april showers

We promised our daughter that we'd get a family dog.  Now that our March Break travels and Easter family gatherings are now behind us, and warm weather and budding flowers are ahead of us, we've re-ignited the search to find the right dog to join our family.

I'd often hear dog owners warn me about how puppies are just like babies.  Waking up in the middle of the night.  Potty training.  How travel and extra curricular activities are limited because of the dog's schedule.  To be honest, this has been our biggest deterrent.  But with our daughter's big brown eyes and perfectly curled pout, we have succumbed to her wishes and are edging much closer to getting a new four-pawed member of the family.

As I start browsing for dog necessities (dog beds, crates etc), I start to recollect the time when I was preparing for our two beautiful children.  Researching for all the "gear" to add to our baby shower gift registry.  However, when our babies were born, I soon realized that all the baby "stuff" doesn't really prepare you for journey that follows.

During my pregnancy, we'd also often wonder what our children would be like.  Would they have the eyes of Mom or the nose of Dad? Would they be athletic or academic?  Would they be happy and kind or obnoxious little bullies?  It is one of the many curiosities of being a parent....we'd look for little clues sometimes as signs of reassurance that our kids inherited our positive traits. That they'd be a reflection of the good in us, not the bad.

Now that we're in anticipation for a new dog, I finding myself now wondering the same thing again.  If a dog barks and runs like a maniac at the park, is that a reflection of the owner or is it a reflection of the individual personality (and breed) of the dog?  Would the dog adopt some of our personalities, or would it's carefree nature force us to be more playful? Will we then, become a reflection of our dog?

I guess time will tell, much like raising children.  When someone says they see "a lot of me" in my kids, although some of it may ring true, deep down I think it's the other way around.  With their determination, enthusiasm and charisma, I think my children have made me become more outgoing, more accepting, more loving (although maybe not as patient?)...and I have become a reflection of them.

We'll continue to research and plan as much as we can to prepare for our new furry arrival.  Then we'll  let nature take it's course and welcome our dog with open arms, and I'm positive our children will shower their "baby" dog with everlasting joy and love.

And with his/her loyal, unconditional love and happy-go-lucky-tail-wagging nature, I hope that our puppy too, will be a reflection of our family.

Baby Shower Cupcakes

I like making these simple cupcakes for baby showers.  It's not overwhelmingly sweet, and you don't need to be an expert to decorate them.  It fits most themes and is non-gender specific.


INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup of butter
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees 
• Line a muffin pan with paper liners.
• Cream the sugar and butter together.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. 
• Add the baking powder, then add the flour until the well mixed.
• Slowly stir in the milk until the batter is smooth. 
• Soon approximately 1/3 of a cup of batter into each of the muffin liners. 
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. (done when it springs back).
• Completely cool before frosting.

For the Buttercream Frosting & "Baby" icing design


INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup butter 
• 1/2 cup shortening (I use Crisco)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 5 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• Cocoa powder (for the eyes and mouth)
• Mint Lifesavers

DIRECTIONS:

• Cream the butter and shortening until light and fluffy. 
• Add salt, vanilla, confectioners' sugar and milk. 
• Beat well.
• Reserve 1 cup of frosting, and add cocoa powder until the frosting is chocolate in colour.
• Lightly frost the cupcakes

• Using a piping bag (or a zip lock bag with cutting a small corner of the bag), place the chocolate frosting and add the semi circles for sleeping eyes and a smile.

• Add the lifesaver as the baby soother.

Enjoy!

pretty in pink

It's amazing how having a little girl in your life can make you dream of sweet cupcakes, pink tutus and all things pink.  Before having a daughter, pink was not a colour I'd gravitate towards.

I  cut out the ballerina dress from inexpensive cards, and applied tissue pom-poms to the skirt,
to mimic a ballerina tutu.  Placed on popsicle sticks and inserted into sweet vanilla cupcakes
with sprinkles....sooo sweet!

Now pink is all I dream about.  Cute dresses.  Pretty birthday parties are filled with pink sweetness...oh so much sweetness.



Nothing is sweeter than a smile....pretty in pink!

Now...it's time to Graduate!

Graduation Cap Cupcakes 
Inspired from this Kraft recipe

With the end of the school year fast approaching, I’ve been asked to make some graduation inspired cupcakes. I liked the concept of this cupcake on the Kraft website, but I didn’t like all the food colour and additives in this recipe.  I also wanted it to be one colour, like real graduation hats.  So, here’s my adaptation.

Bake and make the cupcakes and icing (recipe below). In the meantime...

Trim chocolate wafers into squares.

I used Mr. Christie's Chocolate wafers...
they're used to make Oreo cakes or crumbs.

Cut and splice licorice string (you could also use fruit roll ups)

When cupcakes are cooled, turn upside down, and spread the butter cream 

icing on the bottom part of the cupcake.  

I piped my icing...it makes it easier than spreading.
Do you like my nod to this blog?

Attach cookie, then with remaining icing, attach the 
licorice string to the top of the cookie.

Happy Graduation!

Cake and Icing Recipes

Chocolate Cupcakes
(to save time, you can always use organic cake mixes).

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well. Fill the muffin cups ½ full.
• Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Buttercream Icing

(or to save time, you can use pre-made frosting)

• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 2 tsp. milk or whipping cream
• 4 tbsp. cocoa powder (to make a chocolate icing...leave it out or add 1 tsp. of vanilla for white icing).
• Blend (with a whip attachment…hand blenders are great for this) above together in blender.

Hats off to the graduates!

Simple Easter cupcakes

I had a recent request from a friend to provide a quick and easy idea to decorate plain chocolate cupcakes for Easter.   As I am sitting watching the kids paint their Easter eggs this morning, I came across this old photograph of bunny cupcakes I made last year, so I thought I’d share.  You can make these using pre-made cupcakes and store-bought frosting, or my homemade cupcake and icing recipes (found here)

The way I decorated my cupcakes might be a little more time consuming, as I baked sugar cookies for the bunny ears.  But I figured,  if I am going to bake, I might as well bake cupcakes and cookies at the same time! (I was baking for two crowds).  An easier alternative would be using vanilla Oreo cookies cut in half for the ears (instead of the sugar cookies I baked).

Once the cupcakes are iced with simple buttercream frosting, I added a little cocoa powder to what was left over from the butter cream frosting, then piped the eyes and whiskers.  I used mini candy coated chocolate eggs for the nose.

Fairly simple…and a big hit with the kids!


Enjoy!