Keep calm and have an Oreo Cupcake

To help endure this dreary weather, I decided to make cupcakes in celebration of Oreo's 100th Birthday.  With the help of two of the coolest teens you'll ever meet, we were able to create a batch of delicious Oreo Cupcakes.



Below is a basic recipe for Oreo Cupcakes, Miss Honey's version.  I deviated from the original Death by Oreo Cupcake Recipe, just a little bit.  The cupcake itself, as you will see,  is overloaded with oreo cookies.  Instead of making an oreo-filled frosting I decided to go with  plain vanilla frosting as it evens out the taste so you can enjoy the oreos and the cupcake bite by bite!  I hope you love them as much as we did.

Here ya go::

Oreo Cupcakes Recipe

Estimated Cooking Time & Preparation Time:  About 30 to 35 minutes

Ingredients

1 package Oreo Cookies, regular size
1 package Mini Oreo Cookies, for decoration (optional)
1 package yellow cake mix (mix according to directions on box)
16 oz vanilla frosting
cupcake liners

Directions:

1.)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.) Mix packaged cake mix according to directions (do not bake).
3.) Line cupcake tins with liner, place one regular size Oreo cookie in each liner.
4.) Take 1/2 of the remaining cookies, break into pieces and add to cake mix.
5.) Fill the cupcake tins
6.) Bake for 18-20 minutes
7.) Cool cupcakes and decorate using remaining regular sized Oreos (cut 1/4) or mini Oreos.













Hungry? Now  it's your turn to make some ;)

"Cupcakes make people happy."

Love,
Honey

Happy Birthday, Doc!

In honor of everyone's favorite Doctor + Children's author, Dr. Seuss, Read Across America will be observed on Friday, March 2, Dr. Seuss' birthday. (Also the opening day for the much anticipated animated film The Lorax.)

Read Across America is celebrated throughout the country, bringing children, teens and adults together. The nationwide observance promotes reading activities and events held by schools, libraries and community centers.



Read Across America shows kids and adults that reading is fun and important. Dr. Seuss himself said,

"The more that you read, the more that you know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."

There are several simple ways you can observe Read Across America. Read a book to a child, or even an elder. Read your favorite Dr. Seuss Book. Go to the library or a bookstore and pick up a book of your choice. Visit http://www.readacrossamerica.org/ and make a pledge to encourage reading. (I'm the fourth person from Hawaii to pledge assistance to build a nation of readers. Let's make it more than this darlings.)

By doing so, you can help increase awareness that reading is vital in mental development, improving literacy and creativity.

As our friends in Seussville remind us,

"You're never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child."

...or to read a book to yourself ;)

Love,
Honey

The Cute Overload vs. Anti-Cupcake Person

Three boys and a girl. A fashionably quirky one at that... sums up Fox's "New Girl" starring Zoee Deschanel as the eccentric Jess, who, after a bad breakup, moves to a new apartment with three bachelors each with clashing personalities- Nick (Jake Johnson), Schmidt (Max Greenfield), and Winston (Lamorne Morris).



Watched last Wednesday's episode on DVR and I could NOT stop laughing. Liz Caplan plays Julia, Nick's girlnospacefriend, a snappy, anti-cupcake lawyer lacking emotion who confronts Jess about her optimistic fairy tale outlook on life.

The hilarious conversation went on like this....



Julia: You never know, a judge might buy into this whole thing, so..
Jess: What whole thing?
Julia: Your whole thing. With the cupcakes and the breaking for birds, and the bluebirds come and help me dress in the morning!
Jess: Oh wow, I didn't know I was doing a thing.
Julia: It's a great thing. The big beautiful blue eyes. I bet that gets you out of a lot of things.
Jess: Yeah, except my peripheral vision is almost too good

HAHAHA! Jess meets her nemesis who was obviously against her cute overload factor or "thing" as Julia likes to call it.  The two go back and forth throughout the episode with snarkable (snarky + adorable) remarks with Julia giving in and ultimately spending a night crocheting with Jess.  Can you say New BFF?!!!

Other quotes from this episode:

Julia: I see what you're doing. I know that I'm the mean lawyer-girl who wears suits and works too much. And you, you're the really fun teacher girl with all the colorful skirts and you bake things. And eventually Nick is gonna come running to you and you'll tuck him in under his blankie.
Jess: What is it with you and the blankie thing?! I never said the word 'blankie'! I don't talk like Teddy Ruxpin.
Julia: If I acted the way that you act when I was at work, nobody would listen to me.
Jess: Well if I acted like you at work, my students would turn in really weird, dark dioramas!

Jess: I brake for birds. I rock a lot of polka dots. I have touched glitter in the last 24 hours. I spend my entire day talking to children. And I find it fundamentally strange that you're not a dessert person! That's just weird and it freaks me out! And I'm sorry I don't talk like Murphy Brown and I hate your pantsuit. I wish it had ribbons on it or something to make it just slightly cuter. And that doesn't mean I'm not smart and tough and strong!

I thought it was too funny! Who in the world hates cupcakes? And regardless of all the evil, good always wins, right? Same with cuteness.  It can kick cynicism's butt any day.

Hey, Jess.  YOU GO GIRL.


Love,
Honey