It’s no secret that I am absolutely smitten with the smitten kitchen.  Deb makes fussy recipes utterly accessible and ordinary ingredients sensational, all the while with wit, fantastic photography, and a gratuitous shot of her adorable son in every post.  So it’s certainly no shock that I began and ended my search for a coffee cake with the SK.  I also wasn’t surprised by the fact that other readers of the SK commented on Deb’s recipe with modifications and adjustments they made to the recipe to suite their tastes.  What was surprising was the sheer number of comments this recipe received – 454 at last count, spanning almost two years – and the number of different types of adjustments Deb’s readers made to the recipe.

So this got me thinking: what could be better than an infinitely moldable recipe?  And you know, I couldn’t think of much.  This recipe is superb for its taste, yes, but also for its flexibility.  It’s bulletproof, people.

I, for example, made some big changes to the recipe.  I used a combination of brown and granulated sugar instead of purely granulated sugar (actually, I used Splenda instead of granulated sugar…and voila!  Success.), I used yogurt and applesauce instead of oil, I beat my egg whites before adding them to the batter to fluff up the cake a bit, and I baked this entire abomination of the original recipe in a bundt pan, rather than in a tube pan.  And let me tell you, it was still. delicious.

What does all of this mean for you?  It means that you can (and should!) modify this recipe to suite your tastes.  If you want the original recipe, go see Deb.  If you want to use mine, I reprinted it for you below (we’ll call mine a lower calorie version of Deb’s delectable original).  Or do something entirely your own…just keep the flour, sugar quantities, and “oil” quantities (applesauce, yogurt, what have you) the same.

You could even play with the spices!  Nutmeg, anyone?  And the type of apples you use is completely up to you, although it is my opinion that a sweeter apple works swell.  Heck, you could even use a mixture of varieties!  The possibilities are endless.

Get it?  Got it?  Good.

Bulletproof Apple Coffee Cake

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

My Rating: * * *

Hubby’s Rating: * * * ½

Yield: One tube pan cake, one bundt cake (with a small amount to spare), or two loaf pans

For the cake:

7 medium to large gala apples (or any other sweet apple for a sweet taste, or tart apples for a tang)

1 tablespoon cinnamon

2 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup applesauce (simply peel, core, and chop an apple and blend in a food processor until it reaches a saucy consistency)

½ cup plain Greek style yogurt (I use Chobani)

1 cup light or dark brown sugar

½ cup plus 5 tablespoons granulated sugar (or Splenda)

¼ cup fresh squeezed orange juice

2 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

4 eggs, whites and yolks separated

To prepare:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Thoroughly grease a tube pan, bundt pan, or two loaf pans.

Peel, core, and chop apples into chunks.  Place the chunks into a large bowl and toss with the cinnamon and the 5 tablespoons of sugar.  Set aside.

Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.  Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.  Move the egg whites to a separate bowl.  Clean and thoroughly dry the mixer bowl before replacing for the next step.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the applesauce, yogurt, orange juice, sugars, and vanilla until well combined.  Add the egg yolks, one at a time (scraping down the bowl if necessary).  Turn the mixer to a low speed and add the dry ingredients in increments, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary.  When all ingredients are incorporated, fold in the egg whites.

Pour at least a third of the batter into the prepared pan.  Then spread half of the apples over the batter.  If using a bundt pan, try to work the batter up the sides of the pan, creating a sort of tunnel, and add the apples to the tunnel.  The cake will be easier to remove if few apples touch the sides of the pan (they tend to stick).  Pour the remaining batter over the apples and then add the remaining apples to the top.  Bake until a tester comes out clean.*

Cool the cake completely before removing it from the pan.  I served the bundt cake upside down, with the apples on top.  It looked lovely.  You may also choose to serve it “right side up” with a dusting of powdered sugar.

*Baking times may vary considerably depending on the type of pan you use and whether your oven is particularly hot or less so.  My bundt cake cooked in about 55 minutes.  Deb from Smitten Kitchen recommends approximately 1 ½ hours for a tube pan.  My loaf pan baked up in about 45 minutes.  The moral of the story here: start checking for doneness early and check often.  Err on the side of ever so slight underdoneness…the cake will continue to bake for a few minutes after you remove it from the oven, and this is not a cake that you want to dry out.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Bulletproof Apple Coffee Cake

Indeed.  So it’s a good thing I have a knack (and I’m humble!) and I have help…mmhmm, from here via here.

