Misshapen Dulce de Leche Cupcakes

I'm wayy behind. Got lots of posts for you.

I made these cupcakes for a coworkers birthday last month with dulce de leche from my trip to Argentina. They came out kind of misshapen because I overreached and tried to have too much going on. I wanted the cake part to have both melted chocolate chips and a dulce de leche center; however the chocolate and dulce de leche both sank to the bottom, hardened, and stuck to the pan. The crumb was also very crumbly, so the cakes fell to pieces when I tried to remove them from the pan. Hence they were very misshapen and small and sad looking, but no one really seemed to care. Coworkers thought they were delicious anyway. Especially the frosting, which I whipped half a jar of dulce de leche into!


I don't remember the recipe so well anymore, so I'm going to leave it out. Suffice it to say, dulce de leche frosting would go well with any standard vanilla or chocolate cupcake recipe. To make the frosting, combine a lot of butter, a lot of dulce de leche, a little powdered sugar, a little milk, and scant vanilla until the taste and consistency seems right to you.

As for the leftover crumbs and scraps, I formed it into a "cupcake detritus ball" and left it in the fridge for some sinful snacking.

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Pick up and Move to Colorado

My dear friend Gina is on a plane to Colorado today. She decided she'd had enough of the crazy life in NYC and that it was time to start afresh by moving to Colorado, where she can spend time with old friends and lead a slower-paced life. I'm excited for her, because it takes a lot of guts to realize what's making you unhappy and to change that by leaving a life you've made. It may seem a little crazy but it's also smart. Plus Colorado is so beautiful, I wouldn't mind living there myself, among the mountains and the clean air.

I met Gina on craigslist, and she was roommates with me for over a year, but more than a roommate she became my friend. One of those friends I can be myself with and is kind enough to listen to many many hours of my venting, which I'm very thankful for. I don't know why we didn't see each other last fall after she moved out, but I'm glad we picked up where we left off this winter. I will miss her, but I'm already looking forward to visiting Colorado sometime in the coming months! Here's to us both finding the right projects we've been seeking that will make our lives meaningful and joyful.

To my readers, have you ever done something totally crazy or different to make a fresh start?

photo via flickr

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