By J, on April 21st, 2009
Absolutely! And please believe me because not all Crumbs are the same. At least, not these crumbs. I may have been a little delayed on taking a trek to a Crumbs Bake Shop, but at least, now I know that I will no longer be under the mercy and be dependent on my friend’s assistance on sending me some Sprinkles Cupcakes – the cupcake store in Beverly Hills that we discovered when we stayed at the Four Season’s Hotel in 2006. Yes, I used to get Sprinkles cupcakes shipped by my friend to me via UPS same day service. This is something that I haven’t done for a long time because I thought that it was already becoming a burden on my friend.
As I mentioned in my previous post, a visit to Crumbs was on our itinerary last Saturday. They have several branches in Manhattan, and although, the store front is quaint and tiny, it was loaded with yummy treats inside.
I was very excited to finally ‘test drive’ these cupcakes. Since, I didn’t bake last Friday, Saturday and Sunday night’s after dinner treat was of course, two flavors of these cupcakes (one each for us for the two nights). They offer a lot of flavors, it was not easy to decide which ones to try first.
I will let you know which flavors we picked on my next post. Of course, I assume you are also curious to know how we rate these treats based on our tastes. I’m just thankful that there is no branch right within our vicinity because I doubt it if I can control my cravings for these cupcakes if they are available close by. I don’t want to be dependent on the best weight loss pills available in the market just yet, or should I say not ever. But at the rate I’m going (stuffing myself with all these decadent treats) it won’t be a surprise if I find myself retracting that statement “not ever” in the near future.
By J, on April 20th, 2009
Heavy downpour, very gusty winds and the temperature is in the lower 40’s. A very nasty day indeed! This same condition will continue into tomorrow, and I doubt very well if these beauties will live through these string of stormy days.
Our neighborhood is finally starting to look a lot like Spring with these Spring blooms slowly sprouting. I had a field day taking photos of them over the weekend. If I were to bank on the weathermen, the outlook for the next three days is not that conducive for these blooms to thrive on. It’s not so much about the rain, but it’s the strong wind gusts that can really destroy them. Because of our proximity to the ocean, we do get strong winds whenever there are disturbances in the weather.
I didn’t venture out at all today. Not even to head down to the mail box or to the parking lot to start up the car. I figured, my husband can do all that on his way home. To say that I was in my jammies all day is not an exaggeration. I was so immersed on reading up and understanding how conversion rate optimization works. Before I knew it, the day was gone and it was time to head on to the kitchen. That deep fryer was waiting for me. Guess what was on the menu? Fried chicken, pasta with garlic and anchovies and boiled edamame pods .
By J, on April 18th, 2009
I was simply lazy yesterday, I didn’t have my usual baking enthusiasm. That means, I won’t be able to share with you my baking activity for the week. When I knew for sure that I will finally be able to try something that I have been wanting to get, I decided not to bake at all.
I’m excited to say the least. I will be writing about it in details when I finally try them. Not for long… It will be this weekend. What am I talking about, you may want to know. I’ll keep you guessing for now. It’s nothing big, they’re just something pretty and s…w…e…e…t.
By J, on April 14th, 2009
I skipped baking on Good Friday. Instead, I asked my husband to bring in one of my all-time favorites: Cinnabon which served as our late night cap on Thursday evening right after I was done searching for KVM switches. Yes, our weekend started on Thursday night because Wall Street was closed on Good Friday, therefore, my husband was off from work.
It was a good move for me to freeze a dozen of cupcakes from when I baked a yellow cake a week ago. I mixed a little too much cake, so I decided to make the rest into cupcakes. Voila! On Good Friday, I didn’t have to bake, so all I did was ice the cupcakes after I thawed them overnight. Want some?
By J, on April 12th, 2009
By J, on April 10th, 2009
It’s Good Friday today, and this is the tenth year in a row that I have observed Good Friday a different way. Having come from a country that observes the Lenten season the traditional Catholic way, I can’t help but miss the tradition.
In the Philippines, the Holy week is considered as high holiday, where everything goes to a halt. Manila, at this time is traffic free, somber and much quieter as compared to the usual daily city grind. Government and private offices are closed, most of the stores/malls are closed, the local TV and radio stations veer from their regular programming to religious ones or totally shut down for the day. A lot of the city dwellers are away from Manila to visit their provinces. For those who have deeper pockets, they take this week as the perfect time to hie off somewhere outside the country.
Here in the Big Apple, it didn’t feel like Good Friday today. It’s business as usual, the banks are open, federal offices are open, stores are operating with their regular business hours except for Wall Street which for unknown reason is closed on Good Friday even if it’s not a federal holiday. The “money men” of Wall Street, so I think, must somehow take this day very seriously, so much like a practicing Catholic does.
Thus, today, it was church day for me, and I can’t complain that my husband is off from work. Can you guess if my husband accompanied me to church? Remember, he is Jewish by religion. We didn’t go anywhere else, in my effort to observe this day the best way I can. We were home the rest of the day and I just did my indoor aerobic walking for half an hour while my husband was busy online comparing the different San Diego CA hotel so that he can finally make up his mind which hotel to stay at in future trips.
By J, on April 9th, 2009
The weather here in the Big Apple has been very unsettled. While it warmed up a bit yesterday, Wednesday’s temperature lingered in the 40’s, and today, even if it is predicted that the morning is good enough, it will all go downhill after 2:00 p.m. Rain is in the forecast which will last till Saturday early afternoon.
I have yet to see signs of Spring right here in our neighborhood. It does not help that we’re living by the ocean, which is why it is always cooler here. None of the tulips in our landscaped private parks bloomed yet, the trees have no signs of leaves about to sprout. I don’t see any vibrant Spring color just yet.
That is the reason why Spring cleaning is not yet on my to-do list. I have indefinitely postponed my usual closet spring re-organization, as I have yet to bring our cold weather gears to the cleaners. I always make sure I have them back (except my fur coat which goes to professional storage) from the cleaners before I do my closet reorg to make sure that I won’t have to dig back in again. Same goes with footwear, which by the way for me, is a bigger chore to hurdle. I wonder why we can’t be contented with just a few pairs each season! When that happens, it will surely make my life less complicated at the change of each season. Do you keep your out of season footwear stored in their boxes? I do, and that is why it’s such a chore for me. After every thing is said and done with my closet re-organization, oftentimes, my legs feel achy from going up and down the ladder inside our walk-in closet. I feel like a dog with painful joints that would definitely benefit from Rimadyl (just kidding).
By J, on April 6th, 2009
Strawberry again? Why not? Strawberries are now in season, and what better way to take advantage of their abundance than incorporating them on cakes. I can’t promise you, that this is the last strawberry cake I ‘ll be making this season. Aside from their berry goodness, they are also excellent cake decorating accessory.
I’m warning you, though. If you are not a strawberry fan, this cake is not for you, as it is loaded with fresh strawberries inside and out.
I had fun baking and decorating this cake. My Friday was great even if I had to take care of a sick husband all through the weekend. Let me tell you, my husband may not have had the appetite for other foods, but when it came to this cake, his taste buds worked great. Simply put, this cake was done in two days…and that is just the two of us consuming it. We’re voracious!
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