Standing out, no fault of his own

We’ve got an albino squirrel that lives in our backyard (or nearby, at least). I don’t see him too often, but every once in a while when I go out on the balcony for a smoke there he is, pigmentless fur and red eyes. He bounds around the yard, climbs the trees, gets into the garbage cans like the other squirrels. However, there are two significant differences:

1. He is always alone.
2. He is FAT.

I don’t know much about the social habits of squirrels, but in the springtime they seem to frolick in pairs, running around taunting each other with discarded food scraps, or chasing each other through the trees.

But not this guy. If he’s around, no other squirrels are there. Which is, I assume, why he’s so fat, as he’s not squabbling over food.

Are the squirrels scared of him because he looks different? Do they revere him? Do they not engage him in their squirrel games? Or is his isolation self-imposed, conscious of his differences, probably taunted as a wee one, so sticks to himself as a means of protection, and in turn has created the fear by his own actions?

I looked up stuff about albinos in literature to see if there was much justification for my working theory about squirrel.

Silas in The DaVinci Code. Solitary villain who brings about his own downfall, not unlike John Locke, by trusting in the one institution that reaches out to him.

Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingird. The feared recluse who is just misunderstood and becomes the hero.

Moby Dick.

The list goes on.

I’m fascinated by the way that people (and other creatures) either capitalize, or allow themselves to be hindered, by the ideas or traits or whatever that separates them from the crowd. Do we choose to gravitate towards those who have the same differences as ourselves (and therefore are “the same”), or do we just not care? And what do we use as our defining “difference” in our vocabulary (because we all in our own way have a multitude to pick from)?

The albino squirrel can’t be anything but albino. I suppose he could roll in the mud, but what would he do in the winter? Or the desert (do they have squirrels in deserts)? Besides, he’d still have red eyes.

And does the fact that he can’t hide it make it easier or harder for him? Or does he not know, because it’s just the way he is?

So where is this ramble going? I want to know about your inner albino squirrel. A story about the time you realized there wasn’t something about you that was unique. And what you did with that. Did you hide it? Did you put it out there for everyone to see? Do you now surround yourself with people who share that uniqueness?

So, there’s today’s challenge. Have fun.

Hmm

So, I’ve been toying with the idea of starting a podcast. I’m looking for a way to reach audiences that’s greater than a blog, something that’s entertaining, and keeps me writing. All those, coupled with City Pages’ recent description of me as possessing a “polished, radio-style delivery” makes me think this might be a really cool and fun thing.

So…what kind of things would you like to hear? I’m thinking it’ll probably be a mix of NPR’s Fresh Air and Cast-On.

But, since you’ll be listening, your ideas are welcome and awesome.

Cupcakes for St. Patrick’s Day

All right, I’ve been tantalizing people with this recipe, so here it is. I made a couple changes to it, so those are noted as well.

Guinness, Jameson, and Bailey’s Chocolate Cupcakes
Found on sassy radish!

For the Cupcakes
1 cup Guinness
2 sticks unsalted butter
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder I used Hershey’s Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
2 c. All-purpose flower
2 c. sugar
1 and 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
2/3 c. sour cream

For the Ganache Filling
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate I used Ghiradelli 70% cocoa bittersweet chocolate bars
2/3 c. heavy cream
2 Tbs. room temperature butter
1 to 2 tsp. Irish whiskey I kind of misread that step, and used 2 Tbsp whiskey. But it was good

For the Frosting
3 to 4 c. confections sugar I only used 1 and 1/2 c. powdered sugar–it seemed like it was getting sweet
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
3 to 4 Tbsp. Baileys I used 3 Tbsp. Baileys with Caramel

Make the cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.

Make the filling:
Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains. 20 seconds in the microwave, watching carefully, will also work.) Add the butter and whiskey (if you’re using it) and stir until combined.

Fill the cupcakes:
Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped (the fridge will speed this along but you must stir it every 10 minutes). Meanwhile, using your 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom — aim for 2/3 of the way and circle it around until it comes out with the cake part inside. A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out. Keep those to snack on – I did! Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top. (It helps to slightly chill the ganache after you put it inside the piping bag – that way you can control how much you squeeze out.)

Make the frosting:
Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time. By adding the sugar slowly, you get a smoother, less chalky taste to your frosting.

When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys (or milk) and whip it until combined. If this has made the frosting too thin (it shouldn’t, but just in case) beat in another spoonful or two of powdered sugar.

Ice and decorate the cupcakes. the pictures on this site are the ones I made. As you can see, we only did one round of stars, and then I dusted with more of the unsweetened cocoa powder

ENJOY!