CUPCAKES: THE BASICS

There are times where I might offer a recipe that is uniquely my own... but this is not that time. I just wanted to offer the greatest of recipes to you, with the knowledge that I have tried HUNDREDS of recipes all claiming to be the "best" and these are my favorites by a landslide. The four basic cakes I bake most often: Chocolate, Vanilla, Red Velvet and Carrot Cake. So here they are, the links to my tried and true interweb recommendations to save you countless hours of experimentation and ingredients. And the best thing? They're all super easy.

One Bowl Chocolate Cake

Yellow Vanilla Bean Cake 

Red Velvet Cupcakes

"The Actual" Ultimate Carrot Cake

Note: For the yellow cake be sure to add the insides of one vanilla bean and if you are wanting white cake just substitute egg whites for yolks.

HAPPY BAKING!

WHAT THE FUCK DOES "NO DIET TALK" MEAN?

I am a brand new student of the "Healthy At Every Size" program at The University of No Diet Talk. Brand spanking new.

I remember even a year ago, as I was writing body positive posts, I would see the badges on sidebars and would think "Oh honey, don't you know that you shouldn't ban healthy eating from your life?" Even then, I had no idea what "No Diet Talk" meant... so I explored. And boy, was I was wrong. There is a good chance that many of you still equate diet with health at this moment... and boy, you are wrong too.

And this is oh so very sadly common (so don't feel bad).
Read on.

I had emailed a blogger friend and body love Shero about breaching this "No Diet Talk" subject a bit ago and we both had to shake our heads and agree that it was too difficult of a subject. I still feel this way, but I'm going to do my best today to articulate because I know that health and diet myths pervade a lot of sites we see while touring our gloriously female dominated blogosphere. I did not "create" this wheel, and I am not reinventing it. I'm just sharing the knowledge that I have gained from literature on this complex philosophy and passing it along in hopes that it helps you see through deceptive and fraudulent concepts. If you have any contributions, please leave them in the comments and we can have an open discussion!

I'm going to (attempt) make this simple.

Everything you know about fat and health is wrong. Fat people are more likely to survive cardiac events and outlive thin people. Fat can protect against cancer, heart disease, anemia, and type 2 diabetes. Yes, diabetes. You can't make a fat person thin and you can't make a thin person fat. Eating garbage and being obese are not the same thing. No one has proven that fat people eat more and exercise less than thin people. Fat people can eat perfectly balanced meals and exercise and still be fat. And thin people can eat junk food all day and sit around and still be thin. Diets don't work. They just don't. Dieting doesn't make you healthy; it makes you sick.  And you do realize that a shit ton of research about obesity is funded by weight loss companies, right?

Now I know that this all sounds like some bitter fat chick trying to make herself feel better for being such a social failure... but that's wrong too. We are all skeptical of this way of thinking because we have decades of experiential media consumption that says otherwise. No one makes money off of contentment, and so, we are passively (and sometimes aggressively) coerced into spending our entire lives attempting to purchase perfection and alter ourselves to become an unattainable ideal. This is nothing new.

We women bond over hating our bodies. We joke about how we've only had coffee today, how we're stressed so we're going to need that chocolate. We praise ourselves for being "good" or verbally punish for being "bad"; giving our food the power to determine our morality. We congratulate each other when we have a successful day of deprivation. It's encouraged, it's pathetic, and I was (and still can be) a huge offender. We all are to some point, it's just second nature. To cut it out of our consciousness and vocabulary takes a commitment to awareness and a lot of mental work... but it's worth it.

In their book Kirby and Harding say that they will never congratulate you for being on a diet. Know why? Because the intention behind a diet is to change your body, and that is not awesome. Period. Our gut reaction is to say that everyone's  body needs improvement, right? Not really, no. We have already dispelled enough myths above to show that we all need to have an open mind about what we thought we knew about fat, so lets stop with the "dieting for heath" argument right now. In fact, I'm going to come right out and say that fat is not the overall contributing factor for being unhealthy."But... but... but... what about..." No. Wanna know what the physical effects are from yo-yo dieting? Here is an excerpt from UCLA's large scale study:

"There is evidence from large scale observational studies that weight cycling is linked to increased all-cause mortality and to increased mortality from cardiovascular disease. In addition, weight cycling is associated with increased risk for myocardial infarction, stroke, and diabetes, increased high density lipoprotein cholesterol, increased systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and even suppressed immune function."

