cupcake challenge ::: week 10 ~ blueberries

it's blueberry picking time and we are using blueberries in lots of yummy treats.  if y'all are local, head on over to college run farms and pick some blueberries to make these yummy cupcakes.  you might be able to hunt down the last of the strawberries while you are there.  if y'all aren't local check out your local farms, farmers market, or grocery and get a hold of some blueberries because they are in season.

blueberries and cream cupcakes
3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 cup light cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup mushed blueberries (extra blueberries to put on top)

preheat oven to 350 and line muffin tins with cupcake papers.

mix flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.

with an electric mixer;  cream butter, vanilla, and sugar till fluffy.  add eggs mixing well after each egg.  alternate dry and wet ingredients adding them to the sugar, butter, vanilla, and egg mix.

gently fold in 3/4 cup of mashed blueberries.

fill cupcake papers 3/4 full and bake for about 25 minutes.

blueberry whipped cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup vanilla sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup mashed blueberries

with an electric mixer; beat the cream, sugar, vanilla, and blueberries until it is stiff.

frost cupcakes and top with blueberries.

wordless wednesday

cupcake challenge ::: week 9 ~ soda pop

this might sound odd, but it does work.  this week's cupcake recipe has 2 ingredients that come right off the pantry shelf.

chocolate root beer float cupcakes

boxed chocolate cake mix

12 oz root beer

combine the cake mix and soda.  don't add the oil, eggs, or water, just the 12 oz soda.  fill the cupcake liners and bake according to the box instructions.

i whipped 1 cup of heavy cream, 2 tablespoons of vanilla sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla to make whipped cream and scooped a spoon full on top.

when i first heard of this recipe i wondered if it would really work so i had to try and see.  when they baked up i wondered if they would taste good and they do.  i think it's great that this cupcake recipe can be made with items kept in food storage and no need for oil, fresh eggs, or milk.  well, the cupcake part at least; not the freshly made whipped cream.

JCub, i'm going to bake a batch of cupcakes later using these:

....and i'll be thinking of you.

wordless wednesday

cupcake challenge ::: week 9

i was watching 'the secret life of bees' and when the scene with lilly and may sitting outside talking about kissing boys came up i got my inspiration for this weeks cupcake challenge.   i bet y'all already have an idea what it will be if you know the flick.

here's the quote i'm talking about....
may: when i was 15, i made a 7up cake for this boy. after that, he kissed me all the time.

now i'm not saying this is going to get y'all kissed....and i'm not saying this is limited to 7up.  this weeks challenge is going to be soda pop.  stop on by in a couple days and we can swap recipes.

suncatcher ~ pattern

no 10 cotton thread yarn in pink and ocean
1.15mm crochet hook
6 inch metal ring

suncatcher pattern
round 1: chain 2, 6 single crochet in second chain from hook, join with a slip stitch to the first single crochet.

this is the right side of the suncatcher.  leave the tail hanging out on the back side to mark the back.

round 2: chain 6, double crochet in the same stitch, chain 3 *(double crochet, chain 3, double crochet) in the next single crochet, chain 3; repeat from * around and join with a slip stitch to the third chain  of  the beginning chain 6.

round 3: slip stitch in the first chain 3 space, chain 1, single crochet in the same space, chain 3, *single crochet in the next chain 3 space, chain 3; repeat from * around and join with a slip stitch to the first single crochet.

round 4: chain 1, single crochet in the same stitch, chain 5, *single crochet in the next single crochet, chain 5; repeat from * around and join with a slip stitch to the first single crochet.

round 5: chain 1, single crochet in the same stitch, chain 7, *single crochet in the next single crochet, chain 7; repeat from * around and join with a slip stitch to the first single crochet.

round 6: chain 1, single crochet in the same stitch, chain 9, *single crochet in the next single crochet, chain 9; repeat from * around and join with a slip stitch to the first single crochet.

round 7: chain 14, * double crochet in the next single crochet, chain 11; repeat from * around and join with a slip stitch to the third chain of the beginning chain 14.

round 8: (change color) chain 1, single crochet in the same stitch, *3 single crochet, 3 half-double crochet, 3 double crochet, 3 half-double crochet, 3 single crochet in the chain 11 loop, single crochet in the double crochet; repeat from * around and join with a slip stitch to the first single crochet.

round 9: (switch back to the first color) chain 7, treble crochet in the same stitch, *chain 5 single crochet in the second double crochet from the previous row,  chain 5, treble crochet, chain 3, treble crochet in the next single crochet; repeat from * around and join with a slip stitch to the fourth chain of the beginning chain 7.

round 10: slip stitch in the first chain 3 space, 3 single crochet in the same chain 3 space, 5 single crochet in the next chain 5 loop, single crochet in the next single crochet, 5 single crochet in the next chain 5 loop, *3 single crochet in the next chain 3 loop, 5 single crochet in the chain 5 loop, single crochet in the next single crochet, 5 single crochet in the next chain 5 loop; repeat from * around and join with a slip stitch to the top of the beginning single crochet.

 round 11: (change color) chain 3, double crochet in the next single crochet and in each single crochet around, slip stitch into the top of the beginning chain 3.

