Cinema Cupcakes

Butterbeer Cupcakes

2012-02-04T20:22:00.000-08:00

A while back my best friend Jordan came across a recipe for Butterbeer Cupcakes from the blog Amy Bites. She took a trip to the Harry Potter theme park and sampled the Butterbeer, then formulated her own interpretation via cupcakes! Genius!

So for Jordan's annual Halloween party, she requested I make these cupcakes. Always up for a challenge, I happily obliged. While these cupcakes were incredibly labor intensive (just look at Amy's blog for all the detailed photos!), they were absolutely delicious and well worth the effort. There were only a few ingredients involved that I didn't have on hand (cream soda, heavy cream, and butterscotch chips). A must for Harry Potter fans...give them a try! Thanks Amy Bites for the recipe!

MSC: Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

2011-02-21T16:56:00.000-08:00

So I'm a few days behind on posting this month's challenge, but here they are a few days late. This month for our Martha Stewart's Cupcake Challenge, Rebecca of The Baking Sisters chose the Chocolate Chip Cupcakes from the Martha Stewart Cupcakes book. Please forgive my grainy cell phone pictures! So I boxed up the cupcakes and delivered them cupid style on Valentine's Day.

I think my Dad was pretty excited!

I thought these cupcakes were fairly simple to make. I chose to make chocolate buttercream frosting instead of the dark chocolate frosting. No one in my family really likes dark chocolate, so I figured chocolate buttercream was the way to go.

I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day! Next month we are baking the Candied Hazelnut Cupcakes.

CSN Stores $35 Gift Certificate WINNER!

2011-02-06T11:52:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to...

Blogger Lori! She said:

"I would probably use it on a baking set, like the Rachael Ray Oven Lovin Set."

Woo hoo! Check your email Lori!

Thanks to all that entered, I have 99 followers now. So exciting!

TGIF! Let's have a giveaway!

2011-01-28T14:09:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to offer a $35 gift code to CSN Stores! With Valentine's Day coming up, CSN Stores is the perfect place to shop for a gift for your sweetheart. And its Friday, so there is no better way to celebrate than with a giveaway!

CSN Stores have been quite the buzz in the internet shopping world, they have something for everyone. This round chair would be perfect at home or in an office setting. I love the modern style! And, it comes in five awesome colors.

Want a chance to win a $35 gift code to CSN Stores? Here's how:

1. Visit CSNStores.com and leave a comment on this post letting me know what you might spend your gift code on.

2. Follow my blog and leave me a comment letting me know that you are a follower.

3. Follow CSN Stores on Twitter and leave me a comment letting me know you follow.

Contest Rules:
-Open to residents of the US and Canada
-Giveaway ends February 4th, 2011 at 11:59CST

Disclaimer: I was provided with a $35 to give away to one of my readers. I was not compensated for this review, these words are my own.

CSN Stores Review

2010-12-06T10:19:00.000-08:00

By now you have probably heard about CSN Stores. This online retailer has just about anything you could want or need.

I love shopping with CSN Stores. One of my favorite things about them is how quickly they process their orders. I placed an order and had my items delivered within a week, which is perfect for the holiday season! CSN Stores have the best packaging, too. Every package comes delivered securely packed, so your purchases are safe on the inside. I am always impressed when a package arrives and is so expertly packed to make sure that the product arrives as it is intended.

My latest order from CSN Stores was on two OXO food storage products. Here is the OXO Top Container. It holds 9.3 cups and is the perfect size for carrying Christmas cookies or candy to a holiday party. This is one of the many products that has guaranteed delivery by December 24th!

Here is my FAVORITE product from OXO. It is the OXO Pop Container Square, holding 5.5 quarts! I have always had a problem with my cereal going stale. Let's be honest, folding the bag over and clipping it closed isn't the best method around! So now I store my cereal in this Pop Container and my cereal stays fresh.

CSN Stores has a great variety of OXO products, and many of them are guaranteed delivery by December 24th. Some of them even have free shipping (who doesn't love free shipping?!). So head on over to CSN Stores and check out their amazing selection of gifts (for yourself or someone special!).

Disclaimer: I was provided with a $35 gift code for CSN Stores in exchange for this review. These words are my own, I was not compensated by CSN Stores or OXO for this review.

CSN Stores Upcoming Review

2010-11-08T17:44:00.000-08:00

The wonderful people at CSN Stores are at it again! Soon I will be reviewing a product from CSN Stores' numerous selections. You can find almost anything you need, from bar tables and stools to the perfect Christmas gift. I can spend hours looking at their selection of products, there are so many to choose from!

I am so excited for holiday baking to begin, and I can't wait to share my review of CSN Stores with all of my readers. Have a great week!

CSN Stores $35 Gift Certificate WINNER!

2010-10-21T23:14:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Norma! She is going to get a set of Dansk steak knives with her $35 gift certificate to CSNstores.com.

Thank you so much to everyone who entered. I'm so glad to have you all as readers! Be sure to visit CSNstores.com for all of your shopping needs.

MSC: Snickerdoodle Cupcakes and a CSN Stores Giveaway!

2010-10-15T14:51:00.000-07:00

This month for our Martha Stewart's Cupcakes Club, Katie from Katiecakes chose the Snickerdoodle Cupcakes on page 138 of the Martha Stewart Cupcakes book. I have been looking forward to making these cupcakes because I LOVE the Martha Stewart Snickerdoodle Cookies recipe found in her Cookies book.

One thing I really liked about these cupcakes is that you can make them with ingredients you probably have already in your pantry. I halved the recipe, and ended up with 11 cupcakes. I also baked them for less time than the book stated, about 16 minutes.

I decided to use my "go-to" buttercream frosting recipe, simply because me and boiled frostings don't get along very well. I thought these turned out wonderfully. They had an amazing cinnamon flavor, and went perfectly with a glass of milk. I will definitely be making these again.

And now for the giveaway! CSNstores.com would like to give one of my readers a $35 gift certificate to any of their 200+ stores.

CSNstores.com is a baker's paradise. There are so many kitchen items to choose from. If you win, you may have a hard time deciding what to choose! Here is how to enter, there are many different chances for you to win:

1. Leave me a comment on this blog letting me know what you would spend your $35 from CSNstores.com.

2. Follow my blog and leave me a comment letting me know that you now follow me.

3. Follow me on Twitter then leave me a comment with your user name.

4. Follow CSNstores on Twitter then leave me a comment with your user name.

So there are four different ways to enter. Entries for the giveaway will be accepted through Thursday, October 21st at Midnight (CST). Good luck!

CSN Stores Upcoming Giveaway!

2010-09-30T22:49:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to be participating in another giveaway with the awesome people at CSN Stores!

On October 15th, I will be giving away a $35 gift certificate to CSN Stores. If you haven't checked out CSN Stores yet, you should! CSN Stores has so many different items. I think a bookcase headboard would be perfect for my nephew's expanding book collection.

Be sure to check back on October 15th for the giveaway post and our Martha Stewart Cupcakes Challenge group results for Snickerdoodle Cupcakes!

MSC: Cookies and Cream

2010-09-14T19:53:00.000-07:00

For this month's Martha Stewart Cupcake Challenge, Nina from Nina's Cupcakes chose the Cookies and Cream 'cupcakes' from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book. I made these last year with my best friend Jordan, and I thought they were wonderful then. When I made these Sunday night, I had the same result. These were amazing.

This picture doesn't make them look like much, but they were so yummy!

These weren't actually cupcakes, but little mini Oreo cheesecakes. And considering how lackluster the last few challenge months have been, these were a nice change. They were a big hit, especially with my co-workers!

Couples Shower Cupcakes

2010-08-22T22:52:00.000-07:00

One of my oldest friends, Cyle, is getting married in November and I am so excited for him. His bride, Julie, is so much fun to be around and I'm so excited for her to join our group. Last weekend, Julie's sister Lindsey hosted a Couples Shower for the bride and groom. Of course I wanted to make the cupcakes!

My Mom recently gave me a new Cricut Cake and I knew this would be the perfect opportunity to try it out. I made Margarita Cupcakes with Key Lime Cream Cheese frosting. Then I made a couple dozen of these cupcake toppers:

The "c" is for Caplinger, the bride's new last name.

Here is the happy couple with their cupcakes:

Practicing for their big day!

On a side note, here are their gifts that I decorated with my regular Cricut:

The shower was a huge success!

1st Anniversary Celebration at our Aquarium Shop

2010-08-22T22:32:00.000-07:00

Last month, our store Reef Remedies, had it's first anniversary. Alex and I opened the shop on July 1st, 2009. Time flies and things have gone really well for us. I decided to have a celebration for us and as a thank you to our awesome customers.

Our refreshment table. We had pink lemonade, iced tea, nachos (Alex's pick!), cookies, and cupcakes.

I made these cupcake wrappers using my Cricut machine. There is a new cartridge out that has over 50 different wrappers. I love it!

My Mom and I made goody bags for the kids. We have quite a few little kids that come in to our shop, especially on Saturdays. I love how they get so excited looking at all the fish tanks.

The celebration was a huge success. So many of our friends and family stopped by to see us, and I was full of joy on that day. Owning our own business is definitely a challenge, but I wouldn't give it up for anything. :)

CSN Stores Review: A Great Experience!

2010-08-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

I recently had the pleasure of doing a second review for CSN Stores. By now you have probably heard of CSN Stores, they literally have everything from cookware to a new bathroom sink.

I tried out the Le Creuset Stoneware baking dish and I LOVED it. I already own a big Dutch oven from Le Creuset, so I wanted to try out some of their other products.

I had a question about the ordering process, so I called customer service on a Saturday afternoon. The gentleman that I spoke with was incredibly polite and answered all of my questions. I was impressed that their customer service was available on the weekend, most companies don't offer that kind of service.

My order arrived quickly and packed very well. CSN Stores does a great job of insuring that your purchase arrives in its intended condition. They also use recyclable materials, which is good for the environment, too.

I decided to make roast potatoes in my new baking dish, and they turned out great. This baking dish was the perfect size for our household, since I usually only cook for two.

I also loved the fact that this bakeware cleaned up SO easily. Thank you CSN Stores for the awesome customer service and great products!

Disclaimer: These words are my own. I was not compensated by CSN Stores for this review. I was provided with the bakeware seen above.

MSC: Triple Citrus Cupcakes

2010-08-22T21:32:00.000-07:00

For the month of August, Marthe from Culinary Delights chose the Triple Citrus Cupcakes from the Martha Stewart Cupcakes book. I saw Martha make these on her TV show quite some time ago and I remember being shocked at the amount of butter in these bad boys. But hey, at least you are getting some vitamin C! :)

These were very simple to make. I used key limes instead of regular limes, and they turned out great. I liked the fresh taste of these cupcakes, but I could definitely taste the egg in them. I halved the recipe, and even with the recipe halved, it still required 4 and a half eggs!

