Country Girls: Yeah, I'm Going to Say It......Cupcakes

Well, I'm clearly slacking on this whole blogging thing seeing as how I haven't put a post up here in 3 weeks or better. I apologize for that. I certainly don't wish to disappoint you, my viewing and reading public. So, here goes.....

For those of you who don't know, I am currently a stay-at-home mom. I might have mentioned that in the last blog but I'm too lazy to go back and look. Anyway, I've been a stay-at-home mommy since the end of April. It's been great. And it's been the most horrible torture ever inflicted on a member of the human race. It just depends on which day of the week you're asking. With the hubs working the way he currently is and my father's health problems, and my desire to not have my mother be driven completely insane by the psychological terrorists that are her grandchildren, it was determined that I could now, for the first time since my Angel BK was 2 years old, stay home and take care of my children. Yeah, I know what you're thinking...SUCKER! And right now, I'd agree with you.

Apparently my Big BK, you know, that dude, the one in the cape eating cheesecake with what looks to be a shovel, is going through an emotional blackmail phase. He has told me twice today that he hates me. Occasionally he tells me that he hates his brother or the situation he's in, that he's never going to like whatever it is I'm making him do, like apologize. By occasionally I mean 261 times per day. Then he looks at me sometimes, once every 3 weeks or something like that, and says he's going to start being nice to his brother and he's not going to be mean anymore. And like a schmuck I believe him....well, kind of. There's always a part of me that thinks and says out loud, "Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it." He does it just enough though to keep a tiny little kernel of hope alive inside of me. Stupid hope.

He told me one day that he was going to be mean from now on. He was never going to be nice again. My response? I said, "God have mercy on all of us if this was you being good."

In other news, I'm on a cupcake kick, in case you haven't been made aware. If you're on my facebook, in my Sunday School class or a member of my immediate family, you've been made aware of this and been forced to consume all of the cupcakes I've made.

These are my made from scratch chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. I was trying different toppings and different icing tips here. Walnuts are a great garnish on these.

These are Cookies-n-Cream cupcakes, a favorite with the kiddies. These are dark chocolate cupcakes baked with an Oreo in the bottom then filled with a marshmallow cream and topped with buttercream or cream cheese frosting, depending on my mood. Obviously, they're garnished with Oreos. These particular pink ones were for my beautiful niece's birthday. She specially requested them after sampling some at Easter.

These are Strawberries-N-Cream cupcakes. These are white cupcakes filled with cream cheese and strawberry filling, topped with cream cheese frosting then garnished with a ripe strawberry. These were made for the Mother-Daughter Banquet at church. A banquet I did not attend. I did have my picture taken when I dropped off the cupcakes and a Tropical Trifle though.....

The other baby was asleep in the car and when that one is taking a nap nobody in their right mind wakes him up.

I like this one because of the hat. I think I'm going to borrow that hat and start wearing it everyday. Does it look like my boy is only humoring me and the photog, Paula. Nothing new under the sun there...he's always just humoring me, i.e., see above about the promise to not be mean.

These were from scratch dark chocolate cupcakes filled with white chocolate meringue buttercream and topped with green buttercream frosting. Because, you know, why not green? These were for Mommaw's birthday. The filling was actually supposed to be icing but it deflated on me and wasn't pipeable. They were supppppper rich. I used extra p's because they were that rich. Baby BK helped make this. Mommaw doesn't know it because I forgot to tell her, but the mixer was not turned on that Baby BK wasn't using it. He was there throughout the entire process, on his step-stool, getting in my way, demanding that his apron be put on then taken off then put back on. This was the turning point in my cupcake expedition. This was when the family in MC demanded that I stop bringing cupcakes up. I think there's an issue about fitting into clothes and teeth rotting out and hyperactive children, I don't know.

These are white cupcakes with chocolate cream cheese frosting. This is my 2nd attempt to find a good recipe for white scratch cupcakes. This one works out well. It was a moist cupcake but it was overwhelmed by the frosting so I think in the future it will get a plain buttercream or a seven minute frosting. When I learn to make a seven minute frosting, of course. I might turn this into a cookies-n-cream cupcake as well to cut down on the richness of that cake.

This is the white cupcake above with the absolute best buttercream frosting I've ever made or taken part in. They were fantastic. The icing was fantastic. When I topped them with chocolate-covered strawberries they were even more fantastic. Because there is never anything wrong with adding a chocolate-covered strawberry, am I right? Of course I am.

And here, my dear readers, is what started it all. These are cupcakes from Baby BK's birthday, way back in October of 2010. On the left you see strawberry cupcakes filled with marshmallow cream and topped with buttercream frosting. In the right you see chocolate cupcakes filled with chocolate fudge ganache and topped with buttercream frosting. The buttercream on these was exceptionally delicious as well but it was a total fluke and I couldn't recreate it if I tried although I do believe it involved the addition of a stick of butter.

So, that is the end of my cupcake tour. Should you be interested in trying some of my cupcakes, let me know. I'll put you on my guinea pig list so long as you promise to be honest about taste, texture, overall flavor and quality. Just not too honest. I can take constructive criticism.....to a point, then I just start to get mad.

If you would be interested in purchasing cupcakes for a special occassion, let me know. Plain, delicious cupcakes in your choice of flavor with your choice of frosting, topped with sprinkles or sugars if you so desire, are $12.00 per dozen. Filled cupcakes will cost anywhere from $15 to $18 dollars per dozen depending on type of filling and type of garnish, i.e., chocolate filled with fudge and topped with buttercream or cream cheese frosting will cost $15 per dozen; Cookies-N-Cream or Strawberries-n-Cream, as described above, or chocolate cupcakes filled with peanut butter cream and topped with peanut butter frosting and garnished with mini peanut butter cups will be priced higher. All cupcakes are made from scratch and baked fresh, never frozen, and delivered.

How'd you like that little sales pitch? Pretty awesome, huh? I thought so too. And just to bring a smile to your face.........