Monthly Archives

May 2010

RECIPES

Something Sweet: Mini Tiramisu Cupcakes

Mini Tiramisu Cupcakes

I recently made these for a friend’s birthday and earned rave reviews.  Though more time consuming than your average cupcake, the delicious flavor makes it worthwhile!  The recipe as written will generate approximately 40 mini cupcakes.

 

Ingredients:

1 package of french vanilla cake mix, plus ingredients needed to bake the cake (e.g. eggs, oil or butter)

Espresso

Confectioners’ sugar

Kahlua

2 (8oz.) Containers mascarpone cheese – I used coffee flavored

1 (8oz.) Container lite cool whip

2 Squares dark chocolate (60-70%)

Unsweetened cocoa powder

Ground cinnamon

Mascarpone Layer

Mascarpone Layer (can be made the night before): Mix cool whip, both containers of mascarpone cheese, 3 tbsp. kahlua, 1 tsp. ground cinnamon and 1 square of finely grated dark chocolate.  Stir until blended thoroughly.  Store in refrigerator until needed.

Cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Prepare cake mix as directed.  Stir in one tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 tsp. ground cinnamon.  Pour cake batter into a pyrex measuring cup and fill mini foil muffin/cupcake wrappers 3/4 of the way up.  It’s important to use the foil ones because they will hold any excess liquid from the espresso/kahlua mix later.  Try to bake between 12-15 cupcakes at a time for 20 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean in the center.

Allow Cupcakes to Cool Completely

Allow cupcakes to cool completely.

Espresso: Prepare espresso – you’ll want around 1/2 a cup brewed.  Once finished, pour into a small bowl and add 2 tsp. confectioners’ sugar and 2 tsp. kahlua to taste.  Allow to cool completely.

Coring Out the Cupcakes: Once cupcakes are completely cooled, use a paring knife to cut a dime-sized hole in the center of the cupcake.  Do not cut all the way through to the bottom of the cupcake.

Coring Out the Cupcake

Soaking the Cupcakes: Pour 1/4 tsp. espresso mix into bottom of each hole.  Once through all of the cupcakes, add another two or three 1/4 tsps. to evenly coat the bottom and sides of the hole.  I found it easier to coat if you pick up and turn the cupcake.  Allow to sit for dry to 30 minutes.

Frosting: Using a pasty bag, or this easy decorating squeeze containers from Crate & Barrel (click here), first fill the cupcake hole and decorate the top of the cupcake.  Top with additional finely grated dark chocolate shavings.

Store in refrigerator until serving time.  Enjoy!

For more of my recipes, click here.

BOSTON, TRAVEL

Travel: The Acela From Boston to New York City

In hopes of efficiently using my time while traveling between Boston and New York, I recently hopped aboard the Acela Express.  Offering three and a half hour trips between the two cities with minimal stops and free Wi-Fi, it sounded like the perfect way to carve out time to catch up on personal correspondence and draft a few blog entries.

New York Skyline Sunset by thenails from flickr

The Cost of Convenience

Unfortunately for me, convenience came with a hefty price tag.  Even with my AAA discount, my roundtrip tickets ran about $230.  Normally, when I spend weekends in New York City, I drive down to the Fairfield, CT Metro North train station, which has free weekend parking and $20-ish tickets.

I ended up bitting the bullet because I didn’t want to take the bus and the Northeast Region train from Boston was only $30 less.  The Northeast Regional train does not have Wi-Fi and takes 30 minutes longer to travel to New York City.  I was also happy that Back Bay Station and Penn Station were within walking distance of my apartment and NYC hotel (70 Park. Ave), allowing me to avoid shelling out for cab fare.

An Early Morning Wake-Up Call Worth The Effort

On the way down, the experience could not have been easier.  I took an 8:15 a.m. train into Penn Station, which arrived at 11:45 a.m.  Sure, it was early, but you really only need to be at Back Bay Station 10-15 minutes in advance of your train time, depending on the time of day that you’re traveling.  Picking up the Acela tickets at a ticket window at 8:00 a.m. on a Saturday was incredibly fast, but could easily take longer during peak times, so plan accordingly.

While traveling to New York, the ride itself was exactly what I had hoped it would be.  It was quiet and the Wi-Fi had a strong signal, despite the train being a bit jiggly at times.  I especially enjoyed my window seat when traveling along the picturesque Connecticut coastline.  The view of the New York City skyline is also wonderful.

