Red Velvet Cupcakes and Sleep Deprivation

On Friday morning, I woke up with a start to Barnaby, our new puppy, crying from his crate and realized that I had slept in my pj’s, garden crocs, glasses, and blue fuzzy bathrobe studded with pink cherries.  My curly hair hovered around my head like I had a static cling problem. 

I dashed into the office and pulled Barnaby out of his crate and raced him to the backyard.  As I stood in the backyard in my fabulous getup, (all I was missing were curlers in my hair), I stopped to wonder if the neighbors could see me.  And then I thought, anybody who peeks over my fence, while I’m potty training my puppy day and night, gets what they deserve.

I had been looking forward to baking a big decadent three layer red velvet cake smothered in cream cheese frosting for my friend, Vicki, for her birthday party, like I did last year.  Last year, I tried 5 different recipes and found one that we all really really like.  And so, I have been looking forward to making it for her.

But, a quick glance in the mirror informed me that getting up three to five times a night with a lonely young puppy to take him outside had clearly taken its toll.  So, I decided to make red velvet cupcakes instead.  Barnaby sat on my feet while I made them.  

My friends, Toni and Cindy, threw a fabulous Hawaiian luau themed party complete with a ukulele serenade and dancing. I decorated the cupcakes with tiny palm trees, sand (ground up vanilla wafers, and polar bears to celebrate Vicki’s love of the TV show Lost.  And Vicki impatiently looked past the cute decorations and wanted to know, “Are they red velvet?”   

Vicki’s Red Velvet Cake

The cake is ever-so-slightly tweaked from recipe contest winner A&M on Food52.com.  

And the frosting is from Fine Cooking.

Cake:

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature, plus more for buttering the pans

1 1/2 cup granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk--I used  

4 ½ T. Red food dye

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Place cupcake wrappers in cupcake pans.

In a bowl, mix together flour, salt, and cocoa powder with a whisk.

In your electric mixer, beat the butter on medium for about a minute then add the sugar.  Beat until they are fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time and then the vanilla.  Then carefully add the red dye. Mix on low and alternatively add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk in several additions.

In a small bowl combine the vinegar and baking soda until they fizz.  Quickly pour it into the batter and gently mix it in.  Spoon the batter into the cupcake wrappers.

Bake cupcakes for 15 to 17 minutes.  Mine took 17 minutes.  Cool them on a rack.

Then freeze the cupcakes to make them more tender.  Trust me, this step is essential.  Then, sit the cupcakes on the kitchen counter for one hour to unthaw.  Then frost.  Make sure to serve your cupcakes at room temperature.
 *I ground up vanilla wafers for the sand on my cupcakes.  

Cream Cheese Frosting –From Fine Cooking

1/2 lb. cream cheese at room temperature

1-1/4 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 lb. confectioners’ sugar (about 3-1/2 cups)

Place the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together in the bowl of your electric mixer.  Beat on medium-low to combine.  Then turn up the speed to medium-high for two minutes.  Then turn off the mixer and add half of the powdered sugar and mix on low. Add the rest of the powdered sugar.  Then beat on medium high to high for another minute to make it fluffy.    

Day 5 with Barnaby

Let me tell you about my new puppy, Barnaby.  Barnaby is a six week old Blue Harlequin Great Dane puppy.  We adopted him last Friday.  He had a rough start in life being removed from his mother too early and then developing Parvo.  Parvo is a highly contagious viral illness that causes severe diarrhea and dehydration in dogs.  Companion Pet Clinic saved his life.  It was a team effort.  The staff took turns taking him home at night.  Barnaby is now Parvo free!

Over the weekend, I was concerned that he wasn't eating enough, so I made him homemade chicken and rice soup.  And that has made all the difference.  Now, he's scratching and whining at the fridge door for seconds! Plus, he loves hot dogs. He already sits for a bite of hot dog.  Good boy!

This morning, Barnaby's paws looked much bigger than last night.   He's a growing boy.  The average Great Dane male weighs 135 pounds.  I chatted with a Great Dane owner over the weekend and the only advice she gave me was to buy him his own couch.  Noted.

My, what big paws you have!

After a full nights rest, Barnaby is a rambunctious boy for an hour and a half.  And oh those puppy teeth are sharp!  I call him Jaws and My Little Piranha in the morning and douse myself in Sour Apple to prevent him from nibbling on me.  The Assistant and him rough house and play.  

And then he's all snuggles and kisses.  He is a lap dog.  Whenever I sit on the couch he curls up on my lap and chews on a toy or naps.  He has the best puppy breath ever.  And he's so sweet.  I'm completely smitten.  Can you tell?

My Pirate took this shot of Barnaby and The Assistant sharing a paper towel tube.

Barnaby and Garden Blogger Bloom Day: April 2013

This morning, I headed out to the garden with my camera.  I had the best of intentions.  I really did.  But, I kept getting distracted by Barnaby.  I'd aim at a flower and this would be the image.

Or this...blurry cuteness.

 Then The Assistant started to get into the act.

 Barnaby kept running by...

while The Assistant supervised.  And I finally capitulated with a laugh.

