one potato, two potato......

.....sweet potato that is.



unless you call these yams?
but I don't.



I love everything about sweet potatoes--you really can't go wrong with how you cook them--I think they taste great any way. And of of course, they are ridiculously good for you....



Nutritional Benefits of Sweet Potatoes

-almost 2x the fiber of regular potatoes

-rich in B6 and potassium

-all the beta-carotene you need

One Girl and A Cupcake Shoppe ♥

I just celebrated a year at the Cupcake Mansion in New London.
I even invited a unicorn.

Plus 300 people standing underneath a sparkly ceiling buying cupcakes.

...in a small farmhouse that I named The Cupcake Mansion a year ago.

In the same week as my Cupcake Mansion celebration..I started selling cupcakes at Woodmans (one of the biggest most awesome grocery stores in Wisconsin).  My first big box retailer.  What an honor.  We sold out in 2 days the first week! ♥ (this is me and one of my sidekicks, Katarina at Woodmans demo-ing our product).

Everything seems like a big blur, and when I look back at myself a year ago..
I see myself as an artist. A baby.
Now I see myself as an artist and a business woman. ♥
I wonder who I'll be this time next year?

At my grand opening party, my dream was to run a cupcake fashion show.
Every model dressed up like a different version of  (me) Amanda Cupcake.
There was..Lucille Ball Cupcake, Unicorn Amanda Cupcake, Rainbow Brite Amanda Cupcake, Zombie Amanda Cupcake, Cupcake Superhero Amanda Cupcake, Business Amanda Cupcake, Betsey Johnson (fashion designer) Amanda Cupcake...the list goes on ♥

But I have to be honest here.
This model... defined the true Amanda Cupcake at this moment in my career.
We named her "At Night Baking Amanda Cupcake."
Amanda Cupcake's true identity revealed.
Frosting, candy melts, flour caked onto jeans.
Glitter or frosting on my face and in my hair.
Half asleep from working so hard..

but still happy & satisfied, because creating is everything ♥
Even if it means you have to sacrifice to turn a dream into a living!

When the model blew powdered sugar at the audience, tears welled up in my eyes.  To me it was more than just a funny and fun fashion show.  The fashion show was my story, unfolding in action before my eyes.  

Me♥
In the past year..
I've made so many wishes.
(and I'm making one in this picture as I blow the sprinkles!)

I've made many mistakes but they've made me an amazing problem solver.
I've shed tears in my own cupcake batter trying to resolve them!
I've gained about 15 lbs, sigh :)
I've accepted peacefully that while the rest of the world is out partying on a Saturday night, I'm at home enjoying a bubble bath, a glass of wine, or a snooze.
I've experienced more love than I ever have!

...and sadly I've managed to figure out how to handle the criticism of haters too.
And while I am on this divine cupcake rollercoaster..
I'm gonna keep the faith♥.

That's my recipe for you in this blog entry.
It may not fill your tummy, but I hope it fills your heart.
Thank you all for your support in the past year.
Let's show everyone that cupcakes can change the world.
Perhaps a cupcake is a path to World Peace?!

quote by Kurt Vonnegut ♥
Photos by Maison Meredith Photography & Tommy Trout Photo

7 ways you're wasting time on the internet

Oh the Internet. 

What a wonderful/terrible and brilliant/stupid thing.....right?



I remember my first Internet experience--I was in the 6th grade. There was a small group of us that got to meet during class and do extra math and science (read: I was a nerd).
We gathered in the library with our teacher, and logged on:

beeee-oooooooo-beeeeeeee-deeeeeeeeeeeeeeee......................

20

Double chocolate muffins and chocolate chip cookies

Honestly, I don't even know what to say. These muffins are to die for.
I just realized I have never baked real chocolate muffins before. Obviously I've made chocolate cupcakes, but these are something else. SO simple and chocolatey and good.
I looked into the oven as they were baking. They had been in the oven for 8 minutes or so, and they were completely overflowing. I thought it was going to get worse (I hate cleaning my oven!), but it didn't. I think they turned out really pretty, just the way I want my muffins to look. Overflowing and super chocolatey.

These two recipes must be two of my favorite simple chocolate recipes. I mean, they're classics! Did you know that chocolate chip cookies is the second most popular search term on my blog (except for 'call me cupcake')?! I'm not surprised though, it's a fabulous little cookie.

And on another note. You guys have spoken, and I have (finally) listened. From now on I will try to write all recipes in grams. I really should have done this a long time ago. I hope that works for you!






Double chocolate muffins
makes 12

Printable recipe

300 g all purpose flour
80 g cocoa powder
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
250 g granulated sugar
100 g butter, melted
250 ml buttermilk (about 1 cup or 8.45 US fluid ounces)
2 large eggs
150 g dark chocolate (70%), coarsely chopped

Heat oven to 200°c (392F). Prepare a cupcake pan with 12 muffin liners. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in bowl. Set aside. Mix sugar, butter, buttermilk and eggs in a large bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate, but save 1/4 of the chocolate to put on top of muffins. Divide batter between 12 liners, filling them completely full. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate pieces. Bake for 18-21 minutes or until a cake tester comes out almost clean.






Chocolate chip cookies
makes 40-50 cookies

Printable recipe

300 g all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
150 g butter, melted and cool
150 g light brown muscovado sugar (or light brown sugar)
90 g granulated sugar (90 g)
1/4 tsp vanilla powder (or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
150 g dark chocolate (70%), chopped
150 g milk chocolate, chopped

Heat oven to 160°C (320F).
Sift flour, salt and baking soda into a bowl. Set aside.
Beat butter, sugars and vanilla in a bowl. Add the egg and egg yolk and beat until combined.
Add flour mixture and mix until a dough forms. Stir in chocolate. Roll evenly sized balls and put on a piece of baking paper (you'll probably have to bake 2-3 sheets. Don't forget to leave some space between cookies as they float out). Bake for 9-13 minutes.

tiny humans

Today I am thankful for my kids. 

Seems like such an obvious thing to be thankful for, right?

It's just so true.

I love these tiny humans. 

When they are born, they are adorable chubby little blobs. 

They don't do much--just lay around and eat and look extra sweet. 

They grow and laugh and babble. 

They toddle around. 

And it all goes by so quickly, let me tell you.

They grow and

weekend things

oh the weekend.....gone again. and it's dark now. so. so dark. 

It always takes me a while (like 4 months) to get used to this whole Daylight Savings thing. I am a solar powered person, and like my sunshine to last well into the evening. But other than that, this weekend was overflowing with good weekendy things......all things to be thankful for.

all photos from my phone


 

Friday evening I

yay for......

It's November.....so happy! 

Let the real holidays begin!

YAY FOR:

-photos of us. even when they are hurried and blurry and we are walking down the darkening street chasing our trick-or-treaters. like our costumes? we dressed up as cold parents....so clever.



Yay for:

-eating nachos at 10pm in my tiny kitchen with friends.

-no school today! we have been laaaaaazzzzzzzy and it's been great