Tag: Cupcakes

Cupcake war

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Maria obsesses over the show Cupcake Wars. Absolutely loves it. 

Yesterday, we had some down time between having friends over. Ri was shuffling through the boxes in the pantry and found a box of chocolate cake mix and icing (because we are the family that never is without sugar). She looked at me with her Maria smile and sweetly asked “can I do a cupcake war in the kitchen?”

Yes, it was her against herself. She retrieved all the ingredients and cupcake pans, and placed them on the counter. She wrote down the names of all the neighbors she’d give the cupcakes to and totaled the numbers. She needed 26 cupcakes. I stood at the oven and calibrated the timer to one hour and thirty minutes. 

She yelled “go” and I started the timer. She whipped over my way and preheated the oven. Then she poured her batter and mixed her eggs, water and oil. She was in a mad frenzy from the start. And she loved the thrill. I acted as assistant reacting to commands she belted out.

“Open the icing and put it in the plastic dispenser! Make sure the silver decorating tip is all the way down!”

As I did that, she poured the mix in the cupcake cups. She only had enough mix for 20. 

“Assistant, you need to run to the store and get another box of mix! And I need a topper. How about cherries or bananas?” I darted out of the house to Kroger’s. I had 18 minutes.

I grabbed a bunch of bananas and a box of mix. I also grabbed a can of frosting, in case (smart move in the end). Then I saw some decorative colored balls of chocolate so I grabbed a green and blue package. I thought Ri would love them. 

I arrived home to a daughter who was flying around the kitchen.

“Thank goodness you are home! We need more mix made into batter! Did you get the bananas?”

I gave her the bananas and then brought the two packs of chocolate balls from behind my back to surprise her.

“What are these?” She made a scrunched-up disgusted face.

“I thought you’d like them for your cupcakes.”

“Ahh, mom, they do not at all go with my theme. Thanks though.”

Theme?!

She proceeded to sprinkle crushed graham cracker on her cupcakes. She sliced four bananas out of the six because she calculated 7 slices per banana. Glad her math is up to par.    

   
She kept on me about the mix until I had stirred it up enough to bring it over to her. She poured it quickly (chocolate everywhere) and threw the pans into the oven. She dictated my next task: put the icing into the plastic decorating tube. 

There was 6 minutes left when Ri took out the cupcakes. Some were finished but some were not. This led to a scolding from Ri about how I needed to buy the same kind of mix. My mix required a 25 minute bake time and Ri’s required 20. This meant they needed 5 more minutes – that would only leave one minute to decorate! Agh!

I took the fully cooked cupcakes out to decorate and Ri threw the remaining cupcakes into the oven. At two minutes, she made an executive decision and took the cupcakes out of the oven – ready they were fully done or not!

She topped the cupcakes with icing and I moved them over to the table to sprinkle with crushed graham cracker. She finished and put the bananas on top. We had 1 minute … she placed the last banana on the last cupcake and we were done! We high-fived each other and breathed a sigh of relief.   

I could have eaten this girl up from head to toe as we stood there looking at her creations. She amazes me with her independence and strong will. She has a gift for design and a love of food. A pathway to executive pastry chef is beginning to be carved out….

Now, if she can just learn how to CLEAN UP!

Happy Birthday Cy!

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Our pup turned 13 today. 

Cy with the kids last year

I remember driving with Jon to the farm in Alexandria, Ohio to look at puppy Chesapeake Bay Retrievers in 1998.  They were all so cute and playful.  But Cy stood out to me.  I still don’t know why in particular.  He was not more cuddly than the others, or more playful, or more distinguishing.  He just felt right to me.  A connection between him and I from the start.  We purchased him and drove him back to his new home in Columbus.  He laid his body on my chest the entire ride home.  My first taste of pure motherly love. 

