Homemade Yellow Cupcakes – What Did You Bake Today?

  As the cake mixes in my pantry get used up, I haven’t been replacing them.  I have decided to make cake from scratch.  This week I had a special request from my family for cupcakes.  I thought it would be a good opportunity to inaugurate my plan.  The result: everyone thought they were amazing and we had none left after dessert was served (yes, it made 18).
From The Good Home Cookbook
White Layer Cake (which isn’t white and became cupcakes)
2 cups flour
1 Tbls baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk
Frosting of your choice (I used a can….have to use up what I’ve got before that’s homemade, too)
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.  In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar.  Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.  Add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk.  Divide equally into 18 greased or paper lined cupcake pans.  Bake 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until done.  Let sit in pan 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire wrack to cool.  Frost when completely cooled.
 
What Did You Bake Today?

Be sure and eat your vegetables!

Dave from My Year on the Grill gave me this great new award.
The rules for the award are that I reveal 7 random facts about me… so, here goes…

  1. I LOVE milk. I mean doesn’t everybody? But, I crave it sometimes and go through a gallon a week all by myself.
  2. I was once an auto mechanic and then became a copy editor for auto technician manuals.
  3. I cannot touch my toes – nope never could because I was born with a missing vertebrae in my lower back.
  4. I don’t have any tattoos.
  5. I’ve been in love with the same man for 25 years and we can honestly say we have never had a fight!
  6. I love road trips and having meals in greasy diners in small towns.
  7. I love weather! Rainstorms, wind, sunny days and snow – bring it al on. I love all the change of seasons.

I am supposed to pass this on to other bloggers. That is not an easy thing to do as I have so many favorites! To only mention a few of my favorites would be such a difficult thing to do. So in breaking all the rules and the spirit of the Christmas season I am going to pass this on to all my followers. After all it is Christmas and it is better to give than receive!

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Cookie tips, tricks, recipes, more at Our Krazy Kitchen

Do you know the secret to soft, chewy cookies? Under bake them ever so slightly. Cookies are the smallest baked items from our ovens, and they continue to bake while they cool, so even a minute more in the oven makes a huge difference. Also remember that many ovens are in need of recalibration for accurate temperature control, so even if a top chef’s recipe calls for 10 minutes in the oven, the cookies in your oven might only need 8 minutes. It’s a good idea to invest in a reliable food thermometer.

Link your dessert recipes with MckLinky below, and if they are holiday desserts, Christmas cookies, Chanukah family favorites, or other Christmas treat recipes you’ll want to also link them during our Christmas Party starting December 17.

Pick your favorite badge!


Please leave a link to your post, not your homepage,
and be sure to link back to this post or blog.

It’s all about YOUR attitude and perception ~ Practice Random Kindness

Today I thought we’d deter from the physical world to examine our attitudes. It is very easy at this time of year to become sooooooooooo busy that many people also become petty and even mean. I’m here to say that

It really is all about the right attitude and your perception of any given situation. I was raised to believe that if you don’t have something nice to say, then don’t say anything. I was also raised to believe that it is the thought that counts and to always say please and thank you. During the past couple of weeks I have watched, I mean really watched those around me here and as I shop and do my errands and I have begun to realize that I feel like much of the time lately most people are not acting the same way whether they were raised that way or not. Much of what I keep seeing around me is selfish people who truly believe their wants come first and foremost no matter what. I hate to admit I am seeing it in my own FIL, A LOT and it’s so sad! I try very hard to smile and try to help them see that by acting kindly despite their attitude.

In my personal profile I wrote: As a Christian woman I believe life is all about change and that learning to cope with it as it happens will help you through life. I believe in Murphy’s Law, the Domino Effect, Payback’s a Bitch, and Karma. I also believe that Pay It Forward and living by the Golden Rule go a long way to keep the former from happening to begin with. I believe everything happens for a reason and that life is one big adventure. I try to see life through rose colored glasses and be as tolerant as possible. My glass is always half full. I am an optimist, extremely positive minded and usually a really upbeat person so anything goes within reason.
I really believe these things and TRY to live by them. My FIL and I differ on the meaning of the text associated with the Golden rule. He believes that those with the gold rule, which is true to a point, but I prefer to believe that given the opportunity most people will do the right thing. I seem to be so naive, even at my age, but will continue to hope for the best.

In Eastern beliefs, the karmic effects of all deeds are viewed as actively shaping past, present, and future experiences.

The Pay it Forward Foundation, the Random Acts of Kindness Organization and the Pay it Forward Movement offer many opportunities and stories for you to find your good attitude.



But I try to make it a good one at all times.
A good attitude can motivate you more than anything else!
How is your attitude doing this Christmas season?
Do you smile and say excuse me when someone accidentally bumps into you, even if it was their fault?
Do you let a mother with young children go ahead of you in line?
Do you pay for the meal of a soldier in a restaurant?
Do you make a Christmas meal for an elderly couple or help with Meals on Wheels?
Do you drop a quarter or a dollar in the Salvation Army bucket at the grocery store?
Do you collect canned goods for the food drive for the needy or a local food bank?
Do you donate toys to an Angel tree programs?

