The Cupcake Queen's Christmas Cupcakes

I just love when people come up to me and tell me they read my blog!

Sometimes it really surprises me.

Yesterday my nephew said he has looked at it !

Made my day :)

Which brings me to a small request.

See that little blue button on the right side?

Right there - look...

It says , " Join this Site".

I would SO love if you would click on it !

It just lets me know that people actually like my blog.

It's a warm , fuzzy kind of thing :)

Thanks!

Now on to todays post.

I have said before,

I am The Cupcake Queen !

Well, not really, but in my family I am !

I made two varieties for Christmas this year and thought I would share them with you.

First one , Turtle Cupcakes.

Simple , simple, simple.

Take whatever chocolate cake mix is your favorite.

I use German Chocolate.

Mix as per directions.

Unwrap a Carmel on smoosh it in the center.

Bake as directed.

Frost with your favorite chocolate frosting.

At this point I would top with chopped pecans for a "real" Turtle taste,

but my kids have a thing against nuts,

so I used toffee bits, they love those.

Yum-O

( You know I LOVE Rachel Ray )

Second Variety

Coconut Cream Cupcakes

1 pkg. White Cake Mix

1 (14 oz. can) cream of coconut

(I actually found this in the liquor department in the grocery store.)

1 (14 0z. can ) sweetened condensed milk

I handful ( approx. 1 cup, I have small hands) flaked coconut

Mix cake according to directions

Add coconut

Bake cupcakes according to directions.

In a bowl, combine Cream of coconut and sweetened condensed milk.

While cupcakes are still warm, poke holes in them with a straw.

Pour the cream/milk combo over them.

WARNING - this will be MESSY

Let them cool.

Top with your favorite frosting ( I used Buttercream)

Garnish with more flaked coconut.

Terrible picture !

Geez...

They really are quite beautiful!

A little better , not much .

I got a new laptop for Christmas,

My husband is the BEST !

Maybe I need to ask Santa for a new camera too.

And maybe some lessons.....

These really are delish,

IF you like coconut.

Not everyone does,

apparently none of my children do.

I do :)

OK here is some advise.

These are really messy. The milk/cream mixture that makes them so delish goes everywhere.

The original recipe ( which i modified , I ALWAYS modify) is actually meant to be a cake.

I like to make cupcakes.

It would probably work better as a cake.

Less messy anyway.

I just wrapped them in an extra cupcake liner for less sticky handling.

If you like coconut, please try these.

As cupcakes or a cake, doesn't matter.

This is truly a delish, moist cake.

Let me know if you are brave enough to make it cupcakes!

I hope everyone had as wonderful a Christmas as I did.

I am truly blessed!

Me and my Beautiful Girls !

Christmas Cheers ! From My Family to Yours !

( Niece Spencer, Baby Girl Emily, Sis and Me )

Sharing this Post at:

http://debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com/2011/12/eve-of-christmas-newbie-party-on.html

http://www.askannamoseley.com/2011/12/weekend-warrior-link-party-35.html

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http://www.vwbblog.com/2011/12/talent-tuesday-its-party-you-should_26.html

My Favorite Things ...Parts IIII & IV

One of my favorite Christmas songs is "My Favorite Things"

Who can forget Julie Andrews in The Sound Of Music?

Classic

Although my favorite rendition has always been country singer Lorrie Morgan's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXiTIsB_ADQ

As we are winding down to the last few days before Christmas , I am reflecting on some of my favorite things.

So I decided I would do posts this week on things that bring a smile to my face .

I hope they make you smile too.

Favorite Thing Part IIII & IV

This post has a long title.

Favorite Things Part IIII & IV AND

Wordless ( ALMOST ) Wednesday ( A DAY LATE )

Almost Wordless , cause it is impossible for me not to talk ( even writing)

And a day late , cause I was just pooped last night !

And here is why .

Favorite Thing IN *THE*WORLD ~ My Girls

(well, three of them at least )

Favorite Thing IV

Christmas Cookies

LOVE*THEM

Don't make them , they are too much work.

Thanks God I have a daughter-in-law that does make them !

But she's kinda fussy.

So I stayed out of the way.

Addie loved helping though.

She said , " I big helper! "

And she was !

She was COVERED with flour and sugar by the time we were done.

The flour on her face wasn't her fault , it was her Mom's.

