Fun Summer Beverage Ideas

Happy Monday! Normally I'm not a huge fan of Mondays. But today I started my week off doing a photo shoot with my 8-day-old nephew, Tayen. He is just the sweetest little thing! Talk about a pretty baby. It was a lot of fun and Tayen was very well-behaved. He's a pretty easygoing baby!

The last couple of days of nice weather here in Idaho have been such a tease. The weather has completely turned around and it's cold again right now. But those nice days before sure got me excited for summer! I love summer parties, relaxing, and having a great time. I especially love a good fun drink to enjoy on those hot days. Thanks to Pinterest, I have tons of fun drinks to make this summer! I can't wait to try so many of them. And just in case you need a little drink inspiration, here are some of my favorite ideas!

Watermelon and Strawberry Lemonade @ Frosted Bake Shop

Strawberry Purre and Sprite Mocktails @ Laurie Arons

Raspberry Lemonade Smoothies @ Delightfully Tacky

Rainbow Drink @ Cutest Food

Princess Punch @ Tastebook

Peach Lemonade @ Mirch Masala

Orange PushUp Smoothies @ Averie Cooks

Lime Sherbet Punch @ Southern Drinks

Egg-cellent Easter Ideas

Don't forget!! The giveaway for Miaracle Gro Expand 'n Gro potting soil is still open!

Click here to enter.

First off, thank you so much for all of the sweet comments and e-mails after my last post. I've really been feeling the love these last couple of days! My parents and sister are on their way to the Missionary Training Center in Provo, UT with my baby brother. Even though he's almost 21, he'll always be my baby brother. They will say goodbye to him at around 1:00 today, then in a few weeks he'll be off to Brisbane, Australia to serve a mission. It's been an emotional couple of days, to say the least! And this morning was no different. I'm so excited and proud of my brother and all of the experiences he's going to have over the next to years. We sure do love him. I already can't wait to hear from him.

After my family pulled out of the driveway at 7 am I may have cried a little. Ok, a lot. But I've pulled myself together and I'm ready to share a few of my favorite Easter ideas with you! After my son woke up and I got him his breakfast and situated in front of Disney Junior, I decided to stare at Pinterest for a little while. It's amazing how helpful that has been! Pinning is therapeutic, I tell you. Now all I need is a diet pepsi and a bag of M&M's right next to me and I'll be set. While on Pinterest I scrolled down my Easter board and all of a sudden became super excited for that holiday to come. There are so many fun ideas out there for Easter! Or "egg-cellent" ideas I should say. I've picked a few of my favorite ideas and shared them here today. I hope you can find something to make or inspire you to create for Easter this year!

And if these aren't enough for you, check out more of my Easter posts! Click here.

Easter Egg Wreath @ Tatertots & Jello

Easter Treats @ Stamping with Angie

Orange Bunny Rolls @ Budget Gourmet Mom

Easter Peanut Butter Buttons @ The Curvy Carrot

Rice Krispie Treat Eggs @ Food Family Finds

Egg Nest Cupcakes @ Fun Cupcake Ideas

Easter Egg Cones @ The Sweetest Baker

Cadbury Creme Egg Brownies @ Gingerbread Bagels

Where I've Been and Will Be...

This weekend was just the craziest! I apologize for being absent for the last few days and I promise things are about to go back to normal. Over the weekend my twin sister went into labor (Saturday night), and Sunday morning my little brother reported at his mission farewell. He's going to Australia. It was a crazy Sunday but a great one! After 22 hours of long labor my sister was blessed with a c-section. And her sweet little baby boy, Tayen, is here safe and sound with all sorts of dark hair. Love him!

My little brother leaves on Wednesday. Tears! I'm going to miss him so much. My parents take him down to the MTC in Provo, UT where they will say goodbye to him for two years. They'll turn around and drive right back to Idaho. What a day that will be for all of them.

In the meantime, Adam has requested all kinds of Cupcake Diaries recipes before he leaves. Since I've been too busy to make something new and post, I'll share with you a few of the requests Adam has had:

Crock Pot Shredded BBQ Beef Sandwiches

{Copycat Recipe} Garcia's/Pachangas Pollo Fundido

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

I hope you all had a great weekend! I will be back on Wednesday after Adam leaves in the morning. I'm staying in Idaho with my son while they take him down to Utah. It's going to be an emotional day!