Alex and I went over to his grandparents' house today, and these cupcakes were perfect. Alex's grandfather is a big fan of anything orange flavored.

The book recommended that these cupcakes be served the day they are topped with the glaze, and that is most certainly the case. Overall these were a good pick, especially in comparison to my failures from the last couple of months. Check back next month...we are making the Cookies and Cream cupcakes. These sound amazing!

MSC: Citrus Cupcakes Coming Soon

2010-08-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

I haven't had an opportunity to make these yet due to my big cupcake project yesterday. More posts coming soon!

MSC: Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes

2010-07-15T16:05:00.000-07:00

For the month of July, Lauryn from Bella Baker chose the Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes from page 108 of the Martha Stewart Cupcakes book.

Ugh, another failure for me this month. I was so excited to make these cupcakes because I had never attempted any kind of flourless cake before. I didn't have any trouble making these, and the ingredient list was fairly simple. My cupcakes even looked exactly like the picture in the book.

I must admit, I've never had flourless cake before. But this cake turned out really soggy and overly moist (and not in a good way). I was looking forward to taking these to share with my new co-workers, but there was no way I was going to make my first cupcake "impression" with these things.

I've come so close to quitting this challenge because honestly, the cupcakes so far haven't been so great, with the exception of the Pumpkin cupcakes. But, I've committed to this challenge and I'm going to keep going, dang it! :) I'm sure most of the failure is on my part, but I've got to keep going so I can be a better baker.

Next month, Marthe from Culinary Delights has chosen the Triple Citrus cupcakes. I have wanted to make these cupcakes since I saw them featured on the Martha Stewart TV show, so hopefully they will be a success!

Be sure to check out all of my other baking buddies' posts. You can view our list of bakers at our Martha Stewart's Cupcakes Club website.

Label Daddy WINNER!

2010-06-30T08:36:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay on drawing the winner of my Label Daddy Return Address Labels. My husband and I have been super busy planning our one year anniversary celebration of our aquarium shop, Reef Remedies.

Drum roll please......

The winner is:

bigdisneyfan

Congratulations bigdisneyfan! I will be sending you an email shortly. I hope you enjoy your Label Daddy Return Address Labels as much as I love mine!

Coming Soon: CSN Stores Review

2010-06-22T22:02:00.000-07:00

Coming soon to Cinema Cupcakes, a second product review from CSN Stores.

CSN Stores has anything and everything you could possibly need, from furniture to a bathroom sink. So check back soon to read my review!

Label Daddy Review and Giveaway!

2010-06-21T16:38:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of Label Daddy? Label Daddy was founded by two high school friends destined to be business partners. They created Label Daddy shortly after becoming fathers and seeing the need for a quality product for keeping their children's items organized and labeled properly.

I was recently given the opportunity to give the Label Daddy Return Address Labels a test drive. I got to choose what color, font, and icon to use on my return address labels. You can chose from fifteen different colors, six different fonts, and 46 differnt icons! I had to go with the cupcake icon, since I love cupcakes (obviously!)

Beneath the name is where your address will be, I just edited mine out for privacy purposes.

These are very high quality and durable labels. I chose to put one on one of my many cupcake carriers. I am always loaning it out to friends and family, or leaving it at someone's house after a get-together.

My favorite cupcake carrier, it holds 36 cupcakes!

I washed my cupcake carrier shortly after placing the Label Daddy address label on it. It withstood the hot soapy water without coming loose. I plan on putting the Label Daddy address labels on all of my cupcake carriers (yes, I have multiple carriers!) I think these labels would also work wonderfully on lunch boxes, water bottles, portable electronics, and storage containers.

Now for the giveaway!

Label Daddy has offered my readers a chance to win one set of their Return Address Labels. Here is how to enter:

1. Visit Label Daddy's website and leave me a comment telling me what other product you like.

2. For an extra entry, "Like" Label Daddy on Facebook and leave me a comment letting me know you did so.

3. For another entry, follow Label Daddy on Twitter. Then leave me a comment letting me know you did so.

That means a possibility of three entries to win a set of these amazing Return Address Labels.

The giveaway will end on June 28th at Midnight CST. I will select a winner using random.org. Good luck!

MSC: Strawberry Cupcakes....FAIL

2010-06-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

This month for our Martha Stewart Cupcake Challenge, Sherry from Sherry Starts Cooking chose the Strawberry Cupcakes on page 146 of the Martha Stewart Cupcakes book. I love strawberries, so I was excited to make these.

Hmmm...I'm not even going to share a picture on this one. The cake was just mildy strawberry-ish, and my darn Strawberry Meringue Buttercream was liquid, I never could get it to set up. I know I probably did something wrong to cause this. I don't think my heart was in this recipe. I wanted it to be good, but somehow I failed. I think the relationship between me and meringue is just not meant to be! Oh well, there is always the Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes next month!

MSC: Tres Leches Cupcakes

2010-06-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

For the month of May, our Martha Stewart Cupcakes Challenge group baked Tres Leches Cupcakes. This recipe was selected by Lisa of Smiley's Sweets and Creations. The Tres Leches recipe can be found on page 48 of Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book.

I found the overall process of making these cupcakes to be fairly simple. I halved the recipe and still ended up with 15 cupcakes. The book says the full recipe will make 20 cupcakes. The book recommended baking the cupcakes in paper lined foil wrappers. I didn't have any on hand, so I baked the cupcakes in silicone liners. And I'm so glad I did because they neeeded the extra support once the tres leches mixture was added.

I LOVED making my own whipped cream. I had never tried it before. I thought it turned out fluffy and mildly sweet. My friend Craig really enjoyed the whipped cream.....

I really liked the flavor of these cupcakes! I will definitely make them again. Check back on the 15th of this month when our Challenge Group will be making Strawberry Cupcakes!

Bridal Shower Cupcakes and no Martha Stewart Challenge...yet.

2010-05-16T20:44:00.000-07:00

To my fellow Martha Stewart Challenge Bakers: I'm going to be a little late on my Tres Leches post. Saturdays at our store are super busy and I just didn't have the time. I do plan on making them, though!

Last week I made these cupcakes for a Bridal Shower that a friend was hosting. The hostess requested Champagne Cupcakes with Champagne Buttercream frosting and Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese frosting. The super cute liners were from Bake It Pretty. Being a cooking enthusiast, I absolutely love Bake It Pretty, and I would spend my entire tax return there if I could!

A Personal and Difficult Time

2010-05-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow bloggers and readers! I've been noticably absent from my blogging lately, and it is for a few different reasons. I haven't really been doing too much baking lately, and I think part of that is because I went through a lay off about two weeks ago. My beloved job as a graphics operator for a local television studio was taken from me.

Now, I consider myself someone lucky in the job department. I've never had a job that I've absolutely hated. I've done fast food, worked in a music store (I LOVED that one!), waited tables, dealt with angry (oh so angry!) people with parking tickets, been a pyrotechnician, answered 911 calls, and most recently worked in television production. But this last one was so special to me because not only was the work enjoyable, but the people I worked with were absolutely amazing. We were like a little family, a little dysfunctional, but still a family. :)

So now I'm on the hunt for a new job. I've always been a coupon clipper, but now I am even more so. When I was planning out wedding, I would spend so much time online trying to find wedding coupons. There are so many blogs and websites out there that tell you exactly how to save a lot of money, even make money on some things. I'm now stepping up my coupon clipping, and I think it will help a lot while I try to find my new direction in my career life.

Everything happens for a reason, right?

Cheesecake Brownies a la Martha Stewart

2010-04-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

I've blogged before about the amazing group of women that I scrapbook with. Our group on Meetup.com is called Oh Crop! We were having a weekend retreat a couple of weekends ago, but I couldn't make it. So I made these brownies by Martha Stewart to drop off for the girls.

Alex and I also managed to be productive in our garden this weekend, we pruned our little garden area. Our japanese maple is blooming beautifully. I found this great article about how to Beautify Your Garden, give it a read if you get a chance.

Oh, and for more info on Martha Stewart's books, here are some Borders Coupons. Also, I hope to be doing some reviews of some really awesome products that I have won in giveaways lately.

MSC: Jumbo Cupcakes

2010-04-15T15:27:00.000-07:00

This month for our Martha Stewart's Cupcakes challenge, Jess from Cookbook Habit chose the Jumbo Cupcakes on page 133. And since this little guy was having a birthday, I decided to make them for him.

He is a big fan of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and I had some awesome Mickey Mouse sprinkles that I couldn't wait to decorate his cupcakes with. I was super excited to make the Marshmallow Fluff filling, and I wasn't disappointed...it was so yummy. I thought the cupcakes, however, were a little dry. But it seems like a lot of the recipes that we have baked in this challenge have been dry. I didn't want to leave the tops of the cupcakes without a nice mound of frosting, so I made my go-to buttercream frosting. This made the cupcakes super rich. The best part of the cupcakes were the filling.

Here are a few shots of the party we threw for Ryan in the park by my parent's house.

My brother Jeff and nephew Ryan. Look at him eyeing that cupcake!

My amazing Mom with my nephew Owen

Easter Cupcakes 2010

2010-04-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

Last year for Easter I made cookies and cupcakes. This year however, I was not so ambitious. I had some adorable decorations that I couldn't wait to use, like these made by Wilton. I used Martha Stewart's Carrot Cupcake recipe from her Cupcakes book. This recipe is fabulous, and I love making them because they are so moist and have such a great flavor.

Alex and I went over to his grandparent's house for the day, and had a nice relaxing time. I love lazy Sunday's with family. I hope everyone had an amazing Easter with loved ones.

Giveaway WINNER!

2010-03-23T08:47:00.001-07:00

Thanks to everyone who entered to win the Calphalon Angel Food Cake Pan.

Drumroll please....the winner is Margaret from Tea and Scones! I have posted a comment on your About Me section of your blog...I couldn't find an email address for you. Please email me within 48 hours with you mailing address so I can get your pan sent to you as soon as possible!

I'll select a new winner if I haven't heard from Margaret within 48 hours.

Congratulations Margaret!

Calphalon Angel Food Cake Pan and a GIVEAWAY!

2010-03-15T08:35:00.001-07:00

On Friday, I made my first ever Angel Food Cake. I was a little nervous going into it, but I like to try new things. I found a recipe here on marthastewart.com.

The awesome folks over at CSNstores.com are the sponsors of Cinema Cupcakes' First Ever Giveaway! They literally have everything from cookware to barstools. I selected the Calphalon Angel Food Cake Pan found here to review and to give away to one of my readers.

