Buggy's Birthday Cupcakes

A year or two ago my parents bought me the book Hello, Cupcake! since I had taken a cake decorating class and enjoyed it.  The book has a lot of cute decorating ideas and recipes.  A few weeks ago we made the chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese icing.  They were SO good!  The kind of good that you have to use all the will power you can to not polish off the plate!  Hubbie took the remainder to work so that we wouldn't be tempted!  For Buggy's birthday, we decided to try out the carrot cake with cream cheese icing!  Also delicious!  This cream cheese doesn't have a "after taste or bite" to it.  I think the butter helps mellow it out.  Whatever the reason, this is  definitely a family favorite!

Carrot Cake 


2 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg 

2 large eggs

1 cup of sugar

1/3 cup of lightly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup of oil

1/4 cup of milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 

1 1/2 cups of grated carrots (about 4) 

1/2 cup of dark raisins

1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

1.  Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners

2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl.

3. In another bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs, brown sugar, sugar, oil and milk until light and thick. 

4. Reduce speed to low and add the flour mixture, beating just until blended.  Stir in vanilla and carrots until well blended (and raisins and walnuts if adding)

5. Bake until golden  and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 22 mins.  Remove and cool.  

Cream Cheese Icing 

1 package of cream cheese (8 oz), softened

1 stick (8 tblspoons) of unsalted butter, softened

1 box of confectioners sugar 

2-3 tablespoons of milk 

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1. Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl.  Beat with a mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 mins.

2. Gradually add the sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk and beat until smooth.  Add vanilla.  And add remaining 1 tablespoon of milk if the mixture is too thick.  

Buggy is what we call our youngest son and I figured bugs made out of candy would be appropriate for his celebration!  Everyone Our oldest sons enjoyed the candy!

The icing and both cake recipes that we've made are SO good!  Once you eat these homemade cakes, you will never be able to go back to a box cake or tub of icing!  I really wish I could "go back" sometimes, because it would make things a lot quicker and easier...... but once you eat one of these YOU DON'T want to go back to any store bought cake!  Delicious!!!

Best Ever!

Sometimes you happen across one of those blogs that you could read forever... well.... Like Merchant Ships is one of those and sadly, some blogs don't last forever!  One of the best things I read during Meredith's regular blogging was her cobbler recipe!  Oh my goodness!  This is scrumptious AND quick AND easy!  I'm sure I've posted this before, because this is the 4th summer I've used her delicious recipe!!!  I decided to share it today since I am making this for our 4th of July dessert!

First, toss the berries or chopped fruit with 1/4 cup sugar (if needed).

Preheat the oven to 350 while the fruit releases its juice.

Next, melt one stick butter or margarine in a casserole dish (8 x 10 or 8 x 8).

Simply double this recipe for use in larger baking dishes.

While the butter melts, combine dry ingredients with milk:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 2/3 cup milk

Pour batter over the butter. Don't mix!

Spoon fruit over the batter. Don't stir! Bake for 40 minutes at 350.

Serve with ice cream!!!

Sugar Daddy à la Mode

Sugar Daddy à la Mode

I noticed the free and easy dessert recipe a week ago on the E-Mealz website and thought that the recipe looked like something my family would enjoy!  Then, when we were invited to my parents house to celebrate my brother's 25th birthday and Father's Day, I offered to make this!  

The dessert was super easy to make!  We had several things in the list of ingredients already, so it was a very inexpensive dessert for me to make!  The recipe makes a large 9 x 13 dessert and it is SO SO SO rich, you just can't stomach a very large portion!  

To get your free dessert recipe, go to E-Mealz and scroll down to the middle of the page.  On the left hand side you will see a button where you can enter your email address and it will be emailed to you!  Its gooey with lots of caramel and chocolate!!!
Hope you enjoy!

Also, don't forget that until June 30th you can get $2 your subscription to E-Mealz by using the code SHOESTRING.  If you want to know more about E-Mealz, a JoAnna wrote a great blog post about it here.

Blueberry Apple Crisp

I have fresh, hand-picked blueberries in my fridge and I couldn't wait to try this recipe here.  Let me tell you- it was DE-LIC-IOUS!  Hubbie even went back for seconds!  He doesn't do THAT often!

I didn't really change the recipe too much.  I didn't use as many apples and they weren't Granny Smith.  Oh and I didn't do nutmeg either...  Not sure why.  Just not a fan!?!  Anyway... here is MY version of this yummy dessert!  And don't forget the ice cream on top!  YUM-O!

3-4 small apples, diced
1 cup of blueberries
2/3 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup of old fashioned oats
1/3 cup of butter, softened
3/4 tea of cinnamon

Spray non-stick cooking spray in an 8x8 baking dish.  Diced up apples  and line the bottom of the casserole dish.  Sprinkle washed blueberries on top of the apples.  Mix the remaining ingredients to make the "crisp" topping and sprinkle on top.  Bake 375 until topping is brown and "hardened".

Typical Birthday Cake?

If you know me, you know that the majority of the time I am the over-acheiever and don't enjoy being "like everyone else"....and Hubbie's birthday cake was no exception.

A few weeks ago I began to bug Hubbie about his birthday cake.  I knew he had talked about several, but I didn't know if he had made his final pick.  On his actual birthday (after working 180 hrs over the previous 2 wks) he got home and I actually cornered him and got his pick.  It was decadent.  It was "semi- involved".

We made it to the store that evening and got the ingredients....

These two things are the main ingredients.  Hubbie's favorites!  Yum!

Yes, it tasted as good as it looked!  And just in case you aren't truly appreciating the awesome-ness of this.... 

  

Here it is again....

And again......

Hubbie's cake was a hit and I was glad Hubbie enjoyed it!  

Go here to see the original cake and to find the recipe.  You will not be disappointed!

A Family Favorite

About 9 months ago, Hubbie and I were searching for a bread recipe.  

We enjoyed the flavor of our bread that we were making, but it didn't do so well as sandwich bread.  It did not toast.  The more research we did, the more we learned about the "art of baking bread".  We realized in order to make "true" whole wheat sandwich bread, we would have to purchase certain ingredients that weren't always handy to get to.  

So, the search was on for something that was fabulous, easy, quick, cheap.... ya know?!  All the things that you want in homemade bread!  

In steps, Suzanne McMinn and her blog Chickens in the Road.

Can we say FABULOUS?!  We quickly tried her Grandmother's Bread recipe.  Hands down- it was a WINNER!  The family LOVED it and it quickly became our favorite bread!

This weekend my husband attempted my birthday cake request- Italian Cream Cake.

Oh my!  Be still my heart!  Best birthday cake EVER!  Moist, recipe, cream cheese iciing... 

YUM-O!  Worthy of Paula Dean!  

We have tried several "Chickens in the Road" recipes and every single time- its a winner!  We always seem to check this blog first when searching for a recipe.  

Now, 9 months later, my husband only makes Suzanne McMinn's bread recipe... sometimes twice a week.  We love her bread that much!  

We love Chickens in the Road....