Everything I Need to Know About Life, I Learned From Cupcakes

In most groups of friends, each individual tends to have a specific role. There's the one who is known for kindness, the one people go to when they're in a bind, and the one who can always make you laugh. In my circle of friends, I am known as the one with the cupcakes.

My obsession with cupcakes started out innocently enough. A little over three years ago, a friend gave me some silicone baking cups as part of a wedding shower gift. Although I hadn't baked anything (not even cookies from pre-made dough) since high school, I gave them a try. The next thing I knew, I was hooked. I thought I could keep it under control – after all, it was just a box of cake mix and a can of frosting every now and then, right? Before I knew it I was using a pound of butter a week and everything I owned was covered in white powder.

I realized while my husband and I were scrambling to buy a new house, pack everything up and rent out the old one that baking had become much more than a hobby. It had become part addiction, and part coping skill. And more than that, it had become a great teacher. Here are some of the lessons I have learned from baking, so that you can benefit from my experience.

The first lesson I learned from cupcakes is never to take the easy way out. When I first started making cupcakes, I used mix from a box and frosting that came in a can. The silicone baking cups made them taste a little extra moist, and people loved them. Every time I brought some to a party, everyone told me I made the best cupcakes, which made me feel a little ashamed. Once, someone even asked me for my recipe! Then I made cupcakes from scratch one time. I have never been able to stomach using a mix or canned frosting again. The taste difference is so enormous, I don’t know how anyone could mistake cupcakes from a box for the real thing.

The second lesson is a corollary to the first. Nothing worth having lasts forever, and the best things in life are gone before you know it. Back when I was making boxed cupcakes, I could keep them in the fridge for a week or even longer without a noticeable decline in taste or quality. But a homemade cupcake tastes best for two or three days after baking, at most. After that, it’s more or less inedible.

A third lesson that I have learned from cupcakes is that no matter how much you think you know, you should always keep an open mind. After I’d been making cupcakes for a while, I started browsing the Internet for recipe inspiration. On one website, I found a recipe for French toast cupcakes with bacon. You may be thinking, “Cupcakes with bacon? That’s disgusting!” I know I was. But once I’d seen them, I had to try making them. They turned out to be some of the tastiest cupcakes I’ve ever made. Everyone who tried them seemed to agree. Who knew?

Another thing that cupcakes have taught me is how much you can do with a few basic skills learned well. The first cupcake recipe I made from scratch had a really delicious buttercream frosting that almost everyone loved. I loved it so much that I learned how to use it as a basis for building other frosting recipes, experimenting with a variety of flavors and ratios. I’ve since tried other frosting recipes, and some of them have been great. But when all else fails, I can make almost any flavor of frosting I want without even having to think too hard about it.

Probably the most important lesson I’ve learned from cupcakes is that life truly is what you make of it. One of my favorite resources for new recipes is the Food Network's website. I like this website because not only do I get the benefit of a variety of professional bakers' work, I also get to see how well the recipes have worked for other bakers. Before making any new recipe, I will read the review section to see how it worked for other people. And it's inevitable... no matter how many people have posted raving, 5-star reviews for a recipe, at least one or two unfortunate souls will post, "Worst recipe ever. Didn't work at all."

In baking, there are a lot of reasons that you can fail even if you’re working with a wonderful recipe. Maybe you don't have the proper tools. Your oven might not be calibrated correctly, or perhaps you're using a hand mixer when a stand mixer would be more appropriate. Maybe you didn't follow the directions properly. This is more common than you think - the simple mistake of not letting your butter come to room temperature can completely change your results. It’s also possible to overbeat, underbake, use baking soda instead of baking powder, and the list goes on and on. I once completely destroyed a batch of cupcakes because my oil was too old. It smelled fine in the bottle, but my cupcakes came out tasting like petroleum.

Even if you’re working with the proper tools and the best raw ingredients, many circumstances can affect the outcome of your baking endeavors. If you live at a high altitude, your bake times and the amount of leavening agent you use need to be modified. If you live in an area with high humidity, you need to store your ingredients differently.

I think it’s pretty easy to see how these lessons can be applied to life. There’s no substitute for the good things in life, and when you have them, you never know when they’ll be gone. Don’t be afraid to try new things – you might like them more than you expected. Don’t assume that you have to be the best at everything. A thorough understanding of one or two things can go a long, long way.

