Monday, August 31, 2009

Wastin’ away again in Margarita(cupcake!)ville…

What a weekend!  It went soooo fast!  I’m sad that it’s Monday, but I’ve got some exciting things coming up!  Let’s rewind a bit:

Saturday was BBQ day!  My roommate like to entertain, so she invited a bunch of her work/church/high school friends over for a BBQ, and I invited the Rocket Scientist’s grad school friends to venture over to Pennsylvania for a good time.  We had TONS of food (and beer…), and it was generally a good time.  Mainly people sat around and chatted while eating food, but there was some volleyball playing, which the Rocket Scientist always enjoys.  I think I spent more time avoiding the volleyball than actually bump/set/spiking it, but with a little practice I don’t think I’ll be half bad.

Although my volleyball skills leave much to be desired, my baking skills never seem to fail me.  (Knock on wood!)  If you’ve been around for awhile, you may remember the fantastic cruise that the Rocket Scientist and I took in January.  (Towel animals, anyone??)  Anyway, while on the cruise, we took a trip to Margaritaville in Grand Turk, where we took pictures with a giant parrot:

Grand Turk 019 
And sipped margs by the pool:

Grand Turk 020Grand Turk 024 
What does this have to do with this weekend, you ask?  Well, this was my baking inspiration!  I’ve always wanted to try margarita cupcakes since I like venturing out and baking new things.  I searched the internet and decided on this recipe from the Hostess with the Mostess.

Margarita Cupcakes with Lime Buttercream Frosting

INGREDIENTS

Cupcakes:
1 box white cake mix
8 oz margarita mix (liquid)
2 oz tequila
1 oz Grand Marnier
3 egg whites
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp grated lime zest

Lime Buttercream Icing:
8 Tbsp butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp lime juice (approx 2 fresh limes)
1 Tbsp margarita mix
1 tsp lime zest
5 cups powdered (confectioners’) sugar
cane sugar & fresh limes (for garnish)
*****

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350º and prepare muffin pans.

2. Combine margarita mix, tequila, and Grand Marnier in a large glass and stir well.

3. In large bowl, combine cake mix, egg whites, lime zest, vegetable oil, and margarita mixture from step one. Stir ingredients together, then beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for approximately 2-3 minutes.

4. Spoon the batter into prepared muffin pans. Fill each cup/liner about 2/3 full.

5. Bake at recommended temperature on cake mix box (usually 325º – 350º) for 20 – 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Icing:

6. In a large bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, lime juice, margarita mix, and lime zest. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

7. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and continue beating until smooth. If icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar, a couple tablespoons at a time.

8. Spread icing generously on each cooled cupcake* or use a pastry bag to frost. Sprinkle cane sugar around the edges of the cupcake for a “salt rimmed” look and garnish with lime wheels & wedges.

*Make sure to remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely before frosting.

Tip: Leftover frosting makes a great dip for fruit!

******************************************************************

Here’s how they turned out:

Margarita Cupcakes 002 Complete with sugar “salt” rim!

Margarita Cupcakes 004 I get a C- for presentation, but I really like the straws.  :)

Margarita Cupcakes 008Margarita cupcake and a Corona?  What an excellent pairing, especially when I put that lime garnish to good use!

While I prefer super sweet desserts (I have a huuuuge sweet tooth), this was definitely something different and fun for a party!  I might try strawberry margarita cupcakes next time…

*******************************************************

With all the cupcakes and BBQ food I ate on Saturday, it’s definitely a good thing I like to run!  I headed out for a short four miles on Saturday before the baking craziness began.  Nothing too exciting, just a little recovery-get-in-the-miles run.

Saturday, August 29
4.05 miles in 33:30, avg pace of 8:16

Sunday..a cut-back week “long” run.  Twelve miles doesn’t really seem that far, especially since we’ll start doing that during the week now!  However, I was just not feeling it yesterday.  It was a little warm by the time we got out the door since the Rocket Scientist is usually a pretty good alarm clock (waking up around 8-ish no matter what), but we didn’t get out of bed until 10:30.  Oops.  My legs felt heavy, and I definitely suggested walking back when we were six miles out.  Luckily the time difference between running and walking was definitely a motivator in making me run back.

