Sunday, May 29, 2011

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I found (& baked) the most amazing (& probably the most fattening!) red velvet cupcake recipe! Boxed red velvet cake mix can't even compare! =)



Paula Deen’s Red Velvet Cupcakes

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil (I used light tasting (NOT virgin!) olive oil)
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature  **see below**
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (imitation works fine)

(**If you don't have buttermilk: pour 1 Tb. lemon juice into 1 c. measuring cup, then pour milk to the top and let set til it reaches room temp. I did it this way and the cupcakes turned out just fine!)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.
Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting (This make a lot of frosting! If you don't go crazy with it, I think it would frost twice as many cupcakes!)
1 pound cream cheese, softened (I used the 1/3 less fat and it worked fine.)
2 sticks butter, softened (I don't know if you can use margarine or not. I used real butter...1 stick unsalted and 1 stick salted.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (again, imitation worked fine)
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (I don't have a sifter so I just placed it in a bowl and stirred it around with a fork before adding it to the rest of the ingredients.)
Chopped pecans, fresh raspberries, strawberries, or sprinkles for garnish

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.
Garnish with chopped pecans, fresh raspberries, strawberries, or sprinkles.



Friday, May 27, 2011

As of today, I am now the proud wife of a Senior Airman! =) Woohoo!!! (Hurray for promotions and more pay!!!) Congratulations, Travis!!! 


Thursday, May 12, 2011


I saw this on Facebook. Interesting comparison, huh?! =)


Monday, May 2, 2011

A Royal Wedding and a Funeral?!


I thought the Royal Wedding was truly beautiful! Kate's (Princess Catherine...and whatever else her formal title is!) dress was gorgeous! Very stunning! (I wasn't able to stay up and watch it live, but I watched it later the same day.) Although it was a very formal wedding, it didn't totally  feel stiff and starchy. I thought it was really sweet when she arrived at the front of the church and he told her that she looked beautiful.  Both bride and groom were radiating happiness. I hope they have a very long and happy marriage!

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I'm still finding it a little hard to believe that Osama Bin Laden is actually dead. I'm sure someone has already taken his place...I just hope this doesn't mean an even bigger problem. Like someone else said "I hope the terrorists don't ramp up their attacks." I'm not usually a big worrier, but it makes me worry even more since my husband is getting deployed. I just have to keep reminding myself that God has it all under control!

Hope everyone else had a wonderful weekend! I bet not many others could top this one! =)  


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