Mini carrot cupcakes big on flavor

Photo by Con Poulos for Food Network Magazine

April and May are prime harvest months for Florida carrots. If you buy carrots with green tops still attached, remove them before storing in a plastic bag. I found these baby carrot cupcakes on the Food Network Magazine blog. I tweaked the recipe a bit to suit my taste. That's the great thing about a good batter: You can easily add your own flavor profile. The candied carrot strands garnish add a touch of whimsy and elegance.

Mini Carrot Cupcakes

Yield: 48

Topping:

1 medium carrot

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup water

Cupcakes:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1 1/2 cups grated carrots

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon spiced rum

Frosting:

2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

8 ounces low-fat cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon fresh orange juice

1/4 teaspoon spiced rum

1. For the topping, peel ribbons from the carrot with a vegetable peeler, then slice the ribbons lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strands (you'll need about 48). Preheat the oven to 250F. Bring the granulated sugar and 3/4 cup water to a simmer in a saucepan on medium heat. Add the carrot strands and simmer until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain and cool slightly. Arrange the strands in squiggles on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake until dry, 25-30 minutes. Let cool completely.

2. For the cupcakes, raise the oven temperature to 350F. Line two 24-cup mini-muffin pans with paper liners. Put the flour, almonds, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and allspice in a food processor and pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Whisk the grated carrots, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, eggs and rum in a large bowl until combined. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Divide among the mini-muffin cups, filling each three-quarters of the way. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 10-15 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool 5 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pans to cool completely.

3. For the frosting, Beat the confectioners' sugar, cream cheese and butter with a mixer until fluffy. Beat in the orange juice and rum. Pipe or spread on the cupcakes. Top with the candied carrots.

Machines, Motion and Engineering Using Knex

When: Wednesday, April 13, 2016 - 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Where: Alafaya Branch at Alafaya - Meeting Room 1

Use KNEX construction systems to build transmissions, drag racers, cranes, rocket launchers and more. Make learning about simple machines, motion and engineering fun! Ages 6-12. Registration required. Call 407.835.7323 to register. #science #tween

Fun Facts From The Agent Carter Set And Peggy Carter’s Red Hat

It isn't every day you get to go on the set of one of your favorite TV shows, and it certainly isn't every day that you get to try on the star's most iconic accessory. But on that day, you do your best to take in everything, remember every detail and, of course, post for a photo with the Agent Carter Red Hat!

This season of Agent Carter finds… Read more →

Lake Nona Wanted Gigabit Bandwidth So They Did It Themselves

Lake Nona's was called "one of the single most concentrated areas of 1-gigabit bandwidth in America" by Chief Executive Magazine.

It went on to say that companies with a need for fast internet are looking for cities with 1-gigabit broadband networks. And Lake Nona's got it. And not just for companies: homeowners in Lake Nona get it to.

Throughout the 11-acre development is a complete fiber network that delivers "everything from content all the way to the device,”

Good luck finding that elsewhere in Orlando.

Google Fiber passed Orlando by in favor of Tampa:

Orlando is said to have gigabit internet: "CenturyLink has expanded its gigabit internet service to select locations in Orlando. Prices start at $79.95 per month."

Tower cloud says they expanded it in Orlando in 2013.

We found a map of 1-gigabit internet in Orlando, but there's not much there:

Lake Nona is working with a company that provides “cable, Internet, telephone, security and fiber infrastructure and a company that does installation and low-voltage wiring." This enables Lake Nona to "influence the customer experience from end-to-end."

So how did Lake Nona get gigabit bandwidth when a majority of Orlando doesn't have it? They created their own internet service provider: Dais Technologies.

Lake Nona also addressed the issue of cell phones sometimes not working while inside buildings. They guarantee "100% reliable cell phone and mobile data coverage" inside the Medical City buildings via a shared distributed antenna system.
Have a tip about Orlando-area development? Send it to mark@thedailycity.com.

