Some of my recent creations...

Here are the pictures I promised of my new creations.

    

I got this idea from Sweet Something Design.

Finally Finished!!!

Hello All,
I haven't posted in quite awhile.  I have been really busy working on Christmas gifts, I will post a ton of pictures of what I have been working on the past few months.
In this post, I wanted to show you the cross stitch I finished for my friend.  I started it in July and finally finished it at the end of November.  I am so happy it is finished, and my friend loves it.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Recipe Courtesy of DC Cupcakes

Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 3 tsp. baking powder
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. allspice
- 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
- 2 tbsp. honey
- 1/3 cup hot water
Frosting:
- 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
- 8 cups icing sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature (1 1/2 blocks)
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line two standard cupcake pans with baking cups, or grease pans.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl, and set aside.
3. Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a bowl with a handheld electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until fluffy. Stop to add sugar; then beat on medium speed until well incorporated.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition. Mix in the pumpkin puree and honey. Reduce the speed to low. Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, then gradually add one third of the hot water, beating until well incorporated. Add another third of the flour mixture, followed by one third of the hot water. Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the remaining flour mixture, followed by the remaining hot water, and mix slowly until just combined. Take care not to overmix the batter so the cupcakes will bake up light and fluffy.
5. Use a standard-size ice cream scoop to fill each baking cup with batter, so the wells are two-thirds full. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. For the frosting: Place all the ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer; beat until well combined. Be sure to beat on high speed for at least two minutes at the end to ensure that the frosting is light and fluffy.

**I absolutely love these cupcakes, they are amazing.  The cupcake is so good just by itself, without the icing.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Recipe Courtesy of Joy of Baking

Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or spray each with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, ground spices, and salt.
3. In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and pumpkin puree, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips.
4. Fill the muffin cups evenly with the batter using two spoons or an ice cream scoop. Place in the oven and bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the muffins comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy!

Canada's Baking and Sweets Show

Yesterday my friend and I were able to attend the Baking Show in Mississauga.  There were lots of vendors there with amazing cakes, and yummy looking cupcakes.  We were able to catch a few baking demonstrations, one by Canadian Living which was fun.  The main event, seeing the DC Cupcake Girls.  They were fun, and made a yummy sounding Pumpkin Spice Cupcake, and answered lots of questions.  I also found out that they were Canadian, YAY.  All in all and great time, and I left with a few tips.

Craft Week!

Hello All,
This past week I took some vacation days, and made some projects I had found on Pinterest.  I wish I had a lot more to show you, but I worked on a cross-stitch for a good chunk of the week.  I still have not finished it, but as soon as it is done, I will post it.

Here are some pictures of what I worked on;

Movie Ticket Shadowbox

Button Clips

Button Magnets

 It was fun picking out the difference arrangements, I have many buttons, I will definetly make more of these.

Felt Flowers

 The picture above shows the different sizes of flowers I created.  I put them on headbands, barretts, and pins.  Also they can be used on a gift instead of a bow.  The tutorial I used is at the fickle pickle.  I loved making these flowers.

Felt Bows

 The tutorial and template for the felt bows I found at Six Sister's Stuff.  Very simple, and will look cute on a gift.

Button Bookmarks

 The tutorial I found for the bookmark is at Percolating Projects.  Very simple to make, I just found it hard to decide the length of ribbon, because the book size will vary.

Yarn Wreath

 The tutorial I found for the wreath is at take heart.  The felt flowers are very simple, but wrapping the wreath took awhile.  A tip, cut the yarn into long strands so it doesn't get all tangled, just knot the strands together when starting a new one.

Enjoy!

Simply Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

Recipe Courtesy of Food.com

Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast, diced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 8 flour tortillas, softened (8 inches each)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 (15 ounce) can chicken broth
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 can chopped green chilies

1. In frying pan, cook chicken and onion together in oil over medium-high heat until chicken is done.
2. Divide cooked chicken evenly between 8 tortillas; add 1 1/2 tsbp. cheese to each tortilla.
3. Roll enchiladas and place seam-side down in 9x13" baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with no-stick cooking spray.
4. Melt butter in a medium saucepan; stir in flour to make a roux; stir and cook until bubbly; gradually whisk in chicken broth then bring to boiling, stirring frequently.
5. Remove from heat, stir in sour cream and green chilies; pour sauce evenly over enchiladas.
6. Top with remaining cheese and bake at 400F for 20 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce near edges of baking dish in bubbly.

Enjoy!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Recipe courtesy of Food.com

Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 eggs, separated
- 1 1/3 cups flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 2 tbsp. poppy seeds
- 2 lemons, zest, grated
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup buttermilk or 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Coat muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.
3. Add the egg yolks, one at a time. Beat well after each.
4. In a separate bowl, stir together the dry ingredients, poppy seeds, and lemon zest.
5. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, alternating two times with the buttermilk, then lemon juice, and then vanilla.
6. Beat just until smooth.
7. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
8. Gently fold them into the muffin batter until blended.
9. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, 3/4 full.
10. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
11. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Brown Butter Oatmeal M&M Cookies

Recipe Courtesy of Bakergirl

Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup flour
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 cup mini M&Ms
- 1-2 tbsp. milk, optional (if dough is crumbly)

1. Heat a small saucepan over medium heat and add butter. Whisking constantly, browning butter by cooking until bubbly and small brown bits appear at bottom of the pan, about 7-9 minutes.

*this is what my butter looked like.

Immediately remove from heat, pour into a heat-proof bowl, and allow to cool completely. It should not be warm to the touch.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon; set aside.
3. Once butter has cooled, add to a large bowl. Whisk in sugar and brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla, whisking until smooth. Slowly stir in dry ingredients. If dough is crumbly, add a tbsp of milk at a time until dough begins to come together. Stir in mini M&Ms.
4. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 375F. Scoop dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet using an ice cream scoop, flatten slightly with a spatula, and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until bottoms and edges are golden. Let cool before serving.

Enjoy!

Bacon-wrapped Turkey Meatloaf

                                           Recipe and Photo Courtesy of Kraft Canada

Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 pkg. Stuffing Mix for Chicken
- 1 3/4 lb. ground turkey
- 5 green onions, chopped
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp. dijon mustard
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 6 slices bacon

1. Heat oven to 400F.
2. Add milk to stuffing mix in large bowl; stir just until moistened. Add all remaining ingredients except bacon; mix lightly.
3. Shape into 10x6 inch loaf in 13x9 inch baking pan. Arrange bacon slices in lengthwise fashion on top of loaf, overlapping slices as necessary to completely cover top.
4. Bake 55 minutes to 1 hour or until done (170F). Let stand for 10 minutes before removing from dish and slicing to serve.

Enjoy!