Cupcake fun

We had a Ward party on Saturday. Whenever we are invited to something that we have to bring a dish, I get excited. It means I can make something that maybe Brant doesn’t like- and I won’t have to be the only one to eat it. It means I can try something new, and if it’s gross, oh well.

So, instead of taking a nap on Saturday (which I really did need,) I made cupcakes. And decorated them. (I used my electric mixer in the garage so I wouldn’t wake up my sleeping boys… silly huh?)

Start with plain chocolate cake mix- made into cupcakes.

Add a little bit of homemade frosting- recipe at the end if you want it.

And some food coloring. (Do you like my organization of the colors? I think I’m so clever!)

I used my Pampered Chef frosting tool that I got for my wedding. It’s fun. I don’t really know how to do it right and I suppose I should LEARN, but for now, I like to play around with it.

The cupcakes with the tooth picks sticking out had little paper flowers with chocolate chips on them, but I did that after I took pictures. And the green “grass” is coconut that I put in a ziploc with some green food coloring.

I’m not going to lie, I don’t LOVE cupcakes. In fact, I don’t even really like them. But- they were a big hit at the ward party. They were gone pretty quick and I think a lot of little kids enjoyed them!

I do LOVE ward parties though. It’s so fun to go and talk with people and eat a good dinner. I always overeat and regret it later. This time, I had just the right amount!

Frosting recipe I used: (maybe not my favorite, but it does decorate fairly well.)

Thick Vanilla Frosting

1 cup shortening
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
4 tablespoons milk

Beat together shortening and vanilla for 30 seconds medium speed with an electric mixer. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar a bit at a time while beating. Then add 2 tablespoons milk. Slowly add in the rest of the powdered sugar and the rest of the milk until you get the right thickness for your frosting.