I couldn't get her to look at me for anything ! :(

We didn't just make cookies.

When I say "we" , I use the term loosely.

I was there , but I stayed out of their way.

I got the cookies too golden brown for Sarah.

And I didn't move fast enough for Emily.

Emily has a thing for Almond Bark Pretzels.

YUCK

Sarah also wouldn't let us frost the cookies last night.

She said we had to wait till today.

WHAT!

So no pictures of the finished masterpieces.

But I'm sure they will be PERFECT !

But my most favoritist thing in the whole wide world is spending time with my girls !

Merry Christmas Everyone!

via cravecute.blogspot.com

My Favorite Things...Part III

One of my favorite Christmas songs is "My Favorite Things"

Who can forget Julie Andrews in The Sound Of Music?

Classic

Although my favorite rendition has always been country singer Lorrie Morgan's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXiTIsB_ADQ

As we are winding down to the last few days before Christmas , I am reflecting on some of my favorite things.

So I decided I would do posts this week on things that bring a smile to my face .

I hope they make you smile too.

From flickr.com

Least you all think I'm a Lush ( and I know some of you do ) ,

I must say, I do enjoy a good cocktail.

Whether it's sharing a morning Bloody Mary,

or a late afternoon sangria with my BFF's at the river or

a wine and snacky party with my girlfriends,

good friends and good cocktails = a smile on my face.

 I thought I would share a couple of my go-to cocktail recipes with you.

At the river, my BFF and I like to mix up a batch of homemade Bloody Mary mix.

via  cupcakesandcashmere.com

We bottle it up and have it on hand for the season.

It is SO much better than bought mix.

Bloody Mary Mix

31/2 Cups water

31/2 Beef Bouillon cubes

Boil these and remove from heat.

Add:

3/4 cup lemon juice

1 T. celery salt

1 T. Tabasco

3 quarts V-8

1 quart Clamato

3 1/2 ounce Worcestershire sauce

1 T. horseradish

Bottle it up for the best Bloody Marys ever.

Add Vodka ( your preference on amount) pour in mix and garnish.

We like the " whole salad bar" , pickle spear, olive, celery stalk, etc.

Enjoy!

via kathiecooks.blogspot.com

Around the neighborhood , I'm famous ( or infamous ) for my Sangria.

Sangria is basically a wine punch made with various fruit juices and liquors.

My basic recipe is as follows :

One bottle dry red wine

One cup Rum

One cup Raspberry Schnapps

I can frozen lemonade

1 can frozen fruit punch

3 cups water ( sometimes I use 7-up or Spite in place of water for a little fizz)

Sliced fruit ,1 lemons , 1 limes , 1 orange

Place the fruit in the bottom of  a gallon size container

( I like to use the Pampered Chef Quick-Stir Pitcher)

add  all the other ingredients.

If you are using soda instead of water, don't add it till you are ready to serve.

Let the party begin !

I've already told you about my love of wine .

And my adventure in stomping grapes at my favorite Iowa Winery.

I just love a glass of Summerset Caba Moch . If you are in the Indianola, Iowa area, you should check out their beautiful winery.

From etsy.com

My last recipe to share with you is for my favorite Martini.

Lemon Drop ~ YUMMY !

via  weddingchicks.com

1 1/2 ounces vodka (use a good-quality vodka)

1/2 ounce orange liqueur (Triple Sec, Grand Marnier, Cointreau, etc.)
1 teaspoon superfine sugar or to taste*
3/4 ounce freshly-squeezed lemon juice
Ice cubes
Superfine sugar for dipping
Twisted peel of lemon

.
Mix the vodka, orange liqueur, sugar, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice

and Shake, Shake , Shake... Shake your booty.

Anyway...

(supposedly the cocktail is to be shaken 40 times to make sure the sugar is well blended).
Pour strained liquor into sugar-rimmed martini glass and garnish with a twisted peel of lemon.

 To create a sugar-rimmed glass,

 take a lemon wedge and rub the drinking surface of the glass so it is barely moist.

Dip the edge of the glass into the superfine sugar.

via annetaintor.com

Cheers.....

Partying at these Linkies:

http://www.mygirlishwhims.blogspot.com/


http://www.itsoverflowing.com/2011/12/overflowing-with-creativity-1.html



http://www.sugaranddots.com/

My Favorite Things ...Part II

One of my favorite Christmas songs is "My Favorite Things"

Who can forget Julie Andrews in The Sound Of Music?

