Chocolate Blender Cupcakes and Cream Soda Frosting

These cupcakes are very moist and tasty. Preparing the batter in the blender saves time and makes clean up easy. When finished, add hot water, turn on and let the blender clean itself. Pour the batter directly into the cups from the blender pitcher. Super quick and easy. Frosting can be thick and spreadable or a thin glaze, depending on your preference.

Cupcakes
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup cocoa
1 2/3 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place all ingredients in blender pitcher in order. Blend on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides if needed.
Pour into cupcake pan lined with papers. Fill just below tops.
Bakes 20 minutes for full size, 15 minutes for minis.
While cupcakes are baking mix frosting. Cool on a rack before frosting.

Frosting
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2-2 cups powdered sugar
splash cream soda

Place butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar in clean blender pitcher. Blend briefly on low speed. Add a splash of cream soda. Increase to medium speed. Continue adding sugar if too thin or sugar if too thick until desired consistency is reached. Pour into a bowl. Spoon onto cooled cupcakes. Let set for a few minutes, then enjoy.

Latkes

A latke is similar to a hashbrown patty. It's a Jewish food traditionally served during Chanukkah with sour cream and applesauce. We enjoy latkes all year round. My children like to eat them with ketchup (of course).

6 potatoes, shredded
1 onion, shredded
1 egg
1/4 cup matzo meal, cracker meal, whole wheat flour (this is what I prefer), or all-purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste

Drain potato shreds in collander in the sink for a few minutes. This prevents watery latkes.
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.
Heat an inch of oil in a skillet or griddle.
Form patties, squeeze excess moisture, and place in hot oil. DO NOT TURN until the underside is very brown, or latkes will stick and crumble. When very brown, flip and cook on other side.
Drain on a rack or place on tray or plate in a single layer. Place in a warm oven. Serve hot!
This makes a large batch. Plenty to share. Once completely cool, place in freezer bags and freeze. To reheat, place frozen latkes on a baking tray and warm in 375 degree oven.

The easiest, richest, yummiest peanut butter cookies on the planet

 

1 cup peanut butter (or almond butter, sunbutter, cashew butter, soy butter, or my fave, mixed nut butter)
1 cup brown sugar (if you don't have brown, white will do. They will be less chewy and more crisp)
1 egg
1 tbs vanilla extract
Optional: Chocolate chips, nuts, candied nuts, chocolate squares, jelly, candied fruit

Mix all. If using chocolate squares, jelly or candied fruit, hold on to those.
Roll into small balls, the size of a shooter marble.
Place on a tray, one inch apart.
Smoosh with a fork if you like. If you are holding onto one of those other things, press them into the top of each cookie. If you are using jelly, press down with your thumb to make a pond and then fill it with jelly. Make sure your jelly pond doesn't leak, or you will have a big sugary, burnt mess where your cookies should be.
Bake for 8 minutes at 325.
Cookies will be very gooey. Let cool slightly on tray, then transfer to rack to cool completely. They are VERY rich. Make them little and pace yourself.

My life

This pretty much sums it all up.

So cute. So vicious.

Poor elf.

Guilty!

Ben said,"Poor Santa. I guess there'll be no Christmas this year."

It's School Supply Day!

I hit up Walmart's school supply sale last night after putting the kids to bed. I packed up new pencil boxes with some of the goodies. I have more stuff stashed away to be distributed at a later date.


Surpise!



Fully stocked.

They are working through every pencil in their boxes. I've never seen such colorful math.

What a deal!

That's a full 0% off!

Savannah has ring around the collar.

My dog is not colorfast.