Welcome Fall-Pumpkin Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream

Ok so I found yet another recipe on Pinterest. Pumpkin Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream. The answer is yes, these are as delicious as they sounds. I'm no expert at frosting so mine were not nearly as pretty as pic I found online here. However, no one cared what they looked like, they were yummy! I've attached the recipe here with my notes.

Copied from their website:

Pumpkin Cupcakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice (I'don't keep allspice around normally so I just added a bit more cinnamon and nutmeg)

1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 large eggs, lightly beaten (I didn't beat before putting into the mixture, still worked fine)

1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Beat on medium speed until well combined. Add dry ingredients, and mix on low until smooth. Fold in pumpkin puree.

Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. (Mine were done precisely at 20 minutes by my oven tends to run warm)

Makes ~ 18 cupcakes.

Source: Adapted from MarthaStewart.com.

Salted Caramel Buttercream

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 stick salted butter
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 cups powdered sugar

In a saucepan, stir together granulated sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cook without stirring until mixture turns a deep amber color. Remove from heat and slowly add in cream and vanilla, stirring until very smooth. Let caramel cool for about 20 minutes, until it is just barely warm and still pourable. (This step is more difficult than it sounds, by the time the sugar was that dark, adding cream made it harden almost immediately, you have to add the cream VERY slowly whisking quickly, I recruited my hubby to help hold the pan so I could accomplish this, after the second try it worked fairly well, still had a few hard pieces of caramel I had to pull out. Also, I didn't let it cool the full 20 min, after 15 it was plenty cool and stiffening up)

In a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and salt together until lightened and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add powdered sugar. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the caramel. Beat on medium high speed until light and airy, and completely mixed (about 2 minutes). Mixture should be ready to use without refrigeration. If your caramel was too hot when added, it will cause your icing to be runny. If this happens refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.

Source: Slightly adapted from SprinkleBakes.com and madeinmelskitchen.com.

NOTE: The seasalt I used was coarse, it tastes great, however keep in mind that when you frost these, you want to use a frosting tip large enough for the sea salt to pass through (lesson learned). Next time I may have to grind the sea salt just a touch as occasionally you get an awfully crunchy bite, but the flavor is awesome.

Pinterest Inspiration!

Yummy Yummy!

So with the help of my sister, I have now become addicted to Pinterest. I keep finding all of these great recipes and I've been fortunate enough to have the time and energy to re-create a few!

First off, I wanted to make biscuits for dinner with some friends. We didn't have rolls in the freezer and I've never made them by hand but why not? I didn't have whole milk or cream so I used evaporated milk instead, worked just fine and they were wonderful! I found the recipe on Pinterest, forgot to take pictures so here's the link: Simple Biscuits


Then this morning, I decided to try these yummy toast cups I also found on Pinterest. Hoping they would be creative enough for kids, I set out to re-create again.
Yummy Toast Cups

I didn't have a circle cookie cutter so I used the Maltese Cross cutter I bought this summer in Austin, cute but unrecognizable after the fact:


I made scrambled eggs for the kid's cups as I knew they wouldn't eat an egg yolk, nonetheless they didn't really eat anything other than the bacon. Next time I'll make for adults only because we loved them!

Here's the finished product, Fred and I both enjoyed. Although next time I'll bake for only 6 or 7 minutes rather than 8, the yolks were a little overdone for our liking and the bread gets awfully crispy at 8 minutes!

Both recipes were pretty simple, just took a little bit of patience but otherwise pretty easy, just the way I like it! Typically I'm a baker (sweets mostly) so these were branching out from my norm, but totally fun and must keep recipes!
Happy Eating!

Wyatt's Bday

As I'm beginning to think about Bella's birthday in November, I thought I'd quickly share the cake we made for Wyatt's bday. Also, I'm really getting into Pinterest and wanted to pin this. Apparently you can't pin off of Facebook so here it goes.

Wyatt really wanted DINOSAURS! I searched and searched online and found a lot of ideas, however, time was of the essence and I needed something fairly simple to do. This turned out great!

Volcano!

Here's how it went down. I bought a red velvet cake mix and a chocolate cake mix. Doesn't matter, you can use any type you like.

