Our first blog from Austin could be a little background on Chris and Amy. It could be the story of how two kids from Minnesota decided to move to Texas on a whim with their hyper-sensitive dog. Or, it could be about the experience of moving from friends and family to a city where you don't know anyone or anything. It could be about those things but instead, it will be about cupcakes.
This first entry is about these two crazy kids and a dog from Minnesota, and their first friend in Austin, "Hey Cupcake!". "Hey Cupcake!" is a cupcake stand that currently resides two blocks south of us in a beautiful aluminum airstream trailer. It's so shiny and beautiful that the last time we were there the dog was actually checking himself out in the perfectly clean mirror-like aluminum. "Hey Cupcake!" doesn't know it's our first friend in Austin and honestly I don't care if they ever know. The reason they hold this esteemed and presumptuously coveted title (although other applicants must still be working on entries) are numbered.
"Hey Cupcake!" earned the designation on what could have been a very bad week for them. It was Thanksgiving day and since we are new to town and don't know anyone we planned a nice quiet day consisting of a coffee from Jo's (across the street), a long morning walk, and a relaxing afternoon of slow cooking and enjoying each other. The walk started bad when we realized that Jo's decided to close the doors allowing their employees the day off to apparently enjoy whoever they wanted to. Hmmph. Nevermind that, a beautiful morning and the hopes that some coffee hocker would be open set us briskly in the direction of Town Lake trail.
I could turn this post into an essay on the walk and never get to "Hey Cupcake" so to spare all the boring details, at the end of a five mile walk my tummy specifically requested a cupcake from the trailer and Chris' tummy agreed. To our dismay "Hey Cupcake!" also decided to be closed on Thanksgiving. Grrr. As far as I was concerned at that point they might have well been closed all week. I needed a cupcake. Damn them for not thinking about the people who want yummy Thanksgiving day cupcakes! The next day we drove by, they were open and the line fo cupcakes was at least 20 people deep.. We wanted a cupcakce so badly but I was holding a grudge and didn't want them to know how much I needed them so I insisted we not stop for a delicious, huge, over-frosted, moist, perfectly sprinkled and easily digested cupcake. Damn them for not working on Thanksgiving!
We finally gave into the calling on Saturday using the excuse that the dog needed to go out. After walking the two longest blocks in Austin my feelings of resentment quickly melted away as we approched the shiny silver trailer, the only form of life on the huge dirt parking lot reserved for people who have to drive to our neighborhood. Smiles grew on our faces as we saw we had arrived at a rare line-less cupcake trailer. We happily chatted with the youngster selling the stuff we came for until I could no longer wait for the cupcakes and blurted out the order. Two Standards, a Michael Jackson and a Red Velvet. The kid had also just made some fresh dog treats and generously offered the dog several of his bone shaped snacks, which we later learned contains doggie crack. We walked home on air with our box of ambrosia and a pocketfull of homemade dog treats.
It was Sunday that the love really set in. We allowed ourselvs one cupcake on Saturday night and saved the other two for "later". Mid-morning Sunday I took the cupcakes out of the fridge, of course I had to open the box to see how the cakes held up overnight and of course I wanted to see how the frosting had firmed in the cold of the refrigerator. I gently poked my finger into the cream cheese icing on the red velvet and my thumb involuntarily followed, working together and with no direction from me the two pinched off the perfect amount of icing and cupcake and almost too slowly delivered the bite size chunk to my mouth.
"Hey Cupcake!" has the most delectible cups of cake that have ever been presented to me. At first glance I thought "too much frosting!" but then I wondered if they somehow scientifically calculate how much to put on each cake. If you pay attention you can exact the perfect amount of frosting for every last bite. I've also noticed that when you want to just take a pinch of cupcake it doesn't crumble like most others, when you pinch the cake it releases what you asked . It has the density and moistness to maintain the specified bite in your fingers until it reaches it's desired location, whether it be your mouth or across the room to the one you love who must partake in such deliciousness with you.
The chocolate in the Michael Jackson is rich, dark and lucious. Paired with the cream cheese frosting this one is hard to turn your back on assuming you can get one (they are often sold-out). The Red Velvet is like the guy/girl you keep trying to get rid of but just can't becuase he/she is just too darn pretty. The color of the Red Velvet is one of those colors you don't quite know how to respond to. You could politely eat it, you could take an artistic picture of the impressive air-bubble to cake ratio, with the rich red making it look like some beatiful planet from outer space. Or, you could fill your bathtub with the beauties light some candles and take the sweetest and most sumptuous and beautiful bath you've ever had. The Standard... Well it's just that, albeit the highest version of standard that exists. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are shaking in their boots becuase of this "standard" cupcake. Moist but not too moist, white but not too white, chocolate frosting but not so chocolatey it makes your throat hurt.
"Hey Cupcake!" is also our first friend because of the great people in the trailer. Our first gal was so friendly we wanted to stay and talk even though it was windy and freezing and the lady behind us had one of those recogonizable "get the hell out of my way I need a cupcake" looks on her face. The guy who donated the the dog treats to our overprivledged dog should also be given props. He was so nice to talk to, the weather had gone from a little chilly and overcast earlier in the day to a little warm and clear later in the day and we were all happy to be witness to it and chatted accordingly. He also gets points for sending some of the doggie crack home with us. The dog has actually almost done a back flip to get a bite of these things. Whole wheat flour, peanut butter, whatever else.. When I took a bite I thought maybe I should keep one for myself...
