I have a confession to make… while I could pontificate ad nauseam on most gastronomic subjects, I am woefully naïve in the ways of wine and cocktails. I know that I like to drink them, but beyond that, I’ve never been a superior cocktail master, nor could I impart any significant knowledge on the origins, ratings, or flavors of a good wine.

But, I am grateful for the oenophiles and cocktail masters in my life who make the apt and judicious wine and cocktail pairings for the meals that I make. My dear friend, CS, has a profound and delightful knowledge of wine, unique liquors, and liqueurs, and is always fiddling with new cocktail combinations.

It was PT’s birthday a few weeks ago, and I admittedly went a bit nuts in the cupcake preparations. I had fully intended to back a sheet cake sized to feed the 25 party attendees, but after reading Smitten Kitchen’s quite frankly frightening list of do’s and don’ts regarding sheet cake preparation and transportation, I decided that cupcakes would be much more practical…. Three days later, I could be found in my apartment-turned-bakery grooving to Lady Gaga with 3 types of frosting in my hair, surrounded by cooling racks, and stepping across boxes of cupcakes.