Cheater Caramel Frappucino Cupcakes

I have a dirty little secret to share with y'all.  Don't tell anyone, but I infinitely prefer box mix cakes, cupcakes and brownies.  Oh, also store bought frosting. I'm a heathen, I know!  While I'm at it, I might as well admit that I prefer instant mashed potatoes to the lumpy, dumpy real ones.  Please don't hate me.  Maybe it comes from growing up eating only box mix cakes and instant mashed potatoes.  My mom, while she enjoys cooking does NOT like to bake at all unless it's simple and easy. I suppose I am passing this legacy on to my children.  I know all about the additives and preservatives in these quick mixes but I just can't help myself.  It's like trying to resist a bag of Laffy Taffy's in my cupboard, impossible.

I myself love to both bake and cook but sometimes I have no patience for the intricate cooking required on more complicated recipes.  In addition, I lack some of the proper equipment.  Cooking tools, like my crafting tools, are something that I have to accumulate one piece at a time.

All those excuses aside, I'm always on the lookout for recipes that I can adapt by substituting my precious box mixes instead of going the fully homemade route.  Today's recipe is one of those.  I surfed my favorite source for inspiration (Pinterest of course!) and mixed and matched ingredients in several recipes to come up with one that would work for me.  So here it is:

Cheater Caramel Frappucino Cupcakes

 Start with a box of chocolate cake mix (I prefer devil's food cake) and prepare it according to the directions on the box but substitute one cup of fresh brewed coffee for the water.  

Bake as directed and once the cupcakes cool, cut a hole in the top with a knife and fill with caramel frosting (recipe to follow).  Then pipe some of that store bought yummy frosting on top and add some chocolate shavings.  Voila!  

Caramel Frosting

1/2  cup butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Put the butter, brown sugar and whipping cream in a sauce pan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat and then cook & stir regularly for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Remove from the heat and add vanilla.  Once the sauce has cooled to lukewarm, whip in the powdered sugar until it reaches the consistency of spreadable frosting. 

 

Christmas Baking

Two days after Christmas and I can't believe how open my days have become.  My two kiddos are down in Illinois visiting their grandparents for the rest of the week and Jimmy's girls will be with us here until Saturday.  I have no holiday baking to complete, no gifts to make....I didn't realize how much the holidays filled my last month or so until it was over with.  So with all this free time, I thought I would take the time to post pictures of some of my baking projects over the holidays. 

M&M Sugar cookies....oh my I have to share this recipe because it was absolutely the best one I made this season.

Candy Cane blossoms-I can't take credit for these....Ani and one of her girlfriends did all the work!

Andes Mint chip cookies

Chocolate chip cookies

Reese's peanut butter chip cookies-these were a big hit with my husband

Egg nog cookies

 Rolo cake cookies

Whopper cookies-for our oldest kid who is a huge Whopper addict

Amish cinnamon bread

 Egg nog cheesecake bars

Candy covered pretzels

White chocolate peppermint cheesecake

Jesus' birthday cake

And finally, an annual family holiday tradition that started with my great grandmother...the cinnamon roll Christmas tree cake

There was also an egg nog cheesecake and some egg nog bread but I forgot to take pictures of those.  Whew, that was a lot of baking and while I enjoyed it, I'm definitely glad to get back to the regular things in life.  

Minus an endless round of doctor appointments that appear to be never ending, my future is wide open so I spent this morning in my devotional/quiet time asking God to help me be a better listener so that I could hear and respond to His plans for me.  I asked for help to be a better steward of my time and resources and He responded in my devotional with this verse:  "In everything you do, put God first, and He will direct you and crown your efforts with success."  Proverbs 3:6  So simple!  I just need to keep praying that I keep God as my first priority and the rest will fall into place. 

Has it really been a year?

A year ago yesterday was the anniversary of my first hospitalization for meningitis.  What at first seemed like an out of the blue case of bacterial meningitis soon turned into a medical odyssey.  As stressful, scary, frustrating and tiring as the journey has been I can't bring myself to regret it at all.  Without this medical drama, I may never have realized how truly blessed I am.  God has continually shown me how He provides.  He is indeed great!  

Last week my best friend & I took a little road trip to Ann Arbor to meet a new Rheumatologist for a second opinion.  It was comforting to meet a doctor who showed some urgency about the situation and seemed to grasp that a laid back approach just wasn't going to work.  She doesn't seem to think that the Sjogren's Syndrome is the cause of this and she ordered lots of testing to look for a possible Lupus diagnosis.  She also didn't think that the Methotrexate chemo treatment was going to make a difference.  She is leaning towards Cytoxan possibly in addition to Rituxan.  She wants to find a way to get me off of the steroids as it is obviously not ideal to spend this much time on them, especially at these high doses.  In the meantime, she placed me on Fosamax to assist in any possible steroid induced osteoporosis.  She has referred me on to a neurologist in Ann Arbor and also requested a new MRI/MRA.  

I am no longer content to wait patiently for another opinion though, and have a few other options brewing.  My neurologist in town here has ordered a special blood panel that tests for encephalitis.  The lab is scheduled to come to my house in early January to test me for Anti-NMDA Receptor Autoimmune Encephalitis.  I also have an appointment with my GP to get a referral to an Immunologist.  I have a fourth cousin who also happens to have SJS.  She recently saw both her Rheumatologist & Immunologist and brought my bizarre case up.  They were both stumped by the meningitis and highly recommended that I get a full immunologic work up to see if I have any issues on that front.  I'm also on the hunt for a new ophthalmologist....someone who will agree to permanently close up my tear ducts instead of placing punctal plugs.  My eyes are more dry than ever and the plugs are just a stop-gap measure in my opinion.  

Meanwhile....Christmas preparations proceed in the Chase house.  

  A picture of my food prep/baking list that needs to be completed before Christmas.  I suppose it's a good thing that the steroids are seriously cutting into my sleep time.  It gives me the time to bake.  My kitchen looks like a war zone....all the baking supplies and goodie bags stockpiled on every available counter space.

In addition to food prep and baking, it's been a week of volunteering, holiday concerts and doctor appointments.  On Tuesday I volunteered at the Angel Tree gift distribution at the Salvation Army.  Last year was the first time I had done it and I love it.  I hope that I am always able to serve in the capacity.  From there, I went to my baby girl's last holiday concert in her elementary school career which was pretty bittersweet.

 I may be biased, but isn't she adorable??

Yesterday was a doctor appointment for my little man and today is one for me.  Tomorrow is Aidan's holiday concert at school and I may have heard a rumor that he's appearing as Santa Claus.  I don't mind all the busyness....I'm hoping it brings Saturday here sooner.  We get our daughters on Saturday and then our family will be complete once more.  Saturday we'll be spending the evening with our chosen family and Sunday we will celebrate a Christmas Eve candlelight service at church.  I am so blessed to be alive and healthy enough to enjoy all of the bounty God has provided!