Creamsicle Cupcakes

Recently my friend, Leah, invited me to share a 'booth' with her at a local arts & crafts fair. She would be making a lot of crafty items, which she is so great at and she asked if I would like to make some baked goods to sell. I was pretty excited about having my first bake sale, but was nervous as well. I decided to do a mix of made from scratch items and some box mixes since I was treading on new ground. One of the first items I made (and then froze) were these cupcakes that were started with a box mix. Well, I don't care at all at they were made from a box because these were the best cupcakes ever...maybe my new favorite...really, I'm not kidding. They are worth making...so go get a box of orange cake mix and a vanilla pudding mix and get to work. Enjoy!

Creamsicle Cupcakes

Source: 52 Cupcakes

1 box of Duncan Hines Orange Supreme Cake Mix

1 small box of vanilla pudding (not instant)

Follow directions on the box, adding in the vanilla pudding mix. Bake as directed on box.

I chose to use a pre-made frosting...I believe it was Betty Crocker Whipped Cream which was so perfect on these. When I did my taste-test (yes, of course, I had to), I just put a dollop of cool whip on top....and that was perfect also. I'm not sure you can go wrong. If you check out the blog 52 Cupcakes where I found this recipe, she has a recipe for a frosting using marshmallow fluff...I definitely want to try that out sometime too.

**here is my taste-tester cupcake, just in case you couldn't tell.

More to come: pumpkin cookies and pumpkin muffins. Also, tales from our 1 year anniversary trip to Atlanta, Charleston and Savannah. Did I mention I'm currently doing these updates from the car as we drive home to Tampa from Savannah? Our vacation is almost over...sad, sad!

Long Overdue...

I have been a terrible slacker when it comes to this post...I'm going to try and say that I've been terribly busy but that probably doesn't cut it. Anyways, this was a dish I came across in the Kraft magazine. It was so incredibly easy to throw together and it turned out to be a great comfort food dish. The cheese, strangely, wasn't my favorite part. And I would like to try making it again leaving the cheese out...but instead making it more like chicken pot pie. I really think it would be a great alternative to making chicken pot pie...and very easy! The next post is also long overdue...but after that I'll be caught up. Try not to hold it against me, please.

Chicken & Biscuits

Source: Kraft

1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream, divided
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese
3 Tbsp. milk (I used fat free)
1 cup all-purpose baking mix (I used bisquick)

Heat oven to 375ºF. Mix soup and 1/2 cup sour cream in 8-inch square baking dish. Stir in chicken, vegetables and cheese.

Stir milk and remaining sour cream into baking mix. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls into 6 mounds on top of chicken mixture.

Bake 35 min. or until biscuit topping is golden brown and chicken mixture is hot and bubbly.

Greetings from the road...

It's been a year (well, this coming Monday...the 20th) since Mike and I were married. So, to celebrate, we decided on a weeklong roadtrip to explore a few cities of the southeast. I'm a southern girl so I was really looking forward to it... I really love the South. This past Friday morning, we set off for Atlanta where we would spend 2 nights in downtown. On Sunday afternoon, we headed to Charleston where I now sit by our hotel pool after an awesome day of bike riding around the city. Tomorrow we leave for Savannah where we will be for 3 nights before heading back home to Tampa. I love the South....did I mention that already?

I just wanted to let you all know that I'll be posting when we return with full details of where we have stayed, what we have done, and most importantly, what we have eaten. Yes, we have spoiled ourselves and I dread heading back to the kitchen. Tonight we are going for a truly southern meal at Jestine's Kitchen. I'll let you know how it is. Before I go, would you like a little sample of what we've had so far....

Pecan Pie, Lobster & Shrimp Mac & Cheese, Shrimp & Grits, She Crab Soup, Pumpkin Ice Cream.....and the list goes on.

Back to exploring the South...