So Martha's recipe specifically states NOT to spray the pan with cooking spray. And this made me incredibly nervous! But, I knew that Calphalon makes amazing products so I decided to roll with it. Even though my picture may not reflect it, this cake came out surprisingly easy. I think the reason I have some holes in the cake is because I didn't get all the air bubbles out before I baked it. More importantly, this cake tasted great. I was very pleased with the end result.

I dread doing dishes after I am done baking. I mean, really dread it. But this cake pan cleaned up very easily without having to soak or be scrubbed at all. It is dishwasher safe, but I opted to wash it by hand.

And now for the giveaway! To enter to win a Calphalon Angel Food Cake pan from CSNstores.com, leave me a comment below and let me know if you have ever made an Angel Food Cake and how it turned out. Be sure to leave a way for me to get a hold of you if you win. Entries will close at 11:59pm on Monday, March 22nd. I will select a winner using Random.org on Tuesday, March 23rd. Good luck!

FTC Disclaimer: I was given this product for review from CSNStores.com. I was not compensated for this review.

MSC: Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

2010-03-15T04:46:00.000-07:00

This month for our Martha Stewart Cupcakes challenge, Megan from My Baking Adventures chose the Lemon Meringue cupcakes. I was very excited to try this recipe since it required me to step out of my baking "box" so to speak. Lemon Curd was something that I had never attempted before. The amount of eggs in this month's challenge was a little crazy. I think I went through about two dozen eggs between the cupcakes (4 eggs), the curd (8 egg yolks and two whole eggs), and the frosting (5 egg whites)!

I decided to make the lemon curd first since it needed to chill in the fridge for a few hours. I thought the actual process of making the curd was pretty simple. It was when I went to check on it a few hours later was when I realized that I had failed, the curd was still runny and had never firmed up. I was so disappointed! I took to my Facebook to rant about my failed lemon curd. My Wilton cake instructor, Dorothy, asked me what went wrong. She talked me through it, and it turns out I didn't cook it long enough. I'll have to give lemon curd another try...

On the other hand, I really enjoyed making the cake. I loved the fragrant smell of lemons while making them. I tried Martha's Seven Minute Frosting again, just to see if I would have better luck than I did last time. But no, they were exactly the same. I guess I figure when I put some much effort into making frosting I expect it to taste amazing, but this frosting is just kind of boring.

When it came time to toast the cupcakes, my husband Alex was more than willing to help me out:

The final results:

The verdict: I would make the cake for this recipe again. The frosting, heck no: I'm done with this frosting. I'll stick to my classic buttercream, thank you very much. And when I'm feeling ambitious (or when I have 8 egg yolks lying around), I'll try making Lemon Curd again.

Be sure and check out all of the other baker's results. You can see a list of all the other participating bakers here.

AND please stay tuned later today for a giveaway!!

Misty's Birthday Cupcakes...and a SURPRISE!

2010-03-04T13:12:00.000-08:00

My co-worker and all around great television producer, Misty, had her birthday recently. Misty is probably one of my biggest cupcake fans. She even eats my cupcakes while she is on a diet, she is that dedicated! Deciding what to make for her birthday this year was so easy: Misty's favorite cake and frosting combination is white cake with white icing. I didn't even have to ask what she wanted this year. I grabbed my go-to cupcake recipe for white cake and got to work.

The end result was just as I expected, and just what Misty wanted! Yummy white cake with my classic buttercream frosting. The cupcakes were a great way to celebrate Misty's birthday, even though she had to work that day!

Now for the surprise......

Are you ready?

Coming soon....my very first blog GIVEAWAY! Who's excited?! THIS girl! I have been asked by the great folks over at CSNStores.com to host this giveaway. But, I'm not telling what it is yet, so stay tuned!

I'm off now to look for Alex and I some new barstools...I love this website! I could seriously spend hours looking at all of their stuff. Have a great weekend!

MSC: S'mores Cupcakes

2010-02-15T04:54:00.001-08:00

I was excited to make these cupcakes from the start! I LOVE S'mores, so I thought they would be terrific in cupcake form.

Mary Ann of Meet Me In The Kitchen chose this month's Martha Stewart Cupcake challenge recipe.

Now, I know I said I was excited to make these cupcakes, but that doesn't mean I wasn't slightly intimidated by it. Chocolate ganache? I'd never made that. Marshmallow frosting? I'd never made that! Heck, unflavored gelatin...I'd never even BOUGHT that before! And graham flour, what the HECK is that?! But that is the point of this challenge: trying something new and different, and challenging oneself. :)

So I made my way to my favorite health food store in Denton, Cupboard Natural Foods, and bought me a package of graham flour. By the way, if you love dried papaya spears, this is THE place to buy them, they are the best!

Anyway, I'd been feeling a little under the weather, but decided that it wasn't going to keep me from making these cupcakes. I found the cupcakes very simple to make, and they smelled absolutely amazing while baking. I halved the recipe.

I also thought that the chocolate ganache glaze was fairly simple to make. It turned out smooth and glossy, just as I had imagined it would.

As for the frosting, well, I have decided that any frosting that requires preparation on the stove tends to be a little bit of a challenge for me. I think I just need more practice. After heating the water and sugar to the soft ball stage, I whisked it with the gelatin/water combo as instructed. I then put it in my stand mixer for the required amount of time. After five minutes on speed setting '6', nothing had happened. So I upped the speed to '10' and started to see some progress. But, I think I let it go for too long, because the frosting was difficult to pipe onto my cupcakes in the end. But that's okay, now I know to up the speed.

Here they are:

I haven't actually tried these yet. I'm a little nervous that they won't be good! And, I was too stuffed from last night's Valentine's Day dinner to even consider eating one of these! My co-workers will be arriving soon, and they are my usual guinea pigs. I'll update when I have some opinions from them.

On a completely random note, look at what my awesome mother-in-law got for me:

It's a t-shirt! She got it from cafepress.com. So cute!

Be sure to check out everyone else's baking experiences! Our blog roll can be found at our MSC Cupcake Challenge website. Have a great day everyone!

UPDATE: I tried one and enjoyed the flavor of the cake very much, just like graham crackers. Since I made my frosting last night, it had turned into an actual marshmallow overnight! I thought it was pretty cool!!! And the ganache had a great flavor. I would definitely make these again, and apply the things I have learned.

To the recent anonymous commenter on this blog

2010-02-08T13:23:00.000-08:00

I recently wrote this post about my experience making Martha Stewart's Coconut Cupcakes.

To the recent anonymous commenter on this post: you are very harsh! Here is what they said:

"They cupcakes look divine, and if you have a Kitchenaid (or other stand mixer), there is no excuse not to make 7 minute frosting. I read that the next time you make the cupcakes you'll use imitation vanilla flavouring rather than vanilla extract! I suggest if you're going to use artificial vanilla, just buy a cake mix.Also, you pointed out that you didn't like the 7 minute frosting because it actually takes 15 minutes. Well, it takes 7 minutes to cook and of course prep time is more. But if you don't like it, then go with the frosting in a can, because if you're using fake vanilla, why bother with the real frosting! I just think if you're going to make Martha Stewart's cupcakes, you may want to use the real stuff. It's not Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines - it's Martha Stewart for heaven's sake!"

I'm not really sure why you would post anonymously anyway, unless you just wanted to be rude and not be held accountable.

Using artificial is a taste preference to me, and using it is not the same as using a cake mix (at least not to me anyway).

And I'm sorry that you didn't like my opinion of the frosting, but, to each his own!

The purpose of my blog (and the Martha Stewart cupcake challenge itself) is to share one's experiences with each recipe. Not to criticize someone for using artificial vanilla and telling them that they may as well use frosting out of a can!

I guess when I openly blog about my baking experiences, I open myself up to comments like these, and I chose to approve the comment, despite it's rudeness. Who knows, maybe I shouldn't be so sensitive. Thoughts?

Champagne Cupcakes for New Years Eve

2010-01-21T07:56:00.000-08:00

It has become a tradition for Alex and I to stay in on New Years Eve. We have a few reasons for this.

1. It's cheaper than going out and drinking at a bar.
2. It's safer.
3. We are homebodies.

Number 3 being the biggest one. We are not big party, dancing all night kind of folks. I guess we are old souls. :)

I found this recipe in Crazy About Cupcakes by Krystina Castella.

This book has been my "go-to" book for quite some time now. I think it may have even been my first cupcake cook book! Ah, memories!

These cupcakes were fairly simple to make, and both the cupcake and the frosting had actual champagne in them, not a flavoring. The only thing I didn't like about this frosting was the fact that it had shortening in it. I don't really enjoy working with shortening, it is so greasy and gross! But despite the shortening, the frosting still tasted great.

Everyone enjoyed these cupcakes after our lasagna dinner. We celebrated New Years Eve with friends, and it was a great evening.

The next day, however, the cupcakes were NOT good. The cake tasted like stale beer! I guess these cupcakes should really be eaten within a few hours of being made. Oops! :)

MSC: Coconut Cupcakes

2010-01-15T04:37:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to select this month's cupcake challenge, the Coconut Cupcakes from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book. I am having such a great time doing this challenge, and there are so many bakers participating!

I love, love, love coconut. So these were an obvious choice for me. I didn't experience any trouble baking these cupcakes, and I thought they were relatively simply to bake. The recipe called for pure vanilla extract, and although I don't usually like to use pure vanilla extract (I prefer the fake kind!), I used it anyway. I could tell a difference in the cake. I want to make these again, but use imitation vanilla to see if the cake taste would change dramatically.

But then, I got to the recommended frosting, which was the coconut version of the 7 Minute Frosting. I almost skipped the recommended recipe and went with a MUCH simpler Coconut Buttercream, but I decided to be true to the book and went with it.

Well, the 7 minute frosting turned into 15 minutes. It took SO long to set up, even though it was being made in my stand mixer. And making the syrup, ugh, I didn't really enjoy that, either. But, the end result did product a pretty, shiny, rich frosting.

I took the cupcakes to work the next morning for my co-workers to enjoy. They went over well, except for with our video editor, who is allergic to coconut! Needless to say, he didn't partake in the cupcakes. :)

I would probably make these cupcakes again. But without the 7 Minute Frosting. And I would use imitation vanilla instead of pure vanilla extract. So I give this one a 6 out of 10 in terms of overall goodness.

Next month we are making Smores Cupcakes! I am so excited about this one. Thanks to Mary Anne from Meet Me in the Kitchen for selecting this one. And of course, head on over to our Challenge Website to see all of my baking buddies work as well. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Merry Christmas?

2010-01-14T08:06:00.000-08:00

A digression from cupcake talk:

So this is what my husband and I got for Christmas....

