Soda Cupcakes

I saw this recipe in an Oprah Magazine and wanted to try it out. When we were having a group lunch at work, I thought it would be a great opportunity to make them because a) I don't need a dozen cupcakes for myself and b) I would have some "guinea pigs" to give me some feedback on what they thought of it.

I just took a picture of the recipe, so I don't know what exact issue of Oprah Magazine it was in, but since I took the picture on February 17, 2014 (yes, it took me this long to try it), my best guess is either the January 2014 or February 2014 issue.

The copied recipe:
Combine 1 box any flavor cake mix with 1 can room-temperature soda in any flavor. (We're partial to chocolate mix and Coca-Cola.) Whisk until smooth. Pour batter into a lined muffin tin. Bake for 18 minutes at 350 degrees until a toothpick emerges clean. Let cool completely, then top with whipped cream. Makes 12 cupcakes.

I had a box of lemon mix in the pantry and figured gingerale would be a good pairing, so I went with that for this first attempt. I didn't have any cans of gingerale, so used just half of a 710 ml bottle.

The pop does fizz quite a bit when you pour it in (I didn't take any pictures of that), but otherwise it looks like normal cake batter when it's all mixed together. I filled the cups about 3/4 of the way and ended up with 18 cupcakes.

Some still came up over the top of the paper cups, so if I would have tried to fit all the batter into only 12 it would have been a terrible mess in my oven.

At 18 minutes they weren't quite ready, so I probably ended up baking them for 22 minutes before the toothpick was clean. When they're all done, they still look like "normal" cupcakes, so the picture doesn't really show that much other than what you'd expect. What you do notice is that they are very moist. So if you're going to do any fancy decorating, I'd recommend that you leave them out for a bit to dry so you have a firmer surface on the top of the cupcake to work on.

I went with a cream cheese icing, using the recipe from Kraft as a guideline.
1 brick softened cream cheese (though I bought the Co-op brand since it was cheaper than Kraft)
1 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups icing sugar

Let's be honest, I never measured any of that. I used a splash of milk, a glitch of vanilla, and enough icing sugar until it looked thick enough. Be prepared though because this makes a lot of icing. If you don't have a plan for using all the icing right away, it will store for quite some time because of the high sugar content. I'm not qualified to make any recommendations about how long that is, but I will say that I have kept it in my fridge for a month with no ill effects :)

These cupcakes did turn out quite well, so maybe I will try the chocolate-coke combination next time!

~Lisa

Mala Beads

Do you need a bit of calm in your life? Ya... I know you do. Try meditation.

No. I mean it. Seriously, give it a try.

At times being a mother, wife, nurse, friend, sister, and everything else can feel overwhelming. Sometimes a quite moment of reflection is needed to bring you back to your best self.

These mala bead necklaces can be used to guide you through a simple meditation. And the making of your own mala necklace is a meditation practice in itself.

You will need 108 beads of your choice in any sort of combination you wish. Pick colours and shapes that you enjoy. These can be made of wood, seeds, stones, semi-precious stones, glass, whatever you find that seems to speak to you.

And choose one special bead, or series of beads, this is the intention or guru bead that acts like a pendant, centering your mala bead necklace.

To string it all together I used embroidery floss, but you could use any kind of thread, yarn, or string.

Tie a knot (or two) at the end of the string, leaving about 4 inches of a "tail" so you'll have lots to work with when tying the two ends together.

I found it useful to lay out the beads in place and see the result before I strung them together. This way you can see the pattern and it's easy to adjust or change as you like. Then, once you are satisfied with your design, start stringing them together.  

When all the beads are on the string, tie a knot (or 2 again) to secure them. Now tie the two "tails" together creating a circle necklace. Thread both tails through the special bead(s) and tie a knot to secure it onto the necklace.

I added a tassel to the end, this is a pretty addition and serves as a gentle reminder of the infinite connections in the universe. It helps to keep you grounded!

You can use your mala bead necklace as a piece of jewelry, as an ornament, or as an aid to your meditation practice. 

~Jess