You see, a few years ago, David Leite (of Leite’s Culinaria fame) went in search of the perfect chocolate chip cookie.  And as it turns out, the journey is a long and winding one.  But after much consultation and much taste-testing, David learned the secrets to this perfect cookie.  He learned them, and then he shared them with the masses.  Lucky us!

And it all boils down to following a few simple, if time consuming, rules.  Without further ado…

The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie Rules to Live By:

1. You must use big, big chunks of chocolate with at least 60% cacao, and you must use a lot of it.  I will call this the Splurge Rule.

2. You must. You absolutely must. Use salt.  It’s the Salt Rule.

3. You must prepare your dough and then let it rest for 36 hours before baking.  It allows the dough to soak up the egg, making for a drier dough that bakes up better.  I’m going to call this the Patience Rule.

4. When shaping your cookies, you must make them large to allow for three distinct textures – a crunchy outside, a soft center, and the magic that happens between the two.  This is the Rule of Thirds.

5. You must eat your chocolate chip cookie warm.  It’s the Warm Rule.

Now that you know the rules (and you are going to follow them, RIGHT?), you need the recipe.  And I’m happy to oblige.  Oh, and for the record, this is the FIRST willrunforcupcakes recipe that merited 5 stars from myself AND hubby.

David Leite’s Consummate Chocolate Chip Cookies (printer-friendly version below)

Adapted from David Leite in The New York Times

My Rating: * * * * *

Hubby’s Rating: * * * * *

Yield: 18 5-inch cookies

For the cookies:

8 ½ ounces (2 cups minus 2 tablespoons) cake flour (I couldn’t find any, so (gasp), I used unbleached all purpose flour, with no adjustment to the measurement, and they still turned out beautiful)

8 ½ ounces (1 2/3 cups) bread flour

1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt (or other coarse salt)

2 ½ sticks (1 ¼ cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature

10 ounces (1 ¼ cups) light (or dark) brown sugar

8 ounces (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 ¼ pounds big bittersweet chocolate chunks (*see note, below), at least 60% cacao content

Sea salt

To prepare:

Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.  Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl, if using a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugars together (on medium/high speed) until very light, about 5 minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Reduce speed to low and stir in the vanilla.  With the mixer still on low, add the dry ingredients, all at once, and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds.  Drop the chocolate chunks into the mixture and incorporate with a rubber spatula.  Keeping the dough in the bowl, press plastic wrap against the dough and refrigerate for 36 hours (and up to 72 hours – you can bake these in smaller batches if you like).

When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet (or two, if you have two) with parchment paper.

Scoop six 3 ½ ounce mounds of dough (larger than a golf ball, smaller than a racquet ball…a food scale is extremely useful here) onto the baking sheet (I had to mold them a bit with my hands because the dough was slightly crumbly), making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up (it will make the cookie prettier).  Make sure your baking sheet is large enough to leave spaces between the cookies, as they will spread some in the oven.  Sprinkle the cookies lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, about 18 to 20 minutes.

Transfer your baking sheet to a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes.  Then remove the cookies from the sheet and continue to cool on a rack for another 10 minutes or so.

Repeat with the remaining dough or reserve the dough for a later batch, keeping the dough covered in the refrigerator if you do so.

Serve warm (you can nuke them for a few seconds in the microwave once they are completely cool) with a big napkin and a big glass of milk.

*A note on the chocolate: Do your best to use big hunks of chocolate rather than chips.  Leite’s recipe calls for Valrhona fèves (gorgeous and delicious oval-shaped chocolate), which you can find at Whole Foods or at The Fresh Market.  Unfortunately, Valrhona chocolate is pricey.  So I went with a high-ish quality 70% cacao baking chocolate that I found for half the price of the Valrhona at The Fresh Market.  It was relatively easy to break into big chunks.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, click here: David Leite’s Consummate Chocolate Chip Cookies

And if there is anything at all fortunate about my running injury (because deep introspection, pain-loathing, and wallowing in self-pity just don’t count as fortunes), it is that my injury coincides with a happy harvesting accident in the strawberry world.  The Florida harvest is late this year and the California harvest is slightly early…which means we consumers are being hit from every direction by delicious strawberries!  What a beautiful food fight!  And so very affordable!

delusional pup

So basically you have no excuse to not make this warm-weather friendly recipe.  It is healthy.  It is cheap.  It is easy.  Oh, and it is delightfully delicious.

