Cooking with Angela: Baking Assistant

I'm not one to make 'new years resolutions' per say, but I figure the first of the year is as good a time as any to get back into the swing of the blogging thing =) So with that said, here's what me and the muscle spent the last few hours of 2011 doing....

Baking!! Now normally, this wouldn't be all that special... Bur our oven has decided to go out on us, so for the past 6 months or so, I haven't been able to bake any sweets (or anything else for that matter...)
But since the stove-top still works, we aren't about to go and replace the thing, so we've just made the necessary adjustments to dinner plans that don't include tossing everything into a casserole and letting it sit in a hot box. Which is fine with me, I'm ok with making skillet dinners and grilling meats on the George Foreman, but not having baked desserts was really bumming me out! I love cakes and brownies, and don't get me started on home baked (not made, I'm too lazy for anything more than scooping out pre-made dough =P) chocolate chip cookies...

 

So needless to say, I was super excited when we  unwrapped this little counter-top cupcake oven this Christmas! You just fill up the little cups with batter...

And less than 10 minutes later you've got 8 perfect little mini-cupcakes! I was so excited I wound up eating several before I frosted them, I was craving some home baked (again, not home made, totally from the box here) cake!

The majority of them did get frosted though, with this funfetti frosting that also came with the box cake mix (seriously, best "this goes with that other gift" gift idea ever! ) These little bites are so perfect for my muscle man and I, we snacked on them over the weekend, and they're so much more convenient than a having to get a fork and plate dirty like with a regular cake! So yay for little mini-muffin-cupcakes! (I guess these are technically 'muffins', because I didn't use those stupid little baking cups, because that's my least favorite part of a cupcake =P) I'm thinking this thing is going to be perfect for corn-muffins too, can't wait to try that out!