What's New, Cupcake?

Did I ever tell you about the book Hello, Cupcake? It's a really cool sort of cookbook with all kinds of great ideas for cupcakes that look like everything from dogs to TV dinners. I've never actually made anything from it, but I got the authors' second book anyway...

This one is really similar, just more great ideas. What's great about these books is that you use regular household tools and candy etc. to make everything. You don't need any special cake decorating tools.

 You know I'm a sucker for things that look like food. But these are cupcakes that look like a big sandwich!!

I think these would be great for a summer barbecue.

Yarn anyone? They didn't leave out the crafters. Pretty neat, huh?

 This weekend we had Trisha & her family over, so I decided to give What's New, Cupcake a try.

I started with a bunch of candy. I took some doing, but in the end I found everything I needed.

 **Note: Don't get distracted talking to your husband when you have taffy in the microwave, just sayin'. oops

  And here's the final product, I call them Ode to Panda Express. I think they turned out pretty good, don't you? haha

I look forward to trying out another idea from one of those books. These were really fun! (I think the broccoli was the best part!)

Thankful

Today I'm thankful my new oven arrived in time for Thanksgiving.

I'm thankful that Julie sent me this book for my birthday so I could give my oven a test drive.

Naturally, I went with the Maple Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream.

The first thing I ever cooked in my oven!

I think Nick's coworkers were thankful he went to work yesterday.

Mmmmmm, cupcakes. So many things to be thankful for, have a safe and happy turkey day!

Pumpkin Spice for Halloween

 Ever since I took that cake decorating course this summer I've been thinking about making mummies for Halloween. I finally got my chance yesterday!

I started with this recipe for Pumpkin Spice Muffins from AllRecipes.com (I get a lot of recipes from that site!).

They baked up nicely.

Next I made the cinnamon cream cheese frosting and mixed up some colors.

(yes, my oven is that small)

The first step was the face. I didn't think my mummies would look as good if you saw a delicious pumpkin color under their bandages. I tried to make black, but it came out more like an army green.

Next I piped on the bandages.

This step took some time, but it was fun.

I made a spooky day-glo green color for the eyes.

Here are my finished mummies! The lighting in my kitchen is pretty bad, sorry. I think you get the idea anyway. Pretty cute little guys, no?

This morning Nick took the mummies to work. Bye bye yummy mummies!!

Are you making any special treats for Halloween?

Two Spoonfuls: Travel Treats

I'm still on vacation but that doesn't mean I can't still blog about food! I haven't been in the kitchen since I left, but I have been enjoying some yummy treats while I've been away. Check it out...

At Walt Disney World, there are lots of chocolate dipped apples, strawberries, marshmallows, pretzels and probably some other things too. Don't you love the little sprinkles? Just in time for Valentine's Day!

Nick and I bought an all-inclusive package for the Disney portion of our trip. The package came with a meal plan that turned out to be a bargain. I don't think I can eat another thing! Each meal included a drink and a dessert. ugh I never get dessert, but these little chocolate cakes were easy to bring away with us & they were so yummy too!

Let's talk coffee now. The coffee at our hotel is made from liquid concentrate rather than ground. It has been my experience that coffee made this way is generally divine. I love it. I've looked forward to a cup each morning we've been here. Yesterday we discovered cappuccino floats at the Magic Kingdom. What? Ice cream on top of iced cappuccino? Yes, please! I've always been an advocate of ice cream and coffee but I never thought of a float.

I couldn't leave you without at least mentioning cupcakes. I haven't had one, but they look pretty darn good.

Wait a minute, I think Jenn mentioned something about cupcakes. Let's see what she's been up to this week.

Cupcaking

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I thought it would be a great time to get all sweet on you and talk about one of my favorite things...cupcakes!

Nick and I will be in Florida (and not alone) on Valentine's Day, so I did my cupcake baking early. I kind of told you about these on Monday, remember? We've got one left to fight over tonight. hehe

Lucky for me, there's a new vendor at my local farmer's market for when I don't have time for baking!

Yes, imagine my delight when I saw the new cupcake girl setting up right across from me at the market back in December. I called Nick right away. I texted Jenn. I was so happy!

Tina is super nice and so are her cupcakes. The pink ones are vanilla cakes with the lightest strawberry frosting. Delicious. And the vanilla with vanilla buttercream are pretty great too. She's got pretty pink cupcake fabric on her tables too. A girl after my own heart I tell you.

It was Christmas time when Little Piggy Cupcakes arrived on the farmer's market scene, so Tina also had these adorable gingerbread cupcakes. Aren't the little gingerbread men cute?

I can't leave out the chocolate cupcake with chocolate ganache. Yep, it's as good as it looks. Sadly, I'm not selling at the market any more, but I definitely have a reason to shop there. And the best part is, we walk! It's okay to eat a cupcake if you have to walk to get it, right?

Check out Tina's website to see more of her yummy creations. And if you're ever passing by the Marin County Civic Center on a Sunday...stop by the market and say hi (and eat a cupcake or 7).

Acquisitions

I'm usually not a big shopper, but lately I've gone a bit nuts on Etsy.

This little gnome is going to hang in my sewing room at some point. Not my first, or my last, purchase from Creative Apples.

Sometimes I buy things I need. I get my promotional buttons from marajane01. She's absolutely wonderful. Lightning fast, affordable and the quality is always excellent. Aren't my monkeys cute?

