pink lemonade cupcakes

my kitchen was a disaster, but the cupcakes turned out beautifully. i realize i need to follow directions. when it says to gradually add the powdered sugar, they mean gradually. it looked like a snow storm in my kitchen.

anyway.....

these cupcakes are great! i like cupcakes, but i'm not much of a frosting person, unless it's this frosting. i may or may not have eaten it by the spoonful. luckily the recipe makes a ton so i had plenty.

thanks to my little sis, kalli, for taking the pictures!

pink lemonade cupcakes - makes 36
idea and frosting recipe adapted from real mom kitchen
cake recipe adapted from our best bites and real mom kitchen

for the cake:
1 box white cake mix
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/4 cup pink lemonade drink mix (like country time pink lemonade)
a few drops of red food coloring

mix all dry ingredients with a whisk, then add wet ingredients. beat for two minutes. fill paper liners 3/4 full and bake according to box directions - 350* for 18-20 minutes. makes 36 regular size cupcakes.

for the frosting:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup shortening
1/2 cup frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
zest from 1 lemon
2 pound package or 7 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
3 drops of pink food coloring

cream the butter, shortening, and lemon zest together. then add the lemonade concentrate, milk and vanilla with a mixer. beat until smooth. gradually add the sugar, mixing well until light and fluffy. beat in the food coloring. pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes. (i had about 2 cups leftover, i should have used a lot more on the cupcakes. but then again, i didn't think i was a frosting person.)

decorations:
18 colored drinking straws
candied fruit slices

cut the bendy part off the straw and discard, then cut the remaining piece in half. put the straw in the cupcake, a bit toward the edge and stick a candied fruit slice in the frosting. i ended up cutting the fruit slice in half for the regular sized cupcakes and in fourths for the mini cupcakes.

ella's white sugar cookies

recipe from annie's eats - makes about 40 cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla (use clear vanilla)
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups sifted flour

cream butter, add powdered sugar. blend in egg, almond and vanilla extract, salt and flour. chill dough until firm. roll to 1/4" thickness on a well-floured surface. cut with cookie cutters and put on a parchment or silpat-lined baking sheet. bake at 375* for 8-10 minutes. the cookies shouldn't brown. frost when cool.

here's a tutorial and recipe i used to decorate the cookies.

chocolate sugar cookies

recipe adapted from annie's eats

this recipe doesn't make very much so i usually double it. you can never have too many chocolate sugar cookies right? i should warn you, the dough is extremely sticky. i have to refrigerate it overnight before it is workable. even then it's still pretty sticky so i use plenty of flour to roll them out and a pastry brush to remove the excess flour so they look nice and clean when baked.


1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup dutch process cocoa powder (i've found hershey's special dark at the grocery store. just make sure it's dutch process and not natural cocoa powder.)
pinch of salt
6 tablespoons (3 oz.) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

in a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder and salt; whisk to blend and set aside. in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar. beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. blend in the egg and vanilla. with the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated and no streaks remain. for the dough into a disc, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

preheat the oven to 325*. line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat. on a floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thick. cut out shapes and place on baking sheets. bake 8-8 1/2 minutes, just until set. let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.

i used the glace icing and tutorial to decorate the cookies from out best bites.

spinach berry salad with lemon poppy seed vinaigrette

we had this salad at a mother's day brunch and it was fabulous. i adapted the original recipe from our best bites to more resemble the 'nuts about berries' salad at zupas.

for the vinaigrette:

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon grated onion
1 clove finely pressed garlic
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (optional, but i like it because it makes the dressing thick and stick to the salad better. i buy it in the bulk section of winco -- it's kinda pricey most places so i like to get a small amount.)

add all the ingredients, except poppy seeds, to a blender. blend until well combined. stir in poppy seeds and refrigerate until serving.

for the salad:

1 10 oz. bag fresh baby spinach and/or mixed greens
1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and sliced
1/2 pint strawberries, sliced
1/2 pint black berries
1/2 pint blueberries
(or use whatever fresh berries you want)
1 cup peeled and diced jicama (you'll find it in the produce section of most grocery stores)
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup sugared almonds:

• add 1/2 cup sugar and 1 cup sliced or slivered almonds to a skillet on medium heat. once the sugar starts melting, stir the almonds until the sugar is melted and golden. pour onto aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray and cool to room temperature. break into small chunks.
  

in a large bowl, toss the spinach/mixed greens with the dressing (you probably won't need to use all the dressing) until well coated. add the remaining ingredients and gently toss/fold to evenly distribute the good stuff. serve immediately.

cornmeal buttermilk pancakes with strawberry syrup and whipped cream

happy valentine's day! here's what i made my little munchkins for breakfast. my one-year-old kept calling them cupcakes, but i thought they tasted more like strawberry shortcakes. we all agreed they were delicious.

cornmeal buttermilk pancakes
adapted from epicurious

3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
3 tablespoons butter, melted

whisk the first six ingredients together in a small bowl. in another mixing bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs and melted butter. add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined. cook pancakes on a greased pan 2-3 minutes on each side until golden. extra points for making them heart-shaped. top with strawberry syrup and whipped cream.















strawberry syrup

1 cup strawberries (i thawed some frozen strawberries in the microwave)
1/4 cup sugar

combine the ingredients in a blender and process until very smooth. makes about 1 cup.