cupcakes in For The Win!

so yesterday was a day of failure. i was actually failing at life. things just did not go my way. 

1. my flash drive with all my digital files of my photography decided to die. 

2. cvs 'never received' my images for print= no prints for photography class.

3. late to both classes... reasons 1 and 2 are to blame. 

so why is this on my food blog? well my photography class had an assignment of 'left over still life' i didn't eat anything worth taking pictures of, or in my artistic and food porn obsessed self decided i didn't not find anything i was eating the weekend visually good for a still life set up. so on Monday night i decided to set something up. i decided to bake some mini red velvet cupcakes. i figured if i was going to take some images of a 'left over' it should be real. so i baked. i took some nice pictures of my kitchen aid stand mixer with egg shells, butter wrappers, William Sonoma red melamine mixing bowl and a recipe card. figured that would be good for the still life. then i iced the mini cupcakes with different color frosting since it would be cheerful and they're small so super cute. as a result of baking the cupcakes for the photography project i had tons of cupcakes. so here's how they save my life... 

1. show up to drawing-late. have cupcakes, professor says they are cute and somehow is not bothered that I'm late. we even have a wonderful conversation about the new alkaline diet that she is on to help with her arthritis. we discuss my passion of food and my exploration of different cooking styles and recipes for special diets and needs of my clients. * i used to cook for a family. 

2. show up to photography-late. out of breath from power walking through downtown Pittsburgh to pick up some prints for class. (thankfully i had two different locations print my photos so i did show up to class with 3 prints) i tell my professor that i am failing at life due to the A) dead flash drive where i cannot turn in digital files of the assignment B) for being late and C) for not having the additional prints he wanted in our visual presentation due that day. but it goes like this

Professor:  "Monique, what is that you're holding?" (he's curious as i'm holding a long pyrex covered container) 

Me: "mini red velvet cupcakes, results of my photo shoot." 

P: "now class, this is how you make me feel better when I'm grading you. Cupcakes makes everything better especially while i think about the grades i'll be giving you."

Me: "yes they do make life better, look" (opens lid)

P: "wow they are colored so brightly, so happy." 

and so that is how mini red velvet cupcakes saved my life yesterday at school. instead of being the late student without any work, i was the late student with cupcakes to share for the whole class. its amazing how baked goods can cheer people up and make things just a bit sweeter. i actually bring baked goods to all types of functions. i find it that it helps people let go of themselves and be nicer. our world is filled with so many negative things and i think by baking something small and fresh and from scratch that people will remember that life isn't so hard and mean. food can have that type of magic on our lives. 

eat extraordinary everyday. 

sales at the grocery store

sometimes i think people are not really paying attention to the things in their world. I've been telling my sister for weeks now, to buy whatever is on sale and I'll make it delicious. for valentines day we did not do anything special. but the next day she had gone to the flea market where they sell veggies and bought four bunches of asparagus for 5 dollars. then at the local giant eagle grocery store, they had rib eye steaks packs on sale (4 pieces) for $13. i came home from work and she told me her findings. i was very proud of her. 

i proceeded to season the steaks and the asparagus and grilled them on our indoor grill. had a great dinner for three people for less than $2o. I think these days when the economy is bad we should all try to find more creative ways in preparing foods and shopping for groceries. that's been the topic of all my food magazines that I've been reading. people are in tight budget mode, thus not eating out a lot. i feel that we still need to eat out to help support the food industry. so by saving on a low cost dinner weekly, one can ideally go out one day a week to have a nice dinner where you sit and have someone serve you food and do the dishes too. 

i really love going out to eat. the whole process of eating out really amazes me. the way in which people have to interact and behave is something that is so fascinating. everyone is trying to pleased or be pleased and the restaurant is the place to get this exchange of pleasure. i have nothing against that. i love cooking and feeding people and see them enjoy my food. but at the same time i love the feeling of enjoying someone's hard work of food preparation. 

with that, i hope everyone finds some imagination when it comes to stretching their budgets during these times.. eat some good food and savory every moment of it. 

eat extraordinary everyday. 

funny looking dumplings and tarts..

most of the time i can make anything i want and usually it comes out pretty good- sometimes amazing. other times its fail. failing in terms of the way it looks, it usually tastes like what its supposed to.  so i'm not in fear of how the food is going to taste these days, its the appearance of these things i keep picking to try. of course they have been some extremely difficult things. for example: **

1) Dim Sum- Sweet Egg Tartlets: Dan Tat as you call them in chinese. 

there is a lot of work that goes into the little things you enjoy the most. i always get these when i go to Dim Sum, my grandfather would get them and sometimes during the week after school he would have some and give one to me if i was a good girl. and so they are associated with good memories for me. trying to make these delicious little tarts was sort of paying homage to my grandfather's sweet tooth. it was harder than i thought it would be. the dough itself didn't taste bad, needed more butter for the flaky layer it should have. and the egg custard was just sweet enough but needed to be silkier. but then again my oven is not as great as i would like it. they turned out okay a tad bit burnt on top, but lucky for me my sister loves it like that. the next time i attempt these little treats, i'll have more knowledge from this first try.

2) Dumplings: Pork and Chive dumplings.

As seen on tv... after watching a throw down with bobby flay on pork and chive dumplings, my sister and i decided we were skilled enough to try to make dumplings from scratch. i mean of course after our almost success of dan tats- why not? o boy, the dough was just a nightmare to make thin. i decided to roll the dough out as a thin sheet and proceeded to cut them round with a cookie cutter. why i did not think to use my kitchen aid pasta roller i have no clue. but the filling tasted a bit bland the first few, so we upped the flavors and it came out okay. the dough cooked was fluffy and chewy instead of thin and smooth. and did i mention they were ugly? non looked a like, but despite the way they looked they tasted good. my sister and i were laughing the whole time, so i think overall good recipe for sister bonding. 

so the lesson to be learned from this blog entry is that no matter how well you cook there will be things that you will not make right the first time. but you will remember the things you did wrong and the many laughs you had while eating the disfigured dumplings. its all about the pleasures of how the food makes you feel. either comforting, filling or just fun moments, food will add something to your life that all the money in the world cannot and that is happiness. during these tough times all around the world i think its best to try to enjoy every morsel you have and every meal you have with family and friends. meals together builds bonds that will never be lost as the flavors and smells will stay with you no matter where your life leads you. 

eat extraordinary everyday! 

**sorry for the picture quality, camera phone. 

update

just to let everyone know what's cooking... apparently i live about 10 minutes away from the original 'Quaker steak and lube' voted best wings USA... and my friend from buffalo says no one is better than anchor bar *where the stuff was invented.. 

road trip? you betcha! check in for that soon.. I'm going to try that atomic hot one * there's a release form to be signed, this should be interesting.. 

meanwhile, 

eat extraordinary everyday!