It’s no secret I LOVE snacking.

I don’t know how some people survive eating only 3 meals a day.

I think I would collapse.

I snack everyday, at home, on the go, at parties, in the morning, in the evening and well anytime in between is snacking time to me too.

Who could resist this cute little cup full of yumminess.

Not me!

Continue reading: S’more Snackin’

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There are always so many items on our to do lists, right?

Well this made it to the top of mine, and I’m glad it did.

I attended Big Traveling Potluck a few weeks ago and really couldn’t wait to bake with the beautiful California Strawberries I received. They were super sweet and delicious.

I just loved the Big Traveling Potluck it was right here in my town so I didn’t have to travel at all, lucky me! I  have read so many great write up of the weekend, but have so much trouble compiling that type of thing myself, so if you are interested in hearing more about the super fun weekend take a look here on Foodie Crush, Bake Your Day, Rustic Garden Bistro, Kevin and Amanda, Savour Fare, Reluctant Entertainer, Two Peas and Pod and you HAVE to click on Picky Palate’s post, you’ll get to see the cake I made. Thanks Jenny for posting it! I haven’t posted about the cake yet, but I hope to soon.

Yeah, some things are so important that they make it to the top of the list before all the boring stuff. Like housecleaning, laundry, and even shopping. Shopping seems to take all day. Once you leave the house it’s running here and there and remembering all the little stops along the way. By the time I know it, the day is practically over.

So getting up and baking this should definitely be at the TOP of the list, that way you can bring some with you to make all the shopping more enjoyable.

Strawberries and bananas are so good together!

And they are even bette with some chocolate chips thrown in.

Continue reading: Strawberry Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

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For the Salmon Lovers!

Do you love Salmon? How about your family?

It always seems to be a hit with mine.

I  bought a can of Salmon thinking it would be great to have on hand and my intention was to make a Salmon Mac and Cheese for them the next time I was going to be out of the  house for dinner.

If I’m gone, chances are Mac and Cheese is a good idea, it ensures they will eat dinner and not just snack on cookies and popcorn.

Well, I still may make Salmon Mac and Cheese, but I decided on a Salmon Risotto for now.

This was quick and easy and they really loved it.

I only added a little lemon as “someone” is not as big of a lemon fan as I am, I could have added the juice of a whole lemon, but I just topped mine off with a squirt and it was perfect. I was thinking of adding dill, but wasn’t sure how well “someone” would like it…so I kept it simple and added a little mustard with was delicious!

I love fish and think I could really eat it everyday. I love how creamy and delicious the risotto turned out and the familiar taste of Salmon was a huge hit with my kids.

The empty bowls were proof!

If you have Salmon left over from the previous nights meal, that would be perfect in this too. Or cook up a piece of two and put it into this. The canned salmon worked out well, I did go through it and picked out a few bones, so be sure to check the salmon before adding it into the dish.

Continue reading: Salmon Risotto

My go to jam on a PB&J is strawberry,

but for everything else it seems like raspberry is my favorite.

I love it on scones, especially lemon scones, on a piece of toast, bagels and… well….

cupcakes!!!!

It’s like a surprise inside a surprise.

And a little bit of jam/preserves goes a long way.

To create the swirl in the cupcakes. Add a teaspoon raspberry jam and use a toothpick to swirl it into the cake batter, in a figure 8 shape a few times. Since the jam is heavier than the cake batter, some settles on the bottom as they are baked and it’s perfect for biting into the cupcake and having the raspberry jam all through the cupcake and at the bottom.

The swirls stayed nicely when baked.

They are pretty enough to serve with frosting, but really WHY, then they’d be more muffin-like and well, Frosting is where it’s at!

I make a batch of Italian Buttercream Frosting and added Natural Raspberry Extract, I found it at Savory Spice Shop. As soon as I walked into their spice shop I knew I’d find lots of yummy things, and I did. Their Raspberry Extract is delicious and doesn’t have that medicine like taste that usually comes with typical raspberry flavoring. I can’t wait to use all the items I bought there. *All opinions are my own, I’m not being compensated for this post, I just happen to love their items.

