Cupcake in a glass...

I focus mainly on the kids when it comes to Christmas with presents and creating memories for them.  But this Christmas was very different for me.  I don't expect to receive anything...what I did receive was priceless to me. Not only did my neighbor give us a heartfelt card thanking us for all that we do for them and their daughter.  I strive to provide all the neighborhood kids with a safe environment for them to come, dwell and have fun while their parents or parents are at work or just out.  That card made me feel that I had done my job.

My absolutely favorite present was the one from another neighbor.  I always find it interesting how you interact with your neighbors and have all kinds of conversations.  What is really interesting is how they listen to you and get you a present that truly symbolizes you.  My gift was not for the entire family.  It was clearly just for me.  A gift for just me to enjoy all by myself.  When I opened it...I screamed like I had won the lottery!!  It was the perfect gift for a Cupcake Lover....and I love it!!!

A dessert wine from Cupcake Vineyards!

Just having the word "Cupcake" on a wine bottle mesmerizes to me.  Cupcake Vineyards is a winery based out of California.  The wines are fruity and light...which I love!  

Read all about Cupcake Vineyards here.

And while you check that site out...I will think about what kind of cupcake I will make to compliment my Cupcake Vineyards wine...any suggestions???

Oh...and did I mention that I have the greatest neighbor ever!!  And he is all mine!!!  Not sharing this one!

Moral:  Be kind to your neighbors... 

and they will give you wine!

(Cupcake Wine!)

Sock Cupcakes

Happy Holidays!

Today, Santa's Little Helper, me, was determined to wrap the kids Christmas presents before they got out of school this week for Winter break.  So, I started with the small stuff...socks!  My girls love socks so I bought a bunch of them.  But...how was I going to wrap them?  How else does a fellow baker wrap her Xmas presents let alone a Cupcake Lover...just like Cupcakes of course!  I got out some cupcake boxes I had and commenced to make me some Sock Cupcakes...they baked to perfection!

Check out how to make these here.

Moral:  When someone gives you socks....make Cupcakes!

The Tiniest Cupcake Ever!

I make mini cupcakes and they are great to take to parties.  They are like hors d'oeurves...small finger food you just pop in your mouth.  But today I saw not just a mini cupcake...this is a MICRO cupcake.  I read a blog post by Cupcakes Take The Cake and was amazed by these little creations.  It is smaller than a mini cupcake and how clever to make them using thimbles.  You can check out pictures of more micro cupcakes and even watch how to make them here.


The website reads "These are my Micro Cupcakes AKA Thimble Cupcakes!  I really love making these, even though they take lots of time and consideration for detail and there is *little* room for error.  :]  (I've made them a few times, for a birthday, for family, for a graduation and my husband is taking a "dozen" into work today.  Hahah!"  

Can you imagine what you could create with these sweet little things!  

Simply Genius!

Real Simple Cupcake Carrier

With the holidays right around the corner, we will no doubt be baking lots of cookies, candy, fudge, cakes, bread and of course cupcakes.  Here is a great way to get those cupcakes to your party if you don't have a cupcake/muffin carrier.  This idea is a great way to use boxes from past celebrations.  This idea is courtesy of Real Simple.  Read how to create this carrier here.

Crafty Christmas

I always have Crafty Christmas for my children.  It is a day we set aside and do crafts the entire day.  And I do mean the entire day.  We usually do 3-5 crafts depending on the difficulty of the craft and end with the traditional gingerbread house.  Of course in between we enjoy snacks and festive drinks like hot chocolate with marshmallows as well as some lunch.  I have found that my kids are pretty crafty.  You will be surprised that one child will shine in one craft and struggle on the next...discovering what they do best is what they learn.  Some are better at fine details as others are good at color schemes and then you have one child who just makes a mess!  Crafty Christmas is a time for family, fun, and festive memories.  Isn't that what the holiday is all about?
   
I wanted to take this time to share past Crafty Christmas projects my kids and I have done.  I was looking at the ornaments on the tree as I took pictures for my blog and began to reminisce about our Crafty Christmas days.  The ornaments speak for themselves as some are dated back to 2003.  I always have my children write their names and the year on the ornament so we can remember how old they were when they made it.  It is really cute to see their how they write their names especially when they are 5 and 6 years old.  I even make the ornaments and do the crafts to help release that Crafty Queen inside of me. 

