Coffee Friday! - You're going to be glued!

Hello everybody! Welcome to our Coffee Friday! I told you we'd have a special blogger today! Are you ready? Well... Our featured blogger is: [[[[drumroll]]] Stacey from Glued To My Crafts she is such an enthusiastic, dynamic, creative person! Crafty stuff is just not my talent... I mean... I'd love it to be ... but it's just not! She just makes it all look so simple! I do feel inspired when I visit her blog, she has yummy recipes, all kinds of crafts and many of them are children friendly! (moms of toddlers, RUN to her blog!) and I've found it to be a pleasure to work with her as we talked about today's feature! It's really a great pleasure for me to introduce her to you on this special Coffee Friday! ... I know she's bringing coffee in some form... let's see what she's prepared:

Hello everyone. I'm Stacey and I blog over at Glued To My Crafts. I'm a mother to a nearly two year old boy and a wife to man in the Air Force. I love cooking, crafting and inspiring. Ok, the last one is more of an "I hope I inspire you." My blog is mainly about life experiences, recipes and craft creations. Everything I post can we be recreated with simple, everyday items you probably already have in your house. I don't spend a lot to be crafty, and neither should you. I really hope you check it out and are "inspired."
Now that we got that out of the way, I want to show you my Coffee Cupcakes. They are topped with homemade whipped cream. Can we say delicious? Now stop drooling and check out the recipe.

Ingredients for Coffee Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons Instant Coffee, dissolved into 2 tablespoons water
Ingredients for Whipped Cream Topping:
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons Confectioners’ Sugar
1. Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin tin with liners. (Makes 12 cupcakes)
2. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the egg, coffee, milk and vanilla. Mix well. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture. Once all flour is incorporated, increase the speed to medium and beat until the batter is smooth.
4. Divide the batter among the prepared cupcake liners, filling the liners 2/3 of the way. Bake the cupcakes for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool cupcakes on cooling rack.

Homemade Whipped Cream
1. Place the heavy cream in the bowl of a stand mixer.
2. Turn on mixer on low speed and slowly increase to medium-high speed.
3. When the cream reaches soft peaks, add in the confectioners’ sugar. Continue whisking until stiff peaks form.
4. Once cupcakes are cooled, add a dollop of whipped cream on each cupcake. Enjoy!
I love these because they are different and I had all these items already in my pantry. No need to run out and go crazy, finding ingredients. I created these for a group of girls I entertained the other day. We had our cups of coffee in hand & were watching the kids play. I usually make cookies for play dates like these, but I decided to be spontaneous and whip up these sophisticated little cupcakes. And lucky for me, they were a hit and I think the moms will be back! I even got asked to share the recipe, so I knew this was perfect for me to share with you.
Hope you give them a try. Thank you Paloma for letting me join in on hosting this Coffee Friday! Enjoy!

So... what did you think?  Doesn't it sound great?  I hope you stop by Stacey's Blog and thank her for sharing some coffee in the form of a delicious cupcake with us! Glued To My Crafts

Thank you again Stacey! This has been so much fun!




© Paloma K.

ThuRsday - Reminder, gReatfulness and Recipe!

Hello everybody! As I mentioned I've been pretty busy, there are some things I just need to nip in the bud here, so hang in there with me as I find the time to "juggle it all" and make time for my blogging! But here I am... trying to keep you updated and bring you something special each time!

So... I wanted to remind you of tomorrow's Coffee Friday! It's going to be gooooood! We do have a special featured blogger that's prepared a delicious treat for all of us! She is creative and ... well... I don't want to give it all away... but you won't want to miss it! I hope I see my "regulars" here and then some new faces too linking-up to our Party!

Also, I wanted to share with you a little quote I found that Oprah Winfrey said; although, if you know me you know I am not an "Oprah" fan... actually I don't even think I've ever watched any of her shows... but anyway... I thought this quote was a great one:

"Be thankful for what you have and you will end up having more. But if you concentrate on what you don't have, you'll never, ever have enough." - Oprah Winfrey

So true! I am just trying to get us in the mood for Thanksgiving and just keep that in mind when that day arrives, Thankfulness is an "on-going" attitude, something that can't just bloom if we never planted and watered it! It's something we must feed every day so it can finally display and reveal itself in the form of fruits that bless those around us! -woah! I guess I was more inspired than I thought-

And now... in the same Thanksgiving spirit... and going through my Thanksgiving Menu I will start to share those recipes with you so you can add to your own menu or just try them whenever you feel like it... Let's start from the beginning, shall we?

Deviled Eggs!

Yes... deviled eggs, are a tradition on hubby's Family Thanksgiving Dinner! Auntie Amy (hubby's auntie) lived in Texas for a long while, so there's always some "Southern Flair" in her kitchen, and Thanksgiving is no exception! so she incorporated "Deviled Eggs" to the Menu and so did I to continue with hubby's family tradition:

I've never really taken a good picture of them because as soon as they're out... they just disappear!