Sounds an awful lot like what some people say are the physical effects of "obesity" doesn't it? Well guess who yo-yo diets/weight cycles more than anyone out of social shame? Fat people. Draw your own conclusions.

So what philosophy replaces the concept of always depriving your body in order to make it some false representation of health? It's called "Health at Every Size". It goes something like this:

"What is Health at Every Size?
1. Accepting and respecting the diversity of body shapes and sizes
2. Recognizing that health and well-being are multi-dimensional and that they include physical, social, spiritual, occupational. emotional, and intellectual aspects
3. Promoting all aspects of health and well-being for people of sizes
4. Promoting eating in a manner which balances individual nutrition needs, hunger, satiety, appetite, and pleasure
5. Promoting individually appropriate, enjoyable, life-enhancing physical activity, rather than exercise that is focused on a goal of weight loss"

Now, that just makes fucking sense, don't you think? I want you to read this book for more on all of this. It will change your life. Some suggestions that they make is to practice intuitive eating and find some sort of physical activity that you find FUN. That may take a while, but it's worth it. And by taking this approach, they surmise that your body will evolve into it's natural state. And guess what? Your natural shape could be fat. And that is fucking great. And your natural shape could be average. And that is fucking great. And your natural shape could be thin. And that is fucking great. And your natural shape could be anywhere in between and that is fucking great. And wouldn't it be nice to know that your body is what healthy (actual healthy, not media created healthy) looks like for you and you are perfect just the way you are? I think so.

The first step is to accept your body where it is at RIGHT. NOW. Accept it. Love it. Embrace it. Don't let the perceived flaws consume your life and what you eat. Read more about this and process it at your own pace; there is a lot of information out there. I'd love to talk more about my evolving relationship with food sometime, but this post is already painfully long so I'll share another time.

You can read these internet blips about:
Turning "No Fat Talk" into "No Diet Talk"

The rite of passage that "Fat Talk" has become

Marianne's letter to dieting co-workers

Rachelle's anti-diet ad
Fat people and glorifying obesity misconceptions from Heather at Fat Girl Posing

What Fierce Freethinking Fatties think about Diet Talk

Dances With Fat's definition of Health At Every Size

And Kate's epic response to people who bitch about fat being unhealthy

And I would really encourage reading these books:
Lessons from the Fat-o-sphere; Kirby and Harding

Rethinking Thin; Gina Kolata

Health at Every Size; Linda Bacon

The Unapologetic Fat Girl's Guide to Exercising and Other Incendiary Acts; Hanne Blank

You can buy the brooch above by clicking on the image or going here. And you can get the sidebar badges thanks to Natalie here.

So what do you think about this whole concept? It's still a controversial one, so let 'er rip.

FIERCE AND FOXY FATTIES

1//2//3//4//5//6//7//8//9//10//11//12//13//14//15//

16//17//18//19//20//21//22//23//24//25//26//27//28//29

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Because the world needs more women like this. Because we are building a new point of reference. Because the more we view, the more accustomed we become.  Because the more we see their confidence, the more it inspires ours.  Because viewing fierce + foxy + fat together makes it less of a phenomenon. Because they are living proof that exclusive beauty standards can go blow a balloon. Because they own it, and we can too.

xoxoxo

I WEAR WHAT I WANT (PERIOD): GOLD MINI SKIRTS

I'm learning more and more about how radical fat girl clothes can be. As I educate myself on the ways of other fabulous fatties, each essay I read helps me realize how important publicly owning one's body is. In the previous post, I talked about the "rules" of dressing a fat body. It is expected that we follow these rules and by doing so we are outwardly acknowledging our physical inferiority. What we don't realize is that by simply existing, we are making a political statement... By simply existing, our bodies are defying social expectation. And so, to unapologetically wear clothes that break the rules... well, that is revolutionary.

