"He's making a list and checking it twice" . . . can you hear me singing? No? Well you must have been good. 'Cause according to my kids, having to listen to me sing is a fate worse than . . . well, pretty much anything.
I digress.
It's that time of year. And when it comes to naughty and nice lists, Christians get a better deal than we Jews do. When we take stock at Yom Kippur, we do it while fasting. Quite the opposite of this holiday season when treats are everywhere. And for us, if you're found lacking, you may not get written into the Book of Life for the next year. Yikes, way higher stakes than just not getting gifts from a guy in the red suit flying through the skies.
And although I've done my reconciling (and my starving) for this year, in the spirit of the season, I'm making a list and I'm checking it twice. And possibly put my finger on the scale just a smidge. 'Cause face it, I can use all the help I can get.
Let's see, what have I done this past year?
1) I said I was sorry every time I said "fuck". If not every time then most of the time, or some of the time, or . . . well, I must have said "sorry" once or twice, don't you think?
2) I have only lied when absolutely necessary. Believe me.
3) When the store was really busy, although I may have flat out raced a customer to the check out line a time or two, I never actually smashed into their cart. I won fair and square.
4) I almost never ate the last cookie and blamed Hubs.
and speaking of baked goods:
5) I made a concerted effort to be good for the economy. Chocolate, sugar, flour, when their sales numbers went up? Yup, me.
Holiday Mini Cupcake Tree
6) I've only stuck my tongue out at the kids (OK, and maybe Hubs too) when they weren't looking. Everyone knows it doesn't count if they can't see it.
7) I made sure that the excuses I used to get out of social situations with that one certain neighbor were plausible.
8) I always help Hubs drink that bottle of my favorite wine that I buy him for his birthday.
9) Whenever the neighbor's dog shits on my lawn, I fling it on over. And not to their lawn, where they might miss it, to their driveway where they can see it and be sure to get it picked up.
10) I groped no one. Not one single person.
You say naughty? I say nice. How do you measure up?
Holiday Mini Cupcake Tree
©www.BakingInATornado.com
Ingredients:
24 mini cupcakes, use a mix or make your own, my recipe HERE
1 oz white candy melts or vanilla bark
1 TBSP colored sugar, color of your choice
silver candy sprinkles or yellow colored sugar
3/4 stick butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 TBSP light corn syrup
2 3/4 cups powdered sugar
up to 4 TBSP milk
1/2 tsp baking cocoa powder
green food coloring
multicolored mini M&Ms multicolored nonpareils or sprinkles
Directions:
*Make cupcakes and cool completely. While they are cooling, take a piece of parchment paper and trace am approximately 2 inch star shape. Using a ruler, draw 3 straight lines, one about 8 - 9 inches, one about 5 - 6 inches and one about 3 inches. Turn parchment paper over.
*Melt the candy melts. Place into a sandwich bag, seal, and snip a corner. Pipe the white chocolate onto the outline of the star shape.
*Start at one end of each of your lines and pipe slightly down to form a swag, ending at the other end of each line. Make your swags fairly thick so they don't break when you try to move them. Sprinkle the lines with silver candy sprinkles or, if you can't find them, yellow colored sugar.
*Go back to the star shape and pipe candy melts into the center, filling in the star. Sprinkle with colored sugar of your choice. Allow your star and swags to set completely.
*Beat the butter, vanilla, almond extract and corn syrup. Mix in the powdered sugar. Beat in the milk, one TBSP at a time, until the frosting is of piping consistency. Remove 1/4 cup of frosting and mix in the cocoa powder. Mix the green food coloring into the rest of the frosting.
*Make the tree in rows, one cupcake at the top, 2 in the next row, then 3, then 4, then 5, then 6, forming a triangle. Below the bottom level, place the last 3 cupcakes at the bottom to form the tree trunk.
*Pipe or spread the green frosting onto all except the bottom 3 cupcakes. Pipe or spread the brown frosting onto the bottom 3 cupcakes. Gently place the star onto the top cupcake. Decorate the green cupcakes with sprinkles, M&Ms or nonpareils. Carefully add the candy melt swags.
Based on your list, I'm nice. Well . . . sorta . . .
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm in that sorta category too, but I'm campaigning hard for that "nice" list.
DeleteSo it looks like I'm sorta nice, too! LOL - lynne
ReplyDeleteWell I think you're very nice. I'll tell Santa.
DeleteThe cupcakes look good! I never apologize for saying fuck, so I guess I'm on the naughty list.
ReplyDeleteGood for you, loud and proud!
DeleteCan you share some if those excuses in #7? I have a few holiday parties I really want to skip this year. As for the dog poo, leave the pile by their car door or the front door. That would be a nice surprise for them.
ReplyDeleteActually, the neighbor has a truck, I've thought of leaving it in the bed of his truck but I'm thinking that may get me moved over to the "naughty" list.
DeleteHmmm hadn't thought if I were naughty or nice this year. No time. But I'm pretty sure I have time to bake a cupcake tree, so there is that
ReplyDeleteWell you know what list that puts you on in my book . . .
DeleteI've probably been more naughty than nice. I definitely have thought some very bad thoughts about people I've known a long time because.....and not only that, I am currently angry at the sun because it was a beautiful partly sunny day (not that common here in December)and now it's 4pm and the sun is going down. How dare it! No cupcakes for the sun! Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteI too hate how early the sun goes down. It's downright depressing.
DeleteI love that you provided a downloadable recipe! You think of everything. I've been upping my cooking lately and it seems to be working. Hubby has been singing my praises lol!
ReplyDeleteAll my recipes are printable, so you have no excuse, print them all. Your husband will thank me . . . I mean you!
DeleteI can join the other women who can righteously admit to #10! The cupcakes are adorable too.
ReplyDeleteYes, #10 is a deal breaker in my book. I bet in Santa's too.
DeleteThis list is so damn cute :):D
ReplyDeleteAnd the cupcake tree is just gorgeous!!
Glad I made you smile.
DeleteDefinitely nice! I help support the chocolate sales too! Baking, not so much. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you're doing your part too!
Delete