Banana Cupcakes With (The Best) Chocolate Meringue Frosting

My favorite sister Lauren (she happens to be my only sister, but I'm pretty sure that even if I had more, she'd still be my favorite) is staying with us until the holidays (yay!). She arrived just in time for her birthday, which was on Tuesday. Because I cannot let someone's birthday pass uncelebrated and because any excuse for frosting is a good one, I whipped up some mini banana cupcakes before she was even out of bed. Normally, my celebratory baked good of choice is a many layer cake, but I knew my sister would appreciate the single serving nature of cupcakes (mini cupcakes being even better because you can eat them in multiples). 

I've made many banana cakes and cupcakes, but these are my favorite thus far. My hubby and sister, both of whom know their way around banana baked goods, said the same thing and little Claire seemed pretty enthusiastic as she pointed and chanted, "more that, more that." Skip the frosting, add some walnuts to the batter, and sprinkle some wheat germ or flax on top and I daresay you could even call these muffins.

If the cupcakes don't seem indulgent enough to be a treat, never fear, the frosting has no redeeming healthy attributes--it just tastes really good. I first stumbled across this frosting when I was on a quest for a delicious chocolate icing that could withstand outdoor festivities on a New York summer afternoon without turning into drippy mess. This icing held up admirably and it has been my go-to recipe ever since.

We use this little cupcake stand by vesselsandwares all the time.  

Banana Cupcakes

(adapted from this Martha Stewart recipe)
makes 12-18 standard size cupcakes or 24-36 mini cupcakes, depending how tall you like them

Ingredients:
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
2/3 cup natural cane sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 ripe bananas
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a standard or mini muffin pan or line with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. In well, mix together butter, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Stir until just combined. Distribute batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes for standard sized cupcakes (or 16-18 minutes for mini cupcakes). Let cupcakes cool for about 5 minutes in the pan. Then remove the cupcakes and let them cool completely on a wire rack. Spread the tops with chocolate meringue frosting and enjoy!

Chocolate Meringue Frosting
(slightly adapted from Chocolate Buttercream in the Well-Decorated Cake)
This recipe takes some time, but it makes enough for at least two layer cakes or six dozen cupcakes. I always make the full recipe and freeze half to two thirds. Just defrost, re-whip, and it's as good as new. It's perfect for making impromptu cakes, which, as everyone knows, are the very best kind.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 lbs confectioners' sugar
1 cup high quality Dutch processed cocoa powder
3 tablespoons meringue powder
1/3 cup kahlua or chocolate liqueur
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups ganache (I consider this optional. It certainly makes the chocolate flavor more intense, but the frosting is still delicious without it if you're short on time)

Directions:
Prepare the ganache, if using. Cream the butter for two minutes. Scrape the bowl and cream for an additional minute. Sieve cocoa powder and confectioners' sugar together (note: this will take much longer than you think). Add the sugar mixture one cup at a time to the creamed butter. Mix until well blended. Add meringue powder and beat for one minute. Mixture will appear dry.

Add milk, vanilla extract, and liqueur to the buttercream. Beat until well combined. Either continue to beat until light and fluffy or add ganache one cup at a time, and beat until light and fluffy.

Ganache
makes 3 1/2 cups

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 lb high quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped roughly into pieces

Directions:
In a heavy saucepan, boil heavy cream. Remove from heat. Add chocolate pieces and use a rubber spatula to stir until the chocolate is melted. Pour into a room-temperature bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm.

Leftover ganache can be stored for up to two weeks in the refrigerator or frozen.

Wednesday Miscellany

Happy hump day, friends! Here are some of the things that I am loving this week:

Here is old-school Johnny Depp with his niece. This picture is taken from this amazing gallery. These balloons just prove that everything old is new again.

Ladies and Gentlemen, our New Favorite Person, Trent Bailey. He's an über-talented photographer, and you should visit his website and click on "Meet Trent" just to see all of the lovely things he says about his wife. We've got some awesome, awesome stuff in the works with him, so stay tuned!

Do you want a pair of these? Me too. For me, not for Emi. Or maybe matching ones for me and Emi.