I don’t like grief and grief don’t like me

The day that my mom passed away, I had a dream that she embraced me to let me know that she was ok.

I just entered a room where she was standing. It was darkly lit and she was on the phone. She walked in my direction, wrapped her arm around me in a tight hug, and lightly whispered in my ear that everything was fine.

It was a brief reprieve from the lightning sharp pain of the day. I didn’t sleep well for weeks and continued to dream about her.

Since then, everything has been hazy. I guess I recently came to that conclusion after listening to “Believe in Yourself” off of The Wiz Live! Original Soundtrack.

Maybe it’s the musical arrangement or the tenor of the song, but it casts a long shadow of grief over me that I hadn’t felt since my mom left.

Uzo Aduba does a wonderful service to the song and makes you feel and see every word that she sings.

I’d like to think that my belief in the song is that it will come true for me; that one day I’ll go home and see my mom again.

But I know that tangibly, in this life, it can’t happen. And it brings a burden of sadness that’s overwhelming.

I miss my mom. I miss her raspy voice. I miss our conversations. I miss her laughter. I miss her booming yells into the phone when she was upset. I miss calling her and hearing her say, “how you doin?”

My memories are overcome with seeing her in a casket. A flower perched upon her hair that was braided not long before she died.

Not sure how long grief lasts but it seems like forever. I’ve been in the doldrums of it because I choose not to think about my mom. If I do, it elicits feelings of anger and resentment. Why take my mom away? Why so suddenly? I didn’t have an opportunity to say goodbye.

We talked three days before she died and it was a long conversation. I can’t remember what we discussed, but towards the end of our conversation, she told me to tell everyone “Hi” and that she would talk to me later.

Then she was gone…in a flash. And just as suddenly as she left, my grief has returned two years after.

I’ve gone so long without feeling. I’ve coasted along with blinders attached. If a memory attempts to emerge, I’ll punt it away and force myself to think of something else.

This pain recently has been tangible. Almost as if I can see it and taste it. Feeling like a cold is coming on, grief kind of struck with subtle warnings.

My mom died a few days before Christmas a couple of years ago. For whatever reason, last year was easier than this one. Maybe it’s why my mood has been funky and I’ve just wanted to laze around the house.

My mom and I at Disneyland in California.

I just wish that it would all go away; the grueling and twisting feeling of sadness wrapped in anger. I know that eventually life will turn and things will seem as normal as always.

It has to.

So then I know that the anguish I feel when thinking of my wonderful mother will morph into laugher and many smiles. Whenever I see Tiger Woods or hear a joke that I know she would enjoy, it will bring some sort of comfort.

Still… I miss everything about her. Even the stale smell of menthol when I would walk into her house. I miss seeing her wave her hand around to shoo the smoke away and laugh when I would tell her that it wouldn’t work.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever accepted that my mom isn’t here. Not sure if I ever will to be honest. Maybe that’s ok and maybe it isn’t. Not really sure.

The confidence in my feelings rests with knowing one thing: I thoroughly miss having my mom around.

-JH

Armando’s Cucina Italiana & Pizzeria in College Park

College Park's Armando’s Cucina Italiana & Pizzeria (Facebook | 2305 Edgewater Dr, Orlando) is under construction. The last picture shows a huge tile-covered pizza oven. Their impending opening was first announced in February by Orlando Weekly.

Full Sail Brings 1st-12th Graders into Fold with Full Sail Labs

Full Sail University did a ribbon-cutting ceremony December 11th for their new 4,800 sq ft Full Sail Labs (Website) project, a 1st-12th grade educational experience about technology, science, art and media.

1. September: Tried a 2-week after-school program for a Longwood Private school
2. October: Windermere Preparatory School got a presence on the campus with a customized program for its students.
3. November: designed a program for the home school community and started a music and game design program for teens.

The goal of Full Sail Labs is to be "an engaging and open learning environment that allows children and teens to explore creativity through storytelling, art, and technology." Students can collaboratively explore, filmmaking, coding, animation, gaming, robotics and more.