Lemons and Blueberries

Can you guess what the first recipe I am going to share with you is? ....Anyone?

Cupcakes! You're right! It only seemed fitting.

Sometimes a plain vanilla or chocolate cupcake is all I need. But that can also get boring. Besides, combining different flavors and ingredients makes baking that much more fun.

When I saw this recipe a couple months ago, I knew I HAD to make them. I had heard of the lemon-blueberry combination before, but it wasn't until I saw those pictures that I was sold. Unfortunately, while I am intrigued but new combinations, my boyfriend Greg is not. Not to mention he is "more of a salty-snack" kind of guy than a sweets or dessert kind of guy (crazy, I know). So it can be challenging trying to bake new things, because I don't want to end up with half of the batch leftover.

Well, the perfect opportunity arose for me to bake these gorgeous treats when Greg's parents came into town last weekend. I knew they would be able to help! Then there was another problem: time. Cupcakes from scratch take more time and effort than I could afford. Although I would love to say I made mine from scratch, for this case I wasn't able to. You will forgive me, right?

Even with a box mix, they turned out amazing. The cake itself was light and fluffy. The lemon was not too overwhelming like I worried about, and the blueberries were plump and juicy.

Oh, and most importantly was the cupcake stand to finish it off. Thanks, Mom! It's perfect.

Between Greg's parents and me, we got through about half of these babies. Greg tried one. Yup, just one. Like I said, he's more of a "salty-snack" guy. I think everyone at work appreciated it though, because they got the other half of the batch! I think they lasted about two minutes. Good to know my co-workers are willing to help out when I get a little cupcake crazy!


Lemon-Blueberry Cupcakes
(Adapted from The Kitchen Prescription)

Makes about 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes-
1 box Duncan Hines lemon flavor cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/3 cups water
Zest of 1 lemon
3 cups fresh blueberries

For the frosting-
1 can Duncan Hines cream cheese frosting
1.5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
(Optional- yellow food coloring for frosting, assorted sprinkles for garnish)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and fill cupcake pan with lines
2. Follow directions on box to make cake mix
3. Add zest of lemon and stir
4. Add 2 cups of blueberries to batter and mix with stand alone or hand mixer for about 30 second, until all ingredients are blended
5. Scoop batter into cupcake liners until about 2/3 full
6. Bake according to package directions (mine took about 12-13 minutes)
7. Let cool and frost as desired
8. Garnish with sprinkles and remaining blueberries

For the Glory of God

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." - 1 Corinthians 10:31

Good Sunday morning everyone! For my family reading this, you know long I have been talking about wanting to get a blog up and running. It's finally happening and I am so excited to begin my journey of food blogging with the world. I know that God has blessed me with more in this life than I could ever need. I have found a passion for baking and cooking and plan to use it to glorify Him. For now, that just means being thankful for the food in front of me at every meal. Maybe in the future that will mean providing food to those who need it more than me.

My obsession with baking, cooking, and all things food-related began almost a year ago now. I was looking up recipes for cupcakes and stumbled upon a food blog. I was in heaven. I had no idea food blogs existed to the extent I have come to know. As much as I love reading others' blogs, looking at the pictures of delicious food is what I enjoy most. Cupcakes are just too cute not to love and that is where I began with my adventures in the kitchen. They will always have a special place in my heart, but I love trying new things as well. I like to think desserts of any kind are my specialty, mostly due to my enormous sweet tooth. But I love to cook just as much. The kitchen has become my creative outlet and I hope you all (y'all?) will follow me along as I share my experiences.

I don't have a special recipe for you this morning, so you just get a look at my go-to breakfast :)

Oatmeal topped with walnuts and bananas. Never fails!