Cupcake Love

Yesterday was Thanksgiving in America. My parents drove up to join us for a lovely meal together.

My mom and Jon waited so patiently while my dad and I took pictures of the yummy food :)

There are many different traditional meals throughout the country. I am from the Midwest. So, my menu reflected tradition for where I grew up. We had turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, jellied cranberries, cranberry relish, raw veggies, pull apart biscuits, pie, and cupcakes. My dad made the 'taters and delicious pie. Mom made up the veggie tray. Jon helped me prep the turkey. Great food and even better company.

After we cleaned up, we went for a drive around St. Simons Island. We stopped by the ocean to say hello.



When we got home we sampled my cupcakes. They are from the cookbook "What's New, Cupcake" by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson



Aren't they cute?! They were yummy too! Jon said the frosting is his new favorite(that's huge from a man who doesn't really like frosting)

One final thought before I post the recipe: I am thankful for the countless blessings God has given us this past year, but I am even more thankful for what He will do in our lives over the next year. Remember to always be thankful for what you have and what will come.

Here's to you and your culinary adventures, friend. Cheers!

"Cherry Pie" Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes

1 box Duncan Hines snack size confetti cupcake mix (Makes 12)
1 can vanilla frosting
2-3 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
4 drops yellow food coloring
1 cup red m&m's or other small red candies

Prepare the cupcake batter according to the package directions. Pour batter into metallic paper cupcake liners. Bake according to package. Cool completely, in the pan(s) on a wire rack.

Tint the vanilla frosting with the yellow food coloring and the cocoa powder to make a light brown for the pie crust.

Spread some of the frosting on top of a cupcake, leaving 1/4 inch of the cupcake edge exposed. For the cherry filling, arrange the m&m's close together on top of the cupcake. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes and candy.

Piping may be done one of two ways-

Option 1. Spoon the remaining light brown frosting into a ziplock bag, press out the excess air and seal. Snip a small (1/8-inch) corner from the bag. For the lattice crust, pipe 4 or 5 lines across the top of a cupcake, about 1/2 inch apart. Pipe 4 or 5 more lines, on the diagonal. Pipe a beaded edge around the top of the cupcake. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes and frosting.

Option 2. Use a piping bag with a small tip (I used a small basket weave tip.)Pipe the lattice following the same directions as above. Change piping tips to a basic round tip to do a small bead around the edge for the crust.