This skirt is that "finger to The Man" for me.

One of those pieces of clothing that you look at on the rack and say "never in a million years", but convince yourself to try it on... "Just for shits and giggles, Self. You would never wear it, but wouldn't it be funny to see what it looks like?" So you chuckle to yourself and take it into the dressing room. Then you stand there, looking in the mirror, examining every imperfection of your body and becoming more and more disappointed because you secretly really really really loved that skirt. This happens to me all the time, and I would call bullshit if you said you didn't know what I was talking about. :) Well, this time I said "What the fuck" and bought it. 

AND THEN I WORE IT IN PUBLIC. 

SEVERAL TIMES.

When you start wearing "crazy shit", you acclimate surprisingly quickly. The first time I wore it, I was hyper aware of how tight it was. Of how shiny and metallic it was. Of how it accentuated my tummy profile that was anything but flat. And then I started caring less and less. And loving it more and more.

One of my favorite things to do is day trip with my Him. We did this a lot when we started dating, and I convinced him to go again yesterday. I always plan trip clothes ahead of time because 1.) its exciting to travel and I want to look awesome while doing so and 2.) its a new group of people that get their first chance to check me out. I went for broke yesterday and wore my FA (fucking awesome) gold foil skirt to Tumacacori. One phenomenal part about living in the Southwest is the abundance of Spanish missions and cathedrals. Some are well preserved, and others are in ruin, but they are all magnificent in their cultural glory. Mission San José de Tumacácori was a new one for us and so we made a day out of Mission exploration and Mexican food. It was a good choice.

I never know  if people stare because I'm fat, tattooed, or dressed in a metallic outfit, but regardless I happily grin at the success of turning so many heads. Now, I'm going to do something that is abnormal and quite difficult for me. I'm posting a picture that I would have instantly deleted in disgust under any other circumstances... a picture that highlights my visible belly outline. Rachele talks about her "VBO" quite a bit, and while I applaud her for her bravery, I could never bring myself to publicly acknowledge that mine existed. But oh, how it does. And a thin shiny mini skirt is bound to prove it.

In the "couples" picture my tanktop failed to cover and my panties failed to hold in my giant stomach. Epicly failed. When reviewing, I had to take my finger off the delete button and talk myself down from the self hatred cliff. I really didn't want to post the photo, but at the same time, I didn't want to be a hypocrite and post everything except for this. So here I am. With a visible belly. Giving the middle finger to those who say its disgusting or shameful. Hoping it helps change my mind as well... and it already kinda is.

And can I just show you these kick ass fat angels I found in "El Gato Loco"? We went in there because it was called "The Crazy Cat" (duh), but stayed because it had phenominal Mexican trinkets. Like these blatantly chubby sexy tin angels. I've never seen these before in all my years living near the border, and the greatest thing is that these in Mexican culture are NOT revolutionary. They are welcomed, embraced, and celebrated. 

I would love to build a fat shrine one day, and if I do... these will cover the walls.So, what is the bravest piece of clothing you have ever worn?

SAME OLD NEW YEAR!

While I agree that New Years Eve is a natural stopping point for reflection, I kinda make light of new year resolutions (Jezebel is right there with me). But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't strive to be better people, or improve our lives. I just like to do that every day. I ran across a quote the other day that encapsulated my "resolution" for this year, the past years and all my years to come:

"For me, I am driven by two main philosophies: 
know more today about the world than I knew yesterday 
and lessen the suffering of others." 
-Neil Degrasse Tyson.

I also plan on taking up smoking, gaining 50 pounds, getting addicted to cocaine, making more enemies, and accumulating shit tons of debt. 

So here's to a new year that is exactly the same as last year, only we're a little bit smarter. Cheers! 

