She eats maybe 33 calories a day.

This has been a crazy week for me. I have started at a new store for work, began my Literature class in school, and was preparing for vacation. YIKES. So far, the new store has been awesome, lots of work, but awesome, and Hamlet has not been nearly as bad as I thought. Plus, there was some great things that happened this week:

I found a wicked good new snack.

I babysat the love of my life!

Broke the deck brush at the new store.

Which means a new shiny one.(I love cleaning supplies)

Went to the Farmer's Market with Mirry.

Put these in a food processor.

 and

Made "candy bar cookies"

And last but not least, I made birthday cupcakes for my mom. Let me give you some back story on my mom. She is the most active person I know. She maybe eats 33 calories a day and has done this since as far back as I can remember. I cooked dinner for her one day and she didn't like the steak because it "tasted too much like steak". She told my sister the other day that I never bake for them so I figured I would take time from this nutty week and bake her some birthday goodies. I never bake for her because she never eats. I am one of those people who bake because others love it. When you take the time to bake and someone doesn't swoon over it, it is a little disappointing. So, I called her up and asked what she wanted for her birthday cupcakes. Her exact words, "I don't want them to be sweet". UMM OK, isn't a cupcake sweet? Then she says, "I don't like peanut butter or pistachios". UMM OK, " How about like a cannoli cupcake then"? Her response, "no, I don't like cheese really". OK so for my great cupcake challenge I was to create a cupcake that had no cheese, peanut butter, pistachios and was not sweet. Immediately I knew I would do a whip cream frosting. Then, I decided on a cherry almond cupcake. She ended up loving them. She actually ate a whole cupcake! Of course that was after playing a game of croquet in the back yard, fishing, cooking, cleaning, and starting a fire in the fire pit. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

This week really took a lot out of me. I am so ready for vacation. CAN YOU TELL?

Cherry Almond Cupcakes

1/4 cup butter

4 egg whites

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup maraschino cherry juice

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

12 maraschino cherries halved

24 maraschino cherries with stems

1. Allow butter and egg whites to stand at room temperature for thirty minutes. Meanwhile, line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners.( you can coat with non stick spray, but I don't like this choice). In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In a 2 cup glass measuring cup, combine buttermilk and cherry juice, set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, vanilla, and almond extract; beat until combined. Add egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to beaten mixture, beating on low speed after each just until combined.

3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. For even cupcakes, be sure to use a measuring scoop. Press a cherry half into each batter in each cup.

4. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool cupcakes in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans and cool completely on wire rack.

WHIP CREAM FROSTING

one pint whipping cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1. Pour cream into bowl of an electric mixer. Add sugar and vanilla and beat on medium to high speed until stiff peaks form.

2. Using a pastry bag and a large star tip, pipe frosting on cupcakes.

3. Top cupcakes with one cherry.