Owls!!! Hoot--Hoot

So, when thinking about what I was going to do for my next food blog, I started researching various cupcake cookbooks. Let me tell you....there are so many to choose from. I decided to purchase several, but the recipe I am featuring today came from the recipe book "Hello Cupcake". If you are CuPcaKE CraZY like me...you should definitely get it. There are many cute/easy recipes to show you how to better decorate your cupcakes. There is even an opening page that shows what candies you can use for eyes and hair. ADORABLE!! When I saw this one...I had to make it. My sister-in-law has a thing for owls. I wasn't able to enjoy one with her because she is away to college, but I texted a picture of one to her! Of course...she loved them.

The cupcake is a traditional devil's food cake. You will need one container of chocolate icing and 2 T of vanilla icing. The base of the eyes are Oreo halves; (Tip...to get the Oreo to split with one side clean...microwave them for 10 seconds, then pull them apart) the eye is a Junior Mint put in place by vanilla icing and the eyeball is a small amount of vanilla icing piped on. For the ears, take one clean Oreo side per cucake and cut 1/4 inch off each edge. (Tip...use your bread knife when cutting the cookies...it makes it easier to cut through and not break them). Put the ears on after your eyes are in place and pipe chocolate icing on them. The nose is half of a banana runt. You can pip icing between the ears and eyes to make it look more like hair.

~~When piping icing...I use small sandwich bags. Fill your sandwich bag with your desired icing...zip the top closed...put several pieces of Scotch Tape around the tip of the bag where you are going to cut to help secure your hole. A smaller hole could be used for writing and a larger hole for decorating. Once you get the hang of it...try cutting various "V" forms in the tip to make flowers, hair, etc~~

**Nutrition Tip 101~~Did you know you have to eat 500 calories less per day to lose 1 pound per week!!!!! Yes...this goes the same for gaining ...500 calories more per day => 1 pound per week gain :(

My First Blog Post...Dana's Birthday Surprise!

So...I have a fetish for cupcakes and when I saw this Wilton cupcake cake pan, I had to use it to make my first blog post. It not only goes along with my blog name, but is going to make Dana's day! I used a traditional French Vanilla Cake Mix for the buttom 1/2 and a Strawberry Cake Mix for the top. Spray and flour the pan well...prepare your cake mixes as the box indicates...bake at 325* for 60 minutes...let cool 15 minutes before turning the cakes out. (I like to put any unfrosted cake in the freezer for 30 minutes before icing.) Ice as desired.

**Nutrition Tip 101~~you can add a 12 oz can of soda pop per 1 dry cake mix instead of all the wet ingredients (egg, oil, and water). This will help cut down calories & fat without giving up flavor or moistness!! Now, you can have a piece of cupcake cake and not feel so guilty! Small indulgences in LiFe!!