Cookies from Scratch?

The truth is that until I was married, I thought that making cookies from scratch meant going to the store and buying a log of pillsbury cookie dough from the refrigerated section and throwing it in the oven...I thought that was the definition of "scratch" and anything more was

only for the Amish. So a few months into our marriage when Adam asked me to make some cookies from scratch and i showed up with some ready made cookie dough, he was not so thrilled to find that he knew more about baking than his wife. Woops! I guess I should have taken home-ec instead of pottery class in High School. My bad.

I have tried my hand at cakes. The last one i made ended up a pile of crumbled cake in the middle of my stove. Ya, I suck that bad. So, what is a baking challenged girl to do? Ask a friend, who happens to be a fantastic baker for help, that's what!!!! My friend Jenna grew up cooking and she knows all the tricks to baking such as making sure all the ingredients are at room

temperature and how to make a double broiler. She is so savy that way :) She even makes her own icing! To a girl who thought pillsbury=scratch she is a regular Martha Stewart!

Sunday, I asked if she would let me bake with her and teach me her ways. She said yes!!!! She decided on Mint Chocolate Cupcakes from Martha Stewart's Cupcake Cookbook. The cupcakes were fairly simple. The mint butter cream icing, on the other hand, was about 47 steps away from being simple. The cupcakes turned out fantastic and super delish! So great in fact, that I was inspired to make some on my own!!! Wednesday I plan on making some simple chocolate cupcakes with strawberry cream cheese frosting and heart sprinkles all by myself... I will

update you with the results!!! Here are some pictures from mine and Jenna's escapades in her kitchen:

Me looking like a newby, Jenna looking like Martha :)

I learned how to separate an egg with my bare hands!!!

Letting the milk and mint leaves "steep." Looked kinda disgusting... like a runny spinach dip! The end result was a mint infused milk that was used to flavor the Mint Butter Cream Icing.