The recipe calls for fresh strawberries, lemon, and oranges…all of which are absolutely beautiful and abundant this time of the year.

It also calls for rose water which, fortunately, is not that difficult to find these days.  I found some at The Fresh Market.  I don’t doubt that it is also available at Whole Foods, and you can probably get it at Publix or the like.  Or look for it at a Middle Eastern food market, as it is commonly used in Iranian cuisine.

Rose water is literally distilled rose petals.  It smells and tastes amazing.  And you can use it for loads of recipes, including this one, which I am dying to try.

Okay, okay, let’s get down to business.

Strawberry Soup (printer-friendly version below)

Adapted from The New York Times

My Rating: *** ½

Hubby’s Rating: well, he didn’t try it.

Yield: Serves 4 (side-dish sizes)

Ingredients:

2 ¼ pounds ripe strawberries (at least 2 packages), hulled

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (you should only need 1 lemon)

1 tablespoon sugar (or Splenda)

1 tablespoon honey, plus more to taste

1 teaspoon rose water

½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice (you should only need 1 large orange)

Fresh mint for garnish (optional)

To Prepare:

Choose about ¼ of the prettiest strawberries from the bunch and slice them in thin vertical slices.  In a sealable container, toss the strawberries with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and the sugar (or Splenda).  Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Quarter the remaining strawberries and place them in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a food processor fitted with a steel blade.  If you are using the mixer, blend on medium speed until the strawberries form a coarse puree.  If you are using a food processor, pulse until you reach the same consistency.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, the orange juice, the honey, and the rose water.  Beat on medium-high speed until blended.  Taste, adding more honey if desired.

Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.  Just before serving, stir in the sliced strawberries with the juice that has accumulated in the container.  Ladle into bowls, top with mint if desired, and serve.

The soup will keep, refrigerated in an airtight container, for up to 2 days.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, click here:  Strawberry Soup

ahhh pictures do not do it justice.

My Cupcake Day featured last week’s Nutella-Date Pudding, aka World Peace, Cupcakes!  Unfortunately, they got the hyperlink wrong, so I didn’t get a direct link.  Still exciting!

Today, I had a long-awaited lunch date with my beautiful and fabulous friend, Caitlin.  It has been way too long since we got together, so naturally I was incredibly excited to catch up.  What else was I excited about?  I was excited about our lunch locale.  Caitlin and I were both itching to go to Bakeshop, one of Atlanta’s newest lunch spots, and good grief I am glad we got that itch.

Jonathan St. Hilaire, boulanger extraordinaire, heads up Bakeshop.  His passion is bread, and that is immediately clear when you walk in the door of this beautiful establishment.  The smell of fresh baked bread greets you at the entrance and entrances you into a blackout state that results in the purchase of three desserts and a loaf of fresh baked bread.  Or, um, that is what happened for me.

But wait!  I skipped the part about how Caitlin and I actually ate lunch!  We each got the soup/sandwich & salad combo (a $7.00 steal), and the food was great.  My tomato bisque was incredibly flavorful, but the stars of the soup show were the fresh baked croutons (surprise, surprise), which became delightfully mushy in about five minutes.  Caitlin and I agreed that the lunch combo was a perfect portion, but it might be insufficient if you usually eat a hardy lunch.

Okay, okay, let’s get on with the sweets.

clockwise from top: chocolate & peanut butter bar; chocolate goodness in a jar (my name); pear tart

Selection

The sweet selection at Bakeshop is fantastic.  They have cupcakes (!), creme brulee (pistachio, wow), tarts (citrus, chocolate, you name it), puddings, and the selection goes on.  And that’s not all — many of the breads pass as sweets as well.  Caitlin and I even saw a chocolate cheesecake muffin.  Oh. my.  I will be back for that little darling.

It would take a long time to sample all the sweets at Bakeshop, but I sure would love to try.

