Hey lovelies! With Summer quickly approaching it's the perfect time to start planning out a road trip and get ready to make some awesome memories with your friends and family!
Some of my favorite road trips have been traveling to awesome concerts with my sister and cousin. Chatting and listening to music the whole way. If you know anything about the three of us you know that we love music... and cupcakes. So we would often times try to find the best cupcakes in every city we traveled to lol. And in case you're wondering, in Dallas that means Society Bakery, in Austin it means Hey Cupcake or Sugar Mama's Bake Shop. But anyway, cupcakes are totally beside the point, ahem. ;)
And if you're thinking of transportation for your road trip might I suggest renting a car from Turo. Turo is a peer-to-peer car rental company. You can rent from local car renters at your specific destination and also put your car up for rent. Pretty cool concept, I think! And if you happen to forget your tunes for the road, no need to worry, as people often leave their own road trip playlist behind for the next renter!
What is a road trip without some good tunes, right? Below are some of my favorite road trips jams! Hope you enjoy listening and have fun on your next adventure!
(Was having a little trouble embedding the Spotify player so if it's not working just click here to listen!)
Happy 2016, friends! I hope the new year has been good to you so far!
Well, even though this is a little late, I thought I would go ahead and blog about a few albums that were my favorite throughout 2015. I know it’s been pretty quiet on my blog for some time now but if there’s anything I can certainly blab on and on about, it’s music lol. So I hope you enjoy reading and maybe even discover a band or two. Also, let me know what your favorite albums and artists were in 2015 or what album you’re looking forward to 2016.
Vitals by MUTEMATH
The only downside to being a MUTEMATH fan is waiting 4 or 5 years between albums lol… but it’s without a doubt, always worth the wait. I’m always on the edge of my seat to see what these guys are going to do next. They never fail to make innovative and creative music with their signature experimental sound. Vitals, their 4th album, released in November, and did not disappoint. It’s definitely more synth heavy and poppy than their last album, Odd Soul, which had a classic rock vibe to it. But it’s sill the MUTEMATH we all know and love… just a little dancier this time around and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. Vitals will definitely keep you dancing throughout 2016.
Side note: My sister, the lucky duck that she is, got to see them in concert last year and said it was the best concert she’s ever been to. No surprise there, as these guys are known for their killer live shows. Hoping to finally find that out for myself in the near future. They're actually going to be at the House of Blues in Houston next month. Sadly, I have no one to go with... ahem, any takers? ;) They might be the only band I’ve been a fan of for over a decade and still have not seen live. And that simply has to change.
The Wonderlands EPs by Jon Foreman
Can I just start out by saying how beautiful this box set is? It’s all four EPs and 4 post cards in a beautiful wooden box. My sister got me this for my birthday and I was beyond thrilled! Makes a great keepsake for a crazy fan like myself.
The Wonderlands is 4 eps (Sunlight, Shadows, Darkness, & Dawn), based on the 24 hours in a day, 24 amazing producers, that all led up to Jon performing a whopping 25 shows in 24 hours. Quite the impressive project to say the least. Any Jon Foreman fan knows that these EPs had been a long time coming. The last time the Switchfoot frontman released any solo music was in 2008. It was totally worth the wait as this is without a doubt some of Jon’s most profound and heartfelt songwriting. You can just feel that he put all his blood, sweat, and tears into these songs.
He also worked with some top notch producers/artists for this project, such as: Darren King (MUTEMATH), Charlie Peacock, Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek), Ryan O’Neal (Sleeping at Last), and Andrew Wessen (Grouplove)… just to name a few.
I can’t say enough good things about these songs as they already mean so much to me. They are honest, introspective, and worshipful. They capture your heart and take you on a journey from start to finish. They make you think, feel, and consider. They remind of you beauty and truth in a world where it’s so easy to forget.
