starbucks 12 days of christmas

for those of you coffee lovers who want to give yourself (or someone else) a great christmas gift, sallie reminded me of the starbucks 12 days of christmas giving but most importantly, make sure to visit starbucks on december 12th.

if you purchase the new starbucks tumbler in a retail starbucks location and get free starbucks coffee for the month of january! this is brewed coffee only though so dont think you're getting a vanilla latte daily in the mug. it also has to be in that mug so make sure you keep it clean!

for the list of the rest of the 12 days of starbucks gifts...click here

what's with the cupcake liners?

so recently i used for the first time ever foil cupcake liners...i was mesmerized by the fact that when we were recently given a treat in them how little they actually stuck to the liner. i was in love and ready to try them out for myself. so i have my reynold's cup cake foil liners and begin putting them in the trays...but something was weird.  in between each foil liner was a regular liner. what was i supposed to do with them?! how complicated had i just made this?!

i googled and found a great discussion board where i was surely educated. no you don't have to use both cupcake liners & actually you technically get double the liners if you like to use the regular paper liners too. you can also however, use both if you like the look of the foil liner and the feel of the paper liner. one other fun fact about the foil liners is you don't require a cup cake pan. the foil liners actually hold up the raw cake batter for you! 


good luck to all you bakers! 

sir wilson davis

7 months & counting

can't believe its only 7 months until ali poole gets to be ali caldwell!

the future mr & mrs walters!!!

get ready to be festive!

finally repurposed

this cedar log that my dad carved out of 5 holes for vases for our wedding reception which had an engraved gold plaque on it has been parked in front of our fire place for months now and i have finally used it for the first new thing...christmas tree scraps which look amazing under the fireplace...carrie would be proud [or so i hope]!

pumpkin spice cupcakes

so if you don't know by now, joe & i are very fond of the sweet girls down the street. they are so precious and recently made joe & i some goodies which they have shared the recipe to and i brought for thanksgiving in lieu of pumpkin pie...enjoy! 

pumpkin spice cupcakes
what you need...
2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks @ room temp)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1-1/2 cups pumpkin puree
2 Tbsp honey
1/3 cup hot water


what to do...
preheat oven to 350 degrees. line cup cake pans with liners. sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. set aside. beat butter in mixer until fluffy on medium speed. add sugar & mix until well incorporated. add eggs, one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition. mix in pumpkin puree & honey. reduce speed to low. add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then add 1/2 of the hot water. add the remaining flour & water after the initial third is well mixed. mix until just combined. fill cups 2/3 of the way ful. bake for 25-30 minutes. transfer to wire rack to cool completely before icing. 

now for the cream cheese frosting...
what you need...
8 Tbsp butter (1 stick @ room temp)
1 tsp vanilla extract
12 oz cream cheese (1/3 less fat is best @ room temp)
8 cups of confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (optional...i hold off on this)


what to do...
toss all the ingredients in the mixer and beat until well combined on high speed for at least 2 minutes to ensure frosting is light and fluffy! then ice the cupcakes making sure to have someone lick the bowl! 

this is what happens when the frosting bag explodes!