Yesterday we went to the KCC Park near Sky, Victoria, to check out the Cocker Spaniel Show and of course we took Bill and Jo along too.
We seem to be the most prepared for most things, but unprepared when it comes to taking the dogs to a dog show. We forgot tape for our signs, the dogs water bowl and we forgot our own drink. We also neglected to realise the enclosure we have for the dogs is completely escapable by Bill.
Thankfully Gillian came to the rescue with her doggin cage with a lid so Bill couldn’t jump out and run around.
In the end if wasn’t a hugely successful day for PupMates, pretty sure we had spoken to most of the people there at the Dog’s Day Out and/or they had heard about us from Gillian. But I took some photos and that turned out a little more successfully.
Also made a time lapse, which we had had some height to add to it so we got a little bit of a better result, but it does OK.
I’m still going through the photos so there may be some more additions in the near future.
Sure I’m a grown man, but I have to say that’s not a statement I would often make, especially not out loud and especially when there’s a box of Lego in front of me.
Yesterday I was grateful and fortunate to be given some Lego as a birthday present by Amelie and Elliot (and Nikki and Ben) and I couldn’t wait to get home and open it up. We had a great morning having breakfast with them and then checking out local toy store, Jasper Junior (one of our favourites).
Then home to put my lego together. Of course this would have been much more fun to do with the kids, but hey, it was still plenty of fun on my own.
I thought I’d make a time-lapse of it going together, but unfortunately, after setting up the iPhone4S to capture the action with my Gorilla Pod Focus and Gilf+, I forgot to check the phone’s battery level. We got part way through but not all the way. But it was a good proof of concept video and one I’ll repeat when next I get my hands on some new lego.
So here’s the video:
And for good measure, here’s what it looks like when it’s complete:
Last night we went down to Federation Square and caught up with Sue, Dee and Marie for day two of the Melbourne Indigenous Arts Festival. I found the link the other day, quite by accident, and sent it on to Suez who’s a big fan of indigenous music. Only after sending the link did I look at the line up and notice that Casey Donovan was also scheduled to play. And Casey was on right before Dan Sultan (the artist the girls love to love). So I wrote back to Sue and said we’d come along, weather pending because it was supposed to rain all weekend.
Well thankfully our weather forecasters have been off a little of late, and other than a few spits here and there, the rain stayed away.
When we arrived we searched for the girls, but couldn’t find them anywhere. After a good fifteen minutes I sent a text to Sue asking where she was, but there’s no way she would have heard my message over the sounds being made on the stage. And just after sending the message (before she would have gotten it) I look up and across the way is a group of people waving at us, and there they were. At one point in the search we would have been standing right behind them!
They had arrived earlier in the day day, wanting to catch other acts, so they had been standing there for quite some time.
The act that was on when we got there was hip-hop artist Radical Son. He was pretty standard fare when it comes to my exposure to hip-hop, which is extremely limited. He interacted with the crowd well and played a good set, ending with the adage “In judging me, you judge yourself.” Which I thought was a pretty good ideology in life.
Then the break, when David and I ducked off to get some food, and back for Casey Donovan.
Now if you don’t know Casey she, as she explained, was on Australian Idol about 8 years ago. During it’s second year on air. At 16 she was the youngest contestant on the show and she was awesome. In fact in all the years of Idol Casey is the only contestant for whom I picked up the phone and voted. What she didn’t mention last night was that she won Australian Idol. I don’t know why she didn’t expressly point it out, but she beat Anthony Callea (our neighbour at the time) and took the top honors. She was then unceremoniously dumped by the label after they contractually required one album had had its run. And if we’re being honest, like fellow Idol winner, Kate Dearaugo, was dumped because she didn’t fit the cookie cutter “pretty girl” that the industry expects our female artists to be. Talent be damned. Casey has a big, beautiful voice and it’s sad it has remained mostly silent over the past 8 years.
She played a good set that included her idol winner’s track “Listen with Your Heart” and also a favourite from her “For You” album, “What’s Going On”. With these she included other tunes including Mamma Cass’s “Dream A Little Dream Of Me” and Hairspray’s “I Know Where I’ve Been”. I was good seeing Casey Donovan, back on stage and looking happy performing.
