Snow Nice to Eat You

EOPLE WHO SAY "I don't eat sweets" don't make sense to me. It doesn't make me think they're better or healthier or that they have more self control. It actually makes me feel sorry for them because they don't seem like happy people. And because I love desserts. They're good when I wake up, they're good supplements to my meal, and they're especially good right before I pass out in my bed. 

The smallest nibble of a cookie or mouthful of cake can comfort me when no thought, person, event, or form of therapy can. I've seen people who seem like they would never be friends smile over a cupcake, which makes me wonder... why do people even act like peace isn't possible? And these people who allegedly do not eat sweets, do they know what they're missing?

As you might be able to guess, I had a craving one week and a perfect occasion not to gobble them up all by myself. I made some chocolate cupcakes and used festive Christmas toppers I received last year to adorn them. Dust on some powdered sugar and voila!—snow wonder they're so cute, right? It's like staring at a miniature Winter Wonderland.

Pine and dandy Christmas cupcakes.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup butter, slightly softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
• powdered sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix dry ingredients: flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
2. Combine butter and sugar with a mixer at medium speed for 4 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, then alternately add dry mixture and buttermilk to sugar and butter mixture.
3. Bake at 350° for 17 minutes, then remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes. Lightly sprinkle powdered sugar (I like to use a tea strainer for this if you don't own a sugar duster) over cooled cupcakes. Yields 12 cupcakes. The "snow" may "melt" a little so it might work better if you spread some buttercream frosting on them first.

Happy Feasting!

Margaret

How I Resist Bacon

LOT OF PEOPLE are baffled and sometimes angered by my response to the question, "Why are you a vegetarian?" The short answer is, "Because I care." I don't say that with a holier-than-thou attitude, although I do think people get defensive because my answer calls their morals into question. People are entitled to put whatever they want into their bodies, but I wish they would give serious thought to the repercussions before ordering a plate of slow-cooked ribs slathered in sweet, tangy barbecue... OK, where was I going with this?

I was raised eating meat, or what I call "delicious murder", for almost every meal of my life. When confronted with the issue, I always secretly agreed with what vegetarians said but made excuses for meat-eating. "But tonnnns of vegetarians don't get enough protein!" I would chime, not knowing whether this was fact or fiction. I ignored my nagging principles because principles didn't taste as good as meat. I implicitly justified the violent and exploitative treatment of animals for a momentary pleasure.

Do as Lisa does: picture the cutest animal ever as you sit down to eat it.

What I have always known and selfishly suppressed is that animals have as much of a right to life as we do. They have families. They feel pain, happiness, sadness. The fact that they feel should be deterrent enough. I want to note that  my advocacy is nowhere near PETA's level of intensity--how feasible is it to avoid unintentionally killing microscopic mites?--and that if placed in a scenario where my survival was at stake, I would eat meat if it was the only way to survive. Some would argue that this is hypocrisy, and I would rebut that survival is distinct from living.

Few consider the fact that not eating meat is also better for the environment. Dispute this all you want, Sarah Palin, but meat production is responsible for topsoil depletion, consumes non-renewable sources of energy, and requires far more water than plant protein.

I am very interested to hear what you all have to say on this issue. Even if you have no interest in this post, maybe you'll enjoy these broccoli cupcake toppers I made (via Hello Cupcake!).

Eat broccoli (or broccoli candy), spare a cow! 

love,

MOOGARET

New Beginnings

ECENTLY I attended a party for my old coworkers April and Nelson to celebrate their new jobs! I made some scrumptious bite-sized carrot cupcakes with maple syrup cream cheese frosting (quite a mouthful indeed), and designed some cupcake toppers for a personal touch.

Next time I make these, I may substitute half of the oil with applesauce for a healthier treat and add chopped walnuts on top. Let me know what you think would be a tasty modification!

Lots of Love,

Margaret