Frosting and Beer... sublime.

Although I've disappeared for a while, as my oven needed repairing, I must say... today has been brilliant. It's simply pouring buckets outside but the house smells of banana muffins. Last night, an old friend came over to cook dinner while I slaved over red velvet cupcakes. Following this highly rated recipe, I rolled up my sleeves and threw myself into mixing, sifting, blending and scooping - literally. Matthew witnessed my disastrous cooking style. Most of my sifted sugar ended up on the counter instead of the bowl, my hands have turned a dangerous shade of red, and Matthew is surprised I can cook by myself after giving him lots of instructions on how he can help stir clockwise and not anticlockwise, while he was managing four pots on the stove. I'm hardly demanding, that is all. Oh, and those cupcakes turned out beautifully, much to my surprise. Using someone's advice, I spooned the oddly-thick batter into 10 cupcake liners. I had to refrigerate the frosting overnight because it didn't thicken after a few hours. Matt's loud groans from biting into a sloppily-frosted cupcake certainly indicate that I've to make these again.

In the meantime, I woke up this morning craving banana muffins. With a description that read "easy for kids to make", one would think I could tackle it. It's a simple enough recipe, and they turned out beautifully... except for the fact I misread the amount of sugar. They look gorgeous but taste rather bland even though I added a spot of nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla essence to the batter. So, using the left-over frosting from my cupcakes, I grated a whole lemon and voila! superb. Banana and lemon are a match made in heaven.

As is my frosting-and-beer lunch.

Yours,
The Baker's Apprentice.