playing catch up

Okay, so to say I am behind on blogging would be an understatement! So I have decided to try to catch you up through pictures from the fourth, etc. I decided not to go get the "baker's rack" thing. The garage sale ended up being 30 min away as opposed to 10. Also, I misread the ad and it was just the "base" not the entire thing, so it would have looked more like a dresser. Also, I decided it may make my dining room/living room area too cluttered. I am indecisive.

Anyway, on to the fourth...

I spent the morning of the fourth making these delicious cupcakes. They took forever considering the frosting and cupcakes were homemade but ended up being well worth the time! You can't really tell in the picture but the ones above were red velevet with blue frosting and considering I couldn't find white sprinkles, the colorful ones had to suffice.


Considering the blue frosting got a little runny from the food coloring, I decided to make these (above) instead of more blue ones! They were a lot of fun to make!


And this is what Ava did while I made the delicious cupcakes! I can't wait for her to be old enough to help me bake and lick the spoon!!

All in all we had a good Fourth of July. Ava liked the fireworks for awhile but then got scared from one so we went in and she went to sleep.

If anyone is interested in making the delicious cupcakes just follow the recipe below! WARNING: They are addicting.

Cupcakes

24 paper liners for cupcake pans (2 1/2 -inch size)
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain German chocolate cake mix (I use and recommend Duncan Hines)
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 bottle (1 ounce) red food coloring (if you want red cupcakes)
3 large eggs
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.
2. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, water, oil, food coloring, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Spoon or scoop N cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it three quarters of the way full. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Place the pans in the oven.
3. Bake the cupcakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes minutes before frosting.
(Recipe from The Cake Mix Doctor)


Delicious Icing!!

3 T Flour
1/2 C milk (whole milk is best)
1/2 C real butter
1/2 C sugar (that's granulated sugar, not powdered sugar)
1 t vanilla extract

1. Whisk together milk and flower and heat over medium heat (mixing continuously) until thick. It should be thick enough so you can see the bottom of the pan as you are stirring. (dont cut this step short)
2. Let your thickened milk cool completely in the fridge
3. Mix butter and sugar in an electric mixer until fluffy
4. Add thickened milk and vanilla to the butter/sugar mixture and beat in electric mixer for 8 min. (should be very fluffy!)
(recipe from Our Best Bites)