Zucchini Pineapple Cupcakes

Most everyone feels the need to have a space of their own, but perhaps no one feels it so acutely as those who have siblings. There's something about having to share and being treated equally by one's parents that tends to bring out the unadulterated desire to have things that are Just For You. At least, that's how it worked for me.

In all fairness to my parents, there weren't too many things I had to share with my sister. Truthfully, being the older child actually afforded me far more opportunities to be the first in, well, pretty much everything. Yet despite all the advantages of my birth order, I nevertheless became wholly consumed with the thought of having my own bedroom.

Did I, in my 7 year-old wisdom, have some master plan for the space I felt I so deserved? I can't recollect any. Though I suspect I would have been perfectly content just to fashion myself a construction paper crown and lord over invisible subjects in my newfound bedroom realm with an iron fist.

No, it was simply a matter of principle. Although I'd had my own room 3 years prior to my sister's arrival, I felt I had been too young to appreciate it. So one afternoon, I picked up my favorite blanket and pillow and wandered around the house, going from room to room attempting to annex each as my very own. Of course, I got kicked out of each room just as quickly, particularly since I chose absurd places like the bathtub or beneath the piano bench as my home base.

Now that I'm grown, I no longer have any need to stage a coup when I want some space of my own. It is a supremely comforting feeling to be able to set out some butter, turn on the oven, and transform my humble kitchen into the kingdom I've always wanted. And as an added bonus, I can free my inner dictator with countless decrees. (Never tap the measuring cup while measuring flour! Always be careful when using extrafine sugar because it clumps easily! No recipes that use pre-made cake mixes!)

Luckily for these Zucchini Pineapple Cupcakes, they followed all the rules of my kingdom and did not have to feel my wrath. They are 100% cake mix-free, and also moist but not oily, fresh but not too vegetable-tinged, and not so sweet that you feel your blood sugar skyrocket upon consumption (but sweet enough to benefit from the slight tangy bite of the piece of pineapple atop each one). The recipe has them as a sheet cake, but I simply used cupcake pans instead and reduced the baking time -- start checking around 20 minutes. So if you're ever feeling overrun, take a moment to kick everyone out and reclaim your rightful place on your kitchen throne. Because it's good to be King.