Bubblegum Cupcakes

While I was cruising Pinterest the other day, my little next door neighbor popped over to say hello. She saw me looking over my “Gimme a Cupcake” board and proposed we make cupcakes. We spent the next 30 minutes searching over multiple recipes and ideas. She literally squealed when we came across these bubblegum cupcakes and it was decided.

We tried Funfetti Cupcakes with Bubblegum Frosting as well.

Instead of using a regular old white cupcake box mix, we used Food Network Vanilla Cupcake recipe and added Duncan Hines Frosting Creations Bubble Gum Flavor to the mix. Here is the Vanilla Cupcake recipe below:

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup whole milk, at room temperature
1 packet Frosting Creations Bubble Gum Flavor

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Beat the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to medium low; beat in half of the flour mixture, then all of the milk, then the remaining flour mixture until just combined. Add the flavor packet and mix thoroughly.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool 5 minutes, then remove the cupcakes to the rack to cool completely. Yields 12 cupcakes. Top with frosting and gumballs!

Frosting:

1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Frosting Creations Bubble Gum Flavor Packet

Mix together butter and powdered sugar until fluffy. Add extract and flavor packet. Frost cupcakes and enjoy!

Triple Chocolate Pound Cake Cupcakes

Triple Chocolate Pound Cake Cupcakes, inspired by NancyCreative’s Triple Chocolate Pound Cake, take your taste-buds to another level. I baked the cupcakes at the same temperature but only put them in for 15-20 minutes instead of the time given for the cake.

“Men often become what they believe…

“Men often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. But when I believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn’t have it in the beginning.” -Mahatma Gandhi

Cupcakes & Pinterest: The Cupcake Project

If you love cupcakes and can’t live without Pinterest, go follow the Cupcake Project! Stefani is the mastermind behind many crazy cupcake creations, like Piña Colada Cupcakes and Root Beer Float Cupcakes. I am currently working on reorganizing Stefani’s boards and trying to entice more followers to her Pinterest boards and blog. Help a girl out and go follow her, you won’t be disappointed! Love, Kelsey

Kelsey Wesolick Photography

I am starting a new website for my photography and portfolio to help make myself more marketable. Beautiful Julia is my model for the site currently, and her beautiful face alone attracted many people to my new blog already.

Click on the photo to see more!
Love, Kelsey

Artist Showcase: Abstract Poetry Painter, Georgina Vinsun

Beautiful color combinations, inspiring and reminiscent of a breathtaking sunset.

“The sky rarely fails to move me; I never tire of watching the sky, observing the changes in light and tone found within throughout the day.”  Georgina Vinsun is a prolific painter of nature, light, poetry, and emotion.  Her use of color is what really drew me in.  Most of her Georgina’s paintings are limited to two or three colors, balanced perfectly, and combined with such beautiful contrast.

I love the hints of foliage, trees, stars, clouds, and flowers.

So tell me, what do you see in Georgina’s work?  Wouldn’t one of these paintings look stunning over a mantle?  These paintings are every interior designer’s dream!

Visit Georgina Vinsun’s website and Saatchi shop to stalk her work some more!

 

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Homemade ice cream

My grandmother gave us an ice cream machine one summer and helped us make our first batch. It was amazing. With Kilen’s help yesterday, we located rock salt and heavy whipping cream and whipped up this dessert in under an hour. Good summer times.
I miss my Memaw. You don’t have forever with the ones you love and I regret not calling and spending time with her. I love my grandparents. I miss them and the beach. Because during my childhood, the two were synonymous.
Happy summer. May it be sweet and sunny.

I’m So Spoiled

Kilen and I just celebrated our two year anniversary yesterday in Fredericksburg, Texas. I loved going on a mini road trip with him, rem over the past two years and sipping sweet tea from Stonewall’s, a historic pizza and burger place in Llano. We went to so many candy shops, all which had fudge. So much FUDGE. We both had one too many samples.

He blessed me with flip-flops from Madewell (because he felt like he needed to replace my old worn out pair after he accidentally broke them) and beautiful white roses. And blue and gold earrings. AND an iPod touch!! I have been wanting Instagram for like ever, long before anyone else wanted it of course. Now I am jumping on board with both feet, excited to blog with pictures galore. I have always let lack of personal photos keep me from blogging because I hate to use others’ work as my own. And I hate blogging without adding a picture to illustrate my point. We are visual people. We like pictures.

So get ready. I am about to go blog crazy. Hope your day was great!

My adorable Madewell flip-flops and new earrings!

On our way to Fredericksburg

French Strawberries

Central Market is hosting an event, Passport to France, a two week celebration of French cuisine and and culture. Sadly tomorrow is the last day of the showcase, but in honor of the French influence, I am trying a recipe to celebrate in my own way since I can’t make it to Central Market. I made a recipe from Brittany, part of western France, called Brenton Butter Cake filled with strawberries and topped with raspberries. It was actually really fun to make, and I love the contrast between the red strawberries, white cream and dark raspberries. It seems like I am already getting prepared for the 4th!

A family friend made this cute parfait with organic Greek yogurt and fresh fruit for us recently, and this inspired me to bake my own French cake filled with strawberries and cream, thanks for Martha of course. The French really seemed to have fresh fruit and cream mastered!

I am hoping to continue to celebrate French cuisine by making crepes tomorrow for my siblings for breakfast.

I hope you had a blessed day, and go enjoy a delicious dessert-you only live once! Much love, Kelsey

Food for the Soul

Recently, I have become obsessed with food, recipes and all things culinary. Food is fascinating to me, from the preparation to the way it brings satisfaction to the stomach and even bring peace of mind. Honestly, food ceased being satisfying to me awhile ago, and I always feel disappointed after what looks it was a good meal. So I have been eating WAY more than I need to, trying to consume enough to  appease the hunger pains and find enjoyment in food like I used to.

Well that didn’t solve the problem, and my pants are groaning and stretching in frustration as my stomach expands unnecessarily.

So I am starting at the basics. I am first enjoying making food again, from baking or cooking or simply browsing recipes and drifting through the grocery store appreciating the produce and goods. Food tells a story, and just as people enjoy watching movies, reading literature or listening to music to absorb tales and experiences. Taste buds convey meaning and excitement, and the tastes and smells of a good meal not only give a great setting for relaxation and conversation, but can bring satisfaction all on its own. I am starting to eat slowly, to savor the flavors and the colors and the smells. Because I love to garden and to be outside, I am always focusing on the variety of produce and the ingredients that came together to make the dish.

So maybe I am being a little dramatic. But, putting it simply, I want to enjoy food again.

I also want to enjoy reading a good book.

It’s been MONTHS since I have enjoyed a good book for fun. I used to love reading, and as a kid, I would spend hours upon hours curled up in a corner drifting far outside my room to different worlds and times. I miss that.

So I am combining both longings together in a exciting summer reading list. I am feeding my soul with encouragement and fueling my imagination. It’s been starving. Longtime lover of great books and delicious dishes alike, I am indulging in both now.

This is the list of food fiction I am going to sample:

1) Mangoes and Quince 2) Girl Cook  3) A Thousand Days in Tuscany: A Bittersweet Adventure 4) The Food of Love 5) The Late Bite 6) An Economist Gets Lunch 7) Georgia’s Kitchen 8) Like Water for Chocolate 9) Best Food Writing 2011 10) Cooking for Mr. Right

Any other recommendations? Much love, Kelsey