Oh joyous day! Porn sites get their own domain name .xxx

Way back when...I remember being a nerdy 7th grader, way back when at the advent of the internet, and blazing fast dial-up speeds, and doing what all kids do.  See if your name as a website pops up as anything interesting.

So a group of us gathered at the computer bay in the library, fired up internet explorer and typed in www.niki.com.  LUCKY ME it was a porn site. Not that I needed anything more added to the bountiful box of clever ways to taunt and tease me as a young adolescent (after my mom so kindly wrote my nicknames in sharpie on my gym clothes.)  And no I won't tell you what they are, they were supposed to die long ago.

With porn sites finally getting their own domain name, I wondered if, after 13 years, niki.com, the sexsite still existed.

And yes, I'm proud to report, that it still does.

http://www.niki.com/

*Wow and in also googleing Niki... I've found out that I have my own airline.*

FLY NIKI!!

Cake & Heels

In my continued attempts to create and maintain as many blogs as humanly possible, I've started another one.

Oh no!  Here we go again, right?

But really, the reasoning behind this is simple.  As I've found myself in a place where I'm doing much less loving & leaving of people in my spare time, and much more baking, the stories I'm constantly posting on this blog have very little relevance to the title. 

I'm going to maintain my love them & leave them to blog about things that interest me, of the slightly more scandalous nature...

And my new blog is the PG-13 (well more like PG-21, because really alcohol is a very important part of my baking) mecca for all things baked! 

So here we go. 

Cake & Heels

Eat My Blog Bake Sale

Last December a whole group of bloggers got together to showcase their amazing baking talents, while concurrently raising money for the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. It also happened to be the location of my first "date" (well really a Myra, non-date, is this really a date? kind of date) with the G-Man. So it makes sense that on my birthday & very close to our 6-month "anniversary" we'd hit the streets for a summer goodie treat.

It was quite the feast, and I also got my first experience with Scoops! Pear & Gorgonzola Ice Cream?! WTF? I mean I know Caroline knew what she was talking about when she mandated to try every flavor at scoops, but why have none of you dragged me there?? Seriously, incredible.

Speaking of Caroline, I got to meet my cracked out favorite blogger IRL, and she even gave me a shout out on her blog!

But speaking of bake-sales, my mentee, mento, little NYUer and I have decided we need a bake-sale of our own! Our charity? Tisch West. How... gracious alumni of us, right?

Oh Porn & Disney, elevating expectations...

thanks kristin for sending!

Idea Factory: Peanut Butter Pasta

All in all a very cute little lego animation. Enjoy!

Love at First Bite.

"It doesn't even tell you how to make the heart in the apple ... and I was all like WTF?!"

Hilarious. Thanks Village Voice!

You're drunk.

PETER
Never mind... Listen -- suppose I
should tell you that Ellen Andrews
is going to have her marriage
annulled.

GORDON
Huh?

PETER
That she's going to marry somebody
else.

GORDON
You're drunk.

It Happened One Night.

Choco-Bacon Pretzel Sticks. Success!!

Tasty, easy & amazing. Conceived in the yummiest parts of my mind, I was pleasantly surprised that this turned out exactly as I had envisioned it! Hopefully the people at No Cookie Left Behind think they're as delicious as I do.

I started with 2 packages of Snyder's Pretzel Rods (Had to dig to the back of the shelf to find one where 90% of the rods were still in tact), 2 packages of bacon & 2 bags of mini chocolate chips. Once home, I sliced the bacon strips into halves and wrapped half of the rod in the strip. It was actually easier that I went cheap and bought the fattier bacon, because it worked well to cling to the pretzel.

The recipe I had suggested baking them for 20 minutes on a wire rack over a pan so the bacon fat can drip off without making the pretzels soggy. Not having an oven, I settled for using my space oven which ended up working really well. I drained the sticks over paper towels & let them cool off before dipping them.

Now for the chocolate. I normally use a bowl & make a double broiler over the stove, but figured it'd be much harder to dip it in a flat surface. Inspiration! I used my bpong.com pint glass & melted the chips slowly in the microwave, making to stir every 30 seconds or so! Topped them off with a few sprinkles for color & texture, then let them chill & harden in the fridge for 30 minutes.

I'm also now convinced that every baked good I make needs to have a logo... & thus the Choco-Bacon Pretzel Sticks are born!!

Very Sweet Paper Plane Animation :-)

Paper Plane from Margherita Premuroso on Vimeo.