Then I topped off the cupcakes with a bit more raspberry jam in the center of the frosting.

Continue reading: Raspberry Swirl Cupcake with Raspberry Frosting

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A fruit smoothies like no other.

Really there is avocado, pineapple and coconut in this delicious smoothie.

Perfect for Cinco de Mayo or to whip up and enjoy anytime.

I love pineapple and coconut together, it’s such a wonderful taste. I’ve made Grilled Cake and Pineapple that is a super-fun! A really popular quick and easy cupcake with pineapple and coconut is my Luau Cupcakes, both are really perfect for celebrating….even if you are the only one celebrating.

I really can’t get enough of avocados. I just love them and was recently asked how do I enjoy them most and my first thought was well, with a little salt and on a spoon. Really I can’t tell you how many times I eat them as a snack.

I thought it was time to makes something a bit more fun with them. I tend to make more savory items with avocados, like Avocado Sauce, Cilantro Lime Avocado Sauce, that I love over past and with chicken,  Jalapeño Pizza, I even make Tunafish with Avocados a fun savory Avocado Scone Recipe and even Avocado Lime Cookies that I sometimes add salt to.

Since pineapples seem to be in abundance around here right now, I thought it would be fun to make a cool and refreshing drink with pineapple and avocado. I added in some coconut and wow this smoothie was a hit.

Continue reading: Tropical Avocado Smoothie

Easy as PIE!

I know some of you don’t think pie is easy, but it really can be.

Pillsbury makes pie making even easier, they take the mystery right out of it and allow you to be creative with your pie making, so you’ll have more time to enjoy PIE!

I just love pie and have for as long as I can remember.

Now onto this Grilled Pina Colada Pie it’s super-easy and SUPER-delicious too.

I just love summer recipes that can go right on the grill. Perfect for dinner with friends or family especially since we all tend to grill more I bet you have a hot grill many nights a week in the summer and how great would it be to have a pie like this come off of the hot grill to enjoy.

Grilling pie couldn’t get any easier than in a cast iron skillet, but I also make hand pies if those are your favorites. Kids tend to like  hand pies as a grab and go treat, so this recipe will allow you to make a pie and 4 hand pies, I won’t tell if you hoard the hand pies all to yourself. Hand Pies, what Hand Pies?

I added a little bit of run into this pie, if you don’t prefer to use alcoholic beverages when you bake, an easy substitute would be rum extract, but really almond would work too for a fun twist.

I’m loving that the weather is heating up and we are spending even more time outside. The nights are still chilly, but really that is the perfect time for a  nice warm pie, don’t you think.

Place pie crust in 8″ cast iron skillet with pie crust hanging over the edges.

Add filling and wrap end of crust toward center of pie, fill pie with fruit mixture, then brush with and egg wash.

Place pie on preheated grill and in no time you will be enjoying a fun pie.

Continue reading: Grilled Pina Colada Pie

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Ever since I was a kid mashed potatoes have been a favorite of mine.

I loved eating them with dinner, and I especially loved when there were leftovers. I would heat them up and have them for a snack.

My tastes haven’t changed much, a bowl of mashed potatoes for a snack is pretty perfect to me.

I jazzed these up with some sour cream and sautéed onions oh and a bit of garlic too.

The best part is that I can whip a batch of these up so easily in my KitchenAid Mixer. I just love how fast it is and that I don’t have to fiddle with a hand mixer and those short beaters, it seems to take four times as long to whip potatoes with those.

There are so many things I use my KitchenAid Mixer for like making shredded chicken for the week in 22 minutes. I use it to make Italian Buttercream Frosting along with lots of yummy baked goods such as cookies, cakes, and scones.

Well I don’t want you to miss out on all the yumminess. I’m happy to tell you, you could WIN a KitchenAid Mixer.

“Pin” on Pinterest the image above with the mixer.

>click on the link to enter giveaway if rafflecopter box isn’t loading.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway is open from April 29th 2013 until May 6, 2013.

Sign in to Rafflecopter using Facebook or Email address.

Pick and choose how many entries you’d like.

The prize is a Professional Series KitchenAid 600 Series 6-Quart  Stand Mixer.

