You just don't say no when you're a hustler and trying to get a business off the ground! That's Life As She Does It!! This catering job was from the Chamber of Commerce in my area for a hospital ward that was opening up, and their new logo had green with touches of blue - which meant they needed 250 green cupcakes with green frosting. No problem, right? I made THE most crumbly, moist, decadent cupcakes you've had this side of Cupcake-Land. (And there IS a land of cupcakes!!) But I couldn't make them green in good conscious by adding chemical food coloring. Some people sincerely don't mind, but I just COULDN'T. So I used India Tree all-natural food coloring. It took a couple of batches of mixing and matching to get just the right color green, but The Fam didn't complain when they got the casualties. Now, I sure couldn't indulge (hence, the envy), but it brought me joy to know I was filling total strangers' tummies with clean yumminess!

SUPER-MOIST CUPCAKES

2 sticks butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

3 cups sugar

5 eggs, brought to room temperature

3 cups flour

2 tsps baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup organic whole milk, brought to room temperature

1/2 cup buttermilk, brought room temperature

2 1/2 tsps vanilla extract

India Tree coloring of your choice

Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Slowly add sugar one cup at a time, making sure to mix each cup before adding another. Add eggs one at a time, making sure to fully mix in each egg before adding another. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour milk, buttermilk, and vanilla into separate bowl and whisk together. Alternate butter and shortening mixture with milk mixture, starting and finishing with dry ingredients, and stir well. Stir in your food coloring. Evenly distribute batter into cupcake pans and place pans into oven. Bake for 20 minutes, or until cupcakes don't jiggle when you move the cupcake pan. Remove and allow to cool cool completely. Frost or ice cupcakes as desired.

NOTES: I use all-organic ingredients, including the shortening - yes, they make organic!! - which I find in the all-natural and organic section of the grocery store. I also make my own buttermilk in a glass measuring cup by adding 1/2 tbs white vinegar to each 1/2 cup milk and letting it sit for 20 minutes. This recipe makes approximately 24 cupcakes when I use my ice cream scoop and fill each cup 3/4 of the way full. There were a TON of happy (green-toothed for those that indulged in a few more than one) smiles at the end of the night!