Oh Twihards, We are ready to laugh at you...

June 30th.

Twilight is just like the Hills and Sex And The City. Something we love to hate. But the Cha & I have found a sort of sadonic joy in venturing out with the Twihards, laughing hysterically in all the Bella/Edward/Jacob "moments," and reeling in the death stares from girls & their mothers who would give their right arm for an underage lover. The crazier the fan, the better.

And thus, we've bought our tickets for Twilight. 10PM. Opening Night. It saddens me a little that I had to plan for this night, almost a month in advance... but I think knowing we have seats to what will surly be the biggest laugh-fest since "Great White Buffalo" makes the anticipation worth it. Either that, or we can sell our tickets marked up to the fans that didn't get their shit together in time.

No Cookie Left Behind

So this coming weekend my boss is hosting a charity bake sale aptly named "No Cookie Left Behind."

Sadly I'll be in Palm Springs this weekend.

But that doesn't mean I still can't contribute! It's the perfect excuse to try out a new recipe, one I've been waiting for quite some time to actually do...

Chocolate Covered Bacon Wrapped Pretzels.

Yep, you' heard that correctly! Doesn't that just sound delightful? And added bonus I can totally make them ahead of time :-).

Anyway, if you have any interest in checking out their bake-sale... here are the dets.

Sunday June 13th
12PM - 5PM
@ Scoops
712 N Heliotrope Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90029
http://nocookieleftbehind.wordpress.com/

So fingers crossed that:

+





= Amazing

Paintballing how I loathe thee...

The first time I went paintballing, I was in 8th grade. It was the summer of 98, and my "brother" & I decided that skateboarding camp sounded like the perfect way to push our boundaries.

First. Skateboarding camp? Really? Yes. I did that. The camp consisted of 24 boys & me. It was 5 days of ramps, vert pipes, bowls and rails in the morning, Six Flags, Hurricane Harbor, Wave-runners & paintballing in the afternoon, and camping out in Malibu at night. Before you start thinking that I'm a skater-girl pro (because that was totally your natural inclination) I'll share with you a little story.

Day 1. Thinking that I was going to be cute and adorable for all the boys, I wore my short shorts & cute tee. This is how I learned a little something about skateboarding burns. The oh so smooth surface of sanded cardboard used to line the course, will leave a not so smooth scar of torn flesh in it's wake. So much for being cute.

Day 2. Now sporting my Jnco jeans (yes I was one of 'those' kids) I was ready to brave the park. My communist brother & I thought we could take the 10 ft bowl... so we confidently teetered on the top, counted to 10, and both dropped in. Well more like down. Lying flat on our backs, we cursed our ambition, and tried in vain to figure out a way we'd ever skate our way out. Forget skate our way out... just get out! At 4' 11" the lip of the bowl was just out of reach, and even if I did grasp the edge, my wimpy arms were useless. Yelling for help, we slowly realized that the park had emptied for lunch and they'd forgotten about us. A very sad 2nd day.

Day 3. Having given up on my dreams of competing at the X-games, I was lulled into a comfortable routine of watching the more talented, while carefully avoiding the bowl, and any other seemingly dangerous activities. Completely unprepared for what I was about to experience, we were piled into a car, taken to the paint balling field, and each given a shooter gun. They only held 8 shots each. Then then paired us up with "walk-ons" which basically were ex-military training with machine guns. We were like lambs to the slaughter. I was already bruised & burned & now they were firing paint balls at me! It was the icing on the cake to an already crazy week & I swore, this was the first & last time I'd ever paintball.

Flash forward to 9th grade. It was my friend Will Katz's birthday & he absolutely wanted us all to go paintballing. No exceptions. I recalled back to my first experience & thought to myself, maybe it wasn't really that bad. I'd had two horrific days beforehand which didn't add to the memory, but I psyched myself up believing this time would be different.

It wasn't.

My friend's dad shot me 3 times in the back from about 5 feet away. He drew blood. I couldn't lie down for a week.

By 11th grade, I fully knew I didn't want to go paintballing when my friend Gabe's uncle was opening a new park & invited us to scrimmage with the regulars. Called all forms of a wimp, I told all these newbies they'd understand soon enough, but I bucked up, wore my ski parka, and hit the field.

This time I went home with a bruise on my hip the size of a baseball.

So it's been 8 years since my last experience. 8 years I've successfully avoided being shot at. 8 years until my best friend guilt-ed me into 1 more time.