Whether we wanted it or not. This Christmas Eve, North Texas got some unseasonable weather. I think the region was very unprepared for the weather that occurred that day.

My husband Alex and I closed our store, Reef Remedies, early that day, and picked up Alex's grandparents. We began our journey to Fort Worth, where Alex's Mom and Stepdad live. About halfway there, the roads had gotten terrible. We almost made it to their house, when this happened. Thankfully no one was hurt, including the family in the other truck. Needless to say, I am currently on the hunt for a new car. I loved this little car, but it is JUST a car. And I am so thankful that we still managed to have a Merry Christmas despite our achy necks and backs. :)

And by the way, the cupcakes in the car somehow escaped unscathed. But I was so frazzled by the entire experience, I completely forgot to take pictures. :(

Banana Nut Bars

2010-01-14T07:56:00.000-08:00

My Mom recently got me this amazing cookbook, the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, Bridal Edition. I loved reading it from the beginning, because there is so much information. Even though this book is geared for the new bride, one that has never cooked before or even lived with her significant other, I still enjoyed it. My husband Alex and I lived together before we got married, so we had a well established kitchen long before we got married.

So I had a bunch of bananas that needed to be used up, and I thought the recipe for the Banana Nut Bars would be a perfect way to go.

I thought this recipe was very simple and easy to make. The icing glaze on top really made these bars great. Since my co-workers are usually my baking guinea pigs, they got to enjoy these the next day. I would certainly make these again.

Pumpkin Pie cupcakes for Thanksgiving

2010-01-13T08:42:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I'm a few months behind on this post. Not having internet service at home is kind of a bummer! We are waiting on Clear to become available in our neighborhood....hopefully it will be soon.

This year for Thanksgiving, I made the Martha Stewart Pumpkin Pie cupcakes. Aside from Wilton's Red Velvet cupcakes, this is the recipe that I have probably made the most times.

Alex and I spent Thanksgiving at his Mom and Stepdad's house in Fort Worth. My Mom had to work that day, it was kind of a bummer not spending Thanksgiving with the entire family. But, there is always next year!

Here is a cute shot of my husband Alex with his sweet grandmother, Carol.

MSC: Candied Sweet Potato

2009-12-15T08:22:00.000-08:00

So last month, I accidentally made the wrong cupcakes for our Martha Stewart Cupcakes challenge. But alas, I am redeeming myself this month. While my fellow cupcake bakers are making the Gingerbread cupcakes that I made last month, I made the Candied Sweet Potato cupcakes.

I found these cupcakes to be fairly simply to make, although I must admit that I was a little bit intimidated by the toasted marshmallows and the candied pecans. Before this recipe, I had never even cooked a sweet potato before. It was fairly simply, I cooked it the night before so that it would be ready to go the next day when I was ready to bake.

The cupcakes were easy to mix and slide in the oven. The cake was moist and tasty, with a nice hint of cinnamon and nutmeg. I successfully toasted the marshmallows and candied the pecans, and I was so thrilled that I pulled it off.

I was glad that this recipe was chosen, it challenged me to try new techniques. And, I probably wouldn't have tried this recipe had it not been for our challenge.

I presented the cupcakes to my co-workers, and some of them hesitated, probably because of the sweet potato. But, one of my co-workers, Jenny, claimed it was the best cupcake she had ever had! Yay! It really made my day.

And special thanks to my husband Alex for photoshopping the picture of my cupcakes in poor lighting!

MSC Challenge Bonus: Applesauce Spice Cupcakes

2009-11-30T13:28:00.001-08:00

Every month, my Martha Stewart Cupcake Challenge Group selects a bonus challenge. This month's challenge was the Applesauce Spice Cupcakes. It worked out perfectly because I made these cupcakes while visiting my brother, sister-in-law, and two nephews a couple of weeks ago. Except this time while baking, I had a little helper!

Meet Ryan, my wonderful nephew.

He was the best helper an Aunt could ask for!

Here is the end result. I thought they were incredibly easy to make, and so tasty, too. I think these would be just fine without the frosting. I made the brown sugar frosting, but forgot that I had halved the recipe, so it had too much brown sugar in it! Despite my error, they still tasted great. I would definitely make these again, but probably as muffins! Forgive the lack of pretty decorating! I was out of town and away from my normal arsenal of equipment. :)

MSC: Oops, I made the wrong cupcakes!

2009-11-15T16:43:00.001-08:00

Oops, I accidentally made the gingerbread cupcakes instead of the sweet potato! I went out of town on Tuesday, and didn't get back until this afternoon. So I had made the gingerbread last Monday, in anticipation of not wanting to bake after a day of travelling. I thought these turned out amazing and will definitely make them again. They would be perfect without the frosting, too. Sorry for the un-detailed post!

Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes for my Scrapbooking Friends

2009-10-26T16:26:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night was my monthly get together with my scrapbooking buddies. After the huge success of this month's MSC: Challenge...Pumpkin Patch cupcakes with Cream Cheese frosting...I decided that the cupcakes would be perfect for the occasion. I was right, all my friends loved the cupcakes.

(I am so proud of these pictures. When given the right light, I think my picture taking abilities have gotten better than they used to be!)

We had a few newbies to our group this month, four of them to be exact! One of the girls, Denise, was BRAND new to scrapbooking. She was starting with some paper, a few embellishments, and photos of her daughters. One of the layouts she was working on was of her two daughters eating cupcakes! I had just made a cupcake diecut using my Cricut machine, so I offered it up to her to use on her layout. I think she was so excited that I gave her the diecut! She did a great job on her first layout, and hopefully she will be back next month.

Chewy Pumpkin Cookies

2009-10-26T15:54:00.001-07:00

Last week I read this incredible cookie recipe on Design Mom. Design Mom is one of the blogs that I read regularly via Google Reader. And although I'm not a Mom (yet!), I still enjoy her beautiful blog everytime I see a new post. So when I saw this recipe, I absolutely had to make it. And, lucky for me, I had everything on hand in my pantry.

Alex enjoyed them, and I he isn't a real big fan of pumpkin. Although, if I keep making my Pumpkin Patch cupcakes, I may be able to make him a fan! I took these to work the next day, and my crew seemed to really enjoy them. It makes me feel so good when my co-workers say that they enjoy my baking. :)

For the recipe and instruction, visit Design Mom's blog post here. If you make them, let me know how they turn out!

MSC Challenge: Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes

2009-10-15T18:38:00.000-07:00

October's Martha Stewart Cupcake Challenge, headed up by Betty at Eat My Cupcake, was the Pumpkin Patch cupcakes. This month's cupcake was selected by Kim at What The Whisk. Please pardon the crummy pictures...I took them at night in some bad kitchen lighting.

Okay, I've made plenty of cupcakes in my day. I've had this blog for about two years now. These cupcakes just might be best that I have ever made. The response by my co-workers was amazing. Well, except for the co-worker who is allergic to pumpkin.....good thing I told him what kind of cupcakes they were right when he was about to eat one!

I didn't have cake flour on hand, and I never have. Does that make me a bad baker? Anywho, I found the conversion on line and added corn starch to all purpose flour to make it the equivalent of cake flour. I thought these were fairly easy to make, and smelled fabulous while they were baking. I topped them off with the cream cheese recipe from the book, which is a great recipe, too.

I packed up the cupcakes in my favorite new accessory, my cupcake courier. I also packed a few extras in another box to take to my hair stylist (I had an appointment that day) and her staff. They loved them so much that I got an order to make them for the salon in November!

I will DEFINITELY be making these cupcakes again. For the order next month, of course. I'm also thinking about making them for Thanksgiving this year. Maybe I'll even make them into those adorable Turkey cupcakes on the following page of this recipe!

Carrot cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting for Alison's Birthday

2009-10-08T14:19:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Alison had her birthday last week, and we all celebrated by going to Luna De Noche in downtown Dallas. I had never been there before, and I thought it was pretty good, but totally overpriced!! But that's is beside the point....

This year, Alison presented me with a few suggestions for cupcakes that she would enjoy. Last year I made here these Chocolate cupcakes with Cream Cheese frosting, so this year I went with Carrot cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. What can I say, Alison loves Cream Cheese frosting!!

I used the recipe from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book, and then the Cream Cheese Frosting from Crazy About Cupcakes. The cupcakes were incredibly moist, and were falling apart from their wrappers. But they were still really good. I enjoyed one the next day as a breakfast muffin (without the frosting, of course!).

Oh, and there is THIS! My new Cupcake Courier! And it is everything I had hoped for! It held all my cupcakes in place beautifully. Once it was loaded down with 2 dozen cupcakes, it was pretty heavy. It can hold up to 3 dozen cupcakes, so I imagine it could be even heavier!

Thanks Mom for supporting my cupcake habit!!!

Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the birthday girl with her cupcakes, but I know she enjoyed them. And, unfortunately for me, Alison lives in Austin now, so I don't get to see her very often. But, I do get to visit her in Austin every now and then!

Happy Birthday Alison....love ya!!!

Sprinkles....Is That You?

2009-10-08T14:01:00.000-07:00

My brother and sister-in-law had given me a Sprinkles Red Velvet cupcake mix not too long ago, and I decided that my Friday night Scrapbooking Crop would be the perfect occasion to use the mix. Our group leader, Clare, absolutely loves Red Velvet.

Here is the end result:

I even tried to replicate the signature Sprinkles cupcakes frosting style...I think I better stick to my favorite open star icing tip. :) The kit also included Sprinkles signature fondant dots to decorate the cupcakes with.

I also used the Sprinkles Cream Cheese Frosting recipe listed on the can. I thought it was pretty good. Very easy to work with. But I still prefer my go to recipe in Crazy About Cupcakes by Krystina Castella.

In the end, these turned out to be a beautiful red color, and I enjoyed presenting them to my Scrapbooking girls!

MS September Cucpake Challenge: Zucchini Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

2009-09-21T13:55:00.000-07:00

Sorry my entry is late folks, but I just got over a nasty viral infection. I felt terrible for about a week...yuck. But, I'm all better now and I was able to complete the challenge this weekend.

For those of you who don't know, I am participating in a Martha Stewart Cupcake challenge. Myself and quite a few other bloggers are baking our way through the cupcake book one recipe at a time. I am thoroughly enjoying being a part of this challenge and seeing what everyone else comes with.

I have to admit, I went into this challenge a little skeptical. I had read my fellow bloggers posts about this cupcake and wasn't expecting much from it. I thought this was a fairly simple cupcake to make, but it was so weird not to have any BUTTER in a cupcake recipe!

