Food Friday~Chocolate Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream

So here is the recipe I promised, it is a Paula Deen recipe.  If I had to make it over I would not add the cream filling.  But I will give you the whole recipe and you can decide.  They are addicting!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Coffee Cream Filling & Coffee Buttercream Frosting

2 1/4 C all purpose flour
2 C sugar
3/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 C vegetable oil
1 C strong brewed coffee, cooled,  I used instant~ easy
3 large eggs
1 8oz. container sour cream
1 t vanilla extract
Coffee cream filling, recipe follows
Coffee Buttercream, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 350.  Line muffin pans with paper liners and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Add oil, coffee, and eggs.  Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.  Mix in the sour cream and vanilla.

Spoon the batter evenly into prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.  Bake until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, for 16-18 minutes.  Let them cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes.  Remove from the pans and cool completely on wire racks.

Spoon coffee cream filling into a squeeze bottle with a long narrow tip.  Insert the tip into the top of cupcake and squeeze about 1 T of filling into center of each cupcake.
OKAY....WHOAH Paula Deen.  Not so quick and simple.  I didn't have a bottle like this, I used this:

And that didn't work to well, for some reason my nozzle kept getting clogged, maybe it was to small and it was very hard to squeeze out, and after I thought I had been squeezing half the tube in, I still had no way of telling how much was in there, except to break the cupcake in half and see for myself.  Of course I had to eat those test cakes. (I made this a couple months ago before I started, my grain/sugar free diet).

Spread the coffee buttercream frosting evenly over the cupcakes and garnish with chocolate covered coffee beans, if desired.  That would have been good, but I didn't have any chocolate covered coffee beans, and I found that these cupcakes and the coffee frosting were pretty coffee flavored, which I love, but the bean would have been to much.

Coffee Cream Filling

1 (3 oz.) package of cream cheese, softened
1/4 C coffee flavored liqueur, ok I didn't have this and don't remember what I replaced it with! 
1 (8 oz.) container frozen chocolate flavored whipped topping, thawed.  I had regular flavored cool whip and squirted some chocolate syrup in it.

In a small bowl, whip the cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.  Slowly add the liqueur and fold in whipped topping.  Cover and chill.

Coffee Buttercream Frosting

1/2 C butter, softened
3 C confectioners sugar
1/4 C strong brewed coffee, I used instant again.

In a medium bowl, beat the butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.  Gradually add the confectioners sugar, beating until smooth, then beat in coffee.  I think I added more confectioner sugar to make mine thicker.

These are extremely delicious and would be still amazing without the cream filling.

The Jess Bag

OK, it really is a Lollibag.  But just this once, I will call it by another name.  Only because...........I have been trying to make these flowers that two shades of pink Jessica makes.  The problem is hers are fluffy and chiffony, because they are chiffon................ I don't have any chiffon.

So I was trying to follow her tutorial from the Mothers Day corsage flowers but it wasn't working with cotton.  And bless your heart Jessica, because those flowers really are a labor of love, as you say.  You really worked your heart out on those wreaths!

I used some scraps of Amy Butler fabric I had, and a yellow cotton bow that came off of a vintage dress.

Inside is that vintage white cotton I found the other day, thrifting.  When I ironed it, it smelled so good!  The Jess Bag has one pocket inside.  The strap is extra long so you can wear it across your body.

I'm not sure how this flower is going to wash up but, I guess we'll see!  The Jess Bag will be for sale at the bliss handmade show.  I am featured on the bliss blog today so go check it out!

So what do you think?  Do you like my new bag?

Food Friday~Larabar

I am obsessed with Larabar's.

I am obsessed with Apple Pie Larabar dipped in almond butter.

Here are the ingredients in an Apple Pie Larabar:

dates

almonds

unsweetened apples

walnuts

raisins

cinnamon

Do you see why I am so excited?

It's actually good for you!

I think I started dipping them in almond butter because I am also obsessed with almond butter.

Wouldn't you be too, if you haven't had peanut butter for over a year?

And you can  never have it again because your baby girl is allergic?

So when Sophie was cleared on tree nuts on Monday, oh boy, that's all I can say.

I've been gorging myself on almond butter.

Almond butter plain.

Almond butter on stuff, food, any food.

I even dripped almond butter on the Larabar wrapper, and I knew it was obsessive but I licked the wrapper clean.

I'm not even an apple pie girl, except if it's real apple pie, ya know?

I don't get into apple pie flavor things.

