It's Cupcakes!!!

Hello Everyone!

I know for most of the country today was Super Bowl Sunday but for me it was our ladies get together for our regular Hulaqua. Hulaqua is an Arabic word meaning circle or gathering. Each week I challenge myself to come up with a new recipe for something sweet and yummy. When I started out this morning I had decided to bake a treat that was in the spirit of Valentine's Day; I was going to make chocolate ganache heart shaped tarts. I had all of my ingredients, but I failed the read the last step to make the chocolate tart shells, and that was to chill them for 1 hour before baking. Normally this would not be a problem except that it was 1:30 and I was supposed to meet my group at 3:00. There was no way to chill, bake and then add the ganache and cool again in time. What to do? Cupcakes to the rescue. But wait, I could not just bake just plain undecorated cupcakes so I asked myself what would my friend Jeannette, the Cupcake expert do? She would make amazing cupcake picks. So I knew just what I had to do.

Well for these incredibly simple picks I used all Stampin' Up! products. The punches used were the Curley Label, and the new Small Heart punch found in the Occasions Mini. The stamp set I chose appropriately enough was the I (Heart) Hearts. These assembled so easily and made the perfect finishing touch for my last minute, save my behind, cupcakes. The ladies seemed to enjoy them as well.

Ohhh, the cupcakes were strawberry with a tinted butter cream frosting. I love butter cream. I can eat just the frosting by itself, giggle, but I try to control myself. I am happy with the treats that I was able to take and share today.

Stay tuned for the chocolate ganache tarts later in the week. Ohhh yes, they will be made, now if they turn out like the picture in the Martha Stewart magazine I will be over the moon with happiness. Come back later on and see what happens. I am so nervous.....