CUPCAKES!!!

I have decided that I want to cook cupcakes, and not just the regular ones, from a box, but from scratch, work on decorating them with more that just icing from a tub. Josh bought me a cupcake book from the grocery store and I thought, why not try and make some of these? They are fairly simple, they look yummy and have a little in the way of decorating and a little in the way of baking. I am going to attempt to make a batch a day- so if you are a local friend, be ready to have some cupcakes dropped on your front step. I want to practice, but not get as wide as a house while doing it.

So today, while it is the 2nd day of summer, I made my first batch.
pink velvet cupcakes.
It is all completly from scratch.

So here we go:

The ingrediants- well most of them. I forgot to show the eggs. But otherwise it is all there.











Here is the batter. Does it not look too die for! It taste delicious! Not that I tried any.











Here is the finished product: Is it not beautiful!











I wouldn't feel right if I made you think that I made those and they were all that beautiful. I had my fair share of poor looking ones. But they all tasted the same!

World I never thought I would hear.

While the kids are gone this week I have been even more busy than I am with the kids. Ok, I am busy with things that are all about me, but I am ok with that.

I decided that while the kids are gone I would try a few recipes that I had found that I didn’t want to deal with crazy kids in case they were horrific. So, on Tuesday night I made a Mexican Lasagna. That’s what the recipe called it anyways. It was fairly easy, and from the my recipes website. It was so easy I made most of it while on the phone with Amy, talking about something of vital importance, like world peace, hunger in third world countries, or maybe it was what Britney was wearing that day on Perez Hilton. I don’t really remember.

Anyhoo.

I made this meal while on the phone, and I am not really a cook so that should tell you that the recipe was super duper easy to make. I did dirty 4 dishes/pots in the process but I will just have to get over that.

And when I pulled it out of the oven, it looked and smelled delicious. I waited for it to cool down and carved me a little piece out to try and it was fantastic. I was in love. I thought I was the new Rachel Ray. But I was home by myself and the true teat would be what Josh thinks when he got home later that night and tried some.

The next morning as I was heading out the door I asked him what he thought of the Mexican Lasagna and he said, “It is the best thing you have ever cooked!”

Now, I don’t cook much, but I think I have a few good meals up my sleeve. But now, Mexican Lasagna is one of the food that will be added to the rotation at our house. Plus now that I have made it once, I can think of a few ways I want to tweak it to make it my own. I am just thrilled to have found something that at least 2 of the members of my family will enjoy. I think that even Emily might like it and Jacob MIGHT warm up to it in time.

So here you go: the recipe.

Ingredients
1/2 pound ground mild pork sausage 1/2 pound ground beef 1 (15-ounce) can jalapeno ranch-style pinto beans, drained 2/3 cup canned diced tomatoes and green chiles 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of celery soup 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup 1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce 9 (6-inch) corn tortillas 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese 1 medium tomato, seeded and diced 4 green onions, chopped 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1 medium avocado, chopped
Preparation
Cook sausage and ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain. Stir in beans and next 5 ingredients; cook until thoroughly heated.
Stir together soups and enchilada sauce in a saucepan; cook until thoroughly heated.
Spoon one-third of sauce onto bottom of a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish; top with 3 tortillas. Spoon half of beef mixture and one-third of sauce over tortillas; sprinkle with half of Cheddar cheese. Top with 3 tortillas; repeat layers ending with tortillas. Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese and next 3 ingredients.
Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Top with avocado.
Yield
Makes 6 to 8 servings

Yummy.

Oh gracious- they are fabulous!

On Saturday night I decided to try and make the dessert that Kim mentioned on her blog. It seemed super simple and looked to die for.

So I made some ka-bobs and the dessert so that once Josh got home from work he could grill up the ka-bobs and we would have a nice relaxing summer evening.

Let me tell you- those desserts- were FABULOUS! I had to stop myself from eating more than one. They were so good. Even my picky-puss son Jacob loved them, and that is the real test.

So thanks Kim, because I know have a new fabulous, easy to make dessert in my arsenal of fine, homemaking.