The cake I thought was a little overly "spicey" if that makes any sense. The cloves and lemon zest were a little overwhelming. Maybe I added too much? I omitted the walnuts, mostly because I don't really care for them in baked goods. I also halved the recipe in anticipation of not liking them very much...here is the final result:

I took a half dozen to my best friend Jordan and her boyfriend Lance. Sunday Jordan and I went to see "Julie & Julia" and it was fabulous. We laughed and had a great time...I never knew Julia Child was so animated. I guess I've never seen any of her cooking shows! It was a great movie and I recommend it to everyone.

So, would I make these again? Probably not. Were they absolutely terrible? No. They were just OK. Good experience, though!

Dimples Cupcakes - A Review

2009-09-04T15:48:00.000-07:00

Last week I finally caught up with the Dimples Cupcake truck here in the DFW area. They made a stop at the Target in Frisco, close to my house. I made a special trip to try their cupcakes, I kept missing them in the previous weeks.

When I drove up to Target, I immediately spotted their cupcake truck.

I met the owners, two very nice guys. They said their retail location in Willow Bend Mall in Plano is scheduled to open at the end of this month. I decided to try the Red Velvet, Chocolate with Chocolate frosting, and the Vanilla cake with coconut frosting.

Their packaging was great, very easy to transport without the mess.

They even provide a fork and a napkin, and you're going to need it. These things are giant! They were $4 each, but worth it. I couldn't finish one in one sitting. Definitely good for sharing.

First up, Red Velvet:

This was a fabulous cupcake. The chocolate taste was more pronounced than I am used to in a Red Velvet, and I loved it. The cake was moist with just the right amount of food coloring. I mean, look at this...it is perfect.

I would definitely order this one again.

Next up, the Vanilla cake with coconut frosting.

This one was also amazing. The cake on this one was also incredibly moist.

Last but not least, is the Chocolate cake with Chocolate frosting.

Okay, so all the cake that I tried was wonderfully moist. The frosting on this one tasted a lot like the chocolate buttercream that I make at home.

The verdict: I would definitely visit the Dimples Cupcake truck again. They are friendly folks with wonderful cupcakes. Some may think the $4 price tag may be a little high, but these cupcakes are better than what you would get at Sprinkles, and a lot bigger, too. Check out their website, dimplescupcakes.com for more information!

A Challenge Revisited

2009-09-04T15:30:00.000-07:00

Last month, for the Martha Stewart Challenge I am participating in, hosted by Sugar B at Eat My Cupcake, I made Chocolate Salted Caramel cupcakes with Dark Chocolate frosting....see them here. They were such a success that I got another request for them.

This time I made standard size cupcakes instead of the mini cupcakes. I liked these much better. Mostly because I didn't have to cut the centers out of 50+ mini cupcakes!

Like the last time I made these cupcakes, I had WAY too much frosting left over. I froze some of it in case I need to use it in the future. I've never frozen frosting and then re-used it at a later date, so we'll see how that turns out. Overall, I was very pleased at the way these turned out.

Margarita Cupcakes with Key Lime Cream Cheese Frosting for my Sister-in-Law Shannon!

2009-08-27T18:03:00.000-07:00

This week, my brother Jeff, his wife Shannon, and their son Ryan, came to visit Texas. They live far, far away in a land called Virginia. :)

Shannon's family and our family all met up for dinner at a Anamia's Mexican Restaurant. I thought Margarita cupcakes would be fitting for the cuisine.

No embellishments, I kept it simple this time.

Here is a great shot of my nephew chowing down on his cupcake. It is also a great shot of my sister-in-law, Shannon.

Unfortunately, the whole clan was feeling a bit under the weather on their visit, but we still had a good time taking it easy around my parent's house.

Espresso Dark Brownie Cupcakes with Chocolate Fudge Frosting

2009-08-27T17:49:00.000-07:00

Here is a shot of the Espresso Dark Brownie Cupcakes with Chocolate Fudge Frosting. The frosting was so incredibly thick, I could barely spread it on the cupcake, hence the not so pretty presentation. I made these for a friend in Plano, so I didn't get to try them, but they smelled heavenly while baking!

Cupcakes for Charity

2009-08-27T17:37:00.000-07:00

I made 165 cupcakes for my friend Giuseppe, who owns Giuseppe's Italian Restaurant in Denton, Texas. He and a local bank were sponsoring a fund raiser for the United Way. My Mom made all 150 of these tiny little flags! WOW! They read "Point Bank Supports United Way"

We made half Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Buttercream and half Vanilla cake with Chocolate Buttercream. This is only one pan of the five pans it took to transport these to Denton. Many thanks to my Mom for delivering them, and for all of her help.

Red Velvet Cupcakes and Mini Golden Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream

2009-08-27T17:09:00.000-07:00

My friend and stylist Julie asked me to make these for her Phyto event at her salon. This was the first event I did for her.

Here is a shot of me setting up the cupcakes. It was about 7:45am when I delivered these. Mom met me at the salon and helped me set up.

Mini Golden Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (gotta love the morning sunrise for the best pictures!)

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting (I think I make this type of cupcake most frequently!)

And the end result....very pretty.

If you look in the background of the last picture, you can see a picture frame sitting on the table. My wonderful husband Alex designed a graphic with my website on it for others to view my work. Then my fabulous Mom put them in a double frame. I couldn't do this without either one of them!

French Toast Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

2009-08-27T16:44:00.000-07:00

I made these French Toast cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting for my friend Pam, who helped me out with Alison's bridal shower back in April.

You can't really see them from my pictures, but I used a dark brown cupcake liner, and they worked out perfectly with these cupcakes.

I made some cinnamon sugar as a topping, to keep things simple.

I didn't actually get to taste them! I made just enough for Pam, but from what I hear, they were tasty.

Martha Stewart Cupcakes August Challenge

2009-08-15T14:41:00.001-07:00

One of the blogs that I enjoy reading regularly, Eat My Cupcake, decided to host a Martha Stewart cupcake challenge. Each month, a big 'ol group of foodie bloggers will each make a cupcake recipe selected from the Martha Stewart Cupcakes book. I am such a cupcake nerd, I pre-ordered this book from Amazon.com so that it would be delivered to our house on the day it was released!

The first cupcake challenge was the Chocolate Salted Caramel cupcakes with Dark chocolate frosting. I read the recipe a few times over, and was a little intimidated at first. But, I love a challenge (especially a cupcake one!) so I went for it. Unfortunately, I had too much chocolate and butter on my hands constantly, so I didn't take many preparation pictures.

The cake was simple enough to make. I used regular Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder, mostly because I can never find the Dutch unsweetened cocoa that many recipes call for. The cakes were incredibly shiny and glossy. After they had cooled completely, I cut cone shaped holes in the cupcakes to make room for the salted caramel I was about to make. I managed to get six and a half dozen mini cupcakes from this recipe, even though the book said it would make 56 total minis.

Next up was making the salted caramel filling from scratch. This was a first for me. In the recipe, it stated that the mixture may splatter, and it sure did! It actually scared the crap out of me, but with stirring, it quickly calmed down and turned into a smooth caramel. And it was YUMMY!

Then came the dark chocolate frosting. It was very easy to make and incredibly chocolately! I'm not a real big fan of dark chocolate, but this frosting was good. Very rich, easy to work with, and it had a beautiful glossy sheen to it.

I had a event to cupcake cater at this morning, so I made these for the event. Here is the final results, along with the Red Velvet cupcakes I made. The pictures didn't turn out as well as I had hoped.

A close-up:

The event was a success for Jovie Salon, and the salon called me to let me know that a client of theirs wanted my contact info to place an order...yippee!!!!! :)

Alex's Birthday CAKE!

2009-08-05T15:00:00.000-07:00

Alex wanted a cake this year for his birthday! I'm not very good with cakes, despite my training with Wilton. I never can get the consistency right for a cake, but no problem with cupcakes, of course.

Here is my adorable hubby with his cake:

He wanted his cake to be intentionally, sort of like the cakes featuring on one of my favorite blogs, Cake Wrecks. So his cake reads, "Happy Birfday Alex"

Despite the fact that the cake ended up looking pretty ugly by the time we ate it, it tasted fabulous. It was a french vanilla cake with french vanilla buttercream. My Mom, Dad, Lori, Randy, and Alex's grandparents all met at Giuseppe's to celebrate. It was enjoyed by all....and we even had enough to share with our wonderful waitresses.

Jordan's 27th Birthday Cupcakes

2009-08-05T14:44:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, my best friend Jordan had her 27th birthday. She has a cupcake named after her, appropriately titled, "The Jordan." This year, Jordan wanted a slight variation on "The Jordan." This year, I made chocolate buttercream frosting instead of vanilla buttercream frosting. And I dyed the cake purple, instead of its natural golden color.

This year, we all gathered at Dave and Buster's in Frisco to celebrate Jordan. I also made extras so that everyone at Jordan's get together could have some cupcakes to take home with them.

We all had dinner, then headed downstairs to play some games. I had a great time, and so did the birthday girl!

Martha Stewart One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting

2009-08-05T14:20:00.000-07:00

Twice a month, I get together with my scrapbooking buddies from my Meetup group. We call our group "Scrap Happy Ones Together" or SHOT. You can see our page here. I look forward to our "crops" (as we scrapbookers call them) so much every month. We meet on the second Saturday and the third Friday of every month. For July's Friday night crop, I made the Martha Stewart One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream. This was my first time making Swiss Meringue Buttercream, but had heard good things about it.

I'm not going to lie, I wasn't real impressed with this cupcake. I think it looks fabulous, but the taste wasn't anything fantastic. The frosting didn't really taste all that great, which I think had something to do with the pink gel dye used to get such a pretty color. The cake was nice and dense, which I like. But I won't be changing my 'go-to' chocolate cake recipe to this one. BUT, I was thoroughly pleased with the way they looked!

Swiss Meringue Buttercream (from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes)
Makes about 5 cups
5 large egg whites
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Directions

Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in the heatproof bowl of a standing mixer set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved (the mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips).

Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, whisk until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy and glossy, and completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl), about 10 minutes.

With mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. Once all butter has been added, whisk in vanilla. Switch to the paddle attachment, and continue beating on low speed until all air bubbles are eliminated, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl with a flexible spatula, and continue beating until the frosting is completely smooth. Keep buttercream at room temperature if using the same day, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat with paddle attachment on low speed until smooth again, about 5 minutes.

(Optional) To tint buttercream (or royal icing), reserve some for toning down the color, if necessary. Add gel-paste food color, a drop at a time (or use the toothpick or skewer to add food color a dab at a time) to the remaining buttercream. You can use a single shade of food color or experiment by mixing two or more. Blend after each addition with the mixer (use a paddle attachment) or a flexible spatula, until desired shade is achieved. Avoid adding too much food color too soon, as the hue will intensify with continued stirring; if necessary, you can tone down the shade by mixing in some reserved untinted buttercream.