After a very brief break it was Dan Sultan’s turn to shine. While he humbly decried his having to follow an artist like Casey Donovan, he was clearly the one the crowd came to see. I’d never seen Dan perform, nor am I previously familiar with any of his work, but I was standing in a mainly empty area, with David, Marie, Sue and Dee, until Dan graced the stage. Then we were suddenly in a crowd.
He’s a great performer, and his work is very well mainstream, not sure why it doesn’t get more airplay on commercial radio stations, maybe they do tend to steer too much away from our indigenous artists. David noted Dan’s performance style was very reminiscent of that of John Mellencamp and I tend to agree. Dan’s songs and stage presence would not be out of place on a Mellencamp stage.
It was a great night, I took a bunch of photos, I think some of them turned out alright.
Casey Donovan
Dan Sultan
Yesterday was my birthday. I took the day off work and did a whole lot of nothing. Well I did errands and made my own birthday cake.
The cake was a raw carrot cake, no cooking, no flour, no milk or eggs, 100% vegan. It worked and it tastes like carrot cake, but the textures are all wrong. Because of the messed up textures it didn’t quite sit right with my past experience. I guess if I end up going raw for part of my diet there are a few aspects of it that will take some getting used to. Either way, it was a good experiment. There’s already a few modifications I’d make to the recipe to make it smoother and more consistent with a traditional carrot cake.
In the lead up to my birthday I always have a bit of a melt down, I’m getting older, but I don’t ever feel like it. I wonder if this is what it is like for my parents. I know that in the past they have told us to stop getting older because it was making the feel old. I don’t have kids to remind me of that everyday, but I am often blown away by the fact that I have a nephew turning 15 this year and even that David and I have been together for 15 years.
Time is slipping away. It is something I think about often. Perhaps I obsess about time and yet I don’t really have much of a concept of time. I’m crap at remembering when things happen, I remember details, just not when.
And I don’t want to grow up, ever, there are times I don’t feel like a full-fledged adult.
So yeah, I’m 38 now and all I can think about is the one line in a Prince song “The day that we stop counting, we’ll live as long as a tree.” Maybe it will happen, if I, and everyone around me, stops counting.
Stop counting with me.
As we did last year, Australia Day 2011, to celebrate Australia Day we head down to the Geelong foreshore with our friend Kathryn for a day of photos and fun.
First though was a quick stop at the Wyndham Cache for breakfast. We had lunch there last Sunday and have to say our second visit wasn’t as great. Clearly they weren’t prepared for the crowds of the public holiday and the horse show that was happening just up the road. Only two front of house staff were on, pretty sure the owner and his wife, and two kitchen staff. The kitchen kept up better than the front of house and after a bit of a wait to place our order or breakfasts arrived. I had French toast, which after ordering seemed a little wrong on Australia Day.
When we got to Geelong there was a slight hitch. Some boofhead (read “I”) forgot my camera and left it sitting on the kitchen table at home. Thankfully Kathryn was travelling with all three of her camera bodies that day; a Nikon, a Canon and a Konica/Minolta. Kathryn was going to let me borrow one of her bodies for the day, as they’d most likely just be sitting in the boot.
I think, however, that both David and Kathryn could tell I was a little miffed that I wouldn’t have my own camera and David suggested we go home and get it. Kathryn opted to stay and start visiting the festivities while David and I made the hour-long round trip back home to get my camera.
On our return, now much happier with my own baby in my hands, we set about exploring the foreshore. It was set up much the same as last year. From where we parked, on top of the hill, it was a short walk to the skate park where the “grungy” bands were playing, then past the pier, over to the first part where food stalls were set up and the main stage was in place. On the main stage our new Australians were being sworn in as little Aussies, with this year’s group including a gentleman of 88 who has lived in Australia for over 60 years but this year was the oldest person in Australia becoming a new Aussie on Australia day 2012.
Further along was another park with another stage of performers, followed by the Giant Sky Wheel (just past the marina) and the beach volley ball beside that. Across from these were yet more stalls.
We took a bunch of photos at the volley ball and moved on down to the far end, to the Eastern Beach Swimming Enclosure, where the kids (young and old) dive from the diving boards and fall, sometimes flailing wildly, from the high platform. These kids are quite often fun to watch for ages. They have so much fun bouncing around and trying new tricks.
