Blue's Clues Cupcake Toppers

I make a lot of cake.

And sometimes I actually have a really good reason for it...

like my little guy's birthday.

He just happens to be the cutest boy on the planet,

and he is currently obsessed with Blue's Clues.

So, I made these Blue's Clues Cupcake Toppers for his birthday cupcakes.

  
Would you like to make some?
Print the template below. Tape your template to a cookie sheet and tape wax paper over it.

Source: Nick Jr.

  
 Melt some blue candy wafers on 50% power, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth.

Spoon the melted candy into a decorator bag fitted with a small round tip (Wilton #5),

or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off.

Pipe the outline of each head, then fill it in.

 

Melt some pink candy melts and make the tongues.

(I forgot to do this until the end. Don't be like me!)

 

Place your cookie sheet in the refrigerator until the candy has hardened.

 Slowly and carefully peel the heads off the wax paper and turn them over.

Melt some more blue candy melts and add food coloring to make them a darker blue.

Pipe on Blue's nose and spots.

 

 

Melt a few white candy melts and pipe on Blue's eyes,

adding pupils with the darker blue color. 

 

Place each topper on a cupcake, and you are ready for a Blue's Clues party!

 

Helpful Hint: DO NOT serve these cupcakes outside during the summer.

I took mine outside in the Florida heat to take photos, and they got too warm...

then the ears fell off! Keep them cool, and you have nothing to worry about.

 

 See, I told you he was the cutest. :0)

Enjoy!

 I share my recipes & tutorials at these fun link parties.

Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

This pureed soup is so simple and satisfying, perfect for fall and winter. 

Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

Equipment: Large Stockpot, Cutting Board, Sharp Knife, Blender or Food Processor, Soup Ladle, Large Mixing Bowl

·      2 tablespoons pasture butter or coconut oil

·      1 yellow onion, peeled and diced

·      2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

·      5 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into large chunks*

·      6 organic apples, peeled, cored and quartered

·      2 cups homemade broth, stock or bone broth

·      1-2 cups organic apple juice (fresh juice is best)

·      1 strip kombu (See Resources)

·      ½ teaspoon kelp granules (See Resources)

·      ½ teaspoon dried thyme

·      1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt (See Resources)

1.    Prep onion, garlic, butternut squash and apples – wash and peel.  Remove outer skin of onion, cut in half and dice.  Mince garlic.  Remove seeds from butternut squash (save to roast or freeze for stocks).  Core apples. 

Gala Apples and Butternut Squash

Please excuse the yellow hue, the natural lighting was not good in my kitchen.

Little Love - my favorite helper

2.   In a large stockpot, melt fat of choice over medium heat.  Add onion and sauté for about 5-8 minutes, stirring on occasion, until slightly golden brown.  Add garlic and continue to cook for another 2 minutes, stirring on occasion.

3.   Add butternut squash and apple chunks into the stockpot.  Add broth and apple juice, just enough liquid to barely cover the soup contents (I usually leave about ¼ inch of the squash and apples sticking out without liquid covering them).

4.   Add kombu, kelp, thyme and sea salt to the stockpot. 

5.    Bring soup to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for about 25-30 minutes or until squash is fork-tender.    

6.    Remove soup from heat.  Prep blender to puree the soup.  Bring large mixing bowl and soup ladle to the station where you will puree the soup.  In small portions, add soup contents to the blender (please use caution as the soup is extremely hot).  Note: Do not fill the blender more than half full, when contents are pureed they will expand, you don’t want hot soup all over your kitchen ceiling.  Puree soup until smooth, add pureed portions to the large mixing bowl.  Repeat until all soup is pureed.  Add soup back to stockpot.  

7.   Keep soup on low heat until ready to serve or store in the refrigerator for later. 

8.   Serve hot as is or top with sour cream or crème fraiche.     

Optional Toppings: Top with a dollop of cultured sour cream or crème fraiche.  It’s delicious with a blend of the two as well.   

*Note:Butternut Squash should make about 6 cups cubed, I usually buy 2 medium-size butternut squash.  If you end up having a little less or a little more, that’s fine, just alter the juice/liquid so the juice just barely covers the soup contents.  You don’t want too much liquid when you start to puree the soup, you want the soup to be somewhat thick, too much liquid will make the puree very thin, more like a broth based soup. 

Yield: Makes about 3 quarts.

Apple Cider Spice Cake with Apple Butter Frosting

This yummy cake is full of spiced apple goodness...

And it's super easy too!

You start with a spice cake mix, and add apple cider and applesauce.

No oil or butter involved!

Then you top it with delicious apple butter frosting.

A perfect fall dessert!

