One Mudslide Cupcake, Hold the Kahlua

May 24, 2012May 24, 2012 ~ Angela ~ 1 Comment

Last night I was making cupcakes for a birthday at the office. I was just going to do something plain, so I grabbed a box of Devils Food cake mix and dumped all the ingredients into a mixing bowl. It was after this that I was struck with the idea to make Mudslide cupcakes. Not sure why, but I have had Applebee’s giant ass (because it’s huge AND contributes to one having a giant ass) Mudslides on the brain lately.

Mucho size Mudslide from Applebee's — Mucho size Mudslide from Applebee’s (Photo credit: Newbirth35)

I thought I could kick my craving with some Kahlua and Baileys cupcakes. I didn’t want to add any more liquids to my cupcake batter because I had already put in the required water, eggs and oil so I figured I would just brush the tops of the baked cupcakes with Kahlua and then frost them with a Baileys buttercream. I should have just gone to Applebee’s.

Don’t get me wrong, the cupcakes tasted good but apparently I should have soaked them in Kahlua rather than just brushing the tops with the booze because I tasted no Kahlua. Any good alcoholic knows that a Mudslide contains Kahlua. : (

Another little snafu I ran into was the icing. I used a recipe I found online. It called for two sticks of unsalted butter, three cups of confectioners sugar and three tablespoons of Baileys. I went with this one because I didn’t have any more sticks of shortening, which I usually use when I make my icing. I won’t tell you where I got the recipe from because it sucked!! When I did my requisite taste test, all I could taste was butter with a hint of Irish Cream. BLEH.

I added another cup of confectioners sugar and then ANOTHER.

Five cups got the job done and the finished product was pretty good; it just wasn’t what I had hoped for. So now I have eaten a cupcake that will go straight to my thighs, and I still need to hit up Applebee’s for a Mudslide.

When Graduation Hands You Lemons…

May 22, 2012May 22, 2012 ~ Angela ~ 2 Comments

This is a picture of me six years ago on the day I graduated from college –

This is a picture that 2012 Angela would have sent 2006 Angela a few weeks before said graduation (if one could do those types of things…) –

College went something like this for me:

Ugh, I don’t know what I want to do, but I have to go to college…. Oooh, I’ll be a Liberal Arts major. That’s broad enough…. Oh wait, I like to write – I’ll be an English major!…. If I have to write ANOTHER FLIPPING PAPER about a book I am going to go jump off the Ben Franklin Bridge…. I’ll switch my major to Political Science! I like politics, and all that matters in the end is that I have a degree of some sort, right?…. RIGHT?!

I went to Rutgers University (it’s a good school) and my lack of direction aside, I was no dummy. I graduated with honors.

Six years later, to quote Sandra Bullock‘s character Lucy in While You Were Sleeping, “I go to work and I sit in a box like a veal.” Granted, she sat in a toll booth while I sit in a cubicle, and my lovely desk job has probably turned me into a much fattier piece of meat than a veal but you get the point.

Is this where I wanted to end up, with a yearly salary that is STILL a smaller number than the amount of money I had to take out in student loans to finance my useless Bachelor’s degree? (Still paying those back by the way…) I guess that’s what happens when you don’t have a plan but even years later I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up (some more).

I guess I should just be happy that I’m not graduating NOW, when a picture like this would be the most apropos –

There is one good thing I took away from my college years (aside from that lovely, EXPENSIVE piece of paper hanging on the wall in my home office) and that is Starbucks Passion Tea Lemonade. There was a Starbucks on campus. Going there for my PTL fix was the only thing I looked forward to every day.

Last week at the grocery store I saw Tazo Iced Passion teabags. The thought that I could now make my drink at home instead of paying Starbucks the six dollars and a kidney it costs for a Grande Tea these days made me very happy. Then I had an even happier thought, and that involved Limoncello. Enter, Tipsy Tea Lemonade…

This one is pretty simple. Prepare the tea according to the directions on the box and sweeten it (or not!) to your tastes. I used honey to sweeten mine. Once the tea is chilled fill a glass with half tea and half lemonade. As you can see, I used a bottle of convenience store lemonade (if you don’t have a Wawa where you live I’d like to offer my condolences) but if you want to get fancy feel free to make your own! The last step is to add as much Limoncello as your drunken heart desires. I used about a shot glass full. Mix, add ice and ENJOY!

Cheers to all the recent grads! Make this drink for your poor mothers when you all have to move back home for the next ten years…

Peanut Rum? Yum!

May 7, 2012 ~ Angela ~ 1 Comment

Peanut Rum Creme. Sounds a little strange, no? This is what I thought when I saw a drink called Banana Nut Bay on the menu at Rum Bar in Philadelphia last year. However, other ingredients were Creme de Banana and cream of coconut and I figured something with those flavors could never be bad so I ordered it.

Oh Happy Day! This drink was soooo good! It reminded me of boozy Gerber Baby Bananas. (Yes, sometimes I buy a jar of baby bananas for a snack, so what?) Now, it was last year that I had this drink. I don’t know what made me think of it today but I checked out Rum Bar’s website and it appears that – for some bizarro reason – this tasty concotion is no longer on the menu. For a brief second I was broken hearted, thinking I would never again taste such deliciousness, but then I remembered Google.

And so, here is the recipe!

1 oz Brugal Anejo Rum
1/2 oz Creme de Banana
1/2 oz Castries Peanut Rum Creme
1/2 oz cream of coconut
3 oz pineapple juice

Shake and serve with ice. Thank Angela for introducing you to a taste of heaven…

But wait – there’s more!! A few months after Banana Nut Bay, I was having brunch at Max Brenner’s and what do I see on the menu but another drink made with Peanut Rum Creme! This drink was called Satisfaction Guaranteed, and it did not disappoint! Castries Peanut Rum Creme, Caramel Liqueur and milk chocolate. It was a damn good drink on its own…extra bonus points for presentation!

I would say Peanut Rum Creme would definitely make a a great addition to any home bar!

Cinco D’OH Mayo

May 3, 2012 ~ Angela ~ 1 Comment

So, the thing that sucks about writing a blog about things that you make is that when you don’t make anything, you have nothing to blog about! D’oh!

I haven’t been baking anything and despite enduring quite a few days in the past two weeks that have totally been worthy of adult beverage drinking, I haven’t been doing any of that either. I have, however, been doing a lot of laundry. How one man can create so many loads of laundry in the span of a week I will never understand.

Anywho, despite my utter lack of shaking, baking OR partying lately I do have a tasty drink recipe that I wanted to share in time for Cinco de Mayo….

Beer Margaritas! Or as I like to call them – BeerGaritas.

Let me preface this by saying (quite emphatically) that I despise beer. It’s just gross. Even on the rare occasion that I can find a beer that doesn’t make me want to scrub my tongue with a Brillo pad I do not enjoy drinking the stuff.

Brillo Pad logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

HOWEVER, I absolutely loved these beer Margaritas!

Beer Margaritas (link will take you to the original recipe!)

Ingredients

1 (12 fl oz) can frozen limeade concentrate
12 fl oz tequila
12 fl oz water
12 fl oz beer (I used Corona)
ice
1 lime, cut into wedges (optional)
salt (optional)

Mexican Beer: Corona 6-Pack (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Directions

Pour limeade, tequila, water and beer into a large pitcher. Stir until well blended and limeade is melted (you may want to strain the pulp out, depending on preference). Adjust with additional water if needed. Add ice. Rim margarita glass with salt and garnish with lime wedges.