Coconut Cupcakes w/ Cream Cheese Frosting

Yesterday was my day off so I decided to try my hand at making some delicious cupcakes.















Let me walk you through the steps (in case you'd like to make them too)!

First you need to mix all the wet ingredients.















After the wet deliciousness of course, comes the dry. Along with buttermilk.

























And after everything is combined, add the 7 ounces of coconut. And of course, BAKE.











Now it's time to make some frosting. Cream cheese is the best.











 Once your frosting is done you can decorate your cupcakes. Add the extra coconut touch to the top.























Aren't they amazing? So stinking yummy too. Wait till you try one. Thank you Barefoot Contessa.

Oh, and you probably want the recipe right?
Of course you do.

Here it is {enjoy}:


COCONUT CUPCAKES
MAKES 18-20 Large Cupcakes

¾ POUND  Unsalted butter at room temperature (2 ¾ cups)
2 CUPS sugar (1cup white, 1 cup brown)
5 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 ½ TEASPOONS pure vanilla extract
1 ½ TEASPOONS pure almond extract
3 CUPS all-purpose flour
1 TEASPOON baking powder
½ TEASPOON baking soda
½ TEASPOON salt
1 CUP buttermilk
14 OUNCES sweetened, shredded coconut
Cream cheese icing (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
                In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer running on low, add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.
                In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In three parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.
                Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each cup to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely. Frost with cream cheese icing and sprinkle with remaining coconut.

CREAM CHEESE ICING
For 18-20 Large Cupcakes

1 POUND cream cheese at room temperature
¾ POUND unsalted butter at room temperature
1 TEASPOON pure vanilla extract
½ TEASPOON pure almond extract
1 ½ POUNDS confectioners’ sugar, sifted

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, blend together the cream cheese, butter and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners’ sugar and mix until smooth. 



Buttons Buttons

So check it. Ha, that just sounded as funny when I typed it as it did in my head.
I made a button so that you can grab it, and add it and share the love.

I really hope you'll do this. I even made it bright and springy and matched it to the new blog banner.
Oh ya, I also made a new banner. I was really feeling the spring vibe today. Because the weather here, IN OREGON, was actually in the 70's. Mind officially blown.

So back to the button. Here it is:


BeautifulBlendings


And I would love to see it on your blog. Please let me know if you grab it! And thank you! Love you all.

Follow my [heart]. Step one.

I just wanted you guys to know. That today I followed my heart. I officially put together a proposal for a children's book editor. And sent it to her. Done and done.

Here's a sneak peak for you:


  
Am I excited? Yes.
Do I have any idea where this is going? Nope.

Am I trying not to get too crazy excited? Ha, I wish. 

What are you doing to follow your [heart]? I want to hear about it. 


Spring has arrived

Tonight we made some beautiful food.
And I would like to share it with you.

FIRST DRINKS:

No editing tricks from Picnik, just wanted to give it to you straight. 


























Crushed ice. Citrus Vodka. Splash of Newman's Lemonade. Splash of TJ's Orange-Strawberry-Banana. Squeezed Lime Wedge. Orange Zest.


FRESH SALAD:



Yellow Pepper & Orange Pepper (both grilled). Mango. Green Grape. Sweet Tomatoes. Champagne Vinegar. Fresh Squeezed lime juice. Sprinkle of your favorite seasoning.


THE MEAT:




We bought the pre-marinated Hawaiian thin cut meat from our local Trader Joe's and grilled it up! 

MEAT [AFTER]:




So ridiculous delicious and easy. Three minutes per side. Mmmm. 


DINNER TIME:



All the pieces combined. We also had perogi's but they didn't turn out too great. Note to all---frozen perogis are a no-go. Boo. It was great. And because I didn't enjoy my perogi; I just went back for more meat and salad. Delish! 

All of the bright food and the BBQ fired up really makes it official that it's spring. Even here in Oregon. Oh, and I guess that bright shiny thing in the sky helps too. But we really aren't used to it. And we try not to GET used to it. ;) 

Here's one more sign that it's Spring.

I am thinking this may make a gorgeous next tattoo. 

