Angry Cakes

Here they are....but why are they so angry?  I apologize  in advance for any spelling errors...this was a rush job and it's kind of late :0)

As always, I used my favourite Simple Buttercream recipe for these...for 24 cupcakes, you can half that recipe.

 

 

Nanny's Pumpkin Muffins

4 Eggs

2 cups Sugar

1 1/2 cups Vegetable Oil

1 3/4 cups Canned Pumpkin Puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

3 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 Tbsp Cinammon

2 tsp Baking Soda

2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Salt

2 cups raisins (optional)

Brown Sugar (small amount)

1.  Whisk Eggs together until just combined, add Sugar, Oil and Pumpkin and mix thoroughly.

2.  Sift dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and add to wet ingredients.  Mix until just combined.

3.  Add raisins (optional)  Also could also add nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds or nothing at all.

4.  Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and sprinkle tops with Brown Sugar.  I also sprinkle with a bit of ground Flax seeds or Wheat Germ as well.  I also use a mini muffin tin...great for school lunches.

5. Bake at preheated 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.

This recipe yields about 3 dozen muffins...which is a lot.  So, you can bake them all off at once and freeze them but what I prefer to do is freeze the muffin batter itself because, who doesn't prefer fresh baked muffins??

Here's how I do it and it works every time!

Lay plastic wrap over top of an empty muffin tin and portion muffin mix into tray as you would if you were baking them.

Cover entire tray with plastic Wrap and pop it in the freezer.

Freeze for at least 12 hours...they will not freeze completely but it will be enough to remove from the plastic wrap.

Place frozen muffin "pucks" into a freezer bag.  

When you're ready, pop the frozen muffin puck into paper lined muffin pans and bake as directed.  They might take an extra 5+ minutes so keep an eye on them.  

This is a great way to have fresh baked muffin anytime you need them.  They should keep for a few months this way but I've never had them in the freezer that long.

This also works for cookie dough.  I make a double batch of cookie dough and bake a dozen or so cookies then I portion the rest on a baking sheet and pop the whole baking sheet into the freezer until the dough is frozen.  That way, you can just bake off a few or a few dozen cookies without all the dirty dishes!!

Halloween Party!

 Sophia's 2nd birthday...this was a special one!  Yes, my baby was turning two but I'm afraid it was overshadowed by the fact that Martha Stewart herself played a role in this party!!  Let me explain... 

There are a few times during the year that I don't miss a Martha Stewart magazine, show or special; and one of them is Halloween.  So, I was watching The Martha Stewart show one October morning and she had asked that "we" send in pictures of our kids wearing their Halloween costumes.  Sophia had dressed up as a pumpkin the year before (super cute) so I sent the picture in, along with some of the pictures from her first birthday party, and that was that.

About a week later, I received an e-mail from the producer asking me if I would be interested in an opportunity to talk to Martha live on her show...unhhh, YES!!

Everything fell into place very quickly and before I knew it I was chatting with Martha live on her show!  Pretty cool moment!  

Follow this link http://www.marthastewart.com/article/halloween-ornaments-from-martha-stewart-show#ooid=JwNHVlMjoOElx3A9hNu7bkNQCJvke1kW and then click on "Watch the Video" on the lower left side below the Halloween Tree.  And yes, I did make the Halloween Tree.

The Martha Tree

  

I found these Creepy Cupcakes in the Martha Stewart Halloween magazine years before I was a mom and couldn't wait for a chance to try them out!  I used a simple vanilla cake recipe and Martha Stewart's Simple Buttercream recipe to ice them.  I think it works better than regular buttercream for this type of cupcake.  It's a lot less fussy and it sort of dries out, keeping the decorations in place and the cake moist and yummy!

 

 

  

  

 

  

    

 

OK, I'm back! Sorry for the long absence

Almost that time again!

No, not back to school...time to start party planning!!

This year Sophia will be 5 years old!!!  I tend to go a little overboard with birthdays but I love it and look forward to it all year! 

I was so excited when I found out that my due date was October 24th...a Halloween Baby I thought!  Well, she was born on October 30th, even closer than expected.  Her first two birthdays had Halloween themes, but the last couple of years we've strayed from the Halloween theme and I think we might again this year.  There will be plenty of Halloween birthdays to come, I don't want to use up all of my ideas in the first few years!
Her first birthday had a bit of a "pumpkin theme", so cute!

I made these pumpkins using a mini bundt pan.  A simple yellow cake mix with some canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice added to give them a true pumpkin taste.

The birthday girl thoroughly enjoyed her first taste of cake!

Her BFF Maxx was born about 10 days later and has always been the life of the party since the beginning.

A pumpkin sugar cookie as a parting gift.

I always use the Wilton Royal Icing recipe to ice cookies.  It uses meringue powder instead of egg whites which is safer when serving to little ones.

So Cute!

Repurpose - Altoid Tin Pocket Garden

What to do with an old Altoids tin? Create a mini pocket garden! This is such a cute idea from Elizabeth Abernathy. Click here for instructions on how to make your very own.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!

So, just because you can make a fancy cake, doesn't mean that you have too!  We are busy installing laminate flooring and in the midst of this, it was my husband's birthday!  Sophia was desperate to decorate a cake for him so I bought the good ol' stand by...McCain Deep and Delicious!  I think it's super cute, and Sophia was elated that she didn't have to wait for the cake to bake in the oven!  Win, Win!

Gabrielle's Blueberry Muffins

Heat or no heat, it's time to bake some muffins!  Sophia has a friend coming over to spend the day with us and no child can resist warm blueberry muffins!  Not to mention, I bought a 1.5 L basket of blueberries on Sunday and it's dwindling quickly.  These muffins can be made with the store bought large blueberries, but nothing compares to wild northern blueberries!  If you don't have the time or ambition to pick blueberries in this heat, you can always stop by the side of the road and pay through the nose for a basket...which is what I did!

 

Gabrielle's Blueberry Muffin Recipe

1/4 Cup Softened Butter

1/3 Cup Sugar

1 Egg

1 Cup Sour Cream

 1 1/2 Cup Flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp salt

1 Cup Blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cream together butter and sugar until pale.  Add egg and sour cream and mix until just blended. 
2. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
3. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
4. Add 1 Cup + a handful more if you like.  Gently mix in the blueberries.  The batter is stiff and if you mix it too hard you'll squish the blueberries. 
5. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and bake at 400 for 20 minutes.  Perfection! 

Make 1 Dozen Muffins 

I haven't been adding much to my blog for the past few weeks but we've been busy having some summertime fun!  

Our big plans for the summer are to rip up our carpet and put in some new flooring.  I also found a chair that I would like to refinish...these projects will be showcased on the blog!  

I was also planning to put up a recipe or two but it has been REALLY hot here up North.  About 30 degrees...but it will feel like 40 degree Celsius = 104 degree Fahrenheit with the humidity!...to hot to turn the oven on. 

Until we get into some real projects, here are a few of the fun things we've been doing to keep cool and enjoy the warm weather!  

Rock Painting!

Calgary Stampede Neighborhood Breakfast

(not my neighborhood but we were lucky enough to be invited!)

 

Fun with Friends

French River Trading Post

Camp with Friends

I am one lucky gal!