Here's a very fun way to keep track of your pregnancy (via ohdeedoh); this is my very favorite pregnancy journal ever.

-Would you pay $25-40 for Lonny in print? The twitter universe seems to think $15 is about right for an amaaaaazing magazine, but the jury is still out about $25-40.

-Also, can we please talk about Anthology (check out this video on design*sponge)? Want, want, want.

-Meg wrote to tell me that this house is "Very Miya," and I think that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.

-Finally, I have an official new girl crush. Folks, meet Nancy of Wolf and Willow. She has an amazing children's clothing line, she contributes to Maeve, and she can sew like the dickens. You should add her to your daily reads immediately.

Have a great day, everyone! Go get 'em (or, as Jordy likes to say, "Git 'er done!")!

Scouting discounts for your little one

Dear YOU + ME*,

My daughter recently turned one and it's time for me to actually buy her some clothes. For the first year of her life, we were able to live off all the wonderful baby gifts she received from family and friends, as well as the abundance of onesies I stocked up on before she was born (everyone told me babies live in onesies and I took that advice pretty seriously). Kids seem to need a lot of clothes, but they're constantly growing. I'd like my daughter to be well dressed, but I'm not willing (or able) to break the bank doing it. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
A.

Dear A.,

Congratulations on making it through the first year of your little one's life--we think you deserve a party or a present just as much as she does!

Buying clothes for babies and young children can often feel ridiculous. You have to cover their little bodies with something, but they grow so darn fast. The temptation is to fill their little drawers with the cheapest clothing you can find since they're going to ruin it or outgrow it so quickly. Fight the temptation and buy at least some quality clothing for your daughter. Really, it's worth it.

Being the first grandchild on both sides, Claire has been gifted more than her fair share of adorable outfits, many of them of much better quality than what I would have gotten for her. It seemed silly to leave them sitting in her closet waiting for a special occasion, so I actually dressed Claire in her good clothes for everyday activities.  I quickly found that these clothes are made to last. Claire's high quality clothes are much less likely to stain, pill, rip, or generally get ruined than some of her bargain clothes. Plus, it makes me happy to imagine dressing our future children in these outfits or passing them on to relatives or friends, rather than tossing them in the trash.  Isn't it better to have fewer beautiful things than a whole lot of disposable clothing?

It's easy to assume that high quality clothing always comes with an exorbitant price tag, but there are certainly bargains to be found (I learned this from my mom who always dressed me and my sister in gorgeous clothes even when our parents were living on a student budget). Here are some suggestions, although our readers may have good ideas as well:

- Buy vintage. Vintage clothing may be older, but there is usually a reason it has lasted this long. You may have a great vintage shop that stocks children's clothes nearby, but if not, use ebay or etsy. On etsy, the best way to start is to select "vintage" next to the search box and to look for "baby clothes" or "toddler clothes." If you love smocking, sailor dresses, and bloomers, you'll have a lot of fun with this.

Left to right: sailor coat from midstatevintage; dress with flowers from miskabelly

- Buy handmade. It should go without saying that handmade is almost always better. If you are one of those super talented people who can make an outfit from scratch, by all means, go for it. Instead, if you're like me and can only dream of such things, hop on over to the handmade section of etsy and shop away.

Clockwise from top left: reversible dress and polka dot dress from allthenumbers; tunic dress and duffle coat from breadandroses

- Utilize sites offering private sample sales, like the mini social, zulily, totsy, and gilt groupe kids. The selection is limited and the sales are only 48-72 hours long (with most of the good stuff disappearing pretty quickly), but the deals are fantastic. 

- Become a regular shopper at your local children's consignment shop. If you live in a big city, you almost certainly have an upscale consignment shop nearby. It's best to shop in person so you know what you're buying, but there are online options like Belly and Babe. It's not unheard of to find unworn clothes with tags still attached.

- Finally, search for discount codes and coupons for your favorite brands. Sometimes this is as quick as a google search, but if that doesn't work, it may be worth getting on the mailing list for the brands you truly love.