We're still exploring our addiction to cupcakes and trying to get to know the area so it seems that befriending "Hey Cupcake!" is the most effective way to forge a new frienship, quell the sweet-tooth and score some doggie crack along the way.
This first entry is about these two crazy kids and a dog from Minnesota, and their first friend in Austin, "Hey Cupcake!". "Hey Cupcake!" is a cupcake stand that currently resides two blocks south of us in a beautiful aluminum airstream trailer. It's so shiny and beautiful that the last time we were there the dog was actually checking himself out in the perfectly clean mirror-like aluminum. "Hey Cupcake!" doesn't know it's our first friend in Austin and honestly I don't care if they ever know. The reason they hold this esteemed and presumptuously coveted title (although other applicants must still be working on entries) are numbered.
"Hey Cupcake!" earned the designation on what could have been a very bad week for them. It was Thanksgiving day and since we are new to town and don't know anyone we planned a nice quiet day consisting of a coffee from Jo's (across the street), a long morning walk, and a relaxing afternoon of slow cooking and enjoying each other. The walk started bad when we realized that Jo's decided to close the doors allowing their employees the day off to apparently enjoy whoever they wanted to. Hmmph. Nevermind that, a beautiful morning and the hopes that some coffee hocker would be open set us briskly in the direction of Town Lake trail.
I could turn this post into an essay on the walk and never get to "Hey Cupcake" so to spare all the boring details, at the end of a five mile walk my tummy specifically requested a cupcake from the trailer and Chris' tummy agreed. To our dismay "Hey Cupcake!" also decided to be closed on Thanksgiving. Grrr. As far as I was concerned at that point they might have well been closed all week. I needed a cupcake. Damn them for not thinking about the people who want yummy Thanksgiving day cupcakes! The next day we drove by, they were open and the line fo cupcakes was at least 20 people deep.. We wanted a cupcakce so badly but I was holding a grudge and didn't want them to know how much I needed them so I insisted we not stop for a delicious, huge, over-frosted, moist, perfectly sprinkled and easily digested cupcake. Damn them for not working on Thanksgiving!
We finally gave into the calling on Saturday using the excuse that the dog needed to go out. After walking the two longest blocks in Austin my feelings of resentment quickly melted away as we approched the shiny silver trailer, the only form of life on the huge dirt parking lot reserved for people who have to drive to our neighborhood. Smiles grew on our faces as we saw we had arrived at a rare line-less cupcake trailer. We happily chatted with the youngster selling the stuff we came for until I could no longer wait for the cupcakes and blurted out the order. Two Standards, a Michael Jackson and a Red Velvet. The kid had also just made some fresh dog treats and generously offered the dog several of his bone shaped snacks, which we later learned contains doggie crack. We walked home on air with our box of ambrosia and a pocketfull of homemade dog treats.
It was Sunday that the love really set in. We allowed ourselvs one cupcake on Saturday night and saved the other two for "later". Mid-morning Sunday I took the cupcakes out of the fridge, of course I had to open the box to see how the cakes held up overnight and of course I wanted to see how the frosting had firmed in the cold of the refrigerator. I gently poked my finger into the cream cheese icing on the red velvet and my thumb involuntarily followed, working together and with no direction from me the two pinched off the perfect amount of icing and cupcake and almost too slowly delivered the bite size chunk to my mouth.
"Hey Cupcake!" has the most delectible cups of cake that have ever been presented to me. At first glance I thought "too much frosting!" but then I wondered if they somehow scientifically calculate how much to put on each cake. If you pay attention you can exact the perfect amount of frosting for every last bite. I've also noticed that when you want to just take a pinch of cupcake it doesn't crumble like most others, when you pinch the cake it releases what you asked . It has the density and moistness to maintain the specified bite in your fingers until it reaches it's desired location, whether it be your mouth or across the room to the one you love who must partake in such deliciousness with you.
The chocolate in the Michael Jackson is rich, dark and lucious. Paired with the cream cheese frosting this one is hard to turn your back on assuming you can get one (they are often sold-out). The Red Velvet is like the guy/girl you keep trying to get rid of but just can't becuase he/she is just too darn pretty. The color of the Red Velvet is one of those colors you don't quite know how to respond to. You could politely eat it, you could take an artistic picture of the impressive air-bubble to cake ratio, with the rich red making it look like some beatiful planet from outer space. Or, you could fill your bathtub with the beauties light some candles and take the sweetest and most sumptuous and beautiful bath you've ever had. The Standard... Well it's just that, albeit the highest version of standard that exists. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are shaking in their boots becuase of this "standard" cupcake. Moist but not too moist, white but not too white, chocolate frosting but not so chocolatey it makes your throat hurt.
"Hey Cupcake!" is also our first friend because of the great people in the trailer. Our first gal was so friendly we wanted to stay and talk even though it was windy and freezing and the lady behind us had one of those recogonizable "get the hell out of my way I need a cupcake" looks on her face. The guy who donated the the dog treats to our overprivledged dog should also be given props. He was so nice to talk to, the weather had gone from a little chilly and overcast earlier in the day to a little warm and clear later in the day and we were all happy to be witness to it and chatted accordingly. He also gets points for sending some of the doggie crack home with us. The dog has actually almost done a back flip to get a bite of these things. Whole wheat flour, peanut butter, whatever else.. When I took a bite I thought maybe I should keep one for myself...
We're still exploring our addiction to cupcakes and trying to get to know the area so it seems that befriending "Hey Cupcake!" is the most effective way to forge a new frienship, quell the sweet-tooth and score some doggie crack along the way.