This is what happened to her. Me? A few more bruises & scrapes, but maybe I've grown just a little tougher since my wee tiny days. Don't get me wrong, it still hurt, but at least this time there wasn't any blood.

Perfect Housewarming Gift

Now all I need is the new house!! This search is so sad, it's the same 5 apartments on the market, with nothing new or exciting in the past month. :-(. I'm ready to move out already & fill a new space with tons of Blik, stuffed animals and my crazy sense of design!!

Calligraphy Address Stamps

It's the start of my Birthday Month!!

But really this is just a cool little animated "let's make a cake" movie!

Pigeon: Impossible

I know I know, I'm a little late to the game, but I just saw this and I love it!!

Cute Animation...

It goes on a little too long, but all in all very cute!

this isn't a break-up blogspot...

i'm just exploring my options. and not to say that i'm ever leaving you for tumblr (because i'm not) but i'm figuring out how we can successfully co-exist, in our awkward, but loving threesome.

i promise i will not write, blog, or do anything of the super creative nature on that "other" site. i will merely track photos and recipes, to make my blogspot life a little easier.

that said. here are some photos.i.like. enjoy!

Suicidal Dog

And then there was tumblr.

Tumbled Stuff. (Until I think of a better name.)

Because I really needed yet another location to share information. However this will be more of a compilation of things to try/do. Complete with purdy pictures. So if you'd like to suggest things to add to the queue, lemme know.

The Moustache Cake

For G-Man's birthday, I decided to bake a cake! And not just any cake, this was my first foray into fondant creations! I have to say, all in all, this was much easier than I'd anticipated... kind of like working with clay. Which means... GET READY! Fondant creations on their way :-).

6th Annual Hollywood Assistant Beer Pong Tournament

6^th ANNUAL HOLLYWOOD ASSISTANT

BEER PONG TOURNAMENT 2010

96 teams from over 20 different Studios, Networks, Production Companies and Agencies.

Last year’s winners were Aaron Rapke & Stew Kaye from ImageMovers!

Saturday, April 24th, 2010

5PM ~ 2AM

BRAND NEW LOCATION!

Lucky Strike – Hollywood

6801 Hollywood Boulevard

(Hollywood & Highland Complex)

www.bowlluckystrike.com

Prizes and Bragging Rights go to the winners.

*** In case you missed the event last year, catch the highlights here!

http://www.movieline.com/2009/04/two-balls-one-cup.php

Meet Meline

I love my Dad!

Nikfish:

So when you become rich and famous....and can afford to buy your dear old Dad a new sports car (preferred color:RED)...it is FERRARI...as in its creators name: Enzo Ferrari...
Thanks for thinking of me...

Dad

ps - should I stop practicing throwing ping pong balls?

YooHoo

The Endless Night: A Valentine to Film Noir

Every once in a while you come across a really really well done montage clip film. Enjoy.

Great Marketing.

The Crepe Cake

While I normally post things that I would like to try & make, I feel like this one is just slightly out of my wheelhouse. I'm horrible at making pancakes, and have never tried my hand at crepes. Getting just 1 good one out of me seems nearly impossible, so a stack... no way.

What does that mean? Someone who's better at this kind of thing, please make me one!!!

Cake House @ The Olympic Collection

Review: Happy Hour Red|Seven @ The PDC

Where do I even begin with this happier hour? I guess, first with the dets...

I'd heard about the Red Seven happy hour on one of my new favorite blogs, The Happy Hour Tour.

The happy hour (which is the only hour) goes from 5-8PM. Like the restaurant closes at 8PM. I talked to the host @ the restaurant & he said as long as we're comfortably there by 7:30PM we should have no problem getting in a couple of quick bites before they shut down.

(This is for us "industry" kids who rarely ever see daylight.)

It's just a game time decision on ordering food etc :-).

Drinks - $3 Beers/Wines || $4 "Fun Drinks"

Food - $2-4 priced Appetizers || Edamame, Garlic Fries, Baby Back Ribs, Chicken Crisps w/ Peanut-Butter Miso & Half-Spicy Tuna Roll

* Also 2-for-1 Patron Shots.

Side Note: They do Validate for parking... I believe the entrance is off Melrose?

REVIEW

When we showed up, the regular crowd of PDC workers who get off at a normal hour, had all cleared & the bartenders were shutting down, thinking they'd get to call it an early night. We'd sadly missed the party, but lucky for us, they were more than kind enough to stay open a little longer.

