A New Twist on The Mile-High Lemon Coconut Cake..... CUPCAKES!!!!

YES! YES IT IS FINALLY HERE!!!

Fist I want to perfidiously apologize on my serious lacking of non posting of deliciousness. Over the last year we have had quite a stir up with near death experiences and more recently my awesmazing older sister Keeley Saint James has been suffering with a major head injury so we as a family have been rallying to help her rehabilitate and get her back to what is her and our new "normal".

What hasn't changed is her LOVE for this recipe. It was her idea that I turn it into cupcakes as it meant that there would be more for her  everyone else to go around. 

For the original recipe look Here  

Not much changes from the original the only difference is you will need at least 

• 2  muffin tins that make 12 muffins lined with what ever fancy cupcake papers you have (Or the .79 cent ones from Wal-mart it rally doesn't matter) 
• 1 Box of white cake mix
• 1 can of lite coconut milk, divided
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 1 tbsp. lemon zest
• 1 can lemon pie filling
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 4 cups icing sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• Wilton Filling piping tip
• Piping bag (Or Large Freezer bag)

How to make:

 

Prepare cake mix according to the directions on the box; EXCEPT replace water with coconut milk. Reserve the remaining milk.

Line Muffin tines with papers

Fill each cup about half way full and bake as directed *I personally start with the least amount of time and go from there*

While cake is baking in the oven get a small fry pan and put 1 cup flaked coconut on medium-low heat. Stirring continuously, toasting until lightly golden.

When cupcake's are finished baking take them out of the oven and let them fully cool on cooling racks.

When fully cooled remove from pans. **TIP Before filling your cupcakes you should put them in the freezer for about 30 minutes. A cold cake is easier to work with then a warm crumbly cake**

Filling:

 

Grate lemon zest into medium bowl

Add and Mix in pie filling with lemon zest; set aside

Icing:

 

Beat butter in a large bowl until pale and creamy

On low speed with your electric mixer gradually add 2 cups of icing sugar; mix till well blended

Add 3/4 cup of coconut milk

Add remaining 2 cups of Icing sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla; blend well

Cover icing with a damp towel and set aside * Damp towel prevents the icing from going hard*

 Putting it all together:

With you piping bag place the filling tip in the bag (Tip # 230) If you do not have this tip you can always cut out small circles in the tops I have included this video for you to see ways to help you fill your cupcakes!

Once cupcakes are filled you now can pipe you piping onto your cupcakes. If you are not into all the fancy piping By all means spoon in on then sprinkle with your toasted coconut. 

The Finished Product!

My Second Test with Secret #IGotItFreeFromSecret

Hey Everyone!

Well this big day has come and gone, The kids are all away for camp! (YES YES YES!!! LET THE ADULT PARTY BEGIN!)

As promised in my last post I was really excited to be a #BUZZAGENT and to get to see how this product (Secret antiperspirant/deodorant) would stand up to the hustle and bustle of my crazy life. Well I am happy to say I still have no white marks I am saddened to say I am not as dry and promised. 

I don't know if you can tell but the shirt is not suppose to be that dark under my arms. 

We had a malfunction of the actual applicator where I could not get it to dispense the product. I got my Fabulous Daughter to monkey with it till it started to work again. Though it lives up to the promise of "No white marks" I am finding it is falling short so far on the keeping me "Dry all day."  

I will give it a go for a few more days and see if it is just the hot weather mucking with the results. 

Till then Cheers!

Well my First test with Secret.... #GotItFreeFromSecret

I have been given the opportunity to test out The new Secret antiperspirant/deodorant By BuzzAgent.

So far challenge one has held up. Took the Fur Babies out and well they maybe tuckered out the Deodorant is still going. What a win for Secret! Dark Tank top and no white marks!

<img src="http://img.bzzagent.com/image/hero_SecretClearGel_v2.jpg?Type=activity&Activity=5849317633&Campaign=3508400776&Uid=1966042&token=68da7072cc84015720c4ed9acec34aed" alt=""/>


Next will be will it hold up to all the craziness of getting the kids ready to go to camp? Stay tuned and I will let you know!

