Monday, March 14, 2011

The Pineapple Purse

MY WEAKNESS for bags that resemble food and/or are sparkly  is pretty transparent, even to people who have only known me for a few months. Fortunately my raccoon-like nature is not lost upon them and makes gift-hunting for me a cinch—my presents usually involve some sort of shiny bauble or tasty morsel, and if I'm lucky, a combination of the two.

As you can imagine, I was pretty thrilled to see that I am not alone: I stumbled upon this fortune cookie coin purse made out of recycled leather last week, and most recently, this pineapple coin purse from Kate Spade.

 So shiny. So delicious. I want.

Available from katepsade.com for $95, this tropical sparkler is oh-so-cute. Did I also mention it is ready for purchase? My birthday is in November so you have a few months to save up. ;-)

xo,
margaret

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Mini Golf

BEFORE I MET him, I had already heard stories about Nick's uncle, one of which I had to see to believe. Appropriately nicknamed "Tiger" as in Tiger Woods, he had already proven time and time again that he was a Wii Golf champion. I was most disbelieving of the dessert fiend rumor until it was confirmed one night when he gobbled up a plate of at least 30 mini lemon drizzles.

Using this knowledge of his lemon fanaticism and unrivaled golf acumen, I decided to whip up some luxuriously rich lemon cupcakes modeled after a golf course.

The finished product was awesome—with green sanding sugar for the "grass", mini jawbreakers for golf balls, and golf flags made from yellow construction paper that I cut out and glued to toothpicks. I also used crushed graham crackers for the bunkers, but crushed vanilla wafers would work just as well.

Anyone want to play mini golf? ;-)

{Tart Lemon Cupcakes}

Difficulty Level: Easy
Time: 35 minutes preparation, 20-25 minutes baking
Yields: 15 regular-sized cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • mini jawbreakers

DIRECTIONS

Combine slightly softened butter with sugar, and cream together. Add eggs one at a time. Mix in vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Combine all dry ingredients. Alternately add dry ingredients and sour cream into mixture. Bake at 375° F for 25-30 minutes. Remove, cool for 10 minutes, frost, and get ready for "tea time"!


xo, margaret