Recipes

The Perfect Strawberry Cupcake Recipe

6 · Aug 18, 2013 · 20 Comments

Strawberry Cupcake Recipe by Creative Team Member Jesseca from One Sweet Appetite // I have been on the hunt for the perfect fresh strawberry cupcake for years. It seems like almost every one I try has turned out dense, sunken, or dry. Luckily I never gave up and found a recipe that was intriguing enough for me to give it another try! These little cakes are to DIE for amazing. Light, moist, and full of strawberry flavor. I think the secret is keeping your berries diced nice and small. It spreads them out and keeps t hem from sinking to the bottom of the cake. Strawberry Cupcakes 2-3/4 C. flour 1 Tbsp. cornstarch 1 Tbsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 1 C. butter, at room temperature 2-1/4 C. sugar 1-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract 3 large eggs plus 1 large egg white 1 cup buttermilk 2½ cups finely diced strawberries Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line two muffin tins with paper liners and set aside. Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add your vanilla and eggs + white, one at a time. Mix until fully incorporated. Slowly stir in the flour mixture and buttermilk. Fold in the strawberries. Fill each cup 3/4 full with batter. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely then top with your favorite frosting! Super simple, and delicious! I topped mine with a Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream that is out of this world amazing! The flavor of the cake combined with the silky frosting is perfection. Great for a sweet snack on these warm summer nights. The great thing about this recipe is how easily you can change the flavor! Substitute the strawberries for blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries!

Here are some more fabulous recipes created by Jesseca…

chicken, corn tomato pasta salad, easy stuffed peppers, tom + chee inpsired grilled cheese

The Best Homemade Strawberry Lemonade

2 · Aug 15, 2013 · 4 Comments

Homemade Strawberry Lemonade // Happy summer day Whipperberry friends, it’s me Jo-Anna from A Pretty Life in the Suburbs! I’m so happy to be over here again today sharing some summer love with you!

Since summer is not over yet, I’m keeping this sunny season alive as long as I can! (Trust me, in my part of the world where summer lasts 2 months, you hold on to the last, most desperate glimmer of summer hope!) But I hope you are enjoying some fantastic weather where you are too, so you can sip on this amazing summer drink!

For me, there’s just nothing quite like lemonade…and I mean the real kind. The fresh, homemade, squeezed from real lemons, lemonade. And to make this drink even better, I’m adding fresh strawberry puree! Ah. Maze. Ing. And simple. Totally worth the effort.

Ingredients

6 lemons, juiced
4 cups water
½ – ¾ cup sugar (depending on how sweet or tart you want it)
1/4 cup pureed fresh strawberries

Instructions

Juice your lemons. (I just use a hand juicer.)
Add the sugar to the lemon juice and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Once the sugar is dissolved, add the water and stir.
Stir in the strawberry puree.
Garnish with a slice of lemon and a slice of strawberry.
Serve & enjoy!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

How pretty! These are gorgeous for family & friend get togethers or lazy days on the porch. Sip & enjoy!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

If you get a chance, pop on over for more yumminess! I love friends! 😉

Cedar Planked Brie Bites | Butterscotch Oat Drops | Easy Camping Recipes

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Thanks so much for reading & have a delicious day!

Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

Contributor Update

0 · Aug 5, 2013 · Leave a Comment

Contributor Update from DecoArt & Pillsbury // Hey there friends! This last weekend was kind of crazy around these parts… We are actually MOVING again! We finally found a home here in Lincoln that will fit our family sooooo much better than the one we are in right now. Thank goodness. It' s been a long 11 months in our Craig's List, site-unseen, rental adventure. "Anyone can do anything for a year," has been my mantra for the last 11 months. It's been a good growing experience for the whole family. I will however, miss the fabulous yard and the Little Red Barn! I may have to build my own little red barn at the new house.

I wanted to give you an update on what I've been up to over at the two sites that I contribute to each month, the new DecoArt blog and Pillsbury.

DecoArt Blog // Inspirational Lazy Susan

Today, on DecoArt I'm sharing how to make my Inspirational Lazy Susan…

It's a fun piece that I created using one of Rhonna Designs quotes that I think is a great reminder for everyone each day. Not only is it a fun lazy susan, but I coated it with DecoArt's Clear Chalkboard Coating so that you can write little reminders on it as well. It's so fun… For the full tutorial visit the new DecoArt Blog!

Pillsbury // Easy Thai Chicken Salad with Scallion Pancakes

Over at Pillsbury I'm sharing a FABULOUS chicken dish that if you are a Thai lover, you're going to die for!! It's an easy week night Thai Chicken Salad with Scallion Pancakes…

It's super easy and you'll never believe how I made the Scallion Pancakes. Come on over to Pillsbury.com to learn the secret and for the recipe!

Plum Berry Basil Ice Cream

1 · Jul 30, 2013 · 3 Comments

A couple years ago my sister in law introduced me to the flavor combination of strawberries and basil. Sounds odd at first, but they compliment each other beautifully! And I recently found a love for a frozen treat put plum and basil together, so when I was assigned to make one of the flavors of homemade ice cream for a family reunion, I knew what I wanted to do! Considering that one of my husband's uncles was hesitant to try it because of the basil, but then asked for the recipe later, I'd say it was a success.

Homemade Plum Berry Basil Ice Cream

Yields: 1 quart

Ingredients:

1 lbs very ripe plums, pitted and chopped, with skins (I used 4 large plums)

7-8 strawberries, sliced

2/3 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1/2 cup agave (or 3/4 cup sugar)

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped and bruised

In a medium pot, cook the plums and strawberries over medium heat, stirring often. Continue until the fruit softens and the plums start to break down — about 15 minutes. Pour into a heat proof bowl (I used a 9×13" glass pan to cool it down faster), add blueberries, then cover and refrigerate until the mixture is room temperature — about 30 minutes.

Pour the cream in the pot you just used for the fruit, and add the agave (or sugar) and basil, which has been finely chopped and bruised by pressing it with the flat part of the knife to release the oils. Warm the cream mixture over medium-low heat, stirring often. Cook for about 5 minutes (if you use sugar, make sure it has dissolved), then remove from heat to let steep — about 15-20 minutes.

Pour cream mixture through a strainer into the bowl (or 9×13" pan) with the fruit mixture to strain the basil, make sure to press the basil leaves with a wooden spoon to release any extra liquid and as much flavor as possible. And if you really like the basil flavor, like myself, you can put a spoonful of it back in. 🙂 Stir the mixture, then cover and refrigerate, until the ingredients are very cold — 1 to 2 hours, or more.

Pour ice cream into an ice cream machine and freeze/churn until desired consistency. You could serve immediately, or place in a freezer container and freeze for another few hours to harden it up. The lovely fuchsia color comes from the plum!

** If you don't have an ice cream maker, go here for great directions on how to make/freeze ice cream without a machine.