Peach Cobbler Mug Cake {5 Minute Recipe}

Good Morning Everyone!!

Now I have a question.... Who doesn't LOVE a good old Southern Peach Cobbler?
So far I have yet to find anyone that will honestly answer that question with a "OH HECK NO!"

For my family and friends that answer remains the same. So as we enter into one of my most FAVORITE seasons... Peach season.

Now for this it is light enough to be served ANYTIME of day. Breakfast.  Brunch. Lunch. Dinner, even as that late night snack when you JUST HAVE TO HAVE CAKE. (If you have been following this blog for a while you will know what my family thinks of Cake.)

So with not further hesitation here it is:

Peach Cobbler Mug Cake {5 Minute Recipe}

Ingredients

1 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp white cake mix (I used Betty Crocker)
1 - 2 pinches of cinnamon (can also add a small pinch nutmeg too)
2 1/2 Tbsp milk
1 (4 oz) diced peaches in light syrup OR 4 slices of Peaches from a can packed in light syrup

1 12 oz Mug or Ramekin

Directions

• Place butter in a mug and melt in microwave.

• Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together cake mix and cinnamon then whisk in milk and stir until well blended. Pour mixture over melted butter in mug (don't stir). 

• Drain 2 Tbsp liquid from peaches (about 2/3 of the liquid. Discard or drink it) then pour peaches over top of cake mix (don't stir). Microwave on 50% power for about 3 - 4 minutes, until desired firmness (time may vary depending on each microwave oven and wattage). Allow to cool slightly (it will be ridiculously hot) then optionally top with vanilla ice cream and a light dusting of cinnamon.

ENJOY!!

HELLO ALL!!!

Hey Everyone!!

I know I am such a slacker!! It has been way tooooooooo (is that enough oo's to express how long its been?) long since I was really active here. 

First off I am sorry.

Next thing is:

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH TO THOSE THAT STAYED HERE WITH ME!!

Please be patient with me as I get back into the grove of things and revamp the blog. 

Chcolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Ok So I know it has been a very VERY long time since I posted anything. Trust me it's not because I did not want to.

I would get an idea get it all framed up then never get to the point of just sitting down and getting the darn post up and out to you all.

I have also struggled with a lot of not so pleasant feedback. But here I am ready to post something that in the last few days has rocked our worlds.

This my friends at least to me ends the whole "CAKE OR COOKIE" debate. Hell I say HAVE BOTH .... AT THE SAME TIME EVEN!!!! I know totally mind blowing isn't it?

Here it is...

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH CUPCAKES:

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/4 cup white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips   1 (18.25 ounce) box yellow cake mix 1 1/3 cups water 1/3 cup canola oil 3 eggs

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and sea salt; set aside. Beat the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth. Add 1 egg and the vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips; mixing just enough to evenly combine. Form the dough into tablespoon-sized balls; place onto a baking sheet, and freeze until solid, about 2 hours.
2.	Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
3.	Beat 3 eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer to break up. Add the cake mix, water, and canola oil; continue beating for 2 minutes on medium speed. Spoon into the prepared cupcake liners, filling each 2/3 full. Place a frozen cookie dough ball on the top center of each cupcake.
4.	Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the cake portion of the cupcake (not the cookie dough ball) comes clean, about 20 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack. Once cooled top with favorite icing.

ENJOY!!!