Atmosphere

Bakeshop has a wonderful split personality.  On the inside, it is a bustling bakery with large butcher block tables, an intoxicating aroma, and free wifi to boot.  On the outside, it is a relaxed patio with a distinctly urban vibe (it is, after all, smack dab in the middle of it all in Midtown).  So if the weather is nice, you can choose your experience.  What could be better?

Service

Service at Bakeshop is friendly, but don’t expect anyone to go out of their way for you (which, I think, is typical for an “order at the counter” restaurant).  The baristas handled the lunchtime rush well, going down the line to take orders in succession.  As I always do, I asked the barista which sweets were the very best, and she definitely made good recommendations.

My only issue with the service — and let this be a lesson to you — was that Caitlin and I lost our table outside when we went back to the counter for dessert.  Not sure how the employees could fix this, but I would definitely advise that you get everything up front if you consider your table precious real estate.

Taste Test

Caitlin and I had a lot of tasting to do.  After all, we got three desserts!  We also got two to-go boxes, thinking that we would have copious leftovers to take to our significant others.  Ha.  Wrong.  We devoured all three.

My favorite was the pear tart.  The pastry was, in Caitlin’s words, almost shortbread-like, and the pear was fresh and sweet.  The tart was impeccably spiced…I think I tasted a hint of sage…whatever it was, it was great.

Caitlin’s favorite was the peanut butter chocolate bar.  Well, perhaps I should say Caitlin’s favorite became the peanut butter chocolate bar.  When we first tasted it, we agreed that it was missing…something.  A crunch, maybe?  But it grew on us.  Fast.  Faster than it melted in the midday heat, fortunately.  The peanut butter was delicious…it tasted homemade, as I suspect it was.  The dark chocolate was decadent.  The 80 degree temperature was probably the only thing that kept this one from being my favorite.  Make it a snowy day, put a blazing hot latte in my hand, and call the peanut butter chocolate bar my favorite.

We also tried this adorable chocolate pudding goodness, irresistibly packaged in a tiny mason jar.  I feel terrible mentioning this one last, because we loved it too.  It was a little oily on top when we opened it, but we just mixed that oil right in and – voila!  Perfection.  The pudding jar had a yummy graham cracker-ish crust at the bottom.  It was like a chocolate silk pie in a teensie weensie jar.  Love it.

Oh, and to top it all off, the desserts were super affordable.  I spent less than $11 on three sweets.  I call that unbeatable quality for the price.

Overall Rating

I give Bakeshop an A+ overall…with dreamy desserts like this (not to mention incredible bread), who needs lunch?*

*Seriously, though, if you do need lunch, Bakeshop is great for that too.  Or you could just skip it.  And have a cupcake.

Oh man.  I have done it this time.  I’m going to go out on a limb and say it…these are the best cupcakes I have ever made.  Yep, I said it.  Sweet, but not too sweet.  Complex in the greatest way…grown-up dates mixed with kid-friendly Nutella.  Plus a homemade Nutella mixture of sorts…cocoa and toasted hazelnuts.  Woah.

After baking these, I have a new theory.  Feed people these, and you would get world peace.  Now if only they would ship well.

These cupcakes really do have great ingredients.  Dates are super healthy.  Hazelnuts are too…they are an excellent source of good fats and protein.  Skim milk?  Yep, that’s in there too.

In fact, it is also what is not in these cupcakes that makes them special.  No oil.  Only 2 tablespoons of butter (whaaaaat).

Let’s just say that if you make the mini-cupcake version and use Splenda, the calorie count in these babies comes in well below 100.  Score.

The recipe calls for Medjool dates, which are known for their large size and sweet taste.  You can get other types of dates, perhaps for a lower price, but I recommend springing for the Medjool variety if you can get your hands on them.  I get mine at The Fresh Market…I am certain they are available at Whole Foods, and you can probably find them in most grocery stores.

And, of course, the recipe calls for Nutella.  Oh my do I love Nutella.  In college, I would eat it straight out of the jar with a spoon.  It is pure danger.

Don’t let anyone convince you that Nutella is a health food…despite the ridiculous commercial, all you have to do is read the ingredient list to see that Nutella ain’t health food…the first ingredient is sugar!  BUT there really isn’t all that much Nutella in this recipe.

