vanilla butter cupcakes

I decided to join a cupcake challenge.  Tonight I baked my cupcakes and tomorrow I will be decorating them to go with the week one challenge ~ strawberries.  My Littles are looking forward to decorating their own cupcakes too!

Vanilla Butter Cupcakes
2 stick unsalted butter (1/2 pound)  ~ at room temperature
1 3/4 cups vanilla sugar
4 large eggs ~ at room temperature
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups cake flour
1 1/2 Tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit and place 24 cupcake liners in 2-12 cup muffin tins.  Sift flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.  Add vanilla to the milk and set aside.  In a large bowl cream butter and slowly add vanilla sugar, beating until light and fluffy.  Continue beating and add eggs 1 at a time.  Keep mixing the batter adding 1/3 of the milk mixture then 1/3 of the flour mixture.  Repeat until all ingredients are combined. Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 22-28 minutes.

-Since this was a cake recipe I turning into cupcakes there was a little batter left.  I coated a small baking dish with no-stick cooking spray, poured in the remaining batter, and baked it in the oven for 33 minutes at 350 degrees fahrenheit.

-The recipe could easily be halved or quartered. 

-If you don't have cake flour you can make it by sifting flour and cornstarch together.  Measure a cup of flour and then remove 2 Tablespoons of the flour and add it back to the bag. Pour the flour into your sifter and add 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch.  This recipe calls for 3 cups of cake flour so do this 3 times.  Now you sift the mix together 4 times.  When you are done sift it another 2 times just to be sure it is sifted together.

-If you don't have baking powder you can make it with 2 teaspoons of baking soda, 4 teaspoons cream of tarter, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch. Use a whisk to mix it together very well and measure off the amount you need.  Store the remaining in an air tight container.

Now I'm going to eat some of my little cake with the last jar of strawberry cranberry juice jam I made last year.

a little sewing

A friend of mine was recently called to Young Women. On the way home from church that afternoon I remembered seeing a Young Women Personal Progress book holder that I wanted to make with my oldest Girlie in the autumn when she starts attending YW.  So I was excited to get to make one for my friend right away!  I don't like to wait on projects.  Probably because when I wait they don't get done.

You can find the pattern at  Chocolate on my Cranium.  I did make an adjustment to the pattern so I could add the Guidebook for Parents and Leaders of Youth.  My fabric and interfacing pieces were 14x24 inches and my pocket guide lines were at 5 1/2", 11 1/4", 12 1/2", and 17 3/4".

somebunny

decided it was time to make a post. 

I made this little bunny the other day with some leftover yarn from the baby blueberries hats I made last year.  This has been my favorite spring bunny to make for about 10 years.  It is all about how you fold and sew it.  Because to make it you knit a square, ears and make a pompom tail.  The bunny pattern can be found here.

better than chicken soup

When I have a cold, chicken soup isn't what I'm craving.  I want something spicy hot to clear my head.  I chopped up veggies from our garden and made some pico de gallo.  My oldest girlie and hubby are the only ones who will eat the pico de gallo I make when I have a cold because I like it HOT.  To kept my head from being stuffy.  

pico de gallo

2 parts tomatoes

2 parts tomatillos

1 part red onion

1 part green onion

1 part hot peppers (1/2 of it jalapenos)

1/2 part cilantro

1/4 part garlic

lime and salt to taste

sometimes I add 1 part sweet peppers

chop it all up and mix it up.

It's good on tacos, chili, ham sandwiches, and straight out of a bowl with chips or with a spoon.  Just to name a few ways I enjoyed it this week.

wordless wednesday ~ strider

we've already...

...caught a round of the sniffles?!?!   It's too early or maybe, it's too warm for cold season.  We're still dealing with heat, humidity and mosquitoes... now colds.  I'm not ready for it to begin.

My next batch of echinacea tincture won't be ready for over a week.  So I might have to buy some pre-made which I hate having to do; it's so pricey.  I should get some more echinacea p. root and start another batch.

I still need to make up another batch of thieves oil salve, cough drop lolli-pops, cough, and elderberry syrups.  Oh, and fill up some teabags with some one cup servings of cold care tea.  It's past time to restock the cold care cupboard.

I did get a batch of cold and sinus salve made last weekend.  At least it is one thing taken care of.