 round 12: chain 1, single crochet (back loop only) in the same stitch, single crochet in each double crochet (back loop only) around, slip stitch into the first single crochet.

round 13: chain one, (crocheting around the ring and working in the back loop only) 2 single crochet in the same stitch, 2 single crochet around the ring in each single crochet around, slip stitch into the first single crochet.

round 14: chain 5, skip the next 3 single crochet, single crochet in the next single crochet, * chain 3, skip 3 single crochet, single crochet in the next single crochet; repeat from *around and join with a slip stitch into the second stitch of the beginning chain 5.

round 15: slip stitch in the chain 3 space, chain 1, * single crochet, half-double crochet, chain 3, slip stitch in the back of the first chain, single crochet in the same chain 3 space; repeat from * around, chain 140 (or the length you want for hanging) slip stitch to the beginning single crochet, finish off.  tuck in all loose ends.

if y'all would like to see more fibers on friday projects head on over to Beth's place visions of sugar plums.

cupcake challenge ::: week 8 ~ mario's world

when i told my littles that this week's theme is mario's world they wanted to decorate the cupcakes. 

i used the golden cupcakes recipe from week 5 ~ earth day. 

frosting
1 cup butter at room temperature
4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
red food dye
green food dye
black gel frosting

mix together butter, powdered  sugar, cream, vanilla, and salt.  separate the frosting into 4 bowls.  add red food dye to one bowl and green to another.  add the cocoa powder to the third bowl and mix it in.  the fourth bowl is the white frosting.  have fun decorating.

my littles made some gumbas, 1 ups, get bigs, and boos. 

wordless wednesday

cupcake challenge ::: week 8

i'm trying out posting from my phone because we have been out of town visiting friends since the weekend and are having lots of fun.  so much fun that i didn't given much thought to this weeks cupcake challenge until my brother sent me a text a few minutes ago asking me about it.  oops!  thank you for the reminder JCub!

a few minutes before i got his text my littles were playing a mario's world game and i said i want to make some cute mario characters.  i've always thought the little critters are cute and fun.  when i had said that i was thinking of crocheting or knitting some amigurumi but.... this weeks challenge will be mario's word.

come back in a couple days.  we'll be back home and i'll bake some cupcakes and we can swap recipes.

suncatchers

i've been playing around with crocheting suncatchers.  these were made with pattons grace: snow, aquifer, cardinal, blush, ginger, sky, and clay. the ring is  5 inches and  metal.   i haven't decided if i want to put an edging on them or leave them as they are.  the more i look at them in the picture; they need an edging.

i made this one using a 6 inch metal ring and no. 10 cotton crochet thread in lemon and gray.  i tied a evil eye bead from turkey onto the hanging chain.

hanging in the sun...

cupcake challenge ::: week 7 ~ mother's day

lavender relieves burns, stings, bites, headaches, allergies, and insomnia. it can stave off infection and clean wounds.  when i smell lavender it relaxes and comforts me. i turn to lavender for many of the things i would turn to my mom for when i was a child. and when i smell the sweet floral aroma of lavender i think of my mom.

lavender lemon cupcakes
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lavender buds
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup half-and-half
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

preheat oven to 350*F and line muffin tins with paper liners.

cream butter, sugar, and lavender buds on medium speed till fluffy.  add eggs, vanilla, lemon juice, hone and half-and-half and mix 2 minutes.  sift flour, baking powder and salt then mix into the wet ingredients.  fill the liners 3/4 full and bake for approximately 22 minutes.

lavender and lemon butter cream frosting
8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
dash of salt
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3-4 cups powdered sugar
purple food dye
lavender essential oil

cream butter, cream cheese, honey, vanilla, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and 3 cups powdered sugar.  mix in the heavy whipping cream.  add more powdered sugar to get the consistency desired.  scoop about 1/8 - 1/4 of the frosting to a separate glass or metal bowl and add dye and 1 drop of lavender essential oil.

i use organic lavender buds and essential oil.

plastic will hold the smell/flavour of the essential oil even after it is washed so use a metal or glass bowl.

one drop of essential oil is all that is needed so be careful not to add more. i will put a drop of lavender oil in the bowl before adding the frosting in case i get more then one by accident.  if i get too much i'll add a little water to the bowl, swirl it around, and then dump it out.  there will still be lavender in the bowl.  don't dry the bowl just add the frosting and dye. a little more powdered sugar might be needed to get the proper consistency.

you may want to rinse the bowl even with one drop of lavender; it can be strong. 

if any of y'all made cupcakes and want to swap recipes leave a link in the comments so i can come over and check it out.

wordless wednesday

decluttering ~ finding treasures

Cleaning up and organizing is not only getting things neat and tidy; it feels like Christmas, a birthday, or finding lost treasures. 

We found some long lost and forgotten paint powder in the garage.  My Girlie got a cupcake tin and started mixing the powder with water because she had plan to do something fun.

I think she is planning on mixing up some more paint tomorrow to continue with her project.  Her brothers are planning on making some powdered paint bombs.  I think tomorrow is going to have a lot more color in it than today.