I used an angel food cake for one mix (the chocolate in this case) and the large Pampered Chef batter bowl for the second mix. You can check online on how to use the Pampered chef bowl, it baked for a LONG time but came out great. When both were done and cooled, I flipped over the angel food cake and placed the pampered chef cake (dome shaped) upside down on top.
I then shaved the sides of the cake to create a volcano like shape. For the icing, I bought store bought frosting and mixed in crushed Oreo cookies for texture. After the cake was frosted, I colored cream cheese frosting orange, heated it in the microwave a little and poured it over the top for the lava.
We added a few "Dinosaur Train" figurines and found some toothpick trees at a party store to stick in the sides. A little green cream cheese frosting for vegetation and blue frosting for a pond and wa-la! We also found these little egg shaped candies, they were gummy inside but looked like dinosaur eggs so we took some chow mein noodles and mixed with chocolate frosting to make a nest. Turned out perfectly!
Finally, my genius husband took a small dip cup (the kind you get at restaurants for side of ranch, ketchup etc.) and dug a small hole in the top of the cake, he placed the cup in and filled with dry ice, we now had a working (smoking) volcano! Bravo! My 4 year old was thrilled and this was by far the easiest cake we have done!
Happy Baking!

Once a year...

...whether you like it or not.
Apparently this is as often as I can post. I'm not sure why, I almost always have an opinion, I just don't seem to find the time.
Time? What's that? It's that period of anxiety filled with school work, work work, kids, youth group, bible study, church, and then occasionally some family time sprinkled on top. Oh wait, I forgot, work in there trying to sell the house. Geesh! Ok, so this is why I stress out easily lately.
The other day we're driving home from work and daycare and I tell the kids, "OK, we have to go home and clean, we have a house showing in an hour." Wyatt pipes up from the backseat, "Are you gonna still be crabby?" Needless to say selling the house has not gained me the mother of the year award. Seriously, cleaning my house top to bottom on a daily basis, not letting my kids play with toys, and then screaming when one of them touches a window or heaven forbid spills a crumb... This is NOT FUN. I just need to keep reminding myself that it's all for good cause, just takes time.

Dyanne, one of the girls in our Sunday school group presented on her mission trip to Zambia. It was pretty amazing listening to her and all she experienced. I walked out of there very thankful that I had 4 mouths to feed, an education putting me in debt, and a home I OWNED and could be frustrated about. I guess it's all about perspective. God is good. He has blessed us so much that we become selfish and greedy. If we sit back and evaluate, we have much to be thankful for.

So how about an update on my crazy kids?
We'll start with Wyatt. He's my cool cucumber. He is sweet, loving, helpful, stubborn, and has an occasional anger management problem (OK, he's 4 people!) He loves super heroes and dinosaurs and loves to learn! The information he soaks up is amazing. I never worry about his future because I know he will be happy and successful. He loves life and is always on the go, sometimes the similarities to his father absolutely astound me. I look into his eyes and see Fred's kindness and love, what a lucky little boy. He has so much to look forward do (as do we!).

Now Bella...
Where to start? Bella is her mother I suppose. She's demanding, assertive, loud, funny, strong, sensitive, strong willed (putting it lightly), and out to change the world. She will inevitably choose the hardest road possible in everything that she does. She's sassy (sometimes TOO sassy), she has crazy curly hair and she's about the cutest thing you've ever seen which is darn lucky considering that's about all that keeps her from getting pummeled when she begins to throw one of her fits. She challenges me everyday but she is so stinking smart and motivated. She's persistent to say the least! She's a lover and really does like to please people, it's just not her main motivator. Bella is going to rule the world, she won't get there easily but once she does, watch out! No matter what field she goes into, she'll be the boss. That's for sure. One more thing I can't believe I almost forgot! Bella is POTTY TRAINED. Praise the Lord Hallelujah! No more diapers coming out of this checkbook. Needless to say this baby train is shut down and put into retirement. Once you get out, I can't see going back. We are a family of 4 and I think it's gonna stay that way! Did I mention Bella insists on dressing herself? She's quite the diva.

Pardon the blurry pictures, they were taken from my phone.

Update on Fred-
Fred is my rock. He's the one constant in my life that I can count on. Probably the most loving and loyal person I have ever met, he continues to be the love of my life. I can't tell you how many times I prayed for him growing up, but in all honesty, I never thought I'd find him. Why God chose to give him to me I'll never know but I'm proud to call him my husband and so grateful for him in my life. He's working oodles of jobs at any given time, currently at the Fire department, teaching a paramedic class for the college in town, doing insurance claims for my dad, then helps at the college and hospital teaching classes and certifications. He's a busy guy! He just started Leadership Tomorrow which is a leadership program for Hall county, quite the honor to get picked and he's excited for the opportunity.

