Ah, the little white lie. Chances are  you said one in your lifetime. If you’re married (especially for a long time) you  might say one once a day.

 Now we are all taught not to lie. Your parents teach you that. I am sure Barney the Purple Dinosaur probably has a song about not lying. Sesame Street taught me that. And the ABC after school specials did as well.

But as I got older I realized that they same parents who taught me not to lie, were (wait for it) liars themselves (oh the horror).
Case in point. My bunny (no, not the one I have now). Growing up I had several bunnies. The first one I ever had was an outdoor one in a hutch. One day when I woke up and my parents had that serious look on their face. I quickly scanned my head thinking ah shit, what did I do now, but then quickly remember that I was indeed the perfect child, so no worries there.
They sat me down to let me know that my rabbit had run away. I being the inquisitive little sucker that I am, relentlessly asked questions as to how this tiny little bunny could have escaped from the cage. Well, my parents must have not been ready for the full court press as their tiny white lie, got a little bit bigger. They told me that the neighbor (a guy I would later find out they didn’t like) had gone and pet the rabbit (we had no fence between us) and didn’t latch the cage right when he left. Well, hell hath no fury like a little girl who lost her bunny. Needless to say, the poor man’s flowerbeds never looked good again.

Years later, as an adult, we were all sitting around talking about something. And then it came out. That little white lie from so many years ago. The neighbor had not accidentally left the cage open. In fact, what had really happen was that a raccoon had gotten into the cage and ripped it to shreds. Now I don’t have kids, and even I know it was a good move on my parents part to not tell their young daughter about the true demise of her bunny. These are the times the little white lie is your friend.

Speaking of little white lies. I’m coming clean on one. A few years back for Christmas I got a lot of cookbooks. I mean a lot. 26 to be exact. I know some of you are saying to yourself, I don’t even own 26 cookbooks. But let us all remember that I am a cookbook whore (people are in awe of how many I own). To set the record straight I did not ask for that many cookbooks. But when all else fails, people buy me a cookbook. It’s a safe bet I am going to use it.

But because I got so many that year, a few of them got passed over (I was too busy focusing on the ones I asked for). One was a book called Chocolate Snowball. It wasn’t on my wishlist (Amazon) and I had actually never heard of it. It’s a cookbook a bakery in Dear Valley put out. So months later when the friend who gave it to me asked me how I liked the cookbook, I pulled out the little white lie and told her it was great. Except that I didn’t actually know. Because I didn’t actually really look through it yet. I had planned on doing that when I got home only to realize that I had packed it up. Yes, I have so many, I pack them up and rotate them through. So low and behold a few weeks before Christmas, I opened one of those boxes. And there it was, mocking me. Mocking me because there were recipes in there that I wanted to try. And if I had just bothered to look at it in the first place I could have already made the stuff.

Back when I made this you could still get fresh cranberries. I am quite sure that dried cranberries would work just as nicely, but I would go the unsweetened route. Or you could make this with fresh raspberries as well. This bread isn’t reinventing the wheel or going to cause world peace (like those chocolate cookies) but it’s a all around good quick bread.
So feel free to lie everyone. I’m sure many of you have even lied to me on here telling me something looks good when you are thinking not so much. But remember, a little white lie can go a long way.

Cranberry Orange Bread

8 TBSP unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 tsp orange zest
2 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
¾  tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup orange juice (preferably fresh)
1 ½ cups cranberries, coarsely chopped
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease and flour a 12-x-4-inch loaf pan (or three mini pans).

Using an electric mixer (if using a stand use the paddle attachment), cream together the butter, sugar and orange zest.

Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl after every addition.

In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture.
Mix and scrap the bowl.

Add the orange juice and mix until fully incorporated.

Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until ingredients just come together.

Fold in cranberries and walnuts.

Spread into prepared pan and bake for 60-75 minutes (about 40-45 for the mini). Cool for 30 minutes before removing from the pan.