Last but not least, if you’re not successful, don’t assume that you never will be. Life is a delicate balance. Sometimes you’re working with the best tools you know to use, but it’s not enough. It’s important to seek guidance from others when your own experience and knowledge aren’t getting you to where you want to be.

For me, cupcake-making (and baking in general) has become more than just a way to pass the time. It’s given me an outlet for some of the stresses of my everyday routine. And more importantly, it’s shown me some interesting truths about life in general. I hope you’ve enjoyed hearing about them.

How Your Cat Can Save You Money

In these tough financial times, it seems that everyone is preoccupied with the question of how to save money. TV, newspapers and magazines constantly cover the dilemma of how to decrease your spending and balance your budget. In the face of all this media coverage, it’s easy to become anxious about your financial future. If you’ve spent one too many nights pondering your own monetary fears, I’m happy to say that I have good news to offer you. You may already be in possession of one of the best money-saving devices in the world! Even better, you don’t need a business degree to make the most of this important asset. The financial tool of which I speak is none other than your common housecat.

The first way in which your cat can save you money is by reducing your medical expenses. The Centers for Disease Control website states that owning a pet can decrease your blood pressure as well as lower your cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Additionally, a recent study at the University of Minnesota's Stroke Research Center suggests that people who have owned cats at some point in their lives have significantly lower rates of death due to heart disease. While this study doesn’t actually prove that cats cause a lower risk of heart attacks, it’s worth considering.

Numerous medical experts, including the Surgeon General, have stated that there is an inextricable link between mental and physical health. An exhaustive study of the people in my household (performed by me) proves definitively that owning a cat can improve your mental health. Study participants reported that even after a hard day at work, their cat was always happy to see them… as long as they had food, treats, or a warm lap to sit in. And what cat owner hasn’t experienced a drop in anxiety levels while sitting on the couch with a lapful of purring kitty goodness?

Now that you’ve heard about the undeniable savings you’ll see on your medical bills, I’m sure you need no further reasons to adopt a cat today. But wait… this is only one of the exciting financial benefits of welcoming a cat into your home! A second way that a feline friend can improve your bottom line is by providing free entertainment twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that an animal capable of using its own tail as a toy can be pretty fun to watch and play with.

No expensive accessories are required in order to enable this feature of your cat. Cat toys are generally cheap and easy to obtain. Standard toys such as catnip mice can be purchased at your local pet store for less than a dollar apiece, and can provide hours of entertainment for you and your cat. In fact, most cats will even play with items that are not intended to be toys, such as those plastic rings you pull off your bottles of milk when you open them. Our cat can also be whipped into a playful frenzy with the aid of a laser pointer that we bought for a whopping three dollars at our local drugstore.

The entertainment value of your cat will increase exponentially if you own more than one. In households with multiple cats, play will occur even if the owners don’t initiate it or provide any toys. However, living in a house with multiple cats is similar to renting an apartment above a dance club: there’s no guarantee that the party will stop when you’re ready to go to sleep. Still, that’s nothing a cheap pair of earplugs can’t fix.

As if these astounding features aren’t reason enough to start saving money today by owning a cat, there is a third way that your cat can help you achieve a stable economic profile. Having a cat in your home may decrease the money you spend on common household items. For example, why turn up the heat in the wintertime when you can cuddle with your cat to keep warm? And when your alarm clock breaks, you won’t need to replace it. Get into the habit of feeding your cat every morning before you get ready for work, and you will never need an alarm clock again. Your cat will faithfully wake you up when it is time to get ready for work on weekdays by meowing incessantly. In fact, your cat will work overtime to ensure that you are trained to wake up on time every day, even if your office is closed.

After hearing all the ways a cat can help you become financially solvent, I’m sure you’re ready to run right out and adopt one. After all, your cat can help you save money on medical bills, provide free entertainment, and reduce your spending on common household items. With benefits like these, your cat will pay for itself in less than a year. And by adopting from a shelter, you can get even more savings by reduced overhead on shots and immunizations! Don’t miss out on the savings any longer… welcome a cat into your home today!

A Strange Breed

Welcome to the first lecture in an ongoing series called “Know Your Geeks.” This series aims to educate you about the various types of Geeks found in the wild. Tonight’s talk will focus on a strange and misunderstood breed of Geek, Geekus Programmicus.

