Key Lime Cupcakes with Blackberry Frosting

Here is the second cupcake that I made for the Surprise 50th Birthday Party.  I already made Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting, so I wanted something fruity.  I am a huge fan of Key Lime flavor anything so I had been wanting to try these for a while.

Key Lime Cupcakes
1 cup softened, unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 tbsp key lime juice (I use Nelliie & Joe's Famous Key West Lime Juice)
zest of 2 limes plus the juice
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups sour cream
Cream the butter and sugar in the stand mixer and then add the eggs, vanilla, lime juices and zest.  In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Alternatively combine the dry ingredients with the sour cream into the mixture.  Mixture will make around 24 cupcakes.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Blackberry Frosting
1 cup softened, unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup seedless blackberry preserves
6 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
Beat the butter and vanilla until smooth.  Mix in the blackberry preserves and slowly add in the powdered sugar.  After all the sugar is combined, slowly add the milk in, a tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency.

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

Two of my aunts turned 50 this year and we threw them a Surprise Party earlier this month.  I was asked to make cupcakes and I used it as an opportunity to try something new.  I tried 2 new cupcakes.  I will post the second one next week.

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
1 Devil's Food Cake Mix

(Add an extra egg and change the water to milk according to the box directions)
1 cup Chocolate Chips
Make the cake mix according to the package directions with the noted changes.  Stir in the Chocolate Chips and bake according to the package.

Peanut Butter Frosting
1 8 oz. block of Cream Cheese
4 tbsp of softened, unsalted butter
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup Cool Whip
Whip the cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Add in the peanut butter to combine.  Slowly add in the powdered sugar until fully combined.  Finally, add the Cool Whip and mix until desired consistency.

I had extra frosting left over so I made a pan of brownies and topped them with it.  They were so delicious.

Garlic Gravy Chicken

When Fall hits, I seem to become more domesticated.  I focus more on new recipes and I am much better about keeping up the house.  It's only Thursday and I have already tried 4 new recipes.  Earlier in the week I made this Scallop Chowder.  My husband loved it.  Last night I made Garlic Gravy Chicken.  I got the recipe here and tweaked it for my own tastes.

It is so hard to make Chicken and Gravy look delicious, but I promise you, it was so flavorful and moist.  I served it with mashed potatoes.

• Garlic Gravy Chicken
• 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 8 Chicken Thighs, Skin-On
• Seasoning Salt
• 20 Garlic Cloves
• 2 tbsp Flour
• 1 3/4 cup Chicken Broth
• 1 tbsp Fresh Thyme
• Preheat the over to 400.  Heat the oil in a dutch oven or oven safe pot.  Season the chicken pieces with Seasoning Salt.  Once the oil has heated up, place 3-4 pieces, skin down, in the pot.  Don't overcrowd the pan.  Brown the chicken for about 4 minutes on each side, then place on a separate plate.
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• Once all the chicken is done, reduce heat and add in the garlic cloves.  Cook the cloves for about 3 minutes, until it starts to brown.  Sprinkle the flour over the garlic and stir until it's all combined.  Return the chicken to the pot, put on the lid and bake in the over for 15 minutes.
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• Remove the pot carefully from the oven and place back on a medium burner.  Again, remove the chicken from the pot.  Stir in the broth and thyme, scrapping the bottom of the pot for all the goodness.  Check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.  Stir until it thickens.  The garlic will be soft and combine really well into the sauce.  Add the chicken back in, cook for a few more minutes and then serve.

Finding Nemo Ornaments

I have been so busy that I have had no time to craft and honestly it had me depressed.  When we cleaned out our Mom's house, she gave my sister and I a whole bunch of crafting supplies.  I finally got them all organized and was chomping at the bit to try this craft I saw on Pinterest.  I wasn't able to find the clear ornaments in town so I ordered a set of 12 on Amazon.  Unfortunately, when they came Friday, there was only 1 in the box and it was broken.  But, as always, Amazon came through and fixed the issue.  I got them today and came straight home and plugged in my glue gun.

These adorable ornaments are for a Christmas gift but these would be cute for any occasion.  You simple glue your toy and flotsam and jetsam inside and decorate the outside.  They were fun and easy.  I'm only showing a few on the blog since the little girl's Mom may read this blog.

