2011 in review. It’s sad, but here’s to a better blogging new year!

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 6,100 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 5 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Tags: annual report

Why I want to kill my mom’s canary.

Someone, who shall remain nameless, set my mom’s canary cage next to my orchid. My orchid that I finally was growing successfully. My orchid that it takes lots of time to encourage new leaves to form on.

This happened four days ago. I’m still bearing a grudge against the little, evil bird. Every time I see his little, beady eye even looking at my poor orchid I give him a good tongue lashing.

I’m still mulling over the best way to prepare him. BBQ or spit?

It’s back…

and better than ever! Ready for your Christmas event!

 The picture isn’t the greatest as the driver picked up speed just as I was snapping the picture on my phone. Some of you may remember the truck, and Ricky, from this post. This time it was pulling a trailer full of singing penguins, a polar bear and more robot friends.

 Seriously makes me smile every time I catch a glimpse of Ricky in town.

Tags: Christmas, Robot friends

How a humble cupcake became something great…

or The kind of cupcakes I make when my coconut hating sister is not around.

  There once was a  humble cupcake.

I’ll let you decide which is the humble one of which I speak.

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 Who dreamed of being something great!

Sigh. How I wish I was something great.

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Unfortunately he ended up being forgotten on the counter, went stale and eventually ended up in the landfill. The end!

Okay, lets now talk about frosting. There is nothing better than whipping up a box mix for cupcakes. Yep, I’m talking comes in a box for less than a buck, full of chemicals and other natural goodness cake mix (do you think there are bug parts in there too, Bren?). I love them when I want no fail cupcakes fast so I can spend time on the good part, the froooosting!

 I had already started a batch of Devil’s Food cupcakes this morning when we had to cancel having Corin and her kids over for the day.  I went from my plan of making strawberry frosting (same recipe different berry) to thinking about coconut frosting. Corin really doesn’t care for coconut, so I try to avoid using it when she’s around. Now was my chance! To be free of the oppression of my older sister!

I decided to use half butter, half shortening for the frosting. The shortening gives the frosting a lighter texture than all butter buttercream and it holds up a bit better to the warm temps we’re currently experiencing. With half butter you’ll still have some yummy flavor. I  added powdered sugar,  salt and some of my secret ingredient, then beat the bejeebies out of it all.

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Betcha you’ll never guess what my secret ingredient was.

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Then I slathered the cupcakes in frosting.

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 Toasted up a bunch of coconut and then rolled the tops of the frosted cupcakes in it. YUM!!!

Sorry, I wont give away my secret ingredient.

And so the humble cupcake’s fate was not as originally foretold .

He went on to live a happy few hours, rising to become the highest pupcake cupcake in the land!

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Seriously, I’m not telling you what I used for liquid in my frosting

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Reigning over all the other frosted cupcakes until the end of their little cupcake days.  Which is something like a day and a half  (if they’re among the lucky last) around here.

Okay, fine, here’s a hint. It rhymes with Kalibu Hum.

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Looking to make some Malibu Rum Frosting of your own?

This makes enough frosting to generously frost 24 cupcakes.

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Malibu Rum Frosting

1/2 butter, softened

1/2 shortening (I use Crisco)

4 1/2 – 5 cups powdered sugar

pinch of salt

4-5 Tablespoons Malibu Rum

Add all to a mixing bowl and beat on med. high for 3-4 minutes. Add more sugar if it’s too runny or more rum if it’s too stiff. Enjoy!

Tags: Baking, Cupcakes, Frosting, Malibu Rum, Recipe

Facetwiterest

Twittering Facebook Pins, Batman, what is the world coming to?!?! Exgoatmilker can now be found and followed on all three!

Currently I have a Twitter feed running in my right sidebar and links to the other two sites can be found just underneath. I have yet to decide whether the Twitter feed will permanently stay in my sidebar.