Children's Crayon Apron

Here is a sewing project I completed sometime last month. I couldn't take the crayon mess on the floor anymore. I decided that Charlee needed an apron to hold her crayons.

Cupcakes....Yum...Yum...YummY

I just LOVE LOVE LOVE to make cupcakes. I don't know what it is about cupcakes but they taste so much better than a piece of cake! Here are some peanut butter chocolate chip cookie cupcakes along with some of my own chocolate cupcakes. I found the chocolate chip recipe out of the Martha Stewart Cupcake Cookbook.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes Recipe

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup milk

8 ounces semisweet chocolate chunks or chips

1. Preheat oven to 375. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

2. With an electric mixer on medium high speed, cream butter and both sugars until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the milk, and beating until combined after each. Stir in chocolate chunks by hand.'

3. Fill each lined cup with 1/4 cup batter. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until pale golden and cake tester inserted comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Peanut Butter Frosting - oh that sounds GOOD!

12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar sifted, plus more for scoring

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups cream peanut butter

1. With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and butter until pale and fluffy. Stir in peanut butter by hand.

2. To finish, use an offset spatula to spread frosting onto each cupcake. Score each top in a crosshatch pattern with the tines of a fork, dipping in confectioners' sugar each time to prevent sticking.

They are heavenly! You must try these cupcakes!

JOY Candlesticks

I found a blog that had a GREAT idea! It was such a great idea, I had to make my own! Some friends and I got everything together and made our JOY Candlesticks! Here is a picture of mine.

Click here for a wonderful tutorial on how to make your own!