Classic

Although my favorite rendition has always been country singer Lorrie Morgan's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXiTIsB_ADQ

As we are winding down to the last few days before Christmas , I am reflecting on some of my favorite things.

So I decided I would do posts this week on things that bring a smile to my face .

I hope they make you smile too.

And I want to thanks Pinterest in advance for assisting me with photos.

If you are a regular reader of my blog , you know my skills as a photographer are lacking.

Thank God for the ability to find any and everything on Pinterest!

If you are a frequent reader of my blog , you know I love my gardens.

I showed you my Moon Garden HERE,

and my not-so-great attempt at veggie gardening HERE,

and a little glimpse of my flower bed with my Wine Bottle Tree HERE.

I also have a SMALL ( insert sarcasm) obsession with Hostas.

I have only been blogging since late August and the Hosta garden was not at it's best then , so I haven't shared it yet.

I have also told you that once upon a time I was a florist.

So you can imagine I also have a deep affection for fresh flowers.

They never fail to bring a smile to my face.

Whether it's receiving an artfully arranged bouquet from the florist or a $5 dollar bundle of tulips from the grocery store ( although , rest assured there is a HUGE difference in quality) flowers brighten my day.

I was completely amazed when I was working on this post and pinning beautiful pictures of flowers on Pinterest , how many of them were identified incorrectly.

It kinda drove me NUTS to tell you the truth.

I thought about leaving a comment to correct them , but wasn't quite sure of the etiquette on that one.

Winter in Iowa can get quite long , especially for a gardener.

Then all those seed catalogs start coming and dreams of sugarplums uh no, make that,

exotic flowers and giant veggies start dancing in my head !

YIKES !

But now I have Pinterest!

YAH!

And spring is at my fingertips...

Repinned from flowers by Jen Joslin

This shot reminds me of Sis and my trip to the Tulip Festival in Pella.

She took such awesome pictures ( she is a MUCH better photographer than I )

She even had one made into a canvas for me for my birthday!

flowersday.org

Red have always been my favorite.

Pink tulips are Emily's favorite flower.

 I just hope someday she doesn't want to have them for her wedding.

( although I know she will )

They are not my favorite flowers to arrange.

Raychel ( my oldest) loves Lilies,

Stargazers to be exact

From brabournefarm.blogspot.com

I love all lilies.

 Asiatic

bulbsdirect.com

Calla Lilies

From ellamariedaughters.com

But my Favorite are Alstromeria Lilies .

 Some unfortunate people are allergic to them and breakout if they work with them , thankfully , I have never had that problem.

They come in SO many colors!

From google.com

Every woman in my family loves orchids.

I have used them in both my Nieces and Nephews weddings.. Again, there are so many varieties and colors to choose from.

Dendrobium

ftd.com

 I find them the easiest to work with, others may not agree.

Cymbidium

bouquetbridal.blogspot.com

Much Larger flowers .

Used often in corsages.

Love these in lime green !

Phalaenopsis

Sometimes called Moth Orchid.

Commonly sold as house plants.

Beautiful and long lasting.

When purchasing a plant, buy one with a few open blossoms and a lot of buds.

They open from the bottom up, the more buds , the longer you will have blooms to enjoy.

That's my favorite "florist flowers", now on to my favorite "garden flowers".

There is something about Sunflowers that just says "HAPPY".

Zinnia

From floridayards.org

So fast and easy to grow from seed.

Here is a new variety I plan on trying next year

burpee.com

Queen Red Lime Zinnia

Isn't that gorgeous?!

Another "happy " flower is a Gerbra daisy.

I like it better as a cut flower although it is commonly sold at greenhouses in the spring.

When I buy an annual , I want one that will be in constant bloom all summer.

I haven't had luck with Gerbra Daisies blooming all season.

Maybe it's just me.

But they sure are pretty!

From timelesscool.com

This arrangement also has Hosta leaves in it.

I love the combination!

cache.stylemepretty.com

They are also a flower that can make a statement with just one or two in a vase.

As I said earlier, I couldn't believe how many flowers were mis-indentified.

But this one takes the cake

From google.com

Daisy ?

 Really?

I hope my favorite things brought a smile to your face today :)