Today’s Musings: TRUST YOUR GUT
I tell him I don’t like talking on the phone
He says he won’t ask me out via text
I relent
He’s not listening.
I tell him I prefer coffee or a cocktail for a first date
He asks me out for dinner
I relent
He’s not listening.
I tell him casual is good for me
He says, “It will be casual but upper scale.” He’s a “sucker for fine dining.”
I relent
He’s not listening.
What troubles me more – my easy acquiescence or his utter disregard for my desires? I soothe my concerns. “Am I making too big a deal about this?” “He wants to treat me well; what’s wrong with that?” TRUST YOUR GUT – the gift my last relationship gave me.
I text him this morning. Let’s start with a cocktail and go from there – please and thank you. For once in my life, I’m setting boundaries. He declines, speaking volumes.
I’m thanking my gut for its sage advice with these little treats below.
Today’s Recipe: REWARD YOUR GUT
Sticky Toffee Pudding Cupcakes
Sticky toffee bombs. If making 12, the batter will rise beautifully over the side of the tin. If you need to make a few more cupcakes, reduce the batter in each muffin tin slightly.
Ingredients
- Toffee Sauce
- 2 cups brown sugar (packed)
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 2 cups whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons dark rum, spiced rum, or brandy Cupcakes
- 7 oz. ( 1 ¼ cups) coarsely chopped dates
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ⅓ cups sugar
- ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg
- Slightly sweetened whipped cream
Directions
- For Toffee Sauce: Whisk sugar and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until butter is melted. Add cream and bring to boil. Boil, whisking constantly, until toffee thickly coats the back of a spoon, 10-14 minutes. Whisk in rum. Set aside.
- For Cakes: Combine dates and water in a medium saucepan. Boil until dates are soft, about 2 minutes, remove from heat and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Stir in vanilla and baking soda. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350⁰F. Line 12 muffin cups. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter to blend – the mixture will be grainy. Beat in egg. Add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the date mixture, beating to blend. Divide batter among muffin cups (about ¼ cup each).
- Bake cupcakes until a tester comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cook cakes completely on a rack. Using a cupcake corer, make a core in each cupcake and fill with 3-4 Tablespoons of toffee sauce. You may need to wait for some of the sauce to absorb before adding more sauce. Replace cupcake core.
- Cover cupcakes with piped whipped cream and a drizzle of additional toffee sauce. [Note: for best results, the cupcakes should be served at room temperature, yet the whipped cream needs to be kept cold. You can keep the cupcakes on the counter and add the whipped cream and drizzle just before serving. Your gut will thank you.
** Adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine’s Sticky Toffee Pudding Cakes
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You’ve got me thinking, how many times do I relent in a day? I’ve been well groomed to be ” nice” and even though I don’t think of myself that way anymore…I wonder how much of it remains?
Thanks for inspiring these thinky thoughts and thanks for the gorgeous recipe😀
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Laeli – Thanks for the comment. I’ve recently realized that I relent way too much and, even in this instance, I didn’t really notice it until I wrote it out and then saw what was happening. It’ll be a process for me.
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