Cherry Frosted Vanilla Cupcakes

I make these every Valentine's day.  Wouldn't have been nice of me to post this prior to Valentine's Day so you could have made them too?  Well, that was the plan.  Except I made them on Valentine's Day.  I know they don't rank the highest health wise, but they make me super happy.  And that has to count for something, right?

Cupcakes are just my basic White Cake recipe, baked as cupcakes for 15-20 minutes. Here's my white cake recipe:

White Cake

2 ¼ cup flour

1 ½ cup sugar

3 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

½ cup unsalted butter (at room temp.)

¾ milk

2 tsp. vanilla

4 egg whites (at room temp.)

Mix all dry ingredients.  Stir in, butter, milk and vanilla.  Mix for 2 minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well.  After eggs are added, mix another 2 minutes.  Pour into two greased circular pans to make a tier cake.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. 

Frosting is a basic buttercream.  Only instead of adding milk, add the juice from maraschino cherries.

Frosting

Whip together the following: 

Stick of butter, softened. 

1 tsp vanilla

4-5 cups powdered sugar (I always cut the sweetness by replacing one cup of sugar with flour)

Splashes of juice from maraschino cherries until you get the desired consistency. 

 

The Hub of Our Home

We're an atypical modern day family.  The hub of our home is not around the TV (our only TV is in the basement...and it's not hooked up to cable).  Instead the hub is the kitchen.  My little helper will sometimes push a chair over to help (wrote about that here).  Sometimes he'll be in the sling, cooking close to his mama (love the ring sling with my growing baby bump). 

Sometimes he'll be in the arms of his daddy, with a spoon in hand.

Or sometimes, he'll just push over his toys and play right in the middle of it all.  Of course, jabbering away with his mama, who is busy creating close by.

(This is our thrifted $2.50 Melissa and Doug stacking toy that has been a favorite from 6 months and beyond.  It sits on an antique basket that was picked up at the antique haven: Brimfield Flea Market.)

I grew up without TV being a big part of my life too.  And the kitchen was the hub of my home.  As I was in the midst of making some bread and some fudgy oat bars (did you notice the mess in the background?), I gave my dad a call.  Guess what he was doing?  Making the very same bread I was making.  Three states away, yes.  But a tradition that continues, even with distance. 

I think we're quite happy continuing the tradition of the kitchen being the hub of our home.

Upcycled Wool Diaper Cover: From a sweater

Warning.  A crunchy mama is getting even crunchier. 

A couple of friends have given us wool diaper covers.  I love how they're breathable and made of natural fibers.  I want more and in newborn sizes (we didn't cloth diaper until 2 months, therefore we lack the newborn stash). But, I'm cheap.

How about a felted wool sweater made into a cloth diaper cover?  It isn't perfect.  But, it's tiny.  It's cute.  It's purple.  It's going on our baby girl.  And I'm excited about that. :)

I think this will look pretty darn cute on our new baby's bottom.

Take Me Home Dress

We're having a girl.  I still can't believe it. I must admit that I smiled as I typed this.  The problem with having a girl is that we only have boy clothes.  What a delightful problem to have, since I have a plethora of fabrics that would look simply adorable on a little mini!  I see many, many dresses in my creative future.  Just as a boy can never have too many hats, a mama can't have enough skirts, a dada can never have enough chocolate chip cookies, a baby girl can never have too many dresses.  This sewing machine will surely be whirling. Why not start with a "Take Me Home" dress to wear home from the hospital?  The basic pattern is from Made By Rae.  It's even cuter in person.  And I love it.

I loved it so much, that I made two. Which of course, I left a note to my husband as to why....didn't want to scare him!  One of my dear cousins is having a little girl...due two days before me.  Although we're not even in the same state, I figured those little blessings can bond through matching dresses.

Rice and Beans...and premaking your spices

This post is brought to you by a busy working mama. A mama who tries her best to have homemade everything for her family, even on busy work days. And in doing that, I have to think of speedy ways to eat the healthy stuff.

My husband used to like to have a boxed rice and beans mixture for those nights when mama works late and we need something quick.  We really don't buy any prepackaged stuff, but I said whatever and occasionally bought it.  Until one day, I looked at the ingredients.  Yikes!  I don't even know what those words are!  If I'm going to eat junk, it must be in the form of dessert.

So, what is a busy mama to do when her husband's favorite staple needs to be eliminated?  Well, I decided that I should make a beans and rice seasoning package.  That way, I can cook the rice, throw in a can of beans and season it with already perfectly measured love.  So, that's just what I did.  Super easy and super healthy for us.  The verdict?  "Hon, this is AWESOME!  I never want to eat that boxed stuff again."  Success.

And you know what else is grand?  Burritos. Quesidillas stuffed with rice.  Just a dish topped with salsa and sour cream.  You can also use the pre-made spice packages to flavor meats for grilling.  I've also made an Italian spice pack that I shall be sharing in the future too.  These seriously have made flavorful cooking speedy.

Rice and Beans Spice Pack

3T minced Onion

2T salt

1T cumin

1T sugar

1T garlic powder

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp ground red pepper

Mix and store in a jar.

 And how to make the rice and beans.  I often make a double batch.

Rice and Beans

1 cup brown rice, cooked

1 can of your favorite beans, drained and rinsed (pinto, black, red)

2 T of lemon juice

1 T of olive oil

1/4 cup coarsely chopped parsley (optional)

Add as much seasoning mix as you'd like. Start with a tablespoon, mix and taste.  If you're like us and you like extra spicy, you'll use a lot.  Extra salt to taste

Quilt 43

Quilt 43-2001-Baby Quilt

Spring Chicken Drawstring Backpack

I do realize I am writing to you about a spring backpack that I made in mid February in Maine...when it's 12 degrees outside, with a windchill measuring 5 below zero.  I am thinking spring.  Don't get me wrong, I love winter.  However, this year's hardened ice covered snow is no fun.  Winter either needs to give us a good Nor' Easter storm or just skip to spring.  When spring does arrive, we are prepared with a new little backpack (although we will continue to find uses for his other backpack that I made from daddy's khakis, that I love so much).  A perfect project to use up some scraps.

It's apparently perfect for picnics and it's a handy backpack for a fireman.

It's also good for adventures...to ward off any scary beasts.