I couldn't find the recipe for the chocolate cupcakes online, but if you would like it, email me and I will type it up for you.

A Concert and Chocolate Cupcakes

2009-08-02T18:16:00.000-07:00

In June, Jordan and I went to see one of my favorite bands, Gomez. Jordan didn't really know much about the band, but went with me anyway because that's what best friends do. :)

We stopped at Boston Market before the show and ate dinner. I had never been there, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Especially when we got to the register and saw these beauties:

Obviously we had to try them! They were yummy, moist, chocolatey! We knew from then on the night would only get better! Or so we thought!

It was a stormy night in Dallas, and the tornado sirens were going off as we left the restaurant. The storm was following us all the way from Plano to downtown Dallas. Right when we were pulling in the lot to park, it started to rain and the wind was blowing crazy-like. We had made it just in time.

Here we are at the show

And here is a great shot of the band.

Gomez is a band that I had been wanting to see since I first discovered them working at Sam Goody back in 1999. I would always miss them every time they came through Dallas. But not this time! It was well worth the ten year wait. They were fabulous, and I can't wait for the opportunity to see them again!

Pampered Chef Party Cupcakes

2009-08-02T10:50:00.001-07:00

My awesome mother-in-law Lori hosted a Pampered Chef Party in her home a little while ago. She asked me to make cupcakes, and of course I accepted! The color theme of the party was pink, in support of breast cancer awareness. I decided to keep the pink subtle, and made a golden cupcake (or yellow cake) with chocolate buttercream frosting, with pink dot sprinkles.

The cupcakes went over very well, and I even sent some home with the Pampered Chef lady! I even got some sweet things from Pampered Chef, like this...

Bamboo serving bowl...Alex likes all things wooden in the kitchen....bowls, serving, etc.

And these adorable polka dot bowls, we have used them so much already. They are perfect for pasta, or rice dishes with lots of liquid.

This little mini-serving spatula is awesome for lifting cookies off of baking sheets, and I used it this morning for some help with fresh cinnamon rolls I made.

The BEST ice cream scoop EVER!

This garlic infused canola oil is amazing! Even though it's probably not the healthiest thing on the planet....all things in moderation, right?

Okay, okay, so I may have gone a little overboard with the Pampered Chef stuff, but this is good stuff! And I spend so much time in the kitchen, these items will certainly get lots of use. :)

Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

2009-08-01T16:20:00.000-07:00

I have been a bad, bad, blogger. I haven't updated my blog since May! Things have been busy around our house. My husband Alex and I recently purchased a business in our hometown of Denton, Texas. The store that we purchased is called the "All Pure Water" store. They specialized in selling purified water, along with plastic bottles. Alex and I are beginning to add more items to the store, with the intent of making the store a full service aquarium shop. Anywho....

Recently Alex's family and my family got together for a little cookout. My father-in-law Randy had been asking me for Peanut Butter cupcakes for quite some time. And his birthday last year was right before our wedding, so I was unable to make them for the occasion. Here they are:

The cake was fairly simple to make. The frosting, however, was a little bit of a nightmare. I don't usually have good luck with frostings that require preparation on the stove top. I'm more of a "buttercream frosting in the stand mixer" kind of girl. But I went with it anyway, because the other recipe I found called for shortening, and I really don't like using shortening in my baking. Something about it kind of grosses me out....weird, I know.

It seemed like the cupcakes were a little bit of peanut butter overload, so I injected some of them with strawberry jam. I don't know if it really helped all that much. I was disappointed in these cupcakes, but this is how I learn what works and what doesn't. At least they look pretty! :)

Coconut Key Lime Cake

2009-05-31T13:45:00.001-07:00

I had some key limes leftover from a previous project (see Cyle's Graduation Cupcakes below), and I had seen this recipe on Smitten Kitchen's blog so I decided to have a go at it.

After I cut a piece for myself....

That evening, I had plans to meet my sister-in-law Shannon and my friend Brooke for frozen yogurt at Yogurtville. I cut them a few slices and boxed them in my pretty Martha Stewart food gift boxes. I think they were pleasantly surprised by the cake. :)

Cyle's Graduation Cupcakes

2009-05-31T13:10:00.000-07:00

One of my oldest friends, Cyle, graduated from the University of Texas at Austin on May 15th. In honor of his big day, I decided to make cupcakes (big surprise, I know!). When I asked him what kind he wanted, it was definitely a new request for me. Cyle wanted Chocolate cupcakes with Key Lime Cream Cheese frosting. He asked me if I had ever made that kind of cupcake, and I told him that I had made them separately, but never together. But, I'm always up for a cupcake challenge...and here is the result:

A close-up...

I saw this idea on another cupcake blog, and decided to give it a try. I made little flags to go in each of the cupcakes. My picture turned out kinda blurry, though. They say, "Congrats Cyle!" on them, in UT orange.

Here is the graduate with his cupcakes....I may have caught him off guard in this pic.....

For being such an odd combination, these were very good together. But most importantly, Cyle loved them.

Here's the recipe from Wilton.com
* 2 cups (12 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips divided
* 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
* 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
* 3 eggs
* 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 cups water

Makes: Cake serves 12.
Chocolate-Chocolate Cake

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray pan with vegetable pan spray. Melt 1 cup chocolate chips and butter together either in microwave oven or on top of range over low heat. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Pour into electric mixer bowl. Add sugar; beat until well blended. Beat in eggs, one at time. Add vanilla. Stir in 1/2 cup flour, baking soda and salt; mix well. Add remaining flour and water; mix until smooth. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 40-45 minutes or until cake tests done. Place pan on cooling rack. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup chocolate chips over cake; let stand 2-3 minutes or until chips have softened. Gently spread melted chocolate over top of cake. Cool completely in pan before covering.

And for the frosting, also from Wilton.com:
* 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter softened
* 8 ounces cream cheese softened
* 2 tablespoons key lime juice
* 1 teaspoon key lime zest or lemon zest
* 4-5 cups confectioners' sugar

Makes: About 3 cups.

In large bowl, cream butter, cream cheese, juice and zest with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add 4 cups confectioners' sugar, one cup at a time; continue beating until light and fluffy. If icing is too thin add additional confectioners' sugar 1 tablespoon at a time.

Red Velvet Cupcakes for Clare's Dinner Party (And a lightning strike!)

2009-05-31T12:59:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I made cupcakes for a Friday night Scrapbooking Crop that I am a part of. They were a big success. One of my fellow scrappers, Clare, asked me to make cupcakes for an upcoming dinner party of hers. Obviously I accepted!

Red Velvet cupcakes with Cream Cheese frosting:

While I was out (for 45 mintues) delivering the cupcakes to Clare's house (she also lives in Frisco), lightning struck our house! When I walked in, our house had a funny burnt smell to it. When I walked further into the house, I saw on our fireplace that some tiles had been shattered and there were a few burn marks. I called the fire department and they brought out the whole crew to check our house for anything that could still be smoldering. Luckily there was no structural damage, and we are so lucky and blessed that our house didn't catch on fire. It turned out to be a crazy day. Alex and I stayed with my parents in Denton for a few days since the firemen turned off our power to prevent anything else from happening.

Lime Meltaway Cookies

2009-05-31T12:55:00.001-07:00

I had some limes in the fridge that were begging to be baked with, so I found this recipe in my Martha Stewart Cookie book. They actually DID melt in your mouth.

I took them to work the next day for my co-workers to enjoy. If you want the recipe, let me know and I'll email it to you. :)

Austin Cupcakes Part Two

2009-05-31T12:49:00.001-07:00

While in Austin, we also visited Sugar Mama's Bakeshop. We picked up these yummy cupcakes:

Such cute packaging and a great logo...

Let's see if I can remember the flavors....
first row (left to right) Pina Colada, Lemon, and two Vanillas
second row Pina Colada, Red Velvet, and vanilla cake with chocolate frosting
third row cinnamon something (can't remember!), vanilla with chocolate, and two Peanut Butter Chocolate

The one I can't remember is the one I had....and it was great!

Austin Cupcakes

2009-05-17T12:39:00.000-07:00

In April, Alex and I drove down to Austin for the weekend. Alison's bachelorette party was that Saturday night, and Alex came to hang out with Will (Alison's then fiance, now husband!). During the day on Saturday, Alex, Will and I went to Hey Cupcake! for some cupcake goodness.

Will outside of Hey Cupcake!

Me outside of Hey Cupcake!

Their incredibly yummy menu:

Me and Alison with our cupcakes:

Vanilla cake with pink buttercream frosting for me and Red velvet for Alison:

So sad that it was half gone...this was one seriously good cupcake. This is probably the best cupcake from a Cupcakery that I have ever had!

My Goodreads Review

2009-05-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

Looking After Pigeon by Maud Carol Markson

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book was my first Goodreads First Reads book. I am so glad that I had the pleasure of reading this book. The characters are well developed and I felt a genuine sympathy for them throughout the book. Although the book isn't available until July, I would highly recommend checking it out when it becomes available. A quick read with lots to offer.

View all my reviews.

Easter Sugar Cookies

2009-05-02T12:27:00.000-07:00

Alex and I spent Easter this year at his Mom and Stepdad's house. I decided to make cookies instead of cupcakes this time around. I am still working on my piping skills, but practice makes perfect, right? :)

All the pretty icing colors:

Alex taking over decorating duties:

Alex is quite the natural when it comes to decorating, whether it is cookies or cupcakes:

The finished products:

I think I spent about three hours from start to finish with these cookies, and that is just the decorating, not the baking time. I had to stop decorating and take a break from time to time. I think the cookies turned out great, and they tasted pretty good, too. :)

Easter Cupcakes

2009-04-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

For Easter this year, I made my co-workers these Peeps cupcakes. My Mom had told me about some edible grass that she had found at Wal-Mart, so I thought I would give it a go on my cupcakes. I topped the cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting (dyed green), edible grass, a bunny peep, and Robin's Eggs.

Alison's Bridal Shower

2009-04-20T13:03:00.001-07:00

On April 4th, I co-hosted my dear friend Alison's bridal shower at our house in Frisco. A family friend of Alison's was originally going to host the shower, but had some medical problems arise so Lauren and myself accepted the honors. We had about a month to put the whole shower together, so we quickly got to work during the first week of March. We put a lot of attention to detail, and the end result was something that we were both proud of. Here is the arrangement that we had made for the shower, made by Holly's Gardens and Florist in Denton. If you look closely on the table you can see the confetti that I made using a paper punch. Alison is incorporating fleur de lis into her wedding theme, so this punch was perfect.

The gifts....