Commonly known as the Programmer, this species shares many characteristics with his fellow Geeks. He lives and hunts alone or in small groups. Sensitive to light, he hides in a small burrow called a “cubicle” during daylight hours. He prefers a diet high in caffeine, sugar, and fat. He is generally pale in color, with fat reserves around the midsection and haunches.

The novice observer may confuse the Programmer with his closest genetic relative, Geekus Computus. Also known as the IT Geek, this close cousin has many physical traits in common with the Programmer. Both species use computers as tools and become aggressive when provoked. However, the trained eye can easily tell them apart.

The reclusive Programmer can go days or even weeks without interacting with others. He often sits in the same position for hours at a time, barely moving. In stark contrast, the IT Geek roams freely across the office plains. Though not a social creature, he does form loose alliances with other species in the ecosystem.

Avid Geek Watchers can also tell the two species apart by watching for tool use. Both species use primitive tools such as the computer. However, most Programmers cannot fix a computer or even understand how it works. They also tend to use other tools such as a second monitor or noise-canceling headphones.

Now that you know how to recognize this species, you should learn what to do should you spot a Programmer in the wild. Because of the Programmer’s volatile nature, you should use caution when approaching him. This species can become extremely agitated when cornered.

When treated with respect and patience, Programmers can be rewarding to tame and breed. In order to successfully tame the Programmer, you must understand his environmental needs. Like a spider, he spends most of his days spinning webs. However, while a spider uses silk to create his web, a Programmer spins a material called “code.”

Optimal code production requires a very specific environment. The Programmer can only produce large amounts of code when he is in a trancelike state. In order to produce the best code possible, the coding environment should be free from outside stimuli.

An ideal coding environment has low lighting and little noise. Due to modern climate changes, many Programmers have learned to adapt to fluorescent light. To avoid ambient noise, the Programmer often wears headphones while other office animals are nearby. Music can also help the Programmer achieve the desired dream state.

Once in the dream state and producing code, the Programmer is totally unaware of his surroundings. Loud noises and sudden moves will startle him. If you interrupt the trance state abruptly, he may feel threatened and become aggressive. If possible, avoid all direct contact with a Programmer in the coding state.

In the event that you must approach a Programmer while he is in the coding trance, use extreme caution. Be patient while he emerges from the trance state. Make first contact by approaching the Programmer slowly and standing quietly in his field of vision.

Wait several seconds before attempting any further contact. This will allow the Programmer to adjust to the reminder that other animals exist. This realization is often difficult and confusing. Above all else, do NOT touch the programmer during this phase of contact.

Watch for signs that the Programmer has become aware of your presence, such as a nod, a wave, or a grunt. Such gestures indicate that he has seen you. He may need to finish the task at hand before speaking to you. Allowing him to slowly make his way back to reality will increase the chances of a successful encounter.

If your presence does not elicit any response after several seconds, further intervention may be needed. At this point, a slow and gentle tap on the shoulder is acceptable. Do NOT shout, shake the programmer’s shoulder, or block the screen. These behaviors are a surefire way to provoke a Geek Attack.

Once you have made contact with the Programmer, he will slowly begin to emerge from the Coding Trance. This process may take several minutes. Like a sleepwalker, he may speak to you but be unaware that he is doing so. A Programmer who is ready to listen will stop looking at his screen and cease all typing behaviors. Watch for these signs.

Although Programmers can learn human languages, their native tongue is TechnicalSpeak. A passionate Programmer may lapse into this language. It’s okay to tell him that you don’t understand – he probably doesn’t realize that he isn’t speaking English. For best results, point out specific words or phrases that confuse you.

Be especially careful when approaching a Programmer about a problem with his code. Programmers have a natural curiosity and an aptitude for finding and fixing problems. They are often grateful for the chance to correct their mistakes. However, they may become confused and agitated by vague statements such as, “Your code isn’t working.” Be specific.

Once you have conveyed what you need from the Programmer, back away slowly and allow him to focus on his work. He may need time to switch from one task to the next. Do not attempt to make small talk with a Programmer who has recently been in a coding trance.

In conclusion, Programmers are the arachnids of the office environment. They are often feared and avoided due to their frightening, sometimes hairy appearance. Like spiders, they create complex webs of code that can rid your environment of pesky bugs. Though daunting at first, with proper care and feeding, a Programmer can be a wonderful addition to your office environment.

(by Sarah G. Evans, May 2009)