I did it! I perfected the French Toast Cupcake! ...well maybe not PERFECTED - but they taste delicious!
The first time I made them, I used a box of white cake mix - added cinnamon, half and half, nutmeg, and a little bit of oil. They weren't as good as I had hoped. So I used a new recipe and made these new ones completely from scratch. The recipe didn't call for nutmeg, but I sprinkled some into the batter and added some extra cinnamon and maple extract, and it worked just fine! For the frosting, I used butter, powdered sugar, some brown sugar, and maple extract. ...I ran out of the maple - so on a whim, I tried to put some maple syrup in it. Surprisingly, it worked out great!! The frosting was a little bit runny, so I put it in the refrigerator and let it sit for about 20 minutes to thicken it up. I frosted the cupcakes and sprinkled cinnamon and powdered sugar on top. I think I may be on to something! Couple more batches, and I may have it down perfectly!
Less than 2 weeks until I can finally feel normal again. Counting down to what I believe will be one of the best days of my life. I absolutely can't wait. Having Daniel gone has been one of the hardest things I've ever been through. HOWEVER - You learn how to carry on by yourself. I've become stronger than I ever thought I could be. I can't kill spiders - but I can do pretty much everything else! Its been a rough transition moving from Bremerton to 29 Palms. I've made some good friends - and realized that some people will never be GOOD people.
I bake and bake and bake - and then I throw most of the stuff away for fear of eating it all by myself and gaining 600lbs. Last night I made French Toast Cupcakes with Maple Butercream Frosting. They turned out kind of dry - so I'm going to try a different recipe, probably tomorrow. It would be much easier if I had the necessary baking equipment, but I'll make do with what I have for now. I hope the new batch of cupcakes turns out better than the first batch!
Today, Christy and I made signs for Daniel's homecoming. That definitely made the realization sink in that he'll be home SO soon. My "to do" list isn't as long as I thought it would be. Which is a good thing. Next week is crunch time. I'm positive I can get everything done on time. I have never been more excited for anything in my life.