Want to make Sour Cream & Onion Mashed Potatoes while you wait to find out who WINS?

Continue reading: Sour Cream & Onion Mashed Potatoes and KitchenAid Mixer Giveaway

Key lime pie reminds me of being a kid in Florida with my family and grandparents and having them all talk about key lime pie. It seemed like the subject came up often. I could not imagine lime pie, and why everyone was raving over such a concoction. I was one who never passed up a dessert, so one night we had it for dessert in a restaurant and well I was hooked.

I haven’t been to the Florida Keys, but based on Key Lime Pie alone I’m sure I’d love it! Putting that on my list of things to do, right now.

If you are hooked on key lime pie like me, you will just LOVE these Key Lime Pie Cupcakes!

If you ask me the graham cracker crumbs play a VERY big role here, and after I had my fair share of these cupcakes I couldn’t imagine them without the really addictive taste that reminds me of really delicious pies, and well s’mores…but that is a whole other subject.

I put graham cracker crumbs on the bottom and top of these along with Lime Curd, you heard right, lime curd. It’s super easy to make and yes you really don’t want to skip this step, trust me. Make the lime curd and while you are whipping up the cupcakes take a spoonful and if you still have any left when the cupcakes are cool, then put some on top, otherwise, enjoy every spoonful it’s that yummy!

I pressed a teaspoon of the graham cracker mixture into the bottom of each cupcakes liners. Since I didn’t want a lot on the bottom of each cupcakes, once I placed the teaspoon in I added just a tiny bit of “dry” graham cracker crumbs on top of the mix I made. It made it easier to press. The remaining crumbs didn’t stick to my finger and pull away from the liner this way.

Then I filled the liners with the cupcake batter.

and baked them up all nice.

I bake my cupcakes in a dark coated pan so I put the temperature at 325 degrees. If I bake them at 350 degrees they get a golden color and are a bit dryer.

I whipped a container of key lime frosting with powdered sugar so the frosting would hold up to dunking it in graham cracker crumbs without sliding off the cupcakes.

Continue reading: Key Lime Pie Cupcakes

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Oatmeal cookies get kicked up a notch with Banana Cream yumminess in these Banana Cream Oatmeal Bites.

These can be made in a jiffy and are a crowd pleaser.

I love little bite sized treats. Some of my favorites are Pumpkin Spice Bites, Gingerbread Cheesecake Bites, Peanut Butter S’more Bites, Date Nut Bites, Mini Chocolate Pudding Cookie Cups and Shortbread Cookies with Raspberry Jam.

Yes, I may be a little obsessed with bite sized cookies. I’m not the only one, right?

Continue reading: Banana Cream Oatmeal Bites

Cake was invented for celebrating. I’m convinced of it! It doesn’t matter if it’s a major celebration or just a simple celebration of two friends getting together, there is always time for celebrating and cake is always necessary. At least I think it is. These fun little mini cakes are the perfect cake to share for all of life’s celebrations. From birthdays to report card days, to spending time with the ones you love, or the ones you hope to get to know more. Life is too hectic and busy not to take the time to celebrate all of the wonderful moments life hands us. If you have a wonderful day, well then go ahead and celebrate it with one of these cakes. You don’t even need to include anyone in your celebrating and if you have two cakes, I won’t tell anyone. Oh I didn’t mention sprinkles. SPRINKLES are VERY important. Trust me. They make celebrating more festive with all the super-fun colors.I added extra sprinkles to the top of the batter, so the mini cakes would have pretty sprinkles all over the tops as well as inside.  See the tops are covered in colorful sprinkles even after baked.  Fun, right? I just love lemon and adding lemon flavor to these mini cakes has you smelling the wonderful sweet lemon aroma as soon as they come out of the oven. Topping them with lemon frosting and tinting it yellow, makes the celebrating even more fun. Spring is here and I just love bright yellow flowers so that was a perfect look for these mini cakes.

Continue reading: Mini Lemon Funfetti Cakes

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I’m not sure if I prefer this for breakfast or a midnight snack best, but really this Blueberry Banana Chocolate Chip Cake is good any time of day.