And, what is more important is that the recipe calls for dry roasted hazelnuts, which I consider a bona fide health food (in moderation, as we should eat all nuts).

I finally got to use my cute new cupcake liners!

I topped my cupcakes with dark chocolate covered peanuts and roasted hazelnuts…they really turned out adorable

don’t you think?

Nutella-Date Pudding Cupcakes, or World Peace Cupcakes (for a printer-friendly version, see below)

Adapted from The Leftover Queen

My Rating: * * * * *

Hubby’s Rating: * * * *

Yield: 48 mini cupcakes (probably about 18 regular cupcakes)

For the cupcakes:

1 cup hazelnuts

6 ounces Medjool dates (about 12 or so), halved, pitted, and coarsely chopped

½ cup milk (I used skim with great success, but you can use any fat content)

5 ounces Nutella

¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

2 large eggs

¼ cup sugar or Splenda (I used Splenda to cut the calories and the cupcakes were still delicious)

¼ cup packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¾ cup heavy cream

For the buttercream:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 ½ tablespoons Nutella

2 tablespoons milk (again, I used skim and it worked beautifully)

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For a topping:

24 dark chocolate covered peanuts/hazelnuts OR toasted hazelnuts (see method above), with skin removed

To prepare:

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, placing a rack in the center of the oven.  Place hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast in the oven, 10-15 minutes, until hazelnuts are golden and fragrant.  Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Line a 24-cup mini-cupcake pan with paper liners.  If you do not have a mini cupcake pan, I think this batter will yield about 18 regular cupcakes.

Meanwhile, place chopped dates in a food processor.  Then, in a small saucepan, bring milk just to a boil.  Immediately pour milk over the chopped dates and process, 2-3 minutes, until the mixture is a smooth paste.  Warning: if you love dates, this paste will be delicious.  You will need it later, so don’t eat it now.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer (or in a large bowl, if using a hand mixer), combine eggs, Splenda/sugar, and brown sugar.  Beat on medium speed for about 5 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.  Beat in the vanilla extract.  When well-combined, beat in the Nutella, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients in ¼ increments, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.  When the dry ingredients are incorporated, increase your mixer speed to medium and beat in the date puree, followed by the cream.

By this time, your hazelnuts should be cool.  Remove the dark brown skin surrounding the hazelnuts (it should fall off easily).  Clean and dry your food processor thoroughly, and place the skinned hazelnuts in the processor.  Process for a minute or two until the hazelnuts are finely ground.  Add the ground hazelnuts to the batter and beat until well incorporated.

Using a teaspoon, place the batter into the cupcake liners.  Fill the cups about ¾ full with batter.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pan mid-way through, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean or almost clean.  Cool on a rack completely before icing.

To prepare the buttercream, in the bowl of an electric mixer (or in a medium bowl, if using a hand mixer), combine all ingredients.  Beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until the mixture becomes light and fluffy and forms a spreadable consistency.  If your buttercream is too thick, add milk in very small increments.  If it is too thin, add Nutella in small increments.

Spread buttercream on cupcakes with a small knife.  If you want to pipe on a lot of icing, double the buttercream recipe.

Top iced cupcakes with a chocolate-covered peanut/hazelnut or a toasted hazelnut.

The cupcakes will keep, at room temperature in an airtight container, for about 3 days.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, click here: Nutella Date Pudding Cupcakes

A quarter of a century old, yes, and darn excited to be there.  For years, 25 has been something huge to look forward to…it is the year I will graduate from law school!  It represents the year that I get to grow up and to become a part of the real-life, adult world.  Sounds wonderful.

Beautiful flowers from my amazing hubby!

You know what else sounds wonderful?  A red velvet cupcake.  Mmhmm, that’s right.  And my sweet hubby got me one, on account of it being my birthday!  He picked it up at The Fresh Market, a lovely grocery store that you need in your neighborhood, if you don’t have one already.  We get all of our meats and most of our produce at TFM, and we absolutely love the place.

Plus, they have amazing baked goods.  Time to review their red velvet cupcake!

Selection: Although I did not bear witness to the selection and purchase of this particular cupcake, I am a frequent visitor to TFM’s bakery.  They generally have three or four cupcake flavors to choose from, as well as loads of other cheesecakes, tarts, and the like.

