Popping the Cork

Happy Happy Valentines Day! 

I am loving my life right now and I am loving being single! So today I thought I would share a few things I do love with you. I hope today, whether you are single, dating, engaged or married that you also take some time to spoil yourself on this sweet day of love.  

What do you love today?

photo © 2009 samantha celera | more info (via: Wylio)



Things I love:
My friends and family
Cornfields
The beach, from Nantucket to Maui and every sandy beach in between.
Blueberries
Getting lost
Coconut Water
My camera
Lilacs
Retro & vintage kitchen stuff
Watermelon
Seashells
Hot tea & ice tea
Buttercream
Oranges
Movies
Farmer Markets and fruit stands
Little gems, out of the way stores, restaurants and destinations
Hydrangeas
Grandfather clocks
cupcakes

Pink Champagne Cupcakes

Recipe slightly adapted from Gimme Some Oven

Pink Champagne Cupcake Ingredients:

Recipe yields 20-24 cupcakes

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup champagne
6 egg whites

Sweet Champagne Buttercream Frosting Ingredients:
3 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 tablespoons champagne, at room temperature

To Make The Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350˚F  Prepare a cupcake pan with liners.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together, and then blend into creamed mixture alternately with champagne.
In another large clean bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the whites into batter to lighten it, then fold in remaining egg whites.  Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full. I used a ice cream scoop.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

To Make The Frosting:
With an electric mixer, beat together sugar and butter. Mix on low until well blended, and then on medium for another two minutes.  Add vanilla and champagne, beating on medium for another minute.
(I had to make another 1/2 batch of buttercream to finish off the cupcakes. I had nothing left)


I took these cupcakes to work. Everyone loved them and I ate 2 whole cupcakes. LOL there goes WW for the week!