Cap'n Crunch Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Marshmallow Frosting

I saw these cupcakes and thought they would be so much fun to make for a gathering where there were going to be lots of little kids. What could be better than combining Cap'n Crunch cereal and PB? Not to mention some fluffy marshmallow stuff and then turning it all into a cute cupcakes.

I don't ever use cake mix nor do I have it on hand (mostly because I enjoy make cake from scratch), but for this one, I went ahead and used a mix because that is what the recipe called for. This was a winning combination and everyone really thought they tasted great. Definite crowd pleaser!





Here is the recipe for Cap'n Crunch Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Marshmallow Frosting

B-day stuff: Chocolate Cake with Whipped Frosting and brunch from The Pink Princess Book

Here is my little Ry-Bear. She turned 5 on October 25th. She loves the carousel, animals and dinosaurs, but sometimes has a thing for pink and princesses, too.
When we discussed her b-day cake, her first choice involved pink and princess, but she quickly changed her mind to dinosaurs and green frosting. I asked her multiple times and the dinosaur/green frosting combo was the winner.
She wanted to decorate it, so I let her put the little plastic dinos on top and then all the kids help throw the dinosaur eggs (candy-coated chocolate covered sunflower seeds) on top. Kind of relaxing to let the kids do all the work.
I had no problem getting rid of the extra frosting. The recipe for cake and frosting are below. Nothing too spectacular, but good enough for a birthday.
For her birthday brunch, the birthday girl flipped through the pages of Pink Princess Cookbook and chose a menu. The kids helped me prepare all of the food for our brunch.

I was not planning on taking pictures of this brunch, but my mom and husband both protested when I told them I was just going to have a relaxing time with no pics. They insisted. So, I grabbed the camera when everything was on the table (not the usual place for taking pics of food in my house) and I tried to get a decent shot of the brunch. Bear with me on these :-)
Ry chose Mini-Marshmallow Smoothies to start us off. I adapted the recipe from the book and placed 1 sliced banana, 1 cup sliced strawberries, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 1 cup vanilla yogurt, and 1 1/2 cups skim milk in the blender. I blended it well, then poured it into glasses and added the colored mini-marshmallows. (The adults enjoyed smoothies w/out marshmallows).
Next up
Blackberry Biscuits
1 can large-size refrigerator biscuits
1 cup canned blackberry pie filling
1 tsp ground cinnamon mixed w/ 1/4 cup sugar

Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. Slice or divide each biscuit in half. Press one half in the bottom of 8 of the muffin cups, covering bottom completely. Leave 4 of the muffin cups empty.
Spoon 1 Tbls pie filling on top of each biscuit half.
Cover pie filling w/ remaining biscuits halves.
Sprinkle tops w/ cinnamon-sugar mixture. I used decorating sugar too
Bake for 15 minutes.
Serve warm.
Fairy Tale Fondue
3/4 cup heavy cream
12 oz white chocolate, chopped
1 tsp vanilla

Heat the cream in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until hot, about 2-3 minutes.
When hot, add the chocolate and stir until it is just melted and smooth. Stir in vanilla.
Serve with your choice or fresh strawberries, banana slices, pound cake, pretzels, grapes, etc. for dipping
This was Ry's fave thing to help make for the brunch.

Little Ladybugs
12 seedless red grapes
12 toothpicks
12 whole strawberries w/ stems
1 package mini chocolate chips

Place a grape on a toothpick, sliding it all the way to the end of the stick. This is the ladybugs head.
Place a strawberry on the toothpick, stem end first, and slide it down to touch the grape. This is the body.
Lay the ladybug down and carefully push the pointed ends of several chocolate chips into the strawberry to make the spots.
Raspberry Tea Sandwiches
8 slices white bread
1/2 cup soft spread cream cheese
1 Tbls raspberry preserves
1 pint fresh raspberries

Cut bread into desired shapes with a cookie cutter. In a bowl combine cream cheese and raspberry preserves. Spread a thin layer of the mixture on each bread cut-out and place raspberries on top.

Classic Cucumber Sandwiches
1 English cucumber, sliced
8 slices whole wheat bread
2 Tbls softened butter
salt and pepper
cherry tomatoes for garnish

Cut crust off bread and cut into shapes with cookie cutter.
Spread butter on each cut-out. Lay cucumber slices on top.
Season with salt and pepper.
Garnish with cherry tomatoes


The whole brunch was really fun to prepare and even more fun to share. It was a great birthday!

Recipe for Chocolate Cake

Recipe for Whipped Frosting

Weekly Lunchbox- Chunky Chicken Salad Sdwh, Sliced Veggies w/Dip, Pesto Pasta, Chocolate Sdwh Cookies- and Spicy Bulgur Salad w/ Nectarines

Some people couldn't decide between peanut butter frosting and marshmallow so they took both.

