A Blueberry Lemon Cupcake to Say Hello and Goodbye. . .

Cupcakes are making me happy!

It has been a good week and a sad week. A good week because my kitchen remodel is coming along. Mr. Crabby Head has been smiling and I am good with that. I let Mr. Crabby Head have the final say on the tile back splash and he was empowered by that responsibility. He did an excellent job!! AND it is finally warm in Cincinnati, Ohio. It has been a sad week because of Max.

Max was over 25 years old. I have been feeding and caring for Max longer than I have for Mr. Crabby Head and my two sons. Max had made four moves with me. He had a strong vocabulary. "Baby Birdie, What are you doing, and hello!" He could sing beautiful melodies, and he did every single morning for the last 25 years! Max was my Cockatiel.

So, in honor of Max, the warm weather, and Mr. Crabby Head actually not being that crabby:

Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes

2 cups cake flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 oil
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon extract
the juice and grated peel of one lemon
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 21-ounce can of blueberry pie filling
1 can of lemon frosting
blue colored sugar

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (2) In a large mixing bowl combine the first nine ingredients. (3) Gently fold in blueberry pie filling. (4) Fill cupcakes 1/2 full and bake 15 to 20 minutes. (5) Decorate with frosting and colored sugar. (6) ENJOY!!

Max made me realize that things are changing for me, and honestly I am OK with that. My oldest son is in college, doing good, and happy. What more could a Mother ask for? I can't believe it, but I starting all the college stuff with my youngest son. He (Lucas, 17 years old) still has the ability to render me speechless and send me into a "fit," but I have the experience to know that we will get through these "wonderful" teenage years.

So, where does all this leave me? Well, looking ahead to my future. I know one day that my husband (aka Honey and Mr. Crabby Head) and I want to live in the mountains near a lake. I know that being out of the "workforce" for over 20 years, I would like to work. "What would you like to do, Gin?" I am hoping to open a small cafe, and use my skills to open a catering business. The wonderful thing is that I am open to anything! The other wonderful thing is that I feel happy!

A Charming Candied Cupcake for Mr. Crabby Head

The ability to think ahead makes for a very happy marriage. For once, I had the time and the foresight (and twenty-four years of marriage) to know it was time for me to put a plan in action. There is not a home improvement project on the face of the earth that will not eventually push my husband (honey) over the crabby line.

We are in the process of redoing our kitchen. Our house is twelve years old and ready for some TLC updates. Let me just say that there are crooks and crannies that otherwise would be impossible to get at unless you pulled every cabinet out (which we did.) Hmmmm.... well gross, but it was nothing a little elbow grease and a great shop vac could not handle!!

We are getting new kitchen counters. We had a white tiled back splash that we also wanted to replace. Honey tried to take the tiles off one by one but ending up getting a hammer and taking the entire wall out! He spent the all day hanging new wall board. Let me just say that a few choice words could probably be heard through the entire neighborhood!

Don't let this face fool you.............

He turned pretty crabby and tired after seven hours of solid work. There are several ways to honey's heart, food being close at the top of the list. He isn't a big "sweets" eater but likes to occasionally treat himself. That is where the Candied Cupcakes come in to play for the day.

Charming Candied Cupcakes

1 package white cake mix
1 cup sour cream
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup walnut oil
1/3 water
1 large bar of white chocolate, shaved
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 can Carmel icing
chocolate sprinkles
white chocolate melting chips
chocolate melting chips

(1) Add cake mix, sour cream, eggs, egg yolk, walnut oil, water, and white shaved chocolate. Mix well and put in to cupcake liners. Bake at 350 degrees 15 to 20 minutes or until light golden brown. (2) Cool and ice with icing. (3) Generously sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles. (4) Melt white chocolate chips and chocolate chips in separate sandwich bags. Snip the corner of the bags and drizzle chocolates over the cupcakes. ENJOY!!

These cupcakes are simple, rich and just plain scrumptious. They look stunning and taste the same. The walnut oil and shaved white chocolate definitely adds an unique twist the the batter and finished cupcake. Best of all, they are a crabby antidote. Come on!! Who could be crabby eating one of these things? Mr. Crabby tried, but the candied cupcake was just what he needed to put a smile back on his face!! Wish me luck for the week. I am all out of tricks because I have no oven, or dishwasher, or water in my kitchen at the moment.

Simmer a Pot Of Too Busy For Words

Have you ever gotten back from vacation and been overwhelmed with things that need to be done? That is how I feel right now. I have about one hundred things on my "to do" list!!

Tampa was great. The weather was just perfect. It was nice to see my son and spend time with him.

Tampa is full of unbelievable local restaurants. But, what is a Mom to do when her son is more interested in going to Outback and Lonestar Steakhouse? She goes!! All he wanted was big plates of steak and baked potatoes. There was a bright spot to my dining in Tampa.