To help you out on your quest for discount codes, here is a 20% off coupon for one of our all time favorite brands, Velvet and Tweed. How can you not love a brand whose philosophy is "growing up is a special occasion" and whose clothes are without exception gorgeous and sturdy? You can't, which is why you should check out their recently released Fall/Winter 2010 collection (see above). Just enter you+me+20 in the coupon box upon check out for 20% off.

xo,
miya & elisabeth

I Scream, You Scream

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a nice, relaxing weekend. Jordy was home on Saturday (which is a rarity, given his surgical intern schedule), so we went for a little family trip to the greenmarket. I scored some unreal peaches, and set about making a crisp. Not content to let the crisp go un-creamy-ed, I also made this brown butter ice cream. Folks, this is the real deal-- our dinner guests on Saturday night said it was the best ice cream they'd ever had, and I would think that they were just trying to flatter me, but I totally agreed. And as you all know, I am not shy about my undying love for ice cream, and my desire to eat it as a meal. This may be an understatement, but to state it correctly would require some profanity that would make most of you blush, so let's just say this: I am absolutely cuckoo over this recipe. I was going to take a picture on Sunday of the left-over ice cream, but it turns out there wasn't even a little bit left. I think I may have even caught Jordy in the freezer licking the container clean.

(image)
The fall weather also usually gets me down, since it signals the end of the official ice cream eating season, but this ice cream dish isn't summery--the flavor profile is perfect for autumn desserts--apple pie, plum cobbler, and even pumpkin pies. With these great ice cream accessories, and that perfect recipe, I will be extending ice-cream-as-a-meal to a year-round sport. There are plenty of spots on my team, if you care to join.

These may be my favorite thing ever. I don't like the taste of cones, but love the process of eating ice cream cones. Dilemna: solved.

Sugar Cones, Virginia Sin

This ice cream scoop blows me away. Everything in the Herriott Grace shop is pure perfection. And I would love tea towel when it's freezing outside as a reminder that summer is on its way back again.

Left:Ice Cream Scoop, Herriott Grace (It's not in the shop yet, but Nikole says it will be in there with the next update. Be prepared to race me for it. By the looks of her Flickr stream, you'll also have to race me for her new spoons and flour scoop, too.); Right: Ice Cream Lollies tea towel, Mr.PS

Ice cream + letterpress = love, and even though it's not a bowl, I could totally eat ice cream sandwiches off of this I is for Ice Cream plate.

Left: Ice Cream Letterpress Cards, 3pk, SeeSaw Designs;  Right, I for Ice Cream-Alphabet Ceramic Plate, Just Noey

Have a great Monday, everyone, and I hope that you get to eat your favorite thing for at least one meal today. I'm off to have some coffee and rev up the ice cream maker!

When It's Time to Meet the Parents

I am thankful for my husband for about a million reasons, not the least of which is that I don't have to date ever again. I can understand why some people enjoy the whole dating process--a reason to fancy yourself up, butterflies in your stomach, the prospect of new adventures, first kisses, the whole allure of the unknown--but frankly, I always knew the millionth kiss with the right person was going to blow that first kiss out of the water. Uh, and I also wasn't very good at dating. The whole thing just felt so awkward and forced. Either I knew right away this person would be in my life for a while and we could just skip right over what we do for a living and jump into most traumatic childhood memories or it was immediately obvious that there was no relationship potential. I've never been very good at the in between. 

So those of you who thrive on dating, I commend you--getting to know someone new is hard work. What makes it even harder is that eventually you also need to get to know the person's family, specifically the parents. Rarely does the first meeting go completely smoothly (which is why they were able to make whole movies about it), so why not grease the wheels a little bit with a little gift that says, "yes, I'm the girl/guy who is dating your son/daughter, but it's ok because I'm a nice person."

You can always go the wine route since a decent bottle of wine or a fun wine accessory (this is my favorite right now) usually read as mature and thoughtful gifts. My only word of caution is to confirm with your significant other that his parents aren't teetotalers so as to avoid the cringeworthy moment where you present a recovering alcoholic with a lovely Bordeaux. Below are some safe alternatives.

A pretty vase filled with simple flowers is always appreciated. Left to right: striped vase from prettyrandomobjects and white on white stripe vase by redhotpottery.