I started listening to this album on Spotify a few months ago and fell in love with these songs. I would listen to it in the kitchen while I was cooking and baking and just found myself worshiping God as I was stirring batters or chopping vegetables lol. I needed the worship and the presence of God that these songs ushered in.
Majestic Revisited is a remix of Kari’s original Majestic Live album, which was recorded in her hometown of Dallas, TX. One of the reasons I love it is because, since it is a remix album, the music and arrangements are a little more creative and out of the box than most worship albums. Which is always refreshing. Ranging from ethereal and ambient to a little dance pop in sound.
But the most important thing is that these songs are truly anointed. I received this album for Christmas and have been having some sweet times of worship to it.
I’ve been following Joy’s career since her CCM days when I was only about 16 years old. It’s been really amazing to hear the evolution of her music over the years; the way her writing has changed and the way she has changed. Venus is her first solo album in quite some time and the first since the break up of her duo, The Civil Wars. Joy has been very open and honest about the turmoil she faced that inspired much of this album. Not only had The Civil Wars broken up, but her marriage was falling apart, her dad was battling Cancer, and all the while she was still adjusting to being a new mom. She turned to music to work through these emotions.
The result being a brutally honest album with lots of raw emotion. But also with a sense of hope for a new beginning that you can hear in her voice.
This California band captured my heart a few years ago with their folk sensibilities and beautiful harmonies. Their sophomore album, Control, marked a new chapter for the band as it was a definite departure from that sound. This move was met with quite a bit of criticism, which is unfortunate because, in my opinion, it’s a truly good album. The quality of the songwriting, the vocals, even some harmonies are still there just set to the back drop of more of an 80’s reminiscent pop sound. There’s even some rock happening here… I mean, the percussion in Parents’ House and the music and vocals in When it’s Done. Yes, Milo can rock!
Look, I love bands that take risks with their sound. Bands that don’t make music just to try and please the masses. Bands that don’t settle for making the same album twice. I really believe that both this album and this band are highly underrated. While I will always love the first album, I’m having a great time dancing along to Control.
Voilents is a project by musician/songwriter, Jeremy Larson, where in which he collaborates with different artists for each EP. For “Absentee”, the second installment in this project, he partnered with Stacy Dupree King (Eisley, Sucre). Jeremy and Stacy also have another project together called Sucre, along with Stacy’s husband, Darren King (MUTEMATH), so I had no doubt that Absentee was going to be good. Stacy is one of my favorite female vocalists, her angelic voice paired with Jeremy’s songwriting/arrangements is such a winning combo. Makes me hungry for the next Sucre album. Side note, if you haven’t yet checked out Sucre please do yourself a favor and go listen here, seriously like right now. Not to be bossy or anything…
This is a short 4 song EP and really all the songs are so good that it’s hard to pick a favorite, but here’s a couple I can’t stop listening to: Northeast, Absentee.
Honorable Mention -
Hozier by Hozier
Okay, so yes, I know that this album released in 2014 but I just couldn’t leave it off the list. This was hands down the album I listened to the most in 2015. I just fell crazy in love with this guy’s soulful, bluesy vocals and songs. It was pretty much always playing in my house throughout the year, not even joking. But that voice… I. just. can’t. even. He’s just one of the most talented artists that I’ve come across in a long time. Anyway, I will stop gushing about this dashing Irishman now before it gets any worse than it already is… I mean, it’s not like I’m fan girling or anything ;). These are some of my favorites: From Eden, Work Song, Jackie and Wilson, and In a Week.
And because I’m a little obsessed and could probably listen to this a million times and never get tired of it, here’s an amazing acoustic performance of another one of my favorites, To Be Alone -
And a fun fact for those that grew up listening to Christian music like I did and remember the talented Rachael Lampa, well she happens to be one of his backing vocalists. How awesome is that? It's been so fun to see her performing with him on The Grammys and all the late night talk shows. She still has that powerhouse voice.
