorkus will indeed meet her match in a theatre full of Watchmen fans on OPENING DAY!
ok, i should just quit whilst I'm ahead or the rest of this post WILL BE IN CAPS (sorry!)

XO-TSR (heh)

Wally-Ohs

Good afternoon! yesterday i woke up, and mapped out my day....it went like this:
Sleep, waffle sandwich (ah it seems like years have passed since that fateful event)watch LOST, sleep, repeat, make cookies and clean my fishbowl. Shockingly enough, i finished everything on my lazy to-do list.
The cookies i wanted to make are Bacon Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies, but i wanted to take them to work, and i don't think i am ready for the riots that will ensue if i bring such devilish treats. so i went with something a bit safer, Homemade Oreo Cookies. (recipe and original blog post found here)
A few mishaps occurred, and i am ever the wiser for them. Fist of all, I had lost my one cup measuring cup, and had been using the itty bitty quarter cup; but i had gotten used to the extra steps. so i opened the flour, and lo and behold; My measuring CUP! covered in flour and left in there from god knows what baking adventure. so i rejoice and continue baking. i'm sure you're thinking to yourself, that doesn't sound like a mishap to me....but just hold on to that little story for a moment.
so, i willingly ignored the ingredient "Shortening" for the cream filling. because, i had butter! and i didn't want to look for shortneing! it would completely defeat the purpose of having a lazy sunday if i had to scour the borough for queens. (i KNOW it wouldn't have been that hard, but when i get lazy i get lazy for good.) so i used butter where it said shortening, so the recipe was basically, butter, more butter, sugar, and some vanilla. which was fine and the end product was just what i wanted, but it definitely had a crumbly consistency i'm sure had to do with the substituted ingredient. with baking, you either got it, or you don't. and i didn't have it, but i got lucky and it turned out fine.
so, as i was getting the cream filling ready, with the cookies already assembled and baking in the oven, i says to myself "golly this is a tiny CUP". well, genius, that would be because it was only HALF a cup. damnit.
so by this time i am cursing at the cream i am making, repeating "it's ruined but i don't care, what do i care??" (I SO so cared, obviously)
someone was smiling down on me last evening, baking gods, with dusty beards and meringue eyes, because apparently an entire missed cup of flour does NOT make a difference. I still believe that baking is an exact science, and i am not recommending you be all flip and treat your pie like a stew (what with the "dashes" and "pinches"). the only thing that seems like a reasonable explanation is the aforementioned baking gods. yep, that makes sense.

so, i brought them to work today, and they were a HUGE hit. most were gone by 10 this morning. i was thrilled how they turned out, and like i said, very surprised. the cookie was crunchy just like an oreo, and considering the amount of sugar in the cream filling, it was very light and complimented the chocolate cookies perfectly. these will definitely be made again, and i wonder what will happen when i follow the recipe properly! i will have to find out and make them again, news i am sure (and glad) Edgewood will like. and maybe next time i can painstakingly write Wally-Ohs on each cookie. (i guess i should mention they call me Wally at work)

So you don't have to : Dunkin Donuts Waffle Breakfast Sandwich

Welcome to the first installation of "So you don't have to", in which I eat the latest fad food....so you don't have to. I'm sure you have all seen those commercials with the guy who has the truck stuck in a branch off the side of a cliff (what??). Boy does that tow truck guy have a lot on his hands! Well, have no fear, he ate a dunkin donuts waffle breakfast sandwich earlier that morning, and now he can do anything! well, i don't know about you, but i have been having dreams about that damn waffle sandwich for weeks now. So, this morning, I made my dreams come true!

ok, first things first...it's about 20 times smaller than you think it's going to be. so once you get past the initial disappointment you get, well, more disappointment.

i was picturing this obscene syrup soaked waffle sandwich with cheese and bacon and eggs. well, the egg looked like it had been cut out of a giant slab of egg with a cookie cutter, i'm not sure if there was cheese on it, and the bacon came in Bacon Bit form. This isn't even good for hangovers! Grrr!
one more look, and then we'll call it a day, eh?

so now you know.

in other news: This is my 100th post!! to celebrate i am making oreo cookies; you will see them in the 101th!