One little girl was by far the highlight of the day. When it was her turn, she’d walk out to the edge of the diving board, look down, think about it, look back at her brother (who was waiting next in line) and then back at the water. Then she’d wander back off the board, too scared to jump and back to the end of the line. This went on about seven times before, on the eight, her brother went out on the board with her and stood with her while she did her “look and consider” routine. This time though her brother must have offered her comfort because she was suddenly crouching down and then launching herself off the edge of the board and into the water. Had it been one of my siblings I’m sure we would have pushed them off before the third time through. But her brother, and all those waiting in line, were very patient with her.
Of course once the first jump was out of the way there was no stopping her.
We had lunch at one of the stalls, I opted for a calamari and prawn basket while David and Kathryn had baked spuds. We also indulged in dagwood dogs, soft serve ice-cream and fairy floss, all right when I say “we” I probably mean just me. But it was a celebration so it’s all right for a little indulgence to occur.
While we had at first considered hanging around for the fireworks display later in the night we were all a little worn out form the sun and walking around and around. We instead opted for a ride on The Giant Sky Wheel, then home. On the way home we passed by Werribee South water front where they had just started celebrations, though I’m sure most of the people had been there all day, and it was packed. They were going to have fireworks there too, but we still decided it best to call it a day.
In all it was a fun day, we always have a good day when we’re out taking photos. I think we came back with a nice collection. Many of which probably won’t see the light of day. But here’s a few of my favourites from the day. You can see more in my Flickr set: Australia Day 2012.
We’ve gone international people.
We created the “Australian Open 2012 Official Program for iPad” for Tennis Australia. It’s an iPad app that includes the full print program in two versions, either a PDF View showing it exactly as it appears in the printed magazine or a story version with the PDF’s text inline and much easier to read on the device.
In addition to this we’ve included a news feed and live scores so you’ll be able to see the action real-time in app/
And as you can see from below, we’ve gone world-wide. I’m not certain what they’re all saying but it it’s anything like the feedback we’ve received so far from other english speaking folk, it’s all good.
明日からテニス４大大会のオーストラリアOPが始まるので、『Australian OPEN 2012 app for iPad』ダウンロードしました。錦織圭選手の活躍を楽しみにしています。
لمستخدمي الآيباد والآيفون ، تطبيق بطولة استراليا المفتوحة 2012 الان متاح على الابل ستور google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&…
This would have to be our biggest app to date. We’re pretty proud of how it works. It was conceived by us and built in collaboration with another team of developers quite quickly over the Christmas break.
Geoff, the boss, tweeted about it.
Can’t get to the OzOpen? You can still get the official program free on the iPad, a product of @slatterymedia. iTunes:bit.ly/AOP2012
- Examine 2011
What did you achieve in 2011? What did you plan to achieve but didn’t? What got in the way? Take time to do some honest reflection, but don’t beat yourself up. Instead, start thinking about how you want 2012 to be different, including any behaviours you want to change. - Set SMART Objectives
SMART stands for Specific Measurable Attractive Realistic Timeframe. Be specific about what you want to achieve. Make sure it’s measurable so you know when you’ve achieved it and notice the important milestones along the way. Make sure it’s attractive to you. Be realistic about what you can achieve — but that doesn’t mean you can’t think big. And set a timeframe to achieve it by. - List the Benefits
What are the benefits of you achieving your goal? How will you feel, look or what will you have? If your goal is going to the gym regularly, will you have more energy, feel more confident, enjoy the changes in body and have a sense of accomplishment/. Create as long a list as you can. These are your positive motivators. - What’s at risk if you don’t succeed?