There's something to be said for getting to really explore a venue when it's not super crowded. It's like getting to see behind the velvet rope, and I loved it! The Baby Back Ribs were tender & fell right off the bone. The drinks were delicious (I recommend the Lemonade one...) and the service was impeccable.

I would gladly make this my new Thursday night hang-out... I just wish they stayed open a little later.

SweetSalt: The Red Velvet Cookie

In reading about SweetSalt and their Bacon Truffle Caramel Popcorn, I knew this was a must try, but I have to say, of everything we had, the Red Velvet Cookie was out of this world!

I had made it my mission to try their Lavender Duck Confit sandwich for my "list" as it absolutely contained both the savory & the sweet. Also, not one easily tempted by desserts, I figured I'd stick to my pursuit of the unusual, however these decadent cookies were just too good to pass up. And boy was I right. Two fluffy "cookies" of red velvet, were sandwiched around a yummy cream filling & topped with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar that just begged to be consumed while sipping a nice cup of espresso. (Which us cheap-o's did not purchase.)

That's why they made a "next time."

On to their Bacon Truffle Caramel Popcorn. Thinking it would be the sweet savory snack that would keep me coming back for more, I was severely disappointed by the results. Described as "Earthy" was the right fit. The truffle flavor threw me, and not in a good way.

Bacon. Good. Caramel. Good. Popcorn. Good. Truffles. Not so much. Sorry Mushroom, you're not welcome here.

The Great Bacon Chocolate Experiment

I just realized that I'd done this in the middle of my blogging hiatus, and never actually posted the results!!!

I started with some lovely applewood smoked bacon from trader joes. Covered it in a ton of brown sugar and then baked up a whole tray of them. I then skewered them on lollipop sticks to make them easier to eat!


After I'd laid them all out, I drizzled dark chocolate all over the top & let it harden in the fridge overnight.


The final product? A lovely little bacony-chocolatey pop, perfect for on the go munching! Albeit next time, I'll 1. let the bacon cook a little longer. While it was yummy & chewy it made it hard to take a bite out of the pop & instead found myself having to eat the whole thing. 2. I totally forgot to sprinkle sea salt on top of the chocolate before it hardened, but I feel like it would have given it a nice texture.

YUM.

Almond Mandarin Cake

Super super delicious, this cake was tender & moist & the orange zest was the perfect bit of citrus-y goodness. I also learned about Almond Meal which is now going to be incorporated in EVERYTHING I cook! So yummy!

Yield: 1 - 8" cake

Ingredients
8 Mandarin Oranges - Zest & Juice
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
2 Eggs
1 Cup Almond Meal
1 1/2 Cups Flour
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1-2 cups Silvered Almonds (Sprinkled on top before baking)
1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar (Sprinkle on top when finished)

Bake @ 350 degrees until golden brown (approximately 30-40 mins)

The Tangerine Margarita: On Fire

I haven't been to Chaya in quite a while, but was pleasantly surprised to find that their amazing "industry happy hour" had been replaced by an upgraded menu, and still wallet friendly drinks. (Like the Cha, with a ya at the end.) Looking over their martini menu, I was debating between the pomegranate & the french inspired cocktail when I overheard the waitress dish out the "specials" to the guy behind me.

Tangerine Margarita, On Fire?

Excuse me? I quickly called over the bartender & asked him if the drink was really on fire? No, he replied, this isn't a college bar shot. It was a spicy sweet cocktail that made my mouth tingly & happy all at the same time. I have no idea what was in it, but I do know, I'll certainly be going back for seconds... and thirds.

Plus their bacon wrapped dates & mini sliders were really yummy & I want to try the French Goat Cheese & Honey Lavender Gelee next time.

What's the difference between a Cupcake & a Muffin?

A muffin is any quickbread (mixed by muffin mixing method & does NOT contain yeast) that is in the shape of a cupcake. A cupcake is any cake batter mixed with the straight method or creaming method made into the shape of a cup. Cupcakes (traditionally) have frosting on top, while muffins have no frosting, but muffins can have a glaze on top. Many people think that the difference is either frosting or no frosting, or that it's "in a paper liner" or not, but that is a common mistake. Either one can be made with or without a paper liner; it's just the baker's preference. A quickbread (or muffin) CANNOT be baked like a sheet cake or round layered cake because it won't bake properly. The same goes for a cupcake batter- a cake batter (or cupcake) cannot be baked in a loaf or bundt pan because it will not bake properly. But, since both can be baked into a smaller shape, everyone seems to want to declare that they're the same.

