Double Chocolate Cupcakes

Cupcakes are considered a "special treat" around our home, maybe because they are only baked on birthdays. My siblings always get excited for cupcakes so to surprise them I whipped up a batch of these beauties last night. Here's the recipe if you would like to make some :

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 medium sized eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup 1% low-fat buttermilk
• 1 1/4 ounces dark  chocolate, finely chopped
• 
  
• Method
• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; stir with a whisk.
• Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well combined (about 3 minutes). Add eggs and vanilla extract, beating well. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to  sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Fold in chocolate. Spoon batter into 12 cups lined with  cupcake liners. Bake at 350° for 18 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in the center or until wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from pan; cool completely on a wire rack. Frost the cupcakes with your favorite frosting before serving. I used a store bought butter cream frosting.   

A Balancing Act

The most balanced thing about me is the fact that I have spent exactly half my life in Dhaka and the other half in New 
York City. I was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh and when left for America I took with me more than what I left behind.  I feel there are many like me in this nation also carrying the weight of their motherland every moment

Most of us have a frozen mental self image in our minds of whatever year we left and I am no different. My mental self image is frozen in my head, maybe because of guilt, loss or even insecurity. Being a first generation Bangladeshi in America I try (well...most of the time :P) to stick the good and bad Bangladeshi norms and let me tell you, it is not an easy feat! It is a constant balancing act, one that requires great strength and skills. Trying to find a fifty fifty balance is almost impossible, but slowly and surely I am learning.

No, not to find a perfect balance but to walk away from the illusion of a perfect balance. I am learning to give up the quest of a perfect balance and trying to do things that truly makes me happy. I am learning that perfect balance is not always fifty fifty but it's whatever fits your needs the best. 

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms out there! Especially to my mom who goes above and beyond every single day for her three children. Thanks Mom for all that you do for us.

Rainy Day Ramblings

It is bleary rainy day today; a good day to reflect on a few things. Things like how to regain enthusiasm for the the little things and taking control of life. I am realizing that life doesn't have a reset button and I can't wait around for life to fix itself. I have to take the active role in making life work for me. After my father's sudden death last summer, I knew more than ever that I can not sit around passively and let life swing by. Even though my back was against the wall, I was determined to move forward and not be bitter and hopeless. Surprisingly, I have moved on faster than I have thought. The human mind is a lot more resilient than I believed it to be. It is not an easy task to move on but gradually I am learning to pick myself up, dust myself off and be on the top of my own little world.

Things I Don't Spend Money On

Today I would like to share my "Things I Don't Need" list. The things that are on this list are there because I have realized, for me they are really not worth the money. Since the economy has been rough I have been more cautious about spending money on a whim. I work hard for my money so spending it on things that aren't really worth it, to me is a total waste. Here are the 3 things I don't spend my money on:

• Magazines  I get the magazines I like to read from my local library since magazines from the new stands tend to sell for almost $4 on average. Four bucks may not seem like a lot of money, but it surely does add up.

• Gym Membership  For me personally, gym membership is a waste of money. It doesn't cost me a penny to on a pair of sneakers and go for a walk or jog in my local park. Also, YouTube has several workouts that are completely free. My favorite is this one. 

• Bottled Water   Bottle water to me is a wasteful luxury. We have a water filter which saves us a considerable amount of money over buying bottled water. Watch this video to learn how bottled water is taking a toll on our wallets and the environment.