Oatmeal Cupcakes

I found this recipe for oatmeal cake in my mom's old recipe box and decided to try it as a cupcake. Oatmeal has never tasted so good! The topping that the recipe calls for is a broiled coconut topping. It is fantastic with the oatmeal cupcake! Just for variation, I also made this cream cheese frosting. Oatmeal cupcake with cream cheese frosting...how can you go wrong?!

I ended up making two batches of these cupcakes since I decided to also use the cream cheese frosting. Each batch makes exactly 24 cupcakes. I couldn't keep all those cupcakes for us and they are just too yummy to not share, so my kids gave some to their teachers for Valentine's Day. We put them in these adorable little cupcake boxes.

Oatmeal Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup oatmeal
*In a medium sized bowl, pour water over oatmeal and let stand for 10 minutes.

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs, unbeatened.
*In a large bowl, mix these ingredients together. Stir in oatmeal and mix with a spoon.

1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups flour
*In a small bowl mix these dry ingredients, then slowly add to the oatmeal mixture.

Poor into muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes or until done.
While cupcakes are baking, prepare the broiled topping.

Broiled Topping
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk (Carnation)
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped nuts
1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt butter. Add other ingredients and mix well. Spread on cupcakes as soon as removed from oven. Place under broiler until coconut is browned (brown slowly). Don't let it harden.

I hope you enjoy these cupcakes as much as we did. If you're looking for a slightly healthier version, just omit the topping/frosting altogether. They will still be just as yummy.

Groundhog Cupcakes

This is one cupcake I have never thought to make, until now. I got this idea from my son's kindergarten teacher. Apparently, the class thinks they are going to eat an actual groundhog tomorrow, but really it is going to be a groundhog cupcake. My son is pretty freaked out about this. Wouldn't you be if you were 5 years old?!? I decided to put my own spin on her groundhog cupcake and this is what I came up with. I just used what I had in my pantry and made due.

For the frosting, I used the same chocolate frosting I used in this recipe. It makes the perfect amount to frost 24 cupcakes. I used tip 233 to make the groundhog fur. For the eyes, I used small candy pieces and for the nose I used an m&m. For the mouth, I cut one mini marshmallow in half and for the ears I used dry cereal. That's it...pretty simple! Happy Groundhog Day!

Spritzer

Here is the recipe I was telling you about. The one that calls for cranberry juice. It is so good! Unfortunately, this recipe doesn't have exact measurements. It came from my husband, who was served this drink while flying generals and other important political leaders around Europe (rough job, I know!). Apparently, it is their drink of choice, and after having it I can see why.

Spritzer
Cranberry Juice
Sprite
Crystal Light on the go drink packet (I prefer the lemonde flavor)
Water
Crushed Ice
*I used a 16 oz glass to make this drink and it made one serving.

Dissolve 1/2 packet of crystal light into 1 oz. hot water and mix. Add crushed ice so glass is full. Fill the remaining glass with equal amounts of cranberry juice and sprite. Mix and enjoy!

My kids love this drink! One likes it with only the cranberry juice (no Sprite) and the other one prefers more Sprite, less cranberry. After making it a few times, you can decide exactly how you like it. You can also make it with different Crystal Light flavors. The lemonade just happens to be my favorite.

Brownie Cupcakes

I just made these cupcakes for Thanksgiving. I know they are not your typical Thanksgiving dessert, but I wanted to make something that I knew my kids would love (Don't worry, I made pumpkin pie too). They always pretend they like pumpkin pie, but I know better. They put on a pretty decent act, which I appreciate, but this year I wanted them to have something they would truly enjoy. So, I decided to make them cupcake brownies. These are quite possibly the easiest cupcakes to make and very fun because you can add your own toppings and be as creative as you would like. I also like that the recipe only makes 12...the perfect amount for us!

Brownie Cupcakes
1 package brownie mix
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup cranberry juice
2 large eggs
Toppings: chocolate chips, sprinkles, marshmallows, candycanes, pretzels, etc.
Powdered sugar (optional)
**I used mini chocolate chips, chocolate covered pretzels (coursely chopped), m&m's, and sprinkles.

1. Stir together first 4 ingredients until smooth. Spoon batter into muffin pan lined with paper/foil liners. Sprinkle with desired toppings. Batter will evenly fill 12 muffin cups.

2. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of cupcakes comes out clean. Remove from pan, and cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

Wondering what to do with all that leftover cranberry juice? Stay tuned for a very festive beverage recipe that is a favorite amongst our nation's top military leaders....don't ask me how I know this. Until then, go make the brownie cupcakes and eagerly await for this top secret recipe! :)

Nutella Acorns

For those of you who are still readers of this blog, thank you for hanging with me during my long hiatus. It feels good to be blogging again and not packing, unpacking, organizing, sorting, etc. It was a huge move, definitely the most challenging we have ever done. We are happy to be back in the U.S, but even happier to be settled again. And we're not moving for a very long time...I hope.

Now, for the acorns. My mom is my source for these scrumptious little acorns. I love how easy they are to make, not to mention really good and the perfect size for little fingers. I made one change to these and that was that I used Nutella instead of canned frosting. I can't stand canned frosting and I especially don't like it for my kids (it has trans fat in it). Yuck! I was going to just make my own chocolate frosting and then I remembered that I had Nutella in my pantry. Of course, Nutella is a staple in our house and is almost better than frosting anyway! Also, much faster and less clean up since I didn't have to actually make any frosting. Here's what you need:

Nutella Acorns
Box of mini Nilla wafers
Bag of Hershey kisses
Bag of pretzels broken into little pieces (perfect job for the little ones)
Nutella

Spread a small amount of Nutella onto the backside of the Nilla wafer. Then, place a Hershey kiss on top. Next, place a dot of Nutella on the other side of the wafer and stick a broken piece of pretzel on top of it. There is your acorn! Cute, right?

Basic Cloth Diapering

The cutest bum is back...and it's quite possible that it's even cuter than before! Being that I know so many women who are pregnant right now, I feel the need to spread the word on cloth diapering on how fun, easy, and economical it is. Last time I did a post on cloth diapering, I focused on the bum genius all in ones, which are fantastic! I absolutely love them. However, this time I decided to focus on prefolds with the diaper covers. It is very basic cloth diapering and probably the most economical way to cloth diaper. If you are new to cloth diapering it can be so overwhelming! It really is amazing how much the cloth diaper industry has changed since I had my first child seven years ago. The diapers are so much cuter and easier to use. Once you use them, you will never want to go back to using disposables again!

For this type of cloth diapering, all you need are the prefolds (which are the diapers) and then the covers to go over them. Nothing else is needed. Bummis make a great prefold as well as the covers. Both are very high quality and I recommend only using these. What is nice about the prefolds is that you can use the same size for quite awhile. I have only had to buy two different sizes for the entire time that each of my children have been in diapers. I have had to buy different size covers, but the actual diaper size doesn't change much.

As far as laundering the diapers, all you have to do is throw them in the wash (rinse them first if necessary) and then toss them in the dryer or line dry. If you are exclusively breastfeeding, you don't even need to rinse first, just throw them in the wash. For the covers, you can wash these with the diapers, but hang dry instead of using the dryer. They will dry very quickly (within a few hours). You can also use the covers a few times, before actually having to wash them. You never want to add any type of fabric softener or dryer sheet.

I love using the prefolds just as much as I love using the all in ones. There is an added step in that you have to fold the diaper first and actually place it in the cover, but it really is so simple. You will honestly love diapering your baby. It is just so fun to put the cute little covers on their bum and my daughter loves to look at all the different prints. If you are pregnant or even have a little one, please consider cloth diapering. You will be so glad you did. If you have any questions about cloth diapering, just let me know and I will do my best to answer. It can be very overwhelming if you are new to cloth diapering, because they keep coming out with new styles of diapers, and it is hard to know what to buy. You can never go wrong with the prefolds and covers as they have been around for the longest and are the most basic way to cloth diaper your baby.

If this doesn't persuade you to try cloth diapering, I don't know what will. Seriously, how cute is her bum?!?

Marshmallow Birthday Cupcakes

Who doesn't love marshmallows...especially when they are on top of a cupcake? These are fun cupcakes to make and eat, and perfect for a birthday! All you need is your favorite cupcake, frosted with your favorite icing, marshmallows and colored sugar. For each cupcake, cut 1 marshmallow with dampened kitchen scissors in slices; sprinkle with colored sugar. Arrange on cupcake in flower shape. Place a candle in center of each flower or pipe a large dot of frosting in the center.

This cupcake was very easy to make and I love that you can customize it to your liking. I tinted my frosting to a buttercup yellow color and then piped a large dot onto the center of each flower. Next time, I want to make these with pink marshmallows instead of white. I think the pink would look really pretty against the white frosting. The possibilities are endless!