There was a quote on Twitter the other day, which I was an idiot and didn’t favorite and now can’t find (go me!), but it basically said that you keep a lot of friends by lying and lose a lot of friends by telling the truth. What good is that? What good is having a bunch of people in your life who won’t tell you the truth or you can’t be yourself around?
I often laugh at some people’s Facebook pages because they have a ton of friends on there. That’s not the funny part. The funny part is that they have collected all these people as friends I guess to prove to people they are popular. And yet when they post something maybe three or four people respond…and most of the time it’s the same couple people over and over again. Now granted I have quite a few hockey an food blogger friends that I don’t interact with all the time but I make sure I do at some point, otherwise I drop them. I’d much rather have 20 people as friends who actually interact with me or a ton of friends who don’t. Now, my CCbP page is different that is more of an informative thing, I certainly don’t drop people from not interacting. For some people it’s how they know I posted something new.
I think one of the keys in life it being able to have friends you can truly be yourself around. My bff is awesome because he is not only okay with me eating ketchup with my tortilla chips, he now does it. He sings in the car with me to stupid 80’s songs…and no drinking was involved. And better yet I don’t spend the whole time worrying about my voice (which truly sounds like a cat being beat up). And who else will clap along with you and sing “here we go CCS (we use her real name), here we go” to the dog and be totally fine with it.
You need the kind of people who don’t judge that you think Whoppers and bacon should be a separate food groups. That don’t care when you are so sick and tired of blowing your nose that you just shove Kleenex up your nose and call it good. That as grown adults will sit and play Angry Birds and Shuffle Board with you at the bar. Someone who doesn’t care that you are wearing an Optimus Prime t-shirt or one that says Cuddle Slut (which I am) out in public. Someone who doesn’t care that you smell like hockey (which often even after you shower the smell lingers). Someone who doesn’t judge that I like processed American cheese slices on my grilled cheese.
And you need someone who doesn’t judge you deciding to up and make cupcakes at midnight because you feel like it. These are called a cupcake but I really feel like they are more muffing like, but they work all the same. If you call them muffins you can get away with eating them for breakfast. It’s basically a crumb cake as a muffin, though I added some sautéed apples to the mix because I thought that sounded better.
Remember, friends you get to choose….family you are stuck with. So pick friends who are really worthy of your time.
Apple Streusel Cupcakes
2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. + 2 TBSP (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
1 ¼ cup sour cream
For the Apples:
2 apples, peeled, cored and diced small
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 TBSP granulated sugar
1 TBSP. unsalted butter
Streusel:
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
2 ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. coarse salt
1/2 cup + 2 TBSP (1 1/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
FOR APPLES:
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat melt butter. Add apples, cinnamon and sugar. Cook until apples turn soft. Let cool. Set aside.
Heat oven to 350°F and line tins with liners.
FOR STREUSEL:
Whisk together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
Cut in the butter using a pastry blender. Refrigerate 30 minutes before using.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt
FOR THE CUPCAKES:
Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
Stir in vanilla by hand.
Add flour mixture and sour cream; stir until just combined.
Divide batter evenly among lined cups. Place 2 tsp. worth of apple into the cupcake and push down a little. Sprinkle half of the streusel topping over the cupcakes, gently pressing it into the batter. Sprinkle evenly with remaining topping.
Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean (about 20 minutes). Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.
CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:
4 TBSP unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
Using a stand mixer, cream together butter and cream cheese, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla and powdered sugar, and beat until fully incorporated.
Pipe glaze over cupcakes.
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes by Martha Stewart
hobby baker says
I adore apple fritters and I love streusel cakes. I can’t decide whether I love you or hate you for this. You are obnoxiously brilliant you know. 😉
Sarah says
I’m totally omnomming that photo.
Re: friends, too true. I can count on less than two hands the number of REAL friends I have, but they’re worth more than hundreds of FB acquaintances anyday.
Becca says
Wow, I’m a muffin top-aholic (it’s the best part of the muffin!) and the top looks really really yummy, and that glaze…*.*
Krissy says
Those look fantastic! Lol. When are first saw the title I thought it would be “You can pick your friends, you can pick your nose, but you can’t… Pick your family”. Oops. 😉
Sharon says
DITTO!!! I feel the same way! And how do you keep up with 1000+friends anyway? I’m blessed w/friends that I can just be myself & so thankful I have my hubby as my truest best friend for he sees ALL & accepts me just the way I am! For 27+yrs now too!:) On the apple cupcake/muffin recipe love how it’s so multi-purpose! That’s one of my main goals in life!Gotta get my money’s worth:)Thanks again for sharing 🙂
CW says
i had a friend like that once.