All images thanks to the lovely RiKenna Lines

25 THINGS FAT PEOPLE SHOULDN'T DO: #9, #10, #11, AND #12!

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25 Things Fat People Shouldn't Do is an unabashed middle finger to the preposterous idea that any human who weighs more than the status quo does not deserve to live a full and well rounded (ahem) life. The list of 25 is composed word for word from direct lists of sheer assholery found on the internet. These range from the absurd to the profoundly shameful, and I will be disproving this offensive notion with style. Feel free to join in on the fun, and if you do, link at the bottom so I can share. May the Chub Club live long and prosper!

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How is THIS for the last post of 2012? FOUR "Do Not's" from the asinine "25 Things Fat People Shouldn't Do". God, I'm such an oldest child. I had a super shitty bad body image day yesterday, and so I needed something to lift my spirits. Fortunately for me, I had the day off from work (Oh heeeeeeey four day weekend!) and so I decided to fill it with shit I love doing. Which weirdly enough can all be found on the list. So I took pictures. And had a hell of a time. And reveled in the adrenaline of social disobedience. It was just what I needed; I'm such a good friend to myself.

I surmise that fat people shouldn't sit in a booth because they would get stuck. And then someone would have to send the waiter into the kitchen to grab the container of clarified butter. And then all the staff would have to douse said fat person with clarified butter and pull on all limbs to get them free in a coordinated fashion. Fat person would then be asked to not return.

I have NEVER seen that happen.

Ever.

So whats the big stink about then? Booths are my favorite! In fact, I ask specifically for them on a regular basis. And I have yet to get mildly stuck. And even if I did, I'm not sure why you would care. I love booths and I think this rule is fucking stupid. The end.

Oooooooooooooooh this was a fun one. This morning, I did something I don't usually: I ordered what ever I wanted. When it came out, it was a lot more than I expected but I greeted it with surprise and not shame. And it was delicious. All of it.

I allowed myself to not make the food a competition. I didn't have to eat all of it to prove a point, and I didn't have to leave any to show I had restraint. And THIS is what made it even more fun. I swear to god I giggled a little while dining with myself, taking turns sipping coffee, reading The Times, eating french toast, and highlighting parts of Virgie Tovar's book.

Have you heard of Virgie Tovar? She's kind of changed my life. This book is a brilliant compilation from fat, fierce, and fabulous women telling their story about how they learned to love themselves. Everyone should own it. Everyone.

I loved Les Misérables. My poor humanist heart broke over the story line, but the movie itself is just... stunning. Anne Hathaway was so powerful. Good god I cried, no secrets here. I totally cried.
And I have no idea why fat people aren't allowed to go to the movies. My fat didn't eat anyone in the theater, as far as I know.

I purposefully wore a mini dress that probably shows my ass more than I realize, but no regrets. I love short little things, y'know? OH, and guess how I got there?

I drove.

And I sang while I drove. I suppose fat people aren't supposed to drive because they should be walking everywhere as punishment for being a social deviant but I didn't feel like walking 10 miles... so I didn't.

And now we all know what I look like when I sing along to Train.
Slightly embarrassing.

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Do you want to join in on the fun? I want you to as well! There really are no "size restrictions", anyone can participate. I'm going to start one LARGE link up for all 25 Things together! ANY item from the 25 Things can be added to the link up below, intstead of individually like before. Just use your name and the number chosen in the name area (see below!). Capiche?  I'll be "re-posting" this link up each time so if you've linked to any previous posts re-link here... Lets all bash stereotypes together. 

Go to the movies; blog about it. Eat in public (and enjoy it!); blog about it. Drive; blog about it. Sit in a booth and blog about it! It a small thing, but it is also saying "I will not live my life by anyone elses rules". And that feels good.  

(We've also finished: Cannonball, Wear a Mumu, Make Art, Swing, Wear Animal Print, Fly, Go To Bars, and Be Straight. Join in on any of these as well!)