Homemade baked goods show that you put time and effort into your gift. I'm sure you would win loads of points if you showed up with lemon yogurt anything cake or pear and pecan tea cakes. Try wrapping them in a tea towel for an extra cozy touch. Left to right: egg tray motif tea towels by thehouseofbouton and chalk filigree unbleached linen tea towel by FlowerPress.

Show up with a basket full of apples or other seasonal produce. Extra credit if you and your significant other pick them yourselves. Small snow forest basket by printparty.

Heavy Rotation (Sweets Edition)

Hello, friends! I hope your week is going well. Mine has been a good mix of work, playing with Emi, seeing great friends, and Skype-ing with my mom about our upcoming trip home to California. When my mom and I would chat on the phone when I was in college, she always used to tell me about how my Grandma Libby would call her at college and tell her how many times that week they'd had spaghetti. So now "We had spaghetti three times this week." is our running joke when neither of us has anything interesting to say over the phone (or these days on Skype). And then we generally go on to talk about what we really had for dinner.

Not that there's anything wrong with having the same thing over and over again; on the contrary, that's how we roll, too. Before I sat down to write this, I was imagining sharing some dishes that are currently on repeat in our menu planning.  Then, when I sat down to write, all that started coming up for me were desserts. I promise we eat other things, too, but I guess my brain is fixating on sweets right now.  Without further ado, here are the dessert recipes that get some heavy use at our house. 

Jordy and I both love, love, love Mark Bittman's Mexican Chocolate Tofu Pudding. No, it doesn't taste like tofu, and yes, you should make this tonight.

My other favorite dessert right now is banana ice cream. It's super creamy, is pretty healthy, and requires very little foresight. Here's how you make it: slice a banana and arrange the slices on a pie plate or other freezer-safe dish. Freeze for an hour or 2, then put the frozen slices in your blender & blend. If you're having a hard time getting the chunks to break up, add a little milk or soymilk. Graciously accept the compliments when whoever you're sharing with tells you that you look great for just having slaved over this frozen treat.

David Liebowitz's mint chocolate chip ice cream is ridiculous. That is all.

And finally, Heidi's Triple Ginger Cookies recipe is so, so tasty. I would say I make these in the fall and winter at least once every two or three weeks. They've got a really pleasing amount of heat, and if you take Heidi's suggestion and add a little salt to the sugar these are rolled in, you'll spend your day looking forward to sitting down with one of these bad boys and a nice cup of tea, and then calling your mom/kids/friends to tell them about your cookie consumption for the week. 

What about you?  Any dessert recipes that are in heavy rotation at your house?
[none of these photos are mine; they can all be found at the link to the recipes]

Midweek MIscellany

Were any of you lucky enough to attend Paul Ferney's cake show? It was a collaboration with Jordan, his ridiculously talented wife.  Lucky for all of us that couldn't make it, we can buy one of those gorgeous cakes right here. I would like to hang a cake on my wall.

I know Labor Day is only just behind us, but I cannot help but get excited about the prospect of months and months of pumpkin everything. It's my goal to eat each and every one of these recipes this fall.

I definitely do not need a pair of over the knee boots right now (even though they do have a very practical heel for my lifestyle), but I covet these anyway.

A cool trick for taking macro photos even if you don't have a macro lens from the ever helpful folks at Photojojo.

The new issue of La Petite Magazine (for the little ones) is out and it's lovely. It was great to see Made By Joel featured in there. Is it wrong that I wish he would come to my apartment and make things for Claire?

Diamond-Free Engagment Options

Dear You + ME*,
I am going to propose to my girlfriend, but she's not really into diamonds. I don't want to propose empty-handed. Any ideas for what I should do?
Thanks,
J.

Dear J.,
Congrats on your forthcoming engagement (we're sure she'll say yes)! Engagement rings are tough, but here are a few diamond-free ideas for you. Remember, nothing says you are bound to convention. We know you've already started picking up clues to what she might have in mind; don't feel like you have to take her "in mind" list to a traditional jewelry store. Maybe your honey likes variety and would like an assortment of rings to wear, or maybe she would like something that feels very modern now with the understanding that she'll switch it up if it starts feeling not-her-anymore, or maybe she doesn't want a ring, but instead wants a fantastic necklace.

