Funfetti Cupcakes? Yes, Please.

I used to be really snobby about boxed cake mix. What?!? You bought cake mix from a box? No No No, you must bake from scratch. No other way of baking will do. I've given up on this. Sometimes I'm in a hurry or I screw up the cake I was trying to bake from scratch and like it or not, a boxed cake comes out perfect every time. I usually grab a box of Funfetti if I'm going for boxed cake since it's my favorite. It's so festive and well, Fun!  Plus you can buy frosting to match. LOL Don't even get me started on the horrors of the ingredients in ready-made frosting, but every once in a while isn't going to kill anyone. I hope.
So I present you with......Funfetti cupcakes and canned frosting with sprinkles. Yum!

 My cupcake carrier. I love it. It's has 3 tiers and is perfect for taking lots of cupcakes to parties. Do you notice the NOT FOR BAKING stamped on the plastic? Really, cause I didn't know plastic melts. I'm always amazed at the warning labels I see.

Can't deny the cuteness of the Pillbury guy. He looks very happy with his boxed cake.

Do you boxed cake mix or always bake from scratch?

Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

So, you have peanut butter, chocolate chips and oatmeal in your pantry....what do you make? Cookies! If found this recipe on Brown Eyed Baker. I doubled the recipe since I was sharing with friends. Everyone loved them.

Breakfast Bowl with Grits

I've mentioned before that ever since my trip to Alabama (and Waffle House) I'm in love with grits. I have to buy them online since I can't find anything other than instant out here in CA, but it's worth it. At least once a week, I make cheesy grits in a breakfast bowl which consists of grits, scrambled eggs, bacon, and scallions all sprinkled with hot sauce. Absolutely delicious!

Do you have a favorite breakfast?
The weekdays are usually quick bread, cereal or oatmeal but we like to treat ourselves on the weekend.

Couch to 5K-Week 4

Tonight we started the Couch to 5K week 4. After a 5 minute walking warm-up it's 3 minutes jogging, 90 second walking, 5 minutes jogging, 2.5 minutes walking, then repeat. I felt great the entire time. I only got a stitch at the very end. It's amazing how well my body is adjusting and that I'm actually enjoying the training process. I hope it continues.

The Firm Workout and Jane Fonda

Does anybody else do The Firm workout? If you haven't, you should try it. As much as I love Jillian Michaels, I have to modify a lot of her exercises. Too many of them put a lot of stress on my back which isn't good for me. I bought The Firm box a few years ago and I dust it off every couple months and go on a step aerobics kick. It's so old school but I love it. I was a huge Jane Fonda fan in my early workout years. I used my mom's old videos and VHS player so old school is just fine with me. Please tell me I'm not the only one. Back to The Firm, my legs are really strong thanks to the box featured above. As an example, my office bathroom has been out of toilet seats covers for several days (UGH) and since I'm too lazy to do the whole toilet paper strip thing, what do we do ladies? we squat! TMI? sorry, but I can squat without any leg shaking thanks to many many step ups on this 14-inch box. Special thanks to Stephanie Huckabee (one of the lead trainers) she's my favorite.
Do you have a favorite old school workout routine?

Should we bring back the leotard, belt and tights outfit? I've seen leg warmers at Targert recently which I thought were super cute.

Apricot and Nut Cookies with Amaretto Icing

These smelled delicious while baking but I was underwhelmed with the final result. It might be because I substituted hazelnuts for the almonds and pine nuts. Also, I didn't have any amaretto so I used brandy. I plan to try them again when I have all the right ingredients since they are so different from the same old chocolate chip or peanut butter.

Apricot and Nut Cookies with Amaretto Icing
by Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients


1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 large egg

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar


5 to 7 tablespoons almond flavored liqueur (recommended: Amaretto


Directions


For the Cookies: In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg. Stir in the flour until just blended. Mix in the apricots, almonds, and pine nuts.

Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and shape into a log, about 12-inches long and 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Wrap the dough in the plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 heavy baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cut the dough log crosswise into 1/4 to 1/2 inch-thick slices. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, spacing evenly apart. Bake until the cookies are golden around the edges, about 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.

For the Icing: Place the confectioners' sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Gradually whisk in the almond flavored liqueur, until the mixture is of drizzling consistency.

Place the wire rack over a baking sheet. Using a spoon or fork, drizzle the cookies with the icing, allowing any excess icing to drip onto the baking sheet. Allow the icing to set before serving, about 30 minutes.

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