Hope your Tuesday was bee-u-ti-ful! 
xxx, ooo



The {little} things

Last night boyfriend and I were watching a movie (Love and Other Drugs) 
[we may have also both been on our laptops]
And there was a part where someone had a funny open-mouth duh-looking face.
This was the conversation that followed:

Me: Ha, babe that's exactly what I look like when I sleep. Mouth wide-open, tongue slightly out....I'm just ridiculous looking.  (as I then make the face for him to see)

Him: You are beautiful when you sleep. 

Me: [instant feeling of overwhelming] Are you serious....did you actually just say that, out loud

Him: Yes! You always think you look funny but you don't.

Me: [Single tear rolls down cheek....followed by several more]

Him: Are you crying?

Me: YES. That was so nice. And unexpected. (as I punch him in the arm and giggle nervously because of my silly tears)

Him: Well. It's true. 

And that was that. 
I put away my computer and cuddled him for the rest of the movie. 
It was so adorable of him to say something so sweet and out of the blue.
He's really not the verbal sweet guy, usually.
And sometimes I struggle with that.
But last night reminded me,
that it's always the little things,
that make love. 




2 Years & 1 Blankie

Last weekend....
I really wanted to tell you.
How we celebrated. 
This girl.


She turned two.
Isn't she gorgeous?
I'm so lucky to get to be her nanny.
And love on her every week.
And watch her grow.

I wanted to do something special for her. 
So I worked my little fingers.
And created this.




It was an amazing birthday.
And I'm so happy she LOVES her blankie.
And I really love to crochet.
Even if it does make me have "claw-hand"
(as boyfriend likes to call it).


 

On my [heart]

My lovely friend Casey has a new linky challenge for us. 
I decided I really wanted to participate.
We have every Friday to share what is on our heart. 
You can share too. 
I will show you how to after my share time. 

Here it goes:

Currently my heart is quite confused.
I've been having a lot of those "talk at boyfriend" convos lately.
You know the kind that make you feel like a nutcase,
and him like you'll never stop talking.
But he usually listens quite well. 
sometimes.

 I've written here and here
why my heart is so frustrated and confused lately.
And yet no matter how much I move forward,
toward making it happier,
it still feels this way.
It's like I'm trapped in a circle! 



 And I know I need to have patience 
and confidence
But truth be told, 
those are not my strong points. 

Tonight I am going to put together a "pitch" of sorts.
An introduction.
Of myself as a writer, 
and my children's book series. 
And next week a real life children's book publisher,
is going to READ it.

YIKES.

This is the dream.
But I am terrified of it.
Why?

Who knows what she'll say. 
Plus...
I'm not worried that she won't publish it.
She probably won't. 
And that's ok, because I WILL get published someday.
By someone.
But I'm more worried that she won't like it at all.
That she'll laugh in my face.
And that I'll have wasted my time and creative effort for no reason. 
  And I know none of this is valid. 
I know she won't laugh in my face.
Even if she hates it, 
She'll give me feedback that's useful.
But it's just a scary thing.

BUT....
If I want to be this:

via

...AND I REALLY REALLY 
WANT TO.

 Then I have to do the work.
Scary,
Or
Not. 


That's what's on my heart this week. 

 
Now,
Click this button.
Photobucket

Blog.
And share your heart.

April Giveaway! [closed]

Ok friends, 
Sorry for being a slacker this month
But negotiations were being made to bring you a fabulous giveaway this month!

Ready for it?




AND....
She's the creator of {just.lovely.things}

The cutest,
most inspiring, 
adorable
hair fashions. 

And I just bought my first THREE.
 Check out her lovely work....



And all of these are available today [april 13th]


You can also follow Heather's:

Trust me, she's incredible. 

And for you lucky readers.....

Without further ado.....