Album I’m looking forward to the most in 2016 – Switchfoot’s 10th album!!! They are in the writing and recording process right now and from what I hear, planning to release it in the Summer. They are giving updates and blogging about the process over on their website: Switchfoot.com! Can’t wait to see what these are going to do next!
And before I wrap this up, a few photos of my Christmas season!
Our living room all decked out for Christmas!
My dad’s White Chocolate Raspberry Cake, it’s not Christmas to me without this cake! Our table set for Christmas dinner, a cozy corner in our living room, and ornaments on our tree!
Our New Years Eve spread, Gouda Cheese Fondue with herb crostini's, tamales (not pictured), sparkling grape juice, and some Chocolate Espresso Pots De Crème for dessert!
Hey lovelies! So this is a post I actually started writing back in August and since I’ve become the worst blogger ever, I forgot to post it lol. But I decided what the hey, might as well post it a couple months late lol. Yep, this is what blogging has come to for me… half finished posts that rarely ever see the light of day. ;) Hope you enjoy reading anyway!
Watching: Once Upon A Time! I know I mentioned a couple months ago that I had started watching it on Netflix after my sister recommend it to me. Oh my goodness, I never expected to get this addicted to that show!! Seriously, it’s getting ridiculous, I have been watching like 2 episodes almost every night lol. I have just a few episodes left before I’m all caught up and ready for the premiere of season 5 on September 27th! Eek!!
Listening To: my Summer playlist on Spotify! Yes, I know it’s almost fall, which I’m so looking forward to, but I’m still loving these songs and summery vibe they give!
And this album, always:
Ah, what can I say? I just can’t deny it, I’m in love with this man… (cough) did I say this man? I meant this album. Yep, I’m all about the music, I swear! ;) No, but really, there is not a bad song on this album, just so so good! And that voice, boy can sang! I mean, anyone who can belt out a song like that has got my full attention. No, I don’t agree with everything he sings about or stands for but I do very much enjoy the art he makes.
I’ve had a love affair with basically every track on this album, where it’s the only song I want to hear for days at a time lol. Currently obsessed with this one:
I can’t explain it, it’s just so… morbid lol but so pretty all at the same time. It feels like a very Irish thing to do, putting devastating lyrics to a very pretty melody. He’s really such a good story teller that you can’t help but find yourself getting caught up in the story. Then suddenly you find yourself crying and thinking, “Why am I listening to this? This is devastating!”… Ahem, not that I would know or anything. Anyway, just listen to it and you’ll know what I mean!
Eating: these yummy grilled peaches with homemade whipped cream and cinnamon!
I got the idea from one of my favorite vloggers, Rachel Talbot from her Summer Treats video. This has become one of my favorite mostly healthy treats!
And pretty much always eating these Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans from HEB lol. Chocolate + coffee = my favorite treat in the whole world! Not even kidding! They’re so much better than chocolate covered espresso beans, in my opinion. They have a nice crunch to them but not quite as hard as choc. covered espresso beans. Try them but beware they are somewhat addicting.
Making: French Macarons!! Yes, finally, after years of Macaron fails and down right disasters, I have now baked my first ever successful batch!!! They even have feet!!! Finally victory is mine (insert evil laugh here)!!!
These lovelies, which are filled with Strawberry Raspberry Mascarpone Buttercream, were made using the Italian Meringue method. This method may be slightly more involved but yields beautiful consistent results. Let me tell you, I will never go back to the French method, it just never worked for me. The Italian meringue method is way less fussy and delicate. I will definitely be blogging more about this in the future!
For now, I’m really excited to start trying out different flavors and colors! The possibilities are endless!
Also have been making lots of this cold brewed coffee! It’s my favorite way to drink coffee in the summertime. I love having a couple jars full of coffee concentrate in the fridge for those sweltering summer afternoons when I need a cold drink.
