Piña Colada Cupcakes

My college roommate's birthday is coming up, so I wanted to make cupcakes to give her, along with her birthday present.  I was running short on time, but still wanted something homemade, so I started looking for recipes that would be simple, but still taste wonderful.  I came across this recipe from Betty Crocker and decided to go ahead and give it a try.

Cupcake Ingredients

• 1 box of Betty Crocker SuperMoist yellow cake mix
• 1/3 c vegetable oil
• 1/4 c water
• 1 t rum extract
• 1 can (8oz) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
• 3 large eggs

Icing Ingredients

• 1 t rum extract
• 1 t coconut extract
• 1 container Betty Crocker Whipped vanilla frosting
• shredded coconut

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 º F.

2.  Place cake mix, oil, water, 1 t rum extract, crushed pineapple, and 3 eggs in a large bowl.

 

 3. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds, then mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.

4. Pour batter into liners, filling them 2/3 full.

5. Bake 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

6. Allow cupcakes to cool completely.

7. Stir 1 t coconut extract and 1 t rum extract into container of frosting.

 

8. Spread frosting on top of cupcakes.

9. Dip frosted cupcakes into shredded coconut.

 

10. Enjoy!

What I Learned This Time

• You may want to use a spoon or pour the batter into the liners.  I tried to use my batter dispenser, but some of the crushed pineapple kept getting stuck in the opening, making it difficult to fill the liners. 
• The recipe called for 3/4 cup shredded coconut to top the cupcakes.  I found that, for me, 3/4 cup of shredded coconut was not enough to top the cupcakes with the amount of coconut I wanted to top them with.  I ended up just placing some shredded coconut into a bowl to dip my cupcakes into.
• These cupcakes taste best after they sit for a while.  I tried one when I made them, then tried one the next day.  The cupcake the next day tasted better as the flavors had combined a little bit more.

These cupcakes were simple to make, and still tasted delicious.  When I took them to my roommates birthday lunch, people took 2 of them!  I would definitely suggest making them for any event or for anyone who loves piña coladas!

Thanks to Betty Crocker for this delicious recipe!
 

Please comment below if you have tried this recipe or if you have any suggestions!

Picture Frame Ring Holder

I am slightly addicted to Pinterest, and I have seen this Picture Frame Ring Holder pinned over and over again.  When my friend recently got engaged, I knew I had to make her one for her gorgeous new ring!

Supplies

• Small Frame (mine is from Michaels)
• Cork
• Lace Fabric
• Pearl Head or Color Head Pins
• E-6000
• Rotary Cutter
• Scissors
• Ruler

 (Sorry, I do not have all of my supplies here. I added as I went along with what I needed.)

Directions

1. Open the back of the frame and pop out the plastic insert.

2. Measure the open space in the frame (this should be a slightly smaller size than the dimensions of a picture for the frame).

3. Using the ruler and the rotary cutter, cut your cork to the dimensions you just measured.

 4. Try to fit the cork into the frame.  If the cork is too large, trim the sides down slightly using the rotary cutter until the cork fits into the frame. 

5. Find the section of the lace that you would like to display and place it over the cork.

6. Run a thin line of glue down one edge of the cork and wrap the lace around the edge of the cork.

7. Lightly pin the fabric onto the back of the cork in order to allow it to dry.

8.  Once the glue has set on the side, run a thin line of glue on the opposite edge of the cork.

9. Pull the lace tightly and wrap it around to the back of the cork.

10. Lightly pin the fabric onto the back of the cork in order to allow it to dry.

 11. Repeat with the remaining 2 sides, cutting out excess fabric as you go along.

12. Apply glue to the inside of the frame.

13. Place the lace covered cork inside of the frame and press it into the glue.

14. Let dry.

15. Push either a Pearl Head or a Colored Head Pin into the cork.

16. Enjoy!

What I Learned This Time

• When I first cut the cork, I cut it to the size of the picture that would fit into this frame, then tried to place it in the back of the frame and close the back.  When I did this, the cork was too thick and the back of the frame would not close.  The cork fits much better when placed inside the edges of the frame, rather than behind it. 
• When cutting through the cork, something such as a rotary cutter works better than scissors.  I started with scissors, and they did not leave a very smooth edge.  I then tried an X-ACTO knife, but still ended up with slightly jagged edges.  The rotary cutter and ruler left the smoothest edges on the cork of the methods that I tried.

I love the way that this turned out and I hope that my friend does as well.  I will definitely be making more of these in the future!

Please comment below if you have tried this craft or if you have any suggestions!

St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes

St. Patrick's Day was coming up and my friends were having a party.  What better to bring than some festive cupcakes?  I thought that some type of beer cupcake would work really well for St. Patrick's Day, but I had no recipe to turn to.  So, I went to my favorite site, Pinterest, and started looking around.  I found numerous recipes for beer cupcakes, but was intrigued by a recipe from une-deuxsenses.blogspot.com for beer cupcakes with a Bailey's Irish Cream chocolate ganache and Bailey's Irish Cream Buttercream Icing.  This sounded simply delectable, so I had to try these!

