strawberry lemonade cupcakes

Ingredients:

cake
1/2 packet Jell-O vanilla pudding mix
2 tsp strawberry Kool-Aid drink mix

frosting
12oz. Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened (1 1/2 packages)
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp heavy cream
1 packet lemonade Kool-Aid drink mix (you won't be using the whole packet, start with about 1/2 tsp and adjust from there after tasting)
Yellow food coloring, optional
16 oz. Cool Whip frozen topping, thawed
Fresh strawberries, sliced, for decoration
Lemon rind, for decoration
Strawberry licorice twist, cut into 3" sections, for decoration
Yellow decorating sugar, optional, for decoration


Directions:

Look at your cake mix box and preheat to suggested temperature written in the directions.

Add the dry mix to the bowl of a stand mixer, then follow instructions on the cake mix box (remembering to substitute milk or buttermilk for the water, and adding an extra egg). Pour in the vanilla pudding mix and strawberry Kool-Aid mix. Beat until combined.

Prepare muffin tin by lining with cupcake liners. Fill liners about 2/3 of the way full and bake, according to package directions, or until a toothpick inserted in the cupcake comes out clean.


for frosting
To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar and heavy cream. Beat until well combined. Add in a bit of the lemonade Kool-Aid mix and beat to combine.


Spoon in the cool whip and mix until light and fluffy. Taste, and add more lemonade Kool-Aid mix if desired.


Add frosting to a large piping bag (or large zip top bag with a corner snipped off) and use any decorating tip you desire. I used a large closed star tip.

Box of strawberry cake mix (plus milk, eggs and oil, as indicated on the box)

apple blossom || 2016

This year wasn't my first Apple Blossom festival, but it was the first time we lived downtown in the middle of it all, and it was CRAZY. We did a lot of front porch sitting and people watching throughout the weekend and although the weather wasn't perfect I still had a great time. 

The festival itself is a week long celebration filled with luncheons, parties, and activities around town, but the big excitement comes from the two parades, fireworks, and carnival games/rides. The Fireman's Parade happens on Friday night followed by a firework show on the other side of town, and the Apple Blossom parade is on Saturday afternoon. 

In the Apple Blossom parade this year the Grand Marshall was Wayne Brady, and the Sports Marshall was Cal Ripken Jr. If you don't know who these people are go ahead and Google them. The parade is filled with local companies that design floats, tractors, firetrucks, police cars, and marching bands. My favorite part of the whole weekend is the food though.

At the Midway you can find all sorts of fair and carnival food like funnel cakes, corn-dogs, elephant ears, kettle corn, and chicken on a stick. There are also carnival games and activities for people of all ages. There is also a live band playing in the middle of it all.

I can't wait to see what next year's celebrations bring!!

currently || may

eating || ALL THE FRUIT. I love that all the fruit is starting to come in season now. I have strawberries in the refrigerator and I will probably be buying more at the grocery store this week. Another favorite are peaches this time of year, even though they are some of the messiest things on the planet. Our farmer's market should be opening soon, so Saturday morning trips there will be a must this month!

watching || More playoff hockey!!! The Capitals have made it to round two where they will face the Penguins. They have already won game one, so it won't be a complete shut out. This rivalry is intense and I imagine through this month that will show. Hope to be typing about this in the next currently series!

traveling || to St. Thomas!! A friend is getting married later this month and I am making the trip down to St. Thomas to celebrate with them. I am excited to spend a week on a tropical island without any worries of work or home, but I am terrified to come back and see what the house looks like after a week of me being gone. I'm sure there will be a post with lots of pictures in the next coming weeks.

reading || I just finished two books and you can check out that review. I have quite a few books on hold at the library, so I'm not sure which one will come available first. I want to keep reading but I don't want to actual buy the book-first world problems. If I haven't gotten a book off my holds list in the next week or so I will have to pull the trigger and buy a book from Amazon. The current holds I have are The Nightingale, All the Light we Cannot See, The Swans of Fifth Avenue, and What Alice Forgot.

planning || I need to start making plans for a weekend trip to Hershey Amusement Park in the next few weeks. We want to go in early June before school is out for the summer, and it's also not as hot. I need to get my butt in gear and get to calling hotels to get a room for a few nights. To be continued...

book reviews

I have been on a reading roll, since recovering from my book hangover. First I read The Secret Life of Bees and then I read The Girl on the Train. Both were incredibly satisfying and had me wanting more after I turned the last page.


