Baking with Baby

Before temptation had a name...

  

Isla and I decided that today would be our first mother-daughter day in the kitchen.  In my current quest to embrace all things foreign and domestic (read: cooking is foreign to me and I need to learn to be more domestic), we hatched a plot while out walking in the park to make a wonderful dinner and follow it up with a sweet little something.  Rather than continue to dazzle Sean with bags of microwaved popcorn as the main course, I decided to grill up some hamburgers, put together a nice salad and throw in a light dessert.  I wanted to make something with bananas because my sister-in-law Sahara recently told me about how much my nephew, Bryce, is loving eating bananas these days.  Tomorrow is his first birthday so I figured what better way to justify some unnecessary dessert for us than by whipping up a little bit of banana goodness for him?  Well, LO AND BEHOLD, flipping through pages while brushing my teeth this morning, my Glamour magazine came through in a major way: "Propose to Him Banana Cupcakes."

 

The recipe was in this piece about making food that men will love, thereby putting them under our magic spells with every tempting morsel.  At first I was more interested in the chart at the bottom of the page showing different cuts of steak and explaining how easily to cook each kind, as I am planning on showing a couple of rib-eyes who's boss on Valentine's Day for Sean.  Then I realized that the cupcakes featured in the recipe above contained bananas, and so my decision for Bryce's birthday treat was made. 

 

So, okay.  I have a problem.  Not ten feet away from me, taunting me from what I hope will continue to be their tupperware prison until they make parole tomorrow at the birthday party are these little criminals:

[caption id="attachment_144" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Isla Butters. SO INSANE."][/caption]

 

Good.  Lord.  You don't even want to know how good these are.  I had to immediately plunge both the batter and frosting bowls straight into soapy water before I rabidly licked them and it has taken every ounce of restraint I can muster not to devour the whole batch.  I have to say with unflinching pride that I have succeeded.  For now.  I even went so far as to cut one cupcake in half and share it with Sean rather than eat a whole one by myself.  Rock of Gibraltar.  That's me.  I am trying to keep things in calorie perspective by reminding myself that both the batter and the frosting each called for an entire stick of butter, because forgetting that little detail isn't going to help me get back to my pre-pregnancy weight!  However, as I am trying to embrace the "everything in moderation" philosophy as a good example for my daughter, I am opening the door to the idea of hamburgers and cupcakes for dinner without piling on too much guilt.

 

Speaking of guilt, Sean had to make the hamburgers - and the rest of dinner.  I was way too enthralled with these perfectly innocent-looking cupcakes of Eden and frosting them JUST SO that I simply had no time for frivolities like putting together an actual meal beforehand.  I could see the little beads of sweat forming on his temples as I informed Sean that they are called "Propose to Him" cupcakes, so I immediately put his mind at ease by calling them "Isla Butters" instead.  Since I was obsessed with peanut-butter and banana sandwiches when I was pregnant, I figure banana cupcakes with peanut butter frosting (hello, two cups of powdered sugar!) should be dedicated to my daughter as well.  Especially since it was our first foray into baking together.  Even though she fell asleep about five minutes in.

 

Unfortunately, in my madness to perfectly frost the cupcakes, I forgot that Sahara does not want Bryce having anything with peanuts in it yet, as she understandably wants to introduce them slowly into his diet in case of allergies.  The whole point of making these cupcakes was for him, and I meant to bring him plain ones without frosting.  Oops.  I guess Bryce will just have to eat the bottoms for now and then someday when he does discover that peanut butter is the food of the gods, I will dutifully introduce him to the wonder of Isla Butters in all of their true glory.  In the meantime, I plan on saving one cupcake for Sean and I to split on Sunday and I will hopefully pawn the rest of them off on the unsuspecting party guests tomorrow.  Oh, Glamour magazine!  I hate you for introducing me to these sinful little sweets, but I will be thanking you every time I make these over the years with my girl.