Cupcake Craving

Today was a good day.  A good day because my debit card got a hefty workout.  The fun started at Penzey's Spices, where I stocked up on goodies like bay leaves, my favorite Italian seasoning called Tuscan Sunset (doesn't that sound pleasant?), spicy red pepper flakes to replace the blah Kroger ones I bought back at our first apartment, and other beautiful jars of happiness.  I've officially gotten more spices than my cabinet can hold.  Looks like I'll be doing some consolidating tomorrow; I probably don't need three different jars of curry.

At the mall, I went on a mission to find work pants that don't look like clown trousers.  Pleasantly surprised to find that I've gone down two whole sizes!  I will now add Weight Watchers to my list of unpaid endorsements, alongside Pampered Chef, aforementioned Penzey's Spices and forthcoming White Rabbit Bakery.  You can eat your favorite, wonderful foods and be a food blogger and still lose weight.  What more could you want?  To eat all the cheese and pasta you wanted?  Well, yeah.  That would be nice.  Small favors though, people.

 We stopped at McMenamin's in Oregon City on the way back for a late lunch, which brought us right into the earliest end of happy hour.  $4 Gardenburgers, woo hoo!  It was good, but I was still not quite satisfied.  "I feel like a treat," I said as I polished off my saintly lunch.  "Something chocolatey, with, like, ganache."  I flipped to the back of the menu, which had an enticing line I'd never noticed:  Cake of the Day:  Ask Your Server!  I wanted to ask my server, but I felt like I'd already exhausted all of my goodwill with the exhausted-looking woman.  "What's your soup of the day?  Oh.  Hmm.  OK, well, I'll get the salad.  But I don't want blue cheese.  What other dressings do you have?  Which one is low fat?  Oh, ok then.  No blue cheese crumbles either."  And then, realizing we were on happy hour... "can I change my order?  Can I get the Gardenburger instead?"  I was afraid wanting Cake of the Day details would get me nothing but loogie pie.

Instead, on our way home I turned into Aurora's White Rabbit Bakery.  Inside I was greeted by a most distressing sight--all of the glass case shelves were empty.  The bakery had been cleaned out of all their treats, including their scones and cookies, even their loaves of bread. 

Except for one tray on the other side, filled with three rows of what were called Hot Fudge Sundae Cupcakes.  Dark chocolate covered in a frothy whipped cream, drizzled with chocolate ganache and garnished with a sprinkling of nuts and a darling maraschino cherry. 

"Oh my god," I breathed, "that is exactly what I wanted."  It was as if Fondantina, Cupcake Goddess and Protector had heard my cries and answered with the most divine incarnation of my dreams possible.  I mean, just look at this thing.  Just holding it in the car had me grinning like I'd just gotten a new baby puppy. 

As much as a treat it was on the eyes, it was even better on the tongue.  Nothing was too sweet; the chocolate was dark and the whipped cream tasted even better to me than frosting (buttercream can be so cloying).  Smooth, crunchy, moist, gone in approximately 35 seconds.  I keep thinking about the rest of that tray, wondering if it's still there, looking sexy as hell, up for sale tomorrow...

Probably best to just enjoy once, especially if I want to keep wearing those new pants.  But a decadent treat every once and a while is okay, right?  I think so.  Guess I'll find out.