A PICTORIAL LETTER TO MY RAPIST

"My Innocence ≠ Consent"
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Can be viewed at Fluxx Gallery January 12, 2013 

for Drawn: A Denim Day Fundraiser.
"Artists helping to end sexual assault"

I WEAR WHAT I WANT (PERIOD): BATMAN HOODIES

We've all heard the fat (ahem, plus size) rule about avoiding horizontal stripes... About wearing black because it's slimming. About wearing flared pants instead of tapered so we look "proportional". About avoiding small patterns so we don't look like furniture. But don't wear giant print because you'll overwhelm the viewer. Don't wear halters. Don't wear sleeveless. Don't wear chunky jewelry. Don't wear texture. Don't wear shiny fabric. Don't wear spandex. Don't wear baggy clothes. Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't.

But "LOVE yourself", they say. "Play to your strengths!". Fuck you is what I say. Fuck you and your rules that have nothing to do with me. I refuse to engage in your game. I don't dress for you. I don't dress for him. I most certainly don't dress to hide my "flaws" because in my opinion,  I don't have any. And I know you want to argue this honey, but unfortunately your opinion doesn't count.

I have been bending over backwards to follow these ubiquitous guidelines. The list of things "I wore but hated" is miles long. The list of things "I didn't wear that I loved" is even longer still. All so I would look "better". Like, as long as I wore this dress they wouldn't know I was fat. But if I wore the other... they would be able to tell. Who, exactly, did I  think I was fooling?

 Its taken me 26 years to get to the place where I think twice before passing over something I love because I'm afraid it will be "unflattering". I think it was Lesley that spoke to the hate behind the word "unflattering". How its a passive aggressive term we use to tell someone else they look terrible. We blame the issue on the garment, but our message is personal to the wearer. Its the same concept when we use it against ourselves, which is why the consensus is to fuck flattering all together.

I have stayed away from outfit posts for the most part because I really couldn't give a fuck less about clothes on their own merit. This leads me to believe that others feel the same way. However, recently I have started to discover the hidden power behind purchasing and wearing items that have been off limit to me my entire life. Things I've longed to wear, but wouldn't allow myself to. Because it would accentuate my underarms. Because it would show too much thigh. Because someone would be able to see my scandalous cleavage.  Because it's too loud. Because it's too masculine. Because it's a drop waist. Because it's ugly. Because it's tight. Because it's loose. Because it's metallic. Because of all the wrong reasons.

Clothing has started to embolden me. It has started to empower me; more power than "Holyshityoulookgreat". It's starting to become a statement. It's starting to become a way that I say what I want, when I want, for no one save me. And THIS, I feel, is worth blogging about.

But know this: what I wear in these posts will not be radical for most, but it is for me.

Like today: I went to my usual weekend meetings at my favorite coffee shop in a Batman hoodie. Not extreme for most, but for me it felt glorious. I suppressed my knee jerk reaction to dress up and rolled out of bed into this instead. It was masculine and shapeless on top and I felt nerdy, and sexy, and comfortable all at the same time. It was wonderful! Oh, and it has a fucking Batman mask for a hood... ears and all. Look me in the eye and tell me its not amazing.

Because I work in a kitchen, I don't dress up as often as I used to... so I usually jump at the chance to get creative on the weekends. While I love a shiny dress, I also love a graphic sweater and today was made for the latter. And you know what else? I accomplished  a lot this morning in my outfit. I secured the perfect venue for my upcoming art show, took gifts to the post office, met with a favorite friend, designed a page, enjoyed breakfast, and more. Superhero stuff for sure.

Ladies (and gents), I hope you wear whatever you love. Ignore the rules, ignore the shoulds, ignore the should nots, and embrace what you deem perfect. This simple action is packed with more empowerment than you would believe. "I hate wearing things I love!" said no one ever.

And just so you have something to look forward to, I'll let you know that I'll be wearing a gold skirt, pink tutu, and NYE outfit in the near future. Gold and tulle forever.

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM A DIME STORE DIAMOND

“What I want is the same thing everyone wants, the same thing you want- to hurl myself into this world and trust that it will catch me. That we all belong, and we’ll all find the places and the people we’ll belong to. I know we all have different magic inside us, and it’s up to you to figure out what yours might be. Maybe your magic is looking fabulous, maybe it’s organizing a protest, maybe it’s making a zine or starting a band or helping your friends’ band go on their first tour.