Cupcake Taste Test: It’s a good thing hubby chose the red velvet, because I have eaten my fair share of red velvet in my 25 year lifetime.  So trust me, I know what to look for.  And this is it.  First of all, the cupcake offered the perfect cake to icing ratio…it’s around 3-1, and it’s divine.  Second, this icing was really, really, reeeally perfect.  It is the lightest cream cheese icing I have ever tasted…almost like a buttercream/cream cheese mixture.  I could definitely taste the cream cheese, but I didn’t feel weighed down by it.  Wonderful.  (Better, I might add, than the Whole Foods icing)  Finally, the cake was incredibly moist.  My only qualm about the cake is that I like my red velvet to taste a little chocolatey, and this one didn’t really.  Its moisture picked up the slack, though.  I barely missed the cocoa flavor.

So my overall rating would have to be an A…for a corporate sweet, this one takes the (cup)cake.  Now RUN to your local TFM and grab one!

It still bums me out.

But the fact that I often wallow in self-pity has its advantages…I have given significant thought to my safety as a runner.  So I figured I would share my Top 5 Running Tips for the Ladies.

And, as a side note, I would absolutely love some tips from runners with a schedule that is less flexible than mine.  If you have to run in the dark, by yourself, please give me some tips!  My insanely flexible run schedule won’t last forever, and I need to stay savvy even if I have to make sacrifices.

1.  Never run alone. What’s that you say?  You don’t have a running buddy?  Sure you do.

Best option: Find a running partner – a friend, a spouse, or a local running group.

Next-best option: Grab a leash and take your pooch!  I certainly do not think that a dog is a fail-safe way to avoid attack, but I would bet that any dog that could potentially bark at a stranger would serve as a deterrent.  Before you take your pup on your run, though, take a look at this great article for suggestions.

If all else fails: Pack pepper spray heat.  I never leave home for a run without it.  And I don’t use the wimpy stuff…I use the law enforcement quality stuff.  I recommend practicing using it and keeping it readily accessible when you are out on the road.

Sabre Red…don’t leave home without it!

2.  Run at the right time.

Best option: Run during the daylight hours and vary your run times.  Paranoia never did anyone any good, but if someone is watching your habits, it is best not to have habits at all.  I like to run in the morning, but I try to run at 9:00 some days, 10:00 other days and, well, you get the picture.

Next-best option: Even if you have to leave your house for a run at 9:46am every day, run during the daylight hours.  You will be more aware of your surroundings and a potential attacker will be much less likely to come after your for fear of being observed.

If all else fails: Beef up your security in every other way possible.  And give me tips.  Because I am going to need them.

3.  Run in the right place.

Best option: Run on the widest roads you can find (asphalt is much more forgiving on joints than pavement), with some moderate, but not too heavy traffic.  Neighborhood roads are usually perfect for this.

Next-best option: Run on the sidewalks or shoulders of a busier road.  The idea is to make sure you give motorists enough room to dodge you, while striking a balance between too much traffic (which increases your chances of getting hit) and too little traffic (which creates an opportunity for a potential attacker).

If all else fails: Run on a treadmill.  Boring?  Sure.  Safe?  You betcha.

4.  Gear up.

In addition to the pepper spray that is, in my opinion, a must-carry, your gear can make all the difference in your safety.  First, light-colored and reflective clothing is a must.  Second, by all means get a Road ID…it’s an inexpensive tag that fits unobtrusively on your shoe and serves as a critical identifying tool should you get injured.

Finally, if you have to run at night, reflective clothing is not enough.  Carry a light!

A Road ID is inexpensive, discreet, and could be a life saver.

5. Know what to leave at home.

And know why.  Leave your ipod at home, ladies.  Sure, music passes the time.  But just think…if your mind is distracted by Jay-Z, your mind is not going to catch the man running up behind you, the dog chasing after you, or the car turning too close to you.  It is absolutely not worth the risk.  Besides, you would be amazed at how your mind will naturally wonder and distract itself, even in the absence of music.  Wean yourself off your ipod and stay safe.

Oh, and for those of you who voted for Cinnabon…have no fear, that review is coming too.  I’m too curious to ignore.