Apple Cider Spice Cake with Apple Butter Frosting 

by Bird On A Cake

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Ingredients

Apple Cider Spice Cake

• 1 package spice cake mix
• 1 1/4 cups apple cider
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 3 eggs

Apple Butter Frosting

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 6 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/3 cup apple butter

Instructions

Apple Cider Spice Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottoms of 3 eight inch round cake pans with wax paper, and spray the sides with cooking oil.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium speed until thoroughly combined. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 18-22 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Apple Butter Frosting

In a large bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar a few cups at a time and mix well. Add vanilla, cinnamon and apple butter; beat until fluffy.

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To make it even better, drizzle caramel topping over each slice before serving.

Enjoy!

I share my recipes & tutorials at these fun link parties.

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Frankenstein's Monster Cake

Sometimes I get a little obsessive about accuracy.

 This cake is a good example for you...

Would you call this green guy Frankenstein?

Because he is actually Frankenstein's Monster.

Frankenstein is the name of the mad scientist who created him.

Now that we have that perfectly accurate, let's get on to some cake decorating!

What You Will Need:
Cake frosted with green buttercream
Decorating bag filled with chocolate fudge frosting
Wilton tips #47 (basketweave) and #3 (small round)
2 white candy melts
2 brown M&M's
1 green peanut M&M
1 mini Twix bar

My favorite part of this cake is the hair!

I used a tub of pre-made frosting (gasp!) because the consistency is perfect for this.
(I added some black food coloring to make it darker.)
Using tip #47, start piping in the middle of the cake and move outward -
going over the edge and down the side a little. 
Make sure the serrated side of the tip is up.
Continue all the way around the cake, making the hair longer in back.
 
Attach the brown M&M's to the candy melts with a dab of frosting, then press on to the cake.
Attach your green peanut M&M to the cake right under the eyes.
Using tip #3, pipe on a squiggly mouth and a scar.
Cut the Twix bar in half, and press into the sides of the cake to make neck bolts.

 I prefer my Halloween cakes to be more cute than creepy. :0)

Enjoy!

 I share my recipes & tutorials at these fun link parties.

And these holiday link parties:

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This post was featured!

Taco Salad w/ Cilantro-Mint Guacamole Sauce

This is my absolute favorite taco salad.  The Cilantro-Mint Guacamole Sauce is unbelievably good.  You might want to double the batch so you have extra to eat with some chips.

Taco Salad w/ Cilantro-Mint Guacamole Sauce

Equipment:Cutting Board, Knife, Food Processor, Large Saucepan

Cilantro-Mint Guacamole Sauce

·      1 cup cilantro

·      1 cup mint leaves

·      1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

·      Zest of 1 lemon

·      1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

·      6 cloves garlic

·      ½ teaspoon Celtic sea salt (See Resources)

·      ¼ teaspoon kelp granules (See Resources)

·      1 ripe avocado, remove pit, quarter

Taco Meat

·      1 ½ tablespoons pasture butter or coconut oil

·      1 pound grass-fed ground beef (See Resources)

·      3 cloves garlic, grated or minced

·      1 tablespoon chili powder blend

·      1 teaspoon cumin

·      1 teaspoon dried oregano

·      ½ teaspoon coriander

·      ¼ teaspoon kelp granules (See Resources)

·      ¼ teaspoon Celtic sea salt (See Resources)

Salad & Optional Toppings

·      Mixed greens of choice, I use Red Leaf Lettuce

·      Seasonal chopped veggies – cucumber, red bell pepper, etc.

·      Grated raw cheddar cheese

·      Cultured sour cream

·      Kimchi

·      Hot sauce

1.    Wash produce for the Cilantro-Mint Guacamole Sauce. 

2.   Fit food processor with metal “S” shaped blade – add cilantro, mint, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, garlic, salt, kelp, and avocado.  Pulse until combined and smooth.  Set aside.

3.   Prep garlic for the ground meat – remove skin/peel, grate/mince garlic cloves.

4.   In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt fat of choice.  Add ground beef, garlic, chili powder, cumin, dried oregano, coriander, kelp and salt.  Break up meat with spoon, stir to combine seasonings, cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes.  Remove from heat, set aside.

5.    Prep optional toppings for the taco salad.

6.   Add mixed lettuce greens to a deep bowl, top with taco meat, seasonal chopped veggies, grated cheese, Cilantro-Mint Guacamole Sauce, cultured sour cream, kimchi and hot sauce.  Serve immediately and enjoy every bite.

Taco Salad w/ Cilantro-Mint Guacamole, Cultured Sour Cream, Raw Cheddar Cheese, Cucumbers and Kimchi

Yield: Makes about 3-4 servings.

This post is part of Monday Mania @ The Healthy Home Economist,  Slightly Indulgent Tuesday @ Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Fat Tuesday at Real Food Forager, Real Food Wednesday @ Kelly the Kitchen Kop, Allergy-Free Wednesdays Blog Hop @ Gluten Free Pantry, and Whole Foods Wednesday @ This Chick Cooks.