Orange CupCakes

Posted on March 27, 2018 by vanbraman

The Orange CupCakes are one of the regular offerings from Hostess, but I hadn’t seen them for awhile. Since I saw some in the store I decided to grab a box since I had not written a post about them 🙂 Plus, they are the favorite of one of my friends.

The pictures that I took earlier this month came in handy tonight as I have had a busy week and did not have an idea for a post.

Hostess CupCakes, Snack Cakes, orange cupcakes, foodThe box art is fairly simple with just a couple CupCakes and a slice of orange. The lighting was a bit wrong when I took the picture so the color is a bit off.

Hostess CupCakes, Snack Cakes, orange cupcakes, foodHere the color is a little more normal. One thing I like here is that both the cake and the frosting have some orange flavor.

Hostess CupCakes, Snack Cakes, orange cupcakes, foodAs always the cakes come individually wrapped.

Hostess CupCakes, Snack Cakes, orange cupcakes, foodMaybe the frosting is not perfect, but it is in much better shape than some of the other CupCakes that I have bought recently. However, since it is an established product they have the consistency of the frosting figured out. Some of the limited editions seem to have problems with the consistency.

Hostess CupCakes, Snack Cakes, orange cupcakes, foodOf course, it all comes down to how does in taste. I know that we eat with our eyes, but if it tastes bad a good looking CupCake will not satisfy.

The orange flavored cake is very good. The orange flavor is not overwhelming. The frosting has a little more intense orange flavor and it is a nice contrast between the two. I would also say that the thickness of the frosting is just right. There is a good balance between the three elements of the cake (frosting, cake and filling).

Now to find the limited edition Spring CupCakes. I guess I will have to visit the store I don’t really want to go to.

Steven

 

 

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Bees and Water

Posted on March 26, 2018 by vanbraman

We often see pictures of bees collecting nectar from flowers and blossoms, but they also need to collect water.

The bees use water to cool their hives, help feed their young and also to keep honey at the right hydration level.

Bees, sprinkler, water, hydration, Honey BeesOn Sunday I was out walking around taking pictures and heard the buzz of bees. However I did not see any flowers or blossoms near and was trying to figure out where they were.

Then I looked down and saw them around a sprinkler line that had been leaking a bit of water.

Bees, sprinkler, water, hydration, Honey BeesThe bees were collecting water to take back to their hive. I have read that bees like to gather around water that is a bit stagnant. One theory is that they can smell the water because of the decaying material in it. This can be a good thing as it keeps them from visiting pools treated with chlorine.

Bees, sprinkler, water, hydration, Honey BeesHere you can see them around the pipe connection where it has been leaking. They have to sip the water to fill up so it takes them some time to fill up before heading back to the hive.

Bees, sprinkler, water, hydration, Honey BeesI was being very careful as I bent down to take pictures. The bees were getting pretty close to me, but I knew that they were intent on getting water so didn’t worry too much about getting stung. Unfortunately I was wearing nice shoes and pants or I would have knelt down to try and get some even better pictures.

However, if you look closely you can see the proboscis of the bees as they suck up the water.

Bees, sprinkler, water, hydration, Honey BeesI like this picture as you can see a good view of the wings and abdomen of one bee and a frontal view of another.

To me bees are really fascinating creatures. They are responsible for so many things in the cycle of life. They pollinate many different crops, produce delicious honey and it is just amazing how they fly about with all they carry.

Someday I need to visit a beekeeper to learn more about honeybees.

Steven

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