Baby Shower Cupcakes

I've been woefully neglecting my blog and I feel the need to apologize. Along the same lines, I should apologize to my husband whose delicious food consumption mirrors my blogs content most of the time (sans chocolate) and who is probably hungry as I type this. Nonetheless, I think the fact that I have NINE DAYS to go until my baby comes is a decent excuse. So in case you're sick of looking at panzanella, I thought I'd post some baby shower cupcakes. A friend of mine is having twins so I made pink and blue cupcakes per her request. I'm a little squeamish about blue dyed food but they turned out cute (although the gel dye did a little number on the texture, I think other people didn't notice). I frosted them with my big 16 inch bag and enormous bullet tip then topped them with gumballs, dots, neccos, mm's, and any other bright pink and blue candies I could find. They turned out really cute even if some of them were an unnatural color.

Then I had my baby shower the same day so I made a batch for my own, which is dorky and probably almost offended my aunt, but I told her making one more batch when you are already making two is less than half the work, so she might as well save her self the trouble. I hope that flawed math/logic went over well. Either way, I couldn't resist since my mom found cupcake liners that match the quilt she's making the baby (pink polka dot) so we just had to do it.

I'm going to repost my frosting recipe since it's one of the most asked for by my "real life" friends (the rest of you, I've dubbed my "cooking friends", which my husband thinks is silly since we've never met and don't talk on the phone or anything, oh well). And while I'm going to try to feed my husband better this week before it's too late and she's here, I make no guarantees. So, to satisfy my "cooking friends" and "real life friends" who stop by my blog to laugh at the large quantity of desserts I make and the gourmet leftovers my husband enjoys at work (when he isn't getting a ham sandwich every day), I'm going to post this one last guaranteed recipe before the baby is born. And I'm going to tell you her name. I think we've finally decided.

I posted about our Katherine/Kate debate a while ago here and on my personal blog. I got 53 votes and finally tallied them up this morning-
Kate- 24
Katherine- 29

So the results are.... KATE!

While Kate didn't technically win, these two comments echo my sentiments on this subject I've debated with every friend, family member, or perfect stranger sporting a Kate/Katie/Katherine/Kathleen/etc Nametag. And it's funny that it seems so simple that I'd name her Nick if she was actually a he. I guess it's just easier to pick when the choice doesn't matter much!

"I prefer Kate. I know a lot of people are citing versatility as a reason to go with Katherine, but as Kate she can still call herself Kat, Katie, and everything short for Katherine if she chose. Naming her Katherine just in case she wants to go by that as an adult seems like a bad reason when you prefer Kate anyway."


"I love traditional names too and like both Katherine and Kate, but I don't like Kathy as much as Kate. So my vote is if you want her to be called Kate just name her that :) If it is a boy though, I vote for naming him Nicholas and not just Nick."

So there you have it. I'm officially declaring her Kate and will probably refer to her as baby girl from her on out, since I hold onto some false notion of blog privacy and refer to my son as "little man" or "baby boy" like his name is some big secret. I know you're all dying to know, too, since it's about as creative/interesting as Kate, and I love it. I hope she never regrets losing the Katherine option, but I guess I never whined to my mom that my name was just Anne!

Wish me luck with these last nine days as I'm practically counting the hours. And say a prayer that "Kate" is actually a "Kate" and not a "Nick" because I'll be heartbroken if I have to pack up all those beautiful baby girl clothes, blankets, and bows from the baby shower!

Anne's Very Favorite (Cream Cheese) Frosting

1 package of cream cheese, softened (I like to use Neufchatel, less fat and I don't notice much difference)
1/2 cup butter, softened (one stick)
2 Tablespoons milk
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or the seeds of one vanilla pod, scraped
dash of salt
6 cups of powdered sugar (more or less to achieve desired consistency, this is a baseline)
1 Tablespoon meringue powder

In a mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add in the milk, vanilla, and salt, and blend.

Next, add the powdered sugar and meringue powder, cover the bowl of the mixer with a dish towel, and turn it on low until everything is combined. Then increase the speed for a minute or so until the frosting is light, fluffy, and delicious. The meringue powder will help set the frosting after it dries so it holds its shape.

Variation:
Add 1 T. finely grated lemon or orange zest and substitute juice for the milk to make a tangy citrus frosting