S’Mores Cupcakes

I hope everyone had a great weekend!  I know all of my Northern family and friends saw a whole bunch of snow, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t just a little bit jealous….mostly because I didn’t get to see any snow when I was in town for Christmas this year.  My Mom sent me a few pictures and it was beautiful!  Don’t get me wrong, I’ll take the sun over the clouds any day, but I do miss the snow time and again. 

View from my parents house

Our weekend was nice and relatively quiet, we did stuff around the house and bought some baby-proofing things, and a convertible car seat for Garrett, because he’s almost to the height limit of his infant car seat (where has my little baby gone??)

…but the best part for me was that I got to get into the kitchen and try a new cupcake recipe!!!  I had a taste for S’mores, and since it was too cold to start a fire and roast some marshmallows, and Dan was around to help take care of our little man, and because we were going to some friends house for dinner, I had time and a reason to bake and I decided to try a S’mores cupcake recipe! 

You will need….

  • 1 Package of your favorite chocolate cupcake mix (cupcake tins and liners)
  • 1 1/3 c Water
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/3 c vegetable oil
  • mini-marshmallows (the recipe calls for only 1c but I used 3 mini-mallows for each cupcake, and if I do it again, I may even add more
  • graham crackers (again the recipe calls for 1c, but I just eyeballed it)

Add your cupcake mix, water, eggs, and oil and beat with your electric mixer for 2 minutes

Spoon your batter into baking cups, filling halfway.  Sprinkle 3-5 marshmallows and 3 bite size graham cracker pieces in center and cover with additional batter

Bake 18-20 minutes or until a cupcake tester comes out clean

Let the cupcakes cool for a few minutes in the pan and then move them to a wire rack, and let them cool completely.  Once they’re cooled, frost them…

Sprinkle them with some graham cracker crumbs, top them with a Hershey’s chocolate square…

and enjoy!

I was pleased with the flavor of the cupcakes, but I wish there was a little bit more of a pronounced marshmallow flavor.  Next time, I may try to either add more marshmellows inside or perhaps even top them with a marshmallow cream rather than a frosting. 

Overall…..they satisifed my craving, and they were pretty, so I’d say they were a success!

Have you ever made a S’mores Cucake recipe?  Were you able to capture that perfectly smokey, and gooey campfire taste?  If so how did you do it?

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by Jenny on January 16, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Sweet Bakes

Posted by Jenny on January 16, 2012

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2012/01/16/smores-cupcakes/

6 Months Old and the Joy of my World

Dear Garrett,

On Christmas Eve, 2011, you turned 6 months old! It was exactly one year ago to the day that we shared the news we were expecting your arrival and it was then that everyone began sharing in our anticipation of welcoming you into our family.

It was a special day for many reasons, but I think it was extra special because your half birthday is the day before Jesus’s birthday and he’s pretty important. It’s special because 6 months ago he gave me you, and in return, you gave meaning to my life.

Your Daddy has shown me what true love feels like and my family has shown me what unconditional love feels like but you’ve given me a whole new perspective of loving someone unconditionally and I hope that I will succeed in showing you what that feels like in return.

We were in Ohio for your half birthday and you had a busy couple of days, but stole the hearts of everyone that laid eyes on you. You met lots of the Brunners and all of the Palmers, and you also got to see some of the Robares! Although everyone feels like they know you from all of the pictures I share, nothing comes close to actually meeting you and seeing your smile (and your two front teeth) first hand.

You are growing so fast I can’t believe it and you seem to learn something new every day

  • We will learn your height and weight when we go to your 6 month appointment in January and I am anxious to hear your stats.
  • You wear 6 month onesies but 9 month pants and sleepers because you are so long
  • You have your 2 bottom teeth
  • You are getting harder to take pictures of because you want to move all of the time : )
  • You make funny faces
I’m 6 Months old already!
  • I call you a steamroller because you will roll from one end of a room to another in a matter of seconds
  • You’re starting to pull a leg underneath you and put your butt in the air to get ready to crawl, and you sometimes scoot a little bit towards a toy.
  • You are a Great little eater! You get solids twice a day and you eat ’em all up!
  • You go down for bed with no problem around 7:30 or 8:00 and you sleep until about 5 then get hungry and go right back to sleep for another 2 hours after you eat.
  • You always smile when you wake up and mornings are your happiest time of day
  • You like to bounce from one foot to another and you love your doggies!

