My New Favorite Muffin

This isn't a new muffin as much as a new way to make muffins. Are you ready for the simple obvious-ness of it??

Plop them onto a cookie sheet like a cookie...no muffin tin...no muffin liner...

Just a cookie sheet and some non-stick spray.

Maybe you aren't as stunned by this revelation as I was. But I think its brilliant!!

Unlike the one near my waistline, its the kind of muffin top I'm proud of!

So go grab the ingredients for your favorite muffin (even if its a box and some water) and try it out!
They are soft and tender on top -- cripsy on the bottom -- genius!

Happy Easter!

A glimpse of our Easter weekend.

Hope you all had a great weekend celebrating our Risen Savior!

Being Aunt Becca

In addition to being "Mom" to my two kids, I have the privilege of being "Aunt Becca" to 11 wonderful little munch-kins (remember the picture in Henry's Birthday post?).  Add to that "cake baker" for their birthdays and I rank right up there with the best of them!  (Ryan will argue that he is the favorite and since he doesn't read this blog, I'll admit that they do love him more).  The effort is all worth it when you see their faces the first time they see their cake.    


This past weekend Olivia celebrated her 3rd birthday.  And her only request was to have Barbie on her cake.  So after browsing online, we decided on a Barbie butterfly cake.  (I apologize for the picture...my camera settings are way off and I can't figure out how to get them back to normal!)

Chocolate cake with an oreo filling and buttercream frosting

I was feeling a little ambitious, so I decided to make her birthday present as well.  (My new sewing machine has given me a little boost of confidence in my sewing abilities.  Not sure if that's good or bad).  I found a great tutorial at Living with Punks for a floor pillow.  After looking at the prices for bean bag chairs, and then the price for making my own (the filling for those chairs are ridiculously priced!), I decided this was the thing to do.  

I think Olivia was very happy with the results and I already have a request for 5 more!  Hmmm...maybe I shouldn't have made it myself...just teasing!

It was actually much simpler than I expected it to be (and I am by definition a novice sewer).  And it was quite fun to see it all come together.  The original size seemed too small when I started getting things together to make this, so I opted for 24 inch circles instead of 17.  It made for a big floor pillow, but it should last a long time that way.    

Now on to my next ambitious project...

A Little 'April Fools Day' Fun

I definitely do not fall into the "prankster" category of people...my college roommates will attest to this.  But I am all up for some fun with my kids (and in today's case the entire Pre-K class).

I saw this amazingly fun looking cupcakes from Sara over at Our Best Bites (if you haven't been over to their site, you MUST check it out...amazing).  I knew the cupcakes would be perfect for Annika's Pre-K class.  Who doesn't love to tell kids you are bringing cupcakes and then show up with carrots and peas??

So I set to work and here are the results...

Peas & Carrots

Green frosting topped with orange Starburst (quartered) and green Laffy Taffy (rolled into peas)

Mashed Potatoes

White frosting, caramel sauce and a yellow Starburst

Spaghetti & Meatballs

White frosting (made into spaghetti with a piping bag and size 4 tip), Ferrero Rocher covered with jam (I used raspberry, but I think you'd get better color with strawberry)

Cute, right??  And really fun to do.  The kids thought they was quite funny...although a few couldn't get over the idea of what they looked like.