The Secret Life of Bees is set in the American south during the start of the Civil Rights movement. It follows the life of a teenage girl in search of information about her mother. She finds her self in a very unusual place, but feels as though that is where she belonged her whole life.

It was an easy read and didn't induce any nightmares, which is always a plus in my mind. I know there is a movie based on the book starring Dakota Fanning, but I have yet to watch it. The books are usually better, but if I happen to watch it I will add it to this post.

---

The other book I finished this month was The Girl on the Train and let me say this...it totally lived up to the hype. This book was AMAZING!! It may have given me nightmares, but I couldn't put the book down and I found myself reading at all hours of the night.

This book is set in London and follows a woman who takes the commuter train into town every morning. She watches out the window of the train and daydreams about what people's lives are like on the other side of the tracks. When a girl goes missing, the girl on the train proves to be a key component in solving the mystery. If you like mystery fiction with a little suspense check this book out. It feels very much like Gone, Girl so if that's your cup of tea you will enjoy this story. 

There is a movie coming out in October 2016 that tells this story. The main character is Emily Blunt and you can check out the teaser trailer from Universal Studios.  

refurbished front porch planter boxes

With the nice weather we had this weekend, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to do a bit of sprucing up before Apple Blossom. We have these concrete planters on our front porch that weigh a million pounds-not really, but close. They are extremely heavy and an eyesore on the porch. I knew I wanted to plant something in them for the spring, but I don't have the greenest thumb. 

We started off by making a trip to Lowes to look at their garden section and pick up some grass seed. I popped in to look at all the flowers they had blooming and I was amazed. Everything was so vibrant and beautiful that I had a hard time choosing. We decided to pick up a bunch of Celosia and another upright annual to add some height to the planters. 

While we were there, I picked up some spray paint that could be used on masonry. We bought the color "metallic rust" and it turned out a bit coppery, but I really like the way it looks against the brinks of the house. 

That's how we turned old concrete planters into something new and vibrant. Can't wait to watch the new plants grow this spring!

the most wonderful time of the year

PLAYOFF HOCKEY IS HERE! I repeat, playoff hockey is here.

This is y most favorite time of the year, with Christmas being a close second. Beards are just getting started and every fan is hoping to see their team play into June.

I was lucky enough to attend the Capitals first playoff game this year against the Flyers and it was AMAZING.  The arena was full of energy and fans couldn't take their eyes off the ice. The Caps pulled out a victory to give them a one game advantage in this series. I can tell after last nights performance that this series between the two teams is going to be personal, physical, and demanding.

Follow me on this wild road that is playoff hockey. Hope to see you in June :)

chicken poppyseed casserole

This is another delicious recipe that we enjoy during the week because its quite easy to assemble. As always I make some changes to mine and deviate from the recipe just a tad. I only use two chicken breasts and I find that that is plenty, but I use two cups of uncooked rice in order to fill the bottom of the casserole dish. 

I also like added some chopped steamed broccoli to the mix. It's just the kind you can steam in the microwave inside the bag-then chopped into finer pieces because broccoli is not my favorite. 

There you have it.  A quick dinner for weeknights that will leave you with plenty of left overs. 

Ingredients:

4 cooked and shredded chicken breasts

1½ sticks butter

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

1 ½ stacks of Ritz crackers, crushed

8 oz sour cream

2 cups cooked rice-cook in chicken broth or use rice pilaf from box

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Melt butter and add Ritz crackers

2. Layer chicken, soup, poppy seeds, salt, pepper and sour cream over the rice in a casserole pan

3. Spread cracker mix on top and bake at 350° for 35-45 minutes or until bubbly.