Here are some pictures that I took the last couple of weeks. 

 The Wild Ginger is blooming underneath the new foliage.

A clump of Solomon's Seal and False Solomon's Seal are just beginning to open.

The bleeding heart are blooming.

And the Chocolate Vine continues to bloom even after being pressure washed by Super Charlie. 

 Happy Garden Blogger Bloom Day to you!  Please drop on over to Carol at May Dreams Gardens.  

Meatballs Anyone?

Whenever I wish to express my devotion and love towards My Pirate, I make him meatballs.  It’s just that simple.  My Pirate sans Super Charlie has really rocked the projects on the house and our vehicles these past couple of weeks. And I’m grateful.  Sure, he isn’t strong in the sweet talking department, but when it comes to acts of love, he’s got it nailed.  For instance, as I was putting together a blog post this week, he vacuumed.  Vacuumed!  I know, ladies, he’s all mine. 

So, with the vacuuming and projects in the forefront of my mind, I made My Pirate his favorite meal and I threw in a bottle of good red wine.  And then, I invited My Kid too.  We clinked our wine glasses together, toasting our new family member, Barnaby, who we lovingly refer to as The Nose-biter.  Our Nose-biter made the rounds sitting on our feet and chewing on his toy, while The Assistant, our dog Sadie, supervised his behavior and nibbled on bites of crostini.

We spun the sauce dressed pasta around our forks and smiled as the tender meatballs melted in our mouths.  And My Kid stared longingly at the last meatball in his bowl and said, “I just can’t do it…too full...but I wish that I could.”  And I knew exactly how he felt.    

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Adapted ever so slightly from Molly Wizenberg in Bon Appetit

In this recipe, Molly Wizenberg brilliantly melds her riff on Marcella Hazan’s famous tomato butter onion sauce with the meatball recipe from the restaurant Café Lago in Seattle.  The tomato sauce is sumptuous and the meatballs are tender and herby. The results magically exceed the ingredients.

I find this recipe to be a wonderful guide that works well with improvisation.  I add a parmesan rind to the sauce to add flavor.  And the meatballs work well with different meats and herbs.  Note:  The sauce and meatballs also freeze beautifully for a last minute party.  

Tomato Butter Onion Sauce

Slightly adapted from Marcella Hazan

•  2 28-ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes in juice, drained, juice reserved, tomatoes pureed in blender

•  8 tablespoons unsalted butter

•  1 large onions peeled, halved through root end

•  1/2 teaspoon (or more) salt

•  pinch of red cayenne powder

•  parmesan cheese rind

Place pureed tomatoes in stockpot and add the onion, butter, salt, cayenne, and cheese rind.  Turn the heat to medium.  When the sauce starts to burble, drop the heat to low.  Cook for one hour and fifteen minutes.  Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings.  With a pair of tongs, remove the onion. 

Meatballs

•  1 cup fresh breadcrumbs made from French bread or baguette, crust and all

•  1/3 cup milk

•  8 ounces ground beef—I used veal last night

•  8 ounces ground pork

•  1 cup finely ground (not grated) Parmesan cheese

•  1/3 cup finely chopped Italian parsley—you can substitute in some basil

•  1 teaspoon salt

•  pinch of cayenne

•  pinch of red pepper flakes

•  2 large eggs

•  2 large garlic cloves, pressed

•  1 pound spaghetti

•  Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (for serving)

In a bowl, mix the breadcrumbs and milk together.  Sit aside for ten minutes.

In a large bowl, break the pork and beef into small chunks.  Add the ground parmesan and parsley.

Beat the eggs in a separate bowl.  Add in the garlic, salt, cayenne and red pepper flakes.  Pour over the meat mixture. 

Add the milk soaked breadcrumbs to the large bowl of meat and combine all of the ingredients using your hand.  Extend your hand like a claw, keeping your fingers firm and quickly mix the ingredients.  Be careful not to over-mix.

Then place the large bowl in the fridge for one hour. 

Shape meat into golf sized balls.  Then, place the meatballs into the slightly simmering sauce.  Cover the pot with a lid.  Poach the meatballs in the sauce for fifteen to twenty minutes.  Fish a meatball out of the pot and sample with your loved ones. 

Add pasta to boiling water and cook until it’s just tender. 

Remove meatballs from the pot.  Add the pasta to the sauce and stir to dress the pasta.  Spin the pasta into bowls with your favorite set of tongs and place the meatballs on top.  Add more Parmesan to taste. Serve to your favorite people and smile. 

Shut The Front Door!

Today, we installed our new (to us!) front door.  

                        We found this door for $70 at the Habitat for Humanity Restore last August.  

Our old door was just blah.  It made our house look like a rental.

My Pirate sanded the varnish off of the door.

And I primed and painted it.  Tip:  always prime your projects with gray primer for better and truer color coverage.  Just say no to pink primer even if the gal behind the paint counter scowls and snaps her gum at you.

I'm really happy with our new door.  Now, I need to repaint the trim and the concrete foundation of our house.

 Don't you just love it when a project leads to several new projects?