Ms. Frugal

Well Jill still is pretty down about her boyfriend.  I do not know what we need to do to shake her out of this slump, but we thought that making her some nice food and having a whole morning of eating might just do the trick.  We know that she has been spending a lot of time alone as of late and has been eating a whole lot of ice cream.  She told us she has put on eight pounds in the last two weeks and that is not a good thing because she has always been at that weight where her doctors told her that she needs to be really careful.

Now true, if she is worried about her weight, it would make sense that we would not be giving her all of these really fatty and bad foods that would make things worse.  So we went a different route and tried to find deliciousness that was not too un-heart healthy.  I think that we did a really good job on that.  I have included the recipe here so that you too can be involved and get a sense of what the baking scene in Washington D.C. looks like.  Please let me know what your suggestions are after you have whipped up some of these goodies.

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon soda

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 egg whites

2/3 cups plain yogurt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C). Line 10 muffin cups with foil or paper liners.
2. In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat together the sugar, butter and vanilla on high speed for about 2 minutes, or until well mixed. Add the egg whites, one at a time, beating for about a minute after each one. Now add the flour mixture alternately with the yogurt, in about 3 portions each, beating after each addition just until combined, and scraping down the sides to make sure everything is well mixed.
4. Pour batter into the prepared cupcake pan and place in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned on top and a toothpick poked into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool completely on a rack.
5. To assemble the Cupcake menorah, frost all the cupcakes with your choice of icing and decorate in any way your heart desires. Place 9 cupcakes in a row on a platter or foil-covered cardboard base. Raise the middle cupcake up higher than the others — the “shamash” or leader. Stick candles into each of the 9 positions. When it’s time to light the candles — enjoy the flickering flames while you eat dinner, then eat the menorah for dessert!