Cupcake Recipe Contest: Our Sweet Solar System at National Geographic

Hurry over to National Geographic for the rules to this cool contest...

The Life,Lightly Salted Giveaway ends Friday Nov. 7th...Hurry up and enter!

Michele from Life,Lightly Salted is giving away a 7 ounce Almond Biscotti soy candle from her favorite candle lady, Janine .

It smells absolutely delicious!

It has a sweet toasted almond cookie fragrance with a hint of buttery vanilla.

Janine is the owner/operator/scent wizard of Things That Make Scents in South Jersey. But wait… Janine has also thrown in a $25 gift certificate to the lucky winner!

To enter the giveaway just leave a comment telling Michele what your favorite candle scent is. Deadline for entering the giveaway will be Friday, November 7th, 2008.

For an extra chance to win and to promote Things That Make Scents just mention this giveaway on your blog and let her know that you linked back to her site.

My Booo-tiful Halloween Cupcake Contest Entry

Today I made cupcakes for the first annual Halloween Cupcake contest hosted by How To Eat A Cupcake and I Heart Cuppycakes!
The contest runs until November 6th @ 12midnight EST so hurry up and start baking! The prizes are super too!

My cupcakes were a big hit and my family couldn’t wait for me to finish taking my pictures so they could eat them.

I made basic yellow cake cupcakes (because they always come so moist).
Ingredients:
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup milk

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Put muffin papers in muffin pans for 24 cupcakes.
In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt with a wire whisk.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs, one at a time.

Add vanilla and mix until completely combined.

Slowly add flour alternately with milk.

At end of addition batter should be smooth.

Fill each cupcake paper half way.
I baked them for 15 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Cool 5 minutes in pan, then remove to a rack and cool completely before frosting.

I made the basic Wilton Butter Cream icing for decorating and I tinted it orange..
Ingredients:
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup butter or margarine softened
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
4 cups confectioner's sugar (approximately 1 lb.) sifted
2 Tablespoons milk
Icing makes about 3 cups.
Instructions(Medium Consistency):
In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer.
Add vanilla.
Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed.
Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often.
When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry.
Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.

I topped each cupcake with a spooky peanut butter eye ball!

I am an O Foods Contest Winner!

I am so excited that I have been chosen by Sara’s Ms Adventures in Italy and Jenn’s The Leftover Queen and Michelle’s Bleeding Espresso as the Awareness winner in the O Food for Ovarian CANCER awareness month contest .

I will receive a copy of Gina DePalma’s
Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen.

Thank you so much girls…
This is the first prize I ever won!
I was so excited to participate in such an important event.
I am honored to be in such great company!

They are going to leave the donation page active the rest of the year and they will keep checking back on it.
Ovarian Cancer Awareness
Help us spread the word!