Progress Report

About 2 weeks ago I posted a list and a challenge for my readers.  It is a list of 12 things that I want to accomplish by the end of the year, you can click here to read my 12 by 2012 post.  Last weekend I completed 2 more items on my list, and continued working on the others.  Planning my mission trip for next year, which is the biggest task on my list, is coming along nicely.  I still have a TON to get in order...baby steps, baby steps.  I keep praying for the Lord to prepare me and help me stay on task, and I know He is.  You can read my post about my mission trip here.  I also visited a church this week with a friend.  It was only for a small group discussion, but the people were so friendly and welcomed me with open arms.  I want to go to a few services first before I decide if I want to make this church my home.

Now, let's talk about what I accomplished!  Last weekend I baked the cupcakes that I wanted to try.  I have baked plenty of cakes and a few of them have been from scratch.  I have a mouth full of sweet teeth and asking me to pick a favorite cake is like asking...ok, I can't think of a good comparison, but I really like sweets.  One of my faves has always been strawberry cake.  So, when I found a recipe to make strawberry cake from scratch, I decided I had to try it.  Despite a few set backs (a mixer that broke about half way through and 13 year old baking powder to name a few...what?  Are you gonna put on your shoes and drive to the grocery to buy a 99 cent container of baking powder or are you gonna wing it?  That's what I thought.) it turned out pretty good.  They kinda tasted like strawberry muffins, not as sweet as I would expect for a cake.  They were also a little dense, but that can probably be attributed to the 13 year old baking powder that I was too lazy to replace and the fact that I did not use cake flour, nor did I sift the flour I did use.  This post is revealing more about my laziness than I anticipated.  Sheesh.

In addition to baking the cupcakes from scratch, I also made the amazing frosting to top them off.  What constitutes amazing frosting?  How about a whole jar of hot fudge topping!  (This post is also revealing more about my eating habits than I anticipated.)  I didn't use my original buttercream frosting recipe, but this one instead.  And...brace yourself for more of my slothful behavior...I opted not to make the butter to create the frosting.  I was really looking forward to trying that out, but dairy is expensive!

All in all, the cupcakes were delicious, though I chose an unfortunate method of decorating them.  And now, I only have 6 more items to mark off my list!