Take your inspiration and let it lead you out into the world, into your big amazing genius life. Voices in your head, echoes of people trying to hold you down- tell them to fuck off. You’re perfect the way you are. You don’t need to change anything but the world, so get to it.”

-Beth Ditto

YOU SHOULD TOTALLY READ THESE

Fat ladies stress more on dates. Well, yeah!
Choosing the right camera lens.
The power of vulnerability.
Who gives a fuck about the Oxford comma? I do.
Dexter has a board game, and I'm getting it for His birthday.
Turn your cat into Superman, Elvis, or a pirate. Squeeeee!!!
How to tell if a toy is for a boy or a girl.
I've been following Cari Waymans photography for 8 years. There is a reason for that.
Dont let Victoria's Secret trick you into feeling shitty.
This list of 75 gifts for your young feminist is awesome.
A friend starts every year with a theme. This year was The Year of Fear. Her writing is HILARIOUS.
A Netherlands gym fat shames those waiting for the bus.
This innocent and soft photo shoot.
I wish she could tattoo me.
Brass knuckle iPhone cases are the shit.
6 Plus models that are changing the industry.
How to live with a crazy person.
I ordered this book the second I found out it existed.
We've been talking a lot about mental health and guns lately. NY Times especially.
Disney covers the story of menstruation.
Melissa Blake blogs about her physical disability. She is rad.
I'm so proud of the Mormon feminists who bravely wore pants to church.despite death threats? WTF?
Identical twins... that aren't related!
It's a little late but still profound: Hipster Thanksgivings.
Beautiful self portraits of a 20 year old.
xoJane's Emily was assaulted by a cab driver and the whole article is worth reading. My favorite quote is this:

I could ramble on about all the "mistakes" I made that put me in this situation: I drank too much the night before, I dozed off, I got in the front seat, etc. But screw that. While I wouldn't advise another young girl new to New York to handle the events the same way as I did, as Emily has written about many times, it's their fault, not ours, no matter what you tell yourself with the heavy weight of denial and depression pressed upon your shoulders.

Should we stop calling people classy?
4 signs you should break up with your bestie.

Hey asshole, just because you like fat chicks doesn't earn you an award.
Everyones boobs are normal.
And what exactly are good boobs?
My Him and I laughed for hours at this Tumblr
I fucking love THIS MAGAZINE.
SEO secrets.
Hipster dads blog too
"Your body is not the best thing about you, your body is not the worst thing about you" illustration.
I want to buy Kristie Alley's cottage. Today.

///EDIT: Things that are being blamed for Sandy Hook: gay marriage, Obama, The Hunger Games, godless schools, and Fisher Price toys. Jesus fucking christ.///

Any links that you're loving that you want to share?!?!?

BAKER BABES XIV: CHARLOTTE OF MONCHATDANSLALUNE

Every once in a while, I meet an amazing person that inspires... well, sheer jealousy. And Charlotte is one of those people. She is a feminist, youtube sensation, seamstress, bass player, and all around adorable human being. Oh WAIT, did I mention she's 14? She blogs at MonChatDansLaLune and I am honored that she is our Baker Babe today. So happy introduce all of you to her... Charlotte, everyone. Everyone, Charlotte.

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Name: Charlotte

Occupation: Seamstress, and Bass Player in The Lonely Parade

Dream Occupation: a Musician, or a Film Director

Age: 14

What was your earliest memory about baking?

When I was really young, my mum and my grandma and I would bake cookies, and my grandma let me eat some of the raw cookie batter. Such a treat!

Howd'ja Start Baking?

I started baking with my mum when I was really young (mainly cookies or brownies), but I started baking on my own when I wanted something really yummy to eat but also wanted to satisfaction of having made it myself. When I was younger, I also used to serve tea at a Museum, and on occasion when they ran low on scones and oatcakes, I would always lend a hand.

When you picture "a baker", what do you see?