If she likes to rock some big jewelry, but just isn't into diamonds for the ethical or cost reasons, there's no reason not to get her something that will be a conversation starter. After all, she's probably going to be just as excited as you to talk about your engagement.

Left: Limited Edition Black Druzy Ring, Maria Burgos (pointed out to me by Meg); Right 14k Lafemme ring with Chalcedony, Michelle Lenae

If she likes simple jewelry, I personally don't think that anything is as pretty as a simple band. Though I love my engagement and wedding rings, I have been coveting a simple gold band for everyday wear for a few years now. They're just so timeless and elegant.

Left: Brushed Gold Wedding Band, Hilliker; Right: dash, elephantine (How hard are these ladies killing it with their photography? I want to frame the picture on the right.)

If you are feeling like you'd just like to propose and have her help you pick something out (which is totally reasonable--jewelry is such a personal thing), you can propose with a placeholder ring, and then whisk her off to a jewelry store (or to sit in front of the computer with you, as the case may be--just don't forget to have a chilled bottle of champagne sitting by your keyboard!).

Left: Ring-A-Day, byAMT; Right: Engagement Ring Crayons, Kate's Lovely Crafts

Thanks for writing in, J., and good luck with your proposal!  If you need help making it special, that's one of our areas of expertise!
xo,
ME*

Instead of working

We hope you get to lounge in bed,

go on an adventure,

or just lie on the grass and watch the clouds pass by.

Have a lovely Labor Day!

From top to bottom: Sunday Morning by TheDizzyPixie; Bicycles by LolasRoom; Summer by HoneyTree; Summer as Seen Through Grasses by judemcconkey

Thinking of You

Yesterday, Elisabeth forwarded me this post from Design Mom--it's a letter from a mother to her daughter who died shortly before being delivered at 36 weeks. {Disclaimer--this is so sad. Do not read it if you are in a public place unless you are a pretty crier and don't feel bad about wiping your nose on your sleeve in public, which is a nice way of saying that you shouldn't read this in public}. She told me that it needed a warning (see above) because it would make me sob, but I figured that she was exaggerating a little bit--cut to two minutes later, with me sitting at my computer sobbing.

The fact is that as we get older (and this has already been true to some extent), we'll all have or know someone who has problems with breakups, loss, job woes, and/or depression. Part of slipping into maturity and cultivating strong relationships is learning how to be a good foul-weather friend: learning how to craft a sympathy note or a note that says, "I'm here for you," rather than hiding out and figuring that your struggling friend will get in touch when she feels like she's ready. For today's gift roundup, I wanted to share some ideas for things that you can share with a friend who may be struggling that are outside of the typical "gifts for a woman who is hurting" realm (soaps and flannel pjs, anyone?). Of course, every person is different, and every friendship is different, but I think that everyone likes to know during a rough patch that someone is thinking about them. 

First off, though flowers may seem cliché, it's for a reason--they're pretty and are a great reminder that someone is thinking about you. Choosing a local florist who sources local flowers is never a bad idea. Pretty earrings never hurt anyone, either.

Left:Elisabeth Ryan Floral Design; Right: Blossom Earrings by The Harbinger Company

This card reminds me of the cat hanging out of the tree, but is way cuter--sock monkeys and tightey whiteys are a good way to keep things on the lighter side, but you can write a really heartfelt message inside. The necklace is a little good-luck charm that is pretty and is a portable reminder that your friend is loved. 

Left: Clothesline Monkey Letterpress Card, Hello!Lucky; Right, Tiny Luck Necklace; Beau and Stella

If you feel like your friend might enjoy a superhero boost, I bet these lightning bolts would fit on a pair of adult shoes. Even if she doesn't wear them in public, it's always nice to know that one of your friends thinks you have superpowers. I also love the feeling of this card--it acknowledges that your friend is going through something rough, but isn't overly sympathetic about it, if that makes sense. I feel like sympathy or thinking of you cards sometimes can border on condescending. Not this one.

Left: Superhero Shoes-Yellow Lightning, Smallfly; Right: Rainy Day Letterpress Card, Letterpress

Do you have a favorite way of telling your friends that you are thinking about them?