We did everything together for the first 7 years of his life.  We walked every single day and on the weekends, we ran to the river and Cy got to swim.  I threw sticks to him and he excitedly retrieved them all.  He loved the water and looked like a dog pharaoh sitting chest-high in the water with his reddish-brown fur shining in the sun.  We would run farther down the trail to hit the 6 mile mark and then stop on the way back for another dip in the river.  Once home, I would give him a bath outside in the yard and lather him with love and affection.  We’d lay on the floor together watching tv or reading the paper.  He’d lie his face in my lap and beg me to rub under his chin.  He’d re-position himself to allow me to rub his belly.  We refused to go out some nights because we couldn’t stand the sight of seeing him lonely at the door.  We spoiled him.  He deserved it.

Cy on his 13th b-day!

I remember being pregnant with Maria and thinking “How can I ever love this baby as much as I love Cy?”  When we brought her home from the hospital, we were concerned that Cy would become protective over me and shun Maria.  The first few days we watched his every move with her to make sure that he acted friendly and did not growl or nip.  To our relief, Cy was protective over Maria and watched her every move.  If she began to cry, he trotted into the other room to find us.  He laid next to her when she sat in her bouncy seat.  And he always helped clean her toes with his big wet tongue.  He engaged in the same rituals with Mario after his birth (and Mario tried his patience a lot more by pulling his tail and hitting his head with his favorite toys). 

After Maria’s birth, I still walked Cy a good amount around the neighborhood.  We didn’t get to the river as much as pre-Maria but the walks around the neighborhood provided good exercise.  After Mario came home, there was a lot less time for long walks.  We still managed to get walks around the block several times a day but nothing like the mega runs to the river.  Not too long after Mario started walking, Cy decided he had enough of walking long distances and when we would take him out on his leash, he would not even walk 50 feet without stopping and wrenching his neck back refusing to walk farther.  He would go out back and fetch the stick or run around the house, but he did not want to walk outside.  I respected his wishes but it was difficult to let go of that routine with him. 

The kid crew enjoying the cupcakes!

Within the last year, it has been harder for him to rise in the morning and harder for him to manuever steps.  At our new house, we can only let him out in the front yard because he can’t handle the narrow and greater number of steps out back.  But even though he is having trouble with getting up in the morning and maneuvering steps, he is still the sweetest, gentlest dog ever.  He still nuzzles into your side when you get close to him to pet him.  He still turns on his back to beg for a tummy rub.  He still stares at you with his big brown eyes as if to try to tell you how cool he thinks you are.  He still provides comfort when you walk in the door and see him waiting for you.  I think this quote sums up our relationships with dogs well: “He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.”

Giving Cy his b-day lovin'!

The kids and I decided that Cy needed a birthday cake and birthday bones to celebrate his big 13th birthday.  We bought mini cupcakes at Kroger’s (Maria made sure that we got small vanilla cupcakes because Cy can’t eat chocolate and because Cy would get sick with too much sugar).  We invited Maria’s friends over to celebrate.  We lit up four cupcakes (one for each kid to blow out) and put bones in two of them.  We tried to get Cy to wear a b-day hat but he quickly tore it off and chewed it up (after all, it was a princess pink hat).  We sang “Happy Birthday” to him and blew out the candles.  Maria took the time to peel off the wrapper from one of the cupcakes to feed to Cy before she ate her cupcake (Mario just ripped into his without any thought to the b-day dog).  The cupcakes were devoured in record time and Cy ate what crumbs remained on the floor.  Mario fed him the two bones, and the kids ran back upstairs to play fort.  Cy and I sat downstairs together looking at the deep blue sky out the window.  He looked pleased with his birthday treats and birthday lovin’.