You truly have brought more Joy to my World than I ever imagined possible and I can’t wait to celebrate Christmas and your half birthday with you for the rest of our lives.

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by Jenny on December 24, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Baby Cakes

Posted by Jenny on December 24, 2011

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2011/12/24/6-months-old-and-the-joy-of-my-world/

Playing Catch Up

 I had every intention to post about Garrett’s 5th month right around the time he turned 5 months (which was on Thanksgiving…but clearly that didn’t work out) so here is a quick run down of what we’ve been up to and even though he’s 5 1/2 months now I’m hoping to be more efficient when he turns 6 months which is on Christmas Eve (pretty special isn’t it : )

  • Weight (won’t find out until our 6 month well check but I’m going to guess around 18lbs
  • Height….same as above but I’ll guess around 27-28 inches (he’s going to outgrow his car seat before I know it!
  • Sleeping from about 7:30 or 8:00 until about 4 or 5 o’clock when he wakes up for a quick feed and then falls back asleep until about 7 or 7:30
  • Eating about 6 or 7 oz at a time and like a champ (although you wouldn’t know it because he’s got his Daddy’s skinny genes and big feet : )
  • Eats solids twice a day he prefers pears or bananas mixed with cereal for breakfast and sweet potatoes or peas for dinner
  • Is really good at tummy time, although now he just seems to want to move so he gets a little frustrated with it
  • Talks all the time and feels the need to put everything in his mouth!
  • And is gearing up for what we hope to be a cold and snowy Ohio Christmas!
  • Loves to smile and move….drool and all : )
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by Jenny on December 13, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Baby Cakes, Uncategorized

Posted by Jenny on December 13, 2011

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2011/12/13/playing-catch-up/

So Much to be Thankful For!

I realize this is a little late in coming but I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday filled with lots of great food and spent with the people who mean the most to you.  I also hope you took some time to reflect on some of the things you are most Thankful for.  I have several but here are a few.

My amazing husband who works hard to put a roof over our head, food on our table, and a safe place for our perfect little Angel to grow

My parents, and my hubby again 🙂

Our sweet boy who has made our world so much better : )

I am so Thankful for all that I have and I count my blessing every day.

We had a smaller Thanksgiving this year (we are used to cooking for what seems like several ppl every year) but it was nice to only have to prepare for 5 and really get to spend some quality time together.  My parents came down from Ohio, and my brother came up from the city too.  As usual…we indulged in some delicious food and may have over-eaten just a little bit!

Stuffed : )

Friday morning a family tradition lived on as my Mom and I braved the crowds and shopped on Black Friday while Daddy and Grampa Paul watched Garrett

Showing Grandpa how I roll

and Saturday we picked out our Christmas tree and decorated the house (one of my all time favorite things : )

New Things!

I absolutely Love the Holiday Season and I always try to enjoy every minute because it seems to pass by too quickly every year, so….I like to get a jump start : )

Our baby also turned 5 Months old on Thanksgiving Day but I will devote another post to that so this one doesn’t run on for too long!

Have a Great Evening!!

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by Jenny on November 29, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Family, Holidays, Life
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Posted by Jenny on November 29, 2011

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2011/11/29/so-much-to-be-thankful-for/

(Chipless) Chocolate Chip Cookies

The Palmer Cousins

I have a pretty large extended family and I grew up in the Midwest, which means that throughout my life I’ve consumed massive amounts of meat and potatoes, and being a Brunner (maiden name) who was fortunate enough to live close to family and have lots of family get togethers; No meal was complete without some kind (or multiple kinds) of desserts.  And so my obsession with sweets began at a very early age.

