Cuppycakes: Dessert You Can Feel Good About

If you are going to treat yourself to dessert, you ought to feel good about the decision, right? That's the philosophy of mother and daughter duo Cathy and Jessica of Cuppycakes bakery, whose motto for their tasty creations is "Cupcakes and confections with a conscience." 

“The business reflects the way we eat ourselves,” Jessica said. “We wanted to set a higher standard for our products to set ourselves apart in the cupcake business.” 

Using locally sourced ingredients, including eggs and milk from Hatcher Dairy, as well as organic and non-GMO ingredients to round out the rest of their recipes, the ladies of Cuppycakes make sweet treats you can feel good about eating. 

Jessica started baking in 2007 as a single mom trying to support her young children. “I loved to bake, and this provided me with a creative outlet as well,” Jessica said.

Cathy and Jessica of Cuppycakes Bakery

When mom Cathy joined her daughter’s efforts in 2008, bringing candies, homemade marshmallows, and truffle pots to the menu, Cuppycakes was born. 

The pair sell their treats primarily through delivery orders, but you can find them every week at the 12th South Farmers Market on Tuesdays, the Thompson’s Station Farmers Market on Wednesdays, and the West End Farmers Market on Vine Street on Saturdays. Amerigo in Cool Springs features one of the speciality cupcakes on its Farmers Market menu as well. 

There are several different varieties on sale at the market, and the flavors rotate weekly. At least two gluten-free options are included in the weekly rotation. Cupcakes go for $3.25 each, or in a pack of 4 for $12. Truffle Pots, Cathy’s personal favorite, sell for $3.50 each. Cookies, handmade marshmallows, cookies and other goodies range in price from $1.50-$4.00.

Ask Jessica which of her cupcake varieties is her favorite, and she almost immediately responds with “Little Lamby,” a coconut cupcake, frosted and topped with toasted coconut. This little treat will be making its market debut this week, so be sure to try one while you can. 

For more information, visit www.cuppycakesbakery.com.

Eat Local Challenge Day 25

Today, I had two different people ask me how the Eat Local Challenge was going. With one person, we discussed how the eating local movement has people reverting to the 1920s, pre-superstore, pre-mass production. We discussed the practicalities of the project and the role of big business in providing Americans what they need. With the second, I discussed how the Challenge has made me reevaluate what I value and what I think my individual role in my local economy should be.

Both conversations have really made me think, though I don't think I have reached a conclusion yet. There's still almost a week left in this month. Still time for me to decide how I really feel about all the effort that goes into eating locally. Until then, I do still have to eat.

I have noticed with this challenge that I have not been to the grocery store in weeks. Ok, I've picked up a few things here and there from Whole Foods, but I have not bought staples. I can't even tell you the last time I bought a carton of milk. So, my local dinners have been interesting combinations, that's for sure. 

Tonight's was no exception. I had lots of pasta leftover from earlier this week and veggies that were about to reach their prime in the crisper. So I threw together whatever I had, including what I thought was leftover pulled pork from the freezer. Turns out it was a chicken breast, which actually turned out to be better than the pulled pork would've been.

In a pan on the stove, I threw in squash (the variety that's half squash/half zucchini with a clever name that I can't remember...), purple onion, tomato, yellow corn, and the chicken. I used little seasoning, mostly because I couldn't figure out what to use. I cooked it all in olive oil, sprinkled in some garlic powder and thyme, then added a dash of soy sauce to the chicken. All the natural flavors shown through and it was pretty delicious! I'm actually kind of proud of myself. Easy, healthy, and local (mostly, except for the chicken). I'll have to remember this recipe for the future. Glad I have leftovers for tomorrow!

Eat Local Challenge Day 17

Today is Wednesday, which means yesterday was Tuesday, which means I stocked up on fresh veggies from the 12th South Farmers Market. I made connections with a few of the vendors, including The Goat Cheese Man and Foxy Baking Co., who groaned in disappointment at herself for not having any zucchini bread to offer me. (On my first trip to the market, during Week 1 of the challenge, I bought a mini loaf of her fresh-baked zucchini bread. As a lover of all things “autumn spicey” or pumpkin-flavored, which this loaf hinted at, I couldn’t wait for my next trip to the market to get another. I even posted about it on her Facebook page. Then I got sick and had to miss a market day, so by the time I approached the Foxy tent yesterday, I was ready. 

Then she groaned. Then she told me zucchini is almost out of season. Then I got sad. Then I realized, why stop with zucchini bread? So I bought an adorable 5” bacon-and-onion quiche. I figured the portion would be just right for my breakfast for the next day or so. Delicious! Enough to be filling but light enough not to weigh me down so early in the morning. 

Tonight, I had a meeting at Panera, which I do not count as “local” so I drank some coffee and anxiously awaited coming home to my produce.

I had bought a 2 (or was it 4?) oz. serving of fettuccine noodles from Alfresco Pasta, freshly-made, flash-frozen, whole-wheat pasta. Only $2 for 1 serving, which made 2 portions for me. The frozen noodles did cook quickly (only 3-4 minutes) but were too long; I like to break my noodles up to take smaller bites. 

Pasta from Alfresco Pasta

I cooked the noodles and added yellow squash, eggplant, bell pepper and purple onion and topped it off with goat cheese feta, all from the market. I think my meal would’ve been better with fresh garlic but I used what I had. I also think it needed a fresh caprese salad to finish it off, but overall, not a bad dinner (and leftover lunch the next day!). 

Fettuccine with local veggies and feta, with a glass of Malbec.

I liked the noodles because they really did taste fresh and “wheaty” without the stiff almost corrugated feeling of most dried whole wheat pasta. $2 for 2 servings isn’t bad, but the same price gets you a lot more dried noodles...an eat local conundrum.