Who goes to Tampa, Florida for an authentic Chicago Hot Dog? Well, you should if you are ever in Tampa. These things are fantastic! Of course, I have no pictures of the food because I am always too involved in eating it. (There goes my hope of being a freelance food reviewer) Mels is tucked away but worth the time to find. It is right by Busch Gardens. The menu offers a variety of hot dogs with the Chicago Dog being the most popular. You will get a beef hot dog with relish, pickle, onion, tomato, hot peppers and celery salt. I am here to tell you that it was lip-smacking good. With the basket you get a hot dog, fries and coleslaw. The coleslaw is sweet with a slight spicy kick and worth every delectable creamy calorie. Surprisingly enough, Mel serves homemade beef tamales. Can you believe that I have never had a tamale?? These things were delicious and once things calm down, I am setting my sights on concocting a batch of my own tamales.


Anyway, this brings me to Simmer a Pot Of Too Busy For Words. Sometimes the day just gets away from you, and dinner is the last thing you want to do EVEN when you love to cook. Being a "seasoned" stay at home Mother, I have learned to have a few quick back-ups in my freezer. I always have a pack of turkey sausage and turkey meatballs. If I don't have homemade Italian sauce to defrost, my pantry is full of jars of spaghetti sauce. So there you go, a Pot Of Too Busy For Words simmering away. You can serve this over garlic mashed potatoes, pasta or steamed veggies. All you need is warm baked bread and a fresh salad and dinner is on the table.


I am excited because I am getting new kitchen counters next week! My kitchen is getting ready to have a complete makeover. Believe me, it is really needed. This brings me to my long list of "to do." A lot has to be done before those counters come and me being the chronic procrastinator is not helping at all!

Chinese Tea Eggs and the Easter Buffet

When I came upon http://www.sugarlens.com/2009/04/chinese-tea-eggs.html I immediately remembered my two trips to China. My sister's husband worked for Proctor and Gamble and took an international assignment to Guangzhou, China. I had the opportunity to visit my sister twice. I have to tell you that I absolutely hate to fly! Can you imagine? The trip to Guangzhou was approximately twenty four hours! Anyway, as much as my sister is adventurous, I am cautious. As much as she dives right in, I prefer to be in the know before I go. Nothing could prepare me for China. It was an unbelievable adventure. The people, the sites, the culture and the food.



Once I landed and got over the fact that I just spent over twenty four hours with white clenched knuckles just waiting for the airplane to drop out of the sky, I decided to be open minded to being in China. I am so happy I did that. Authentic Chinese food will heighten every sense that you have. The sight and the smell so very different than I was use to, but surprisingly enough different in a good way. As far as food goes, I am very adventurous. There is nothing that I will not at least try once. There were "some" food items in China I politely passed on, but I tried a variety of foods that were absolutely amazing.


That brings me to the Chinese Tea Eggs. One afternoon there was a knock on my sister's apartment door. There stood the sweetest older Chinese woman. There was no language barrier. What I mean by that is, that her sweet genuine smile spoke volumes to me. She handed my sister a small basket Chinese Tea Eggs and my sister handed her a small stack of Chinese money. These things were incredible and I ate several a day until I boarded a flight back to Cincinnati. I had all but forgot about those eggs until I came across http://www.sugarlens.com/2009/04/chinese-tea-eggs.html Sugarlens's eggs look authenic and really pretty!!



I called my sister and asked if she knew how to make those eggs. I went to her house (she has been back in the States now for several years) and away we went. We made several batches until we decided what we liked best. So, here are our Chinese Tea Eggs



Gin and Suz's Chinese Tea Eggs



8 hard boiled eggs

1/2 cup teriyaki Sauce

2 tablespoons Chinese Five Spice

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons raw sugar

4 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 large black tea bags

water to cover the eggs completely



(1) Boil the eggs 8 to 10 minutes, cool. (2) Take the back of a spoon and crack the eggs but leave shell in tack. (3) Combine all ingredients and bring to a gentle boil. Add eggs and water to cover eggs completely. (4) Simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from heat and let eggs sit in liquid for several hours. (5) Refrigerate and serve cold.



The part that my sister and myself could not do is let the eggs sit in the liquid. We started eating them right away. They are so unique in taste that you really just have to try them. What do you have to lose but a eight eggs? If you really want the "WOW" factor then try serving these for Easter Dinner. It will be an unique treat for your guests!!



I am heading to Tampa tomorrow to visit my son. He is a sophomore at the University of South Florida. I am taking my computer and my camera in hopes of blogging. Tampa has some of the best restaurants in Florida. I will have to see how it goes. My son has been struggling with mono since Thanksgiving. He is improving day by day, but still has some lingering effects of the virus. I will have to take my cue from him. Happy Easter from my family, to you, and your family.