Cupcake Ingredients

• 1 c stout beer (I used Guinness)
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 3/4 c unsweetened cocoa
• 2 c flour
• 2 c sugar
• 1 1/2 t baking soda
• 3/4 t salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 c sour cream

Chocolate Ganache Ingredients

• 8 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 2/3 c heavy cream
• 2 T butter, room temperature
• 2 t Bailey's Irish cream

 Icing Ingredients

• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3-4 c powdered sugar
• 4-8 T Bailey's Irish cream

 

 
Directions

1. Prepare the cupcakes.
                   
                    a. Preheat oven to 350 º F.

                    b. Place Guinness and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

                     c. Add cocoa to the stout and butter and whisk until smooth.
 

                   
                    d. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

                    e. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, sugar,
                    baking soda, and salt). Set aside.
 

                    f. In another bowl, beat together eggs and sour cream with an electric
                    mixer.

                    g. Add the Guinness mixture to the eggs and sour cream, then beat to
                    combine.

                    h. Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed.

                    i. Pour batter into liners, filling them 2/3 full.

                    j. Bake 15 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

                    k.  Allow cupcakes to cool completely.

2. Prepare the chocolate ganache.

                    a. Place chocolate into a heatproof bowl.

                    b. Heat heavy cream in a saucepan until simmering.

                    c. Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate and let sit for 1 minute, then
                    stir until smooth.

                    d. Add butter and Bailey's Irish cream to the chocolate and cream and
                    stir until combined.

                    e. Set aside ganache until cool and thick enough to pipe.  (You can speed
                    up this process by placing the ganache in the refrigerator.  Make sure to
                    check on your ganache and stir it every few minutes).

3. Cut a section out of the center of each cupcake.

 
**Sidenote: I found this set of cupcake corers.  It has 1 corer for regular size cupcakes and 1 corer for mini cupcakes.  I used the regular corer for these cupcakes.  You simply press the corer into the cupcakes, twist and remove.  Generally, the cupcake section came out with the corer.  When this didn't work, I just used a spoon to scoop out the section that had been cored.  This tool works great! (and then you get to enjoy the middle sections of the cupcakes!)**

4. Pipe the ganache into the center of the cupcake.

5. Prepare the frosting.

                    a. Place butter in mixing bowl and beat on medium high until butter is
                    light and fluffy.

                    b. Gradually add the powdered sugar until combined.

                    c. Add 4 T of Bailey's and mix until smooth.

                    d. Add more Bailey's if frosting needs to be thinned down to a piping
                    consistency.  Add more powdered sugar if frosting needs to be thickened
                    up to piping consistency. 

                    e. Once icing has reached the right consistency, continue to mix icing for
                    3-5 minutes.

6. Frost your cupcakes.

7. Enjoy!

What I Learned This Time

• Watch the ganache closely when you are cooling it.  I left mine in the refrigerator for a little longer than I should have.  I was able to pipe it, but once in the cupcakes, the ganache was a little too hard. 

These cupcakes were amazing!  They were moist and the flavors of the cake and the filing complemented each other amazingly well.  I took them to my friend's party and they disappeared!  This is definitely a recipe that I would make again for special occasions.

Thanks to Michelle from une-duexsenses.blogspot.com for this festive recipe!

Please comment below if you have tried this recipe or if you have any suggestions!

Redneck Wine Glasses

 My Dad loves wine.  He has been making his own wine for a few years now and has recently started trying his hand at mead.  So when it came time for his birthday, I knew that I would give him something wine related.  I have seen Redneck Wine Glasses in stores for months now, priced anywhere from $15 to $25, but the more I looked at them, the more I decided that I could make them for much less!

 

 

Supplies

• 1 pint mason jar
• 1 glass candleholder
• Sandpaper
• E-6000
• Rubbing Alcohol
• Newspaper 

Directions

1. Sand the bottom of the mason jar and the top of the glass candlestick.  This helps the glue to hold the mason jar and the candleholder together better.

2. Clean the mason jar and the candlestock with rubbing alcohol.  Let dry.  This will remove any oils and residue left over and will also allow the mason jar and candleholder to adhere better.

 

3. Apply E-6000 to the bottom of the mason jar and the top of the candleholder.  Let glue sit for 2 minutes for best adherence.  If you are a different type of glue, follow the directions on the package.

 

4. Flip the candleholder over and center it over the bottom of the mason jar.

 

5. Press the candleholder onto the mason jar.

6. Wipe any excess glue off of the base of the mason jar.

 

7.  Allow mason jar and candleholder to set up before fliping them upright or moving them.

8. Decorate your wine glasses.

 

 

9. Enjoy!

 

What I Learned This Time

• E-6000 can be removed from any surface while it is wet with acetone. I did not try it this time, as I did not have any acetone, but I will more than likely be trying this next time!
• Depending on the look that you are going for, you could also use a quart sized mason jar.  I tried out both in the store and decided that the pint jar was more along the line of what I was looking for.

I think they turned out pretty cute.  I put them in a basket with a bottle of Boone's Farm wine and a gift card to Total Wine.  I hope that he enjoys them!

 

Please comment below if you have tried this craft or if you have any suggestions!