Loving: My workouts! Maybe this should fall into a love/hate category lol. No, on most days I actually do enjoy working out. It’s taken me a long time to get to that place, trust me. But I really love how strong, energetic, and healthy it makes me feel. I try to workout out 5 to 6 six days a week and change up my routine so I don’t get bored with anything. Mostly I do videos on YouTube and then 3 days a week my cousin Pam and I workout together on Skype! Which has been so fun and motivating! I love that we can still workout together and push each other even when we live a couple hours away!
Thinking About: How much I miss this pink haired girl! A couple photos of my sister Cecily and I when she visited in July! We had so much fun hanging out, talking, baking, watching movies, and taking a trip to Austin! My parents and I are headed over to GA to visit her in December and I can’t wait.
Wishing: I could’ve gone to the Jon Foreman concert this past Sunday in Houston at Warehouse Live. Can’t even tell you how much it broke my heart to miss that. He recently released two of four EPs from his “Wonderlands” project and they’re amazing!! This song from the “Sunlight” EP has been my favorite: All Of God’s Children. Would love to see these songs performed live at some point! Jon is one of my very favorite songwriters, whether it be with Switchfoot, his solo music, or in Fiction Family. Plus, he’s been a huge role model and inspiration to me. Anyways, I will probably be pouting about this one for a while. :(
Hey my Valentines! Hope you’re having a happy love day today! This has always been one of my favorite holidays… chocolate, roses, pink & red hearts! In a relationship or not, what’s not to love about that? It’s actually a holiday that just makes me want to bake cupcakes… always been this way for some reason. When I was a teenager I would buy a strawberry cake mix & canned cream cheese frosting (Ugh, even though now cake mixes & especially canned frostings go against everything I believe in. I was young.) and cover them with lots of pretty pink sprinkles. It was my yearly Valentines tradition for a while & it made me happy.
But another cupcake flavor that always seems to make an appearance on February 14th is the southern favorite, Red Velvet! In all honesty, I’ve never been a Red Velvet fan. Most red velvet cakes tend to be dry, crumbly, and lacking in flavor. And then the traditional cooked frosting always tastes like flour to me and I’m not fond of most cream cheese frostings. If I eat red velvet it has to be exceptionally good. And I believe it’s for this reason that I’ve wanted to find the perfect red velvet recipe. Especially in the last few weeks it’s sort of became my quest.
I scoured the internet looking for recipes. I finally found one that I thought looked and sounded amazing. It was this recipe from Rosie over at Sweetapolita. I just planned to make the cake part of it & find a cream cheese frosting to go with it. First let me say, I think this girl is a freakin’ baking genius! I’ve been stalking her blog trying to learn all her baking secrets. My family & I actually made her vanilla cake for my parents vow renewal this past summer and it was one of the best cakes I’ve ever tasted.
So I tried this recipe, which calls for red velvet baking emulsion, which I’ve never used before but managed to track down. It’s the color and a flavoring all in one. The cupcakes came out super moist but the emulsion gave the them an almost citrusy flavor that I honestly couldn’t decide if I liked. So I decided to keep on looking and ended up going back to a recipe that I tried about a year ago and really liked. For some reason I had forgotten about this recipe. It’s the from a cookbook I have called “Chocolate Bar”. If you’re looking for a red velvet cake that is moist, flavorful, but still traditional, this is it! In my opinion it meets all the criteria I’m looking for in red velvet.
Oh and the cream cheese frosting… heavenly! I scored big time when I found this recipe. But more about that below!
A traditional red velvet that is moist and flavorful! True test is that they honestly even taste good without the frosting… though you’d be crazy not to frost them with this lovely and delish cream cheese frosting.
So I haven’t stopped raving about this frosting since I made it. You HAVE to try it! And I can’t stress that enough. Some people like the traditional cooked frosting, some people like buttercream but now a days cream cheese frosting seems to be the consensus for red velvet. I don’t know about you but every cream cheese frosting I’ve ever made has turned out to be a soupy mess and tends to taste like unbaked cheesecake. This one, because it contains equal amounts of butter and cream cheese turns out fluffy, creamy, and perfectly pipable (Dear spell check, I’m aware that’s not a word but I’m using it anyway)!
