Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Happy Birthday!

Anna Claire and Mallory got a very early birthday present recently ~ a new swing set!

The finishing touches were finally completed this past Sunday, and they have certainly been enjoying it this week. It took forever to get it put together {don't believe what the instructions say}, and though I didn't really help much, "we" couldn't have done it without the help of Papa, Uncle Bubba, Uncle Bobby, and Mr. Lindsey.

I've been trying to get some good pictures of the girls, but they've been so involved in their play they can't stop long enough to look at the camera.




Today was a little on  the warm side, so I pulled out the sprinkler and let the girls play in the water. It took some coaxing, but I eventually convinced them to run through the sprinkler...

And, we made out strawberry cake today! It was so hard  finding a recipe that didn't require an extra trip to Publix, but this one called for fresh strawberries in both the batter and the frosting which is exactly what I was looking for.

I cannot frost a cake to save my life, so this isn't the prettiest, but the frosting was definitely the best part. I'm not sure what went wrong except the recipe was actually for cupackes, so I adjusted the cooking time and temp a tad. Walter said it tasted more like a frosted muffin than a cake. That didn't stop him from eating a huge hunk, the girls loved it, too, and I just had my second piece {must not taste too bad}. I doubt there will be a crumb left!

Not that I'm recommending, but just in case, here's the recipe ~~~

Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

16 oz. strawberries, destemmed
4 eggs
1 3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
1 t. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 c. flour
Place first four ingredients in a blender. Blend until fully pureed. Pour into a large bowl and mix with remaining ingredients. Spoon into cupcake wrappers. Bake at 325 degrees for 18-20 minutes, or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Allow to cool. Frost with recipe below.

Strawberry Butter Cream Frosting

3/4 c. fresh strawberries, destemmed
1/2 c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 lb. powdered sugar
Over a large bowl, crush the strawberries in your hands. Allow juice & pulp to fall into bowl. Add remaining ingredients and beat well with an electric mixer. Frost cooled cupcakes. 

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