This adorable card holder is from my friend Lee Ann, the lovely proprietor of The Cherry Stem. It will be perfect for holding gift cards and frequent buyer cards. Don't you think?


(Click to have a closer look)
I'm a sucker for paper cupcake liners & cake decorating supplies. Check out HeyYoYo for lots of fun little things to add to your cakes and to bake them in. I love all the cute little extras she threw in.

I did a little baking this weekend. I used some of my tiny heart sprinkles to top these red velvet cupcakes. (I sent most of them to work with Nick this morning, sadly.)

Pumpkin Spice

I just wanted to stop in and tell you about some yummy pumpkin treats I've been enjoying.

If there's a Trader Joe's near you, I recommend the pumpkin butter. It's yummy and I love the label on the jar. So cute!


I enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning and it's even better with a little International Delight Pumpkin Pie Spice Creamer (Christina likes it too). I have always hated the bottles that this creamer comes in (terrible sticky poring mess) so I got a pretty bottle for mine yesterday at The Container Store. Thanks for the gift card, Nick!


I accidentally had another one of those yummy pumpkin cupcakes from the Teacake Bakeshop too. I'm up to 4! ouch What delicious pumpkin treats are you enjoying these days? I'd love to hear about your favorites. :P

Food Fetish

Inspired by ChickenGirl's post about Re-Ment, I had to tell you about my strange fascination with fake food and food that looks like something. I know, I'm kind of weird. But when I'm browsing Etsy and I come across stuff like this or this, I can barely keep myself from buying it all. Do you think Nick would notice if these were in his lunch, rather than the real thing. Yeah, maybe.

Anyway, on to the new book I got this weekend. I think many of you know what a fan I am of the cupcake. I love 'em. This book is just too cool for words. It's filled with pictures of the greatest cupcakes that you can make with ordinary candy & everyday stuff.

Check out the TV Dinner cupcakes. Oh my gosh. These are first on my list. I love the mash & gravy cupcake, and the peas & carrots. Isn't that hilarious?


Take a look at this cupcake vegetable garden. haha Whenever I see a patch of veg I can't help but think of my favorite gardener, Gromit. Which reminds me of another excellent book I already have on the shelf.

I got this one when we lived in the UK. Naturally, I haven't used it yet, but I really do enjoy the lovely photos.

See? There's the Were-rabbit surrounded by veg. Can you believe that's a cake?

Next week's my birthday. If I was going to be home, maybe I'd try to make this one for Nick & I. Look at little Gromit with his knitting. So cute.

Oh if I only had the time to bake all day and run around in my bare feet and an apron. Some day.

Movin' Right Along

Remember a while back when I mentioned my KitchenAid Mixer? Well, I finally got it out of the box this weekend. Better late than never. I still haven't christened the food processor, but hopefully some lemon scones will take care of that.


That's not all I did this weekend. I went to JoAnn Fabrics and picked up some great corduroy. I completely don't agree with selling Fall stuff in the summer, but that doesn't mean I'm not gonna buy it. That one on top will go great with a green pintuck cotton I have in the closet. I'm thinking zipper pouch to start.


I also grabbed some bright & colorful Debbie Mumm fabrics (on sale) to make bibs. They're a big seller this time of year so I'm trying to rotate some new ones into the mix. I have a ton in the shop right now.


I also got a pack of really cute card stock to make gift tags with. I like to include them with orders sometimes. This was also from Debbie Mumm, and on sale. It's great quality, and thick, so the tags punch out quite nicely.

Now, I really do have to start stocking up for Christmas. I already have a request for monkey ornaments! Yikes!

It's Friday!

Too bad I don't actually have a Friday, hehe. Today I'd like to show you a couple things I recently purchased on Etsy. You may remember the great cupcake quest I was on back in September. I love cupcakes, especially white cake with buttercream frosting....yummmmm. The colored sprinkles are an absolute must! To remind myself of these yummies every day, I bought a photo card from creativeapples. I can't wait to frame it, and maybe buy a twin for it, in pink. Maybe I should just get a whole set of cupcake cards, I still have a corner of my sewing room with nothing on it! Yes! Sorry, I should also tell you there are lots of other great images to be had in this shop. The Star Wars cards are great too, and I love the robots! Go check it out, right now!


I'm also a sucker for giving someone their first sale. The best part about this one is that now she has 6 sales! Way to go! How cute are these little gift tags? All wrapped up in a fabric bag. Lovely presentation and tags. The shop is lilybirddesigns and she's new to Etsy, give her a little love and check out her shop. There are more gift tags, some cards and adorable earrings.

The Quest for Cake...the Continuing Story

I have found what I've been searching for. I had to go to the local grocery store today so I thought I'd check out the bakery. Sure enough, they had cupcakes and slices of cake available. I'm very picky when it comes to frosting, I have to be sure it's not that sour whipped cream stuff. I must smell the sweetness through the plastic and with this beauty, I did.
Notice the large colored sprinkles on top. The layers of white cake goodness. Mmmmmm, caaaaake. Can't you just taste the granules of sugar in that frosting? I did. I ate about a 1/2" off one end. I plan to share this cake with Nick if he wants any. It might be too sweet for him. That would really break my heart.
The moral of the story: Don't pay $3 for a tiny yet unsatisfying cupcake from a posh bakery when you can pay $2.99 for a giant piece of cake at the supermarket.