Homes

Timeless.

One of the highlights of my weekend was getting to spend a day down in my second home, Williamsburg.  Even after a year of living somewhere else, this place still has a special draw for me.  Some things have changed (like the amazing new frat houses that they've built!), some things are only slightly different, and some things are timeless.  What I love about being an alumna of the College of William & Mary is that my experience is not unique.  The majority of the the College's alumni, I would argue, have the same deep-seated connection to this place.  When I was an undergraduate, in many ways I felt like the campus and the Williamsburg community were the perfect home for me.  I felt like the place was meant for me.  Going back as an alumna is different - I no longer feel like I belong in the same way.  I'm not a

student anymore, and I don't feel like I could ever be a student there again - it would feel weird.  But as I walk the campus, I get the sense that in some ways I will always belong at William & Mary.  Those four years were a defining aspect of my life, and in personality & mind, I will always be a William & Mary student.  Walking along the Sunken Gardens feels different than it did before (though I can still very distinctly feel what it felt like), but it is still such a peaceful feeling for me.  I walk the campus differently than I did a couple of years ago, but it will never lose it's magic for me.

So all of this has gotten me thinking about the concept of home.  As a child, "home" is where you and your family live.  To the government, you are considered "homeless" if you do not have your own permanent residence (i.e., if you are crashing in a friend's apartment for a month, but they could technically kick you out at any time, you are considered "homeless").  For me, I think I have many homes.  Some are based on the place itself, and some are based on the people there, but all of them have a sense of belonging.  Of course, I have a home in Ashburn where my family lives.  Not only is this concept of home tied to the people that I love that live there, but also to the house that I grew up in.  But Williamsburg also feels like home to me.  I feel like I belong there in a different way than I belong at home in Ashburn.  St. Louis is also beginning to feel like a home.  This one is not tied to the place at all - the city itself has no draw to me.  But it's the people (I have one particularly in mind) that I feel connected to.  Granted, because I've only lived there for a year, my relationships are not as strong as they are with friends from Ashburn or Williamsburg, but over the next 2 years, I can see them becoming so.

It's kind of a weird feeling to have 3 homes.  I mean, I would rather have 3 than have none at all, but it does kind of make one feel pulled in a few different directions.  It also makes it so that I adjust super quickly to being in each place.  Within a day or two, I am back into my mode of operation for that specific environment.  One thing I would like to learn is to meld these M.O.s into one.  Of course I will always react uniquely to each environment, but I would like to see as much overlap of self in each one as possible.

Just some of my thoughts today. :)

I Know It's Today

I'm not a huge fan of Shrek: the Musical...personally I take issue with random movies that become musicals just to further the franchise...but that is an entirely different topic for another day.  Anyways, a friend of mine gave me the soundtrack a while back, and this song came up on my iPhone the other day in the car:

(if you want to read the lyrics go here:
http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/shrekthemusical/iknowitstoday.htm)

It struck me just how culturally relevant this song actually is.  How many girls of my generation are waiting and waiting and waiting for their knight in shining armor or Prince Charming to appear?  For those of you that know the story of Shrek, Fiona's rescuer is not anything like what she imagined - not even close to the stereotypical Prince Charming.  But that doesn't mean he isn't her perfect match.  I think there is a lesson to be learned here.

I find these lines to be particularly insightful:  "There's a princess / Any princess / Take your pick, they're all like me / Not exactly, I'm still waiting / They're all living happily / Ever after better get here / I want love in seconds flat..."

To me, this says so much about our culture.  1) We hate waiting.  2) We think that our lives don't start until we hit a certain mile-marker.  Maybe it's falling in love.  Or getting married.  Or having children.  Or obtaining a higher educational degree.  Or getting the perfect job.  But we think that we can't really live, or live happily for that matter, without first achieving that one thing.  For Fiona, and many women/girls of my generation, it's finding her Prince Charming/Knight in Shining Armor.  But our lives are happening right now.  We can't keep waiting for life to "start" otherwise we'll miss out on the life that we currently have!

