Catastrophe & Cupcakes

Okay, I have to admit, I am not a big cake fan.  I never really cared for birthday cakes (although the decorating magicians always seemed to amaze me!), but for some unknown reason, I LOVE cupcakes!  Cookies are always better (for me), but I really love cupcakes.  And then, I discovered the sublime world of gourmet cupcakes. "WHAT?" you ask?  Yes, you read it right, gourmet cupcakes.  Now, I realize that this is probably more of a common phrase these days, with the spread of franchised gourmet cupcake businesses all around the USA, but this has been quite a recent revelation to me, so I'm very excited!  Lucky for me, (or if I were on a diet, it may be very unlucky) there is an enchanting shop here in Norman that specializes in gourmet cupcakes - Gigi's Cupcakes.

I do not currently have a picture of the outside of the building because once I pull up to it and smell the freshly baked cupcakes, I can't really think about anything else.  If you have been there, you know.  Now, I can't compare this gourmet cupcake shop to any others because I haven't had the good fortune to try any others, but at this point, I really don't feel the need to in order to be excited about this place!  Check out their summer menu and you can see what I mean:

If you can't see all the deliciously descriptive words, you can go here to see the menu in better detail.  Do you see all of that delectable goodness??  And this is just the Spring/Summer menu.  There is also an upcoming Fall/Winter menu that I cannot wait to sample! Keep up to date with their Facebook page and/or website.

Now here's a funny story: Once upon a time I thought it would be just dandy to get a few cupcakes and bring them to work...on my motorcycle. Well, I have saddle bags, its not like I was just gonna put them on my lap or something, geesh!  I was so very careful.  Making sure the little individual boxes were packed snugly inside the saddlebag as not to move, taking turns with careful finesse, and no sudden breaking.  I did it all, and here were the results once I got them to their destination...

...awww, so pretty. Let's open them!

Oops...Uh, lets try another one...

Oh no...two more to go...

Oh, hey this one is almost perfect!  Let's just use a fork to scoop the toppings on a little better...

Ah ha!  There was one out of four that actually made it intact!  I consider this a win.  Even though the motorcycle trip left these little beauties a bit disheveled, they were delicious nonetheless!  However, this is what the Chocolate Salted Caramel actually looks like when you DON'T take it for a motorcycle ride:

Isn't that pretty?  Hmmm, too bad I didn't pick one up on the way to work this morning, my mouth is watering looking at these pictures.  

Okay, what did we learn today?  

1. That gourmet cupcakes are the best invention ever!
2. That even though these cupcakes are decorated beautifully, they don't have to be in order to taste good.
3. Cupcakes prefer to ride home with you in the car, not on the motorcycle.

Don't forget to check out the "EVENTS" tab at the top to see where my next signing will be!

~Thanks for stopping by!~

Signing At The OU/FAMU Game

Wow!  What a weekend!  And what a game that was against FAMU, 69-13!  Woo hoo! Go Sooners!  I want to send out a very special 'Thank You' to Stephen and the entire crew from the OU Bookstore, for setting up the cookbook signing and taking care of me with beverages and cookies.  You are awesome!

Stephen showing off my book to a  Sooner fan

 I also want to thank those of you who purchased a copy of the University of Oklahoma Cookbook, and also to those who stopped over to chat and try a sample.  I had a fun afternoon and some wonderful conversations!  I had set out some samples of the Spiced Footballs (almonds with fall spice flavors) recipe for the fans passing by, and they went over really well.  It also helped that the sunlight creeping across the almonds seemed to warm them, and the buttery spices started to waft into the path of passerbys. (Mmmm!)

Next time on OMG, Have You Tasted This? I will be talking about how awesome cupcakes are.  Remember, I said nothing about how good for you they may or may not be.  I do not judge such things, nor do I feel guilty about stuffing my mouth with them.  I'm merely sharing my opinion about the awesomeness of cupcakes.  Did I mention how awesome cupcakes are?

Fun, Food, & Football!

Sorry I've been away from here for a few weeks, it has been really busy on this end.  I've spent the last few weeks preparing a new book proposal and sending it off to my publisher.  I've also been setting up signing events for my new book that came out this weekend!!

Here are the first signing event dates that I will be attending this month:

September 8th - OU Bookstore (Gate 3 of OU Stadium) just before 1st home game, from 3:30-5pm.

September 15th - Full Circle Books, from 12-2:30pm.

I am also in the midst of setting up two different publication parties on the University of Oklahoma campus the last week of September, and the first week of October, if you can't make the first two events.  The publication parties will feature a sampling of some of the recipes from the book (and free food is always a fantastic reason to show up!).  I will have copies of the book to buy ($14.99) and I will sign them there as well.  Solidified dates and times of these 2 events will be updated on my FaceBook page soon!

Now that we got all that business out of the way, how 'bout those Sooners yesterday?  The game started off neck and neck, then after half-time, OU pulled ahead scoring 3 points in the third, and nailing the game down with 2 more touchdowns in the 4th against UTEP.  The Miners lost to #4 University of Oklahoma, 24-7.  Way to start off the season, guys!

Labor Day weekend was THE weekend for kicking off the college football season, from coast-to-coast!  There were seventeen games just on Saturday alone, and the season is just getting started!  So if you will be hosting any game day tailgating parties, watch parties, or other seasonal events that require tasty treats, entrees, dips, or beverages, then pick up your copy of the Official University of Oklahoma Cookbook and have fun this football season!