Before I share this recipe, I want to say that we were extremely fortunate here in DC to have escaped the direct wrath of Hurricane Sandy. Seeing the absolute devastation in New York and New Jersey has made that even more clear. So many people have lost everything – homes, livelihoods, friends and neighbors – and the suffering is just unbelievable. Please consider donating to the American Red Cross Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund by clicking the picture below. If you’re strapped financially, which many of us are, consider making a blood donation – it’s free and every little bit helps.
Our thoughts and well-wishes remain with everyone impacted by Sandy.
Here in DC, we’re being told to hunker down as Hurricane Sandy turns toward the east coast. We are known for meteorology-related panic around these parts, so we measure storms on the bread-o-meter - how long before the storm will it be before the last loaf flies off the shelves? What are people doing with all that bread, anyway? Do storms make people crave sandwiches? Because I crave sandwiches like, every day. It’s not like bread is some super long-lived, shelf-stable product that packs enough nutritional punch to get one through days upon days with no electricity. And don’t even get me started on toilet paper. You are not going to go to the bathroom any more during a storm than you normally do. And if you go that much, you should already have lots of tp. AND, we’re supposed to stock up on water in case the supply gets cut off, so if you have no running water, you’ve got nowhere to put all your toilet paper. AND, AND, in a truly dire situation, there’s like 100 other things around your house that you can use as toilet paper. So let’s talk about what you actually need in a storm:
Booze. Obviously. You are going to be stuck in your house with your family for days, potentially. Be sure to have something on hand that you can enjoy without ice. A nice pinot or a fine whiskey should do the trick.
A fun board game. Probably not something you have to use too much brainpower for, because, you know, you’ll be enjoying that pinot. If you’re a decent human being, Apples to Apples is always fun. If you’re not, Cards Against Humanity will pass the time (seriously, my friends and I once played this for about five hours straight. We are not decent human beings).
A smartphone, so you can complain on Facebook when your power goes out.
Books, because you spend your free time on the internet or television and haven’t read one in two years (okay, maybe that’s just me).
Extra booze, in case you run out.
That should be all the disaster preparedness advice you should need. If you’re smart, you will completely disregard it and follow the experts’ advice. Please don’t ignore me when I come knocking on your door because I’m out of toilet paper and I really need a sandwich – in return, I will share the most amazing dessert I’ve had in years with you.
Life’s all about balance, isn’t it? Balance between fun and obligation, between work and play, between family and friends and bills and chores and everything else we juggle each day. Balance has never come easily to me – some people are natural jugglers and others of us (hi!) are just more adept at tossing around one ball at a time. I tend to immediately lose my grip on something else whenever I pick up something new, but I try not to let that stop me from making new tweaks to the Jenga tower of life, because really, you can’t just do one thing at a time and call it living.
Yes, it’s that time of year – the leaves are turning (too early, if you ask me), the mornings are starting to get that delightful little nip in the air, and the entire world is obsessed with pumpkin. Myself included. This was my first pumpkin foray of the year, for a brunch at a friend’s house. They are incredibly simple, due to the cheat factor with refrigerated crescent dough (but you don’t have to tell anyone that), and they have all the warm, gooey appeal of a regular cinnamon roll, but with an extra pumpkin punch. Assemble in five minutes, bake in 15-20, and you’re good to go.
You can bring these to brunch, to work, or just pop them like candy in the privacy of your own kitchen. I highly encourage popping them like candy – it’s so easy to just whip up another batch when you do.
For the past couple of years, I’ve done this thing at work where I try to make special cupcakes for everyone on my team’s birthday. They pick a flavor off of my menu and get a half-dozen to take home, and the rest of the batch is for everyone to enjoy. This was really easy when I was on a six-person team, slightly more difficult when we kept adding on new people and eventually got into the double digits – and on top of that, they ALL have summer birthdays. Seriously. I think there’s maybe one November, but June, July, and August are teeming with coworker birthdays.
This shouldn’t really matter since I switched projects in April and am again on a much smaller team, but none of the people on my new team like sweets. Besides, after three-plus years on the old team, I kinda still liked them, so I try to keep up.
Try is the operative word. I’m currently between two and three months behind. Whoops.
These, for example, were for a June birthday. And this coworker does not order from my menu. I’m not even sure she looks at it. She gives me a list of flavors that she likes and my job is to make magic happen. If I were a bad friend, I’d pick two flavors that don’t remotely go together. But I’m not a bad friend, and she is an excellent friend who deserves magic cupcakes (maybe even more than once a year), so she gets Bailey’s and chocolate instead of peanut butter and orange. And she also gets the added bonus of feeling like she’s having a drink at work – Lord knows we all need that sometimes.
These are now on the menu for good – they’re such a fun departure from a standard cupcake. Dense, rich, and creamy, one at a time is all you’ll need, but you’ll definitely be back for more. And you’ll be sending silent thank yous to my coworker Elizabeth for inspiring a new addition to the repertoire for the second year in a row.
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