I haven't posted in forever!

I am going to try to post more often. Just FYI this isn't just a blog about baking and cupcakes and stuff. It's also about random stuff! I'm in the process of reorganizing my room. Except I need some stuff from Walmart ( like these container things) and I have to wait until my mom goes to Walmart or Target next so I can get them. I mostly organizing my closets ( Yes I have 2 closets) and my clothes and accessories and stuff.

RANDOM QUESTION OF THE DAY: Comment below what your favorite Top 10 songs of all time!

Some cupcakes I made this weekend

Here are some photos of cupcakes that I actually made. These are just plain vanilla with vanilla frosting and plain chocolate with chocolate frosting. I made these for a little boy's birthday party. I thought I should probably post photos of the actual cupcakes that I made. Enjoy!

Fruit Salad

Hi everyone! Last night I made dinner for my family. This was one of the things I made. This was such a good fruit salad. The vanilla pudding mix really made the sauce good! I found the recipe at www.food.com. Easy to remember, huh? Oh, by the way, it says to leave the peach slices and pineapple chunks undrained. We did. When I made it, it looked really watery. I left it and the sauce tastes really good so I am glad I did. However, if you don't like the sauce, you can always drain it.

Ingredients:

Servings:

  15   15

15

Units: US | Metric

• 1 (29 ounce) can peach slices , undrained
• 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks , undrained
• 1 (3 1/8 ounce) box dry vanilla pudding mix 
• 1 lb strawberry , stemmed and quartered
• 1 banana, sliced
• 1/2 pint blueberries
• 1 bunch grapes (I use the red ones)
• 1 -2 tablespoon sugar(optional)

Directions:

1. 1
   In a large bowl, combine peaches, pineapples, and vanilla pudding mix.
2. 2
   This includes the juices from the cans.
3. 3
   Mix well until pudding is dissolved.
4. 4
   Stir in strawberries, banana, blueberries, grapes, and sugar if desired.
5. 5
   Chill.

Snickerdoodles

These are amazing! By far my favorite cookie recipe! These cookies are soft and moist if you cook them right. This recipe is from www.allrecipes.com.

Ingredients

• 1 cup shortening
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until well blended.
3. In a small shallow bowl, stir together the 2 tablespoons of sugar with the cinnamon. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls and roll the balls in the sugar mixture. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Cookies should be slightly golden at the edges. Remove to cool on wire racks.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Here is a recipe for chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes. These are really good because the cookie dough actually stays cookie doughy in the cupcake because you freeze it. Try these! I got this recipe from www.allrecipies.com.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
•  
• 1 (18.25 ounce) box yellow cake mix
• 1 1/3 cups water
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 3 eggs

Directions

1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and sea salt; set aside. Beat the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth. Add 1 egg and the vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips; mixing just enough to evenly combine. Form the dough into tablespoon-sized balls; place onto a baking sheet, and freeze until solid, about 2 hours.
2. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
3. Beat 3 eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer to break up. Add the cake mix, water, and canola oil; continue beating for 2 minutes on medium speed. Spoon into the prepared cupcake liners, filling each 2/3 full. Place a frozen cookie dough ball on the top center of each cupcake.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the cake portion of the cupcake (not the cookie dough ball) comes clean, about 20 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

Favorite Apps!

Bakery Story
Design your own bakery. Design and build a unique bakery. Cook food and serve it to your customers. I LOVE this game!

Fashion Story
Design your own boutique. Customize and accessorize your own character.Order clothes and  decorate your boutique! I LOVE this game too!

Air Penguin
This is an addicting fun game. Your penguin jumps on icebergs. But watch out for sea creatures along the way!

Tiny Wings
This is also a very fun game. Jump, slide and fly! There are other variations of this game like Flying
Penguin.

Kids Place: (I don't think this is available for Apple only Android. But, apple probably has a similar app.)


This is a perfect app for you if you have little siblings ( or kids) who like to play with your iPod/iPhone/Android/etc. Pre-select each app you will allow your siblings to play. When your sibling wants to play with your device, tap the Kids Place app. It will show all of the apps you have approved and won't let your sibling out of the app unless he/she enters the 4 digit pin.

Words with friends
I am sure you have heard of this before. Play a Scrabble game with your friends or a random opponent!

Hanging with friends
Like Words with Friends, but play hangman against your friends or a random opponent

Bag it!
A extremely addicting game! Tons of levels to keep you playing! Bag groceries but don't crush any!

Doodle Jump
This is probably familiar to everyone. Jump on the platforms, shoot monsters, and keep going up!

