The Perfect Frosting Recipe

The perfect frosting recipe has eluded me thus far. I have tried several different recipes for buttercream frosting, but HELLO? How hard can it be? Butter, sugar, a little milk, a little vanilla and lots of whipping. I CANNOT make frosting. I’ve tried several times. It all started with the Christmas Gingerbread houses. I promised the Monkey and Puppy that we’d make gingerbread houses, and it seemed that I could definitely make something much tastier than the boxed sets sold at Michael’s. Seriously. I made FOUR batches of frosting that Saturday. I tried butter. I tried margerine. I tried regular granulated sugar. I tried confectioner’s suger. None of them turned “light and fluffy” like the recipes said. I even tried a recipe that involved cooking flour and water to make a paste to add to the frosting. Nothing light and fluffy happened in my mixing bowl. One batch actually started to liquify into little beads of butter when left to warm to room temperature. I broke down and bought a couple of containers of the Duncan Hines frosting.

Perfect cupcakes for Valentine's Day

But a few days ago, I came across these pictures of luscious cupcakes on BunnyCakes that made me swoon with the cuteness of it all. The perfect swirls of frosting on these little cakes. I don’t even like eating cupcakes that much. But my kids love them, and I want to make these luscious little cakes that will be envy of all the moms at preschool. It even made me ecstatic to know that she wasn’t even baking the cake from scratch, but was using boxed cake mixes. My kind of girl! But the most IMPORTANT part was that she shared her secret for the ICING.

Bunny Cakes makes a luscious cupcake in a cup.

Turns out the icing is the recipe used by Georgetown Cupcakes, a gourmet cupcake bakery in Washington, D.C. Their recipe was featured on Martha Stewart and includes using cream cheese for this incredibly smooth frosting. I love cream cheese frosting. So, I will definitely be trying this recipe this weekend and making some cupcakes with boys.

UPDATE: I did definitely try this recipe and it is my go-to recipe for icing. Here’s the recipe which makes enough for about 12 cupcakes.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature  (I pop mine in the microwave for a few seconds to soften - but not too much!)
• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar (sifted if you’re fancy and have that kind of time)
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

How to:

Put all the ingredients into a nice-sized mixing bowl and use your electric mixer to combine all the ingredients until well-combined and smooth. Add food coloring and mix until well-blended and desired color. Paste food coloring works best if you want a vibrant color and it doesn’t affect the consistency of the frosting.

P.S. The BEST boxed cake mix that I’ve used so far is Pillsbury’s Funfetti. The kids love the color spots and it is a soft, moist, yummy cake for less than a dollar per pox. I love this cake, and I don’t even like cake.

Cupcake photos by Bunny Cakes.

Easy Valentine’s Day Treat

Easy to make Valentine's Day recipe for all ages

Looking for an easy Valentine’s Day craft or project? This recipe from Make and Takes is a winner in my book. It includes less than five ingredients, doesn’t involve much cooking, and is a project that my preschool kids can do with me. All you’ll need is pretzels, chocolate to melt (white chocolate and milk chocolate), wax paper, toothpicks, and sprinkles. Use food coloring in the white chocolate to get that lovely pink or try mixing it with some blue, yellow, or green for some fun spring colors.

Simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.

Although most of these will probably get eaten by the kids as soon as they are done, you can save some to pack away in some little bags or little boxes to give away as an inexpensive teacher’s gift or a gift to any friend! Click here for the full recipe and how-to-do-it instructions.

Wrap it up for the perfect little V-Day gift for a teacher, friend, office mate, or neighbor.

Healthy, Organic Fruits and Vegetables Delivered to Your Door

Enjoy fresh produce and more delivered to your door by Spud.com.

Life happens and it is often difficult to find time to go to the supermarket regularly to stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables. I tend to buy a lot when I’m at the store, but it can be a couple of weeks before I get the chance to go back and the fresh produce I’ve bought often goes bad before my family can eat it all. If you live in the Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, or Los Angeles area, you can enjoy fresh organic produce delivered right to your door! Formerly known in the Seattle area as Pioneer Organics, Spud.com now offers home delivery of local, organic fresh produce. If you are eco-conscious at all, this is a double bonus of getting organic produce from local farmers - a great way to support these local businesses.

In addition to the fresh, organic produce, Spud.com also delivers a complete selection of natural foods, including milk, bread, pasta and ready-made meals which is ideal for busy families. At SPUD, you can order two ways: The Standing Order or by Personal List. The Standing Order is both a time- and money-saver and allows you to schedule product delivery weekly, every 2 weeks or once every 4 weeks depending on your schedule and budget. Shopping by Personal List lets you customize each order by product and delivery date.

I have my milk delivered straight to my door by Smith Brothers Farm every week, and it is a total lifesaver. With three kids under four-years-old, I was constantly running to the store at the last minute to purchase milk. These “quick” runs to the store took a toll on our schedule, budget, and sanity. The weekly milk delivery alone saves me time and money, and I know the milk is local and the cattle aren’t fed growth hormones. Getting my produce delivered bi-weekly might just tip the scales in my favor and make sure that I always have something fresh and green to serve on the table! Even if it’s next to Mac and Cheese!