Freedom at last and Pumpkin Cupcakes that didn't fail

I had a pretty typical Monday...it wasn't bad and it wasn't good, that is until 2:50 or so, when the Amanda Knox verdict was finally read. Then it turned happy and joyous. I don't know Amanda, but I see myself in her. I lived in the Italian region of Switzerland for six months. I know it sounds weird, but I feel like that could have been me in jail for four years, sitting there innocently, reading 1,000 books, and learning to speak fluent Italian so I could defend myself in court. Something about her case just completely fascinated me. More than OJ and definitely more than Casey Anthony's trial.



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As the news states, now she has to deal with the stress and fame that comes with her freedom. But, as she heads back to Seattle on that plane tonight, finally leaving a country that betrayed her for four long years, she feels relief. For that, I am very happy.

Another thing that made me smile today? Making Pumpkin Cupcakes that actually turned out well! For the sake of baking quickly on a week night, I cheated a bit and used this recipe from skinnytaste.com, which called for a cake mix.



So, I stopped by Target on my way home and grabbed a box. I think spending more time at the gym tonight than in the kitchen is a good thing, don't you?

The batter looked much better and thicker than yesterday's failure batter!



I promise that I will still use the two recipes that other bloggers linked to yesterday in the comments section. I just have to wait until I have more time to bake on a weekend.

Once they were out of the oven, they looked pretty good. I am just pleased that they aren't sunken in. I will taste one before bed probably without frosting, or just a bit of frosting.





I just hope my co-workers like them when I bring them to work for a going away party this week.

Time to read some blogs, Eating Animals and then call it a night!