Some of the Brunner Cousins

My Grandma Brunner was the master at preparing enormous quantities of food for our big family and she could bake with the best of them so I looked up to her and just knew that one day I wanted to cook like she did.  And still…to this day…my Mom makes the best Chocolate Chip Cookies.  She’ll swear that it’s all in the baking sheet…….but watching her for so long made me realize that it’s not just the baking sheet but also the little bit of extra love she adds to every batch : )

I got an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas back in the 1980’s…and the rest is History.

I can’t take credit for this recipe because it’s the Nestle Tollhouse Recipe found on the back of their chocolate chips.  However, I know so many people who use this same recipe but regardless I don’t think I’ve had a single batch taste exactly like the previous one prepared by a different person.  I guess everyone has their own tips and tricks.

So…here are a few of mine

Nestle Tollhouse (Chipless) and Chocolate Chip Cookies

First things first….preheat your oven to 375 degrees and gather your your ingredients

  • 2 sticks of margarine (or butter) room temperature
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs (room temperature)
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla
  • 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda (make sure it hasn’t been open more than a month or so)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Chocolate Chips (added to your taste)

First…

Make sure your margarine is soft enough that when you press your finger into it is leaves an indentation, but is not melted.  In my experience, if I am in a hurry and try to microwave it to soften it and it melts a little bit…my cookies end up flat and crispy around the edges, rather than light and perfectly fluffy all around. Instead of microwaving try this tip or trick open your margarine and cut into pieces to make it come to temperature more quickly

Next…

Add your room temperature margarine brown sugar, sugar, and vanilla into your electric mixer and beat until creamy…then add your eggs one at a time until you have something that resembles this

Then…

Combine your flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl and gradually add it to your sugar mixture, then mix by hand (so you don’t get flour all over the place, and so you don’t over mix your batter)

Line your baking sheet with a silpat mat or parchment paper and first drop chipless cookie dough by rounded spoonfulls onto your sheet (my hubby and my brothers prefer their chocolate chip cookies to be chipless) which basically makes them sugar cookies…..only better : ) and bake for 9-11 minutes depending on your oven

In the mean time…

Give a quick Hello and a Thank You to your Hubby for keeping your son entertained

Add your chips to your remaining cookie dough

Let the delicious smell of your cookies fill your home with sweet goodness as they bake.  Then pull them from the oven, let them cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet and move them to a rack to finish cooling before sealing them in an air tight container, ziploc bag or cookie jar (this helps to keep them soft, chewy, and delicious for days to come)

And Finally…enjoy them after dinner with a big glass of milk : )

What is one of your favorite go to desserts?

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by Jenny on November 8, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in In the Kitchen, Sweet Bakes
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Posted by Jenny on November 8, 2011

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2011/11/08/chipless-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Typical Weekend…Brewton Style

Everyone says that when you have a baby your life changes, and I 100% agree with this statement; life is different.  Everything takes longer, and spontaneity pretty much goes out the window(at least right now it does.)  We have to plan everything, and then adjust our plans if Garret decides to throw us for a schedule loop.  And although our son (and our little family) play the most important part in our life we don’t want to let go of the things that we have always loved to do.

There are a few things that are pretty common around our household on the weekends.  We always do some things around the house but this weekend was extra special because our new dining room set was delivered!  Mind you, my china cabinet is still sparse because I haven’t put our dishes in yet, and our chandelier still needs to be lowered : )

Yay!!

We  enjoy spending time outside, by the lake!

One of our family photos taken by http://www.photographsbyandrea.com

And taking our dogs up to our dock so they can play catch with Dad.  (Garrett hangs out in his Baby Bjorn and we walk around and sometimes take pictures)

Ready

Set

 Go
 
 

 Repeat

We also love to entertain!  We do it as often as possible and that usually means I get to bake : )

Saturday evening we had some friends and their son over, but I had a busy day and didn’t have time to bake anything homemade so I bought some chocolate chunk cookie mix, that took 5 minutes to throw together, and called it a day.  Not homemade, but still made the house smell delicious!  Now Sunday is a different story, but more on Sunday’s dessert next time.

It is late and this Mommy needs to get to bed!