Have you started your Christmas shopping?  You know, there are only 93 days left!

DIY Superhero Shoes

 

I'm BACK!!!  I may still be recovering from my surgery, but at least I can do more now.  Here in the Bryant house we have several birthdays in the fall.  We start with mine, which is TODAY, and then 20 days later my oldest turns 4, and then 12 days after that my baby will be 1 year old!  So we have been busy planning a superhero themed birthday party for the boys.  My next several post will probably all be superhero related...just a fair warning.

My first craft was a pair of batman shoes.  We bought a pair of plain canvas shoes from WalMart for $5.  To start the transformation I cut a logo on my silhouette cameo.  I just used a scrap piece of vinyl that I had lying around.

Then I stuffed the toe of the shoe with paper scraps so that it would stay firm and in place when I started painting.

Next I placed the vinyl on the shoe and just started to dab paint on until it was completely covered.  I used left over Behr house paint but you could also use acrylic paint.  Once the paint had dried I peeled back the stencil to reveal the logo.

The logo didn't turn out perfect...the paint leaked under my stencil just a bit.  I used a black sharpie to make the lines more crisp and defined.  I didn't use any kind of seal over the paint because well, my son is almost 4 and the shoes won't fit long before the paint will wear off...that or he will move onto loving another character and leave batman in the dust.

This was a simple, fast, and cheap way to make superhero shoes.  Logan loved them so much that he wore them to his first day of preschool!  :)

Hey Pink Elephant Sisters....Where Are You?

It's been a little over 2 weeks since we have had an entry here on our blog.  We have been extremely busy and haven't had much time for crafting or cooking.  As you know, Kari had back surgery in July and is well on her way to recovery, however, she can't bend or lift anything so that limits her amount of movement.  She is extremely happy to be able to drive again so she will be crafting shortly.

We have also been really busy helping our Mom move out of her house.  I work full time and have been spending all of my weekends at my Mom's, about an hour north.  I am happy to report she is all moved out and getting settled into her new place.  We had a massive garage sale last weekend.  I forgot how much work a garage sale is.  Between cleaning the garage, getting everything out there, pricing it all and setting it all up, it was 3 days of intense work.

Cleaning out a parent's house brings up a lot of memories and we have been looking at old photos a lot. It also means bringing a lot of stuff home that you just can't seem to part with.  I have a Suburban and I brought 2 loads home.  My husband wasn't really excited but he has been supportive.  I still have one small load to get which includes a bookshelf and a cookie jar.

 Bear with us as we get back into the swing of things.  We both have some great projects coming up for fall and winter.

Smoky Bacon Wrapped Chicken

When I post a recipe on here, I have made it at least twice.  The first time I make it just to try it out.  The second time is usually when I take photos to share on here.  This recipe took 3 tries because the second time was not actually as successful as the first.  It's a super simple recipe and I promise to pass on my knowledge so you enjoy it every time.

Smoky Bacon Wrapped Chicken

6-8 pieces of chicken (I used boneless skinless thighs the first time but used chicken tenders the last 2 times)

1 package of bacon

1/2 cup Runyon Rub (follow the link to the recipe)

2 tbsp brown sugar

Preheat oven to 400.  Add the brown sugar to the Runyon Rub and combine.  Lay out your chicken and sprinkle with the mixture on both sides.  Take each piece of chicken and wrap in 1 or 2 slices of bacon.  You want the chicken completely covered.  Place the chicken in a casserole dish and again sprinkle the rub mixture over the top.  This will help the bacon caramelize.  Cook for 30-40 minutes.  After the chicken is completely cooked, if you want your bacon crisper, place it under the broiler for a few minutes but make sure you keep an eye on it.

The chicken comes out moist and delicious.  When I made it the first time, I skinned and de-boned some chicken thighs and they were the best.  The second time I used chicken tenders and used way too much of the rub.  It came out so salty that we couldn't eat it.  The last time, I used the tenders and added the brown sugar to the rub.  It came out so much better.  It gave the bacon a crispy, smoky, sweet flavor.