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Tag Archives: cupcakes

one lucky, lucky girl

2 / 24 / 13

valentine rosesAs you know, I am kinda sorta playing “catch up” with my blog posts after my computer crashed…  So today I am sharing with you a few images of my Valentine’s Day 2013.  Morning began with a “Valentine Breakfast” for my two boys, complete with heart shaped pancakes, chicken apple sausage and sauteed  apples with maple syrup.  One of these “boys” I shared a first date with on Valentine’s Day 1980 (Yep.  Do the math.  That’s 33 years ago!!) and one I shared my big ‘ole belly with, along with his twin sister, some twenty-something years ago.  Both of them loved and treasured… xo   Each one of my boys surprised me when they came home from work with a beautiful bunch of flowers.  Pink roses from my sweetie, and a beautiful “springlike” assortment from my (6’1″) “baby”.  I’m such a lucky, lucky girl…

valentine pancakesvalentine flowers

And speaking of lucky girls; a little story.  I was really, really missing my baby girl all day (my college baby girl!!).  All day long treasured memories of Valentine’s Days when my kids were little played out in my head, and my heart, like the poignant video of a mom’s soul… My heart ached to return, just for a moment, to days gone by…  Five short minutes after returning home from a final run to the grocery store for dindin, I heard the doorbell ring. I opened the door to find these two precious smiling faces… little “buddies” of mine.  And even better – They had cupcakes.  Yummy, yummy pink frosted and (lovingly) hand-decorated cupcakes. Yes indeed.  I am one lucky, lucky girl… 

valentine girlsvalentine cupcake eaten
We ended the day with a dinner at home, and I have to say it was a big hit with both of “the boys” – so I thought that I would share!  On the menu…Roasted Asparagus with Prosciutto  (http://www.fortheloveofcooking.net/2010/02/roasted-asparagus-with-prosciutto.html), Mustard Beef Tenderloin (http://bbq.about.com/od/steakrecipes/r/bl70628c.htm) and “Salt & Vinegar” Roasted Potatoes (Basically, Oven roast your potatoes with olive oil, sea salt & pepper until golden & crispy; then toss with malt vinegar & serve immediately). The mustard sauce for the beef pairs nicely with the asparagus & the potatoes as well!! A yummy dinner.  A yummy day.
“There is only one happiness in life; to love and be loved.” – George Sand
Yep.  One lucky, lucky girl…  xo

beef tenderloinroasted aspargus with prosciutto

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a sprinkle of lemon sunshine

9 / 10 / 12

(This is actually a re-post from my old blog.  Just decided to share it with you today…)

Yellow is “the color of happiness” – which really comes as no surprise to me.  No color in the world makes me happier than bright, warm, sunshine yellow.  It is also “the color of  forgiveness, peace and joy”.  I like that. Yellow is perky.   Today was a rainy, gloomy day – but these beautiful yellow mums were just smiling at me from my kitchen table, begging to have their picture taken.  Naturally, I obliged.

They say to use yellow to suggest freshness and citrus fruitiness.  Perhaps this explains, in part, my recent obsession with lemons.  If you have been following me on Facebook or Twitter, then you know that I have had a case of “Lemonade-itis” lately!  Two recent posts were recipes for Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes and Cherry Lemonade with vodka!!  OK – I’m sorry, but they just sound delish!  And guess what.  I found yet another recipe for Lemon Cupcakes (just wait until you see how cute they are)!!  Oh my – Someone please stop me!  Did I mention that yellow is also “the color of… insanity“?!  Seriously. ( Oh well.  Sanity is SO overrated!!)  OK – No more lemon “food”.    Let’s think “SPA”.  How about a wonderful lemon scrub to exfoliate and smooth away dead skin???  Ahhh…  There we go.  And since we’re at the spa now; how about some refreshing lemon water… Simply slice several lemons and add in your choice of other goodies.  Some of my favorites are lemon and fresh mint, lemon and cucumber or a combo of lemons, limes and oranges.  Fill your pitcher with fresh cold water and ice and you’re ready to be refreshed.  Calorie free!!!

Yellow, by any other name ( banana, cadmium yellow, chiffon, cream, golden, goldenrod, lemon, mellow yellow, saffron, chartreuse,  topaz, yellow ocher) is still yellow.  So maybe yellow isn’t your favorite color (Hmmm… trying to process) – but perhaps you are redecorating a room or planning a dinner party, and you would like a few tips when it comes to mixing yellow into your color palette…  Well look no further.  Here we go:

  • Use yellow to perk up a more subdued cool palette of blues and grays.  Perhaps an end of summer “pool party”?  No pool?  Me neither.  Just call it a “Beach Party”.  I live in Kansas.  Enough said.
  • Use lemon yellow with oranges to carry out a healthy, summery, citrus theme.  Nothing is simpler than a bowl of fresh lemons, limes and oranges!
  • Very pale yellows can work as neutrals alongside darker or richer colors.
  • Yellow and blue are a high contrast, eye-popping combination.  My choice of colors for our guest room.   A classic combo and “gender neutral”.  It just works.
  • Mix yellow with neutral gray and a dash of black for a high-tech look.  Suddenly I’m thinking about New Year’s Eve.  And champagne.
  • Try a hot, exciting mix of red and yellow.  Anyone for a Mexican Fiesta?? Ole’
  • For an earthy palette, especially for fall, mix yellow, olive green, and brown.  Thanksgiving at your house this year??
  • While yellows and bright or light greens can be part of a natural, fruity color palette, be careful not to use colors too close in value or they will appear washed out.
 Alrighty – Let’s check our “party prep” list.  We have a delicious Cherry Lemonade, with or without vodka, and two different kinds of lemon cupcakes.  Yum. We used our lemon scrub while we sipped on our lemon water – so we will be a bee-u-tee-ful hostess.   Our “color palette of choice” has been embellished with a little happy splash of yellow.  All that’s left is to leave that fresh scent of lemon behind as we spritz those kitchen counters down one more time.  This little recipe might help.

