I woke up last Sunday morning with a start, having just dreamed in customary technicolor and realized, “Oh snap – The sun is setting two hours later today!!”
I wanted to go back to sleep, but for people who write about food, and struggle (struggle like a motherf*****) to capture food at its natural best, this tidbit of information is tantamount to discovering the fabled city of Shangri-La…
Or Xanadu…
Wait – Which is the city with the skates again?
Never mind…
Spring is almost here and you can smell the excitement intermingled with pollution in the air. The trees are blossoming, the weather is getting warmer, guys are gearing up to have some almost nekkid eye candy flaunting their ‘ish around.
It’s spring, baby…
The spring baby bumps have made their debut, providing further proof of what was goin’ down between the sheets during cold nights, and even colder winter mornings. Proof that love was in the air, or rocking the backseat of a Buick Skylark.
Oh, wait – it’s not 1973. I meant the back of the 2010 Hybrid…
What I’m talking about is winter love here. Betcha didn’t know about that; but winter love exists, folks.
Let a sista’ school you…Flow with me…
Winter love comes in forms that warm the belly, such as a hearty stew or a good chicken pot pie. In warm chocolate cakes, or nice warm sticky buns.
It comes in forms that warm your heart – Like snuggling with your honey and making each other warm with your na-tu-rale body heat; warming each other’s cold toes beneath the duvet – Then moving onto, um, other things beneath the duvet.
Oh snap – Is it getting hot in here? Let’s talk cupcakes…
Carrot and orange cupcakes are “right before the curtain goes down and it all fades to black” winter love.
I’m damn ready for spring, slowly relinquishing my winter Bruce Lee Kung-Fu grip. I’m moving away from the hearty comfort meals and onto lighter food fare.
It’s happening… To all of us… The collective unclenching of muscles, the sighs of relief; we survived another winter without slipping on a patch of ice. It’s the little things….
Now, before I embrace spring, Let me kick it to ya with a lil’ winter hearty, a taste that exemplifies winter comfort. A sort of last hurrah… A carrot cupcake big enough for two.
Carrots and a heavily spiced flour make the base for these delicacies.
Nuts for a bit ‘o crunch…
Pineapples for moisture…
Bringing up the rear, rounding out this robust cupcake is orange zest. A whole tablespoon of it. I think this will make you wanna smack yo’ mama. Don’t, though – Because yo’ mama may come at you with a hot skillet.
Orange zest isn’t all, oh no – What’s really gonna blow your mind is the orange/vanilla cream cheese frosting that finishes the cupcakes off.
Do you see the flecks of zest?
Hot damn…Creamsicle winter love…
I may or may not have been tempted to suck the frosting out of the piping bag. I may or may not have actually done that… I also may or may not have hoarded some frosting for um, later… 15 minutes later…
I’ve said too much.
Before you start bringing up your summer gear from storage, I’d like you to think about winter love and bake these cupcakes. Snuggle with your sweetie under your floral spring duvet, gaze into each other’s eyes, warm up each other’s toes. Take turns feeding each other KILLER carrot orange cupcakes from the same spoon.
It’s sex-i-fed, winter love is…
Oh, um…
Yea…
If it, um – Goes any further than that, and you find yourself on the receiving end of a December baby… I WILL NOT be held accountable.
You’re going to blame it on the cupcakes, or that slammin’ frosting.
OK?
Cool beans…