Auntie Amy's Deviled Eggs

9 hard boiled eggs
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup salsa (Auntie Amy and I use Newman's Own All Natural Chunky Salsa)
2 tbsp. finely chopped green onions
2 tbsp. sour cream
salt and black pepper to taste
Cayenne Pepper (to taste)

Directions: Remove the yellow of the hard boiled eggs, mash it and mix it with the rest of the ingredients (except for the cayenne pepper), fill the whites of the eggs with the mixture and sprinkle with cayenne pepper if desired.

Now... I am sure all of you know how to make "hard boiled eggs" but just in case, I am going to share with you my method to make them AND most importantly to avoid the "grayish" look around the yellow of the egg, it just doesn't look pretty when it's not a perfect bright yellow and there's this gray/greenish look around it... so... here it is:

Place the eggs in a  medium sauce pan with enough cold water to cover them perfectly (or a bigger pan if you have too many eggs), turn on the heat to medium, as soon as the water reaches the roll-boil point set the timer to 5 minutes, after those 5 minutes immediately remove your eggs and place them in icy cold water. Remove the shell right after they're cold enough to handle. (crack on both ends and then roll them with your hand open over a hard smooth surface putting some pressure to completely "crush" the shell, now you can easily remove the shell without "damaging" the egg). Enjoy!

Buy beautiful deviled egg platter in Amazon

 © Paloma K.

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Tuesday of Quotes - Entertaining vs Hospitality!

Hello dear friends! How are you doing? It's been busy here! I've been focusing a lot on my exercise/dieting and just trying to have my priorities in order... I often say God is first, my family is second... but... how does that reflect on my actions? Is it really showing? I think many times it isn't ... and I end up doing it all backwards! I'll continue to blog! I really love it! It's a great way for me to express myself and connect with others! In this time and day when communication seems to be at the reach of everyone and it's just impossible to not be in touch with the world... it seems we're actually losing really contact and face to face relationships... but I won't talk about that for now... I think that's a topic many have already discussed! I guess what I am saying is: Be patient if it takes me a bit to get back to you! You know me by now I hope and know that I love commenting on blogs and replying to your comments and posts! It'll just take me a bit longer, ok?

Now... to my topic of the day... On Tuesdays I usually post Famous or Interesting Quotes... Today won't be an exception... But since I've been talking about Thanksgiving and how to make it enjoyable even for the host/hostess I thought my quotes would be directed to hospitality! Remember... Being hospitable is not the same as being an "Entertainer" ... My friend, and pastor's wife, Gay shared once: "Entertaining! Just the word sounds intimidating! it's a big responsibility to think of keeping others entertained! And makes you feel stressed out" ... Very true! But being hospitable... is out of love, it's warm and caring! It's doing your best out of caring for those that come into your home, sharing what you have with others, in a peaceful environment and atmosphere! I aim for the second! So if you are looking for advice on how to be a good entertainer... you can find that on Martha Stewart's page! She is really great! isn't she? And I don't think there's anything wrong with it... But being Hospitable... now that's something I strive for! I hope others can say about me that they felt welcome in my home, that they felt comfortable and cared for!  I hope they feel like they can take their shoes off because it's like their own home and not because they'll fear ruining my carpet! If you've been reading my previous posts on my "Thanksgiving series" you'll see that I talk a lot about being thankful and attitude... hopefully this Thanksgiving you'll work towards being hospitable and not worry about being the best entertainer... It will take a burden off your shoulders and I am sure EVERYONE, including YOU, will enjoy the holidays that much more!

In Mexico we say "Where one eats, two can eat!"

With my Auntie Amy! Getting ready to start serving!

 

Great memories from Thanksgiving 2011

Receiving the New Year 2009 with family and friends in Mexico! Hospitality has no language barriers! Look at my gringo there!

So... let's see some quotes on the subject, shall we?

“Eating, and hospitality in general, is a communion, and any meal worth attending by yourself is improved by the multiples of those with whom it is shared.” - Jesse Browner

 “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling (1 Peter 4:8-9).”

 "Planning a dinner party in a way that you're actually capable of getting it done without panicking is important. It's bad hospitality for the host to be freaked out." -  Ted Allen

  

"It is meant to offer an experience of hospitality, just as I believe that God extends to human beings a divine and inexhaustible welcome: the door is always open, the table always set, the arms flung wide, outstretched. " - Jane Redmont in When in Doubt, Sing

 

 "Do not forget to entertain strangers,. for by so doing some people have. entertained angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:2 

 

Any thoughts of your own that you'd like to share? Please do! Hopefully this post helps you if you've also fallen pray to the "standards of perfection" that we feel we must reach to be an "entertainer" ... relax and be hospitable! do your best, yes... but not Martha Stewart's or Pinterest best! Do everything with love and it'll be ok! 

 

 © Paloma K.