Cuppie Tour '10

It's May again, and at the end of the month, Nicole will be turning 24-years-old.

I'm trying to prepare her, as 24 is a rough one. For me, that was the year it really set in that no, I would not be going back to college EVER AGAIN, and that I was damned to this life of getting up and going to work EVERY DAY.

I mean, "they" had warned me, but I guess I just never really believed "them."

Anyway, before I digress...last year for her birthday, we started what will hopefully be a very long and carried tradition, and it was probably what spawned our cupcake obsessions: "Cupcake Tour."

Or more aptly known as "Cuppie Tour."

What we did was made a map of five cupcake havens throughout New York City and followed it throughout the day. No taxis were allowed (unless we got lost, which we did on our way to Babycakes) and we were only allowed to walk and/or take subways.  I met Nicole at Port Authority and we went from Cupcake Cafe (545 9th Ave.), to Buttercup Bake Shop (973 2nd Ave.) to Magnolia (401 Bleecker), to Babycakes (248 Broome St.), and we finally ended at Sweet Revenge (62 Carmine St.).

Cupcake Cafe: Voted overall least favorite, but great atmosphere

Buttercup Bake Shop: This is Nicole's favorite and my second favorite as far as flavor goes. Delicious but Magnolia (my #1 will always hold a special place in my  heart). For those of you who aren't icing fans, Nicole is not either yet she admittedly "could eat a tub" of Buttercup icing.

Magnolia: Ammy's fave. Nicole's second fave.

Babycakes: We got lost on our way there and were losing enthusiasm/energy at that point. So we decided to split one and were impressed by the amount of flavor accompanied with freshness. If I remember correctly it was a carrot cake cuppie we got.

Sweet Revenge: We thoroughly enjoyed this place as it again had great atmosphere and the cupcakes were fantastic, served in parchment paper which was a very nice touch. Again though, this was the last stop of the day and we were a bit cupcaked-out. So if it had been up higher on our list we would probably would have enjoyed these cuppies even more. We did each pair a glass of wine with them as Sweet Revenge is known for it's cuppie and alcohol offerings!

So this year, Cuppie Tour '10 is scheduled for Saturday, June 5. Our custom-made tank tops are on their way.

Oh yes, let me repeat, we will be wearing customized tank tops. So keep an eye out for us. This year's slogan?:

"Only the strong survive..."

And that will definitely be put to the test this year, as Nicole wants to add 2-3 more stops onto the five we originally conquered last year. And many of them are in BROOKLYN!!!!

My feet are tired already. We'll be making final selections for this year's stops within the next couple weeks. Stay tuned...

~AnnMarie

Spring has Sprung!

Sorry I went dark for a couple days. Don't worry, conversations still revolved around all things cupcake but I was spending my free time outside, rather than in, blogging.

That being said, I just want to scream this from the rooftops: IT'S SO GORGEOUS OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This weather is making me so happy after three months of snow and darkness. And it gets me all the more excited for our plans for the Skinnie Minnie Bakeshop.

Let me explain our name choice a bit further. It's not just because Nicole IS a "skinnie minnie," and I ASPIRE to be a "skinnie minnie." We want all our offerings to be much healthier than the traditional baked goods so all of us who love cuppies so much can be able to eat them more freely, without (too much) guilt. Because nothing is sadder than an existence not surrounded by artfully frosted little cakes.

Now how exactly we're going to achieve that is the question. That's what we'll focus on today when we meet for our first serious business meeting, which will probably take place sitting on my sister's bed in the room we grew up in. Very VERY serious...

We've got some ideas and we've been compiling a few secret weapons. One element that we definitely want to try to implement in our baking will be the farm-to-table philosophy. So the best way to truly understand that is to start at home, right?

It was Thursday, I believe, when I got lost in my (our!) favorite store Anthropologie. I by-passed the surprising number of cupcake cook and recipe books they had for sale, including the one from Babycakes (which was also a stop on last year's CuppieTour. See a pic on the right of Nicole outside of the NYC shop, about to dive in.) Instead, I picked up a copy of Grow Great Grub, Organic Food from Small Spaces, by gardening extraordinaire Gayla Trail.

The title jumped out at me because I certainly fit that description. The attic apartment I share with my boyfriend and cat is definitely a "small space." So if she can teach me how to get around that and understand the difference in flavor and texture you achieve from ingredients that are in season and come straight from the ground to the plate, then I'll definitely be indebted to this farm-to-table movement.

Well at first flip through, I love this book! She offers very simple how-tos on growing your own herbs, veggies, fruits and more, no matter how much or how little space you have access to or what your budget is. She even offers some pretty mouth-watering recipes and there is actually a page (27) on how to start your own seed beds with just toilet paper tube rolls! Now I just need to get to a Whole Foods soon to pick up some seeds. I want to get started with fruits (Chapter 8).

And oddly enough, the very next day I was greeted with some great news. There is actually a few yards of gardening space on the side of our house, but it was always occupied by the tenants in the 1st floor apartment--who confirmed they've purchased a house of their own and are moving out next month! I'm going to jump on that and ask the landlord if I can take it over once they're gone.

Alright, I'm going to sign off to get ready and get to our meeting!

Eat our crumbs!
~AnnMarie

A Babycakes cuppie...mmmmmmmm.........