Fun Family Crafts - Website

Check out this awesome site Fun Family Crafts that we are featured on!  It's a really neat site where you can take 30 seconds to sign up (login name, password, e-mail address required), so that you can have your own Craft Box on the site and store tons of cool ideas to make later. I already found some easy to make Smurf Cookies, so exciting!

Outside Storm Pictures

Just a quick post from me today (someday, I will get around to uploading another recipe, I am just so lazy).  We are currently having a good ol' fashion summer thunder storm.  It is a beautiful and wonderfully aural spectacle.  At one point during this storm, the clouds started to thin, and the sky turned this bizzarro colour that I hope the pictures give justice.

No, these have not been doctored to look like sepia, this is the actual colour.

That's all I got for now.  Something more substantial soon.

-d

o_O

Hi Mr. Spidey

Just trying to catch Mr. Spidey.

Face Painting, Balloon Animals & Cotton Candy

Daddy took his little girl to Best Buy the other day, as they had their Grand Opening.  To their surprise they had Face Painting going on, someone was making Balloon Animals and they were giving out Cotton Candy.  Olivia turned into a little Butterfly, got a Puppy on a Leash Balloon Animal and a small bag of Cotton Candy, all of which she was very excited about.  

Every time Daddy says he's going to Best Buy now, Olivia wants to go with him.  As Daddy and daughter were walking towards the front door a couple of days ago, Olivia told Daddy she wanted a Balloon Puppy.  Poor girl was disappointed to hear that the fun activities were only a one time deal.

Cookies & Cream Cupcakes

I decided to make Cookies & Cream Cupcakes for my daughter's first birthday.  I've had them on my Sweet Treats board on Pinterest (feel free to follow me!) for a little while and was really excited to try them.  I think cupcakes are perfect for a first birthday.  I found them on this great blog here but the actual recipe is here.

Makes 24 cupcakes

Cupcakes:
24 Oreo halves, with cream filling attached

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

8 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 2/3 cup sugar

3 large egg whites, at room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup milk

20 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped (I quarter them)

Frosting:

Check out my Awesome Frosting Recipe.

Decoration:

Oreo cookie crumbs

24 Oreo cookie halves (I quarter them)

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line the walls of two cupcake pans with 24 paper liners.  Place an Oreo halve in the bottom of each liner, cream side up.  

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir together with a fork to blend and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Blend in the egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Blend in the vanilla extract.  With the mixer on low speed, beat in half of the dry ingredients just until incorporated.  Add the milk and beat just until combined, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients. 

Gently fold in the chopped Oreos with a rubber spatula until evenly incorporated, being careful not to over-mix.

Evenly divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners.  

Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired.  Sprinkle with Oreo crumbs and garnish decoration with Oreo halves or quarters.   

These cupcakes turned out absolutely delicious.  My favourite part of them was the bottom (half the oreo cookie with the cream part on it).  I will definitely be making them again!

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