Pandora
Another familiar app! Pandora is an internet radio. Select the artists or songs you like and pandora with play those songs plus songs like it.


So these are some of my favorite apps! Please comment to say what your favorites are!

Cookie Dough Truffles- YUM!!!!!!

These are AMAZING! I have gotten tons of compliments on these. I have made these lots of times and they are gone QUICKLY!! I know this isn't a cupcake recipe, but I HAD to post these! I got this recipe from loveandoliveoil.com. 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

YIELD: 3-4 dozen

PREP TIME: 1 hour

TOTAL TIME: 2 1/2 hours

ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup milk or soy milk
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

14 oz dark chocolate candy coating

directions:

Beat butter and sugars and in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add soymilk and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt and mix on low speed (or by hand) until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.

Cover and chill dough for 1 hour.

When dough is firm enough to handle (it may help to lightly flour your hands), form dough into 1" balls and arrange on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Place sheets in freezer and let chill for 30 minutes.

Melt chocolate candy coating in a double boiler or in microwave according to package directions. Using forks or a dipping tool, dip cookie balls into candy coating to cover. Tap fork on side of pan to remove any excess coating, and return to waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Chill until set. Store, chilled, in an airtight container for up to 1 week (though good luck making them last that long).

Cherry Limeade Cupcakes

Here is a another cupcake recipe. I have tested this one too. Personally, I liked thee cupcakes, but they weren't my FAVORITE. They are pretty sweet. The rest of my family liked them a lot though. This recipe is from annieseats.com

Cherry Limeade Cupcakes
Yield: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:For the cupcakes:
3 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. limeade concentrate
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk (I used 1%)
For the lime syrup:
3/4 cup limeade concentrate
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
For the frosting:
3 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 tbsp. (or more) maraschino cherry juice
red food coloring (optional)
For decorating (optional):
fresh lime slices
maraschino cherries
Directions:To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two muffin pans with paper liners.  In a medium bowl combine the cake flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Stir together and set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth.  Add the sugar and beat on medium-high speed until creamed.  Add in the limeade concentrate and mix to incorporate.  Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl between additions.  Add in the flour mixture in thirds, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.  Mix ingredients just long enough to incorporate but no longer.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners.  Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pans for 5-10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack over wax paper to cool completely.
Once the cupcakes have cooled, whisk together the limeade concentrate and confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl to make the lime syrup.  Poke several holes in the top of each cupcake with a skewer and pour the syrup over the cupcakes, allowing it to soak in.
To make the frosting, combine the confectioners’ sugar, butter and maraschino cherry juice in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Mix on low speed until sugar is incorporated, then increase to medium-high speed and beat until smooth.  Add more maraschino cherry juice as needed to achieve desired texture.  Add red food coloring if desired.
Frost cooled cupcakes.  Garnish with lime slices and maraschino cherries, if desired.

Today

Today me and my sister went to history class that we have with another homeschooling family. Then I went to the mall with my friend. We went to Bath and Body works, Justice, and Aeropostale. Then we came home.

I am going to try to post another recipe tonight.

S'more Cupcakes -YUM!

I have made these cupcakes twice. They are really good, but time consuming! My mom constantly begs me to make them :). Here is the recipe! PS. I got this recipe from a website called annies-eats.com. Enjoy!

S'mores Cupcakes

Yield: 24 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

• 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
• ¼ cup sugar
• 5 1/3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 2 cups plus 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup plus 1 tbsp. cocoa powder
• 1½ tsp. baking powder
• 1½ tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt

• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water
• 8 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• ½ tsp. cream of tartar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. In a small mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter; mix well with a fork. Drop about 1 tablespoon of the graham cracker mixture in the bottom of each cupcake liner and press down to line the bottom. (Note: I found the bottom of my squeeze bottle to be the perfect size to do this job neatly and quickly.) Sprinkle a small amount of the chopped chocolate on top of the graham cracker crusts. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, and maintain the oven temperature.
• To make the cake batter, sift together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on low speed just to combine. In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract; whisk together. Add to the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the boiling water and stir just to combine (batter will be thin).
• Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about ¾ of the way full. Return the pans to the oven and bake about 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• To make the frosting, combine the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in the top of a double boiler. (Note: I just set my clean, dry mixer bowl over simmering water, to avoid dirtying two bowls.) Heat the mixture, whisking frequently, until it reaches 160° F with an instant-read thermometer. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk starting at low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form. Mix in the vanilla until combined. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired. Brown with a kitchen torch and garnish with chocolate and graham cracker segments (optional).