But this Larabar is da bomb.

New Lollibag, this, that, update, etc......

WELL!  I have been on this grain free/sugar free eating plan for almost a week. I did slip up, on purpose, yesterday.  A couple nights ago I made Pioneer Women's chocolate sheet cake for a neighbor who is going through chemo, it is so so large I sent half over and kept half for the kids, yes really the kids. 
But of course I could not resist.  Every time I had a smidgen, I would within 30 seconds get a headache and feel yucky, but did that stop me?  Heck no!  The cake is to dangerous!  So all day yesterday, I  just had little smidgen's and this morning I woke up with a migraine! 

This is promising, because I can see how sugar is affecting me, so back on the no sugar.  I am eating a yummy chicken tortilla soup I made from scratch, right now.....  That will be on a Food Friday soon.

In other news, I've been sewing.  I am in a show called bliss handmade at the end of the month.  I am sewing more Lollibag's with long straps to wear across the body.  This one has ruffles from one of my most favorite retro vintage fabrics, EVER...........

It really IS NOT neon in real life, my camera, bless it's heart, is getting wierd on me.  I love this 60's fabric, I found it at a thrift shop a few years back.  I also love the big vintage orange button. 

Good news:  I had Sophie tested for tree nuts and she is NOT allergic to them!  YEA!!  But at the end of the testing, I looked at the allergist and said  "I'm scared".  And she nodded, yes.  She says, it's up to me, but she would not allow Sophie to have tree nuts just yet, not for a few more years, till she is old enough to tell me how she is feeling after eating certain foods.  I am going to follow that advice.

But the good news is I can have almond butter and stuff like that in the house.  AND, we can now buy products made in a factory that processes tree nuts.  It opens up a huge new range of foods. 

Thank you Jesus!

Sad news, I think Sophie is showing signs of tourettes, but I'm not gonna stress over it.  I love that little girl, as is.

House update:  the interested party is no longer interested.  BIG SIGH....  I have a strange sense of calm though.  I can only attribute that to God.  But I will tell you I am oh so excited by what I  *think* my future holds, but my lips have to remain sealed for now, after all, God may not agree with those plans of mine!

Is that it?  Are we all caught up now?  How about you, what's been going on in your life lately?

Found

Yesterday morning the sun came out!  I said to Sophie.... should we go out today?  She agreed.  We went to the thrift shop and here is what we found....

I love vintage 100% cotton sheets.  Not the synthetic cotton, these are the real deal, crisp, clean, 100% cotton.  I found this stack of them!  And a couple of pink towels, yes I washed them on the sanitary cycle.

I also found a couple 2010 House Beautiful magazines for .50 each and a vintage coloring book for Sophie.  A new sundress for Portia too, for only $2.47.

So in my quest for a sugar free, grain free, dairy free (sort of), caffine free life..............I found this herbal coffee.  No caffine, no acid, it's really yummy!  And LOOK, coconut milk coffee creamer!!  It's so yummy I can't even believe I'm sacrificing real coffee and creamer!  It's also a good way to get off caffine, you just add in more and more herbal coffee everyday till that all your drinking.  Make it in your regular coffee maker.

Look at these luscious cupcakes.  Ok these are full of all things bad, would you like the recipe?  Maybe on Friday!

I found these pictures on my camera.............

That was my favorite find of the day.  The weather has turned against me, I woke up today to a forcast of SNOW for tomorrow!  Oh I hope it's not true, it's maddening. Lord, please send spring.

GIVEAWAY!!!

I love to enter giveaways!

Here is a good one.

You may enter the giveaway at Tammy's blog,  She Wears Flowers .

What you are entering for is.........

An adorable felt playhouse, valued at up to $200!

Aren't they sweet?

There are boy designs too, but my little ones are girls, so these are my favorites.

Check out Julie's other designs at Miss Pretty Pretty.

Love this pink one!

Hurry on over to enter!

She Wears Flowers

Love this....

Love Love Love

It smells so so good.



Target deals what I hate about Target

I really do HEART Target and I am starting to learn the coupon ropes.

I'm not up to top secret special forces level, but I'm getting there.

Listen closely girls, today at Target I spotted quite on accident the Annie's Macaroni and Cheese sale of the century!  It is only $1 a box! Then I saw the Annie's canned Cheese Ravioli for only $1 a can!

What a deal, what a deal, if you guys have purchased Annie's at any point in your life, you know what a deal that was!  I literally cleaned the shelves.  I bought a total of 40 boxes and cans of Annie's!

