TOTALLY Obsessed With Bakerella

I am totally obsessed with Bakerella, I love her and everything she does! 

Her book is coming out this month, I’m so excited for a whole book full of Bakerella projects.  (It’s on my Christmas list, but I don’t know if I can wait that long . . .) 

To promote her book, she’s made a little video.  I know she already posted about it on her site, but just incase you don’t live on planet earth her is Angie aka Bakerella (weird, huh) showing you how to make cakepops, this little video has change my life.  I never “tap” or even thought about going straight in and straight out!

Oh, and I tried to make the ice cream cone cakepops for our ice cream themed birthday party, I think they turned out pretty cute, so I’ll be sharing them soon!

Fall Trees

I have been wanting to add to my Fall decorations.  Two ideas that I have found and love are:

A handprint tree by Embellishing Life

 

And

A Button Tree by Inspiring Creations

I think I am going to combine them into one, like us my little one’s handprint, but then us buttons for leaves . . . My wheels are still turning . . .

What is your favorite fall decoration (that you’ve made/have, or just seen and want to have/make)?

I {Heart} Windows Live Writer

I realize this is not the most crafty thing to feature, but I really don’t know what I would do without Windows Live Writer!  I use it all the time for writing and publishing blog posts, it is so easy to use.  I will never try to write a blog post in Blogger again.  My husband introduced me to it when I first started our family blog two years go and I have been using it ever since!  Oh and best of it all it FREE to download and use!

What do you use to write and publish your blog?

City Deals

Have you ever heard of City Deals.  It is an awesome website with killer deals!  My mom introduced me to it a few months ago, really my technologically challenged mother.

Here’s how it works (straight from the horses mouth):

1. We offer a wide variety of deals every day in your city. This isn’t a one-deal-a-day site. We have lots of deals to the places you play, eat, and relax.

2. Just find the deals you want and check out. You’ll normally receive your order by mail within 2 – 3 business days. We’ll send you professionally designed certificates you’ll be proud to use and give as gifts.

3. If we don't have what you’re looking for, Request a Deal and we'll go get it for you. We’ll even notify you when we have it in stock.

Basically you type in your city or zip code and choose a search radius, then they show you the deals in your area. 

For example, the other day I got a $20.00 Great Harvest gift certificate for only $7.00!  So I paid $7.00, but get to spend $20.00 at Great Harvest.  Awesome!  They have changing deals all the time for different cities all over the place. 

International Bacon Day

Ok people, tomorrow is International Bacon Day (who knew?).  So get your bacon on like donkey kong!

 

I present to you Bacon Ice Cream:

(via Edible Crafts and also via My Last Bite)

 

Also a bowl made completely out of BACON!  Probably wouldn’t want to try to eat your cereal out of it, but it would be nice for a salad or yummy with mashed potatoes. 

(via Edible Crafts and also via My Last Bite)

 

We always ask my friend Angela to bring Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies to our parties.  They are like BBQ Little Smokies that you cook in the crock pot, but amped up times ten.  

(via Family Oven)

 

And the ever classic bacon and eggs, but with a twist.  Bacon and Cheese Egg McMuffin Cups.

(via Picky Palate)

 

Happy International Bacon Day (tomorrow)!

What’s your favorite bacon recipe?

Read With Me Wednesday: The Lightning Thief

The Lightning Theif
Written by Rick Riordan

I just finished this first book in the Percy Jackson series.  I am dying to read the next book, I am seriously contemplating just going out and buying it.  I don’t think I’m going to be able to wait for the 50 other people who are in front of me on the hold list at my library!

 

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school...again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.
Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus's stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.  (Amazon.com Review)

 

Eek, sorry this was late!  I set the publish date wrong.  See you soon with another Ice cream party post.  I’m so excited to share!

Carmel Apple Cupcakes

It’s the first day of September and Fall is coming, here in northern Utah it hasn’t quite arrived but it is coming.  And with the coming of Fall I always am reminded of the smell of cinnamon and apples.   

Today I found the most wonderful cute Carmel Apple Cupcakes.  Imagine with me, apple flavored cupcakes, filled with carmel, topped with cream cheese frosting, all decorated like a cute little apple!  I cannot wait to make these!  I just have one question, does anyone know where to get those paper cupcake cups for cheap?

Carmel Apple Cupcakes by I Heart Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes (I got 16)

INGREDIENTS

For apple cupcake
2-3 apples, granny smith (I substituted 1 cup unsweetened applesauce)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup apple juice
1 teaspoon vanilla

For caramel
2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1-1/2 tablespoon light corn syrup
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature

[NOTES: Caramel recipe makes a good amount. You might want to 1/2 it or you can refrigerate any leftovers for ice cream topping or other dessert topping. Just microwave it in intervals until you get the right consistency.]

For cream cheese frosting
8oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 vanilla bean, cut lengthwise and scraped
1 lb (~4 cups) powdered sugar, sifted

pretzels
green sprinkles
mint leaves
black sesame seeds

[NOTES: I prefer green (granny) apples when I think of caramel but you could easily use red sprinkles for a shiny red apple too!]

INSTRUCTIONS

To make cupcakes—

Preheat oven 350F.

Rinse and core the apples. Place them on an ovenproof pan or baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes until soft. Remove the apples from the oven, let cool slightly, then remove peel and mush the apple with the back of a fork. Measure out 1 cup of apple mush and set aside to cool.

Combine flour, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt in a medium sized bowl and whisk to combine. Crack the eggs into a separate, medium sized bowl and beat with a form to break up. Add the oil, apple juice, vanilla, and cooled apple mush and mix to combine. Combine the wet and dry ingredients until all ingredients come together.

Scoop into cupcake papers about 2/3 full. Bake in 350F oven for 20-22 minutes, rotating the pan after 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

 To make caramel—
Put sugar, water and corn syrup in saucepan, stir just to combine ingredients. Turn to medium-high heat, without stirring, for 5-10 minutes until caramel turns an amber color. Wipe down any spatters with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Lower the heat a little and add the cream and butter. (Caramel will bubble!) After the bubbling decreases, stir caramel to break down lumps. Pour into a pyrex measuring cup to cool.

You can see caramel pictures on my food blog.

To make frosting—
Whip the butter and cream cheese together in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until creamed. Add vanilla beans. Gradually add powdered sugar. Scrape down the bowl as needed.

To assemble cupcakes—
Fill cupcakes with caramel using the cone method.

Dollop a fairly good amount of frosting and shape into a spherical shape.

Roll cupcake in green sprinkles to cover the frosting. Break off pretzel and stick into the top to resemble a stem. Insert a mint “leaf” in the frosting near the stem. Notch out a “bite” shape and arrange 3 sesame seeds to resemble apple seeds.

ENJOY!

Husband rating: A
He really like the apple cupcake but not a huge fan of the caramel center. He loves that cream cheese frosting but not with the sprinkles. I think its a texture thing for him.

Wifey rating: A/A+
I loved the flavors of the apple cupcake with the caramel and cream cheese frosting. And who knew that pretzels with cream cheese frosting was so good?? HAHA. I realize that the apple may not be anatomically correct but I think the seeds are pretty darn cute anyways.

So cute, thank you I Heart Cupcakes for sharing!

 

If you are looking for more great Autumn Cupcake ideas, head over to Party Cupcake Ideas for a list of 25 Autumn Cupcakes.