And it doesn’t taste like unbaked cheesecake. It tastes like buttercream but with the slight tang of cream cheese. And it’s not toothachly sweet. Oh yes, perfect!
The frosting doesn’t over power these cupcakes but is the perfect compliment! If you’re feeling festive top them off with some sprinkles and leftover conversation hearts.
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons good quality cocoa powder 1 ounce red food coloring (1 bottle) 2 1/2 cups cake flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon vanilla 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter 1 1/2 tablespoon shortening at room temp. 1 2/3 cups sugar 2 eggs 1 egg yolk 2 tablespoons boiling water 1 tablespoon white vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar after reading somewhere that it makes them a little sweeter) 1 teaspoon baking soda
Directions: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, red food coloring, and 2 tablespoons of boiling water. Set aside to cool.
Sift the flour and salt together. In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk and vanilla together.
In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and shortening together on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and continue beating for approximately 5 minutes until pale and fluffy.
Add the eggs and yolk one at a time, blending well after each addition.
Mix in the cocoa, food coloring, and water mixture just until blended.
Alternately add the flour and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.
Dissolve the baking soda in the vinegar (the mixture will fizz) and add to the mixer until just combined.
At this point, though it’s not in the original recipe, I added in about 1/4 cup of mayonnaise. I know this may gross some people out but trust me, you can’t taste it whatsoever. It just makes the cupcakes even more moist. Just mix it in till well blended.
Fill cupcake pan and bake for 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
I’m just going to direct you to Stacy over at The Wicked Kitchen, where I found this amazing frosting. She explains why it works better than I do. Plus she has a lot of killer recipes. Best Ever Cream Cheese Frosting.
Valentines Playlist -
And because this holiday deserves some tunes, here’s a lovey dovey playlist for you!
Also wanted to share a photo of some diy Valentines decorations I made…
Just some simple felt heart and xo garlands hanging in the kitchen. Think it lights a festive air! :)
Okay sweets, hope you’re having a lovely Valentines Day!
In the hustle and bustle of Christmas it’s easy to lose sight of what we’re really doing all of this for. To lose sight of what or rather who we’re really celebrating. Tonight, on this Christmas Eve, I want to pause just for a moment – from all the cooking, baking, and gift wrapping – to refocus on the only real reason to celebrate this beautiful holiday, the birth of my Savior, Jesus Christ. It’s way more than just the tree, lights, gifts, and songs… it’s about a way being made for us when there was no way. It’s about salvation.
So many Christmas songs are actually very worshipful. The words to “Oh Holy Night” for instance (one of my favorites) is a powerful song that speaks God’s love and deliverance.
"Truly He taught us to love one another, His law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother. And in his name all oppression shall cease."
This is really the only time of year that people, no matter their beliefs, sing worship songs to God simply by singing Christmas carols.
As much as I love all the fun Christmas songs the ones that mean the most to me are what I’m calling “true meaning songs”. The songs on this playlist help me refocus on Jesus and why He came. They make me reflect on who I’m really celebrating and why.
So I hope that tonight you’ll stop for just a moment and worship & reflect with me. :)
A song I couldn’t find on Grooveshark but had to share:
Merry Christmas! Hope you have very happy holiday!
I can’t believe Christmas is already less than a week away! Crazy! How did it get here so fast? I just want at least one more week, ya know? But I have been soaking up every bit that I can. Decorating, doing a crazy amount of baking (but to be fair some of it has been going to family), Christmas movie watching, and non stop Christmas music.
The music has to be one of my favorite things about this holiday. So many beautiful and fun songs that set the mood for the season and become the soundtrack to our special memories. While making my playlist I realized I have way too many favorites… ahem, case in point, it was a list of 33 but I finally got it down to 26 (& kinda can’t bear to take off anymore).