Adapted from Chocolate Snowball and Other Fabulous Pastries from the Deer Valley Bakery by Letty Halloran Flatt

So ironically the same night I posted the cupcakes, When Harry Met Sally came on TBS or some channel like that. So of course, I watched it. And while watching it, something struck a cord…hard.

Harry Burns: You realize of course that we could never be friends.
Sally Albright: Why not?
Harry Burns: What I’m saying is – and this is not a come-on in any way, shape or form – is that men and women can’t be friends because the sex part always gets in the way.
Sally Albright: That’s not true. I have a number of men friends and there is no sex involved.
Harry Burns: No you don’t.
Sally Albright: Yes I do.
Harry Burns: No you don’t.
Sally Albright: Yes I do.
Harry Burns: You only think you do.
Sally Albright: You say I’m having sex with these men without my knowledge?
Harry Burns: No, what I’m saying is they all WANT to have sex with you.
Sally Albright: They do not.
Harry Burns: Do too.
Sally Albright: They do not.
Harry Burns: Do too.
Sally Albright: How do you know?
Harry Burns: Because no man can be friends with a woman that he finds attractive. He always wants to have sex with her.
Sally Albright: So, you’re saying that a man can be friends with a woman he finds unattractive?
Harry Burns: No. You pretty much want to nail ‘em too.
Sally Albright: What if THEY don’t want to have sex with YOU?
Harry Burns: Doesn’t matter because the sex thing is already out there so the friendship is ultimately doomed and that is the end of the story.
Sally Albright: Well, I guess we’re not going to be friends then.
Harry Burns: I guess not.
Sally Albright: That’s too bad. You were the only person I knew in New York.

Can men and women just be friends? I’m going with yes (or at least for me). For about 95% of my friends are guys. If I hadn’t eloped, my maid of honour would have been my guy friend S. But I wasn’t up for making a political statement, and well, he would look crappy in a dress.

Now maybe since I have played hockey with the vast majority of my male friends at some point in my life, this has helped things. Why does that matter you ask? Well, I’ve seen the vast majority of them naked in the locker room. Though, none of them get to see me naked (yes, I realize not fair…life is not fair, move on). Maybe already knowing what they have to um…*offer* makes me less curious and I can therefore just be friends with them (boy that sounds harsh ).

But in all seriousness, I like guys as friends. They are easy (remove mind from gutter). When you give them an answer they don’t grill and question you about it for forever. One word answers work for them. When you ask them what they are thinking and they say nothing, they mean it. They like to drink beer. Eat the food I make. Watch sports. All things I can hang with. Now I do have female friends of course. Though, the majority of them are a little on the tomboy side, so even they are leaning towards guys.

And since I was bringing When Harry Met Sally back up again, I figured I would just redo the Caramel Macchiato flavor in a different way. They Hot Chocolate Muffins went over well, and so I thought offering up the Macchiato in cream cheese muffin form seemed like a good idea as well. It was. If you can’t find the Dulce de Leche drinking chocolate just use a caramel flavored hot chocolate.

So what do you think? Can men and women be friends?

Caramel Maccihato Cream Cheese Muffins

½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ tsp instant espresso powder
1/3 cup Dulce de Leche Drinking Chocolate (see note)
½ cup milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt

Caramel Cream Cheese Filling (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 375F.
Grease either a jumbo (makes 6) or regular (makes 12) muffin tin.

In a small saucepan, heat the milk, but do not boil. Add the drinking chocolate and the powdered espresso. Whisk and set aside. Don’t worry if not all of the drinking chocolate pieces dissolve.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together on medium speed the sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.

Add the vanilla extract and espresso milk mixture, and beat for an additional minutes.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter mixture in the mixing bowl into the large bowl with the flour mixture.

Fold the mixture together just until combined. (do not over mix)

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each one about 2/3 of the way full.

Using a piping bag with large tip, fill the bag with cream cheese mixture. Place tip into the middle of the muffin and fill until you see the cream cheese on top. Repeat with all of the muffins.

