Buttercream Frosting!!

I have had such a hankerin' for cupcakes! I finally gave in yesterday and made some, but I have to get rid of some today so I don't have so many hanging around! I didn't really have a reason to make them--not that I needed one, but I thought I would dedicate these to Tracy-who just had a birthday. Happy Birthday, Tracy ! I thought of you while I ate one for breakfast!! Anyway, I am taking Andi's idea of adding recipes on her blog and running with it. Mine will mostly be desserts which I know will break your heart, but keep watching for new additions!
I got this recipe for decorating frosting from my cousin, Lauri. Everything I know about decorating she taught me. I don't know much, cause we only had one session, but I can keep myself afloat with cupcakes! Here ya go:
Lauri's Frosting:
3/4 cup crisco
1/2 cup butter
2 lbs. confectioner's sugar
1 T. Meringue Powder
2 t. vanilla
1/3 cup water
I mix the crisco, and butter together well. Then I add the Meringue Powder, vanilla and water and mix again. Then I slowly add the powdered sugar and beat it until it is nice and fluffy!! Here is your finished product BEFORE your 11 year old son BEGS you to make it blue and you have to re-wash the beaters cause he already licked them once...I sense a conspiracy here...he got 2 beater lickings last night...hmmmm.....


And here is the finished product of BLUE frosted cupcakes, with sponge-bob liners and colored sugar sprinkles...pretty festive! Happy Birthday, Tracy, they were fabulous! On another note, we are doing a bit of remodeling. You ever hear the saying " a carpenter's house is never done"? Well, this remodel has been in the works for a couple of years now!! We live in what used to be my Grandmother's house. It is from 1910! It always had this wood shed on the end that my Dad adapted into a garage for my Grandmother's Chevrolet Celebrity wagon back in the day...My old Grand Prix fit in it with a hair's width to spare...Unfortunately, when we got the Monte Carlo, we neglected to measure and it was too long!! So we put a new garage on the side of this one, and cut and access door between the two rooms. We took out the old garage door and added a set of French doors with a sky lite above them. Our intention is and has been to make this into a family room. Where Peter can put all his hunting trophies, his gun cabinet, etc. It is a nice room, with nearly 11 foot high ceilings, and you have to walk down into it from the kitchen. I can just picture it with a Christmas tree in it! I am going to give it an Adirondack twist (how fitting!! ) so be sure to stay tuned for more updates. Next time I will try to locate a before picture...not pretty!! So between working all day, working around the property, and trying to get wood in for the winter, Peter has been diligently working on getting this room done. I told him I WILL have a tree and some stairs in there before the holidays! We have been using a step ladder for a couple of years!! We acquired a bunch of beams from my late grandfather's grainery and also a bunch of barn board, so there will be beams in the room, and also for the stairs, and barnboard on the walls, to chair rail height. Here is my poor husband, doing late into the night what he does day in and day out...I swear he could tape with his eyes closed. He does a bang up job, though! I am so happy that it is finally coming together! Now we need to decide on the ceiling-paint or stucco...decisions, decisions!! Two thumbs up, Honey!!

Last but not least, this flower caught Cody's eye last week. Since then, I have been watching and there have been many more on the same genetically altered stem. I always have Heavenly Blue Morning Glories all over the railings outside my door. But this one is just more gorgeous than ever!! We have a few more of these "tie dyed" ones every day! I need to mark some of them and save the seeds when they dry up for next years crop!

Have a great day!--Keri