Week 4: Cuppie Cakes galore!

In the past couple of years, a new phenomenon has hit America. By now you either own, work in, are a customer of, or at least have heard of.... cupcake shops. In 2007, a small (and I mean standing room only) cupcake shop opened in Beverly Hills, CA. Within six months of opening, the shop was THE buzz in southern California. Everyone from Katie Holmes to Oprah was talking about the little shop around the (expensive) corner that sold cupcakes in incredible flavors, with simple modern candy dots as decoration and recycled goods for packaging.

As we all watched this brilliant idea become a successful business, other entrepreneurs got the idea and in the past few years cupcake specialty stores have been popping up like daises. http://sprinkles.com/ shows off their cuppies and their wide range of decorative toppers. They also offer elegant cuppies for weddings (another growing trend) and organic pet friendly cupcakes with yogurt 'frosting'. Sprinkles advertises to be the worlds first cupcake store, and they have influenced many other stores to follow suit.

This week I was assigned to eat at two very different stores that serve cupcakes and was told to spot the differences in each store. Both stores were located in Oklahoma city and I had a great partner in crime...

My sister! Kimberly 'Kimmers' George. All I had to say was the word 'cupcakes' and she signed up immediately.
When we pulled up to our first target, we were impressed. It was an attractive two story house that proudly displayed the business' name: Sara Sara Cupcakes.

The first thing we noticed when we walked inside was the interior decoration. Giant mushroom lamps hung overhead emitting soft lighting. White floors, white walls and white chairs gave the inside a sterile, clean look and the giant stainless steel milk machine finished off the modern decor.

The most impressive part of the store had to be the display wall hanging next to the service counter that showed off all of the cupcakes they make in small, clear boxes.

Their menu was extensive and full of variety. It ranged from a classic vanilla bean cupcake with buttercream frosting, all the way to the bizzare- bacon, egg and cheese cupcake that they descibe as "a savory classic in a cupcake! (cheddar)."
a few of their flavors that I found extra fun were strawberry shortcake, pineapple upside-down, and cherries jubilee. But alas! Kimmer and I chose none of those flavors..... our eyes were pulled to the fresh cupcakes on display behind the counter and deciding which ones we wanted was as dramatic as that scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where the Grail Knight says to Harrison Ford "choose wisely, for while the true Grail will bring you life, the false Grail will take it from you"

The grail knight from Indiana Jones.... He is my homeboy.




So. After Kimberly and I finally chose, confetti started falling, balloons appeared out of nowhere and a sign dropped from the sky that read 'YOU CHOSE WISELY!'
Just Kidding.
But wouldn't that be so cool???
Anyway, I chose the Cowboy Carrot cupcake with a toasted walnut on top and a frosty glass of milk. Kimberly was drawn to the Blueberry Honey cupcake with chamomile tea. We were dished out our cuppies and we walked away from th counter like we had just won the lottery!

my slice of heaven

frosted glasses for my leche.

The MILK BAR! (it took us about five minutes to figure out how to get the milk out)

Kimmers delicious cuppie

What compliments a cup cake better than tea??

oh thats right.... milk.

We quickly dug in and were truly blown away by the incredible flavors that met our tastebuds...

My sister loves her some cupcake.

the moment that I realized my true purpose in life....to eat.

We traded bites of one another's cupcake and compared notes. Here is what we came up with:

Cowboy Carrot-

Surprising. Many carrot cakes have the intense sweetness that allows you to only indulge in a few bites. But the cream cheese frosting on this was understated. Enough to allow the actual cake to shine. You could clearly taste the quality of the cake and it was delectable. 

Blueberry Honey-

Unbelievable. It tasted almost like a sweet blueberry bread. Or possibly a very modest blueberry muffin. The buttercream frosting they used on top tasted like honey butter and tied everything together. It was nothing that we expected and was so good that I kept stealing bites from Kimberly every time she turned away. We both agreed that we could have this cupcake at any time of the day and would probably eat 14 more of them if we didn't need to go to a second shop.

Sara Sara Cupcakes exceeded our expectations as far as the food and drink went, but another thing that stuck with us was their story...

The chef that runs the cupcake store had a daughter named Sara Caroline Brinson. When she was only 18 years old, she died unexpectedly of sudden cardiac dysrhythmia on April 9, 2007. As the family grieved and reflected on their daughter's life, they remembered how she loved to bake cupcakes. 