It doesn’t feel good to fail and can have negative effects on us emotionally, mentally and physically. Create a list of everything you want to avoid that could happen if you don’t succeed at your goal. Using the gym example, you may want to avoid poor health, not fitting into those new clothes, or having to tolerate procrastination. These are your negative motivators. - Indentify Three Obstacles to Success
Every goal has potential obstacles, from self-limiting believes and procrastination to budget and external forces. A well-planned objective means that you have to consider what might get in the way and most importantly how you might sabotage your own success. If you’re honest about the year just gone, you might already know what your worst enemy might be. - Identify Two Solutions
Every obstacle has at least two solutions if you’re willing to see them. If you’re a procrastinator, you need to develop new habits, get someone else to keep you accountable, and break the goal down into smaller easier-to-achieve parts. Brainstorming solutions with someone else is always a good step, especially if you’re too attached to the obstacle itself to see it differently. - Create a Motivation Strategy
Some people like affirmations, others prefer images of success or focusing on how you physically feel when you’ve achieved something. Whatever strategy works for you, build it into your plan. Some strategies could include putting up photos of what success looks like to you, or you could speak your affirmations to yourself everyday in the mirror. With affirmations, speak in the first person, positive and present tense and, most importantly, speak them out aloud. - Develop an Action Plan
If you don’t take your first steps with 24 hours of setting your goal, you’ve just cut your changes of success in half. Do something now — anything — just get started! Perhaps start by breaking down the goal into smaller, more manageable tasks and set deadlines for completing each of the steps. Keep the task list somewhere you’ll see it every day, like on the fridge, and track your progress. If you forget about the list, chances are you’ll forget to do anything. - Plan Your Celebration
How will you celebrate achieving goal? This is the most forgotten step in the process and without it, it’s very difficult to push yourself toward the next goal. If your objecting is a really big one, be sure to celebrate the milestones along the way. Treat yourself to something you really want (like new clothes to match your new body), or just something you enjoy but don’t do regularly — like take a bubble bath. - Don’t Do It Alone
Ask a friend for help or consider hiring a coach to support you along the way. Whoever it is, their role is not as cheerleader but as someone to hold you accountable to your actions — or inactions. When you do achieve your goal, be sure to celebrate with the people who helped you.
Modified from a list found in DNA Magazine’s January 2005 edition.
Our drive to Sydney was pretty uneventful. It’s almost a straight run now with only Holbrook remaining as the last little town to be bypassed. The Tarcutta bypass seems to have opened since last year and what was once considered the halfway point on a journey from Melbourne to Sydney is now a mere blip as you fly passed on a motorway.
Of course while we see these little towns, where we were often made to go from 110kph to 50kph, as annoying obstacles — and often speed traps — I do have to wonder what all the folks living in these towns are now doing for a living? As the “halfway point” I’m sure Tarcutta used to see a lot of folks stopping in town for a well needed rest. And now that respite is found at a service centre featuring a McDonalds, KFC or Hungry Jacks (AKA Burger King for American readers).
I was reminiscing on the drive, back to the days when; as a family; we’d take the drive to Coffs Harbour or Tamworth to visit family.
Back then mum would make sandwiches and bottle up some cordial for the trip. Rest stops would be made at designated town. There were no “service centres” along the way. Service was provided in a small township, petrol was put in the car by an attendant at the petrol station and our packed lunch was taken in a local park.
A lot of the majesty has been removed from the road trip. It really is now all about the destination and getting there as fast as we can. We no longer enjoy the journey, if we ever did.
I remember there was a lot of fighting on road trips. We were a family with four kids. There’d be a fight before we left over who was going to sit up front in between our parents on the car’s bench seat. There’d be fights as the three in the back, most often the three boys, would jostle for their space. Drawing non-existent lines with our fingers to designate “our spot” and chastising a brother should he even think of putting an ounce of flesh over that line. Of course there’d also be the deliberate fingertip placed over the line, just to get a reaction. These incidents would be met with the obligatory “If you don’t stop we’re turning the car around and going home!” and “Do I have to put you out here and make you walk the rest of the way?”
Back then, there’d be games of “I spy“, “punch bug” and constant animal imitations as we passed them in abundance.
Now we pass cars with kids in the back watching DVD players, wearing headphones. I think it’s a shame to see. I firmly believe the road trip isn’t just about going from one place to another. It really is about the experience of the trip and the experiences we gain as children through the interaction with our parents. I can’t recall a single conversation on these trips, not that they didn’t happen, in fact I’m sure they did, but I’m just getting older and those memories evade recall. I’m certain that interacting with our parents and our environment during these trips helped form us into the people we are today. I really don’t think staring at the back of our parents heads watching “Toy Story” for the 1,000th time would have seen us be the same people we are now.
I only have one firm memory of a road trip, for the most part they are a muddled bunch of snippets in my mind, but bear with me as I remember one particular trip to Tamworth to visit our Aunty Cheryl.
My sister, Jennifer, was just a toddler. It was near Christmas (I think just after) and just us kids and mum made the trip. I distinctly remember having to stop on the way home because we in the back had fed Jennifer a bunch of lollies and she had puked them up all over the place. I have this memory in my head of the smell and of us standing at the side of the road while mum used bottled water to clean the mess. And not only was there the puke, but we had been given plasticine by our Aunty, it was in a pack with instructions for making a Smurf figurine. One had been made and had obviously been held by Jennifer. In the heat of the summer it had melted in her carseat. I remember mum getting a little angry as we couldn’t say with absolute assuredness that Jennifer had not in fact eaten any of the plasticine and if that was a contributing cause for her being sick.