Sunday, August 30
12.05 miles in 1:39:03, avg pace of 8:13

I’m messing with my schedule in order to minimize the running I have to do when I’m at home next weekend.  (!!!)  I’ll have to do 20 miles when I’m home, but I don’t want to spend all my time running…I want to be with my family and friends!  Therefore, I’ll be cutting out a rest day this week in an attempt to move everything up a day.  We’ll see how my legs like that…haha.  Starting easy with a four mile recovery run…

Monday, August 31
4.02 miles in 33:14, avg pace of 8:15

It was 60 when I woke up this morning!!  I had to close the window a little because I was chilly.  This should make for some good running weather this week, but I was hoping for a little more pool/deck time.  I have a love/hate relationship with summer because it’s amazing for everything except long distance running.

Back to work today…I’m supposed to work five days this week, but the big question is how much I’ll get cancelled or pulled to another floor…

23 comments:

  1. Those cupcakes look amazing, I have to give them a try!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Those cupcakes look so good! And I love the little straws! What a great idea:)

    ReplyDelete
  3. OMG! Those cupcakes look amazing!! I think if i were a cupcake i would be a margarita cupcake. Awesome runs too! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a delicious looking recipe!! Great idea!

    Great work on the runs, too :) I love how you say 12 miles doesn't seem that far now. Wish I could say that! lol.

    ReplyDelete
  5. OMG those look SO GOOD. I really should try those!

    Great running, too. It's funny how 12 miles is no longer a big deal and you can pound a good 12-miler out no problem on a sub-par day. Yay marathon training!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow, awesome cupcakes! I love lime things, so I'll have to give them a try.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Awe they are so cute!

    I took your advice and did a small run the day before my 15 miler this weekend. I could definitely feel the fatigue at the end of the run!

    Taking a day off today and already looking forward to running early tomorrow! yay marathon training...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Those cupcakes look so yummy! I bet they were a hit!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Those cupcakes look delicious - and you did a great job with the presentation - the straws added a nice touch!

    ReplyDelete
  10. such cute cupcakes! i LOVE citrus-flavored things.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Those cupcakes are adorable! They sound pretty tastey too.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Mmmm... Beer and cupcakes...

    ReplyDelete
  13. oh i love hostess with the mostess. those cupcakes look amazing. I have a HUGE obsession with cupcakes, and got Hello! Cupcakes from the library. Can't wait to try out some of those recipes. Check it out. :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. It was chily here this a.m. too, LOVE IT!! If it stays around 70 ish I'm so happy :) PERFECT for your long runs

    those cupcakes are SO CUTE! I love the lime & straw garnish, ha, good touch!

    ReplyDelete
  15. AHh, those cupcakes are so completely adorable! They would be so fun to bring to a dinner party. :-)

    Congrats on pushing through your run. I'm loving the cooler temps for running, that's for sure!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Fun weekend! And I love the cupcakes. You're so friggin cute!

    Great running - keep it up! :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Those cupcakes sound right up my alley!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Ooh...sounds like a very fun weekend! I think I'd get drunk if you left me alone next to those margarita cupcakes 'cause they look very delish!

    As for the running. It's so funny how the long run on cutback weeks seem so trivial because they equate to what you do during the middle of a regular week anyways! I like that your easy/long runs are about exactly the same pace!

    Have a good week working/running!

    ReplyDelete
  19. The cupcakes are so cute! What a fun idea. I have a huge sweet tooth too, so I am always looking for fun recipes.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Haha love the rim and straw! I love cruises--yours looked like fun.

    ReplyDelete
  21. You know you are a runner when you say 12 miles doesn't seem like much! Hee hee :) Those cupcakes look like fun! I think your presentation is good!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Funny - I have pictures of me standing next to that same parrot in Grand Turk. It was beautiful there!

    ReplyDelete