Out on the town with Ri

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My girl

I rushed home tonight to get ready for a fund-raising event on behalf of the New Directions Career Center, a local non-profit agency that helps individuals get back on their feet and pursue careers.  I decided to bring Maria with me for two reasons: none of my girlfriends were available and I continue to try to open Maria’s eyes up to giving back to the community.  When I opened the back door to the house, Maria came running into the kitchen commanding me to get upstairs and get ready!  She wore a plaid dress with two beaded necklaces, multi-colored flower leggings, a purple ring, and silver sandals.  Her hair was loosely tied back in a ponytail with a black headband.  My hippy girl. 

However, as much as she dresses herself in flowy, hippy, non-traditional clothes, she does not enjoy the same for me.  She wanted to pick out my clothes for me, and since we were going to a fund-raiser where I would not know too many people, I thought “what the heck.”  She chose a short orange dress with leaf prints on it that I had bought for Cancun with Jon and a pair of black open-toed heels.  I felt ridiculous.  I am just not meant to wear such clothes.  My body yearns for a pair of sweats and a T.  But I did it for Maria because she loves getting dressed up and this was her night with her mama.  On our way to the car, Maria yelled to the father two houses down “Andy, do you know where we are going?” He asked where and she replied matter-of-factly “to the bar.”  What a nut.

We got to the event, and she held my little red purse as she strolled into the event like she was one of the guests of honor.  We ate a White Castle hamburger (she hated it; I devoured it) and then moved onto the buffet bar.  She needed to get her tummy full before we moved to the silent auction.  She grabbed a large plate and a small (asking me to hold onto the small one until she was ready for it).  Christmas came early for her this year because low and behold on the buffet bar was meatballs!  I was 99% sure there would not be such creatures at this event but had not told her this for fear she would have declined my invite.  She poured four meatballs and sauce on her large plate.  Next came a ladle of ranch dip with two broccoli heads and 5 crackers (dipping crackers in ranch – to die for!).  I made her get some fruit, and she obediently grabbed a grape and a small piece of pineapple in the shape of a football on a stick.  We sat and ate and people-watched. 

Maria caught with more ranch dip and veggies

After our meal, we began our way around the rooms to look at the silent auction items.  Maria found a cupcake gift box with cupcake mix, aprons, a cookbook, sprinkles, cupcake stuffed animal, and cupcake holders.  She wanted to buy it.  I explained the bidding process and told her that the gift retailed at $100 and the last bid was $40.  She wanted to put down $120.  Oh, does she remind me of Jon more and more.  Her reasoning was the same as Jon’s too: “I want this gift and I will pay what I need to pay to get it.”  She innately understood that if she put $45  she would probably not have a chance.  An antique shopper in the works.  When I told her she could go to $60, she shook her head and mumbled under her breath, “we won’t get this one.”  She loved the thrill of putting the money number down on the sheet.  Every time I told her the price we’d offer, she put a higher number.  The girl likes to spend.  By the end, we bid on eight items, three of which I think we have a strong chance of winning (we ended up returning to the cupcake gift and putting down $120 since it had gone to $100). Hey, it goes to a great cause. 

We stopped for one last round of veggies and crackers and dip and headed out as they were doing a live auction for a trip to South Africa.  Oh, what I would have given to bid on that trip.  I should have just gone for it (Maria raised her hands numerous times, and thank goodness the auctioneer could not see them (even though I should have just let her overpower my risk-averseness )).   As we walked back to the car, a director we had seen in the beginning of the night asked Maria if she wanted to volunteer for the organization, like become a guest speaker.  Maria nodded her head “no.”  She stated “I have a play date tomorrow so I can’t.”  The director laughed and got in her car.  I asked Maria if she would volunteer when she did not have a play date.  “Mom, I will do it when I am 20,” she replied.  I retorted “you will volunteer a lot earlier than that, Ms. Thing.”  She threw the “Oh, mom, whatever” look at me to which I promptly turned around and tickled her until she begged me to stop.  

As we drove home, Maria asked when we would “win” our prizes from the event and I explained that they would have to review the sheets to see who had the highest bid. Maria immediately warned me “We better have bid high enough for those cupcakes, mom….”