Betty Brown Betty

12/07/2019

Growing up, I always thought I had the best of both worlds - a city kid with downtown Chicago just a short L ride away, I was lucky enough to have a second “home” in Grundy, Virginia, my dad’s hometown nestled in the Appalachian mountains. The coal industry and its communities are quite misunderstood by most of the folks I’ve ever heard an opinion from. This article is a beautiful if not tragic glimpse into the fragile hope I’ve witnessed for decades now. I’ve always dreamed about moving there some day - besides the house my dad left us, I have family there that mean the world to me. And it’s absolutely beautiful. And it feels like home ♥️ I’m pulling for you Grundy.

A coal town in southwestern Virginia has been trying for years. Hope is running thin.

02/05/2013

My very first vegan gluten-free cupcake... finally!! Still need to tweak the recipe a bit but the frosting was YUMMY!!!

12/06/2012

Last week, Catherine from Lakewood found me here after reading Tim Grobaty's article in the Long Beach Press Telegram. Catherine asked if I had any tips on revving up a Pineapple Upside Down Cake and boy did she get my mind racing! It just so happens that Pineapple Upside Down Cake was a staple in our home during the holidays when I was a little girl. I remember being so excited about the warm sweet pineapple... mmmmm... I'm a bit of a stick in the mud when it comes to messing with tradition - just ask my boyfriend James how hard it was to get me to try salsa and cottage cheese with cracked black pepper ("Ewww gross" to "No way, go make your own!") but I knew that there must be ways to punch up this old favorite! Sooo, Catherine, here are my ideas for turning your upside down cake... upside down!

1) Use fresh pineapple instead of canned! More work but I promise it'll be worth it! Here in SoCal, you can even pick one up from one of the street cart fruit vendors with all the hard work already done - cored with skin removed! Or grab one and slice it into rings yourself, then cook it with a little butter and brown sugar before adding the cherries & cake batter! 2) The batter - make sure to substitute pineapple juice for any liquid and try adding 1/2t of cinnamon & 1/2t of nutmeg or cardamom to the mix to really spice it up or... 3) Go wild! Substitute carrot cake for the butter cake! Make it a double decker instead of just a single layer! Use pineapples AND pears and throw some pecans and cranberries in with that fruit to really dress up the top of your cake! Most importantly, HAVE FUN!! You can always taste the difference when it's made with love

12/05/2012

I have some really exciting cupcake flavors lined up for this month including green tea, taro, coconut, pineapple, margarita and a few surprises!!

12/05/2012

Sugar Plum Fantasy cupcake and Mini Mincemeat Pie from the CBS Bake Off audition...

12/05/2012

After a wonderful hello, I was asked a few questions, tapping into my position as Hal's personal assistant and Disney, as well as the death of my husband. I didn't make it to the final round but I absolutely adore the fact that my life experiences don't exactly make me prime time tv material. Seeing Alexis (and realizing how many hundreds of bakers she still had to interview) was a wonderful reminder of how my life has come full circle in so many ways, time and time again! And, as I've always said, I know I'm a great baker/decorator but there were some truly AMAZING people there, including this guy www.jerryscakelab.com who's story is so heartwarming it could almost have melted teh stunning cake he drove down from Oakland. Good luck Jerry!!!

12/05/2012

Ok, so to finally address what happened at the Bake Off audition for CBS this past Saturday... When I arrived, the open call line wrapped around the block and the VIP line (which I had a pass for) was almost 30 deep. Thankfully, Ariel, who approached me after the Long Beach Bake-Off, was running the check in and knew I had to get to my yoga teacher training final exams so she bumped me through in the first group! First round consisted of brief interviews with the Tasting Judge and a pair of casting producers. In case you missed the photos, I made a Sugar Plum Fantasy cupcake - gingerbread cupcake, plum pudding filling, and a spiced plum brown sugar whipped cream frosting. Being the over achiever that I am, I also made a mincemeat mini pie (think spiced fruits with rum and brandy) with fresh brandied orange whip cream... Anyhoo there were 3 of us who's names were called out of my group of 20 or so to meet with the Executive Casting Producers. Imagine my suprise when I walked into the room to discover that one of the producers was the woman who gave me my start as a free-lance reality tv casting director years ago in Chicago, branching out from the amazing tv/film/commercial agency I already worked, adn encouraging me to make the jump to LA...

12/01/2012

Time to make the do-nuts... errr... cupcakes...

12/01/2012

Baker's Log 11:15pm - Cupcakes are in the oven!

11/30/2012

CBS audition tomorrow!! What to wear, what to wear... Oh yeah, I mean, what to BAKE?!?!?

11/28/2012

She just makes my heart sigh

11/28/2012

Sweet, sweet, sweet!!