All natural “General Cleaner Upper Spray”

  • 1 tsp Liquid Dish Soap
  • 1 tsp Borax
  • 1 tsp Lemon Juice
  • 1 tsp Vinegar
  • 1 Spray Bottle
  • Essential oil; like lemon (optional)

Add dish soap, borax, lemon juice and vinegar to bottle.  Fill bottle with 1 quart hot water.  Place the spray nozzle on the bottle and shake until all ingredients are well mixed.   A few drops of your favorite essential oil will make it smell yummy.  You could  use lemon, lavender or tea tree oil (All three are antiseptic and antibacterial).  If you have a problem with hard water stains, use 2 tsp lemon juice and 2 tsp vinegar.

Well –  I think you’re pretty much ready for the party.   Just one more thing before I go.  Do you believe in serendipity?  I was in the middle of writing this blog when the phone rang.  It was my neighbor, Deb, and she needed a missing ingredient for her dinner.  Any guesses?  Yep.  A lemon.  Make that two lemons.  I quickly took a pic of the three lemons on the plate for this blog, so that I could share them with her.  When she walked down to get the lemons, she told me that she had a little gift for me.  Something she saw and thought of me.  It is the tea towel in the pic.   She had no idea that I was writing a blog about lemons or that I would post a recipe for Cherry Lemonade – with vodka on Facebook and Twitter.  That’s just how friends are sometimes.  True friends.  They just know.

Oh – and one last thing that I forgot to mention.

Yellow is also “the color of  friendship”…  but, then again,  I already knew that.

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a sweet little fourth of july

7 / 2 / 12

So the Fourth of July is a “midweek holiday” this year.  Kind of a fun way to put a little fun, family and friendship into an (otherwise) ordinary week.  Perhaps you’re heading to the lake, popping over to the neighbors or entertaining in your own backyard…  I will tell you that I have a tendency to focus more on the main part of the meal when it comes to entertaining – and the cocktails and desserts are often an afterthought.  (I can hear some of you laughing already…  Perhaps “cocktails” are where you START your planning…? Ha!)  Anyway – I thought it would be fun to share a few little last-minute “sweet” ideas for the Fourth of July holiday that is upon us!

Well – First of all – I have got a recipe here for a “Double Berry Margarita” that is calling my name.  Loud.  And it’s not even noon yet.  (Houston – we have a problem…)  Anyway, I’m going to share it with you in the hopes that you will make it for the 4th, or sometime this summer, and share your “results” with me.  (Well, maybe not ALL of your results.  We’re sticking with a “G” rating here, friends! )

Double Berry Margarita

1 oz. tequila blanco

1/2 oz Cointreau

1/2 oz Chambord

1 splash sweet and sour mix

2 raspberries, muddled

2 blackberries, muddled

2 lime wedges, muddled

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass.  Shake hard and serve in a glass with a salted rim.  Garnish with a lime wedge, raspberry and blackberry.  Oh my, that sounds good!! 

Doing a little “last minute” entertaining?  Need something quick & easy in the beverage department??  Well, icy cold lemonade – or pink lemonade – works great for any outdoor entertaining… perfect for the kiddos, and even more fun for the adults (Hint, hint:  Keep a bottle of citron vodka in the freezer for an icy little “adult lemonade cocktail”!!)     

As for dessert, nothing is sweeter and simpler than a cupcake.  These cupcakes can be made with your favorite cupcake mix/recipe (Red Velvet, perhaps?) and a simple white buttercream frosting.  I just fell in love with the simplicity of these decorations…

Stars & Stripes

  • Tint 1 cup buttercream a bright blue with gel-paste food color. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip (#4). Frost each cupcake with a smooth layer of untinted buttercream.
  • To finish, cut red licorice laces into seventy-two 1-1/2 inch long pieces and seventy-two 3/4 inch long pieces. Arrange three longer pieces and three shorter pieces to form a flag pattern. With blue frosting, pipe nine dots in each open corner to form “stars”.

Need something for the kids to help with while you are sipping on your “Double Berry Margarita”??  Staying with our “sweet” theme – a little project that will give an ordinary blue napkin a festive feel in a simple way… Starlight Spangled Napkin Rings!!   Not a lot of supplies and simple directions.  Just trying to give the kiddos something to do while you are busy sipping on your margarita…!!

OK – so there you go.  A few “sweet” little ideas for your upcoming Fourth of July holiday!!   Say a prayer for our troops, and the families who are missing them.  Be proud, be safe, be American; Keep calm and eat a cupcake!

Happy Fourth…  Live happy

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Hello, friends!!

I love mismatched chairs and organized closets; springtime thunderstorms and Sunday morning coffee; pearls and puppy breath; welcome home hugs and walking the beach; fresh flowers and flea markets; autumn leaves and afternoon tea.

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