The Fluffernutter Is Growing Up

If I were a little more organized, there would have been a countdown. "23 days 14 hours and 32 minutes until Penny outgrows the Raging Lunatic Stage!" would have been written on a sign and updated every single minute of every single day until she hit the six month mark.

Alas, her half birthday passed without fanfare. Unless, of course, you count that day I looked over at her and went, "Hey. You're not quite as much of a raging lunatic as you were. You must be six months old now. Happy half birthday, flufferpup." Then I turned back to my very important chips and dip conundrum. Why do I NEVER run out of both chips and dip at the same time? It's a conspiracy, I swear.

We do half birthdays up big around these parts. Obviously. Hold on a second and I'll eat some chips in dip in honor of your half birthday.

You're welcome.

Anyway, while Penny is still FAR, FAR, FAR away from being a responsible and contributing member of society, she has finally chilled the hell out. By that I mean she has only destroyed one Barbie, a book, my favorite bra, and half of a ... um ... it was a plastic something before she chewed on it. I'm not really sure what it was. But! But! That's a significant improvement in her Earned Destruction Average! I have hope that some day she'll go an entire week without gnawing something to death.

The most ... aw, hell. I don't have a descriptor for the level of annoying that is Penny figuring out that she's a Tibetan Terrier. Here's the thing. Tibetan Terriers are guard dogs. They were bred to guard monasteries and people's homes and it's absolutely their job to bark their stupid heads off if they see someone invading their territory. They are to alert the bigger dogs to attack. They don't actually do anything to the intruder. They just bark their fool heads off until help arrives.

Penny is REALLY good at the "fool head" part. Not so much at the UNTIL HELP ARRIVES.

That means a very typical chain of events around these parts is for me to open a door to let the dogs out and for Penny to spot a potential human 4000 miles away. She starts running towards the potential human at top speed, barking as loud as she possibly can the entire way. If the potential human turns out to be an actual human, they stand there and laugh at the Muppet-like creature "ferociously" charging them as I yell at Penny to shut the hell up.

And THAT is where the internet comes into play. One day I got very seriously tired of yelling various threats at Penny as she "guarded" our house from the entire freakin' neighborhood. I decided to ask Dr. Google for some advice.

Dr. Google very quickly told me, "If you want to encourage your dog to continue barking at every single thing that breaths, go ahead and yell at them. When you join in and make noise with them, you're telling them they're right to be alarmed."

WELL THEN, MR. SMARTYPANTS INTERNET.

I hate when the internet makes sense. Apparently, the correct response to stupid fool dogs barking their heads off is to teach them the command "Quiet." You're supposed to give treats and praise when they don't bark at things and add that fancy command to their repertoire.

I'll be damned if it didn't work. Not 100% because Penny is still a fool of a puppy at six months, but still. She was better about the whole big-mouthed fluffball guard dog thing almost instantly.

Now if the internet could just figure out a way to get a puppy who thinks bitter spray is mighty delicious to quit chewing on my bras, Penny would be perfect.

Especially because she lets me amuse myself by putting stupid bows in her hair.

Raspberry Lime Cupcakes

The idea for these cupcakes started with these Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes, but then I went all wild and crazy and decided to ditch the blueberries. And then I ditched the lemon. And then I ditched the filling. And then I ditched the frosting. So I guess we could say I was inspired by that link? But then went off the beaten path?

Instead, I found myself with some absolutely fantastic Raspberry Lime Cupcakes.

The thing is that in the summer when it's super hot (which it has been--you know it's for real when the lady from North Dakota starts to admit it's hot), I really only want light desserts. I prefer fruit-based to chocolate. SHOCKING, I know. But, really, a light whip cream frosting on a fruity cupcake is perfection when you can't breath without sweating.

With just a hint of lime and a lot of raspberry, these do the trick. I made a batch for a get-together with friends this weekend and they all disappeared in under five minutes. I call that a success.

And while there isn't a drop of cake mix anywhere in these, they aren't terribly hard to make. Cupcakes from scratch are always a good thing!

Raspberry Lime Cupcakes

(Makes 24 cupcakes)

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh raspberries (one 6 oz package = approximately 1 cup)
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups white sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons lime juice (juice from one lime = approximately 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon lime zest (1 lime is plenty)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cupcake liners in cupcake pans.

Note: You are going to need three bowls to make your cupcake batter, plus a bowl for the raspberries. I have a hunch that you can get away with two bowls (one for dry ingredients and one for wet ingredients), but I haven't tested it enough to say for sure that it's fine that way. If you're brave and try it, let me know if it works!

2. In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

3. Place two tablespoons of the flour mixture in with the raspberries and gently stir to coat them. Set aside.

4. In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Mix at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and continue to mix until well combined.

5. In a separate large bowl, combine the sour cream, milk, vanilla extract, lime juice, and lime zest. Mix well.

6. Mix a little of the flour mixture in with the butter mixture. Then mix a little of the sour cream mixture in with the butter mixture. Keep alternating the two until everything has been mixed into one bowl.

7. Gently fold in the raspberries.

8. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners. These cupcakes don't rise much, so fill the liners at least 3/4 full if you want full-sized cupcakes.

9. Bake at 350 for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

10. Allow to cool before frosting.

Whipped Lime Frosting

1 package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 cups heavy cream
1 package raspberries for garnish (optional)

1. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese and sugar. Mix until light and fluffy.

2. Add the lime juice and mix a little more.

3. Slowly add the heavy cream as you continue to mix on high speed. The frosting is done when it forms stiff peaks.

4. A frosting bag is WAY helpful for this stuff. Just about any size/shape will work as this is a pretty soft frosting.

5. Frost your cupcakes. Store in the refrigerator.

6. The raspberry on top for garnish is totally optional.

6. Eat six of them before your friends show up. I promise you that you'll be glad you did.

They're Like Twins and Stuff