Despicable Me!

I have to show you these adorable cake pops that my mom made. I can't believe how much they look like the real minions from the movie :) Hope you enjoy!

CUPCAKES GALORE!!!

I LOVE CUPCAKES!!! And I am not ashamed to admit it! I love baking, but the best part of cupcakes if definitely the decorating... There are so many ways to be creative :)

I tried something new on some of these... I melted white chocolate and poured them into all different shapes and patterns. I even managed to bend some of them as they dried to created a little shape.

Of course, you can never go wrong with sprinkles!

I absolutely LOVE cute wrappers... it is almost sinful to use them, but I can't help it! Plus, if I don't use them, I won't be able to buy more!

I know that the this is a little late, but here are some Super Bowl cupcakes!

Blankets

So I've really wanted to knit a blanket for some time now. And since I had no projects at the time, I decided,why not? So I began this blanket in January of 2010... needless to say, it took a while.

I had hoped I could give it to my friend as a wedding present in July, but of course that did not happen :) Oh well, it was a good Christmas present.

Anyway... after completing that blanket, my little sister begged me to make her one. "Sunshine yellow and light pink," she said. So after finding

'Sunshine yellow and light pink' yarn, I began (using a much simpler pattern this time around :)

Luckily, this one only took me two months instead of about eight! Of course, it helped that I wasn't knitting in the hot summer. So.... now that I have it down, I anticipate many more blankets in the future! Maybe I'll take just a little break before tackling the next one!

Pecan Pie

I love Fall... the leaves are changing colors, the air gets a little nippy, and of course.... HOLIDAYS!!! I know that it isn't Thanksgiving yet, but I had a hankerin' for some pie... pecan pie that is.

So I found a recipe by none other than Pioneer Woman... and I think I gained a pound just by

looking at the recipe :) I assembled all the necessary evils... I mean ingredients and went to work!!!

First, I mixed the three eggs together and set them aside.

Next, I mixed the white and brown sugar and the salt....

... then I added the deliciously thick corn syrup :)

Now, for the best part of any recipe.... butter.

You can never have too much butter I always say. This recipe only calls for only one stick... ONLY one stick you say??? Well as an old Dutch proverb says...""Eat butter first, and eat it last, and live till a hundred years be past."

So here I am pouring the sinfully irresistible butter into the bowl with the other sinfully delicious ingredients :)

Now give them a little stir and try not to lick the spoon...

Just looking at it seems sinful.

Lord have mercy... on my thighs.

Go ahead an pour your eggs,

and your vanilla.

Finally we get to the pecans... spread the nuts in the bottom of the pie crust....

and dump your sweet concoction over the pecans.

Wait! Where did the pecans go???? The just disappeared!!!

BIBBITY....

BOBBITY...

BOO!!!!

You didn't know that I could perform magic, now did you??? Actually, the pecans rose to the top themselves.

Now you can slide that baby into the oven!!!

Now, remember that this was my first attempt, so don't laugh....

here it is!

Now if you would like to have some of this ooey gooey sweetness, here is the link to the recipe...

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/11/pecan-pie/

Spicy Pulled Pork

So finally, a new post! This one will have your mouth watering :) I made a recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks.... if you have not seen this cookbook, then I must say that you are missing out on a whole lot. Ree Drummond is the author and she has an amazing story that you won't want to miss!

Anyway, back to the recipe... This is a pork shoulder that has been smothered in tons of spices, brown sugar, and bunches of other good stuff (you'll have to look in the cookbook for the whole mouth-watering recipe). This big hunk of meat cooks for about 6-7 hours, so you must plan ahead.

It's also great for left overs... something our family always needs :) Also, you can cut off some of the meat freeze it for later. I personally did this because our shoulder was a bit on the large side... Tip#1: Always go to the store yourself. This will ensure that everything you need is the right brand and size, not what someone else thinks it should be.

O.K. Moving on...

So after having this delicious smelling thing in the oven all day, turning it every hour, and almost dying of the impossibly good smell (well... maybe it wasn't that serious), it was finally done! I let it cool for about 15 minutes and then I tore it to sheds... literally.

See it's shredded :) And of course... presentation is everything, so I cut up some limes for garnish.

I served it with warm tortillas and boy, was it tasty (if I do say so myself).

In the end, it was a delightful experience. Something that I will definitely do again. Don't forget to check out the PW's (Pioneer Woman) cookbook!

Barbie Cake

So this is my attempt at making a doll cake. I've always wanted to try one

and this seemed like a good time to do it! I made a cherry chip cake and used

butter cream frosting; Hannah donated the use of one her Barbies. Thanks Hannah!

Here it is just out of the oven! Smells good!

Look at that creamy frosting, just waiting for someone to eat a spoonful!

Hint: don't put your cake in the fridge in the middle of frosting and expect it to

be ready to frost in the morning.

This was my first attempt at ruffles. Needless to say it did not turn out how I had imagined,

but oh well. Better luck next time!

Here is my little helper (a.k.a. Cupcake Princess),

she convinced me to add a little bling to the doll.

And here she is enjoying our work of art!

YUMMY!

Crazy for Cupcakes!

Are these absolutely cute or what?

These were so fun to make, and soooo tasty!

We will most definitely have to do these again!

Unfortunately, they were so good they're already gone :(

Miss you cupcakes!

I LOVE Picnik! You can do so many cool things

with your pics, like this!

"It's so cute! I can't eat it!"

~quote from Hannah~