Delicious Halloween Cupcakes

With one of my favorite holidays coming up, I’m always super excited to start baking! I love easy recipes that I can make with my son and that everyone will enjoy! These cupcakes are a classic and with orange icing and some fun Halloween cupcake liners, they’ll be a hit in your home too!

Ingredients

Cupcakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
2.5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1.5 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
1 tbs vanilla extract

Frosting

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup 35% whipping cream
2 tsp vanilla extract

Let's Bake!

Cupcakes

1.Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

2. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

3. In separate bowl beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time and then the vanilla.

4. With mixer on low speed, add milk and then slowly add the flour mixture from step 1. Mix until there are no lumps.

5. Spoon batter into lined muffin tins until two-thirds full. Bake for 17-20 minutes, or until tester comes out clean when inserted into the centre of cupcakes.

6. Let cool completely before decorating!

Frosting

1.Beat butter until light and fluffy

2. With mixer on low speed, add powdered sugar, cream, vanilla and salt until well mixed and there are no more lumps.

3. Increase mixer speed to high and beat for 2 minutes until fluffy.

4. Add frosting to piping bag or to ziplock back and cut off the corner to easily top the cupcakes with icing! Decorate with Halloween themed sprinkles.

The Coffee Maker of My Dreams

When I heard that Keurig had come out with a new coffee maker, I was intrigued. I am OBSESSED with my Keurig already for a few reasons and couldn’t imagine what they did to make it better! I can make my favourite blend of coffee at home, from Starbucks to Tim Hortons to Van Houte, at a fraction of the cost, it’s simple to use, easy to clean and looks great on my counter top. I didn’t think it could get better… until I received the Keurig K-Café Coffee, Latte & Cappuccino Maker.

The Keurig K-Café coffee maker has all the benefits of my original Keurig plus SO MUCH MORE.

Ready?

With the K-Café coffee maker, you can make cappuccinos and lattes! Yes. You read that correctly. A Keurig coffee maker that allows you to make your own Starbucks latte at home. There is a frother on the side of the maker that is so easy to use, you could basically do it with your eyes closed. You add the milk to the appropriate measuring line (cappuccino or latte) and press the button on the front. It even has a “cold” button which keeps your milk cold for your cold drinks!

That brings me to my next fave feature: it perfectly makes iced drinks! Now that summer is here, who doesn’t want an iced latte? Chose your fave blend, froth the milk with the “cold” setting, add a glass of ice and press the “latte” button on the top of the coffee maker and that’s it! A perfect, made at home iced latte that doesn’t cost $7 and doesn’t require me to clean a million pieces in a complicated machine!

For all you die hard black coffee fans aka sleep deprived moms, the K-Café coffee maker has got your back! On top of the cold drinks and milk frother (which should be enough to convince you that this coffee maker is the best), you can choose from 4 different cup sizes for your coffee, there is “strong” button to add more of bold taste to your regular cup of coffee and a “shot” button for the perfect latte and cappuccino or for those mornings when you have no time to enjoy a coffee but Need. That. Caffeine. Oh… or if you just enjoy espresso style coffee. #momlife

There are a few other added features that I think are super cool (but nothing beats the milk frother for me):

• Auto-off function when the coffee maker is idol for 2 hours so it saves your mom brain from wondering if you turned it off.

• A feature where you can turn on the coffee maker, add your pod and walk away and it will brew your coffee as soon as it is ready (with my old coffee maker I used to have to turn it on, wait for it to be ready and then insert the pod). No more wasted time!

Lastly, in case you weren’t aware, you can actually use regular ground coffee in your Keurig by purchasing  one of their reusable pods! So if your fave brew doesn’t already come in a K-cup, no problem! There’s also a huge selection of Tea and Hot Chocolate Pods on the Keurig site that you can order and have delivered right to your door!

Be the Hostess With the Mostest Thanks to TABASCO® Sauces

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #FlavorYourWorld #CollectiveBias 

Your friends will be lining up for game day when you decide to spice up your appetizers this year with TABASCO® Sauces. I’m sharing my drool worthy Cheese Dip, Guacamole and Bean Salsa recipes with an added twist: the TABASCO® Brand Pepper Sauce, Chipotle Pepper Sauce and Green Jalapeño Sauce. They can all be found in the “Sauces” aisle at your local Walmart near the other condiments.

The TABASCO® Brand Pepper Sauce is made with only 3 ingredients: aged red peppers, salt and distilled vinegar. It can be used in almost any dish and adds a kick of spice that your guests will obsess over! I used it in all 3 of my recipes and it’s a staple in my kitchen, but depending on the type of spice or flavor you want to add to your dishes, you can substitute it for the other 2 as well! You can also leave the bottles out for your guests to add as they please to their food.

Game Day Spicy Bean Salsa

You can make this salsa as chunky or as smooth as you want! Depending on the consistency you’re looking for, you can add the beans and tomatoes to a blender before adding the rest of the ingredients. We love foods with an aded kick of flavor so we were super generous with the TABASCO® Sauce.

1. Add 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained to a bowl. (You can add to a food processor and chop or blend depending on the consistency you want your salsa to be!)

2. Add 3 large tomatoes, seeded and diced (for a chunky sauce) OR add to the same food processor as the beans and blend.

3. 1 small onion diced

4. 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

5. 1 tbs lime juice

6. 2 tbs TABASCO® Sauce of your choice (I recommend the Pepper Sauce or Chipotle Pepper Sauce!)

Kicker Cheese Dip

Surprise your gameday guests with this fun twist on a classic cheese dip! You can mix in the TABASCO® Sauce while making it, drizzle it on top (OR BOTH!).

1. In a medium sauce pan, warm over medium heat 3 tbs of butter and 2 tbs of flour

2. Add 1 cup of milk, while stirring constantly

3. Add 1 cup of shredding sharp cheddar cheese

4. Continue to stir and mix until fully melted

5. Add in 1 tbs of TABASCO® Sauce (the flavor of your choice!)

6. Top with chopped chives

7. Optional: Drizzle TABASCO® Sauce on top of the dish once ready to serve (I recommend the Green Jalapeño Sauce)

Creamy Kick Off Guacamole

For a creamy guacamole add all the ingredients to a blender! For a chunkier guacamole, follow the recipe below!

1. Add 4 ripe guacamoles to a bowl (KEEP THE PITS!)

2. Add the juice from 1/2 lime

3. Add 1 large tomato diced

4. Add 1 large onion diced

5. Add 1/4 cup of cilantro chopped

6. Add 1 tbs of TABASCO® Sauce (I recommend the Chipotle Pepper Sauce or the Green Jalapeño Sauce)

I would love to hear how you use the 3 TABASCO® Sauces in your recipes! Comment below so that I can give them a try. Don’t forget to visit the link below (click on the image!) to earn CASH BACK on your purchase of TABASCO® Sauces at Walmart! #FlavorYourWorld #CollectiveBias