So yeah part of the trip yesterday was reminiscing. Feeling a little nostalgic and a little sad for the kids of this current generation who listen to iPods and watch screens, disconnected from their parents, their siblings and the world passing by their window. Another part was watching my partner, David, driving or sitting in the passenger seat. Thinking how lucky I have been these past 14 years to have someone beside me who still makes me smile just by being there.
I also played with my iPhone 4S, taking photos and testing time lapse apps. I’m thinking of making a time-lapse of the trip home. So here’s a few pics from the trip and the video at the end.
Oh yeah, I’m big in sports… not… but apparently my abdominal region thinks I am, or else why would it feel it would be right in forming abdominal tendonitis?
Apparently over three years of pain has been a result of the spot where my abdominal muscles come together with leg and pubic muscles being repetitively strained.
I went to the doctor last Friday who basically stopped short of calling the other doctors and specialists “quacks” for wanting to remove a testicle in an attempt to fix my pain in that area. To their credit, that IS where I was feeling the majority of the pain, with the occasional pain in the muscle and right thigh. Constant nausea and a LOT of sleepless night.
But when I went to see the new doctor on Friday, I told him my story. About a third of the way through he started nodding. He didn’t once try and stop me talking, he was listening to anything and everything I had to say, and when I was done he said “I think I know what’s wrong, but lets just take a quick look before I say anything”.
I jumped up on the bed, shimmied my pants down a little and he touched me in a spot I can only describe as midway between my hip and groid, along that point where the one side of the V appears on men in much, much better shape than I. I pressed, I yelped, he said “yep, you can get dressed now”.
He says the problem is tendonitis. Caused by a repetitive strain in the region and often experienced by football and soccer players. I’m neither.
I was so happy to have a doctor say something definitive I forgot to ask what he thinks may have caused it in my case. But I, as always, have my own theory. When I was younger I had a massive hernia, but on the left side. I think maybe the years of the right having to compensate for the massive tear in the left might have had something to do with ongoing strain. I can certainly tell you it has nothing to do with sport, I don’t do any.
Regardless of the cause, I’m happy I now have a plan for tackling the problem that has been a pain in the, well groin, for over three years. Anti-inflammatories for now, steroid injection in early January and ongoing physiotherapy to repair and heal. YAY.
Oh man, I have been waiting for this shoot for so very long. Not only have I finally shot in the field I have been stalking for forever, I finally got to shoot with Amirah. Many thanks to SueZ who’s been trying to get Amirah and I together for a few years now.
I was a little nervous earlier in the day. I always get nervous when I’m shooting with someone new. On top of that I was shooting deliberately with the light behind Amirah and using a flash to create the front light. I really like the look it gives.
Originally this shoot was supposed to be of a male model, a blue sky with a few white clouds and back when the grass was still green. I found a couple male models but it was hard to pin them down while also getting the weather right.
On hearing my frustration with it all, SueZ insisted I shoot with Amirah, so we set it up a couple of weeks ago. With the way the weather was today I called Suez to say it was starting to look nasty and considered cancelling the shoot, but then thought, “to hell with it”, I had to shoot.
I always pre-visualise my shots. And while photographers are always told that’s a good thing to do, I’m a nutter for it. An incredibly visual person I get a vision in my head and too often am not happy if I know it’s not going to turn out the way I want it to. Take the field for instance. This is what I wanted it to look like (but with real green grass, not the fake I did below):
But Mother Nature just wasn’t playing nice. Ever. And today was the last straw. Basically because I’m pretty sure the field is going to be mowed down any day now and will soon be a field of hay bales (another opportunity for another shoot).
The shoot turned out, as these things often do, to be just right. Sure I didn’t want an overcast and cold day, but I think we did a great job. And it’s worth remembering a making photos isn’t just about what the photographer does. It’s most definitely a team effort when a model and assistants are involved.
All shot with a single flash (Canon 580EX II) on a light stand, often held in place by the wonderful SueZ when I couldn’t get the light stand to do exactly what I wanted it to.
These are just quick edits, but I think they’ve worked out well.