Another thing I love at Target is their "buy 2 items get a $5 gift card" deals.

Every time I go, I shop these deals and there is always a coupon for those items in the paper or online to be printed.  Target.com has great online coupons you can print.

So does http://www.couponmom.com/.

Also at http://www.target.com/ you can print a Neutrogena coupon for $1 off and at the store the Neutrogena natural line?  Have you seen the new line?  If you buy a cleanser you get a lip balm free!  Plus I had the coupon.

Plus I used my $6 coupon from the pharmacy mishap last week, so I saved a total of $65.64 in coupons at Target today!

Now what I HATE about Target.  They are becoming more like Walmart every week.  The workers at Target could care less about customers.  I always, always go to Target on Sunday morning, and it NEVER EVER FAILS, they are redoing or restocking shelves in the toiletries/makeup/pharmacy section.

And they are rude, rude, rude.

  They have their big red carts full of product blocking all the aisles , there is LITERALLY no way in or out, and if you need something down one of those aisles, your screwed.

Today however, one Target worker said can I help you find something?  In the midst of the chaos of red product carts and about as many workers, I said  "A clear pathway would be nice".

  I didn't get much response.  I had to push my cart down an aisle that had a two tiered red stocking cart with a huge garbage bag hanging off the top pole, filled.  My cart pushed the garbage bag out of the way, I'm lucky it didn't hit me in the face.  Two workers in the aisle I was trying to access, didn't bat an eye, didn't turn to look, didn't move to help.  So I manuevered around one worker on the right, only to be met by another worker on the left and behind her was another stocking cart, so the end of the aisle was completely blocked.  I needed something in the blocked area.. I sat there for about 5 seconds, worker bee did not look, move, nothing. 

I finally said "could you please move your cart?"  She did so without looking at me, without a word.

Like I was the one bothering her.  There was no, Oh I'm sorry, let me help you... nothing.

Let me tell you something Target worker, without customers, there are no shelves to stock!

And your out of a job.

Target, get it together!

Food Friday~ Orange Juice Plus

Happy April Fool's Day.

The only April fool I get a kick out of is making my husband think we've had another SUPRISE!!

But I've done that joke so many times, he ain't falling for it anymore.

Otherwise I'm really not into jokes, I mean cruel jokes that make someone look stupid.

I had been pining away for a VitaMix FOREVER... they just seemed healthy, ya know?

So anyway I got one a long time ago and when I finally purchased it I went to the VitaMix website and bought one of their refurbished ones. 

It is so much cheaper than the new ones and I also did that when I purchased my Kitchen Aid mixer.

Refurbished means it was a return and they put a new whatever on and slapped on a full warranty and sell them cheap!

So a cookbook  came with my VitaMix and I just love it, one of my favorite recipes is:

Orange Juice Plus

2 medium navel oranges, peeled and quartered

1/4 C water

3/4 C ice cubes

1/4 t vanilla

1 T sugar or other sweetener to taste (optional)

Place all ingredients in VitaMix (or your blender) container in order listed.  Secure lid (duh).

Then it goes on to tell you how to do the speeds on the VitaMix, but you get it, turn your blender on and blend away!

Serve immediately.

There is supposed to be 2 1/2 servings in this recipe at 1 C each. 

And it only has 52 calories!!

Sometimes I use milk and lately I use coconut milk in place of the water and I put honey in place of the sugar, you could use stevia too.

It is so yummy!

I promise I won't bore you to death with updates about my grain/sugar free experiment, but I did good today!

No sugar.

I really struggle around 3pm and I have been having one slice of

 Ezekiel sprouted grain bread (I know, I know....GRAIN)..... but it is a flourless bread.

Anyway I toast it and put butter on it and that gets me to dinner and I am struggling with no dessert after a meal, but somehow I am abstaining!!

I'm already miserable

I have a headache, a stomach ache, crabby, the day is looking dismal.

Pretty bland without my latte with milk in the morning, or a cookie.

I can make it till about 3pm and then what to snack on.... a carrot stick?

For some reason my beloved coconut milk ice cream and coconut flakes are giving me tummy aches.

What is that?

Coconut milk ice cream literally has coconut milk and agave nectar.

You can pry that from my cold dead hands.

Can I do this for 3 weeks?

Not looking promising but you can rest assured I won't lie to ya, I'll let you know if I screw up.