Yes in my Mess.

Kristen and I met over Hostess cupcakes.

OK, not really.  Our family moved in next door to hers.  Two introverted moms who said hello in the yard...we had boys who, despite their age difference, hit it off.

One day, Kristen's son was over playing LEGOS with kiddo and the boys came into the kitchen....just as I was contorted into some awkward position taking pictures of...cupcakes.
(Looking back at those pictures now makes me cringe, and I was *really* trying!  Ugh.)

I was embarrassed they'd caught me taking pictures of food.  What would he say when he got home?  "Mom, Mrs. Edwards made cupcakes and before offering us one, was lining them up on a tray, bending over at a weird angle, moving them around, and taking pictures of them."

Instead, her son walked right up and said, "do you have a blog?"

And, that's how I knew I was living next door to THAT family...We are THAT Family.


Kristen and her family have become friends, and truthfully, inspirations to our family.  They've since moved to a new neighborhood, but we still think of them as our neighbors to this day.

A few years ago, Kristen had a life-changing experience.  She traveled to Kenya and witnessed the poverty, hunger, and devastation there.  She also heard a call.  A call to do something.  She and her family have answered that calling in a beautiful way...opening Mercy House Kenya. 

In Kristen's new book, Rhinestone Jesus, she tells her story.  It all starts with a Rhinestone Jesus pin she wore to high school, and well, the story continues to this day.

Kristen said, "Yes" to her call.  Did she have millions stashed away to give?  Did she know exactly how to start a non-profit?  Was her life in perfect order and everything in place?  No.  Kristen said yes, as she puts it, in her mess.  #yesinmymess

One of my favorite passages in the book is this one:
  

"We often don't do anything because we think our contribution won't be enough.  Or we convince ourselves that we must do something great for it to be important.  We don't act because we lack confidence.  We convince ourselves that our contribution couldn't possibly matter."

So, whether you're being called to start a maternity home in Africa...or you're making dinners for new moms in your parish like another Kristen I know, or you're fostering and adopting a child like my friend, Karen, or you're ministering to people by feeding and entertaining them in your home like Sandy, or you volunteer tirelessly at your child's school like my friend, Melissa...Rhinestone Jesus encourages us to say "yes" in our own mess.

{If you'd like an opportunity to win a copy of the book, please scroll down past the recipe.}

Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

(adapted from Food Network magazine, makes 20)

For the Cupcakes
1 & 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup water
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 & 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

For the Filling
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup marshmallow creme

For the Ganache
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Icing

1 stick unsalted butter
1 & 1/2 - 2 tablespoons milk
2 cups powdered sugar

white food coloring (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners for about 20 cupcakes.

For the cupcakes: Bring the sugar and 1 cup water to a boil in a saucepan, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Place the chocolate and butter in a large bowl of an electric mixer, pour the sugar syrup on top.  Let sit, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture has cooled slightly. Stir in the vanilla.

Beat the eggs into the chocolate.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the batter.  Mix until thickened and combined.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans (about 1/4 cup batter per cupcake) and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then transfer cupcakes to a rack to cool completely.

(They will sink in the middle...they'll puff up when filled later.)
For the filling: Using a mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon heavy cream; beat until smooth. Beat in the remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons heavy cream. Beat in the marshmallow creme; set aside or refrigerate.

For the ganache: Place the chocolate in a bowl. Heat the cream and 1 tablespoon butter until just boiling, then pour over the chocolate; let stand for 5 minutes. Stir gently until smooth. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla; and stir.  Let stand until cool but still glossy and liquid.

Assembly:  Spoon the filling into a pastry bag with a medium star tip. Insert the tip into the center of each cupcake top; fill until the cupcake is heavier and the top puffs up (do not overfill). (It's OK if some of the filling peeks out, it will be covered by the ganache.  Feel free to scrape the excess off.)

