Friday, April 27, 2012

Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes



I started a new job on Monday, part time doing data entry for a company called Braille Works that converts menus and other paperwork into braille for the blind. It is a great company, and it feels like a family. I have missed that so much from being laid off for 2 years. Going to school has helped, and once nursing school starts in the fall I am sure it will be better, more family-like, but I have missed that camaraderie.

Tomorrow is the company's first picnic. I've only been there since Monday, but even my family and I got t-shirts! For the picnic, I signed up to make cupcakes. I love making cupcakes! (I just got a large scoop from Pampered Chef and it works perfectly for dipping cupcake batter!)Since I had some oranges in the house, I decided to make creamsicle cupcakes.

I started with this recipe as inspiration, and went from there. My changes were mostly out of necessity (who runs out of sugar?), but a little out of taste preference. I wanted Really Orange-y cupcakes and Really Vanilla-y frosting.

I didn't have: self rising flour, unsalted butter, sugar, (crap, forgot to add the oj! (**the next morning they were pretty dry, though still edible and tasty. Next time I will definitely add the OJ from the orange I zested.) So... I did this....

I made self-rising flour by taking 2 cups all purpose flour, 2.5 Tbsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt. Out of this, I used my 1/5 cups.

cupcakes - Preheat oven to 350*
1.5 C self rising flour
1.25 C all purpose flour
1/2 cup salted sweet cream butter (melty)
1/2 cup margarine (melty)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup powdered sugar (again because I didn't have 2 cups of regular sugar)
1.5 Tbsp orange zest
4 eggs (room temp)
2 tsp vanilla extract
Juice of 1 orange

frosting
3/4 cup butter flavor Crisco1/2 cup sweet cream butter (soft)6 cups powdered sugar5 Tbsp milk3 Tbsp vanilla extract1 tsp almond extract

To make cupcakes:
In a small bowl, combine the flours. In a large bowl, mix together the butter, adding the sugar and zest, beat until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg. Add the vanilla.Add the dry ingredients in parts, mixing well and scrapping the batter. Scoop the batter into 24 cupcake papers. Bake 20 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.

To make frosting:
In a large bowl, mix together the butter, Crisco, 3 Cups powdered sugar, 3 Tbsp milk, vanilla and almond extracts. Mix until smooth. Gradually add in additional powdered sugar and milk. Add the milk slowly, more or less as needed to get the right consistency of frosting.

Frost and enjoy!! I find they are a little crumbly, (see above note*) maybe the 1 cup of OJ added into the cupcake batter would help that. But they are really good and not too sweet. Perfect with sweet, creamy vanilla frosting!

Monday, February 06, 2012

The Fly Lady, and Booties

I spent a couple hours today creating and printing my Household Notebook/Control Journal. It's pretty and cheerful. My cover has my every morning & night routines, as well as this week/month's focus Zone and habit (according to www.flylady.net). I have weekly to-dos, daily to-dos, and places for inspiration that comes from helpful magazines.

My to-done's today include the cat box, dishes, picking dinner (Sloppy Joe's... whatchu got?), de-cluttering the dining room and polishing the table. (Polishing the table reminded me that I would REALLY like a new table... we got this one when we got married almost 13 years ago!).

In other news... I got a phone call from Gumballs and Overalls saying that 5 pairs of booties have sold, and could I please hurry it up and bring in more!! Okey Dokey!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

More pics

I've been working on more booties and Jake's earrings for Gumballs and Overalls. They will soon start offering their items for sale online, which is really exciting!!

Remember, if you would like to order something, let me know.













Thursday, January 05, 2012

MIA

I know it's been a while, but I have been really busy with school, family, and crafting.

I have officially applied to nursing school, and now I need to wait until the middle of March to get my acceptance letter! in December, my hubby lost his job so now we are both unemployed. It's scary, but we are hopeful and prayerful that something great will come his way.

I have also started consigning my handmade goodies at a local shop called Gumballs and Overalls (www.gumballsandoveralls.com). The shop is adorable, and they consign high end boutique and handmade items for children 0-8 yrs old. It's been a little less than a month that I"ve had my goodies there, and I've sold a few things. It's not a full time job but it is a great way to keep me busy. My 10 year old has also just started selling his beaded and origami earrings there. Here are a few pics of some of the stuff I've sent to them. A baby blanket, hairbow tutu, angora baby dress, purple slip dress, and Jake's earrings.