I also have a very special guest sharing their favorite Christmas tunes with us today as well! My best friend, my concert buddy, my musical partner in crime (not exactly sure what that means but…), my sister, Cecily! Who, I might add, used to get so super annoyed with me when we were younger for supposedly “torturing” her with too much Christmas music. I still say there is no such thing. We were never the type of sisters to fight very often but this became our yearly holiday argument. Ah, memories ;).
She lives in the peach state now and sadly won't be able to make it home for Christmas this year :(. We miss her like crazy! Living states away really sucks, especially at this time of year. But finding small ways (like this) to still celebrate the season together, even miles apart, makes it a little bit easier. Plus, listening to music and sharing music is always more fun with her.
(Pretty pumpkins galore at the Central Market & Whole Foods in Austin last month.)
I can’t believe that tomorrow is already December 1st! So crazy how fast fall came & went, isn’t it? While I’m so ready to start decking the halls and enjoy my favorite holiday, I must admit I’m a little sad to see fall go. So I thought before I officially go Christmas crazy I would recap some of the lovely & fun moments of the season.
And in true me fashion… below is a very late, totally last minute fall playlist lol. I couldn’t help myself… so just indulge me, okay? ;) These songs were my fall in music form.
In October my family and I took a trip to Le Cordon Bleu in Austin (where God willing, I will be attending in the very near future). They were having a fall cooking demo & open house. We got to watch the chefs make food, hear them talk about cooking & the school, ask questions, and sample the food! Then afterwards take a tour of the school. This was so fun for a foodie like me!
The first chef made breaded & fried goat cheese with fig preserves… which I ate every bite of before I even thought about taking a picture lol. But trust me, it was delish! The next chef made the soup pictured above. I honestly do not remember the name of it lol, but it had butternut squash in it and cilantro… it was really good! The food was great and everybody there, the chefs included, were so friendly. I loved just walking around & looking at the awesome Halloween cakes the students made! I kinda love this place!
Lots of fall baking (pumpkin rolls, pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes), fall crafts (wreath, glitter pumpkins, & painted pumpkins), way too many pumpkin spice lattes, and our Halloween spread (chicken salad sandwiches, dip, my dad’s traditional green punch, popcorn balls, cupcakes, and turtle apples).
My sister just got to come visit all the way from GA! We were over the moon happy she got to come, we miss that girl like cray! She stayed for 6 days, which went by way too fast, but somehow we managed to fit in just about all the things we had planned. We celebrated my birthday with lunch at The Cheesecake Factory (tamale corn cakes… amazing!) and cupcakes & macarons at The Sweet Boutique (my favorite bakery) in Sugarland. We watched tons of Gilmore Girls, did some crafting, baking, cooking, shopping, and smashbooking.
The Christmas bulbs my sister, my mom, and I painted and decorated! Such masterpieces, aren’t they? lol They were a lot of fun to make… mostly cause we made them together.
So yes, ladies and gentleman, they laughed, they scoffed, they said it couldn’t be done… but we did it! We made tamales!! My family (namely my sister & dad) have been talking about making tamales for at least a couple years now, but everyone we would talk to would try to talk us out of it. Telling us how hard & awful the whole process was. My grandma & aunts used to make them all the time on New Years Eve when we were growing up. It was a family tradition. Now that my grandma is gone we usually just order them. But using an amazing recipe from my aunt, we decided to give it a shot while my sister was here.
It was a family affair. My sister and I were spreading the masa on the corn shucks while our parents filled them with the meat and rolled them up. We were nervous about the outcome but they could not have turned out better! They were so flavorful and delish! And... easy! I honestly don’t understand what all the fuss is about. They were a little time consuming but one of the simplest things I’ve ever made. Will definitely be making them this New Years Eve instead of ordering them!
My sister and I may be half breeds but we felt like true Mexican's that day (or Latinas :D)... but then we made Creme Bruelee for dessert (yep, now that's our white side coming out ;)).
