I'm Just Not Sure What to do Anymore...

Sorry I need to vent a little bit.

If you are friends with me in real life and read facebook you already know. We got orders out of completely nowhere and we PCS in August. This scares the day lights out of me. We never expected to get any orders because Nathan just got home from his last deployment in February and has now been recently checked into a new unit. The next deployment wasn't supposed to be up until around January/February time frame of next year.

I have known the entire time that this would some day happen to were we would have to PCS to somewhere new but I just wasn't expected right now. 

I AM SCARED TO DEATH! I am honestly not happy about this.

I guess I am scared because it couldn't have come at any worse of a time. 

Nathan and I were just talking about buying a house or having one built, and most of all, we are trying to have a baby. It scares me so much that now we are having to push all of our plans back by almost 3 years because that's how long he has left in the Marines (I hate stupid 5 year contracts). 

Fortunately on a good note, Nathan will be PMO at our new duty station and that's what he joined the military for, so he is going to enjoy his job. 

I on the other hand, I have started my own photography business and that has become very successful for me. No it is not a 9-5 job but it's my job, I do bring some income into our household to pay bills and to help with necessities. 

Right now we are only about 1 1/2 - 2 hours away form my family and we are about 12 - 14 hours away from his family. It scares me that I am leaving my family because they are always there when I need them and it is so nice only living a few hours away, especially when something goes wrong or an emergency happens, now we will be about 4 - 5 hours away from my family.

The main thing I am worried about is moving. Moving out of our house that we have made a home over the past year. Having to into a new home that I know absolutely no one, nothing about the neighborhood or anything. I am worried the most about affording/renting a nice house for us. We have a small dog and not every one allows pets in their homes and I refuse to get rid of my pet just because someone doesn't allow them. I also have a horse that I board at a stables here in NC, only about 20 minutes form my house. Now I am going to have to find a stables to board him there because no rental property is going to allow a horse on their land.

I am already STRESSED TO THE MAX about all of this. Everyone is telling me I should enjoy it because I will get to meet other wives and families in the process but I hate to leave all of my friends and family here. I am just worried about the fact that I am not sure how it is going to turn out for us. I'm just hoping it blows over like everything else and we get through this like usual. 

Thanks and sorry I needed this off my chest.

If you are thinking of having a party for this fourth of July but you aren’t much of drinker, no worries, this Homemade Strawberry Lemonade is perfectly refreshing and delicious sans the vodka. And you can totally get creative and experiment with different fruit. I’ve made this recipe using raspberries and imagine that it would be pretty awesome with blueberries as well! So have fun and stay cool!

Homemade Strawberry Lemonade

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup sugar
1 cup of water
1 pint fresh strawberries
1 cup fresh lemon juice (this equaled close to 8 of my lemons)
4-6 cups cold water (this will vary depending on your taste)

1 cup vodka, optional

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make a simple syrup by combining the sugar with 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Place over medium heat and heat until the sugar in completely dissolved; swirl the pan occasionally. Let cool.

2. Once the simple syrup has cooled, puree strawberries in a blender with ½ cup water.

3. In a large pitcher, combine strawberry puree, simple syrup and lemon juice. If using the vodka, add it to the pitcher and stir to combine.

4. Add 4-6 cups of cold water. The amount of water you use will depend on your taste, so add as little or as much as you want to achieve your perfect sweet/tart balance.

5. Serve over ice. If desired, garnish with fresh strawberries and lemon slices.

I have made this recipe for Red Velvet Cake countless times. It’s adapted from the New York Times, and in my opinion, is one of the best Red Velvet recipes out there. Instead of making a traditional cake or cupcakes, I thought I’d jazz up this sweet treat by layering slices of cupcake with cream cheese frosting in my favorite Weck Tulip Jars. Finishing them off with a sprinkling of pink and red heart-shaped candies gave them a swoon-worthy finish.

Whether you’re baking for 8-year olds or your sweetheart, I’m fairly certain that just about anyone will fall head over heels for Red Velvet Cupcakes in a Jar.

Red Velvet Cupcakes In A Jar

YIELD: 8 servings

PREP TIME: 15 minutes

COOK TIME: 24 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

For the Cupcakes

1 cup cake flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon white vinegar

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
3 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
1 pound confectioners’ sugar (about 3 ¾ cups), sifted
2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract*

DIRECTIONS:

For the Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 cupcake wells with paper liners or spray pan with spray with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Sift together cake flour, cocoa powder, and salt.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine oil and sugar until well-blended. Add egg and mix until combined.

4. Turn your mixer down to the lowest speed and add vanilla, then slowly add in the food coloring. Note: If you are using liquid food coloring, it will take about 2 tablespoons of coloring to get a dark red shade. I used about 1 tablespoon of gel dye to achieve the shade in the photographs. Add the dye slowly and color according to your preference.

5. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk in two batches; scrape down the side of the bowl. Continue mixing until just combined, taking care not to over mix.

