Do You Wanna Cupcake?

Gigi's Cupcakes, Hilldale Mall 554 N. Midvale Blvd. Madison, WI

Of course the pink caught my eye. Wouldn't you take a double look if you drove by a shop that was decked out in pink trim with colorful cupcakes across the windows? Now remember, technically this falls under the bakery category.....and you all know how I love bakeries. And where did I learn this bakery passion? From my parents, grandparents, and the four generations of bakers on my mother side of the family.

Cupcakes, cupcakes and more cupcakes. I was amazed at their size and the volume of frosting.

Tiramisu.....really?


This particular cupcake was called Wedding cake!

I don't care how young or old you are, cupcakes make you smile.

Even the box was nicely decorated and very transportable. Well actually, two cupcakes fell over on the drive home, but they were still eatable....trust me!

I wish I would have had time to sit down and enjoy a cupcake in the pretty pink chair. I guess I'm all girl cuz pink will always be a favorite color of mine. I even bought a hot pink mini skirt years ago.....I not sure what I was thinking, but I bought it. Even Ruby is trimmed in pink. Pink rimmed road tires, pink pedals, pink bar tape, pink gloves........I think you understand.

By the way, the cupcakes were very tasty. Cutting them into quarters and eating them that way makes you feel less guilty about all the sugar, fat and calories.

Time To Celebrate

Ahhhhhh, finally good news after five months of doctor visits, surgeries, hospital stays and lots of pricking and poking with needles. Dad's procedure today was a success. This was the first time in a long time that the nursing staff came to us and said, "ok, you can go home now." Wow, how exciting to hear those words. What it all boiled down to is the nephrostomy tube came out and bladder function should return to normal! Currently, no chemo and no radiation is required because no cancer cells were found in the bladder. Mom and dad dad are hoping to return to a normal life now, and especially want to thank ALL my blog readers for the comments and prayers.

So as we were about to leave today, I asked the nurse if she could suggest a good place to eat for lunch because we were all starving and it was also a good excuse to celebrate. She suggested this interesting place called the Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company. As you can see above my choice of celebration was tasting their most popular brew....Imperial Indian Pale Ale. I loved it's sweet hops and citrus tones. Bikeman enjoyed a nice Porter brew. Mom and dad, well they just stuck to good old hot steaming java!!!! The sandwiches we ordered were excellent as well too.

Yup, I'm hoping we all can resume our normal lives. Remember our bicycling trip we had to cancel last August? Already Bikeman and I are replanning our trip along the Mississippi River to Dubuque, IA. More on that subject later.

Heading Out Tomorrow

Winter Birch

Came home tonight to pack my bags for tomorrow's trip. Bike man and I will be taking off tomorrow, mid-afternoon and driving south to my parents home. My father has one more surgical procedure scheduled on Friday at the UW-Madison hospital, so we will be taking him there and hopefully returning home by Saturday or Sunday.

The good news......the doctors tell us there are no more cancer cells in dad's bladder, which means no chemo and no radiation. That's not only amazing, but incredible. I can't even begin to tell you how happy we are to know that dad's cancer has been contained. Now, we just need to get through Friday's nephrostomy procedure. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that dad can have the nephrostomy tube removed for good. Please wish us luck.......and a prayer would be nice too!!!

I won't be blogging tomorrow, but hope to return in a day or two.

I See Her Every Day

Every time I step outside I see this pretty baby. Her profile is so perfect....almost like still life. Yup, it's winter and your imagine will live on until the temperatures warm up in the spring. Until then, I think I'll cook up some venison stew next week!

Dating Myself

I had time to think today....think about what I want to do for the future and what I haven't done in the past. This photo is a good example of what I wanted to do for 30 years. Can you zero in on the publishing date on the Cook's Magazine? Yup, 1981. Cook's magazine is now published by Cook's Illustrated. I saved this particular 1981 issue so I could teach myself how to make a basic Genoise cake.

What is Genoise?

Genoise is a European sponge cake made from cake flour, sugar, eggs, salt, vanilla and unsalted butter. No chemical leaveners, just whipping the eggs, flour and sugar mixture to develop a light spongy texture.

Genoise is usually referred to as a specialty cake, but how about cupcakes? That's my thought here. I think I will concentrate on making Genoise cupcakes with butter cream frosting.

After a day of reflecting on my future dreams and endeavours, I realized I need to make some changes in my life. It's too early to reveal my soul , but look for upcoming hints!!!!

Slowing Down

For me, January always means taking things slower and stepping down in my normally busy life. Sometimes I catch myself feeling a little blue at this time of the year. I'm sure my mood is affected by the colder temperatures and the fact that the sun is lower in the sky, plus the shortened day light hours. Those extra hours of sleep last night were helpful, but my body still felt sluggish today. After attending church and wasting time grocery shopping, I finally made the decision this afternoon to hop on Ruby and exert some energy by spinning.....bicycle spinning that is indoors. Did it change my overall mood? No, not really. But hey, I got to spin next to Bike man! We were kind of a spinning duo today, however I think I caught him trying to draft behind me....grrrrrr!

I think my mood will lighten tomorrow as I have a day off from work, which is very much needed. Time away from work is good for the heart and soul.