Happy Tears & Coconut Cupcakes (with Cream Cheese Frosting)

Mother's day has always been a challenge for me. I usually reserve deciding how I feel about it until the very end of the day. And whether or not I cried. And whether or not those tears were happy. Nearly eleven years ago, when I received a call telling me my mom had died, any childlike hope that she was going to get healthy and be the the mother I always wanted, needed, died too.
It has been said that nothing dies without something else being born. I believe that. Even though I lost my mom that day, in that moment, something else was born in me. Something worthy, beautiful, Divine...Life.
I've since made it my mission to learn what it is to truly be alive, not just existing or surviving, but flourishing, dancing, smiling, happy, beaming, ALIVE. For both me and my mom.
In the past year alone, I've made a new peace with her being gone. I turned 30. I fell in love with the most wonderful man on the planet and said "Yes" when he asked me to marry him. I'm back to doing the things I'm truly passionate about, like baking, with a newfound excitement, and I wouldn't change a thing. 9: 52 p.m. last night. Yes, I cried, but they were happy tears.















In honor of My Mom, Your Mom, All Mom's...

Coconut Cupcakes
Recipe courtesy and adapted from Martha Stewart


Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup packed sweetened shredded coconut
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 large eggs plus 2 large egg whites
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

I did not use the Seven-Minute Frosting, Opting for Cream Cheese frosting instead.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounce package cream cheese, softened(I used Philadelphia)
1/2 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups confectioners' sugar, approx. (until desired texture and sweetness is reached)
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line traditionally sized cupcake pan with baking cups.

2. In medium sized bowl, whisk together dry ingredients, including shredded coconut.

3. In a separate large bowl, add butter and sugar, use an electric mixer to cream the two until light and fluffy. Add each egg to creamed butter and sugar individually, beating after each addition. Mixing on low, add in vanilla and coconut milk to wet ingredients.

4. Slowly add whisked dry ingredients to wet mixture, in three additions, mixing after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl.

5. Filling baking cups 2/3 full, spoon batter in baking cups of lined cupcake pan.

6. Bake cupcakes until lightly browned or tester inserted comes out clean, 20 minutes approximately. Leave cupcakes in pan and allow to cool on wire racks before frosting.

For Frosting:

In large bowl, Use an electric mixer to cream butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add in vanilla extract. While mixing on low, slowly add in confectioners' sugar 1 cup at a time until completely incorporated and frosting is light and fluffy.

Put coconut flakes on large plate or flat surface, such as a baking sheet. Frost cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and gently roll tops of frosted cupcakes into shredded coconut, covering completely.

Serve and enjoy.

Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

91 degree days, as was the case this past Sunday, in a major city--such as Boston; sprawling with urban dwellers, has a way of testing ones will, patience and the sheer ability to breathe. It doesn't help when the main water pipe that supplies Boston and the surrounding cities with clean tap water breaks, making it unsafe to drink, cook with, wash dishes, wash your face, or brush your teeth unless it has been boiled for one minute.
My grandmother says she grew up in a time where it was common to have to boil your water, maybe once a week. I can't tell you how much that made me appreciate modern day advancements. Boiling water for everyday use is a real pain. Not to mention, I can't tell you how many people mistook the words 'boil water order' for 'Apocalypse'. They were acting like animals at the supermarket. It's scary to think what a real emergency would look like.
As it was too hot to bake, I decided to make those chocolate chip granola bars I saw being made on "Martha Stewart" earlier in the week. With a few tweaks and additions of my own, they turned out awesome! I also used the break from cooking to complete Milan Kundera's "The Unbearable Lightness of Being." 'To be, or not to be: There is no question!' And watch things grow in around my backyard. Nature is awesome. And so are chocolate chips.

I'm all in favor of a National Nature and Chocolate Chip Day. Anyone with me?


Recipe courtesy and adapted from what I remember of an episode of "Martha Stewart" that aired last week and The Suburban Jungle

Recipe

1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups oatmeal (I used Quaker, quick-1 minute oats)
1 cup rice krispies (or whole wheat equivalent from health food store, like Whole Foods)

Optional Additions:

1/2 or 3/4 (if you like a lot) chocolate chips
1/2 cup nut of your choice, I used almonds
1/2 cup shredded coconut flakes, I used sweetened

You can mix and match all your own favorites.

Directions

Step one is totally optional. I spread oats evenly over cookie sheet that's been covered in parchment paper and toast the oats in an oven that's been preheated to 350degrees for 10-15 minutes--just to give them a nuttier flavor, but you can omit this step if you like.

In large bowl, add three cups of oats and one cup of rice krispies, or a whole wheat equivalent. In same bowl, add coconut if you're using it. If using nuts, see next step. If not, Mix cereal to incorporate.

The next step is optional: If you're using nuts, in my case I used blanched slivered almonds, you can lightly toast them in small sauté pan over medium heat by adding a teaspoon of oil to pan and nuts and allowing them to brown slightly. This will only take a minute or two. Add nuts to oats mixture. Mix to incorporate.

Or you can leave nuts raw and add them to oats mixture.

In small sauce pan, add canola oil, brown sugar, honey and cinnamon. Bring to a gentle boil and immediately remove from heat. Add vanilla extract and whisk liquid mixture together.
Pour the liquid mixture over the oats and stir until all the cereal is coated.

Wait until the mixture has cooled some and then add chocolate chips. Mix chips into cereal mixture. *Note: I added the chips in a little too soon and they melted, but were still totally delicious once the granola set, so no worries if this happens to you.

Spray a bar pan (the one I used was 32 x 23 x 5, but smaller would work just as well) with a non-stick cooking spray, like Pam. Add mixture to sprayed pan and gently spread evenly, patting down mixture so the top appears even. Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes, or until mixture has set.


Prepare your ingredients













Mix your oats and rice krispies together













Add the your toasted or blanched nuts to cereal













After the liquid mixture has been added, stir to cover cereal completely, allow to cool and add chocolate chips













Spread evenly in a large sprayed bar pan
















After the mixture has been refrigerated, cut into bars and serve.




















I'm not quite sure what these lovely flowers are called, but I have several growing around my backyard in red and pink
















These are called Hostas

















Remember my budding strawberry plants from last week's post? This is them just a little over a week later.
















In one woman's opinion, I think the world would be a better place if more people grew things, or at least took a little time to stop and watch things growing around them.