This week's lunchbox takes most of it's recipes from Todd English. There was an article on Parents.com that featured this Chunky Chicken Salad- which got a double thumbs up from my son, Pesto Pasta Salad, Veggies and Frenchy Dip, and Chocolate Sandwich Cookies. I made them throughout the week and since there was a cookie recipe, I decided to compare a recent Chocolate Sandwich Cookie from Cooking Light. I didn't make either of the frostings that went with the cookies because I had just enough leftover marshmallow frosting from Cupcake Hero and some Peanut Butter Frosting from some cupcakes a week ago. The Cooking Light Cookies were like giant cake cookies that went great with the marshmallow frosting and Todd English's cookies were very chocolately and dark, like a brownie, but they were impossible to roll out I ended up rolling them into balls and smooshing them down a little. The last salad was very delicious and used our last nectarine from the backyard. (The pic is awful because I forgot to take a pic until there was no natural light, sorry!)


Todd English Sandwich Cookies above, Cooking Light Cookies below

Chunky Chicken Salad Sandwich From Todd English, on Parents.com
6 oz. leftover skinless chicken breast or rotisserie chicken, cut into small chunks
1/4 cucumber, diced
2 Tbs. fresh basil, chopped
2 Tbs. fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Juice of 1/2 lemon, or to taste
4 slices whole wheat bread
2 tsp. soft butter (optional)

Step 1: In a bowl, mix all ingredients except bread and butter. Toast bread or, to grill, spread one side of each slice with butter. Spoon half the chicken salad onto a slice of toast or bread, butter side down. Top with another piece of toast or bread, butter side up. Repeat. If grilling, place in a skillet on low heat for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. Cut in half.

Sliced Veggies and Frenchy Ketchup Dip from Todd English, Parents.com
For kids over age 4, pack raw veggies with 1/4 cup of this delicious dip. In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup ketchup and 1/4 cup light mayonnaise. Stir in 2 Tbs. diced pickles.

Pesto Pasta Salad from Todd English taken from Parents.com
1 lb. orzo pasta
2 cups basil, chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove
5 pitted black olives
2 large, ripe tomatoes, diced

Step 1: Cook orzo according to the package directions. Drain and place in a bowl with very cold water and a few drops of olive oil so it cools fast. Drain again.
Step 2: In a food processor, pulse basil, cheese, remaining oil, garlic, and olives until mixed.
Step 3: In a large bowl, stir together pasta, basil mixture, and tomatoes.

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies from Todd English, taken from Parents.com
Makes: 20 cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 cup cocoa powder
1 cup plus 3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
3 Tbs. water
Instructions:
Step 1: Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and mix together. Gradually mix in cocoa powder and flour. Stir in water.
Step 2: Form dough into a flattened disk; chill for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Preheat oven to 325?F. Carefully place dough on parchment paper; roll out to approximately 1/4" thick. Cut into circles using a 1 1/4" round cookie cutter. Place on cookie sheets. Bake about 5 to 8 minutes, until the cookies are firm at the edges and no longer doughy in the middle. Cool completely. Spread cream cheese frosting (see recipe below) on the cookie bottoms; assemble to form a sandwich cookie.

Cream Cheese Frosting
In a bowl, combine 1/4 cup low-fat cream cheese, 1 1/3 cup powdered sugar, and 6 Tbs. softened butter. Mix well.

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with Marshmallow Cream Filling from Cooking Light

Cookies:

1 cup sugar

5 tablespoons butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)

5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup fat-free buttermilk

Cooking spray

Filling:

1 envelope unflavored gelatin (about 2 1/2 teaspoons)

3/4 cup cold water, divided

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup light-colored corn syrup

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. To prepare cookies, combine 1 cup sugar and butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 2 minutes). Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and eggs; beat until combined. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, cocoa, 1 teaspoon salt, baking powder, and baking soda; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
3. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes or until set. Cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.
4. To prepare filling, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water in a large bowl; set aside. Combine remaining 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar, syrup, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer registers 244°. Remove from heat. Gradually pour hot sugar syrup into softened gelatin mixture, beating with a mixer at low speed, then at high speed until thick (about 6 minutes), scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; beat until well blended.
5. Quickly spread about 2 tablespoons filling over bottom side of 1 cookie; top with another cookie. Repeat procedure with remaining filling and cookies.

Spicy Bulgur Salad with Nectarines from the Top 100 Recipes for a healthy Lunchbox by Nicola Graimes

1/2 cup bulgur wheat

scant 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1 Tbls olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 ripe nectarine, halved, pitted and sliced

3 Tbls pinenuts, toasted

2 Tbls chopped cilantro

pepper

1. Put the bulgur in a saucepan with the stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the stock is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let hte pan stand 5 minutes with the lid on.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet and fry the garlic for 1 minute, then add the spices and cook another

minute. Remove from the heat, add the bulgur, and stir to coat it in the spices. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.

3. Stir in the nectarine, pine nuts, and cilantro. Season with pepper.

Can be made in advance and refrigerated for up to 3 days.