Family photos! Some of my sister and I, a family photo outside the mall in Sugarland, my sister, my mom, and I in our front yard, and one of my favorite photos of us with our cousin Pam and her adorable son, Elijah!
And last but not least, our Thanksgiving spread! My mom and I cooked the feast… we were so tired, but it all turned out amazing… so I guess it was worth it.
Turkey, my grandma’s recipe for dressing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, rice & broccoli, and homemade cranberry sauce! And my dad made his traditional dessert… it’s his creation he’s been making since I was a kid. There’s no name for it but it has strawberries, Chips Ahoy Cookie crumbs, cream cheese, whipped cream, and marshmallow cream. It’s no bake and really good!
This fall season was not without its stresses and anxieties but there were also so many good moments that made up for it. All in all, it was a time of making a lot of happy and fun memories. Hope you all had a really lovely fall season as well! Now may the Christmasing commence! :D
I can’t believe Halloween is tomorrow! Feels like it just snuck up on us. I couldn’t let this fun holiday pass without making some Halloween cupcakes! Plus, I had these super cute cupcake liners, sprinkles, and picks that I had to get some use out of, right? ;)
One of my favorite fall dessert combinations is pumpkin and chocolate, they are just a match made in heaven. So when I came across this recipe I knew I had to give it a shot. I decided to make two different kinds of frostings for a little variety: Maple Buttercream Frosting and Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. These cupcakes just taste and look like the season to me.
So put on the Halloween playlist below the recipe and bake some of these lovelies for your trick or treaters! But if you decide to be selfish and keep them for yourself, I won’t judge!
Happy Halloween! :)
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Maple & Chocolate Buttercream Frostings -
These cupcakes are light, fluffy, and super moist. The warm flavors of the pumpkin, cloves, ginger, and pumpkin pie spice pair perfectly with the sweetness of the chocolate chips.
Both frostings are a great compliment to these cupcakes. With the maple frosting, I left out the cream cheese and just added a whole stick of butter instead. It turned out just as good, very creamy, and fluffy. The maple flavor didn't come through as much as I was hoping but I'm pretty sure that's because I didn't have any maple extract and had to rely solely on the syrup. But it was still really delish! Very much the taste of fall. Though a little on the sweet side, I will say.
The chocolate frosting is my go to recipe. It's basically an adaption of Hershey's one bowl buttercream. Over the years I just started doing it this way and liked it better than the original. But feel free to use your favorite chocolate frosting recipe. It’s so good on these cupcakes! As I said before, chocolate and pumpkin are just meant to be. And while the maple rocked, I think I like them better with this frosting. It's rich, creamy, chocolaty, and fluffy.
I was going to go more elaborate on the decorations. I was very ambitious and had planned to make these cute white chocolate spider webs & chocolate spiders for the top. But alas, it was not to be. It looked so easy but mine were either turning out too big or too weird. Probably because I was trying to use a piping bag and tip instead of a squeeze bottle. So I got frustrated, threw the first batch in the garbage, made them again, got even more frustrated, threw the second batch in the garbage... and settled on sprinkles, candy corn, and little candy pumpkins for garnish lol.
In spite of that, I still think they turned out pretty cute & festive! Hope these cupcakes make your Halloween even more delish!
Cupcakes -
Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter, softened ¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar ¼ cup granulated sugar 4 large eggs 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon ground ginger pinch of ground cloves 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups canned pumpkin 1 cup mini chocolate chips candy corn, candy pumpkins, and sprinkles for garnish (optional)
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with paper liners.
In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, beat butter at medium speed until creamy. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, and cloves. Set aside.
Gradually add both sugars to mixing bowl, beating well. .Add eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Gradually add flour mixture, beating just to combine. Add vanilla and pumpkin beating until blended.
Stir in chocolate chips. Divide batter between muffin cups. (You should get approximately 18.) Bake for 18 to 20 minutes and let cool.
