Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes



When the children wanted a bake sale at our yard sale last week, I knew which cupcake recipe I wanted to try first.  Orange Creamsicle cupcakes.   They really do taste like orange creamsicles and they’re simply delicious.

The recipe is a Better Homes and Gardens recipe that I found here .

Want to make some?  (Trust me, you do.)  Here goes:

Ingredients:

1 white cake mix 1 small box (3 oz) orange flavored gelatin 1 small box (3 oz) cheesecake pudding mix 1 1/4 cups orange juice 4 eggs 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 tsp. vanilla ** Set aside 2 teaspoons orange gelatin to save for the frosting. **
In a bowl, mix together cake mix, orange gelatin (minus the 2 tsp.), and cheesecake pudding mix.   Add orange juice, eggs, vanilla and oil.  Mix until combined.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place cupcake liners in pan.  (This recipe made 2 dozen regular sized cupcakes plus a dozen mini cupcakes.)  Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter.  Bake for 18-20 minutes or until done.  Cool completely.

Frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese 1/2 cup butter 2 tsp. reserved orange gelatin 1 tsp. orange zest 2 tsp. vanilla 5 – 6 cups powdered sugar orange food coloring (if desired; I didn’t use any.)

Soften cream cheese and butter at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.  In a large bowl beat together butter, cream cheese, orange gelatin, orange zest and vanilla until light and fluffy.  Add in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until you reach desired consistency.  Decorate cupcakes.


These cupcakes were a huge hit.  We had one couple buy one, get in their car to drive away, then turn off the engine and come back to buy a dozen.  We will certainly be making them again soon.

This little one liked them, too:




She makes me laugh.

HH

Seven



This beautiful little girl is seven years old today.  I decided to start the day off with a surprise.


I got up early to cook breakfast, then woke everyone up so we could eat breakfast outside as the sun climbed up over the mountain.


The menu was simple:  breakfast sandwiches, potatoes, yogurt and orange juice.  What made it special was the cool morning air, the sound of the neighbor’s sprinklers, birds singing in the trees.  It was also fun to look around the table at rumpled hair and smiling faces as we broke the morning quiet with a rousing “Happy Birthday to You”.


The bulk of tonight’s celebration will be an outdoor movie after dark.  I didn’t want her to wait that long so we opened her gifts at breakfast.  She seemed pleased.  I really want her to have a happy day.  I love this girl so much it hurts sometimes.


I’ve wanted to eat breakfast outside for a while but just haven’t done it for this or that reason.  I loved it.  We’ve got to do it more often.  Sitting outside as a family while the sun slowly creeps toward you is a beautiful experience.  I highly recommend it.


I’m off to bake the birthday cake!

Jennifer

The Gardens



I haven’t written much lately about our gardens.  You may remember that we built each of our children their own garden box to plant anything they wanted in.  We’ve had a great summer watching plants grow and grow and grow some more.  It’s been as wonderful as I’d hoped.

As you can see, my zucchini and spaghetti squash are thriving (or as my husband says, taking over the yard).  It’s fine with me.  I love the steady stream of squash that’s coming into my house in the hands of excited little people every day.


The eggplant blossoms are so pretty, and the eggplants themselves are tiny and adorable.


We’re enjoying homegrown lettuce in our salads.


My daughter visits her garden daily to snack on a handful of her peas, and takes her friends there for snacks as well.  It makes me smile to watch.


The tomatoes are getting huge and I can’t wait until they’re red.




The children love to proudly show neighbors and friends the pumpkins that are steadily growing larger.


And we even have a tiny watermelon worth smiling at.


Best of all is the sound in their voices when they talk about their gardens, the way they run outside to check on them, the time they spend just hanging around their little boxes watching things grow.  It’s been magical.  The growing season is such a gift and I’m so thankful to be sharing it with my children.

And now, I’m off to do some weeding myself.  Have a great day!

Hopeful Homemaker

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