As part of the shower festivities, we gave each guest a clothespin and told them that they couldn't say "wedding" or "Will" (Alison's fiance). If someone heard them say either one of these words, their clothespin could be taken away, or if they heard someone else say it, they could take it from someone else. I also made these favor boxes that housed the homemade chocolates I made as favors for the guests.

Alex was incredibly kind to be our "panini master" for the bridal shower. He set up his workstation on our kitchen island and went to work making paninis for all the ladies at the shower. They were incredibly yummy and he was the hit of the party!

Here are a couple of shots of the food we served.

I wanted to take a few more detailed shots before the guests arrived, but I ran out of time! We served red velvet cupcakes (Alison's favorite), deli spirals, fresh fruit and veggies, jelly bellies in Alison's colors, brie with garlic toast, and phyllo cups with different fillings.

My Mom and Alex were tremendously helpful throughout the whole process, and I couldn't have done it without their help. Here are the thank you flowers that Alison's Mom Beth bought for Lauren, myself, and my Mom as a thank you. They were so beautiful.

Here is Alison opening a few of her presents.

Lauren and I got so many compliments on the shower. She and I worked really hard to make the event memorable for Alison, and she had a great time. I think we did a great job since it was the first shower we had ever given!

Irish Cupcakes (sort-of)

2009-03-27T22:50:00.000-07:00

Tonight my Scrapbooking group had a Friday night crop. On our Friday night get-togethers, we always do a pot luck dinner. Our organizer, Cheryl, picks a theme for the evening. This month is was "Luck o' the Irish" or anything green. So this is what I came up with. A white cake (dyed green) with chocolate buttercream frosting and various green sprinkles.

This just might be the best pictures I have ever taken of my cupcakes. I went outside because I had read somewhere online that natural light is best when photographing cupcakes.

A close-up...

The cupcakes were a huge success at the crop. For anybody who doesn't know what a scrapbooking crop is...it is basically a bunch of women getting together to sit around and scrapbook, chit-chat, and just generally have a good time. I have been going to these crops for about three and a half months now and I absolutely love it. The girls at the crops are hilarious and always keep me entertained...and I get some of my scrapbooking done. Tonight I got about five pages done. AND, the best part is one of my croppin' friends asked me to make cupcakes for a dinner party she is having in May....YAY!!!!

Margarita Cupcakes with Key Lime Cream Cheese Frosting

2009-03-27T15:46:00.000-07:00

Alex's grandmother Carol's birthday was a few weeks ago. In fact, she has the same birthday as my sister-in-law, Shannon. Luckily this year, Carol's birthday fell on a Saturday. Alex's grandfather, Stan, arranged for an open house all day long so people could just drop by and say 'Happy Birthday!' whenever they could. Carol is a BIG fan of margaritas, so I figured Margarita cupcakes would be perfect for her big day.

This cupcake tree was a wedding present from my neighbors back in Denton, Ward and Patsy Merriman...I am definitely putting it to good use!

Alex did all the key lime accents on the cupcakes. He spend a lot of time meticulously putting these itty bitty key limes on the cupcakes. He did a fabulous job.

I found these cupcake liners at Target. Of course they are made by Wilton, they seem to have the best cupcake liners in terms of design and they are easy to find. I see cupcake liners all the time (mostly online or in books) that I think are beautiful, but can never find them!

Here is the birthday girl. It was great to see so many of Alex's family members all in one place. Birthdays and celebrations are always a good time with Alex's family!!

Pina Colada Cupcakes with Jamaican Rum Buttercream Frosting

2009-03-07T07:45:00.001-08:00

I had bought some buttermilk to make the red velvet cupcakes blogged below, and I didn't want it to go to waste. I had a recipe for Pina Colada cupcakes that required buttermilk, so I decided to have a go.

The rum frosting was VERY tasty and surprisingly strong, despite only having one tablespoon of rum in it. I delivered a few to Jordan and Lance the next day when we went to an advance screening of "I Love You, Man" with Paul Rudd. (Which is very funny, by the way, I highly recommend it).

Valentine's Day Cupcakes

2009-03-06T14:26:00.000-08:00

I didn't get to make Valentine's Day cupcakes last year because Alex and I were moving to Frisco at that time. So this year I was very glad that I was able to make cupcakes for my co-workers. I made the classic red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, topped with a pink chocolate heart.

My co-workers loved them. One of my producers, Misty, even said that it was the best cupcake she had ever eaten. WOW! That is probably one of the best compliments I have ever received! After that compliment, I had to give them a test drive to see how they were, and I must say, I enjoyed them tremendously.

Edibles Incredibles - A Review

2009-03-06T13:15:00.000-08:00

Last month Alex and I went to visit my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew in Virginia. I really wanted to visit a new bakery, and Shannon knew of one called Edibles Incredible. One evening, we all went to Restin, Virginia in pursuit of cupcakes. Once there, it was hard to get inside, it was a tiny little place with lots of people standing in line.

They had what seemed like 15 different varieties of cupcakes, and it was a tough decision. I ultimately chose the "Snowball" cupcake which was coconut cake with what seemed like a coconut filling, pink buttercream frosting and shredded coconut on top. These cupcakes had a giant mound of frosting on top. I think we paid about $3.50 per cupcake, but there was so much to them, it was worth the price.

My brother chose the chocolate covered cherry cupcake with cherry filling. These cupcakes were BIG! I had to cut mine into quarters. I had a bite of his cupcake, and I really liked the cherry filling.

And they had a great idea for takeout cupcakes!

I thoroughly enjoyed these cupcakes, and will definitely be back when Alex and me visit in the future.

Shared photo book from Jennifer: Our Nephew

2009-02-26T11:58:00.001-08:00

View Project at Shutterfly

Lauren's Birthday Cupcakes

2009-02-17T15:51:00.000-08:00

My good friend Lauren Horton had her birthday party about a month ago. Her favorite cake is a yellow cake with chocolate frosting, so I happily made them in her honor.

Her favorite color is blue, so I decorated them with blue stars and blue edible sugars.

We all sat around, played Rock Band and Nintendo, ate cupcakes, and had a great time!

2009-02-17T15:41:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, I made my co-workers some white chocolate candies. They were a huge success. Even though I don't like peppermint, I was especially fond of the snowmen hanging on the candy canes.

Santa Lollipops

Penguin

Snowmen on Candy Canes

Snowmen

and Christmas Tree Lollipops

Cupcake Musings

2009-02-11T15:51:00.000-08:00

While I was making Red Velvet Cupcakes (baking in the oven right now) for Valentine's Day, I had a few thoughts. So I thought I would share them.

1. As exhibited by this blog entry, my mind truly wanders when I make cupcakes. I am off in my own baking la-la land, and I love it.

2. I am not yet a master of Red Velvet cupcakes. When I make them, it makes me think of my grandmother. I wish she was here to teach me how to make the perfect red velvet cake. My parents tell me that she made the best.

3. When I bake and decorate cupcakes, I truly feel like an artist. I may not have been very good at the violin in high school, but darn it, I can make some serious cupcakes.

4. That being said, I look at all the endless cupcake blogs that I follow, and realize that I still have a lot to learn. But I'm learning, and I think I get better each time.

5. I think my biggest and most important cupcakes will be next month for my nephew Ryan's first birthday party. Alex and I are hosting it at our house, and I am so honored that we get to host such a wonderful day.

6. Gel icing colors leave lovely stains on my fingertips...I may complain about it, but I consider them battle scars. :)

7. I spend A LOT of time in the internet looking at other people's cupcakes. I love how there are so many communities out there for cupcake-a-holics like me.

8. One of the things that give me the most pleasure in life is seeing someone enjoy my cupcakes. Some of my biggest fans are my co-workers.

9. When Alex and I had only been together a few months, his grandparents bought me a KitchenAid stand mixer. It was probably one of the best and most appropriate presents I have ever received. I can't imagine my baking life without it now.

10. Alex loves cake batter, and I love presenting him with the paddle beater.

11. I hosted a party at Christmas, with a cupcake/Christmas theme. I had friends and family over to decorate their own cupcakes. It was one of my favorite events that we have had at our home.

12. My friends and family truly support my cupcake habit. They are always sending me recipes and cute cupcake merchandise. My Mom frequently surprises me with new cupcake liners, and it is always exciting to me.

13. Sometimes I think I missed my calling in life. I love doing television for a living, but I often wonder if I could make it with my own bakery. I think the ultimate job for me would be doing television all about cupcakes.

That's all for now, but I'm sure my wandering cupcake brain will come up with a few more......

Cupcake Bandages!

2009-01-27T09:53:00.000-08:00

I saw this item this morning on my favorite cupcake blog, Cupcakes Take The Cake.

I rarely use bandages, but these are too cute!

Another Product I Must Have!

2009-01-16T08:19:00.000-08:00

I ran across this storage product that is AWESOME! There aren't any stores in Texas near me, so I would probably have to buy it online. Such a great idea!

Find it at bakersstongo.com.

I need this!

2009-01-16T04:49:00.000-08:00

I found this amazing cupcake mug on a cupcake shop website...love it!

There are so many things I want from this website. The purple glassine cupcake liners....

And, with Alison's upcoming Bachlorette Party (sometime in April, I believe), these would be absolutely perfect!

With so many great items on this site, I may have to make a big purchase!

The Country's Best Cupcakes, according to MSN.com

2009-01-09T08:50:00.000-08:00

Featured on the MSN homepage this morning is an article named, "The Country's Best Cupcakes". Looks like I need to make a cupcake tour around the US! Here is a picture of my favorite shop featured in the article...such a cute cupcake!

My sister-in-law Shannon and I have planned to go on a cupcake tour when Alex and I go visit next month. Shannon lives in Ashburn, Virginia with my brother and their 9 month old son, Ryan. There are so many cupcake shops in and around where they live, I'm sure we'll find lots of great cupcakes. I'm sure I'll take tons of pictures!

An Adorable Cupcake Shirt!

2009-01-09T08:42:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my favorite cupcake blog, Cupcakes Take the Cake, I saw this adorable t-shirt by one of my favorite designers, Loyal Army.

Too bad the shirt is made just for kids! I have many, many of these t-shirts from Loyal Army, and I love them all.

1st Annual Cupcakes & Christmas Party

2008-12-14T13:23:00.000-08:00

My good friend Raina had the great idea to have a party to decorate cupcakes, so I ran with it. Last Friday, Alex and I hosted the first annual Cupcakes & Christmas party. We had quite a nice turnout, and everyone had a great time decorating cupcakes. The guys didn't really seem to care though, they watched The Dark Knight instead of decorating cupcakes. :)

The cupcake menu included Bailey's Irish Creme Cupcakes, Chocolate cupcakes, Chocolate Buttercream and traditional buttercream frosting.

Here is Mom with her cupcakes

And a closeup...

