Sweet Baby! {Part Two}

MY DAUGHTER IS 13!

So the big day went well. My plan was to make turning the big 13 a very memorable experience for Erinn ~ and it was.

We started the day off by making Erinn's favorite breakfast. I asked her what she wanted and she said BACON. So I took out the frying pan and cooked some bacon. I also made cinnamon rolls and added some grapes.

Erinn loved it ~ and so did Connor and I!

For the rest of the day, we let Erinn relax. Connor and I cleaned the house while Erinn was Princess for the Day {she ending up helping in the end ~ I think she felt guilty watching Connor and I slave away.}

Connor and I also made decorations for the party. I found a fun ~ and easy~ pom pom project on the MS website and made large and small pom poms with tissue paper and floral wire.

I also wrapped a few cheap pails that I picked up at Target for $1 each in some cute fabric and ribbon and filled them with flowers that matched the pom poms.

And finally, I made a "Happy Birthday" Banner that we hung in the living room. I found some paper designs on the internet and added the letters in publisher. I think they turned out great!

Erinn is developing into a fantastic cook and so she was in charge of making dinner. I know, who wants to cook dinner on your birthday. But when you are 13, it is fun!! Erinn made her world famous {or maybe just family famous} Stuffed Pasta Shells and Caesar Salad. DELICIOUS!!

In addition to decorations, I made a variety of cupcakes for our "cupcake bar" {I did a "candy bar" for Connor's birthday and wanted to do something similar but different}! I made lemon chiffon cupcakes with lemon curd buttercream frosting, margarita cupcakes with lime buttercream frosting, and "the best" chocolate cupcakes that need no frosting.

And they ALL disappeared!!!

Family came over for dinner to celebrate the big 13. {my dad, step-mom, brother, and aunt came ~ declan's brother and fiance were there as well. everyone else called to wish Erinn a Happy Birthday!}

Everyone raved about the dinner and couldn't believe how good it was! It was a great party!

Look for my next post. In a continuing celebration, I am taking Erinn out for a day of beauty tomorrow {thank goodness for gift certificates!}

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERINN!

A Sweet Win!

Tonight I entered my first cupcake contest and I came in 2nd place!

Since losing my job in April, I have discovered a love of baking. Initially it started as a way to fill my time and to have fun with my kids, I now realize I have a knack for this. I love the creativity of it all, especially when people finally taste the creations!

So after spending some time on the internet last month, I found a local group who "meets up" once a month for their own cupcake contest. Pretty interesting.... I decided to sign up for email alerts. A week later they emailed to say the next contest would be July 26th and the secret ingredient this month would be ..............wait for it .......................... CURRY.

CURRY! How do you make a cupcake with curry in it. Initially I thought this was going to be difficult. Then I remembered how much I love pumpkin bread and I thought that a curry pumpkin cupcake would be perfect for this contest.

But, after more thought, I wanted to make sure my cupcake was unique. Pumpkin curry seemed like something others would make {and they did ~ there were 2 pumpkin curries at the contest!}. Then in hit me. Curry Spice Cake with Apples and Raisins! My mom used to make Apple Spice Cake all the time when I was a kid and I loved it. And, when I was in college, I worked at a soup restaurant where we served Mulligatawny Soup {an apple curry soup from India}.

I found my mom's old recipe and made some adjustments {added curry and sour cream ~ my secret weapon to a super moist cake!}. To top the cupcake, I made a homemade cream cheese frosting and added cinnamon and curry. And finally, I chopped an apple and cooked it along with some butter, sugar, curry, cinnamon, and brandy. I made 6 dozen mini cupcakes ~ 3 dozen for the contest and the rest for home {although my brother-in-law ate most of those before I got home from the contest!}

They really were the perfect combination!!! AND I WON 2ND PLACE ~ WOO HOO!

Here are the recipes:

Curry Spice Cupcakes with Apples and Raisins

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup sour cream
• 3 apples ~ peeled, cored and chopped
• ½ cup raisins

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees and place cupcake liners in the pan.
   
2. Cover raisins with warm water, let soak for 10 minutes and then drain.
3. Mix flour, spices, baking soda and salt together; set aside.
4. Cream butter and sugar. Mix in eggs, vanilla, and sour cream.
5. Stir in the flour mixture, apples and raisins and blend well.
6. Pour batter into cupcake pans.
7. Back each batch of mini cupcakes for approximately 20 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. {Please adjust cooking time if making regular sized cupcakes or a full sized cake.}
8. Cool in pan. Once cool, remove to platter, frost, and top with cooked apples.

Curry Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

• 2 8 oz packages of cream cheese, room temperature
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 2 ½ cups powdered sugar

1. Beat cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until smooth; Mix in vanilla.
2. Add powdered sugar, cinnamon, and curry. Beat until smooth.

Curry Cinnamon Cooked Apple Topping

• ¼ cup (½ stick) butter
• 1 apple ~ peeled, cored and chopped
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 tablespoon brandy

1. Melt butter in a pan over medium heat.
2. Add apple, sugar, cinnamon, and curry. Cook for five minutes over medium heat.
3. Add the brandy and continue cooking for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. When apples are cooked through, remove from heat and let cool before topping the cupcakes.