It's kind of a surreal thing, as a student filmmaker, to know that someone actually bought tickets and paid to see the film you worked on. It goes from surreal to amazing when they actually pick the film as one of the top 10 movies of the year. Very, very cool.
And, just so you know, if you ever see it, my name is the third one in the closing credits! Right after the Director and Executive Producer!
So yesterday, like every Christmas, was a very busy day. The morning was all about Santa and all the stuff my kids somehow tricked him into believing they deserved. There was box after box of clothes, some of which inspired incredible jealous in yours truly (especially my daughter's shirt that says Cupcakes Rock). Tons of little toys were there too And, the biggie, The Beatles Rock Band set.
After all the opening, Not-So-Ex headed back to bed and the kids and I opened up the Rock Band stuff (which took FOREVER and caused some bloodshed) and had so much fun playing together (Rena took the mic, Hunt was on drums, and I picked up the guitar) that we were almost late for the next party.
Then came the in-laws, where the food is mind-blowingly good, and then on to my maternal grandparents. After the presents at Mamaw's, we had a little time for the kids to play and such, then we hit the movies.
As we were buying gift certificates at the theater for various family members, I went ahead and picked up tickets for Sherlock Holmes on Christmas night. I grew up on the books, so I was pretty psyched, especially since I am madly in love with Robert Downey, Jr (the whole damaged artist thing is so my type *sigh*). And we weren't disappointed. The film varies greatly from the books, but, if you go with an open mind, you'll still have a blast. Which is always a good thing, since there will clearly be at least one sequel.
And, speaking of sequels, a preview was shown for Iron Man 2. At the very least, it looked interesting since Mickey Rourke is involved. But he still creeps me out. LOL
And, while on the subject of movies, I desperately want to see Nine! I love musicals (I know, I know) and there's just something awesome about sparkly musical movies! But it's interesting to see Goldie Hawn... oh wait... that's actually Kate Hudson... never mind. LOL
So anyway, maybe I'll luck out and Not-So-Ex will decide that scantily clad chicks singing (I said singing, not dancing... that would lead to a whole different thing in his mind! LOL) will be a great choice for a date night! I'll keep my fingers crossed!
First off, I must apologize for some seriously crappy picture quality. The Not-So-Ex had the nerve to go out with a friend a leave me without his iPhone so I was stuck with the crappy photo taking abilities of my own phone. And yes I do have a real digital cam but, unfortunately, I haven't been able to find the USB that goes with it since I moved (almost 4 months ago).
But anyway, those of you who know me know that, in addition to my cupcake obsession, I am a massive movie geek. So when I was looking for a cupcake to fill my lonely, Not-So-Ex-less Saturday evening, this was JUST what I was looking for. I mean how could I turn down a recipe that managed to combine my love of cupcakes and my love for dark, twisted, violent cinema such as Pulp Fiction (although, for the record, I prefer Reservoir Dogs myself)?
So, in dedication to my Quentin, I present a recipe stolen word for word from my favorite blog ever...
MARSELLUS & MIA WALLACE CUPCAKES (AKA BLACK-N-WHITE CUPCAKES) Prepare both vanilla and chocolate batters (directions below); fill muffin cups with 3 tablespoons of each, side by side. Makes 24. (I got more than that!)
Ingredients:
Vanilla:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup whole milk
Chocolate:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
½ cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup whole milk
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a standard 12-cup muffin pan, or use paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt (and chocolate powder for the chocolate cupcakes); set aside.
With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; add vanilla, and mix until combined. On low speed, beat in half the flour mixture, followed by milk; end with remaining flour mixture. Mix just until incorporated (do not overmix).
Fill muffin cups with 3 tablespoons of each batter, side by side.. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 22 to 24 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan, 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
As usual, I chose a different frosting than shown on Cupcake Rehab. I decided to use a chocolate frosting (actually the same one I used for the choc. cherry cupcakes but without cherry). So here's the frosting I used, stolen from allrecipes.com...
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons milk
DIRECTIONS:
1.
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in cocoa and vanilla. Place confectioners' sugar in a large bowl. Pour in cocoa mixture. Beat well (mixture will be extremely thick). Beat in milk, a teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.
