my boo has taken up drawing recently. let me explain: he spends sundays enveloped in studying old masters paintings and at least once a week will set his alarm for 4:30 am, at which time he will sit at our table and draw for an hour before he goes off to work. the passion is infective. i was flipping through a book of peter paul rubens work and it hit me. chocolate beet cupcakes! inspired, i started baking immediately and thinking about the light, texture and contrast examined in rubens paintings. i wanted to make a frosting that would ignite those elements and voila (!) grape buttercream frosting.

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prep time: 20 min
cook time: 30 min
total time: 1hr 30

makes 18 cupcakes

cupcake ingredients:

Oil and flour for preparing the pan
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 cup mild flavored vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar (or your favorite natural sweetener)
2 cups cooked pureed beets (3 medium beets)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

grape butter cream frosting ingredients:

1 cup of heavy cream
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 cup of melted unsalted butter
2 tbsp of grape jam/jelly
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tbsp of brown sugar

directions:

whip butter and sugar until fluffy, slowly add in cream,vanilla,jam,and cinnamon, whip for 2 min, make sure all ingredients are mixed well and frosting is fluffy.

directions:

preheat oven to 375 F degrees.
partially fill the bottom of a double boiler with water and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to simmer. put the chocolate and 1/4 cup of the oil in the top of the double boiler, (**very important to put the chocolate and oil into the pot at the same time!**) heat until just the chocolate melts; remove from the heat and stir until well combined.
Combine the and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Slowly beat in the remaining 3/4 cup oil, chocolate mixture, beets, and vanilla.
sift the all-purpose flour into a large bowl. stir in the baking soda and salt. gently stir the flour mixture into the egg and chocolate mixture just until the flour is mixed in. pour batter into cupcake pan.
bake until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
carefully remove cake from the pan and let cool on a rack. when completely cool, dust with powdered sugar.

apples, apples, and apples.

i can't get enough.

recently, i have taken a liking to making sauces, jams and jelly. apples are delectable. so, i decided to start with some apple sauce.

did you know --?! apple trees originated in central asia, where its ancestor malus sieversii can still be found today. thousands of years ago the trees spread across asia, making it to europe and eventually reaching the americas courtesy of european colonizers.

I paired my apple sauce recipe with Almagul Menlibayeva's work, Her art's main themes usually revolve around social and ecological issues in Central Asia. ‘Romantic punk shamanism’ might not be a concept frequently explored in contemporary art, but it’s the term Almagul Menlibayeva uses to describe her diverse work.

the apple has been a commonly used symbol in many cultures. in norse mythology the goddess iðunn gifted apples to the gods to help them retain their eternal youthfulness. similarly, in greek mythology apples signify a forbidden fruit that often referred to beauty, sexuality, exclusivity and love. and in the saga of adam and eve, it is alluded that the apple is the forbidden fruit that eve coaxed adam to share with her.

ingredients:

2 granny smith apples

2 red delicious or gala apples

1 lemon (adjust to taste)

1/4 cup of honey (or your preferred sweetener)

1 table spoon of cinnamon

2 cinnamon sticks

1 teaspoon of nutmeg

prep time: 15 min

cook time: 40 min

total time: 55 min

instructions:

1. fill up a medium sized pot with water halfway and set to boil

2. quarter your apples with the skin on them

3. boil the apples for twenty min, or until cooked

4. juice the lemons and put aside

5. drain the cooked apples and put them in a blender, puree until you are satisfied.

6. put the apple sauce back in the pot

7. add the lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg into the sauce, mix well.

8. once all spices are added, let it cook for another 10- 15 min

9. let cool and enjoy!

click here for a great reference on how to properly can your different foods.