cupcakes

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    Batty for Birthdays

    ByHeather Bailey

    BatCupcake2
    Here’s what I ended up with for Charlotte’s ‘spooky’ birthday cupcakes.  I used an Oreo Cakester for the body, two chocolate-covered sunflower seeds for the eyes and black scrapbook paper for the wings.

    SpookyCupcakes2 For easier assembly, I cut the wing and ear for each side as one piece. I used a paper punch from Martha Stewart to give the wings a more girly personality.  Though the sinister Cakester-frosting smile was entirely unplanned, it was a welcome surprise.

    After I prepped the wings and things, Isaac put the cupcakes together while I stitched up dragon tails.  All together (not including baking), the cupcakes and tails took us a bit longer than one run of the original True Grit on AMC. (I think Isaac made two trips to the store in there too.)  Who says bats are for Halloween alone? 

    It’s true, Charlotte, you ARE your own self.


  • Easy Gourmet Cupcakes – Recipe

    ByHeather Bailey

    ChocolateCupcakeRecipe

    Easy Gourmet Cupcakes
    1 box cake mix  – any flavor
    1 small box pudding mix
    4 eggs
    1 C. sour cream
    1/2 C. water
    1/2 C. oil

    Choose a cake mix and a pudding mix with compatible flavors.  Mix this stuff all together and bake as instructed — till toothpick comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack, then add frosting.  Easy peasy.

    Spread the frosting.  Spread the word.  Spread the love.

    ChocolateCupcakes

    Shall we move on from Christmas? 

    Perhaps.

    I swear, you’ll never hear from me much at the new year, regardless of my well-meaning resolutions.  I not only have Christmas and New Year’s to recover from, but my wedding anniversary and both of my children’s birthdays are mixed in there as well.  Elijah’s LAN party was a week ago and Charlotte’s party is this weekend.  Her requested theme: Legendary.  She wants to have a “Legendary” party. 

    Who doesn’t, right? 

    So, Legendary, it is.  Sounds like a tall order.  I guess that’s what you get from a kindergartener with a crazy vocabulary.  However, I do believe her 5–year-old imagination is conjuring dragons and elves, not preeminent perfection.  Thank goodness for that.  Have I ever mentioned that her first word was “dignity“?  No joke!  She was only nine-months-old.

    Gooey chocolate cupcakes were a big success at Elijah’s party — truly, the easiest way to serve birthday cake.  So, I’m going for cupcakes again for Charlotte.  Above is my easy solution for exquisite cupcakes.  Isaac’s sister, Evie, shared this trick when she visited a while back.  Always a big hit.  The cupcakes, and Evie.