Blogspot - Recipe Scratch Rusia

In an effort to be 100% transparent, I used a cake mix to make these cupcakes.  I think it was a Duncan Hines Spice Cake Mix, to be exact.  If you have read this blog for a while, you know that I'm not afraid of or embarrassed by a cake mix.  I use them all of the time for shortcuts - especially when I'm making cupcakes.  Maybe it is just me, but I think that homemade cupcake batter can be a little finicky... it can roll over the sides, it can deflate, etc., and I wanted these to look just perfect in my new Gold Striped Cupcake Papers.  And it was easy.  I was really in the mood for a Fall-ish spice cake topped with creamy, cream cheese frosting and these were everything (and more!) than I had hoped. People tend to not think about texture as much as they should.  I had a gourmet ice cream sundae at a fancy restaurant this summer, and the combination of textures was unbelievable.  I can still taste (feel it?) right now.  This cupcake combinati...

I love traditional Thanksgiving - everything.  Traditional colors, a traditional menu, flowers, table setting, etc.  I'm not sure if creating a floral centerpiece in a pumpkin would be traditional in the eyes of generations past, but in the Martha Stewart era of holidays, it surely seems like a classic. It has been about 6 years since I created a floral centerpiece in a pumpkin... I am not sure if I thought it was too over done, or if I hadn't had the occasion to do it.  Or maybe I got lazy and didn't want to go to the trouble of carving out the pumpkin.  This year, I've been itching to do it.  I thought about if for Halloween, then Emma's costume took priority in the project department.  Get all of the table setting details, here > I started by selecting my flowers and colors - getting a feel for what the colors will look like with the table setting, in the room. I chose these apricot roses with burnt orange and deep red mums.  I needed something ...