Tye-Dye Cupcakes

I actually got this recipe from my sister who found it from Sandra Lee on Food Network.com but since I've made them so much I kinda consider them my own. I make them every special occasion- birthdays, parties, or just to bring into class. I loved bringing in cakes or cupcakes into school because I would always be popular for that 46 minute period. Everyone would come up to me and ask me for a piece, especially the boys. Boys are just crazy when it comes to sweets. Some of them, I didn't even know there name and I'm not sure if they knew mine, but they would still come up to me and ask me for a piece. Some of my friends would automatically get cupcakes or a piece of cake, but some people(who really just liked me for my cake) I had to turn them down. I remember my friend once shoved 3 cupcakes in his mouth at one time- I laughed so hard, but i guess he really liked them. There are so many little stories that come with the cupcakes. I once made some for a boy I liked and my friend gave them to him. SHe told me that he said he loved them, and then later that day I saw him holding the container the cupcakes were in. I was ecstatic because I knew he liked them, but when I didd't like him anymore we secretly teased him for still having my container. Another time I was going to make them, but my friend had so many allergies, I made them especially for him so he could eat them and not die or anything.
I make other cakes too. Most of my friends can guarantee that they'll get a cake form me on their birthday. I always make my "famous" chocolate cake for holidays people ask me how I get it so moist, and it's really quite obvious. I ask them "what is moisture?" If they don't guess it right away I say "water-water makes the air moist and when I add it to my cake batter it makes the cake moist too."
If I'm bored at home I'll ask my mom if I can bake something. She usually says no, but I keep trying. Ever since I was about 9 or 10 I've loved to cook & bake. One day when I was home sick from school there was nothing else to watch on TV except the food network -- ever since then, I've been obsessed. I would just go online and print out tons of recipes from foodnetwork.com that I would ask my Mom if I could make my Bat Mitzvah even food network theme.

Starbuck's Tazo Passion Tea Lemonade

Before you start to get any other judgments, I ask you to picture a standard Starbuck's. Do you imagine coffee? Frappucinos? Or do you imagine a new-age cafe that is unique, even to the sizes that it offers? I ask you to throw all of this prior experience away, and, simply, listen to my experience when I first consumed what I consider to be my new favorite beverage at this chain coffee house.

I was told by a friend, an odd, yet rather deep and sensual friend, that I have known for a long time to try something new. They told me to go to one of my most favored eateries, Starbuck's, and consume something I had never had. Naturally, I listened to this suggestion, and chose a new item off of the Starbuck's menu board.

In the past, Starbuck's released a line of Tazo teas and tea lemonades. This intrigued me and led me to select the Passion Tea Lemonade. After seeing this beverage being placed on the "Pick-up" counter, I noticed a distinct pinkish-red color that was different than other, more common, Starbuck's beverages. With a different color and an exciting, fruity aroma, I could not wait to sit down and fill my mouth with this drink.

After merely one sip, I was pleased to find a delectable collection of flavor. Sweet and fruity passionfruit combined with sour lemonade, there was no better time to be given this drink. It is this drink that has made me return to Starbuck's much more frequently and purchase a rather inexpensive, $3.00, Venti Passion Tea Lemonade. Everything about this beverage can and will keep you hooked to it.

One of my favorite meals was a warm and delicious meal that I ate on a cool summer evening. My family drove to Shelter Island, part of the Hamptons on Long Island. The only way to get to Shelter Island is by driving to a dock at a special time, joining many other cars parked on a boat designed to transport cars across. Once your car gets to the tiny island, you drive off the boat and are free to enjoy a great dining experience at one of two local restaurants. My family chose to go to the more relaxed and friendly restaurant, where we did in fact run into some friends of ours that had taken the boat journey as well. The meal was simple. I ordered one thing and one thing only: half a roast chicken with all the fixings. The chicken was calling out to me, and I followed its voice. The meat was soft, juicy, and tender. I got to take a little white meat and some smooth dark meat from a drumstick too. The skin was crispy and flavorful, covered with salt, herbs, and garlic, dripping with oily fat. This large hunk of chicken rested gracefully on a pillow of fluffy and buttery mashed potatoes and caramelized onions and carrots, drizzled with the chicken's own jus. As my fork and knife descended on this heart-warming and heavenly meal, my mouth watered, awaiting exciting pleasure. My eyes widened as I brought a heaped forkful of moist chicken that I layered precisely with a piece of crispy skin and a slather of the light potatoes and smooth caramelized onions towards my face, going cross-eyed at the splendid sight. The first bite was dominated by the chicken's mild but meaty flavor and the slight al dente bite of salty skin. After my first bite that had been dominated by the meatiness of the chicken and its skin, a smoothe background of potato enveloped the rest of the forkful. A creamy and neutral flavor quelled the sharp saltiness of skin that had quickly dissolved on my tongue. After my jaw had done its work, the next forkful was ready to be consumed, and enjoyed.