I recently within the last couple years started cooking. It was never one of my favorite pastimes and I was always kind of in the way as a kid so usually stayed out of the kitchen. I decided it was time to start cooking when I moved in with a relative who’s cooking (in my opinion) has left little to be desired. It was either pick up a spatula or starve. So now years later my motto is quick and easy is king. I like things that are simple, easy and good. I usually don't have the time to be in the kitchen all day so I usually leaned toward 30min or less type meals but even still that beats a bland meal any day. I make this chocolate cake w/ chocolate icing for my brother and it usually comes out a success. So successful that I thought to myself "hey why not make them into cup cakes?" I thought that it should be fairly easy despite the fact that I had never made a cup cake in my life. Needless to say it was a bust the cupcakes came out really hard and dry (maybe because I cooked them to long who knows) either way they were horrible. And the worst part about it was that I had made them for my mother’s birthday. The only good thing that came out of it was that we didn't have a party and it was just us so the rest of my family was spared having to eat those rock hard things. Oh well maybe next time.