Lauren at Keep It Sweet says
I totally agree with you! I have a small amount of close friends and care so much more about that than having a huge amount of sort of friends. These cupcakes look amazingly delicious!
Jackie says
I have 19 facebook friends and most of them are family, some I haven’t seen for 25 years or more. Suits me just fine. Now, if there were a facebook for pets…….
Erin says
My 10-year-old niece and I think those look yummy!
Jessica says
but you can’t pick your friends’ nose… my dad used to say that to us when we were kids all.the.time. The cupcakes look yummy.
Melinda says
Well…you are one of my facebook friends. I know we have never met, but I feel we have history and friend chemistry ie… a mutual nutcase. I hope you are saving either the 1st/2nd of October for a get together, shall we do lunch with Cookie Baker Lynn?
Consider this interaction.
Your pictured muffins thrill me, deliciously.
Peabody says
@Melinda- I can’t believe you are coming out! I am so excited. Yes, you, me and Lynn…let’s do it!
Kabby says
I’m a long time reader of your blog, but have never really commented! I just want to say that you should write a book someday. You’re really intelligent, and a lot more intelligent than other author blogs I read! You’re the kind of person that makes people think, that people will respect.
This seems kind of random, but I’ve always wanted to tell you that!
and if you have written a book…um…well sorry, I should embarrassment!
Peabody says
@Kabby- thanks for the kind words. No I haven’t written a book…other than in 4th grade with my best friend. 🙂
Jill says
yum! And I’m glad you’re not picking your friends’ noses.
emiglia says
I’m a long-time addicted reader but generally don’t comment, but I couldn’t help myself this time: your description of your BFF sounds just like mine! You need people like that in your life to keep you sane, and I am grateful to have the sorts of friends that I keep around by never lying, and always telling the truth, even when it stings; I know they’d do the same for me.
Claire says
YUM!!!! These look delicious…and streussel always puts me over the top since the top of the muffin is really what I like anyway. YES!!!!
Friends are so important. So thankful for the ones I have!
Heather of Kitchen Concoctions says
Muffins or cupcakes… whatever you want to call these they look delicious!
Melinda says
Brilliant. You art inked in the schedule!
dani says
amen! i have to say i am lucky in that my best two gfs are now pretty much part of my family, being “adopted” by my parents and my little brother 🙂
Rosa says
Fantastic cupcakes! I’d wake up in the middle of the night to eat them.
Cheers,
Rosa
Alli says
Amen to that! I have snipped so many toxic friends from my life and it feels good. I would like to surround myself with good friends and a few of these cupcakes.
mellisa W. says
I have picked my friends noses. I have OCD and it is not supposed to be their it must go away.
Melissa says
oh my word…delicious!
Laura says
Great advice AND an awesome recipe. You’re the best.
Lisa @ The Cooking Bride says
It really annoys me when I get friend requests from people I have never met just because we happen to have a few friends in common. What annoys me even more are the people who accept their friend requests and have no idea who this person is! This person could be a rapist, or a child molester, or a serial killer and they are stalking you!!!
reese says
I stop reading blogs for a while and come back to THIS? Dammit Peabody, this is great. Friends are so important and yes you totally have the choice to spend time on the ones that matter, that REALLY matter, not just the ones who are convenience friends or legacy friends. Yep… love this.
B says
I love you Cuddle Slut and your American cheese grilled cheese – which I admit is my favorite cheese on them too 🙂
Anyuta says
As a teenager I was banned by all my friends for the whole summer for telling the truth( and I thought was my responsability as a friends) to one friend. Made me learn to shut my mouth,i.e., see and don´t tell. Sed.:(
Lisa says
Very true words. I love my friends so much.
Also, that photo is making me want to go to the grocery store and bake! Mmmm!
Tara Crisan Sweatt says
I’ll have to try that recipe. Yours are a lot healthier than my southern way of deep frying the batter. And I agree with your definition of a friend. When I heard that expression growing up, it was always from an elder in response to me talking about a friend being mistreated by a boyfriend or another personal choice with which I didn’t agree. It meant you can make your friends and you can make your decisions but you can’t make your friends’ decisions. It was a nicer, albeit disgusting, way of telling me to mind my own business. And it’s good advice. I’ve yet to see a situation in which crossing boundaries into the too personal from a friend, however well intended, did not have disastrous results. But the expression could have many meanings.