Thank you WikiAnswers.

IKEA for 1 please!

Ikea and all its Swedish grandness lacks one thing... a forgiving attitude towards the singleton.

In my newly minted "hipster adjacent" lifestyle with the beau, he's now found an excess of space in some areas, and a decrease in space in others. Finally having a breakfast nook, eating on the coffee table is no longer a necessity, and the hunt for the perfect dining room set begins. Within a realistic price range of course. However his downgrade from closet that could easily be converted into another bedroom, to merely a simple walk in requires a creative outlook on storage spaces.

In comes Ikea, the perfect place for penny pinching assistants, still waiting for their big break, yet finding a bit of extra cash in their pockets thanks to the move east (yet still JUST west of the 101).

Having watched 500 Days of Summer one too many times, the notion of running through the store & finding little Asian families in the bathroom makes the trek out to Burbank even more worth while... and the meatball sundaes seal the deal. (Granted, I would not partake in the running through the store, and I was accidentally the Asian in the bathroom, rather than the adorable couple on the bed.)

In looking for parking, I noticed something interesting. In front of the store was the loading & unloading zone, while the actual lot was a little further away. Big stones caged in the carts, so in reality, the only way to transfer your goods from your cart to your car (without carrying them) requires you to have a partner in crime. One to watch the stuff, while the other grabs the vehicle. This puzzled me, could one not come to Ikea alone?

As a weakling, this thought has never really hit me, because I know that my scrawny arms would never be able to get my Hagalund sofa bed into the cart in the first place, and I've also never suffered from the situation of being "new in town." But what would they do? Those "new in town" and "without a friend" people?

I suppose the easy answer is, have it shipped... But really IKEA, with your "couple necessary" parking, you're just making the lonely feel even more ostracized than they already are. Sad.

Conversation with my mother...

Me: Hey Mom, going to play a little tennis after work & then coming home. Also, have Hurt Locker for you to finish watching.

Mom: OK... now I love you again.

This would all be because the disk I had previously didn't play the second half of the movie. Which she blames me for entirely.

Lovely times.

Zero Is A Cat

Enjoy!
http://zeroisacat.blogspot.com/

Next Up on the Bacon Train: Bacon Smores

Toasted Marshmallows, Buttery Graham Crackers, Melted Chocolate.... and Grilled Bacon? This sounds like a match made in heaven. My main problem with smores has always been the same... they're just TOO sweet. Too much sugar condensed into a lumpy concoction that sends my brain into coma after every bite. But I think the addition of a crispy, salty strip is just the key to break up the monotony of the sugary sweet.

And then the key will be figuring out how to turn these into cupcake form. (Although a little on the cupcake front, I think I'm retired for a bit & switching to cake making, as they're much easier to bake in my screwy little toaster oven.)

Bacon Smores. Camping soon anyone?

Amazing Just Happened (Again!!)

And you thought one slow-mo dog video was enough to satiate my craving... didn't you?

Duck or Rabbit?

I think I'm obsessed with this website and am going to buy everything on it shortly. Duck or Rabbit? Which one are you?

match&munch

There are times I wish I had a kid... mostly so I could justify buying these ridiculous products. Maybe I'll just have to figure out a way I can infuse alcohol into sandwiches so it can become a grown-up toy as well!

Product Description
Moms … are you often puzzled on how to get your finicky little eaters to consume their sandwiches..crust and all? Here’s a super creative way to kill two birds with one cutter…eliminate pesky crusts while making sandwiches into an intriguing interlocking puzzle pieces your kids will want to eat. The cutter is higher than a regular cookie cutter so it easily cut through two pieces of bread without flattening the sandwich. You can create single sandwiches – pieces measure about 3.3 inches X 2 inches –or build an amazing interlocking puzzle with pieces measuring about 2 inches square. Dishwasher safe. Made of ABS, USFDA approved food-grade virgin plastic. BPA, Lead and Phalate Free. Both product and packaging are 100% recyclable.

You can buy it here.