Spoon a little cooled ganache on each cupcake and lightly spread with an offset spatula or a knife. Chill for at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the icing: Using a mixer, beat the butter until fluffy. Mix in the milk and powdered sugar until smooth, adding more milk if needed.  Tint white by mixing in white food coloring (optional...the icing will be an ecru color without it, but look very light against the dark chocolate). Spoon into a pastry bag with a small plain tip, such as a #2 or #1, pipe onto the cupcakes to decorate.

Store in the refrigerator.

Kristen's book, Rhinestone Jesus, is available starting May 1 at many retailers and is available NOW on Amazon.  If you'd like to be entered to win a copy here, please leave a comment letting me know how you say "yes in your mess"....or how you'd like to start. ♥

{Entries accepted through 11:59pm CST, April 27th.}

{my mess.} 

Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Cupcakes

If you're going to make one batch of pumpkin cupcakes this season (and you ARE making pumpkin cupcakes, aren't you?!?), I hope you'll bake a batch of these.

Pumpkin cupcakes are always a hit in my book, but these, THESE, have a cinnamon swirl tucked inside the batter.  That little hit of brown sugary, buttery, cinnamon-y goodness takes them to the next level.

Oh!  The frosting!  Oh, the frosting.

I used this little guy to swirl the plain buttercream with the cinnamon-spiced buttercream.

I think I bought this at Sur La Table, but you can also find it on Amazon.

If you don't have a fancy divided pastry bag, feel free to frost the cupcakes half and half.


I'm sharing the recipe over on Imperial Sugar's site.  Come and get it! ;)

PS: Can pumpkin season last forever?!?

Martha, Martha, Martha...

I am one of those people who can recall at least one dream per night.  Normally, they are very stressful: being chased and not being able to run, flying in planes that are dangerously close to the ground (usually in Russia), being pushed off the side of a mountain, getting married without makeup...it's no wonder I wake up so refreshed.  Not.

Every so often, though, I have one of my recurring dreams that are actually pleasant.  I kid you not, I dream that I am friends with Martha Stewart.  We chat, we get ready for dinner parties, we take boat rides...and in my most recent Martha dream, we went to Macy's for an Ina book signing.
Apparently in my subconscious, Martha & me = BFF. ♥

I'm pretty sure my next dream about Martha will involve this publication: The Best of Martha Stewart Living  Cakes & Cupcakes.

Maybe you've seen it on your newsstand.  It's a special edition available through May 13th.
YOU NEED IT.

It is just absolutely gorgeous.  Every idea, every recipe, every photo...even the paper it's printed on.  Beautiful.

{photo credit: Martha's Cakes & Cupcakes, used with permission}

Martha's 3-tiered cupcakes are featured there...and they've always been a favorite of mine.  I decided to make a cookie version.

I used my go-to cookie recipe...and Martha's Swiss Meringue Buttercream.  I have to say, the buttercream on those cookies is glorious.  I keep intending to eat "one tier only" and end up eating the entire stack.  (It's for work, right?)

Bottom line?  Make these.  The cookies or Martha's original cupcakes.  They are just too cute.  Also, run out and pick up a copy of Martha's Cakes and Cupcakes.  Maybe *you'll* dream about Martha, too. ;)

Triple-Tier Flower Cakes 

(from The Best of Martha Stewart Living  Cakes & Cupcakes, used with permission) 

Makes 12 tiered cupcakes (12 of each cupcake size); or makes 15 large, 33 standard, or 108 mini

Ingredients:

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 large eggs plus 1 large yolk

1 1/4 cups warm water

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners. In a mixer bowl, sift flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add eggs, yolk, water, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla; beat together.

Divide batter among liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake until deep golden brown, about 30 minutes for large, 25 minutes for standard, and 22 minutes for mini. Transfer tins to rack to cool for about 15 minutes. Remove from tins; let cool completely.

