Cupcakes & Handbags

Recently, I’ve become obsessed with Whoopie Pies – the traditional chocolate ones and these ridiculous Sweet Potato ones from a local bakery here in town. So when I had to be at two parties (at the same time, mind you) this past Thursday, I knew I wanted to bring this sweet treat. Since I already made the chocolate ones recently and I couldn’t find a recipe for the Sweet Potato ones, I managed to find an equally delicious substitute. Sweet mother of mercy, these things were heavenly. Everyone loved them and I even got one comment that there were BETTER than the Sweet Potato Whoopie Pies! Yes, you heard it here first – I kick major pastry ass.

Credit: Bon Appetit Magazine (I forgot to take one!)

As a heads up, Maple Extract is not the easiest thing to find. I went to two gourmet grocers here in town and a specialty bake shop. No one had non-imitatation crap so I swaped out the required two teaspoons for a teaspoon each of vanilla and almond extract. None the wiser. Also, whoopie pies tend to rather large. This recipe yielded about 12 whole pies, not the 23 it claims. Next time, I’ll use my 1-oz scooper and make minis because cutting them gets messy.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Now that the heat has finally broken – and my subsequent “Reverse Seasonal Affective Disorder” (self-diagnosed) and general hating of any temperatures over 72-degrees has lifted, I’m feeling pretty damn fabulous. Optimistic, even.
I KNOW, right?

So, with all this positivity and shit, I’ve become overwhelmingly busy. This girl’s social calendar has kicked into high gear – a nice reminder of what it’s like not to be a slave to A/C. Had I actually taken a breath, this is what October has looked like:

• Fostering the world’s cutest calico kitten, helping her find her forever family and then crying for a week. Dear god, I don’t even really like cats. But Bella was awesome. So, saying goodbye was just a wee bit harder than expected.
• Seeing !!! at Emo’s. Oh, how I love that band – best booty shaking music; and I’m not ashamed to admit my dancing resembles Nic’s after a few too many Goose & Sodas.
• AIA Homes Tour - which was fucking awesome BTW. Modern home design inspires me to be a better person. Is that weird?
• Running. A lot. My next race is in less than three weeks. I ran 14.5 miles this past Saturday – which if you know anything about math, is 1.4 miles longer than my actual race. Are my coaches trying to kill me? (Yes. They are.)
• Lunching with my lady friends. Wine nights with my lady friends. Brunching with my lady friends. Bitch sessions with my lady friends. Baby showers with my lady friends. Fundraising with my lady friends. (Rinse & Repeat.)
• Pumpkin road trip.
• Chopping four inches of my hair off. THANK GOD. I love my hair right now. Sassy!
• Fighting with our apartment management company. What a giant bunch of assholes up in this place! Wait, I’m sorry, I should love the fact that, in addition to the endless piddly maintenance shit that happens on a weekly basis, we just had our second major roof leak since we moved in. Did I mention this place is BRAND-FUCKING-NEW?
• Having numerous conversations with my lawyer. (See Above.)
• Starting a business and helping another friend launch her craft business — Totally exciting stuff so keep your fingers crossed. A meeting with the city tomorrow will determine next steps. Exciting!

And just think, we still have five more days to go! Yes, life. It’s (finally) looking up!