We spoke to her uncle, who was helping behind the counter and he gave me a brochure with Sara's picture on it. He spoke of how Sara always dreamed of opening her own bakery and so, in honor of her, the family did just that. They sell T-shirts and souvenirs in the shop and all proceeds from those sales will go to the Sara Caroline Brinson- Children's Heart Research Fund. A fund they created in her name to help other families keep the precious children in their lives. The brochure talked all about Sara and the fund. How to donate and how it will help others. 

Sara Brinson

This truly was a remarkable store. Family owned and run that had a story that was close to their hearts. It truly showed in the cupcakes that we ate. They were baked with care and attention to detail.  Overall, Kimberly and myself were very impressed and we will be returning there often.

The next store that we went to was in the Paseo Art District of Oklahoma City. It was a small building that had a parking lot in the rear and only a small sign in front welcoming customers inside. It is called 'Cuppies and Joe'

Walking inside this store was wonderful. Large, leather sofas were scattered around, and rustic dining tables were present to dine at. Instant warmth spread to our bones (It was 29 degrees outside with a wind chill of 18 degrees) and the smell of fresh coffee and pastries made our mouth water.

The cupcakes here were slightly smaller and we chose instantly. Kimberly opted for a fudgy brownie cupcake with chocolate frosting and I chose one named "the Boom-Boom Pow", a vanilla bean cupcake with chocolate frosting, a dollop of caramel and crushed sea salt sprinkled on top.

We got our coffees and cuppies and eagerly looked for a place to sit, possibly next to the fireplace, and finally found the ONLY open seat......

Outside.

CRAAAAAAAP! (did u remember that the wind chill was EIGHTEEN DEGREES???)

And because I am the worlds smartest person, I chose to get a FROZEN drink..... yeah..... cuz I am a genius.

Kimberly sat across from me and happily drank her steamy cup o' joe and kept asking me how I liked my drink (she is really very mean to me, as you can see).

And once we got past the initial shock of icy wind slicing through our clothes and causing an almost hypothermic state, we ate our cupakes. 

They were both very very sweet. It was better that they were much smaller than our first cupcakes because we would have never been able to finish them. Kimberly's tasted like a double fudge brownie with chocolate icing and nuts. Mine reminded me of a chocolate covered pretzel. The salty and sweetness played well together. The drinks were superb (although I could only drink a small bit of mine while being turned into a Popsicle outside) and because the George girls are total wimps, we left before finishing because we were too damn cold.

When we went back inside to return our dishes we looked around a bit more and saw all of the fun art displayed by local artists. They had t-shirts for sale and even some very cute aprons that looked handmade. I really liked that they supported local artists so much, it reminded me of shops in Laguna. 

My sister, the happiest soul on earth.

As we drove away fat and happy, there was no doubting that cupcake stores were hot right now. The second store was so popular that we had to sit outside! So if your thinking of making a career change and think that opening up a cupcake shop is for you, act fast, because we don't know how long this sensation will last. The only thing that I ask of you, dear readers, is that if you DO decide to open up a shop that serves these delicious treats.... make sure you have heated seats for your outdoor chairs. :)

Thank you, as always, for reading and I hope that if you walk away from anything from reading this post, it is that you are hungry!

Sara Sara Cupcakes

7 NW 9th Street

Oklahoma City, OK 73102

(405) 600-9494

www.sarasaracupcakes.com

Sara Caroline Brinson- Children's Heart Research Fund

(405) 271-2300 for more information

Cuppies & Joe

727 NW 23rd Street

Oklahoma City, OK 73102

(405) 528-2122

www.cuppiesandjoe.com


Sprinkles.com

Winter RETURNS!!

Hello to everyone, and I am sorry that I didn't send out my last post through email like I usually do. Life for me has been getting crazier and crazier as the days go on and I am busier than ever. Don't think that I have forgotten about all of you cyber-babies though. I just haven't been able to do my last couple of weeks for one reason or another. My assignment this week was 'Cupcakes' but alas! The blog gods didn't want me to write about them because instead I was nervously awaiting what our news stations excitedly informed us was 'The Ice Storm of 2010'. (whoever wrote that title deserves a raise. I love their creativity.)

SO instead of writing about delicious little cakes that warm your heart, I wanted to post a quick blog about what makes you freeze over, and I also have included a recipe of a hearty turkey soup that we made this week to help us thaw out. So enjoy the pictures and be glad that you are warm!

Oh glorious winter! We, the citizens of Potawattomie County were fortunate enough to have a three day 'freezing extravaganza' that left us with icicles, snow, and sheets of ice lining our streets. How lucky we are!

Yeah, Yeah... they are all cute when they are small icicles.