Maple Buttercream Frosting - Ingredients: 3 ounces cream cheese, softened 4 tablespoons butter, softened 1/4 cup maple syrup 1/2 teaspoon maple extract 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 4 cups confectioners' sugar
Directions: Cream together the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add the syrup, extract, pumpkin spice and sugar. Mix on low for a minute and then on high until creamy. NOTE: If your frosting is too thick you may add water but only a teaspoon at a time. This recipe is only for 12 cupcakes. Double recipe if needed.
Directions: In a medium bowl beat butter till light & fluffy. Add in cocoa and beat till incorporated. On low speed, beat in powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Add in vanilla and heavy cream and beat 2-3 minutes till fluffy.
Pipe or spread chocolate & maple frostings onto cooled cupcakes. Decorate as desired.
What is Halloween (or any holiday for that matter) without some awesome tunes? I wasn’t sure if I was going to make another Halloween playlist this year. I was pretty proud of the one I made last year (which you can listen to here) and I thought I might be just repeating a lot of the same songs. But I started to think of and find so many good ones! Thus, volume two, if you will, for your Halloween pleasure!
This beautiful collection of songs by Switchfoot frontman, Jon Foreman, may be 7 years old but it’s definitely a gem worth revisiting! Especially since we are in the fall season it’s the perfect time to pull out these lovely tunes once again.
I remember downloading this EP, Jon’s very first solo project, right when it was released at midnight in November of 2007. I had been anticipating this EP for a while so there was no way I was going to wait till morning to buy it. Needless to say, I instantly fell in love.
Six songs all reflecting everything I love about Jon’s songwriting. Songs filled to the brim with so much depth and meaning. But this time somewhat softer and more sparse in sound with cello, clarinets, harmonicas, acoustic guitar, and soft piano. A little different than what you typically hear on a Switchfoot album.
Jon said that since his favorite season is fall these songs ended up reflecting the that. And you can definitely hear the season floating in between every single note.
"The Cure For Pain" is an honest, somber tune about facing the pain in your life, "Heaven knows, heaven knows I've tried to find a cure for the pain. Oh my Lord, to suffer like you do. It would be a lie to run away". The romantic & reflective "Southbound Train" features Jon on harmonica and acoustic guitar as well as the talented, Keith Tutt, on cello. The creative use of a pillow and breathing for percussion gives the song a train like sound. "Lord, Save Me From Myself" is an acoustic, harmonica infused plea to be saved from the traps of this world, "My eyes have seen the glory of this hollow modern shell. And sex is a grand production but I'm bored with that as well. Ahh, ahh, Lord, save me from myself".
"Equally Skilled" is a folksy tune with lyrics taken straight from the scriptures in Micah. "Moon Is A Magnet" is my personal favorite. This song with its beautiful bass clarinet and somewhat odd time signature just steals my heart everytime. Its jazzy sound & quirky lyrics make me smile. Closing track, "My Love Goes Free" is a soft piano tune about letting go. You can hear the heartbreak in Jon's voice as he repeats the line, "If you love her let her go". A perfect ending to this lovely project.
I'm continually inspired and amazed at Jon's songwriting as well as his heart for God and people. He’s sort of a hero or role model of mine, if you will. But I’ll spare you any more of the cheesy stuff lol and just say that whether it be in Switchfoot, his solo music, or in his side band, Fiction Family, he writes honest songs filled with so much beauty and truth.
This was the first of Jon's seasonal EPs released over the course of 2007 & 2008. To purchase "Fall" click here. To purchase "Winter", "Spring", & "Summer" click here. Do yourself a favor and check them out. Trust me, they're all amazing.
"In this way I feel like the creative process brings me closer to God. As a creator of a song I get to take all these broken fragments of failure and chaos and weave together something beautiful and meaningful. Decay. Death. Pain. Fall. And if God is a songwriter then these fallen leaves of mine can be redeemed." - Jon Foreman