But for now, in the spirit of democracy (and perhaps Bush v. Gore politics, as there was clearly something fishy going on with my poll), hubby and I trotted down to our local Whole Foods for a blissful cupcake experience.

And oh my!  There were so many to choose from!  The baked goods section, like every area in Whole Foods, was mesmerizing.  Everything looks bright and fresh.  The barista was extremely friendly as well!  So just as I did at Honeymoon Bakery in Rome, I asked the barista which was the yummiest cupcake.  And guess what?  She couldn’t decide!

Our barista said that the most popular cupcake is the Oreo Cupcake (chocolate cake with a cookies and cream buttercream icing topped with a Whole Foods brand oreo cookie), but that her personal favorite was the Peanut Butter Kiss Cupcake (chocolate cake with a peanut butter buttercream icing topped with lightly salted peanuts and a chocolate ganache).  Decisions, decisions!  I got both (and at only $2.99 for a big cupcake, why not?).

here’s the Oreo Cupcake…beautiful!

…and the Peanut Butter Cupcake looked just as delish.

Cupcake Taste Test: Hubby and I split both cupcakes (well, we actually nibbled on both at Whole Foods and packed up the rest for our snacking delight), and we pretty much agree on the verdict.  The chocolate cake was incredibly moist, much more so than I would expect from a grocery store cupcake (the cake was the same, chocolate, for both cupcakes).  The chocolate taste was present but not too rich…which of course made it dangerous because it would just be too easy to just lose control and eatthewholedarnthing.

The icing on both was a little on the cold/dense side, but the flavor made up for any shortcomings.  The buttercream on the Peanut Butter Cupcake has an incredibly rich flavor…very sweet and very very peanut buttery.  I didn’t taste the ganache really…the peanut butter was what really came through.

As for the Oreo Cupcake, the buttercream was really pretty perfect.  It wasn’t too rich, and reminded me of a semi-sweet cookies and cream ice cream.  I couldn’t get enough.  No, really.  I could barely bring myself to share with hubby.  It took willpower.

Oh, and one of the best parts is that Whole Foods baked goods aren’t out of this world bad for you!  Whole Foods does not bake with any artificial flavors, sweeteners, colors, preservatives, or trans fats.  So there ya go…another reason to run to Whole Foods to nab a cupcake.

Overall Rating: We give the Oreo Cupcake an A and the Peanut Butter Cupcake a B+, so if you’re into averages, that’s an A- overall.  Not too shabby for a corporate cupcake!

If I missed out on an incredible Whole Foods flavor, by all means, let me know!

]]> http://willrunforcupcakes.wordpress.com/2010/03/21/whole-foods-cupcake-review/feed/ 0 will run for cupcakes IMG_2506 IMG_2508 IMG_2510 IMG_2511 IMG_2513 IMG_2514 http://willrunforcupcakes.wordpress.com/2010/03/17/homemade-yogurt/ http://willrunforcupcakes.wordpress.com/2010/03/17/homemade-yogurt/#comments Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:58:28 +0000 willrunforcupcakes http://willrunforcupcakes.wordpress.com/?p=188 Continue reading →]]> I live in a yogurt household.  In fact, my hubby and I have a “yogurt shelf” in our fridge.  An entire shelf filled with Yoplait, Yoplait Delights, Stoneyfield, Stoneyfield Oikos, and Dannon Greek yogurt.  Yep, we have a yogurt problem.

But yogurt is so delicious and nutritious…what ever could be the problem?  Well, good yogurt is expensive.  My Oikos yogurts are 3 for $5 at Publix…ouch.  So I found a solution, and I am here today to share it with you: make it yourself.

Making your own yogurt is actually incredibly easy.  Sure, it takes a good 6-10 hours, but very little of that time is hands-on, I promise.  Besides, it is so easy to make the yogurt in the evening and to have fresh deliciousness the next morning!  Ahhh ain’t life grand?

Another big plus to making your own yogurt is its versatility.  You can add anything to your yogurt.  Even more importantly, you know exactly what is going into your yogurt.  None of these lengthy ingredient lists.  You can keep it simple.  And, you can vary the consistency of your yogurt depending on the consistency of your “starter” (see below)…you can make thick Greek yogurt or smooth and gooey traditional yogurt.