It’s perfect to wrap up and take on the go in the morning. It’s perfect to eat right before bed. It’s healthy* really…just think of all that fruit in it. This is the cake that gets asked the question, how many pieces are we allowed to have? You don’t want to know what I answer, as you can see I already think it’s healthy

You could stop by and friends house with this and believe me, they will make you a cup of coffee or tea and invite you in, even if they are still in their PJ’s.

This cake is so full of yumminess and it’s ridiculous, but I didn’t think “ridiculous cake” would be the best title, but now that I’ve typed it, I think that may just be the best name for it.

I’m all for ridiculous, when it comes to cake. Load it up with everything yummy and I’m there.

If you like loaded up cakes, fruit or not and want to share it with me, leave me the recipe or link to your favorite one in the comment section at the bottom of this post. I’m all for trying more CAKE!

Lining a 13×9 pan with parchment paper makes it easy to remove this cake after it’s baked and cooled.

Bake it until it’s golden on top.

Once it’s cooled for about 5 minutes, you can carefully hold the parchment on two sides and lift the cake out of the pan.

Now is the time to hurry up and slice yourself a piece, before ANYONE else knows it’s ready!

Continue reading: Blueberry Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

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I wonder if there is a way to live on coconuts?

If there is, I think I could.

I could have coconut milk, coconut shavings, and toasted coconut….yeah that all sound good to me.

Let’s see, there would also be Mounds Candy Bars, those yummy Samoa Girl Scout Cookies and don’t let me forget coconut shrimp, coconut cream pie.

But I guess that wouldn’t be very filling, but it sure would be fun. Don’t you think?

So on my quest to have all things yummy and coconut-y I would have to add in this Coconut Lime Rice Pudding to my lovely list, and well if you are like me and love all things coconut, you will LOVE this.

Coconut Lime Rice Pudding.

Oh yes, all the yumminess of coconut and the tanginess of lime jumped into the pot of rice and… well, yes I could live on this forever! Not sure it would last more than a day, because 2 minutes is all the time it took to have an empty bowl (or two, don’t tell) and then, I’d have to make another batch. So maybe you couldn’t live off of this but I know you will want to! Basmati rice is really one of my favorite rices. I use it in place of other varieties of rice often. I love how well it cooks up and that it isn’t extremely starchy. I like basmati rice when I make Mexican food, Chinese food and since I’ve used it in rice pudding and love the result, I can’t wait to try it when I’m making coconut rice. But coconut rice is for another day. This was my first time using RiceSelect Jasmati Rice® it smells wonderful and tastes delicious. I can’t wait to use Jasmati Rice in other recipes. It has a wonderful light nutty taste and well to tell you the truth some days I think I could live on rice. Rice is so versatile and I really love rice with butter.

What dish would you use Jasmati Rice in? Would it be for dinner? Dessert? I’d love to know. Leave a comment in the comment section below and you will be entered to WIN a $100 visa gift card.

Continue reading: Coconut Lime Rice Pudding

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Remind me not to leave home without headphones.

PLEASE!

I went on vacation without them.

I was desperately begging my son and daughter to share theirs, and well I bet you can imagine how that worked out for me.

Actually my little guy gets the award for forfeiting them a few times. I did manage to borrow them on the airplane ride a few times and when I went running.
Yes, I went running on my vacation, what am I nuts? Well, yes but that’s a whole other topic.

It didn’t last long though, it was WAY colder and windier than I am used to and the slope on the sides of the roads made it hard to run straight and keep my balance. I guess when they made the roads with the water drain areas they weren’t thinking about runners and how one leg would have to be 8 inches shorter than the other.

I just kept thinking really this is spring? Thirty some od degrees wind that seem to blow in from the windy city, I had a hat and gloves on and was plenty warm, but after about 2 miles, I saw a shortcut and ran through a neighbors field, since nothing was planted I took a guess they wouldn’t mind. Besides it wasn’t like they’d mind all the mud I seemed to collect on my sneakers. Yep, that was fun cleaning them off. Red clay dirt type of mud, and lots of it.

For the rest of my trip I kept to walking, on cement!

