Batch #2

Batch #1 tastes good - but the cupcakes fall apart. Almost impossible to ice. Didn't stop the boys from eating them - but they are not Cupcake War worthy. So now it's on to batches #2 and #3. #2 is a completely different recipe and #3 is a modification of the first with more 'moist' ingredients to hopefully hold them together more. They do taste great....but you can't enter cupcakes into a contest that have to be eaten with a fork.

It's been a somewhat lazy day which is nice. The game is on and we're whipping up some guacamole. Have ribs and potatoes for dinner later.

I didn't nap though I wanted to. Just trying to stay awake and go to bed early to get up really early....meetings most of the day means trying to get some work done in the early AM hours.

Two three day weekends are approaching! Next weekend, I'm going to lunch with a friend I haven't seen in close to 19 years - looking forward to catching up.

More cocoa and flour dust everywhere in a few minutes. I blew my nose a bit ago and thought I must surely be dying - and then I realized it's just gross from inhaling cocoa dust. Sorry - that's probably TMI - but it's amusing...at least to me.

UPDATE: Batch #2 is a success....not sure they are THE recipe for the contest, but they will do in a pinch.

I have to tell you this: these are the first 'cakes' I've ever made from scratch - and so far, for two batches (one of which just went in the trash 'cuz the kids didn't like them), I've spent close to $40 for ingredients. Massive amounts of cocoa powder, powdered sugar, regular sugar, flour, etc.....tons and tons and tons of product to make two batches of cupcakes and two small round cake layers.

Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker would be just as good for 1/10 of the price.....

We haven't done anything on the 'presentation' side of the contest - but it's only Sunday. Contest is Friday morning and I have three week nights to prep. Then on Thursday night, I have a meeting until 8PM - so I'll probably be up late baking, decorating, etc. Thankfully, J. is home Friday AM and can help me get everything to the judging area. I have no chance of winning but it is fun to try.

The kitchen is an absolute disaster. I need to start cleaning up - got the dishwasher going yet again today but there's still a lot of stuff to put away and tidy up before heading to bed.

Green Bay won so J. is happy. Guess their quarterback used to play for Cal so that's why we rooted for that team.

J. is now being 'tweeted' incessantly by a variety of talking heads. He announces 'so and so just tweeted' - and I have to keep saying to him 's/he didn't tweet YOU specifically, honey - they just tweet in general. You don't actually know them just 'cuz they're tweeting you'.

It's going to make me absolutely crazy for him to watch talk TV non-stop; listen to talk radio non-stop and now be tweeted by a talking head every few seconds. Seriously - there ought to be a limit of some kind.....