So how then, you ask, does it work?  Well, it works best with one of these, a yogurt maker.  The link takes you to a EuroCuisine maker, but there are numerous brands (some that offer yogurt makers for about $20) out there.  Just Google it!  You can also make yogurt in a crock pot or even in a cooler.  I absolutely advocate getting a yogurt maker if you want to make the switch to homemade yogurt…a maker will give you an easy process, consistent batches, and the manufacturer will provide recommended processing times that will give you the best results.  So go on, take the plunge!

And the best part?  Yogurt, especially the homemade variety, is so incredibly good for you.  The bacteria in yogurt aids in digestion and boosts your immune system.  Yogurt is high in calcium and protein, which makes it an excellent post-run snack.  You can never eat too much yogurt…even if you have a whole yogurt shelf in your fridge.

A few things to note.  First, homemade yogurt has a distinctively different taste than store-bought yogurt.  It is generally more tart, and is more so if you use milk with a lower fat content (I use fat-free, but you can also use low-fat or whole varieties).  Second, the starter – usually store-bought yogurt or a previously made homemade yogurt, providing the live cultures – you use will affect the consistency of your yogurt.  If you use Greek yogurt, your yogurt will be thicker.  If you use regular yogurt, it will be thinner.  It will also be thinner if you use milk with a lower fat content.  The flavor and texture possibilities are endless, which is part of the beauty of homemade yogurt!

Flavor-wise, you can make plain yogurt, vanilla yogurt, and yogurt flavored with any of your favorite add-ins.  For example, I have made chocolate, pumpkin, apple, blueberry, peach, and raspberry yogurt.  And, if you have suggestions, then by all means leave em in the comments!

And now for the recipe!

Homemade Yogurt (printer-friendly version below)

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma, www.williams-sonoma.com

My rating: ****

Hubby’s rating: ***

Yield: 7 6-oz jars

Note: This recipe is for vanilla, sweetened yogurt.  The plain variety is also excellent, although more tart than what you buy at the store.  If you choose to make the yogurt plain, simply omit the vanilla and sweetener.

42 ounces fat-free milk (you can use low fat or whole milk, but you should adjust down your processing time as the fat  content of your milk increases)

1 carton plain fat-free yogurt (I use Stoneyfield because it is organic; also note that your yogurt will mimic the consistency of the store-bought yogurt you choose)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional; go without if you want plain yogurt)

7 teaspoons Splenda (optional; if keeping one jar for a starter, use only 6 teaspoons)

To prepare:

In a large bowl, microwave the milk on high for 8-10 minutes.  You want the milk to come just to a boil (180 degrees Fahrenheit), so keep an eye on your microwave the first time you heat the milk.

Remove the bowl from the microwave and set it aside until a thermometer inserted into the milk reads 108-112 degrees Fahrenheit.  If you plan to do a “fruit on the bottom yogurt,” prepare your fruit and add them to the bottom of your jars (leave one empty if you plan to create a starter).  Do this while the milk cools.

When the milk reaches 108-112 degrees, in a medium-sized bowl, combine the store-bought yogurt with one cup of the lukewarm milk.  Stir until the mixture is smooth.  Pour this mixture into the large bowl of milk, stirring constantly with a whisk until well combined.  Do not scrape the bottom or sides of the bowl with the whisk – milk solids will accumulate there, and you don’t want those to end up in your yogurt.  The recipe gives you slightly more milk than you need, so you shouldn’t have to scrape the bowl.

If you would like to create a starter with which you can make an additional batch of yogurt (I recommend only using a starter once and then going back to store-bought every two batches of yogurt), make your starter by pouring the milk mixture into one of your jars.  Mark the jar (so that you know which one is your starter!) and set aside.

Add the vanilla extract and Splenda to the remainder of the mixture and stir well with the whisk.  Again, avoid scraping the bottom or sides of the bowl with the whisk.  Pour this mixture into the yogurt jars and place all jars, including the starter jar if you have one, into the yogurt maker, without the lids attached.

Process according to the manufacturer’s instructions (I process for 10 hours, usually overnight, because I use fat-free milk).

When the yogurt is finished processing, attach the lids to the jars and refrigerate for at least three hours before enjoying.

The yogurt will keep, refrigerated in the airtight jars, for up to one week.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, click here: Homemade Yogurt