Honestly, I usually think of Wallace, Gromit, and Piella the Bake-O-Lite Girl, from the Wallace and Gromit movie, 'A Matter of Loaf and Death'! Aside from that, I picture someone in a warm little cottage, with flour all over their apron, baking an array of delicious things for their friends and family.

What qualities or skills does it take to be a baker?

For me, it takes a lot of patience! It's really hard for me to have to work on something for a long period of time. I like having things done instantaneously, so having to work to make something to mix properly, or even waiting for it to finish baking, is really hard.

What is the biggest baking FAIL you ever had?

Oho... :) One afternoon a couple of years ago, I was trying to bake the scones we used to bake at the Museum, and I accidentally substituted salt for sugar, so to try and make it better, I had to dump about 3 times as much sugar in to the mixture. They tasted awful! Another extreme failure was last year, when my friends and I were having a giant birthday party for all of our favourite band members, so we had to make a cake. Instead of putting icing sugar in the icing, we accidentally put regular white sugar, so the icing was crunchy! It was so weird :P

How do you feel about Martha Stewart?

Well. I'm not quite sure. Martha Stewart really doesn't cater to my demographic, and I've never really looked up to her for crafting or baking ideas. Aside from the odd cookie recipe, I've never really had much to do with her.

Tell me something random most people don't already know:

Instead of going to the mall, or thinking about boys and makeup like most normal teenagers, I make short movies and music videos with dolls! I have eight 18 inch American Girl Dolls that I use for the movies. I also have a very nice (cough cough) Canon Rebel T3 that I use for filming, that I bought with my own money, by sewing and selling doll clothes on my Etsy shop.

If you had to be an ingredient in a recipe, what would you be?

I think I'd probably be flour. It's pretty essential in baking as far as I know, and I like being needed. I like holding things together, which is probably why I like being the Bass Player!

Would you share your all time favourite recipe with us?

YES! One of my ABSOLUTE favourite things to eat is Shortbread and I have a really fricken easy recipe for it! Just be warned, it's very rich and addictive!

Really Fricken Easy Shortbread:

1 Cup Cornstarch

1 Cup Icing Sugar

2 Cups Flour

1 1/2 Cups Butter (room temperature)

Mix together dry ingredients, then mix the butter in using a pastry cutter, then once all the ingredients are combined and look crumbly, cream the mixture with a wooden spoon. Smoosh it until it is basically one ball, then press it into a 9x9inch baking pan (no need to grease it!) Bake it at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour. When it is done baking, let it cool for 10 minutes, then cut it in to squares. Then let it cool completely and flip the shortbread on to a baking rack. 

Then you may eat it.

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Thank you Charlotte for everything! I'm so glad the internet introduced us.

If you're interested in becoming a Baker Babe (or you emailed me and I forgot to get back to you) drop me a line. I would love it!

I am also looking for "This One Thing I Really Love About My Body" submissions. I want those too!

xoxoxo

NEW YEARS ADVERTISING

Alreadywhaaaaaaaaaaaa 2013? How wonderful! It's time for you to sign up for my sidebar which is once again... free. I want to swap with you, so purchase whatever size you want using the code FUCKYEAH2013, and then take my button on the left for yours. If you need me to send you a different size, contact me, k?

I'm gonna challenge ALL of you to advertise this January, whether you're a small or large blog... If you need help making a button, I would be happy to help.

Click here to advertise.

Hooray for a new year, new opportunities, and a new start!

2012 JHOLIDAY NEWSLETTER

Happy Holidays everyone! We are so thrilled to be sending out our second annual “newsletter” this year for our little family. 2012 was awesome. Awesome, scary, exciting, unpredictable, and full of change. Here are a few things that we’ve been all about for the last 365 days:

Behavioral Health: The Him changed his course in life dramatically when he was accepted into the Recovery Support Specialist Institute here in Tucson. This nationally recognized curriculum teaches how to use personal experiences to assist others in recovery and also how to navigate the general behavioral health system. He excelled there and graduated, soon after starting a new job at MHC as an RSS. While no job is without challenges, He enjoys assisting the people he works with and has received raving reviews from those in the mental health field all throughout Tucson. 