 

What are some of your favorite weekend activities?

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by Jenny on November 7, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Family, Uncategorized

Posted by Jenny on November 7, 2011

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2011/11/07/typical-weekend-brewton-style/

First Halloween

I hope everyone had a great Halloween and got lots of Goodies to munch on for the next few weeks : )  I remember growing up (with my 3 brothers) that after we went out to trick-or-treat, it felt like we had Halloween candy forever afterwards.  I’m pretty sure my Mom would throw a little bit away every day so it didn’t last as long : )  At least that’s what I plan on doing once our little guy starts trick-or-treating!  He won’t need much candy because he’s so sweet already : )

Sweet Little Monkey!

 Our Halloween festivities actually started on Saturday with a little get together at our friends Nate and Susan’s house.  We have several friends who all had babies within a few months of each other so we got the kiddos together and took a few photo’s!

The babies and their Daddy's

 And then there’s this one which I think may be my favorite….I can only imagine what these two would say to one another if they could talk

Sup Dude...I see your Mom made you wear a silly costume too

 I made some pumpkin flavored cupcakes to share with everyone (and although I forgot to take pictures while I was cooking them…this is what they turned out like : )

Homemade pumpkin cupckaes with cream cheese frosting : )

 

 We had a nice time at the Kennedy household, and look forward to many more playdates to come in the future. 

Halloween Evening was a bit crazy at the Brewton household.  Garrett was a very needy little boy all day yesterday.  If he was awake he wanted to be paid attention to and if you weren’t paying attention to him he let you know!  Needless to say we were pretty busy all day, so much so that I didn’t even get to the store like I had planned, nor did we go to a Halloween Event at an outdoor mall close by! Lucky for us there a few good take out options to satisfy my Italian craving last night.  Between a cranky little boy, trick or treaters, and dogs that did not like the constant ringing of the doorbell we had to scarf down our food in between rings.  I was exhausted by the end of the day, and actually excited when 8:00 pm rolled around and I could turn off my outdoor lights. 

Regardless, it was an eventful first Halloween for our little man, and we look forward to dressing him up again next year and walking the neighborhood with him in tow : )

Now….on to preparing for our favorite holiday…Thanksgiving!!!!

Did you do anything exciting for Halloween?

Are you as anxious as I am to get the Holiday Season underway??

 
 
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by Jenny on November 1, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Holidays

Posted by Jenny on November 1, 2011

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2011/11/01/first-halloween/

4 Months Old

I am 4 months old and Mommy has decided she wants to continue to blog about me but she wants to try blogging about baking too.  You see she has always had a HUGE sweet tooth and she likes to play in the kitchen with new recipes that make our house smell yummy (when she has time : ) so she’s going to give it a shot

If you want to read more about me, check out my 4 month post HERE

Happy Halloween!!


….more on my first halloween tomorrow : )
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by Jenny on October 31, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Uncategorized

Posted by Jenny on October 31, 2011

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2011/10/31/4-months-old/

Our Baby Cakes is 4 Months Old!!!!

One year ago on the 22nd of October, I found out that I was pregnant…and as of the 24th our Baby is 4 months old!!!  I cannot believe how quickly the time has gone by and I am doing everything I can to treasure every moment with him.  Looking back on pictures, he hardly even looks like the same little baby we brought home from the hospital in June.  He’s grown so much and is able to do so many things now, and I swear he woke up this morning and looked different than he did yesterday!  It really is bittersweet, and in some ways you wish they could stay that small forever, but in other ways there is so much to look forward to and it’s such an exciting time in his life.

2 Days Old

4 Months Old

We’ve really been enjoying the cooler fall weather for so many reasons.  It’s one of my favorite seasons because of the temperate weather, the beautiful colors, the tasty beers, and Thanksgiving : )  I also love it because when we do our daily 3 mile walk with the buddies a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt with a light weight sweatshirt are the perfect clothes, and I’m not covered in sweat mid-way through!

We Love our Walks!