Unlike many other shoots I’ve done in the past I have to say this would be one of my most successful when it comes to the number of keepers to the number of throwaways. Amirah was a great model with an amazing outlook on life and having SueZ along made it all the more fun.
I look forward to shooting with Amirah again. I had so much fun and want to publicly thank Amirah and SueZ for an awesome afternoon of shooting.
Behind the scenes:
The genesis of this shoot was the field and a stool. I wanted the stool, I wanted a stool that looked just like the one you pretty much don’t even see in these shots. I scoured Ebay for weeks and then drove all the way to the other side of town to get the one I found.
The shoot was lit by a Canon Speedlite mostly off to the side, varying on the shot, held on a light stand for some. Then held by the awesome SueZ when the light stand wouldn’t give me the angle I wanted. The human light stand is always awesome but I think I need to invest in a C-stand with an arm for future shots.
Lighting was of course helped out by the giant ball of light in the sky, which for this shoot, was greatly diffused by the cloud cover.
Having a bit of fun between shots.
This is what it looked like on the camera.
Amirah was quite cold at times when the wind came up.
The one light I used.
My amazing assistant for the day, SueZ.
What did I learn from today’s shoot?
- To stop worrying about the pre-visual in my brain. Use it as a launching point and run with the idea, understanding photography is organic and you just have to ride the wave.
- To get out and shoot, bugger the weather.
- To love your model, especially when willing to stand in summer clothes, in winter-type weather (but in Summer), who’ll lay down in a scratchy grass field. I do always appreciate my models, the photos wouldn’t be what they are without them.
- Consider buying a battery pack for my speedlite. Or at the very least better quality batteries so I can get more shots out of a set of batteries.
Yesterday we were going to go to the oval with the doggins but there was football training going on. Thankfully we live in an area with a lot of building going on so we were able to find some spare land on which to throw the ball for the dogs. Check out the video below.
I promise not to keep posting just videos of the doggins to the site. But I do think they are cute. I left the sound out of this one :-/
We took Bill and Jo to the local oval yesterday for a bit of a run around. I think they liked it, I made a short video on my iPhone 4S.
About a month ago we took some photos of our puppies in front of our TV with the PupMates website in the background. The photo was to accompany a story about PupMates.com.au going into the November issue of the Dogs Victoria Magazine.
It took a few goes to get this photo, but it was worth it in the end. Everyone seems to love it and the magazine decided to run a full page instead of a half page for the story.
Click the image below for a full view to read.
The casting call is out there and the stage, as it were, is set.
I’ve passed these fields of grass and canola for years, often dreaming of doing a shoot in them, never getting off my butt and doing it.
Now driven by the fact that the fields may not be there for much longer, due to urban sprawl, I’ve made the move to get some shoots done there while there’s a there in which to do them. There’s also a time factor based on the grass appearing to be pretty close to hay-bale time, when it will be mowed down and turned into massive round cylinders of hay. Which could of course be a good location to shoot too.
So far I’ve had three responses to my casting call, two of which I think will be perfect. If past experience is anything to go by at least one of them should commit and we’ll make some great photos.
With any luck both will commit and I’ll get to have a couple of goes at the fields before they are gone.
As you may recall, my previous attempt at the Peanut Butter Cupcakes, from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World, didn’t work out too well cause I buggered them up.
You can check the earlier post to get the recipe for the Peanut Butter Cupcakes. I’m much happier with the way these turned out. It helps I didn’t open the oven during the cooking process this time.
Didn’t go with the Chocolate Ganache this time, opting for a frosting. I still need to get a piping bag so I can make them look prettier.
Was going to take them to work to share around, but left them at home, argh.
Peanut Buttercream Ingredients
- 1/4 cup margaine, softened
I changed this to Nuttelex as our margarine contains milk solids - 2 tablespoons shortening
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon molasses or barley malt syrup
- 11/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 11/4 cups icing sugar, sifted
- 1 to 2 tablespoons soy milk or rice milk or soy creamer
Peanut Buttercream Method
- Cream together margarine and shortening in a mixer at medium speed till smooth.
- Add peanut butter, molasses and vanilla and beat until smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Beat in the sugar, mixture should become very stiff.
- Dribble in milk a little at a time, beating continuously until the frosting is pale tan and fluffy.
- You can adjust the thickness of the frosting by adding more milk or icing sugar if necessary.
- Ensure you wait until the cupcakes are completely cool before applying frosting.