Bake for 16-18 minutes (22-25 for the larger ones like I made). Insert a knife or wooden skewer to make sure they are done. Be sure to not insert the knife or skewer where the cream cheese is, that will give you a false reading of whether the muffin is done or not.

Let cool and drizzle with caramel if desired (I know, I know…you desire).

Caramel Cream Cheese Filling

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 TBSP caramel sauce (store bought or homemade)
¼  cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 TBSP all-purpose flour

If using stand mixer, clean bowl. If using electric hand beaters, just get a new bowl. Beat the cream cheese and caramel together on medium-high for about 2 minutes. Until it is nice and smooth. Add sugar, egg, and flour and beat an additional 2 minutes.

*I use Schokinag Drinking Chocolate in Dulce de Leche flavor. If you can not find this use caramel flavored hot chocolate.

Way back in the day some of you might remember a little movie called When Harry Met Sally. And while the movie has many a memorable moment or two (never fake an orgasm ladies, make the man work harder ),the one we will be discussing today is the idea that women fall into two categories, low or high maintenance. Personally, I think all women are high maintenance. I can get away with saying that since I am one.

Now before you go off and say, but I’m not high maintenance (you probably soooo are, everyone who says that is usually the worst), I’m not saying that you are a demanding bitch. But I can assure you that at some level, all women (and some men) are high maintenance. I’m a pretty laid back person. I get along with most people. Heck, I am just coming from a senior citizen potluck that they have at my gym (I rehab my injuries in the senior classes). But there are some aspects in my life where I am super high maintenance. We wont go into that since it’s best you all have a lovely opinion of me.

One area that I never used to be high maintenance at until I moved to the Seattle area is coffee. I just took it however they handed it over to me. Who knew I was suppose to tell the person making my coffee exactly how I wanted it? I mean, I thought I just took whatever they gave me and tipped them a dollar to do so. But I have gone from a Venti Mocha (taking it just how they gave it to me) to a Grande, Non-Fat, Sugar Free, Half Caf, Cinnamon Dolce, No Whip (at least that is what I have been drinking lately). Wow, what a snob I have become. I don’t feel snobby about it up here, but when I go back down to Phoenix the people usually look at me like I am insane.

One beverage that I am a fan of and don’t mess with all that much in my ordering is the Caramel Macchiato. And though it is a wonderful beverage, it’s not so kind in the calorie department. So what did I decide to do? Make it worse for you! Go Peabody. That’s right, I decided (as suggested by a reader) to make the Caramel Macchiato into cupcake form. I mean, buttercream frosting always trumps that wimpy whipped cream they throw on there.

Caramel Macchiato Cupcakes

1 ½ cups self-rising flour

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 ½ cups superfine sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup Starbucks Bottled Caramel Frappuccino

3 TBSP store bought caramel sauce

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add the caramel and beat for an additional 2 minutes.

Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the Frappuccino and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat.

Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

Let cool for15 minutes. Remove from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Cupcake recipe adapted from More From Magnolia: Recipes from the World Famous Bakery and Allysa Torey’s Home Kitchen by Allysa Torey

Caramel Italian Buttercream Frosting

1 cup sugar

¼ cup water

5 egg whites

¼ cup sugar

2 cups unsalted butter , room temperature, cut into TBPS

4 TBSP caramel sauce (store bought is just fine), plus more to drizzle over cupcakes

Boil 1 cup sugar and ¼ cup water over medium heat until it reaches 245F. As it cooks begin meringue so it’s ready when syrup is done.

Whip egg whites with a wire whisk in a stand up mixer on high until soft peaks form. About 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle in ¼ cup sugar. Beat.

Slowly pour the hot syrup into the meringue steadily with the mixer still on high.

Beat the frosting for 7-10 minutes until the outside of the bowl has cooled down to room temperature.

Beat in butter by the tablespoon. The butter will deflate the frosting a bit.

When all butter is incorporated add caramel sauce. Mix for about a minute. Frost cooled cupcakes. Drizzle with extra caramel sauce if desired.