Oops, I Did It Again

I'm a roll when it comes to cupcake baking recently. I can't help but go through this cupcake book and not find a recipe that looks delicious.



After the Wedding Cake cupcake, I had to try the First Kiss Cupcake. I'm not a huge chocolate cake fan but everyone who was enjoyed this cupcake and I even ate my way through a couple. They were a hit.

Chocolate Cupcakes:

1 c. Dutch process cocoa

2 c. boiling water

1 c. butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

2 3/4 c. all-purpose soft-wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. chocolate extract (I could not find this in our store so did without it)

paper baking cups

Combine cocoa and 2 cups boiling eater in a large heatproof bowl, stirring until blended and smooth; cool completely.

Beat butter with a mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Combine flour and next three ingredients; add to butter mixture alternately with cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in chocolate extract.

Place paper baking cups in 2 (12 count) muffin pans, spoon batter into cups, filling 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely.

While cupcakes are still warm, press one chocolate kiss into the center of each.

Cherry Frosting:

1/2 c. butter

3 Tbsp. cherry jam or maraschino cherry juice

1/4 c. whipping cream

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1/8 tsp. salt

1 (16 oz.) package powdered sugar

Beat first 5 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended. Beat at high speed 2 minutes or until creamy. Top frosted cupcakes with red maraschino cherries (with stems). Yummy!!

Hey, It's Okay Tuesday!

I'm linking up from Airing My Dirty Laundry for Hey, It's Okay Tuesday! As she explains it: I got this idea from Glamour magazine. They have a section called Hey, It’s Okay and will list a bunch of things to be okay about.

*To not care about the Oscars (or was it the Grammys? See...I really don't care!). I don't care who won what. I don't care who wore what. I don't care to see all the commericals and hoopla leading up to it.

*To be loving my limited Internet usage during Lent. Especially when it comes to Facebook. I feel like I'm back in 3rd grade whenever I'm on Facebook. People, it's a status, not your diary.

*To reserve the newest Sophie Kinsella book from the library and not feel the least bit embarrassed when I went and picked it up and read it that night. Yes, it's fluff. I needed some fluff in my life.

*To eat Cadbury Cream Eggs. They may be the death of me but at least I'll die happy.

Rock the Laundry

I love doing laundry. No, really, I do. It's one of the few household chores that I find relaxing and joyful. I love hanging clothes on the line. I adore folding clothing into neat little piles. I just don't like putting the clothing away. That part of laundry I loathe.

For those who aren't so keen on laundry, why not rock up your laundry room? Rockin' Green makes all natural laundry detergent. It is often marketed for cloth diaper washing (and it works great for that!) but I'm still using it even though we no longer have any babies in diapers (the first time in 8 years that diapers have not been needed in our house!). I use it for washing our clothing and love, love, love the scents and the way it washes our clothing.

Even though I already use Rockin' Green, I was sent three samples to try. I'm happy about that as I was able to try some new (to me) scents. Motley Clean is my new favorite!! What a fresh, original scent! Some other great formulas are Femme Rock which is for all those cloth menstrual pad mamas and Dog House Rock which is for pet beds and toys.

You can read my last review of Rockin' Green here.

Now for the fun part! Rockin' Green is offering one lucky winner a bag of 40/90 in your choice of formula/scent. Leave a comment below telling me whether you love/hate laundry. One winner will be chosen through Random.org on Saturday, March 3rd. If you would like additional entries, tweet, Facebook, or blog about this giveaway, linking back to here. Enter additional comments below letting me know you did so (one additional comment per additional entry).

Use Me

I had someone ask how they could find an older post of mine. I mentioned the "search" function on the side of my blog and they were happy to hear it was that simple. For those who aren't familiar with my blog options, let me point them out for you. You will find all the info you need on the right hand side ------------->

You'll find the "About Me" section, where you can get my e-mail address if needed.

You will find my blog button.

You will see my twitter feed. Click on it if you would like to follow me. If not, feel free to just stalk it on the side of my page. I don't update often, but occasionally I'll write something of interest on twitter.

My Facebook page is also listed. We are at 99 followers at the moment. I often link when I have a new post up, but occasionally conversations or odd comments are posted on there by me. Join the craziness!