To assemble: Divide buttercream in thirds (3 cups for bottom tiers, 2 for middle, and 1 for top); color each in a different pink. Using a dab of buttercream between layers as "glue," stack the cupcakes. Using a U-shaped petal tip (such as Ateco No. 80), pipe petals around outside of each layer, and continue inward.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Makes 6 cups

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups sugar

5 large egg whites

1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Pink gel-paste food coloring

Directions

1. Combine sugar and egg whites in mixer bowl, and set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and mixture registers 140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
2. Transfer bowl to mixer; whisk on medium-high speed until whites are fluffy and cooled, about 10 minutes. Continue to whisk until stiff, glossy peaks form.
3. Reduce speed to medium-low; add butter by the tablespoon, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in vanilla. Buttercream can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 3 days or frozen up to 1 month. Bring to room temperature before using; beat on lowest speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.

For the cookies, I used:

• 3/4 tsp. vanilla & 1/4 tsp. almond extract and used half salted/half unsalted butter in the frosting,
• this cookie recipe,
• scalloped circle cookie cutters: 1 & 1/4", 2 & 1/2", 3 & 1/2"
• AmeriColor Soft Pink
• #59s icing tip (Martha calls for a #80 and I didn't have one)

Love in cupcake form, with the help of Harry & David

Every year about this time, I start dreaming of strawberries.  Sure, I love Honeycrisp apples and Clementines, but for me, strawberries are perfection.  Perfectly red, perfectly sweet with just the right amount of tart...*sigh*.

So, you can imagine it took about a nanosecond for me to say YES when Harry & David asked if I'd like to try their chocolate-dipped strawberries.

Chocolate-dipped strawberries.  I think this is the way God intended them to be eaten.  I'm not sure, but that's my hunch. 

The strawberries arrived in a big, red heart-shaped box tied with a red satin ribbon.  I was pretty much a goner from the box alone.  You see...I have a "thing" for hearts:

You open the box to find the prettiest chocolate-dipped strawberries ever.

 

And more than pretty, they are divine.  Bright red throughout, so flavorful and so fresh...you might want to forget your Valentine and order them for yourself.  In fact, I'd highly recommend it.

And, if you feel so inclined, how about making some chocolate-covered strawberry cupcakes?!?

For the cupcakes, I used a recipe for the Sprinkles strawberry cupcakes.  Yes, Sprinkles.  They shared it with Oprah...I'm sharing it with you.

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cupcakes
{makes 12}

for the cupcakes:

1 cup fresh whole strawberries

1 & 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

2 large egg whites, room temperature

for the frosting:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup dutch-process cocoa, such as Hershey's Special Dark
1/4 cup natural cocoa
2 & 2/3 cup powdered sugar
pinch coarse salt
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
chocolate dipped strawberries 

make the cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.

Place strawberries in a small food processor; process until pureed. Measure out 1/3 cup and set aside.  Reserve the remaining for another use.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sifted flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla and strawberry puree; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed, until just blended.

Add half the flour mixture, and beat on low; mix until just blended. Add the milk mixture; mix until just blended. Add remaining flour mixture, beating on low, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.

Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until the tops bounce back when lightly pressed, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool for 15 minutes.

Remove from the pan and let cool completely on the wire rack.

make the frosting:

Beat the butter until light and fluffy.

Meanwhile, sift together the cocoa powders, powdered sugar, and salt.

Beat in half of the cocoa mixture, followed by half of the milk.  Repeat, adding the vanilla with the last addition of the milk.  Beat until smooth and combined.  The frosting will be thick and fudgey.

Spoon into a piping bag and trim off the end.  Pipe the frosting by squeezing the bag over the middle of the cupcake.  Release the pressure and pull up.

Top each cupcake with a chocolate-dipped strawberry.  Store in the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before serving.

{This post was sponsored by the lovely people at Harry & David.  All opinions are my own.  And no, I'm not sharing my strawberries.}

 

Strawberries + Chocolate.  A match made in heaven. ♥