i still hate cupcakes

I came home last night to spend Eid weekend with my family. There is so much love for my parents and sister inside me right now I could burst. But enough of the sappy business, the real reason I'm writing is because mom has been planning an Eid party for two weeks, and tonight was the debut.

7 days of cooking, 6 hours of setting up, 4 hours of cleaning up, 20 dishes, over 150 people. Total success.

Yes, this is going to be another one of those photo-filled posts. Don't expect any recipes.

pre-party spread. post-party spread too graphic to be pictured.

All the credit goes to mom, but she had me bring the DSLR home for the weekend so I could snap some 'quality' photos of her food. It may not look like a lot of food in the photo, but it was quite possibly enough to feed a small country. Or a couple of boys' dorms at school.

Karahi chicken, chicken tikka, beef kabobs, nihari, haleem, salad, veggie rolls, naan, puri, halwa, aloo, daal, dahi baray, cholay, samosa, 20 boxes of pizza, gulab jamun, pineapple sweet, seviyan, coconut burfi, cupcakes, punch, and kashmiri chai.

from front to back: veggie rolls, beef kabobs, haleem, and nihari

It was a pretty impressive spread, not gonna lie. We touched on basically every food group. Salad, meats, breads, lentils, fruits, dairy.

Needless to say, the bulk of my day's diet consisted of deep-fried samosas and dessert. 

dessert: one of the best features of Pakistani culture

So. Much. Sugar. Ugh. Delicious. Kill me.

I did hit that point where I thought I was going to die from food coma. I mean, I didn't really eat a breakfast, lunch, or dinner today; instead, I walked back and forth through the dining room, picking at different dishes, and basically ate nonstop for about 7 hours straight.

from left to right: coconut burfi, pineapple sweet, seviyan

Pak-Indian sweets are probably some of the tastiest dishes known to man. I don't know how to make a single one. Except gulab jamun.

I didn't make these ones, though. I would have, had I had the time; these were still quite tasty. Though, I must say, mine are delicious. Next time I make them, I'll put up the recipe.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that halfway through the party, we had an additional 2 carrot cakes, a red velvet cake, a chocolate and peanut butter cake, a box of baklava, and an ice cream cake.

the spirit of Eid embodied in one hand

In other news, I figure I should explain my post title. Now, I hate cupcakes. I always have. With a passion. Like, they are the reject cousins of the baked good family. They are freakish-looking, useless, taste mediocre, a pain in the ARSE to decorate, and a general waste of time. Mom had me bring all my frosting tips home so I could frost about 4 dozen cupcakes for her. So I tried, failed miserably, and almost had a nervous breakdown. There was food color staining my hands, frosting on the table and floor, everything was sticky, the frosting was too runny, and the tips were impossible to clean. So instead of icing pretty flowers all over the cupcakes, which was my mom's original idea, I ended up slathering them with purple and yellow frosting and throwing some cheap sprinkles on top.

I was hoping that hours of "Cupcake Wars" and Cake Boss would have converted me, but no. I still hate them. Ugh. Maybe one day, far, far, far away from now, I will attempt some legit, gourmet cupcakes; you know, tiramisu cupcakes with mascarpone filling and coffee liquor buttercream frosting on top, or raspberry lemon cupcakes with raspberry filling and a lemon-curd glaze. But for now, I still hate them.

As you could probably tell at this point, I didn't actually bake anything this weekend. And now I have enough leftovers packed up for the apartment that I should be set for the next 2 or so weeks. So not totally sure when I'll be cooking or baking again, but until then I will be enjoying an assortment of delicious treats.

You know, once I mentally recover from tonight's gastronomic feat.

*sigh* I love myself and I hate myself. Diet starts tomorrow. [yes, this is a reference to the Harvard Sailing Team's "Boys will be Girls"]
-Been