If you are afraid you are going to lose this link, you can become a follower in order to have it in your reader. Or you can become a follower just to see your happy little thumbnail photo on my blog!

The Blog Archive will take you to a certain month or year if you choose.

The Labels section will take you to a certain topic.

Next comes the search button. If you are looking for a particular post, type in the keyword, hit search, and scroll to the top of the blog - it should show the post you are looking for.

Sweet Treats

Last year there was a flurry of posts about a new cupcake shop on Facebook, in a city where my cousins live, about an hour away. The wedding day cupcakes made my mouth water, they sounded so good. I had made plans to travel there for my birthday last year and partake in some cupcake goodness, but ended up in the hospital that day with Jacob for another treatment.

Months went by and again and again I planned to go but something always came up. Finally, a local deal group had a cupcake voucher for this shop for half price (12 cupcakes for $11). I bought it and within weeks I was able to travel with the kids to pick up our dozen cupcakes. The children stood at the glass case, carefully choosing their flavors (they ended up with Oh Happy Day, The Princess Cupcake, and Chocolate Raspberry) while I finished our order with the wedding day cupcakes. They were pure joy - delicious, moist, everything you could want in a cupcake.

Now I've been craving them ever since. Yet, they are $2 each, and an hour away. I almost talked myself into driving that far to pick up some more, but chastised myself...that would be silly!

Which is why I went to the library instead and scoured the cook books to find a cupcake book. I ran across Big Book of Cupcakes by Jan Moon and found exactly what I was looking for...wedding cake cupcakes!

They didn't turn out quite as fancy as the cupcake shop cupcakes (I chose to forgo the decorations of pearl candy, which I find looks nice but adds nothing else to the cupcake) but they taste almost exactly the same. For a lot cheaper. And no driving.

Cupcakes:

1/2 c butter, softened

1 c shortening

2 c sugar

4 large eggs

2 3/4 c. all-purpose soft-wheat flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. buttermilk

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp. almond extract

paper baking cups

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in extracts.

Place paper baking cups in 2 muffin pans, spoon batter into cups, filling two thirds full. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely.

Frosting:

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/4 c. whipping cream

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1/8 tsp. salt

1 (16 oz) package powdered sugar

Beat first 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended. Beat at high speed 2 minutes or until creamy.

(Recipe taken from Big Book of Cupcakes by Jan Moon. The recipe states making two batches of the frosting, and piping one half into the cupcakes and the other half on top. I decided to only frost the top, as I felt extra frosting would be too rich.)

I think next time I will make jumbo cupcakes, as these seemed just a tad too small! Enjoy! I'm off to make the "First Kiss" cupcakes today.

Patch Happy

Do your children wear out the knees of their pants as quickly as mine do? I hate to admit it, but I often just tossed their clothing when it got holes in it. Lately I've made more of an effort to upcycle their clothing and become more creative with their outfits.

Now when they get holes in the knees I've been patching them up, in creative ways, thanks to the idea my crafty friend gave me. I had given her a pair of Joe's outgrown pants for her son...they were our favorite pair but had pen scribbles on the knees thanks to Joe's artistic talent. She cut out star patches and affixed them to the pants and they looked even more adorable then they did before!

I tried it with Joe's jeans which were wearing thin recently and love the results.

Give It Up

Today is ash Wednesday, and the beginning of Lent. For Catholics, that means a time to give up or give more. I know some families who do more (more charity work, more praying, more kindness, etc.) during this period and other families who give something up during this period. For some it may be sweets, eating out, watching tv, and so on. It is a way to fast and abstain.

I am giving up mindless computer usage. I've become one of those people who will hop on here and hop on there. I'll check Facebook during lunch, pop in on a blog or two while drinking my morning coffee, check my e-mail throughout the day. It is bits and pieces throughout the day but I think know it adds up to more time then it should. During the Lenten season I am giving myself one hour a day on the computer...no more then that. It will make me more aware of how I spend my time online and also make me more choosy with what I do with that time.

I doubt that it will affect my blog, as that is something that I will choose to do within those 60 minutes a day. I think it will affect my house, my other interests, and my mind - for the better!