It was a couple of months ago now, but I helped put together a photo shoot my work (http://www.faze.ca/) for Canadian rising star Danny Fernandes. Given the charge of looking after the food for that day, I shopped early in the morning for a nice array of snacks for the crew and talent.
However, it was the night before that I slaved away in my kitchen to come up with the cupcakes you see in the pictures. It was a recipe for an italian cream cake, modified to exist in a cupcake form. The recipe is super-long and involved (having to mix a lot of things separately and then combine at just the right rate), but I was happy with how they turned out.
Even after my icing disaster.
I always find that with the cream cheese icing for this recipe, it yields way more than you actually need--a fact that my husband quite enjoys, as he feasts on the leftovers in the days after. So, this time, I decided to cut the recipe in half--which, I never, ever do anymore because it always results in me messing up the ratios. Hey, I'm an English-major. Math will never be my strong suite--and it seems to get worse with time!
Anyway, I ended up adding the full amount of butter called for, but half the amount of cream cheese. And, of course, I only realized my mistake once I was happily frosting away. "Wait a minute...Did I...?" (look of panic).
I certainly did not have time to begin again, let alone run to the grocery store for more supplies, so I tentatively stole a taste of the contents of my sugary mixing bowl. Much to my (delighted) surprise, it was yummy. Really yummy. (No, that's not the vocabulary of a wordsmith, but oh so appropriate for the actual occurrence at hand). Actually, much better and creamier than the recipe usually turns out.
I finished icing the cupcakes and took them to the shoot. For those that tried them, it provided the same "yummy" reaction. Success!
Thus, I was once again reminded of how our mistakes can provide us with better results than what we had originally planned. Our visions for the future and careful orchestrations for our paths may be great, but sometimes they don't leave room for the things that you inevitably discover along the way. Things that change and shape us, and alter the original trajectory we had in mind: the relationship that you screwed up--which created a crying-alone-in-your-room kind of heartache--makes way for the chance meeting with the one who will take care of your heart forever; the job interview where you gave the wrong answer to a crucial question--which cost you the position--but allowed you to stay in the one you already have, right when things started to get better for the company; a wrong turn while driving--which gets you lost and 30 minutes late for your meeting--takes you past the most gorgeous park you've ever seen and the perfect place for falling in love on a third date.
There are tons of times when I have mentally hit myself over the head for making some stupid mistake, and while not all of them have yielded great results, so many have had a clear, deeper purpose that made them necessary moments and memories to smile about. My icing disaster might be a small one, but it was all I needed at the time to discard my glass-half-empty feeling. For today, anyway... :)
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