All images ©2014 reality bites cupcakes inc.
Brownies + vanilla frosting + sprinkles = colorful Sunday pick-me-up.
Let the Games Begin
All images ©2014 reality bites cupcakes inc.
Happy Friday! It’s that time of year again- back to another jam packed summer of traveling, baking, and spending as much time in the sun/pool/ocean as possible.
I know summer is coming when baseball season starts up. While I haven’t been to any games at Citi Field or Yankee Stadium, I have played for my company’s softball team on Randall’s Island, and engaged in some intense wiffle ball games out in Montauk. (Below)
To kick off the summer season, I baked these “mancakes” (as my coworker so fittingly deemed them) for well, a man’s birthday. These cupcakes were a fun twist on old tricks for someone who is clearly a sports fan, and a pizza guy to boot.
Here’s to all the summer fun to come!
Cheer Up, Cupcake
All images ©2013 reality bites cupcakes inc.
Summer is not a stressful time for most, but RBC is relocating so I’ve had a ton on my mind and my to-do list.
This is a great move (bigger kitchen!) but with change comes an absurd amount of stressing on my part. When I’m having a particularly challenging day, my go-to comfort food is ice cream.
In my recently limited free time, I purposefully put some time aside to bake these Popsicle cupcakes with my sister. I just read an article that discussed how it is believed that baking can improve your mental health, and I couldn’t agree more. (In the UK, they are even rolling out pop-up bake shops to raise awareness of mental health issues. More info here.) I truly belief they are on to something- a few hours in the kitchen (with some frozen yogurt), and I’m as good as new.
While I’m really sad to say goodbye to the place where it all began, I can’t wait to bake for the first time in the new digs. What to make, what to make…
Let's Roll
All images ©2013 reality bites cupcakes inc.
The 4th of July has come and gone and now we are in the heat of the summer. This time of year it seems most everyone’s diet consists of hamburgers and hotdogs, corn on the cob, ice cream, and now…lobster rolls.
Maybe I was living under a rock, but I never realized how popular these fancy sandwiches are. That is, until I tried one and discovered what all of the fuss is about. In NYC, my favorite to date is from Luke’s, but the best lobster roll I have had was in Nantucket. I was lucky enough to make a trip out there last summer, where I indulged in a ridiculously large lobster roll. With a food truck serving them parked right on the beach, how could I resist?
And that’s exactly how I felt about trying out these lobster roll cupcakes. Food Network Magazine recently featured a “lobster roll” cake, but I felt that in order to truly tease the taste buds I had to scale them down to actual size. Made of a mixture of strawberries, coconut shavings, mini marshmallows, Greek yogurt and whipped cream, these cupcakes have only further fueled my desire to book another trip bACK. (See what I did there?)
Find Your Beach
All images ©2013 reality bites cupcakes inc.
It’s officially summer! I know it has been awhile since the last post, but like clockwork, the second I go into summer mode the time flies by. Somehow my summers are always jam packed with BBQs, birthday parties, weekend trips, and stay-cations on Long Island. Before I know it, I don’t have a free weekend until the end of July (true statement) and sneaking in some baking time, better yet “me” time becomes a serious challenge.
Last weekend I had a double order for Sunday (ring boxes AND bagels), but I decided to make these summer themed cupcakes for fun with the extra batter. From graham cracker sand, to Gummy Lifesaver inner tubes, these cupcakes were just what I needed to get the (beach)ball rolling on my summer baking schedule.
As everyone flees Manhattan for The Hamptons, Montauk, or the Jersey Shore (back in action), I can’t help but follow suit. I kicked off my summer spending Memorial Day Weekend in Montauk- one of my favorite places. Coming off of a particularly stressful week, all of my problems went out the window once we hit Montauk Highway. There is something about the beach that just makes everything better- and I happen to believe the same rule applies to cupcakes.
(Channeling Gray Malin with this photo. Don’t know him? I bet you do. If not, check out his work. I love it all.)
Ice Cream Cone
©2013 reality bites cupcakes inc.
I like to ask people the question, “if you were told you could only eat three foods (throw calories, fat, how awful you feel after you eat whatever it is, out the window) for the rest of you life- what would you eat?”.
My three foods are hummus, pizza (the good, the bad, I am not picky), and soft serve ice cream. I admit I eat it year round, but somehow even more in the summer. A personal pet peeve is when it melts, so I tend to inhale my frozen yogurt like someone is going to take it away from me.
Luckily, this ice cream cone didn’t melt on me. Food Network Magazine featured a snow cone cupcake last month that I was impressed by, but a friend expressed concern in eating it. I realized that while it may look cool (pun intended!), the ice cream cone will always be the easiest way to eat your frozen (or baked) treat.