HERE ARE THE DETAILS:

To Enter you MUST be a follower of Beautiful Blendings
1. Leave me a comment telling me you are a follower of Beautiful Blendings
2. Leave another comment if you follow Heather's blog
3. Leave another comment if you follow Beautiful Blendings on Facebook 
4. Leave another comment if you follow {just.lovely.things} on Facebook
5. Leave another comment if you have {just.lovely.things} button on your blog
6. Leave another comment if you have Beautiful Blendings on your blog list on your blog
7. Leave another comment if you share this giveaway on your facebook page
8. Leave another comment if you tweet this giveaway
9. Leave another comment if you post about this giveaway on your blog! 
There are 9 different ways to enter!
The giveaway ends on April 30th at midnight.
These are the lovelies.
Get commenting.
And spread the word,

xxx,ooo

Reality

Today so far is sucky.
I got a another dose of life that I just wasn't prepared for and it led to an hour long sobbing crying session where my amazing man just lay next to me and rubbed my back. 
He didn't try to talk. He didn't ask me why. 
He just let me cry and let it out.
When I was finally ready to talk he let me be unreasonable.
He let me hate the world.
And he listened to and understood how life is just unfair and how WE always get handed CRAP.
And this is just how I need it to be right now. 
I should have a better attitude.
I should keep my head up and realize there are good things I have that others do not.
But today I need to be upset.
And I decided to share this with you because it's reality. 
And this blog is dedicated to the good and the bad. 

I want to share something with you:

MY LIST OF LIFE THINGS I WANT: 
-a house I own
(Or just to be able to confidently rent with my guy for now)
-a car that's paid off in full
-no more school debt EVER 
-an etsy shop
-time to create beautiful things for my etsy shop
-my children's books published
-time to achieve above goal
-a blog that makes me and others happy
-health insurance
-to one day, down the road, when we are fully ready... Marry my amazing man
-a job for my man that he loves and not just does to pay the debt

AND NOW...

THE LIST OF THINGS THAT KEEP ME FROM MY LIST OF WANTS:
-Owing a crazy ridiculous amount of $$ to TWO schools that I can't pay
-Quitting school because it makes me unhappy, and then NOT being able to follow my dream STILL
-Having no $$ to afford to see my mom (who is my best friend and I haven't seen in 3 years. She's never even met my man and that's ridiculous to me)
-Feeling burnt out on my job (as much as I love it too) but KNOWING that I can't afford rent/bills if I do anything else
-Knowing that finding ANOTHER job right now (especially in Oregon and with my stupid worthless degree) is near impossible anyway even if it did pay well
-Being trapped in this catch 22 where I am never ever ahead of this crap but instead always behind
-Being afraid and let down about everything
-Feeling like I make all the wrong choices and that's why I am in this cycle


And I could go into more detail but I feel like we all have our stuff. Everyone is in debt, everyone wants something different, and everyone feels let down sometimes. 
I'm just saying that for the past 6 or more years.....
THIS IS IT.
THE SAME STORY.
EVERY YEAR.

And I'm desperately trying to break the cycle. You can read about that here
But then days like today happen. 
And send me back to square one.
And I feel like the world is laughing in my face saying, "Ha, we stopped you again". 
Because friends, 
I really am in a big JAM. 

I need some suggestions.
How have you overcome being in a JAM. 
 I'm done crying today. 
I hope.


But the one shining light. 
Boyfriend just got the call for the job he's been waiting for.
That's so amazingly wonderful.
I'm so happy for him.
I guess one of us had to have the bad news.
Too bad it was me.
I guess life is funny like that.


Casey Wiegand Art GIVEAWAY

Not sure if you have met my blog friend,
But I have mentioned her here.

And RIGHT NOW
She is doing a GIVEAWAY of her beautiful artwork




I highly suggest that you HURRY on over there! 
(because I have already entered about a hundred times
or maybe just 6 or 7)

Also if you don't already follow her blog.
I am already so in love with her open heart. 
I'm certain you will be too! 
xoxo.

Inspiration

Started thinking about my next tattoo today.
If you don't know me well, 
know that I very much love tattoos.
I have 3 so far. 
I will share pictures later.

But for a long time I have wanted.....
a half sleeve. 
Of what?
Well glad you asked.
Of an art nouveau, 
naked lady.
Or semi-naked. 
Here's what I mean, 
in case you are unfamiliar with the style.


I love this one because the lady has long brown hair.
I want my lady to be brunette, 
Like yours truly. 


In this one I really like the flow and pose. 
But it definitely lacks something....