Blueberry Cobbler Cake

1 loaf

Ingredients

Batter

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup blueberry puree (about 3 cups blueberries blended) + ½ cup blueberries reserved
• ½ cup butter, melted
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla

Crumble Topping

• ¼ cup cold butter, cubed
• ½ cup flour
• ½ cup light brown sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with a strip of parchment the width of the pan long enough to hang over the sides a bit. Spray parchment with cooking spray. Set aside.
3. In bowl of stand mixer combine first five ingredients (flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.) Stir until mixed together evenly.
4. In a medium sized bowl combine the blueberry puree, melted butter, eggs and vanilla. Whisk together until smooth.
5. Pour the blueberry mixture into the dry mixture and mix on low until batter forms, scraping the sides as necessary. Batter will be purple!
6. Pour this into your prepared pan.
7. To make the crumble topping combine all the Crumble ingredients together with a pastry cutter or fork. You can even use you hands to create large sized "crumb topping" if desired.
8. Sprinkle this over top of your batter.
9. Scatter reserved blueberries on top of crumble and bake for 50-60 minutes until center is done.
10. Allow to cool for 15 minutes and then remove bread from pan and cool completely.

One Year Later

First I apologize for being so quiet it has been very hard having Teen #2 being away. 

Today I find it especially hard. Today one year ago my beautiful determined spirited Teen #2 took what should have been a lethal dose of medication. 13 hours later I found her paralyzed in her bed barel responsive. Today is the day I fought for her care as some of the staff at the hospital though my then 13 year old was an 18-20 year old junkie and should be treated as such. 

I never left her side. Not even when she was in a locked psychiatric room unaware of her surroundings or of her self. It took a week for the Doctors to say she was "Medically Clear" to be moved to the adolescent psychiatric unit. There we were forced to separate & myself to go home. 

Another 4 days of fighting with staff & outside agencies till we had an acceptable discharge plan. 

A year later & it still hurts like it was yesterday. 

Today she's on the very slow path to treatment. The treatment center she is at is actually a working farm. They are having a snow day today. Which includes treats games and a hole wack of movies in the "homestead building". 

Though I can not hold her close today I've spoken with her on the phone. (Thank heavens for all inclusive long distance plans let me tell you!) 

So this one year later and a new year I am thankful for this wonderful chance of still having my Pixie with us. 

Saturday Funny: October 25/14

The Happy Beautiful Autumn Saturday Everyone!!!!

Sorry for being so MIA the last bit lots has been going on with Teen #2 and her treatment. 

As well it's my most favorite time of the year & I just love to be outside all the time with the kids & pups. 

So we are a week away from Halloween do you have any plans or do anything special? We don't really but I love to wander the area & see what everyone else's is up too. 

With that lest see what was funny this week on Facebook. 

Saturday Funny: October 11/14

Happy Saturday everyone!

This has been a crazy week. Lady Jaye (The Man's pup) is sick. The weather change for the cooler weather I sware had made the kids go Squirrley. 

It is ALSO the Canadian Thanksgiving. We are full of cooking. When I say we I mean me. I'm cooking 2. Full dinners this weekend. 

What are you doing this weekend?

So with all this going  let's see what was funny this week on Facebook. 

Saturday Funny: October 4/14

Happy October everyone!

It's all this fall and pumpkin around here!

Hubby's Birthday has now come and gone this week. 

My awesome juicer finally kicked the bucket. Thankfully I bought the extended warranty from Best Buy. The Lady on the phone says I can just take it in for an exchange. Yay more juice!

Teen #2 is setting into her new routine at the facility very nicely. 

All in all its been a pretty good week. 

How has yours been? 

Let's see what was funny on Facebook this week:

Ok well this made me laugh. I love Cookie Monster 

Saturday Funny: September 27/14

Yes we are back!

I am soo sorry this has been missed the past few months. 

If you read my last post about BPD you will understand why. 

So now that Teen #2 is safe at the treatment facility we can start going back to normal routines. 

So let's see what was funny on Facebook this week:

What it's been like to live with someone who has #BPD Borderline Personality Disorder

All the above words best decribe our daughter. Teen #2 is our (Spirited One) for the last 3 years have been hell in our home. We ran the gambit with Doctors and other professionals telling us "This is normal Teen Behaviors".... "Your making too much out of it." And anything else to give her the power to make us look crazy. 