Strand Brewing - 24th Street Pale Ale (aka Pot Beer)

While dinnering at one of my favorite beachside burger joints, and lamenting the fact that no one aside from me enjoyed their lychee beer on tap (a strange brew akin to a packet of sour patch kids being dumped in a vat of pilsner) I came across what I could only assume was a local brewery. Strand 24th Street Pale Ale. Intrigued and always wanting to help out socali businesses, I asked the waitress for her opinion. She assured me of it's nice grapefruit undertones and refreshingly crisp flavor, and moments later I was rewarded with one of the most interesting beer experiences of my life. ratebeer.com did a pretty good job of summarizing my thoughts...

Dark gold-orange in color with good lacing. Aroma is grassy, herbal, a bit of lime. Palate is very dry and light, keeps you coming back for additional sips. Flavor starts with aggressive grassy hops, grapefruit, minerals. Flavors fades into a pretty firm, clean bitterness. Great with food, and a good first offering from these folks.

"grassy, herbal" which equates to, this beer totally smelled & tasted like pot! Not being a stoner in the slightest, I can't say with utmost certainty that the flavors were the exact same, but it was seriously close enough to give me pause. And who knows, the south bay is full of surfers and hippies, I wouldn't put it past them to ingeniously discover a way to meld substances.

After all they now make Alcoholic Whip Cream.

Seriously Eastside... Why do you tempt me so?

I just heard about SweetSalt Food which sounds right up my alley. Except for the fact that it exists in Toluca Lake?! Not quite the hipsterville of the Silver & Echo variety, it's still just far enough to warrant a serious need to make the journey. And I think SaltySweets will actually do it for me.

There were two things that stood out on the menu, (which is also going to be added to "the list") the first being the Lavender Duck Confit Sandwich...


And the second being the sweetsalt blt, complete with applewood smoked bacon and a pear & chevre sweet spread!

Just thinking about this is making me hungry! Nom Nom!

Cupcake Experiments: Strawberry & Basil Cupcakes w/ Balsamic Buttercream

After the success of the Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes, I was back in my baking mode... Eager to create, but already burnt out on the super sweet and the bacon-y savory, I was ready to try something that very much so skirted the boarder of the two lands. Noming on some strawberries with the bf, I started thinking about some other good strawberry combinations, since I've already done the very decadent Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Cupcake. Curious, I thought about my other love with strawberries... Balsamic! A risky move, but one with potential, a Balsamic buttercream perhaps?

And thus the Strawberry & Basil Cupcake with Balsamic Buttercream was born!

Starting with the same base as the Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes... (but doubled for double the fun)

3.5 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3 sticks of butter, softened
2 cups of sugar
3 eggs
3 tsp. vanilla extract
1.5 cups milk

mix together well.

in a blender, blend half a package of strawberries with a half cup of basil. the mixture will look kind of gross, but will smell amazing, and taste even better. pour the mixture into the batter & hand mix together. fill cupcake tins 2/3 of the way full.

pre-heat oven to 375 & bake 15-20 minutes.

balsamic buttercream frosting

1 stick softened butter
.25 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp milk
1 box powdered sugar

like any basic buttercream, beat the butter until it's light and fluffy. slowly add the powdered sugar, balsamic and milk until you've reached the consistency and flavor you like.

frost & decorate with leftover strawberries & basil bits!

zero, next maru?

Cupcake Experiments: The Cinnamon Roll Cupcake

Perhaps my best cupcake yet (although some would beg to differ) this base recipe for a vanilla cake is absolutely delicious, so anything added would simply make it amazing.



For a dozen cupcakes:

Batter/Cake:

• 1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• Scant 1/2 tsp.salt
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 whole large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
• 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 c. whole milk

Sugar Mix/Filling:

• 3/4 c. (packed) golden brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. ground cinnamon

Frosting/Topping:

• 8 oz. cold cream cheese
• 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 5 tbsp softened butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Mix the Sugar Mix/Filling ingredients together and set aside. Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Line a cupcake pan with baking cups. Whisk together flour (1 3/4 cups), baking powder, and salt. Beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add whole egg, yolk, and vanilla and beat 1 minute. At low speed, mix in flour mixture and milk alternately in batches. Pour the batter into the pan so that it fills about a third of the case. Then sprinkle on a layer of the sugary filling. Pour more batter so that the cupcake case is about 2/3 full. Bake until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes before frosting it with the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting. Enjoy!

For the Frosting/Topping, beat the cream cheese with the softened butter, cinnamon & vanilla extract until combined. Gradually add in the powdered sugar until you reach the consistency and sweetness desired. Be sure to sift the powdered sugar for a smoother frosting.