I'm not an athlete, but I'm athletic.
Or so I thought.
Enter: Title Boxing.
Highlights:
- Sign up with cute instructor, flirt a little till he gives me cute, pink workout bag. (I actually did this. Proud.)
- Buy required hand wraps. (Did this, too. Got them in bright green...because I'm a girl, but didn't want to be girly. It was about this time that I felt like a true poser; standing by my punching bag, with my bright green hand wraps and "stretching" because I got to class 15 minutes early out of pure excitement/anxiety.)
- Hit some stuff. (Check. Felt good.)
- Look like Jennifer Garner in "Alias" while hitting said 'stuff'. (And by 'Jennifer Garner', I mean 'Gary Busey on 'Celebrity Fit Club''.)
- Audibly laughed when the instructor asked us to do an ab exercise involving a medicine ball and alternating legs and arms. I felt like an intoxicated octopus.
- Literally got sweat in my eyes. (See Gary Busey statement above.) It burned...more than my abs did after the octopus crunches.
- Wanted to tell cute instructor not to reference my boxing appearance in his toast at our wedding.
- Leave class full of endorphins. (This happened, too.)
- I never took an anatomy class, so imagine my surprise when I ached in areas I didn't even know housed muscles. Hm. The more you know.
I'll never be Million Dollar Baby, but I'm starting to really enjoy the classes. Maybe I'll take on Tanya Harding on one of those Celebrity Boxing shows...or David Blaine! (I'd really like to hit David Blaine.)
All of this boxing and movin' and groovin' is so I can feed my other hobby, with a more guilt-free mindset: CUPCAKES! (segue)
Autumn is my favorite. It's a time for scarves and leaves and boots and football (MIZ!) and pumpkins and bonfires and...oh, so many things. And wouldn't you know it, God has sent autumn to us in the form of a cupcake...and it was good.
Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes
Yield: about 2 dozen cupcakes
Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. espresso powder (or instant coffee)
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. salt
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
4 large eggs
½ cup coffee or espresso, for brushing
For the whipped cream:
2¼ cups heavy cream, chilled
¼ cup confectioners' sugar
For garnish:
Ground cinnamon
Caramel sauce
Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Stir together and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, blend together the pumpkin, granulated sugar, brown sugar and oil. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With the mixture on low speed, add the flour mixture in two additions, mixing just until incorporated.
Fill the cupcake liners about three-quarters full. Bake until the cupcakes are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pans. While the cupcakes are still warm, brush them two or three times with the coffee or espresso, allowing the first coat to soak in before repeating. Let cool completely.
To make the frosting, place the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium-low speed at first, gradually increasing to high speed. Blend in the confectioners' sugar gradually. Whip until stiff peaks form, being careful not to over-beat. Use a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip to frost the cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon and drizzle with caramel sauce. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate.
 |
| Isn't it beautiful? |