Now that I’m home everything is blooming and the sun is shining and now I just need to lace up and get back running….

and remember my headphones.

I still can’t believe I left home without them. As soon as I got home I put a set of headphones in my pocket book. I had no idea how much I would have used them. To watch movies on the plane, and well to drowned out the music I kept hearing that really isn’t to my linking, everywhere I went I kept hearing it. I would do everything I could think of to not pay attention to the music, but as you know that can be hard.

So my advise it to not leave home without headphones. Music or not make sure you have headphones, chances are if you get tired of listening to what songs you have on some devise you own, you can just plug into someone else’s. Well then you’d probably need a spitter. Ok, just bring them. Just in case.

I really wish I hadn’t left home without some cupcakes either, but they don’t pack very well. I did bring these cookies, they packed nicely.

Continue reading: Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes

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These are NOT your ordinary biscuits!

These are biscuits and gravy Mexican Style.

Fluffy and high these Cheddar Biscuits are perfect for this gravy.

Truth be told about gravy. I LOVE it, I love it on french fries, mashed potatoes, it’s so yummy I really like dunking stuff in gravy.

Old El Paso asked me to create a recipe using their traditional refried beans and really when I dreamt this one up I wasn’t sure how it would turn out. But believe me, two batches of biscuits later the gravy was a huge hit, my kids saw me writing this up and they mentioned again how much they loved the gravy. Even my pickier eater loved it. I think he wanted me to stop everything and whip up a batch as we were speaking.

Heat butter and flour, whisk and cook 1 minute. Slowly add in chicken broth, whisking continually. Add in refried beans and whisk, the gravy with thicken upon standing.

Continue reading: Cheddar Biscuits with Refried Bean Gravy

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Trying to get 8 people to decide on a TV show is almost impossible. In my opinion, it’s easier to make a dessert they all can agree on. Clicking channels drives me crazy, seeing nothing interesting on 500+channels is just silly. I wish we  found some 80′s reruns to laugh at because most of the shows on these days are more unreal reality than TV was years ago. While others think automobile shows are the top pick, along with fishing and Duck Calling. I even voted that we all watch Forst Gump, but the channel changing continued….for a while.

So instead of focusing on the channel changing I decided to focus on this Mocha Cake I made.

I needed to make a easy and delicious cake fast.

This was a great solution.

A 14″ Mocha Cake with shaved chocolate on top.

Mocha icing is so wonderful. I just LOVE it.

I’ve make Mocha Cupcakes, Mocha Chip Cookie Cake and Chocolate Cake with Coffee and Cinnamon and they are all delicious but I needed a cake to serve many. This cake is the perfect size. It’s easy to make. Easy to transport and you don’t have to worry about it sliding, falling, or messing up (which is always a plus). To be sure the cake was cut nicely, but that the pan didn’t get gouged, I sent a plastic knife, the type that they sell to cut lettuce. I found one that was sold to cut cake, but really it’s the same as my lettuce knife, just a different color. Here is an example of the knife. It works great, it’s serrated and won’t mess up the cake pan.

The next time you need a yummy, quick cake for a crowd, this should be at the top of your list, or well at least you know what will be on mine.

Continue reading: Mocha Cake

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These cute bunnies have become my favorite Easter cookies.

I made lots of bunny cookies last year.

I see more chocolate bunnies this time of year it seems than, furry white bunnies.

I thought it was time to make a bunch of chocolate bunnies. I sent a bunch of cookies to my brothers family and well my nephew just loves the chocolate bunnies and asked my I sent white bunnies too. I guess I should have known chocolate would go over real well with him.

I sent the box at the end of last week, knowing they would most likely arrive a day before I did. I had it all planned out, I just love when plans work out well. They were all happy to get some cookies, but I’d like to think they were happier when we all arrived the next day.
We are looking forward to a fun Easter with everyone.
I hope your Easter Plans turn out well. It feels more like Winter Break than “Spring Break” the weather is colder then we are used to. But as I reminded my kids we are not going on vacation for the weather. We live in Southern California and the weather is pretty wonderful year round.

This trip is all about family! This is the time you want to s-l-o-w down, some days we wish we could speed up time. This is the opposite!

