Our church had a kid's halloween party that was open to the public and I was asked to bake cupcakes for the event.  My job was to make 50 cupcakes in a variety of flavors.  I ended up making classic vanilla, chocolate and red velvet cupcake batters with cream cheese, vanilla buttercream and chocolate ganache as frosting options. 

I don't know what it is about red velvet cake that's so enticing, but everyone really loved the red velvet cake.  Personally, I'm not a huge fan of red velvet cake.  It's neither chocolate (although it's the cocoa powder that gives it its distinct taste) nor vanilla (although a good amount of vanilla extract goes into the cake for depth of flavor).  I think it's the cream cheese frosting that makes people so nutso about red velvet.  Anywho, on to the pictures ...

Notice the shockingly red red color.  I used 12 drops of red food coloring!  For those who have never used food coloring, a little bit goes a looong way.  I stained everything the batter touched.  Truly grotesque and bloody - perfect for halloween.

This is my secret ingredient for baking the best red velvet and chocolate cake.  I didn't use this in my chocolate cake this time around because I substituted the hershey syrup for pumpkin pie filling.  It gave the chocolate cupcakes a chocolaty flavor with a hint of pumpkin ... but after all the frosting and candy garnishes, you couldn't tell there was pumpkin in the cupcake. 

I didn't take any photos of my own cupcakes!  For shame!  But I frosted some of the cupcakes with either white chocolate or dark chocolate ganache and topped them with white chocolate spider webs I made the night before.  These were the ones left over (read, the less prettier ones because I got tired of making webs past midnight).  The one on the far left was my rendition of jack skeleton.  I don't have a picture of my skull cupcake, but it had brown m&m eyes, 2 chocolate sprinkles for a nose and 4 white tic-tacs for the teeth (I also used raisenets for teeth on a few of them as well).

The adults got a huge kick out of the mummy cupcakes.  I used cream cheese frosting and a ribbon tip to frost the mummy's cloth and used yellow m&m's for the eyes.  I piped dots of melted chocolate to make the pupils.  Voila, mummy cupcakes. 

These were from a few months ago, but the hubs challenged me to make a golf ball cupcake.  So I baked chocolate cupcakes, made chocolate hazelnut truffles (think ferrer rocher) and made white chocolate golf balls out of a mold (that I made using his own golf ball).  I stuffed the hazelnut truffles into the golf ball, or at least I attempted to, but the weight of the truffle was too much for my golf ball and I ended up topping my cupcakes with either the truffles or the golf ball. 

Eventually, when I have the time, I'll take another stab at perfecting my golf ball, but that will be for another day. 

That's all folks.  I should have taken picture of my cupcakes, but I will be making thanksgiving/autumn cupcakes shortly.  Pictures to follow.

This is been quite possibly the longest week of my life.

Office moves and relocations, renovations, construction will be over as of Monday.  I can't take the madness anymore!

To add fuel to the fire, starting Monday I will be starting a new project with my partner.  The work just keeps on coming .... I honestly believe I've shaved a year off my life from the stress I get from work. 

I really really really need a vacation. 

Hi, I'm aegie and I'm an insomniac.

I've been in a slump lately.  I feel like I'm constantly sick or just recovering from being sick only to get sick again.  Work is this never ending den of tedium and the constant pressure to give 100% at work, at home, to your family, your significant other, cook, clean and maintain a healthy social life is seriously insanely demanding.  But this isn't a cry for help, I'm just saying ... I don't know how some people manage all facets of their life and make it look so easy. 

I was talking to a girl friend of mine who's in a serious relationship and just recently had "the talk" with her bf.  We talked about our previous ex's and our relationship styles and I realized that I've dated just about every spectrum of guys across the board.  And get your head out of the gutter, this isn't a confession about my extensive dating history ... but it just so happens that the guys I've dated have been random and with no apparent or particular taste.  I've dated pseudo rock-star/skater/surfer, a complete pot head (that was very short lived), a super sarcastic guy (who happened to be, probably, the smarted guy I know), the guy you date because you're bored and you've grown accustomed to his presence, a jock, an investment banker, blah blah ... and you know who I ended up marrying?  The tall sporty NICE guy.  My hubs is always grounded and keeps me in check.  If I happen to go nuts over something trivial, he's always just so damn freaking calm it makes me realize that I'm the only one flipping out and that I need to chill out.  He keeps me calm.  And it's really amazing that another soul makes me want to be a better person.  Who says girls don't go for the nice guy? 

Anyways ... the conversation with my friend made me realize that if I hadn't dated all those guys before my hubs, I would have never appreciated his great qualities.  What can I say?  After dating all the wrong guys, I ended up marrying the right one. 

Speaking of which, we haven't gone on our honeymoon yet.  With two weddings (in the US and in Korea) and an upcoming family Christmas vacation, we had to push off our "official honeymoon" until next year.  Where do you think would be a good honeymoon destination?  We're looking to take a 10 day honeymoon and the hubs is NOT a fan of flying.  If we didn't fly business class to Korea, he probably would have thrown himself off the plane halfway through the trip.  On a trip to Vegas from NY, he nearly died.  Although that was the trip where we met Daniel Boulad on our JetBlue flight from Vegas to NY.  I got him to sign a postcard of himself, but that's a whole story all on its own.

So .... where would you suggest, recommend or vote for our honeymoon?

Australia?  Although I think 10 days is too short for the land down under.
France?  Start with Paris and work our way to the south of France?  (I've been to Paris a few times before and he's a bit hesitant to go somewhere I've already been ....but I love PARIS!)
Czech? 
Spain?
Greece?
Argentina?
Kenya?  My sister is DYING to get me to go on an African safari.  We actually know someone who owns a resort down there ... but Africa for my honeymoon? 
Italy?  Again, I've been to Italy a few times before and the hubs wants to "explore" somewhere new together ...

Any suggestions?

I think I get sick every other month.  It's such a pain in the behind!

This past Friday I got pink eye from god only knows where/whom .... AND I caught a cold to boot.  My pink eye is gone but I'm dangerously close to losing my voice and my ability to swallow from excessive, chest and throat wrenching coughing.  Sometimes I cough so violently I end up gagging.  I already two near vomiting coughing sessions and I've used half an 8oz bottle of hand sanitizer in 2 days.  My mouth is all cut up from all the throat candy/lozenges I've been popping like candy and my nose is red and raw.

.... and they say flu season hasn't started yet.  Great. 

Work has been kicking my behind.  Life in general has been enormously demanding and I've been so stressed out, I haven't been able to get back into the kitchen to cook/bake.  Currently I'm not cooking so I don't infect people with my germs, but hopefully I'll be good to go by this weekend.  At least, that's what I'm hoping for.

I finally understand why people always told me that I should be thankful for good health.  I didn't really understand how true the statement was when I was young and invincible, but now I'm wretched and afflicted and I get it ... I really really get it. 

I am however, looking forward to the upcoming holidays.  I LOVE thanksgiving and christmas.  Hurray for the holidays!

When can I have my own life back?  Every part of my life is being consumed by work and family.  I have no down time to myself. 

I'M. TOTALLY. BURNT. OUT.

I'm running 110 mph and I'm running out of gas .... Lord help me make it past this month of hell. 

(It doesn't help that my blackberry decided to crash (yes, crash!) on me exactly when I needed it the most.)  This is why I hate phones and all things electronics.