If you have time check out these 13 positive thoughts. They will make you smile.

We interrupt this regularly scheduled meme to bring you Grumpy Guy Salad & Garlic Cheese Bread

GRUMPY GUY SALAD
1 head romaine salad, cut into bite sized pieces & washed

1 orange, peeled, sectioned and cut into pieces
1 kiwi, peeled and chopped.
1 small bunch scallions, sliced thin
1 ripe pear, chopped
1 small bunch asparagus, blanched and cut into bite sized pieces
1 cup snap peas, cleaned & halved
1/3 cup peanut oil
3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons sugar
salt & pepper to taste

  • Wash and prep fruit and veggies.
  • Place in a large salad bowl.
  • Whisk together the peanut oil, champagne vinegar, sugar, salt & pepper until well blended.
  • Pour over salad and toss well.
  • Serve with Garlic cheese bread

GARLIC CHEESE BREAD
1/2 cup salted butter
3 cloves garlic
dash of white pepper
3/4 cup grated aged cheddar cheese
sourdough bread

  • Melt butter in a small sauce pan.
  • Mash garlic cloves.
  • Add garlic and cook until golden.
  • Add cheese, salt and pepper whisking until well blended.
  • Spread on sourdough bread.
  • Broil until golden.

For the love of Garlic

Recently I was chastised by Dave from My Year on the Grill for using jar garlic. He was soooooooooooo right. I did start using it when I was living up in the U.P. working on an investment house and fresh garlic was virtually non-existent. But, there’s no excuse now. So thank you Dave, that comment was just the kick in the butt I needed!

Garlic is a member of the onion family. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, and chives. Garlic has been used throughout history for both culinary and medicinal purposes. It has a characteristic pungent, spicy flavor that mellows and sweetens considerably with cooking. A bulb of garlic, the most commonly used part of the plant, is divided into numerous fleshy sections called cloves. Single clove garlic, also called Pearl garlic or Solo garlic is available also.

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Menu Plan Monday


Menu Plan Monday hosted by Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie

DATE
BREAKFAST
LUNCH
DINNER
MONDAY

12/7

CEREAL
SANDWICHES Jambalaya
TUESDAY 12/8

TOAST
LEFTOVERS
Tuna Noodle Bake
WEDNESDAY 12/9
YOGURT
SOUP
Shepherd’s Pie
THURSDAY 12/10
FRUIT
CHEESE & FRUIT
SALAD
FRIDAY 12/11
OATMEAL
C.O.R.N.

Balsamic Peach Chicken

SATURDAY 12/12
Baked Omelet Split Pea Soup Italian Sausage Bake
SUNDAY 12/13 Depression Eggs Cleaning the Fridge Soup Crockpot Lasagna

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Artichoke Garlic Cheese Bread ~ Monday Munchies

ARTICHOKE GARLIC CHEESE BREAD
Italian Bread, Halved
1 jar artichoke hearts, drained REALLY WELL & chopped small
3 teaspoons minced garlic, jar
1/2 cup shredded Asiago Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup Best Foods mayonnaise
butter
PURE

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Spray a cookie sheet with PURE.
  • Lightly butter bread halves.
  • Place bread halves buttered side up side by side.
  • In a mixing bowl whisk the seasonings into the mayonnaise.
  • Fold in artichoke pieces, garlic and Parmesan cheese.
  • Spread over bread halves and top with mozzarella cheese.
  • Bake 15 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown.
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Haystacks – Monday Munchies


Haystacks

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups butterscotch chips (or 2 more cups chocolate chips)
1 12-ounce can of cocktail peanuts
6 ounces chow mein rice noodles

Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips in the top of a double boiler over hot (not boiling) water. Stir in nuts and noodles. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper, foil or parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Top with colored sprinkles if desired. Cool. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Doesn’t get much easier than that does it?!

3 Sides of Crazy Menu Plans


Menu Plan Monday hosted by Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie

DATE
BREAKFAST
LUNCH
DINNER
MONDAY

12/7

CEREAL
SANDWICHES Jambalaya
TUESDAY 12/8

TOAST
LEFTOVERS
Tuna Noodle Bake
WEDNESDAY 12/9
YOGURT
SOUP
Shepherd’s Pie
THURSDAY 12/10
FRUIT
CHEESE & FRUIT
SALAD
FRIDAY 12/11
OATMEAL
C.O.R.N.

Balsamic Peach Chicken

SATURDAY 12/12
Baked Omelet Split Pea Soup Italian Sausage Bake
SUNDAY 12/13 Depression Eggs Cleaning the Fridge Soup Crockpot Lasagna

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