Update on Me-
Probably not a whole lot, I'm back in school finishing out my degree so I can go on to get a graduate degree. It's frustrating and time consuming and down right irritating to tell you the truth. What does a research nurse need with a physical assessment class? My first "cultural assessment" was done on my husband and his "American culture". I got 100% and realized this class was useless.
I'm preparing to attend the National Infusion Nurses Society National Conference in Los Angeles. I will be a presenter speaking about the infusion nurse and their role in clinical trials. (I'll spare you the details because if you're not in the medial field it really isn't that interesting). Nonetheless it's a great opportunity and resume builder and I'm excited to complete the manuscript for publication.

I'll try to update more as this feels more like a Christmas letter recapping the year than a blog. I have lots to say, just need to find the time to say it. :)

Halloween and Bella's Birthday!

Well, we'll work our way back. Bella was fortunate enough to have 3 separate 1st birthday parties this year. The first one was in Dallas with her cousin Quinny (see pictures at Hil's blog: teamfuller2008@blogspot.com)

The second one was combined with Fred's family Thanksgiving in Maywood on Thanksgiving Day.

The third one was the Sunday after Thanksgiving at our place. Everything was wonderful, the kids had a great time and Bella had a great cake! We had a blast making this one. Fred was kind enough to bake the cakes for me the Friday before. One banana cake, and one chocolate cake. I made the frosting and frosted it on Saturday, and Saturday evening Mom and I decorated it! She did the vines and leaves along with the piping, and I did the monkeys and presents. We got together to form all of the bananas and bunches right at the end. It was beautiful! See for yourself...

Here's the birthday girl herself, she didn't get her personal cake for this party, she had been caked out! But a piece of banana cake with cream cheese frosting went over just fine. She loves the attention and we had a great party. Fred smoked some pork and we had bbq pork sandwiches, they were wonderful. I still maintain that smoker was the best present he's ever got. (excluding me of course) :)

Here are a few pictures from Halloween I never got up. Fred and Wyatt carved a pumpkin, Wyatt was not thrilled with the texture of the insides, so tiger dug them out instead!

Here's the one and only shot of Wyatt in the full outfit...he wasn't a big fan of the headpiece, but loved growling at everyone!

...and last but not least my little cheerleader practicing her moves. This is all the kids at daycare trick or treating, it is quite the feat and they are sent home with oodles of candy!

Now for Christmas...

Yes, I know the tree is lopsided, but its artificial and I don't know how to fix it.
Wyatt is my big helper this year!
I though this was precious...

Infamous St. Louis and a not so successful photo shoot...

Well, we did it. We loaded up and headed to St. Louis for 4 days. I've hesitated writing about this because I was hoping with time, the pain and anguish of the trip would subside...not the case

There were a few good points so lets start with those. We did a LOT! We went to Grant's farm, an outdoor zoo type attraction with Carousels (kids were in heaven) and lots of animals. Admission was free and the only prices were souvenirs and an $11 parking fee. Not so bad if you ask me!

Wyatt got to feed the goats, he was in for a surprise! Luckily Daddy was there to pick him up and keep him from getting mauled! (although the goats kept trying to eat Fred's shirt...p.s. hysterical!)Lots of free labor at this zoo, we got to feed the camels as well! This was pretty funny, their tongues can get a little out of control!

Grants farm is also home to the famous Anheiser Busch Cleidsdailes. We love our horses!

We also went to six flags, they had an entire section just for little ones, he even rode rides solo. (this scared the begeezus out of me by the way)

Mommy would love to ride with you... "Oh crap, this is like teacups isn't it? I'm gonna vomit" What we do for our children.

This was all for the firefighter combat challenge. It definitely had its high points, we went swimming, went to the St. Louis Zoo (free adm by the way), were always on the go...however the reason this was necessary was that every time we entered the hotel room, the kids cried uncontrollably....oh brother, they hate being couped up. Bella refused to take naps (much more difficult when there is no way to separate everyone at nap time) and Wyatt was really naughty whenever we went to dinner. Also, everytime he woke up from nap, he cried hysterically, not sure if he was scared because he was somewhere unfamiliar, it just got to be a little exhausting for everyone.

The good news is we survived and now we're home.

The unsuccessful photo session:

I had this great idea, beautiful breast cancer awareness scarf and she was not having it!

Some turned out alright, but so serious!

I suppose it doesn't help she has ear infections again and we have to go see an ENT about tubes!

She had her 9 month appt. last week (on her 10 month bday...oops) 95% for height, wt, and head. We don't grow small children apparently. (24lbs!)

She's still precious.

p.s. she's teething and Wyatt peed all over my bathroom floor (missed the toilet even though he's sitting on it!) right before naptime.

.....Livin the dream