We had our 4 month well check this morning and the Doctor says that Garrett continues to be a very healthy little boy.  He eats about 4.5-5oz every 3 hours and naps consistently 3 times a day.  I’ve been working on his daily schedule and it finally seems to be paying off though it’s never spot on.  But I believe that being flexible is key to his routine.  We do what works best for us, and it seems to be going really well!

This rolling stuff isn't so bad once you get the hang of it!Look how big I am!

Here are his monthly stats as well as the milestones he’s accomplished (or working on accomplishing : )

  • Sleeps 7 or more hours straight every night
  • If he eats in the middle of the night, it’s only one time right around 4 a.m. and he is changed, fed, and back to sleep in about 15 minutes then sleeps another 3-4 hours
  • Rolls from his tummy to his back with ease
  • Rolls from his back to his tummy occasionally
  • Holds his head up for extended periods of time
  • Reaches for and grasps objects then brings them to his mouth(especially his fingers)

    yummy!

  • Follows objects and sounds
  • Starting to take interest in the Dogs
  • Talks ALL of the time
  • Smiles and laughs in response to lots of different things
  • Makes Dan and I smile and laugh several times a day : )

    Handsome little man!

We are so blessed to have such a perfect little man and we are so proud of him!

*I’m hoping to blog about some recipes I attempt to bake in the near future.  Just have to figure out when I can squeeze in time to bake with this little monkey who requires sooo much attention : )

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by Jenny on October 24, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Baby Cakes, Family, Life
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Posted by Jenny on October 24, 2011

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2011/10/24/hello-world/

3 Months Old!

Such a Happy Little Guy!

I know I say this all the time, but I seriously cannot believe Garrett is over 3 months old already! Time is going so fast and he is getting SO big!!  He’s still the coolest person in the whole world and I am so proud of all he’s able to do already! The beginning of our month was pretty busy with traveling and everything, but thankfully everything slowed down quite a bit and we were able to get some time at home for the majority of it. A few weeks ago we started the dreaded 3 month growth spurt, and it lasted for about a week and a half. It was a tough one, especially because Garrett all of a sudden started refusing a bottle so it felt like he was permanently attached to me, but I did some research and tried a new bottle and nipple, and it’s starting to get better as long as the bottle is as warm as it can be without burning him and I am nowhere near him when he takes the bottle. Smart little cookie : ) So, we made it through and hopefully we won’t have to deal with another big one until he’s about 6 months. However, I’m sure he’ll start teething somewhere in between now and then but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, for now I’m just going to go back to enjoying my easy baby and my 6-8 hour stretch of sleep!

It seems like since he went through his little growth spurt he is all of a sudden able to do so much more!  He rolled over for the first time last week and did it several times in one day, but now doesn’t really care to try anymore and gets frustrated, this is what he looks like just before he’s had it : ) but we’re going to keep on tryig and hopefully will get it on video soon : )

Here’s a happier one of him showing off how strong he’s getting.

Here’s what’s going on this month : )
  • Holding our head up for longer periods every day
  • Falling more consistently into a daily schedule
  • Rolling over from tummy to back (when he feels like it)
  • Loves seeing the world from his Baby Bjorn!
  • Smiles ALL the time
  • Loves to talk to anyone who will listen
  • Laughs when you make funny noises
  • Is ticklish on his belly, feet and under his arms (his giggles will make sure you know that : )
  • Sleeping roughly 7 hours in a row per night then eats and sleeps for another few hours
  • Takes one short nap in the a.m….one long afternoon nap, and another short one in the p.m.
  • Grasps things with his hands
  • Looks like he is constantly trying to figure everything out (Dan’s child for sure : )
  • Wearing mostly 6 month clothes, but can still wear a few 3 month onesies
And LOVES to play in his new jumperoo!!
So….he’s going on 15 weeks now, and we’ve been super busy so my post is again…late : )  He’s learning and growing more and more each day and it’s so neat to watch him!!! 
I definitely think it’s safe to say that Mommyhood suits me well….
…and I’ve never been happier : )
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by Jenny on October 5, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Uncategorized

Posted by Jenny on October 5, 2011

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2011/10/05/3-months-old/

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