COLOR!!!
Everything about this one is AMAZING! 
I love the theme, 
the color scheme, 
and the hot lady. 
{tee-hee}

By the way, 
I am totally serious about all this.
Just need to save my monies, 
(in the big water jug I have)
And find an amazing artist. 
And then get brave!

Don't worry, 
I always get tattoos in the most PAINFUL of places.
So I am fully ready for it.
But still....

Ok, here's a picture of the most recent one I got.
(March 2009)


Because I always need a reminder to "Let Go" of the little stressful stuff.
The small challenges don't matter and shouldn't stress us!

Have you heard this? 
(sidenote: I LOVE Imogen Heap! She is incredible and I've seen her perform live twice and if you get the chance to see her GO! And love her music with me!)

But back to the tat story:
I got that in March of 2009 for my 23rd birthday.
From boyfriend.
Because I also had convinced him to get his very first tattoo.
For his 28th birthday.
So we got tattoos together.
For our birthdays.
Since they are 3 days apart.
(isn't it the most fun growing-old-together thing about us? I can't wait to see how many other birthday special memories we make over the years!)

Here is a glimpse at his ink:
It's an old symbol for fermenation.
And it suits him just amazing.
Since he majored in fermentation science and all.
And he's a brewer. 
Also, he wants more tattoos as well.
So we are committed this year.
Get something new.
It's an investment I just love to make.
Because it's timeless art. 


What do you think?
Do you have ink to share? 
email me pictures of what you've got!

Super Stinkin' Crazy Excited

So as most of you know,
I'm a pretty fresh babe when it comes to blogging.
(aka I'm new)
But I am also IN LOVE with it. 
Like seriously I'm pretty obsessed. 
And I have to stop myself from missing life because I'm blogging.
In fact,
I've been gone two days...
And this morning it took me an hour to catch up on all the posts I'd missed!
But it was an amazing hour.
And I LOVED reading everything! 
But alas....
I wanted to point out that  because I am new....
Just like you perhaps,
I am eagerly reading posts from about a million of my favorite bloggers,
tweeting the details of the best giveaways,
and leaving love (comments) for almost everything I read! 
(cause comments are SO fun to read)
::hint. hint::
But a couple weeks ago,
I was reading a giveaway winner announcement....
and saw MY NAME!!!!!
It was the most surreal moment. 
And yes, 
I was SUPER STINKIN' CRAZY EXCITED!
It was late that night...
as I was catching up on reading posts I'd missed.
And boyfriend was already snuggled in and sleepy.
WHEN...
 I EXPLODED in thrilled glee!
Because it's awesome.

What did I win you wonder?
Well, 
Let me share it with you.



Some pretty amazing bath and body products and soy candles....
IN THE YUMMIEST scents! 

This is what I received:


SO exciting!

I ripped into it immediately after taking this picture.

To find this:



Here's what I found inside:

-Birthday Cake Perfume Spray
-Blueberry Muffin Shaving Bar
-Banana Nut Bread Whipped Body Frosting
-Cucumber Melon Lip Butter
-Sugared Strawberry Sweet Lip Butter
-Buttercream Frosting Sweet Lip Butter


And trust me,
they are all as scrumptious as they sound!
And they are super inexpensive!
Head over to Sade May's Creations
and get some yummy for yourself!

Happy Tuesday.
xxx, ooo

Winner, Winner




HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO.....

Enright Sweetness

YOU ARE THE WINNER OF THE MARCH TOMS GIVEAWAY!!!!!

You were chosen by use of random.org and have now won $50 to choose your own pair of TOMS!

Please head on over to TOMS and pick out your favs!
Be sure to email me your choice.
beautifulblendings@gmail.com
And don't forget to include color/size! 
And remember that when you get your TOMS, 
a child will also be supplied a pair for their shoeless feet!

To everyone else who entered...
THANK YOU!!!!
And don't worry, 
I think you may see TOMS again.
Please stay tuned....
APRIL GIVEAWAY
will be announced in the next few days.
And I just know you're gonna LOVE it. 

Here's a quick hint:


  What am I? 
 Find out soon.
Stay Tuned.

xxx, ooo
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