Lori's cupcakes

Jordan's cupcakes

Oops...one of Lauren's cupcakes hit the floor!

More decorating goodness....

All the girls....

I think everyone had a great time, and we will definitely do it again next year!

Don't Forget to Eat Your Vegetables

2008-12-01T18:35:00.000-08:00

This year was Alex and I's first Thanksgiving in our new home and our first Thanksgiving as newlyweds. I really wanted to have Thanksgiving at our house, mostly because I LOVE having people over and having a good time. On Thursday morning, the family arrived with tons of food and two turkeys! We deep fried one of them and baked the other. Since I am new to the realm of cooking a turkey, Alex's Mom Lori gave me some "turkey lessons." I learned a lot!

Me being the baking fool of the family, I wanted to make at least one dessert. Of course, it had to be cupcakes. I found the inspiration from this fabulous book called "Hello Cupcake".

Here are the "Corn on the Cob" cupcakes:

And here are the "Peas and Carrots" cupcakes:

This year's Thanksgiving was fabulous...the only thing missing was Jeff, Shannon, and Ryan! Everyone at our house ate a cupcake in their honor. :)

Workin' for the Weekend

2008-12-01T18:30:00.000-08:00

The week that Alex and I got back from our honeymoon, things were very hectic at Wizetrade TV. We were transitioning into our new studios, and I put in 60 hours that week, mostly on the weekends. My co-workers and I were working long days to try to get ready for our launch on Monday. On that Saturday night, I got home around 8pm, and decided to bake for my hard working co-workers. This was the result:

Two pumpkin spice cakes. Mom and Lori surprised me with this bundt pan, and I love breaking in new pans! I brought the cakes in on Sunday morning, and they were a huge success.

Grandpa Stan's Birthday Cake

2008-12-01T18:22:00.000-08:00

Alex's grandpa Stan's birthday was also back in September. In fact, we had Alison's celebration (see below) the night before we had Stan's birthday dinner. Stan is one of my biggest cake fans, and this year he wanted an orange cake with orange frosting. I had never tried either of these, so I was in for a challenge. I found what I deemed to be a suitable recipe, and went to work. Alex's Mom told me that Stan probably wanted a orange cake made with FRESH oranges, and not just orange flavoring. Not a problem....I used orange zest and some orange liquor (!) to make it tasty. The frosting was orange buttercream, and was so incredibly thick and sweet, also thanks to the orange zest.

The orange cake was a huge success, and a great birthday dinner was had by all. :)

Alison's 26th Birthday Cupcakes

2008-11-30T15:26:00.000-08:00

So I'm a little behind in my blogging, but now that the wedding has come and gone, I have a little time to catch up now. Alison's 26th birthday was back in September, and she and Will had a party. Unfortunately it was a half birthday half going away party, since Will got a BIG promotion and they moved to San Marcos. Here are the dark chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese icing....

And here is me with Alison and Lauren at the party. It was so sad to see Alison move to San Marcos, but so exciting at the same time. :)

Looking Forward to Thanksgiving

2008-11-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about Thanksgiving. It is coming up in two weeks, and Alex and I are hosting it at our house this year. I have been mentally planning a menu, and, being the avid baker I am, I am thinking about the dessert first. I am planning on making a pumpkin chocolate cheesecake. And, I have this one cookbook that shows you how to make cupcakes that look like little bowls of mashed potatoes. I can't wait to make them! Pictures to follow....

Not cupcake related, but I felt compelled to Blog...

2008-10-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

So I know this is my cupcake blog, but I felt the overwhelming need to blog about my upcoming wedding. This is probably going to take a while.....

Alex and I are getting married in 5 days, and I have never been so excited for any event in my entire life. All the planning, occasional speed bumps, and stress has been completely worth it because we will be celebrating our future. We will be surrounded by friends and family that have really shown us how much they love and care about us, especially during the planning process. I am amazed at how much love and support I have received while planning our wedding.

First and foremost, Alex. He has been so patient and caring during the whole planning process. I know sometimes I am tired and all I want to do is sleep, but he never seems to mind. I am so incredibly lucky to be marrying such a wonderful man.

My Mom has truly been phenomenal. Whenever I stress out, she always comes up with a solution, and everything turns out just fine. She has been such a creative source for me, and I so enjoy bouncing ideas off of her. After all, I get my creativity genes from her! I truly could not have done this without her.

My Dad, the silent supporter. I have always felt like my father is my biggest cheerleader, but in a quiet way. Unfortunately, our "father-daughter fun days" have been few and far between since planning the wedding. But he always manages to make me breakfast on those early Saturday mornings when I come into Denton to do wedding stuff with Mom (and it's often the highlight of my week, Dad makes an awesome breakfast!). I know it is probably tough on him to see his little girl moving out of her home town and getting married all within 9 months, but I know that he loves Alex and knows that he will take wonderful care of me for the rest of our lives.

My future mother-in-law, Lori. How lucky am I to have such a wonderful woman in my life?! Not only can I call with anything I need, she and my Mom enjoy spending time together, too! My Mom has gained a new friend in Lori, and so have I. Truly a selfless person, I cannot be thankful enough to have her around. I have enjoyed having Lori be such a big part of planning our wedding, so many good ideas and thoughts have come from her! And to her husband Randy, well, thanks for putting up with us girls while we plan this wedding! :)

Alex's grandparents, Stan and Carol. Two loving and giving folks. Also incredibly selfless (it must run in the family), Alex and I can always count on them. And although Alex and I moved to Frisco and don't see them as often, it's still as though they are just around the corner from us. I can already see Carol being the life of the party at the wedding!

My brother and sister-in law, Jeff and Shannon. And of course, my nephew Ryan. What a beautiful new family. I am so blessed to have Shannon in my life. I feel that despite living many miles apart, we have grown closer over the last six years. I am so glad that each member of their family will have a very special role in our wedding this Saturday.

And of course, my bridesmaids, Jordan, Jennifer, Shannon, and Alison. Let's not forget my Man of Honor, Jason. I am so proud to have each of these people stand beside me on my wedding day. Each of them has had a huge impact on my life and it is an honor to have them with me on such an amazing occasion.

And to everyone else that has helped plan this wedding, thank you and I love you!

My Cupcake Protege

2008-09-16T15:24:00.000-07:00

My best friend, Jordan, has a very pregnant sister. A baby shower was thrown in Morgan's honor to celebrate the addition to the family. Since Jordan has the best possible cupcake resource (ahem, me), she made some fabulous, adorable, and incredibly cute cupcakes for the shower. They turned out absolutely wonderful, and everyone at the shower loved them! I wish I could have been there to be the proud teacher, but here is a picture. I am so proud of you Jordan!

Jordan's 26th Birthday Cupcakes

2008-08-03T15:21:00.000-07:00

Saturday was Jordan's 26th birthday. She had a family get together that day, so Alex and I celebrated with Jordan and Lance on Friday. This particular flavor of cupcake had long ago been named "The Jordan." It is a Golden Cupcake (kind of like a butter cupcake) with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, dyed purple.

Jordan wanted to go see the new Mummy sequel for her special day. When we got to the theater and bought our tickets, the fire alarm started going off. We didn't really think too much of it, and were about to go into the theater. Turns out the fire was real and we had to evacuate...bummer! So instead of just waiting around for them to let us back into the theater, we all went to grab something to eat at Dave and Buster's. This whole time, Jordan is carrying around her box of cupcakes. She kept getting lots of compliments on them, and the guys in the movie concession line even tried to get her to give them one! Jordan gracefully refused...they were HER birthday cupcakes, after all!

We finally got to see our movie, and we enjoyed the cupcakes during the movie. Overall, a great cupcake birthday was had by all!

College Cupcakes

2008-07-16T17:13:00.000-07:00

A little bit of back-blogging today! I've had problems with uploading pictures.

Back in May, my good friend Alison's little brother graduated from SMU here in Dallas. Alison asked me to make graduation cupcakes for Owen and I was honored! Here is how they turned out.

Alex and I didn't make it to Owen's graduation party, but I hear the cupcakes were a success! Congrats Owen!

Dad's 60th Birthday Cake

2008-07-16T17:02:00.000-07:00

So I've been wanting to do this post for some time now, but I tend to have problems uploading pictures with Blogger.

Anywho, back in May, my Dad celebrated his 60th birthday. Mom arranged a surprise party for him at our favorite restaurant, Giuseppe's. We had quite a crowd! Dad's coworkers, Lori and Randy, me and Alex, Stan and Carol, and Jeff, Ryan, and Shannon! The extra special treat was having The Abbott family in town from Virginia.

I tried to make Dad a Splenda Cake (see my previous post!), but that didn't turn out so well. So I decided to make a giant cupcake cake. After quite a bit of laboring, here it is:

Here is Dad with his birthday cupcake!

Everyone had a great time celebrating Dad's birthday. There is nowhere that I would rather be than spending an evening with my family! Here is a parting picture of me and Alex....

Me as a 1930s Wife?

2008-06-24T12:43:00.000-07:00

Apparently I would be pretty good at it, who knew?!

As a 1930s wife, I am
Superior

Take the test!

So much for a Splenda Cake

2008-05-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

So I tried to make a Splenda cake for my Dad's birthday....I had the special Splenda cookbook and everything. The recipes I used were for a yellow cake and cream cheese icing, with Splenda replacing granulated sugar. That was really the only change made from a normal cake recipe. I thought it would turn out just fine. Turns out, the cake had a cornbread consistency, and the cream cheese icing tasted like I had just softened some cream cheese, no real sweetness to it at all. What a bummer....here's a couple of pics. Alex was my guinea pig, as usual, and he didn't think it was BAD, but didn't think it was good either. :)

At least Alex is still okay with being my guinea pig after that bomb of a cake! :)

Baby Shower Cupcakes

2008-01-27T13:37:00.000-08:00

One of my co-workers is VERY pregnant with her first baby, to be named Luke, and I was asked to make the cupcakes for the shower. Here they are:

Pineapple cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, topped with cotton candy sprinkles. This was a personal request from the Mom-to-Be. She is due in a little over a week. Congrats Jenn!!

Fondant Cake #2

2008-01-14T17:00:00.000-08:00

My Brother's Decorating "Lesson"

2008-01-13T17:19:00.000-08:00

I had made an extra layer cake iced with buttercream for my cake decorating class, but I ended up not going to class that week. I brought along the cake to my parent's house on New Years Eve in case we got the urge to decorate it. My brother Jeff decided to have a go at it.

Here I am showing Jeff different tips and what they do...

And here he is watching intently.....

And he's off! (Under my watchful eye, of course.)

Well, after much effort and thought, here is Jeff with his creation.

Well, I guess I taught him well....here I am with Jeff's masterpiece.