DIY Idea: Turkey Cupcakes

I am officially off work and awaiting the arrival of our little girl.  (I wish she'd hurry up! I'm notoriously early to events, and I'd love it if she'd take after me on this!)

In the mean time, I'm staying busy running errands and finishing up her nursery.  (Which I can't wait to share with you!)

Its strange this year to not make any real Thanksgiving plans. We could be in the hospital at that point, or we could be still waiting for her to make an appearance.  (Her dad and I would definitely prefer to not be eating hospital food on this holiday, for the record).

I did make some cute turkey cupcakes though.  These guys are easy & cute, and would be the perfect to bring wherever you are spending your holiday.  And the kiddos can help, which is always a bonus.  

You can get all the instructions for making these guys here. 

And seriously, check back sooooon for my nursery reveal!

Quick and Easy Holiday Recipes

I've compiled what I consider the ultimate list of quick & easy holiday eats. 

Its a good one to keep on hand with all the parties this season brings! 

You'll want to bookmark this one! 

Click here. 

And then feel free to share!

Are there any you would add to the list?

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you spent Thanksgiving surrounded by loved ones and yummy food.

Here's a peak into my day:

My mother in law's pretty Turkey Day tablescape.

A cute husband carving turkey.

My favorite little beggar. 

 The feast.

I am so thankful for all my readers! Thank you so much ~today and everyday!

My Iron Cupcake Entry: Chocolate Chunk Cranberry Cupcakes

Hopefully you have your Thanksgiving dessert planned by now. But if you happen to be a procrastinator, I have a great cupcake recipe for you!

This month's Iron Cupcake challenge was Thanksgiving.

My entry was Chocolate Chunk Cranberry Cupcakes, with Chocolate Orange Frosting.  Yummy!

Chocolate Chunk Cranberry Cupcakes (based on this recipe)

3/4 Cup unsalted softened butter

1 Cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 Cup granulated sugar

4 Eggs

Zest of two baby oranges

6 Tablespoons of orange juice

2 Cups flour

2 Teaspoons baking powder

1 Cup fresh, chopped cranberries

1/2 Cup chopped semisweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat butter and sugars together.

 Add eggs, orange zest, and 3 tablespoons of orange juice and mix.

 

Add baking powder and flour and mix well.

Fold in cranberries and chocolate chunks.

Bake mini cupcakes for approximately 15 minutes.  Makes ~50 mini cupcakes.

Chocolate Orange Cream Cheese Frosting (based on this recipe)

8oz Cream cheese

1/2 Cup butter

1/2 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pound powdered sugar

Zest of one orange

1-2 Splashes of orange juice

Beat cream cheese and butter together. Add cocoa powder, vanilla, and powdered sugar and mix.  Add orange zest a orange juice (to reach desired texture).

Viola!
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Iron Cupcake Challenge: Thanksgiving

See this post for the details on this monthly event. 

This month the challenge was to make your interpretation of a Thanksgiving cupcake. 

Here's a few of the entries: 

 

Sweet Potato Cupcakes

Marshmallow Frosting

Cran-Orange Cupcakes

Cranberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Pecans

Cream Cheese Frosting

Marzipan Wishbone

Candied Yam Cupcakes with Pecans and Marshmallows

Brown Sugar Glaze with a Dollop of Lemon Buttercream

Cranberry Orange Cupcakes

Brown Butter Frosting

Topped with a Candied Cranberry

And, here's my entry:

Cranberry and Chocolate Chunk Cupcakes

Chocolate Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

To.die.for.  Seriously.  Come by tomorrow and I'll share the recipe. I think these were better than my previous entries.

I am seriously ready for Thursday's meal after this night!

DIY Idea: Thanksgiving Frames

You may remember my Halloween frames from a few weeks ago. 

Well, they've been updated for Thanksgiving:

This is such a easy and cheap holiday decoration.  I reused my Halloween frames, and bought 3 fabric remnants and 1 sheet of paper. Check out my post on the Halloween frames for all the how-to details. 

You can download the file I used to make these here: 

Thanksgiving

Check back! I'm planning my Christmas versions already!

DIY Idea: Thanksgiving Place Cards

One of my favorite catalogs came in the mail recently: Paper Source.

I love the kits they are selling to make your own Thanksgiving dinner place cards:

Wheat bundles!

Pumpkins! 

Acorns! 

How did I not realize that one of my favorite stores has a blog?  Full of fun ideas, of course!

I guess won't have to wait for their catalog anymore.  :)

I am Loving: Nature Inspired Fall Decorations

I was in a Pottery Barn recently and was drooling over some of their fall displays.

I love how many natural elements they've included this year.

via

Acorns

via

Pumpkins and gourds

 via

Fall leaves

 via

Wheat and dried fruit

Beautiful, huh?

Unfortunately I don't have the same budget as I imagine the Pottery Barn designers do.  But, I did my best to recreate some of these looks and bring a little of nature's fall bounty into my home this year.

Luckily, the floral department at my local grocery store was selling little gourds, mini pumpkins, and dried wheat.  I picked up a few while shopping today, and used some items I already owned to decorate.

My entry table (home of our never-ending mail pile):  I added some wheat stalks in a fall-appropriate pitcher, and scattered gourds and fall leaves around.

On top of my china hutch:  I gathered these acorns when visiting my brother and sister-in-law's in the mountains a few years ago (free!-the best kind of decoration). I just added some colorful leaves. 

My dining room table:  This wicker cake stand was a gift.  I added a candle, leaves, and little gourds to dress it up. 

Happy Decorating!