Beware.

Very reliable resources {Benjamin and Mariah} have informed me that this penguin, which came in a Happy Meal, is quite terrifying to 15 month olds.



Right now, we are at my parents' house. Benjamin and I will be away with my parents visiting my grandparents this weekend. It's going to be very nice to be stress-free {or, as stress-free as I can be, as I will be playing single parent again} for once. It's been a rough few weeks around here. God is taking care of us, though, and I'm very thankful for my parents, who are willing to lug us out to South Carolina along with them. I'm very excited. Oh, and this guy...



will not be coming. However, these beauties...



oh yeah, they're coming. Cookies and Cream cupcakes... I'll post the recipe when I get home.

Anyway, tomorrow there will be one more blog post, and then I won't be posting until probably Monday's "Far Above Rubies" post {Proverbs 31:13, by the way!}. But I will be taking photos!

Take care, y'all, and watch out for the evil penguins...

going...

Going...



Going...



Going...



Gone.

Want the recipe? Check it out.

Marvelous Things on a Monday

Mondays aren't always my favorite days. It's a day to jump-start my week of chores and trying to get things done. I don't like doing my chores most of the time. But I've gotten to the point where I will force myself to do them whether I like it or not. I stare myself down with that now look who's boss gleam in my eyes and then the defiant me will kind of quiver there for a moment, and crumble into the pile of clean laundry that is in dire need of folding. It happens, eventually. It happened three times today.

One thing that gets me through a Monday is thinking about wonderful, marvelous things to cheer me up and keep me going.

Today, I was thinking about ... cupcakes.

Yes. Cupcakes.


Photos from Flickr

Yum, yum, yum.

Guess what I'm going to be baking tomorrow?

Perfect Chocolate Cupcakes, without the eggs!

When we found out that Benjamin had egg allergies, I was very concerned about how I was going to let him have a typical birthday party and allow him to have his own cake (cupcake) to enjoy. I knew that people did have recipes without eggs in them and with substitutes such as applesauce or bananas. But I really didn't want to use those ingredients, and I didn't know where to start. That is, until a good friend sent me a cookbook for my birthday: Bakin' Without Eggs. The perfect cupcake recipe was therein, and now I am going to share it with you! Aren't you excited?!



Perfect Chocolate Cupcakes

Cake Batter Ingredients
1 2/3 Cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup sour cream or no-fat sour cream (I just used regular)
1/2 cup oil or apple juice (I used oil)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup club soda

Frosting Ingredients
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup margarine, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk



1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Lightly butter 12-cup (4-ounce) muffin pan. (I used cupcake cups)
2. To prepare cake: In a large bowl, with a handheld electric mixer set on medium speed, beat flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, sour cream, oil or apple juice, vanilla, and club soda for 3 minutes or until completely mixed.
3. In prepared pan, fill 12 muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack approximately 20 minutes before removing from pan.
4. To prepare frosting: Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat together confectioners' sugar, cocoa, margarine, vanilla, and milk with a handheld electric mixer set on medium speed for 3 minutes or until creamy. Frost cupcakes.



Notes: Extra frosting will keep in refrigerator up to 2 weeks; This cupcake will also freeze well, and the frosting is perfect!

The book says that it will make up to 12 cupcakes, but we were able to get 23 out of this recipe! And they were very, very good!



Enjoy!