Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Beach or City?

I've spent the last two days with a fever.  In my delirious state, I kept thinking about what you should and should not do for wedding planning.  You should do what makes you happy, you should not do what makes other people happy.  Ultimately it should be about the two people and not the two people plus 100 guests.

Having said that.  I've decided that what we should do is go with our gut. 



Yeah...that feels right.

Don't forget to visit my website http://www.kittycupcakes.com/ for your Valentine's Day goodies! 






Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow...

Boston is officially covered in snow.  Every nook, cranny, corner, and gutter was utterly devastated.  So what did I do today on my government mandated day off?  Absolutely nothing.  I think that we should all embrace the long lost art of doing absolutely nothing and reclaim it as our God given gift.  When mother nature decides to incapacitate us with 2 feet of snow, and thunder and lightening to boot, I back away slowly and sit on the couch.  I have lived in Boston all my life and if someone had asked me before last night if lightening and thunder was possible during a Nor-easter I would have said no. 

I woke up this morning, had coffee, fed the little guys and watched cartoons.  Totally reminiscent of my elementary school days, the only thing missing was my footie pajamas and coloring books.  I slept and slept like only the severly sleep-deprived can and I chatted with some of my favorite people on FB Chat.  It was only at around 5 pm that it occurred to me that I could have used the day to test cupcakes for my website http://www.kittycupcakes.com/.  Then I realized I had used up the last of my eggs and I comforted myself with the idea that mother nature and the universe were truly cheering me on with my pursuit of laziness today. 



Kittens Joie de Snowprints.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

5:30 am....time to make the cookies!

5:34 am to be exact.  After a long night of tastings at our potential wedding reception location, and waaay too many glasses of white wine, I left my fiance Alex and my pillow buddy Morty blissfully asleep and stumbled into the kitchen, turned on the lights, and made a cup of English Breakfast tea.  I looked down at my little guy Meowser who loves to follow me around. He meowed (Loudly) and gave me a look that could only be described as "FEED ME!"  Of course, the minute I start preparing their food, Morty comes running out of the bedroom and skids into the kitchen.  Scrounges!

8 am.  One cup of tea, two cups of coffee later I had two orders ready for my new upstart http://www.kittycupcakes.com/ and my place smelled like heaven.  I keep having this daydream where my neighbors, tired of having to smell cookies and cupcakes all the time, pound on my door and demand I give them treats.  I need to stop daydreaming so much.  I baked a Pecan Pie, and Chocolate Walnut Cookies.  Funny, for what was originally a cupcake business idea I sure have been making a lot of cookies and pies lately. 

Monday, January 10, 2011

My First Post!

So far 2011 has been very eventful.  I launched my Cupcake Website for the Brookline and Boston area.  I auditioned for a commercial, and I'm planning my wedding, I did a massive catering project for a sit-down dinner for 16 guests and I'm slowly but surely getting my small-business ideas started.

As for my cupcake website, http://www.kittycupcakes.com/, the project has been a labor of love.  Of course as I was typing my ideas and creating links for my site, my two kittens Meowser and Mortimer were jumping on my keyboard and trying everything and anything in their power to distract me into rubbing their bellies, or throwing their mouse toys around the house.

The thing I love most about baking cupcakes, cookies and pies is the calming effect it has over a mind that is always pulled in opposite directions.  It's still fascinating to me to be able to mix simple ingredients like flour, sugar, eggs etc and create something so amazing.   I never thought I'd have the ability to slow down enough, or have enough discipline to bake.  I've always been more of a cook.  But either I have the most amazing beginner's luck or I have found my destiny.

It all started with my Best Friend, Clare Taylor Pam and being her Matron of Honor for her wedding.  For her wedding shower I wanted to create a red and white fantasy filled with red balloons, flowers, and finally for treats, Red Velvet Cupcakes.  I contacted some local bakeries to order about 100 cupcakes or so and was informed over and over again, that they would cost approximately $3.75 a cupcake.  Daunted by the enormity of this price, and not having been offered a discount for the amount I was proposing to purchase, I decided to do a little homework, I mean how hard can baking cupcakes be?

Turns out, the baking part is easy, piping the frosting?  Not so much!  But when you get it right, there is nothing quite like it.  And so here we are.  Fast forward 8 months later and not only have I made amazingly tasty and fresh cupcakes, but I've also tried my hand in pies, and cookies.  Projects I never thought I was capable of.  I set out to create cupcakes that are incredibly fresh, with all natural ingredients and using as many organic products I could fine.  I'm still learning alot, hopefully it will continue to be a labor of love.

Until next time,

Nina