6. Place baking soda in a small dish, stir in vinegar and add to batter with the machine running. Beat for about 10 seconds.

7. Using a medium scoop (about 3 tablespoons), divide batter between the 12 wells, filling each well about 2/3 full of batter. Bake for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Be careful not to over bake.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

1. In a the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together cream cheese and butter until well combined.

2. With the mixer on low, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar until thoroughly incorporated and smooth. Add vanilla and mix to combine.

To Assemble in Jars

1. Slice cupcakes horizontally to create layers. Each cupcake will yield 2-3 layers depending on how thick you want your layers to be.

2. Place one cupcake layer into the bottom of your jar, pipe a layer of cream cheese frosting directly onto the cake layer. Repeat the layering process until you reach the top of your jar. If desired, garnish with festive sprinkles or red velvet cake crumbs.

NOTES:

- This cupcake recipe has been scaled down from the original recipe by The New York Times. Follow the link provided to view the full recipe.
- Clear vanilla extract was used in the cream cheese frosting recipe to maintain a bright white color. Feel free to substitute pure vanilla extract in its place.
- I used a Wilton 1A tip to pipe the frosting into the jars.
- The sprinkles are made by Wilton.
- Jars seen in photos are Weck Tulip Jelly Jars.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Chocolate Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

YIELD: 24 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE CUPCAKES

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

FOR THE ORANGE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

16 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
zest of one large orange
3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
6 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
2 pounds confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

FOR THE CUPCAKES

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners; set aside.

2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

3. Using a large scoop, distribute the batter between 24 muffin wells, filling each well 2/3 full. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack and cool completely.

FOR THE ORANGE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1. In a the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together cream cheese, orange zest, shortening, and butter until well combined.

2. With the mixer of low, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar until thoroughly incorporated and smooth. Add vanilla and mix to combine.

NOTES:

- Store cupcakes in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Remove to room temperature 30-45 minutes before serving.
- I added a tiny bit of orange gel dye to the frosting to achieve the pale orange hue that is seen in the photo.
- Cupcake recipe adapted from Ina Garten.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

YIELD: 24 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE CUPCAKES

1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon instant espresso granules
1/2 cup warm water

FOR THE FROSTING

3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
pinch of fine grain sea salt
1 tablespoon clear vanilla extract
2 pounds confectioners’ sugar, sifted
4-6 tablespoons heavy cream or milk

DIRECTIONS:

FOR THE CUPCAKES

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tin with paper liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs, and vanilla. In a small bowl, combine instant espresso granules and warm water, stirring until dissolved. Add espresso mixture to the cake batter and stir until fully incorporated.

3. Using a large cookie scoop, distribute the batter between 24 muffin wells; about 3 tablespoons of batter per well.

4. Measure .4 ounce balls of cookie dough (about 1 teaspoon) and drop a ball of dough into each cupcake. Be sure to use a spoon to completely cover the dough ball with batter.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick entered into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

6. Remove cupcakes from muffin tins and allow to fully cool on a wire rack. Once cupcakes are cool, prepare your frosting.

FOR THE FROSTING

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter until fluffy. Slowly add in confectioner’s sugar, and continue creaming until well blended.

2. Add salt, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk. Blend on low speed until moistened. Add an additional 1 to 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk until you reach the desired consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy.

FOR THE GARNISH

1. Garnish your cupcakes with mini semi-sweet chocolate chips and a mini chocolate chip cookie.

2. To make the mini cookies, I simply measured out 24 .4 ounce (about 1 teaspoon) balls of dough and baked them according to package directions (about 8-10 minutes). Allow mini cookies to cool completely before adding them to the cupcakes.

NOTES:

- If you are choosing to garnish your cupcakes, make sure you do this immediately after you frost your cupcakes. Once the top layer of the buttercream hardens, nothing will stick to the frosting.
- If you do not have instant espresso powder, you can simply omit it from the recipe. You can typically find this product in the coffee aisle of most supermarkets.

Looking for more luscious lemon recipes? Give these a look-see:
Lip Smacking Lemon Bars from My Baking Addiction
Chewy Lemon Sugar Cookies from My Baking Addiction
Lemon Buttermilk & Rhubarb Cake from Honey & Jam
Roasted Lemon Chicken Wings from Three Many Cooks

Lemon Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

makes 24 cupcakes

For the Cake
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
4 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
lemon zest from two lemons
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare cupcake tins by using liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray

To Make The Cake: Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.
Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter and, working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light. Beat in the extracts, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients. Finally, give the batter a good 2-minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated. Place the batter into the cupcake tins.
Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the cupcakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean.
Cool on wire rack.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 (8) ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
2 lbs. confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
juice of one lemon

Using a mixer, blend the butter and cream cheese together until well combined. Gradually add in the confectioners’ sugar until fully incorporated. Finally mix in vanilla and lemon juice.