Day 1 began with a mix of freezing rain, sleet, and ice that washed over most of our fine state. I took this picture of baby icicles starting to form outside our window. (Being the Californian that I am, I was quite excited of their presence and needed proof of their existence.)

Day 2 continued with the ice and sleet and gave us a bit of snow as well! I took another snapshot of my 'cute little icicles' growing outside the window and dreamed about them when I slept that night. But when I woke up the next morning...

My 'baby icicles' had become obese. 

As we crept into the wee hours of Day 3 (and as I was dreaming of tiny icicles that I could use as swizzle sticks) It snowed. It became a blizzard and somehow my icicles contracted elephantitus and grew to over five feet long.

I no longer called them 'my icicles' but now they were 'those things that were making our roof sag'

Impressive, yes. But how am I going to make my drink cold with THOSE??

Stupid storm.

You ruined my dreams.

Okay, okay... They are beautiful. Ill consider calling them mine once again.

Our backyard had been transformed from bleak to brilliant. Being covered in a blanket of crisp white snow that hurt your eyes.

Scott thought we would only get 2 inches of snow. This photo is proof of the contrary.

Our neighbors icicles didn't grow to abnormal lengths.... I guess that is what happens when you have rain gutters.

This is a bush. 

Just in case it is hard to tell.

When I looked in our front yard, my heart broke for my little PT Cruiser, Dory..... She was frozen in a sheet of snow that was at least a few inches thick.

Even my car was bearded with icicles. It was a theme for this storm. At least it was consistent.

Our street had turned into a winter wonderland, straight from a postcard...... minus the trashcans and trucks that had been parked there for weeks.

DO YOU SEE THE THICK GLAZE OF ICE ON THOSE BRANCHES???? We Californians don't see stuff like that everyday. 

The ice on the branches grew too heavy for the tree in our neighbors yard and snapped off.

Poor, poor tree.

Do you feel as though you are looking at a dead body?

You should.

The branch that couldn't hold on any longer.

Shame.

Frozen berries on a tree in our backyard.

More icicles that hung above our walkway into the house.... They were very pretty..... as long as they didn't fall and kill me.

MOOOOORE icicles!!!! (are you getting sick of them yet??)

Scott and I spent the day breaking off the GIANT icicles from our humble house (and by 'Scott and I' I mean Scott did the dirty work while I stood back and took 3 million pictures of icicles from every angle)

And we played in the backyard with our adorable child.

Our baby- Kyzer..... He looks more like his dad, Scott, than myself.

I tried get him to play fetch but he was distracted by the birds, squirrels, leaves and/or wind. He protects us from ALL of the elements.

He is a male model. Look for him on the cover of GQ magazine someday.

SQUIRREL!!! See? I told you there was one. This is why playing fetch was not an option.

This particular evil squirrel kept coming back to taunt my poor dog every time we put him back inside. This photo was taken through the window. I can almost hear the squirrel saying 'naa-naa-naa-naa-naa... You can't get me!'

So to keep warm, Scott and I made a super simple turkey soup that took 10 mins of prep and was delicious! We made enough for a few days and each day is better than the last! (and by 'Scott and I' I actually mean IIIIII made the soup while Scott stood back and played with the camera.)

Okay! So! Recipe time! 

Hearty Turkey Soup

turkey broth (frozen from Thanksgiving) OR you can also use store bought chicken broth

chicken boullion cubes (to taste) (our turkey broth was a bit bland)

shredded cooked turkey (frozen from Thanksgiving)(You could also use chicken)

celery, chopped (1-2 bunches depending on how much broth you put in)

1 bag of baby carrots, sliced (we like our vegetables)

1 large onion, chopped (and I do mean LARGE)

1-2 cups of orzo (again depending on how large of a quantity you made. Orzo is a greek pasta that looks like big rice, you can find it at most supermarkets in the pasta isle and its a favorite of mine.)

minced fresh parsley (to taste. We like alot)

1-2 tsp. ground cumin (use 2 tsp if a larger quantity)

Salt and pepper to taste

place all ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until pasta and vegetables are tender. 

AND DONE!!!!!

Is that the easiest recipe ever?? I know. Tell me about it. Take into account that if you are using frozen broth and/or turkey you will need to let that thaw out first. This is a delicious and easy recipe that is perfect for those really cold nights where all you want is comfort food.

mmmmm, mmmm Good........ But surprisingly, not Campbells! 

(another tree with snow. I thought you had seen enough icicles for one day.)

And now I must bid you farewell. May all of your dreams tonight be filled with images of icicles large enough to kill and of steamy hot turkey soup! I promise to deliver a wonderful blog next week about my externship. 

But for now, I will leave you with a simple, Adios!