If they eat all the cookies I just may have to make more while I’m visiting, or maybe I’ll just make some other yummy treats.

I’m also looking forward to a nice dark chocolate bunny myself, some chocolate covered marshmallows and all the other fun Easter candy we see only once a year.

Continue reading: Chocolate Bunny Cookies

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It’s no secret I love rice pudding, and Horchata reminds me of delicious rice pudding.

I first had Horchata years ago and one sip and that is all that came to my mind, rice pudding.

It tastes like yummy rice pudding, with cinnamon, maybe nutmeg, and it’s creamy, but not heavy. Icy cold, oh I could go for a glass of Horchata right now. And some tacos!

So Horchata and Rice Pudding, the tow of those got me thinking about pudding cookies. 

Yep adding pudding to cookies has got to be a win-win, right?

Think Mexican Snicker Doodles. You do like Snicker Doodles don’t you? or do you just like saying Snicker Doodle, it’s a pretty fun name!   Now I’m side tracked thinking of Snicker Doodles and how I really need to make some of those again!

Bake to the Horchata,

really it’s all about saying fun words today.

Like saying Horchata! It sounds like a party, doesn’t it.

Well lets PARTY and make some Horchata Cookies!

Continue reading: Horchata Cookies

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I see flowers blooming and the bright colors popping up everywhere.

It’s SPRING!

I just love that we turned the clocks ahead and there is more daylight.

Our tree blooms early and it’s so pretty. I look forward to it blooming all year.

Dwarf Avondale Red Bud Tree

I just love it, the only thing I wish is that it would bloom longer!

What is your favorite party about spring? Is it all the flowers, the time change, the warmer weather?

Yep, it’s all of the above for me!

That and well lemons, really I get them all year from my moms Meyer Lemon Tree….and I always feel so lucky that she gives me so many delicious lemons. But this time of year it makes me want to turn everything LEMONY!

Do you have a favorite LEMON recipe, feel free to share it with me!

I love lemon curd and seem to make it every time I have egg yolks from making Italian Buttercream Frosting. It’s a WIn-WIn!

Shortbread is a favorite of mine too, so making it a little lemony was inevitable.

Filling lemon shortbread with lemon curd was a pretty good idea, so go….

It’s going on my “List”

you know….the list of things to make again and again….real SOON.

Imagine the cool crispness of a peppermint patty smashing into your cappuccino.

and well that cappuccino in cupcake form.

I think I dream of all yummy  things in cupcake and cookie form. Don’t you?.

It’s cool and crisp and comforting and yummy all at the same time.

I think I saw something like that on a York Peppermint Patty Commercial in the 80′s or….. well maybe I should have.

I think they had some funny commercials for those delicious peppermint patties!

I’m not going to lie, I bought a bag of heart shaped peppermint patties around Valentine’s Day and I think I ate most of them myself before I shared some. Not sure why no one found them hiding in the back of one of my baking cabinets in a brown paper bag.

I’m not sure why they never look in the brown paper bags, but in my house it’s usually hiding the best candy. If I didn’t put it in there,well the candy would be devoured in minutes, by me or them it would all depend on who got to it first.

I’m convinced everyone hides something at one time or another, hides their feelings, hides bad grades, hides money they secretly want to indulge on something with or they hide candy from others.

Continue reading: Mint Cappuccino Cupcakes

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Aren’t these festive and the perfect green for St. Patrick’s Day?

They are easy enough to whip up, so you can start celebrating.

Isn’t everyone a little bit Irish on St. Patty’s Day!

Velvet cupcakes wouldn’t be the same without cream cheese frosting, Red Velvet, Green Velvet, they both NEED cream cheese frosting and Oh how I love cream cheese frosting. I even added a bit of mint to these and it made them extra fun!

Well, really I love cream cheese… on anything, cheesecake, bagels, and well if I were being honest sometimes on a piece of toast with strawberry jam, yep…. that makes me very happy.

Well these Green Velvet Cupcakes make me happy too, they are pretty and delicious, a very important combination in cupcakes if you ask me.

Continue reading: Green Velvet Cupcakes