A Very Berry Birthday

This morning we had my daughter's "friend" birthday party. She opted for the Strawberry Shortcake theme again and I was pleased to find cupcake toppers that fit the bill!

These cupcakes were made from scratch and are vanilla very berry.  Inside you'll bite into a sweet mix of strawberries, rasberries and bluberries.  After baking a homemade jelly type sauce is piped into the middle and then covered with creamy butter frosting.

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!

Rainbow Jello Slices

Apparently I have a fetish for fun foods.  I saw these on pinterest and had to try them.  Good thing I had a birthday party to use them at.  These were so much fun! They are just a tad time consuming to make (if you make 6 different colors) but well worth it for the kids.

All have you have to do is:

1.  Cut oranges in half

2.  Remove fruit down to the peel

3.  Fill with jello

4.  Let set as jello recipe calls for

5.  Slice into normal size orange slices

The kids LOVE to eat them.

Rainbow Fruit Kabobs

It's no secret that kids (especially my kids!) love fruit.  I saw these online and thought it was a great treat for my girl's birthday party.  No recipe needed.  Enjoy!

Saturday Morning: Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

This morning I was watching our friend's 2 children while my hubby and their dad helped a family move. What better way to keep kids entertained than to let them bake? I've had a box of carrot cake mix sitting in the pantry so we skipped the "from scratch" and just used the box. We did make our own icing, though.

Happy 4th Birthday!

My sister made the cutest Strawberry Shortcake birthday cake for her daughter's birthday. As soon as my little girl saw it she fell in love and wanted one just like it for her own 4th birthday.

I varied from my sister's just a bit, but kept the same gist.  My daughter absolutely loved it.  I can't believe she's already FOUR!

Happy Father's Day!

FYI: Brownie mix also works in the waffle iron.

Little Gracie's

Poor little Gracie broke her arm.

And although I'm not State Farm,

I'm pretty sure these cheered her up.

At the very least I got a smile.

I used the recipe for "homemade oreos" and just left them separate instead of sandwiching them together.  They're purple because little Gracie deserves something cute.

 

Recipe:

1 cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 c oil

 

*Mix it all together, shape into small balls and bake at 375 for 8 minutes.

Waffle My Heart

I heard of this a few months ago and finally got around to trying it out. It's so genius.  Who doesn't love waffles, and who doesn't love cake?  What a combo.

All you have to do is prepare a  cake mix (I just used a box to try it out) and cook it in the waffle iron instead of the oven.  Be aware, it cooks quickly so don't leave it on the iron too long.  Serve with a scoop of cold ice-cream.  Delish!

Blueberry Surprise

I was browsing the latest edition of Family Circle and came across this delicious looking summer treat.  I love me a blueberry muffin, so I could only guess that a blueberry cupcake would be that much better.  Oh. My. Gosh.  They are so good.  Even my hubby likes them, and he doesn't like sweets.

So you don't have to look it up, here's the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4  cups  all-purpose flour
• 2  teaspoons  baking powder
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  cup  (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4  cup  sugar
• 2    eggs
• 3/4  cup  milk
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 3/4  cup  fresh blueberries
• 1 1/3  cups  heavy cream
• 3  tablespoons  granulated sugar
• 2/3  cup  fresh blueberries
• 1  tablespoon  confectioners' sugar (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line one 12-cup cupcake pan with foil or paper cupcake liners.
2. Cupcakes. In medium-size bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. In large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Add sugar and beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time. On low speed, add half the flour mixture. Beat in the milk and vanilla, followed by remaining flour mixture. Fold in fresh blueberries.
3. Spoon batter into pan, a scant 1/3 cup in each indent. Bake at 375 degrees F for 23 to 25 minutes, turning pan once. Cool in pan on wire rack, then remove cakes from pan to cool completely.
4. Prepare Topping. In large bowl, combine cream and granulated sugar. Beat until medium-stiff peaks are formed. Spoon onto cooled cupcakes, about 1/4 cup on each. Scatter 6 or 7 blueberries over each cupcake, and dust with a little confectioners sugar, if desired. Serve immediately or keep cool until serving.