Stella Loves Life

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Stella and I have settled into a routine that cracks me up. Every day, I take her out for a good dose of exercise. We run. We laugh. We dig in the dirt. And after we return home, Stella sits in her window. A few minutes later, she hops down onto the sofa and rubs herself on the cushions like a lunatic. She knocks over the pillows. She knocks over the blankets. She turns herself upside down and makes crazy voices. She always stops to stare right into my eyes while her static-y ear hairs stick straight out. And then, she cozies up in the corner of another sofa to take a nice, long nap with her head on a pillow. But this day, she tucked the pillow under her chin and found a way to relax while sitting up. It was one of the cutest things she’s ever done (there are a lot of them).

And then, a few days later, on the day of the beautiful sunset, Stella was as mesmerized with the sky as I was. When we weren’t outside, she was staring out the window in awe. The pink light that flooded the apartment illuminated her furry silhouette and felt like magic. Pink, cotton candy magic.

And then, a few days later, on the windiest day of the year, Stella cried and gave kisses to celebrate her happy pack. And the fact that her humans love her as much as they love each other.

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My Recipe Sharing Philosophy- Updated

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I am not a mise en place cook- you know, someone who cuts up and pours out all of a recipe’s ingredients ahead of time into little glass bowls. Think, America’s Test Kitchen. It is a structured way to cook, and it is widely accepted. It is why most recipes give you a list of ingredients and how they should be prepared before telling you what to do with those ingredients.

But I don’t have the time for that kind of cooking. I also don’t have the willpower to wash that many dishes. Instead, I have a compulsion to do things efficiently. I like to chop vegetables while other vegetables are already cooking. Think, Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Meals. Because I don’t prepare and cook food “in order,” traditional recipes are a nuisance for me to read. I go right to the written directions, but then I constantly have to refer back to the ingredient list to find out how much nutmeg I should add to that cookie batter. And then I lose my place. And I waste time. And wasting time IS NOT EFFICIENT.

This “prepare as you go” philosophy is why I present my recipes to you in narrative form. I try telling you what you need to do as you need to do it so that you spend less time waiting around in the kitchen. I bold the recipe’s steps so you can filter through my commentary and get right to the good stuff when you’re in the kitchen. I also added shopping lists to the end of each post because it’s nice to know what ingredients you should have on hand before jumping into a recipe. No one wants to get half way through a cookie recipe and then realize you’re out of nutmeg.

But I have no idea if most people cook the way I do, and I still want my recipes to be easy for you to follow. Does the narrative format work for you? Would you like me to include a traditional formulation of the recipes as well? I’d love to know what you think.

Update: Thank you all for your feedback. I just installed a print button at the bottom of each post that allows you to print recipes with or without the images. I hope this makes cooking along easier.

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Lavender Breakfast Cupcakes

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A lot of things have changed since I made these cupcakes, but one thing has stayed the same: I’ve eaten one for breakfast every morning with a hot mug of tea. The lavender in these cupcakes make them perfect to eat with tea. I like them with green tea because of its lower caffeine content, but I think they would be an absolute perfect match with an Earl Grey. If you’d rather have these cupcakes at other times of day, I definitely recommend adding 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to the batter to play up the chocolate in them even more.

This is lavender. My mom bought me some at Williams and Sonoma. I smell it, and it’s relaxing.

To make these cupcakes, crush up 1 tablespoon of lavender. I did it in a food processor, but the pieces were still pretty big. A spice/coffee grinder would be more effective.

Then, preheat your oven to 350ºF. Whisk together 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder and 2/3 cup of hot water. Even at this step, the chocolate smells amazing!!

In a separate, large bowl, cream together 2 tablespoons of butter, 6 tablespoons of vegetable oil, and 1 cup of white sugar. I learned from America’s Test Kitchen that using butter alone will mute the taste of chocolate in baked goods. They say that it’s best to mix the butter with oil, so that’s what I did. Next, mix in 2 eggs, one at a time. Also add in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and the crushed lavender.

Mix in 1.5 cups of flour, 1 and 3/4 teaspoons of baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. After that is combined, mix in the chocolate. If you’re adding chocolate chips (which I recommend unless you only want to eat these cupcakes for breakfast), stir in 1/2 cup now.

Prepare your muffin tin by putting in cupcake wrappers or coating it with nonstick spray. I couldn’t find wrappers anywhere (not at CVS or Anthropologie, ridiculous options, I know). Fill the cups 2/3 of the way with the batter, and sprinkle on some whole lavender for decoration.

Bake the cupcakes for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. It shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes. I love how cute and puffy they get! These cupcakes definitely aren’t your usual sweet treat, and I don’t think they’re for everyone. But if you like lavender and chocolate as much as I do, then they are a sure winner. P.S. Writing this post taught me how to spell “lavender.”

This recipe is adapted from The Pastry Affair.

Shopping list:

  • Lavender- 1 tablespoon
  • Cocoa powder- 1/2 cup
  • Butter- 2 tablespoons
  • Vegetable oil- 6 tablespoons
  • Sugar- 1 cup
  • Eggs- 2
  • Vanilla extract- 1 teaspoon
  • Flour- 1.5 cups
  • Baking powder- 1 and 3/4 teaspoons
  • Salt- 1/2 teaspoon
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