So, now for the past creations from the Powell's Crafty Christmas Days:

This ornament was made from a clothespin, festive pipe straws, and YES!...Cupcake liners!!!  

These two yarn ornaments are from when I was knitting/crocheting and had tons of yarn left over and needed something to do with it.  So, we made angels and snowmen ornaments.  The angel is my favorite. 


And then you have all the painted ornaments that you can get in kits at Michaels Craft Store.  Lots of fun to sit and paint like an real artist!

 Remember to have them put their names on the back and the year!

How cute is it when you see their name and year on the ornament.  These ornaments are 5 and 8 years old!  WOW!

And you have to love the ornaments made from ingredients in your kitchen that to this day after 8 years, still smell like cinnamon!

Still smells like cinnamon!

 I enjoy spending this time with my kids making these crafts/ornaments that one day I hope they may do with their children.  I have great crafts for this year.  Now that they are older, we can really get Crafty!!!

Moral:  Make Memories for the Holidays that will last a Lifetime!

Happy Crafting!

Salty Sweet Craving

I was listening to the rain outside as I enjoyed my coffee this morning.  I got to thinking about none other than cupcakes.  I always like good old vanilla with vanilla frosting or even a chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting as well.  But my taste buds wanted something different.  They wanted to be taken to a higher, more sophisticated level of taste.  I wanted to taste something that I would never think of tasting.  My mind went back to when I was a little girl and would go to the church functions with my parents.  I remember the little old ladies in church would bring homemade cakes such as coconut, chocolate and even caramel.  Yes, that's it!  Caramel!  I decided to make salted caramel cupcakes today and make my taste buds happy.  I ended up making Salted Caramel Cupcakes to give that salty/sweet appeal like eating chocolate covered pretzels.  You get that subtle hint of salt but the sweetness from the caramel balances all the flavors out perfectly.  So, with that said, I share the recipe I came up with today.  Enjoy!

Salted Caramel Cupcakes: (makes 12 cupcakes)

1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick unsalted butter

1 cup + 2 tbsp brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 tbsp caramel sauce (recipe to follow)

  Combine flour, baking powder, salt in separate bowl.  Cream butter and brown sugar until smooth.  Add vanilla then add eggs one at a time until well incorporated.  Add dry ingredients in 3 batches alternating with buttermilk and caramel sauce, ending with dry ingredients.  Line 12 cup muffin pan with cupcake liners and fill each cup with batter.  Bake about 13-15 minutes at 350 F.  Remove and allow to cool completely on wire cooling rack. 

Caramel Sauce: Check out recipe and great pictures to make sauce here.

Caramel Buttercream Frosting:

16 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup caramel sauce plus extra for drizzling

4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

Combine all ingredients in a bowl of a stand mixer or use a handheld electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Frost each cupcake and drizzle with extra caramel sauce.

The way I see it, challenge yourself and explore new taste like Salted Caramel Cupcakes...your taste buds will thank you!

I know mine did!

Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Delicious!

Santa Wants Cupcakes!

I love the tradition of making cookies for Santa.  We bake chocolate chip cookies or gingerbread men or woman (or boys/girls) to decorate, or even those reliable sugar cookies to frost and create masterpieces for Santa to eat.  My advise to all, make cookies that you will eat so when the kids go to bed and your up half the night wrapping presents or putting them under the tree, you'll have something to snack on.  Smart move, huh?  I think this year in my house the tradition is going to change. 

I think instead of cookies, we will leave cupcakes for Santa.  We will bake mini cupcakes which will help Santa with his weight issue.  This is a perfect portion and easy to grab, pop in his mouth, and Go!  I also think these cupcakes will be a good foundation to our traditional Crafty Christmas. Red Velvet cupcakes are very popular at Christmas.  The bright red color represents the color we most associate with the holidays.  The hint of chocolate you get with the smooth tangy cream cheese frosting is just divine.  I officially think this is my new favorite cupcake flavor.  And I think Santa will love the Red and White themed cupcakes, instead of those cold, hard, ugly cookies that he tends to leave behind anyway, right?

                                                      

Moral:  Make Cupcakes for Santa, not Cookies!