bake like it's 1986

Maybe it’s a result of growing up amid the fluorescent flash and permed excesses of the ‘80s, but I have a serious obsession with kitschy novelty items. My namesake, who not only is aware of my penchant but encourages it (see purple plastic dangly airplane earrings from Thailand), sent me a link to HeyYoYo. Shockingly, the oh-so-'80s merchandise lives up to the the awesomeness of the name with its quirky cupcake toppers and decorations, which, if I was a few decades younger, would totally double as Barbie home accessories. Let's get our New Wave bake on.
Pop cans on sticks! That's right -- not soda, pop. And pop so vintage it pre-dates Crystal Pepsi.
Sigh. Reminds me of acid washed jeans and sweaty-handed couple skates at Ohio Skate, Toledo's pulsing pinnacle of preadolescent romance.
I totally would have wanted to link these boxes of cereal and assorted carbs to my charm necklace. In fact, I might...

not live fish

In anticipation her trip to Korea (read: many weeks of eating unidentified fish), my friend requested a last dessert of sorts: a batch of simple, choco-tastic brownies. I opted for this arrogant-sounding recipe from my mom. 맛있는 (delicious).

The Very Best Brownies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups sugar
7 tablespoons cocoa
4 eggs
1 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips (or nuts, both optional)

Heat the oven to 350F F. In a medium-size bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, and cocoa.

Add the eggs one at a time, blending after each addition. Add the remaining ingredients and mix them together just until well combined.

Pour the batter into a greased 9-by-13-inch pan.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow them to cool for 15 minutes before cutting.
Baking tunes: Uber American. Think Bryan Adams John Cougar Mellencamp. That's right -- the Cougar stays.

coco-nutty

For my friend Heather's birthday picnic, I decided to give a nod to Ziggy Marley with these coconut cupcakes from Simply Recipes.

Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

Here are the ingredients:

Cupcakes

• 3/4 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup of sugar
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup of canned coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups of flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/2 cup of sweetened desiccated coconut

Frosting

• 1/2 cup of butter , room temperature
• 8 oz of cream cheese , room temperature
• 1/2-1 cup of powdered sugar (or more for consistency)
  
• 1/4 cup of sweetened desiccated coconut
• a few drops of yellow food coloring (optional)

The recipe advised against using light coconut milk. I didn't read that part until coming back from the grocery with light coconut milk. Still good.
I prefer to fold in the coconut by hand instead of using a mixer. Because I'm old school like that. Instead of making 20 small cupcakes, I opted for 12 big guys and six minis. To share.I added a little yellow food coloring to the frosting to make them a little more festive for Heather's 3.1.
After frosting, roll edges in a plate of coconut flakes. For the minis, just sprinkle on top.

Baking tunes: Ziggy's papa ("Sun is Shining") and various Virgin Islands mainstays, i.e. music that reminds you of suntan lotion, beer with lime, and charming inefficiency.