I love when the Arts speak out about culture in insightful and relevant ways.  I'd love to hear your thoughts on this - what you notice in this song, and any response you have to my brief and very disjointed thoughts!  Please comment! :)

Experimenting with Cupcakes

Wow, it's been awhile since I've posted anything...just another sign of my rather extreme laziness in the summer.  I've been home for almost 2 months and no pictures have been scrapbooked, I'm only halfway through my reading list, and most days I could not tell you what I actually did in the preceding 12 hours (unless I've been at work that day).  Such is the life of the graduate student on break I suppose.

I've been meaning to write this specific post for a while, but kept putting it off in the event that I baked more and wanted to add more stuff to it.  Seeing as I only have 4 weeks left of my summer, and still have only 2 cupcake recipes to share with you, I feel like I should go ahead and write this post!

So, I gave my sister a cupcake book for her (our) birthday, and so far we've tried 2 of the recipes:  Margarita Cupcakes and Bittersweet Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes.  I liked both, but the Bittersweet Chocolate Raspberry was by far the superior cupcake - SO DELICIOUS.  In defense of the Margarita Cupcakes, there is definitely an added benefit of making margaritas out of the extra ingredients. . . just putting that one out there. ;)  This cupcake book has SO many interesting recipes to try, and I love that some of them are variations on a cake mix while others have you make your own cake!  I personally want to get to the Salted Caramel Cupcakes before the end of the summer, but other good options include Cafe Mocha, Cosmopolitan, Polka Dot Pumpkin Cheesecake, Chocolate Tiramisu, Pink Lemonade, Boston Creme, and Surprise Prize Cupcakes (the last one has a cookie dough center!!).  Man, I should have bought one of these books for myself!  Looks like I'll be heading back to Barnes & Noble when I get back to STL. . .

Margarita Cupcakes
1 pkg. white cake mix
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons margarita mix, divided
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
3 tsps grated lime peel, divided
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons tequila (or you can substitute in lime juice. . . but who really wants to do that?)
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp. white decorating sugar
1 tbsp. salt
Green and yellow food coloring
Lime peel strips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.  Put paper cupcake cups in 2 standard muffin tins (makes 24 cupcakes).  Stir cake mix, 3/4 cup margarita mix, eggs, oil, water, 1 tsp lime peel and lime juice in large bowl until well blended.  Spoon evenly into cupcake cups and bake for 20 minutes (or until done).  Cool in pans for 10 mins, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.  (How easy was that?!)

Margarita Cupcakes with glaze

Combine tequila, remaining 2 tbsp margarita mix,and 2 tsp lime peel in medium bowl.  Gradually whisk in powdered sugar.  Combine decorating sugar and salt in small bowl.  Add food coloring one drop at a time until desired shade is reached.  Spread glaze over cupcakes; dip edges in sugar mixture (like the salt around the edge of a margarita glass).  Garnish with lime peel strips.
Note:  We didn't do the sugar/salt and lime peel garnish, and it still tasted great!

Bittersweet Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup hot coffee
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped, divided
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 pints fresh raspberries, divided
1/2 cup whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tins with 20 paper cups.  Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in small bowl; mix well.  Whisk coffee, cocoa and 2 oz chopped chocolate in large bowl until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.  Stir in sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla until well blended.  Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk, beating well after each addition.  Spoon evenly into prepared muffin cups.  Place 3 raspberries in each cup (no worries, they sink down into the cupcake as it bakes!).  Bake for 20 minutes or until done.  Cool in pan 5 minutes, remove to wire rack until completely cool.
Bring cream to a simmer in small saucepan over medium heat.  Place remaining 6 oz chopped chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl.  Pour hot cream over chocolate; let stand 2 minutes (without stirring!  the chocolate is melting!).  Whisk mixture until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.  Dip tops of cupcakes in chocolate mixture (we actually found it easier to frost them with a frosting knife); return to wire racks.  Let stand 10 minutes.  Dip/frost again if desired (umm, yes? of course you want another layer of chocolate ganache!).  Top with a single raspberry, and let stand until set.

(Recipes from Cupcakes: Sensational Sweet Treats for Any Occasion, Publications International, Ltd. 2012)