A number of years ago when cupcake shops were opening everywhere, there was this one called Mancakes that did “manly” cupcakes (think bacon and alcohol). I finally broke down one day and decided to try one. I went with the “Buffalo wings” cupcake which turned out to be what I guess was Frank’s Red Hot flavoured cake, topped with icing and some sort of crispy sprinkles (chicken skin?), and stuffed with (to my gagging surprise) blue cheese icing.

I love hot wings, I love blue cheese dip, and cupcakes are just fine.

But a buffalo wing cupcake has to be the nastiest concoction to be called a cupcake that I’ve ever tasted.

Growing up my mother would occasionally make a dish my father enjoyed that she called “Depression Dinner”. It was mashed potatoes covered in fried ground beef with beef gravy poured on top of it.

I like mashed potatoes. I like using ground beef in a variety of dishes. And who can say anything bad about gravy? But mix those three together — ugh, no thanks. It was like baby food for adults. There was a reason why my brother and I took to calling it Depressing Dinner growing up.