A Bump in the Road

The way home was another story.  I arrived in Penn Station fifteen minutes in advance of my departure only to discover that my train had been delayed 45 minutes.  Ugh!  According to the frequent Acela travelers around me, this was not a normal occurrence, so they didn’t even think to check the train status before arriving at Penn Station.

The delay was due to a mechanical issue and everyone was incredibly antsy as 45 minutes stretched to an hour and a half.  While the staff was very friendly, they were not being given status updates by their superiors in an efficient manner, creating a worse experience for the delayed passengers.  Once we were finally given the green light to board, I also found it annoying to battle to maintain my place in line among the throngs of antsy passengers while waiting to take the escalator down to the tracks.

Life Lessons Come When You Least Expect Them

Onboard, I ended up sitting next to the most delightful woman from Cambridge.  Which was a good thing, as the free Wi-Fi was not working and speaking with her for three and a half hours lifted my spirits.  We had an incredible amount in common, yet there was easily a 40 year age gap between us.

If it wasn’t for my chance travel companion, I may have left the Acela with mixed reviews.  But, that’s the unexpected beauty of train travel on the Acela – you can easily sit for hours blogging and catching up on email correspondence, or if you’re really lucky, you’ll meet someone inspiring.

Minus the delay, it was definitely an efficient use of my time and I’d try it again.  Mission accomplished!  For more information about Acela and train schedules, please visit www.amtrak.com.

BOSTON, EVENTS, FASHION

May 15-16: SoWa Open Market Returns to the South End

SoWa Open Market by New England Open Markets From Flickr

It’s baaack!  The SoWa Open Market is kicking off its seventh annual “season” in  Boston’s South End on Saturday-Sunday, May 15 and 16.  This weekend, more than 140 vendors, including clothing and accessories designers, photographers, artists, local farmers and bakers will descend on 460 Harrison Street to sell their wares under bright white tents in an open air market setting.

In addition to the outdoor market, there’s also a specialty SoWa Vintage Market, located in the former brick warehouse behind the market.  After this weekend, both markets will be open every Sunday through October 30 – excluding Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day weekends.  The event is free to attend and there’s free parking available in the lot adjacent to the market.

BOSTON, EVENTS

Monday, May 17: Social Boston Sports Hosts Free Group Runs Along Charles River

Running enthusiasts unite!  Social Boston Sports, the community of young professionals who live, work and play in the Boston area, is bringing together runners of all levels every Monday at 6:30 p.m. for FREE three, five and seven mile group runs along the picturesque Charles River.

Appropriately named Community Running, Social Boston Sports has seen upwards of 70 Bostonians since the initial run on March 29.  Runners meet up at McGreevy’s on Boylston Street and are divided up depending on their desired mileage goal.  After pounding the pavement, all runners are welcome to hang at McGreevy’s for a post run Muscle Milk bevvy.  Running experts from Saucony and City Sports will be on hand for tips, or to help with training charts.

According to Social Boston Sports co-founder Justin Obey, runners are attracted to the event for two reasons – motivation and socializing.  “A Monday run is awesome because it kick starts your week into high gear,” Obey said.  “Knowing that there are going to be another 50 – 70 runners meeting up with you on a Monday night isn’t just a great chance to hang out and meet other Boston runners, it’s also incredibly motivating; getting you out on a run when you may not have the desire normally.”

For more information about the Social Boston Sports Community Runs, please visit their website by clicking here.

Social Boston Sports Community Running

RECIPES

Home Cookin’: Spicy Turkey-Mango Wrap

Spicy Turkey-Mango Wrap

Simple, yet flavorful this wrap can be prepared in a flash.  Start by spreading a thin layer of hummus on an 8-inch whole wheat wrap.  Next, add two or three slices of oven roasted turkey (chicken also works well).  Top with a handful of spinach and 1/4 cup of sliced mango.  Add a few dashes of hot sauce and voilà – a quick meal or snack.  For a heartier meal, serve with a side salad, veggies and dip, or yogurt.

Grocery List: Hummus, Oven Roasted Turkey Breast (lunchmeat or shredded), Whole Wheat Wraps, Spinach, Mango, Hot Sauce

For more of my recipes, click here.