Then this past January Teen #2 took it to the extreme. She attempted to kill herself. She planned to overdose and never wake up. I am the one that found her 13 hours after she made the decision and consumed a mix of 55 pills. The scariest day in my life. Ever. 

From there I though now, now these Doctors will have to take this seriously. But unfortunately we didn't have such luck. 

Teen #2 was discharged a week later to resume life as she made it for us. We still had no official diagnosis. Just a pill bottle in hand saying this will help. 

So with no follow up or a way to get a repeat on this new medication we were sent on our way. 

Now we didn't leave it at that as a family. I kicked screamed & cried till I finally found a Phsyciatrist that would properly assess her. 

That meeting was very enlightening. It was back in May, when this Doctor asked if I had ever heard of BPD? No. No I had not. We finally could put a name to this "thing" that had taken over our amazing, funny, creative daughter. We were relieved. 

That sence of relief did not last long when it became clear there was not much that could be done to help us help her. We were back to walking on eggshells. Scared of the reaction you would get for breathing wrong in her company. 

That is until now. Friday Teen #2 leaves us to voluntarily go to a private residential treatment facility. For those that will& have wondered... No Child Services is NOT removing her from us. It was a decision we all made. Our hope this  will help teach her & us as a family how to better deal with the craziness that is going on in her brain. The hope is we can finally start to piece our family back together. 

She will get to come home every other weekend and most holiday's. 

So why am I writing this? Mostly to explain my long absence this last few months. As well I think I was ready to say it all out loud. 

Pumpkin Streusel Pancakes

It's that time of year again! Where EVERYTHING is pumpkin spiced. Me personally I love this time of year. 

So in honor of all things Pumpkin I give you these little bits of Pumkin heaven:

Ingredients:

For the cinnamon streusel:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks

To make the pancakes: 
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 large egg
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

directions:

1. First, make the cinnamon streusel. In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Mix together with your hands or a fork, until you have a crumbly mixture. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, egg, pumpkin, canola oil, and vanilla extract. Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture and whisk until combined.

4. Heat a griddle or pan to medium low. Coat with cooking spray. Drop 1/3 cup of batter onto heated skillet. Add 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon streusel. Cook on the first side until bubbles begin to form, about 2-3 minutes. Carefully flip pancake over and cover very generously with cinnamon streusel. Cook for another 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Continue this process to make the rest of the pancakes.

5. Serve pancakes warm with maple syrup and butter.

Where were you 13 years ago today? #NEVERFORGET

Today is the 13th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center & the Pentagon.  

As we take a few moments out of our very busy lives to stop and remember the lost & sacrifice from that horrific day. 

I want to also remember the sense of community & togetherness that came from it. 

As I sit here & remember where I was when it happened. I was not with my husband yet. I was in my home getting my (then) baby ready for daycare as well as I was running late to get to school. With the news on like I always do. I remember the news interruption & I was looking at the images coming across the TV thinking no chance this is really happening. 

It took me hours to wrap my brain around the fact this was actually happening. I still can not even 13 years later understand the "why" of the hatred that caused this. 

I want everyone to remember not the 12 years the collision has been at war with the Middle East. Or the theories as to why war was declared.  

Please remember the loss of all from these attacks. The moms, dads, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles grandparents and children. Please Include the Military Personnel & First responders we have lost since that day defending our freedoms. 

             Most of all Never forget!

Saturday Funny: August 23/14

Happy Saturday!!

Sorry for being MIA the last few weeks. The family went away & we now have a 16 year old boy living with us. He comes from a bad home & had been on the streets all summer. 

So it's extra crazy around here. Back to school starts in just over a week. THANK HEAVENS!! 

So on that crazy note let's see what's been funny this week on Facebook:

Saturday Funny: August 2/14

Happy LOOOOOONG Weekend everyone!!

I've had such a busy day today, I almost forgot to post this.  

So how has your week been? My kids are still at camp. So it's been super quite around here. 

Let's see what was funny this week on Facebook: