abracanabra | Entries tagged with spring

Lemon Cupcake with Fresh Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Actually, this is a recipe for the frosting only. I wasn't happy with the lemon cupcake part, but I was VERY happy with how the frosting turned out after some tweaks. Will make again, trying a different lemon cupcake recipe for the base.

Fresh Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
This makes enough frosting for 4 dozen cupcakes.

Ingredients:

1 c. strawberries
1 c. butter, softened
1 pkg cream cheese, softened
4 c. confectioner's sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions

Chop strawberries in the food processor (or by hand) until they are slightly blended but still have large chunks.

Add butter and cream cheese to stand mixer bowl. Whip thoroughly.

Add powdered sugar 1 c. at a time until combined.

Add vanilla and strawberries and briefly mix. You don't want the strawberries to be fully blended in--strawberry streaks are great and look pretty!

The snow is going away at last, and soon--soon it will be gone. It has all melted off our roof, and the two-foot icicles are gone from the neighbor's house. The snow in the backyard is about a foot high, instead of over my knees. And everything smells of melting winter.* The air is damp with it.

* Which reminds me, it's time to dig out the water filtering pitcher, as spring means tap water that tastes like spring, which is mostly rotting leaves and dead fish.

11:20 Ah, the bleak, wet, gray days of Spring. Welcome back! I missed you.
13:21 Filing 3 Schedule Cs = I <3 my expense spreadsheets. Now to make sure all receipts are entered!
22:24 ++ Finished all the crits I needed to get a "skip to the head of the queue" pass. Wiktory!

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13:43 Joined Online Writing Workshop. Any other writingy folk members? ping.fm/rTW3o
16:58 So, if you decimate a myriad of foes, you'll have 9,000 left. Not very good, really. ping.fm/oDmrd
17:39 - It *would* start raining again right before I have to go catch bus to martial arts class. Ah, well. Still not melty.

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14:30 Serializing a novel through Twitter strikes me as a bit silly, though it does lead to pretty non-sequitors: ping.fm/2oGZZ
17:28 + Grilling for the first time this year. Hamburgers and garlic bread, oh my!

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11:01 + From my window, noticed our tree's started budding. Red clusters on branches criss-crossed over a blue sky.
11:31 + Mailed off CSA check to Harmony Valley Farm. Check theme (of 4 possible) happened to also be "Harmony."
17:48 So far, I have failed at creating the Platonic ideal of shepherd's pie. (And it's one of my favorite foods. Tragedy.) Tonight, I try again.
20:08 Google dashes tabloid's hopes of discovering Atlantis (SciAm): ping.fm/rY96Z

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11:10 Local law firms are laying off lawyers (at least 2 firms are clients). No wonder we've been having less business.
11:12 Oops. Link to news story re lawyers: ping.fm/jnnU4
16:23 It's been warm enough to open the back porch window for the cats. Reminded, they restlessly inspect all windows.
17:52 Anyone local want a coupon for a free 2-liter bottle of Diet Dr. Pepper? I thought it was regular. Don't want diet.

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A lot of people slam Valentine's Day (and not in a poetry sort of way). I am not a fan of that sort of--greying of the seasons and holidays.

yuki_onna puts it best. She says:

But here's the thing. This world is a beautiful place, but it is also often dark, and cold, and unfeeling, and life slips by, not because it is short, but because it is so difficult to hold onto. Holidays, rituals, these things demarcate the time. They remind us of the sharpness of pleasure and the nearness of death. They tell us when the sun leaves, and when it comes back. They tell us to dance and they tell us to sleep. They tell us who we are, who we have been since we lived on the savannah and hoped to taste cheetah before we died. I know we're all punk rock rebels, but the paleolithic joy of fucking in the fields and dancing around a fire doesn't go away just because certain of us would like to think we're beyond that. This world needs more holidays, not less.

There's a lot more awesomeness in her post On Valentine's Day.

I'm also really loving how

scathach is celebrating Erzulia, an interesting Valentine's Day, er, replacement.

Phil got me roses a few days ago. I made blueberry strawberry yogurt pancakes that were vaguely shaped like mutant hearts, or Vs. We roused groggily after the party last night, ate pancakes, cleaned a bit, and then went back to bed and napped until 4 PM. There was cuddling, and he let me hook my toes around his Achilles tendons, which I find peculiarly comforting. Now we and

discoflamingo are lounging about, chatting. Is nice. I may bake brownies soon.

23:24 Dear IT folk--help? ping.fm/nv82o
11:05 Snowflake flurries darting past the window. I miss you, rain!
11:53 MPR archaeologist talking about preserving "the bone-to-bone relations." That needs to be a story title.
13:21 Coworker telling story of when she was chased by a moose while canoeing. (also, that is the weirdest word ever)
14:39 Waiting until mgr has cake and cigarette before telling her I'm switching back to 1/2 days next week.
14:41 Dislike that the nature of working "part-time" at a job with an already-irregular schedule necessitates such conversations.
15:23 MPR: "And there's the proof of your pudding." Me: Wait--what? A suspicious scent of vanilla in the air?

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Yesterday, I pulled up the window blinds at work, and nobody has bothered to close them yet, so I could actually see outside today. (For some reason, people usually shut the blinds, adding to the claustrophobic feeling of the work environment.) In the afternoon, I noticed a flock of birds swooping and spiraling through the sky in a way strange to me. That wasn't how our usual city birds--pigeons, sparrows, and crows--behaved.

When I went outside, I saw dozens of robins perching in the trees and flying in the sky. The afternoon was warm enough that I didn't need a hat or mittens. The ice was all melting. I've always heard that robins are a sign of spring, but I've never seen this many all together in my life. It was an awe-filled, magical sight. Three or four other people walked by and never even glanced up, but I saw.

( Read more... )

13:29 Female company owner shows up, and suddenly there is soap *and* dispenser in the bathroom.
18:14 Rain. In February! In Minnesota! There was a decided shortage of umbrellas.
21:17 We are going to be hosting somebody *else*'s birthday party. I find this entertaining.

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13:29 Everything is spangled with raindrops outside right now. It's a great time to take photos. I'm keeping an eye out for the golden hour. #
13:32 Randomly acquired a candy garter, which I'm planning on giving to a friend, but am tempted to keep for myself. #
13:59 One of the people I was to interview today neglected to show up. Or provide any explanation for said "not showing up." How rude. #
20:35 T-20 minutes to rhubarb muffins. Nik & Phil are drinking fine liquor and listening to pirate metal. #

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13:17 Pandora's clearly picked up on the Tree of Light theme--last 3 songs titled "Dormant", "Earthlight", and "Morning Glory." #
16:09 Zee snow, eet besieges us once more. Oh, zee humanity! #
17:23 Brainspasm: Must--BakeCake PayBills CorralActionItems TakeMeasurements DoExercises MakeDinner. #

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09:03 Yay! I have confirmed room space for CONvergence! #
09:55 Male boss assumed waxed paper bags were from when we used to make cookies - were actually for female sanitary products. #
11:17 Sigh. My cellphone is sitting at home, happily charged. I am not. #
11:36 Reading form for registering for BBQ food. Controlling urge to drool. #
12:32 SciAm article about the color of plants on other worlds (useful for worldbuilding): tinyurl.com/65p3st #
14:06 Big boss was just reassuring little boss as to the necessity of a perpetual hiring/firing cycle. #
15:21 Must remind self: You only work 2 minutes, the minute you punch in and the minute you punch out. #
16:41 A bit surprised at *just how pissed* I get when I see a guy in gang colors lounging on *my* corner. #
16:56 And my Roomba's dying. New battery would cost $70--think I'll just wait for another one on sale at Woot. Universe, why are you being mean? #
16:57 OTOH, am v. amused that iRobot's new Roomba strongly resembles a Cylon: www.irobot.com/sp.cfm?pageid=122 #
21:36 Rather like the idea of adopting Peg Kerr's, "Persephone, you *slut*!" response to snow in spring: pegkerr.livejournal.com/997830 ... #

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I was having a not-good day at work, as is the nature of the day job. I hurried out the door and into the teeth of a snowstorm. Because I wasn't expecting the cold and wind, I didn't have my big warm scarf. Because I wasn't expecting wet, slushy snow, I didn't have an umbrella. I was delayed a few minutes by the managers, and so when I got outside and stood at the bus stop and waited...and waited...and waited, it eventually dawned on me that I'd missed my bus.

( Read more... )

07:02 The Ruins--that's one movie I won't be watching. ::shudder:: Internal parasites. I hates them, hates them all! #
07:02 Frog Applause funny! images.ucomics.com/comics/frog/2008/frog080403.gif #
08:22 Did *not* wake up at 3AM this morning. That was a relief. #
09:37 Singing along with "Shout". #
09:54 Hoo-boy. Relative sent back "you would be more educated
about Planned Parenthood and their racist practices and anti christian
values." #
09:54 OTOH, had about five other relatives respond with support. #
10:06 Is porcelain addictive? tinyurl.com/2rrysa #
11:47 Listening to Fear of the Dark as I work. Loving it. tinyurl.com/32qasq #
12:17 Got spaghetti sauce on favorite t-shirt. Now have large wet spot on left breast. Luckily, also have long-sleeved shirt that buttons up! #
16:40 It is so gorgeous out. I've opened all the windows and the cats are loving it. And grilling for dinner tonight! Yay, spring! #
17:43 Sitting in the sunshine, drinking wine and eating shortbread, feeling v. decadent. #
18:59 Grilling was A Success. Now for the knee exercises while watching Talladega Nights. Oh lord. #

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06:58 Dear body, waking me up at 3am for no damn reason is *not* a funny April Fools' joke. #
06:58 Dear Mother Nature, 10 inches of snow in Spring is not a funny April Fools' joke either. #
08:27 Critting somebody else's work--can't really say, "Descent into madness stories are boring unless done *really* well." #
09:10 Note to self: It's April Fools Day. Don't click any links. #
10:19 Heh. Woot.com is selling random bags of stuff! #
10:20 As is my nature, I cannot resist the random. #
13:44 At least training somebody else in makes the day go faster. #
15:16 Time to vamoose home. Still not sure what we'll be doing to celebrate anniversary tonight. #
16:39 Husband brought me roses and daffodils and shortbread! I like anniversaries! :) #
21:44 Google's awesome! tinyurl.com/22fkdb (No fear, the link's legit.) #
21:47 I was fed the food of the gods. *The Gods*. I might have a tastegasm just remembering it.... #

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It's been a wonderful relaxing weekend. These are the good things, in no particular order. A significant amount of socializing was accomplished, between

chesh's birthday party and

xcorvis's "Authentic Mexican" potluck. The tree in my backyard is beginning to bud and blossom, and clusters of green are pushing up through the ground in the perennial beds. I'm wearing a tank top, because I was too warm wearing a heavy t-shirt. The windows of the house have been opened for the last three days running. I've taken the day for honest-to-God relaxing, a true day of rest. No "I should be doing this" or "I have to have that done by" nonsense. It's a fantastic feeling. Not sure why I've managed to make it stick today. Usually, even when I'm trying to take a break, I've got running through my mind a constant list of things that have to get done, preferably yesterday.

I do like themed potlucks. Hmm. Maybe it would be a good idea to start a potluck rotating between people as hosts? Help mix up the people and the host burden a little bit, make it a regular thing. Could be fun.

Anyway, I made empanadas (Mexican turnovers) for the "Authentic Mexican" potluck. I'm not so fantastic with the pastry, though, and I'd never made the recipe or really any other pastry before, so instead of flaky it ended up a bit more biscuit-like in texture. It should be noted that the instructions "handle like pie crust" did not help. The fillings were quite tasty, though, despite not having any actual measurements. 3x the recipe produced enough empanadas to fill up two bowls. 1 recipe would be adequate to feed 2-3 people, I think.

( Recipes )

It smelled like spring today, rain and fog and growing things beginning to wake up.

Work, then was held hostage by the Mad Scientist's insistence that I really did have to watch the next two episodes of the Wire, no matter what, and no, I couldn't watch it another day or go do other stuff that had to get done, which is why I am still awake and rather pissed about that.

Reviews, Recipes, and Random Slices of Life

Being the journal of an all-too-human writer, reader, and eater of deliciousness

Recipe: Lemon Cupcake with Fresh Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Spring is coming

Details of the Day: Taxes. Shudder.

Details of the Day: Words

Details of the Day: 1st Grilling of the Year

Details of the Day - Trees budding and CSA ordered.

Details of the Day - Signs of the Times

For Valentine's Day, I Love the Thoughts of Others

Details of the Day - Words and Fun With Schedules

A Lovely Spring Day

Details of the Day - Rain in a Minnesotan February.

Details of the Day

Details of the Day

Twittered Today

March 31st Snowstorm

Twittered Today

Twittered Today

The Weekend, and Empanadas

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Photograph: Just One Blossom

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April 2025

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