We have had an incredibly mild winter. Snow didn't even stick--we didn't even put on snow tires. So why, oh why do I have such an intense case of cabin fever? It's only May, for cripe's sake! We moved from Alaska, where winter starts in October and ends in April. This mild New York winter that we had was more temperate than most Alaskan springs.
I have no answer. I don't know why. I just know that lately I've been going stir cra-a-a-azy. So we hopped a train to the city and went to visit the botanical gardens in Brooklyn (pictured here).
Later we went to Brooklyn Heights, had brunch, and afterwards I indulged and bought a cupcake from a cute little bakery that was doing some booming business. I decided that I'd be a little bit adventurous and do the earl grey cupcake. I like tea quite a bit, in all its forms. After living in Japan, I became quite fond of matcha (powdered green tea) in a variety of uses, including pastries. Alas, the cupcake was a wee bit of a disappointment. It would have been very delicious--if I weren't expecting it to taste even a smudge like tea. Lemon Essence would have been a better name. And to my disappointment, they did no tweaking to the buttercream frosting--which is a perfect vehicle to purvey flavor! None the less, it was moist and sweet, which is what I was after. And for a Lemon Essence cake it was downright tasty. It seemed to be just a case of poor naming.
This is precisely why I never name something until I can taste the final result. I've had too many ideas or recipes miss the mark and go south, but if I name it something else entirely, people's expectations are changed! Instead of chewy pecan whiskey cookies (which spread all out on the cookie sheet in an alarming and toffee-like sprawl), call them whiskey pecan brittle bites, and voila! Expectations are reset and everyone is happy.
I don't really know why I bring this up now. It has no relation to anything, really. It's just that I promised that I would write more blogs, and this is what spewed from my fingertips when I sat down to type.
Earlier this year, when we were on the cusp of spring in New York, I had to fly home to the Pacific Northwest to deal with some sad family business. I took over my mom's kitchen for the day and baked 48 spring cupcakes (red velvet and almond creme) as a thank you to a staff of helpers who took care of someone very, very dear to me for a couple years. I decided that the cupcakes should be a celebration, not sad, so I made tricolor fondant blossoms to top each of them. And then, since I was away from home and didn't have any of my own packaging on hand, I stopped by the bakery of a local grocery store to ask them if they would mind selling me some of the plastic containers that they put cupcakes in. I figured if I didn't ask, I wouldn't know. And it turns out they did sell me some, and they cost me way less than getting boxes at Michael's or other craft stores. Take that, Michael's! My visits to you have been frustrating and inefficient of late, so I have no remorse for telling people to go to their grocery store's bakery, instead! Ha!
Anyway, I suppose the lesson for the day is this: wait for the final results to name your creation--shaping expectations increases your chances of success! Oh, and if you need some cupcake containers, a cooperative grocery bakery can usually get them to you cheaper than Michael's.
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