Jes has had an equally successful year graduating from the RSSI as well. Her work as a Psych/Social Rehabilitation Specialist is going well and she is excited to have been asked to co-author a curriculum for two agencies here in town. Mental and behavioral health with an emphasis on recovery has encompassed our lives and we love being able to share the same field successes as well as frustrations. When you work in human services, it’s nice to come home to someone who understands!

Dexter: We’re addicted. We can’t help it. We love a good story line, and have become fanatical about stellar TV shows which include Dexter, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and The Big Bang Theory. If that makes us bad people… well, we’ll take it.

Photography: This has been Jes’ focus and He has been supporting her along the way. Jes’ photography has taken off and become internationally known through her portraits and also her large Body Image(s) project which will be an extensive art show in March of 2013. Hooray!

Cats: We’ve collected another cat this year: Fisher. He is our fluffy new addition and gets along splendidly with Inga and Owen. We really have become a crazy cat couple and love our kitties as if they were our children. Our excessive adoration may repulse some, but we’re pretty big fans of our three tornados.

Becoming better people: Along with our career choices, this has been the main focus of our year. The two are actually inextricably connected, which brings us both a lot of happiness.  We have set a lot of goals this year and have accomplished many. Jes is starting ASU’s Social Work program and The Him is completing certifications so that we can more adequately contribute to our current jobs. Jes also writes advocate articles online and has been published widely, reaching millions. She’s excited about her body love workshop that will hopefully be a big success in October of 2013. Stay tuned for a bit about that in our next newsletter. We are constantly striving to live happier, healthier lives each day… even when it means retiring old habits that we secretly love or pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zone. We will continue working towards becoming more fulfilled, giving, accepting, conscious advocates and look forward to that journey together.

The most important thing is that we find ourselves continuously in love with each other and life, and hope this newsletter finds you feeling just as joyful!

Love from all of us.

NEW SERIES: THIS ONE THING I REALLY LOVE ABOUT MY BODY

Hooray for starting new collaborations with women I adore around the blogosphere! Which is all of you, duh.

"This One Thing I Really Love About My Body" is a no nonsense challenge for all of us to put our self admiration into words when it comes to something we never allow ourselves to talk about... body pride. Its a difficult task that counters everything we've learned, but I'm offering you a chance to thwart self hate and submit what you love about you. It could be a body part, it could be a physical attribute, it could be a strength... anything that comes to mind when you read the image above. I want your help on this, and I'm really excited to hear what you have to say! To start this off, I'll ramble for a second about... my rolls.

I'm serious.

I wanted to initially post about how perfectly shaped my ass is, but I'll leave that for someone else, and talk about something I never thought I could... the fact that I love my flab.

I think it started with the Body Image(s) project when I found myself entranced by the aesthetic beauty in other women's stomachs. Almost every single one, large and small alike, had plenty of folds when curled up or sitting and I just thought they were fucking gorgeous. I started taking pictures of every model's belly as time progressed, and then I started to notice mine. Sitting on the couch, looking at every soft ripple my skin made. I started running my fingers over them. Grabbing handfuls of them. Admiring the shapes they made and the romantic curves they created They are so rolley polley and FUN.

The more I pay attention to them, the more I love them, and this has been a revolutionary experience for me.

YAY ROLLS!

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So here's the deal. I want your contribution. Even if it feels outside your comfort zone, try it! For each submission I'll need one image (obviously I showed skin, but you don't have to) and a paragraph or two. That's it. Easy peasy! Lets celebrate the body we've got and allow ourselves to fall in love with how unique it is. I cannot wait to hear about how beautiful you are! The email you can use is thekitschentruck@gmail.com. I know I need a new email name but I'm so fast at typing this one!

P.S."Baker Babes" is still a thing, and I have some interviews coming, so if you're interested in contributing to that please feel free to email me about that as well.

P.P.S. I'm still working on the 25 Things. Be patient;)

BEST FRIENDS

A little happy for your Tuesday.
It really would be irresponsible of me to capture these guys and not share.