Why haven’t I been going to the market all summer? This could’ve been great! Well, now I know, and now I can start to build relationships and can continue to take advantage of this until winter, when I’ll go back to eating leftover Thanksgiving casseroles my grandma sends home with me. Maybe I’ll look into a winter CSA, but I bet it’s chock full of cabbage which i can’t stand. :p

Until next time, buon apetito!

Eat Local Challenge Day 4

One of my favorite things to eat in the summer time is cucumber sandwiches, you know the ones descended from English tea time? Thinly sliced cucumbers stuck between 2 pieces of wheat bread with cream cheese?

Today I made my Eat Local Challenge version: yesterday's ballerina cucumbers with Cherry Berry Chevre on sliced baguettes from Provence.

Pretty good and refreshing and, consequently, inexpensive. The whole baguette was $1.99, the cucumber was $.33, and the goat cheese was the most expensive at $6/tub. Although because I also bought a tub of feta, I saved $2.

So far I'm less than impressed with what I threw together for supper, but I am using up my fresh, local ingredients so I am at least proud of myself for that.
Stay tuned for more menus!

Eat Local Challenge Day 3

Yesterday, I visited the 12th South Farmers Market. This evening it was the Local Summer Night Fair at Whole Foods in Green Hills. Thanks to my friend Christian for shopping with me and encouraging me to make it out to Whole Foods tonight! I stocked up on tomatoes, yellow squash, and goat cheese at the 12th South market. Tonight I came home with fresh basil (a gift from one of the vendors), blackberries that I've already eaten almost all of, ballerina cucumbers, peaches 'n' cream corn, and a fresh hot pepper. On first glance, none of it goes together. And other than using the corn and pepper to make some salsa, I have no plans for the rest of it.

I had planned to come home and roast the squash, tomatoes, and some red potatoes I bought inside Whole Foods. But, by the time I got home, it was late, I was really hot, and I was too hungry to wait for veggies to be roasted. So I heated up a leftover burger, topped it with some sliced cheddar, and whipped up my own Greek salad with the tomato, cuke, basil, and goat milk feta.

Homemade Greek salad with only local ingredients

When I visited Greece about five summers ago, Greek salads like this were our comfort foods in a strange, hot land. Tonight's was no different. I am now full, refreshed, and proudly supporting my local farmers. Day 3 of the Eat Local Challenge goes down as a success!

Eat Local Challenge Day 1

Last week, I accepted the Eat Local Challenge, created by Nashville farmers marketer, Mary. In this challenge, Mary encouraged participants to "eat locally" during the month of August, meaning buying food that is sourced from only as far away as 150 miles. Her goal is to support the local economy and engage the community in local farmers markets, while examining our dependence on oil for transporting food.

Mary has started a support group of sorts on Facebook and has asked participants to document their struggles, discoveries, recipes, etc. And so, I will be documenting mine here, where I am already writing about eating.

Today at lunch, I posted this on Twitter: To begin my version of the #eatlocalchallenge I am eating things in my fridge that are gonna go bad. 


So that is what I did, because I figure it is just as wasteful to throw things away as it is to truck them in from across the country. Tomorrow, I plan to hit up the 12 South Farmers Market for a few more items to mix in with the rest of my leftovers, and Wednesday I want to go to the Local Summer Night Fair at Whole Foods to stock up on more local goodies.

Hopefully, by the end of the week I'll be well on my way to discovering what the "Eat Local Challenge" is really all about!

Up for a Challenge?

A fellow Nashville-area food-blog writer & Twitterer has thrown down the proverbial gauntlet when she challenged her community (both on-land and online) to dedicate themselves to eating local during the entire month of August. Why? Well, to support our local economy and reduce our dependence on oil, of course!

Mary's dare, appropriately dubbed the Eat Local Challenge, encourages participants to devote one month to eating only food that originated within 150 miles of their location.

Her rules are simple: shop at farmers' markets, fruit stands, or the local section of your grocery store, striving to only buy 10% of your groceries from the actual grocery store. She adds that this 10% should be organic when possible and something not available at farmers' markets, like sugar. And, if you can't cook at home, eat at a locally-owned restaurant serving locally-grown food.

This challenge intrigues me. As you know, this blog has opened my eyes to all the locally-owned restaurant options in town, and I'm drawn to those that choose to serve Middle Tennessee food. I also enjoy farmers' markets and love that several are popping up all over town. (12th South, 100 Oaks, Woodbine, and Vanderbilt are just a few in my vicinity.)  Mary also encourages those accepting her challenge to document the process, the obstacles, the struggles, and the rewards. I already document when I eat at locally-owned restaurants, so I've got that part down.

So here it is: I'm thinking of accepting this challenge. As I type, my mind has already started thinking of places to go for some basics like bread and coffee. But then I start to question. What would I eat for breakfast? Locally grown eggs? Toast? What about the peanut butter and Nutella currently occupying the shelves in my pantry? Where would I get milk?

I also wonder if I would have time for this, as I feel like it would take extra effort to plan my shopping trips. But the benefit could be huge! I would supporting small business owners, reducing my carbon footprint (unless I have to drive further to markets, in which case I could see it being counter-productive).

Also, what would the cost of this undertaking be? In theory, I think it would save me money, as fruits and veggies that don't have to be shipped from California or Florida are naturally going to be less expensive. But would I have to pay more for hand-made pasta at Lazzaroli's or the cow I'm going to have to milk?

Now I want to know: what do you think? Would you support me if I embarked on this adventure? Would you join me and accept the Eat Local Challenge for yourself?