Thanks, friends! Have a great couple of days! :)

Let Them Eat Cake

Don't forget to enter the current giveaway for Miracle-Gro Expand 'n Gro potting soil! It's a great way to get you started with your spring gardening! Click here to enter.

This pregnancy has been the craziest when it comes to my food cravings. This week I have been craving cake like you wouldn't believe. I would go ahead and just make one, but after a brownie experience with my last pregnancy I've proven that I can't be trusted alone with an entire pan of something delicious like that. I ate about two-thirds of the pan of brownies all by myself. Oops.

Lately on Pinterest I've been scrolling down my Cakes board in search of what I would make if I could make whatever cake I wanted. I've narrowed it down to eight recipes and I wanted to share them with you, just in case you feel like making cake too! They all look wonderful and delicious.

PS While looking at my Cakes board I noticed I've repinned a cake about three times. Have you ever done that before? Apparently I just really want to try that cake!

White Chocolate Mud Cake @ Exclusively Food
I love white chocolate and I've never tried it in a cake. I think that's about to change!

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting @ Bake or Break
This one looks especially good right at this moment. Dang it.

Grasshopper Fudge Cake @ Betty Crocker
This would be a good one for St. Patrick's Day!

Raspberry Lemon Coconut Cake @ Not So Humble Pie
This picture is way too perfect. Look at those pretty layers! I can't wait to try this one.

New York-Style Crumb Cake @ Smells Like Home
Crumb cake is a weakness of mine. My dad used to make it all the time growing up. I'm excited to make this for him and see what he thinks!

Lemonade Cake @ My Recipes
(aka the cake I pinned three times)
This one would be so fun to make this summer! It calls for a little bit of lemonade concentrate. Yum!

Heath Cake with Toffee Sauce @ Bird on a Cake
This one has the potential to satisfy my chocolate craving and candy bar craving all at once.
I'll take it!

Peach Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake with Peach Syrup @ Week of Menus

This is so new and different to me and it looks so good! I can't wait for this one!

Bunny Bait

Be sure to enter the current giveaway for your own sample of Miracle-Gro® Expand ‘n Gro™ potting soil! Click here to enter.

Easter will be here before we know it. Time to start finding the perfect goodies for Easter weekend! I love Easter candy, and I think the more that Easter candy is utilized during spring time the better. I'm amazed at how many fun Easter ideas are flying around Pinterest right now. And so many of these ideas involve some kind of Easter candy. I can't wait to start trying some of them! (Remember the recipe for Mini Cadbury Egg Cookies I shared last year? Divine!)

I wanted to share this recipe for Bunny Bait because for one, the name is just too darn cute. And two, it reminds me a lot of my recipe for White Chocolate Crispies that I love so much. Especially when I put M&M's in them! I can't seem to make those without the M&M's now. And the first time I tried them with M&M's it happened to be Easter ones that went in. I haven't made this Bunny Bait yet, but I couldn't help but share this recipe anyway! I'm so excited to try it and I wanted to spread the word. This seems like a fun treat for the kids to help with and maybe even a potential Easter tradition. I can't wait to try this one!

Bunny Bait
image and recipe via Sing for Your Supper

• 1 bag of popcorn, popped
• 6 oz. white chocolate candy coating (I'm sure white chocolate chips would work great too. I plan on using white chocolate chips!)
• 1 bag Easter M&M's
• pretzel sticks, broken into small pieces (However many pretzels you would like. I'm guessing about a cup.)
  
• colorful sprinkles (optional)

Directions

Place the popped popcorn in a large bowl with the broken up pretzels and M&M's. Heat the candy coating (or white chocolate chips) in the microwave for 30 seconds (in a microwave safe bowl, of course). Stir, then place back in the microwave for 30 more seconds. Stir again. It should be pretty smooth by this time but if it's not, place the bowl back in the microwave for about 20 more seconds.

Drizzle the white chocolate over the popcorn mixture and stir to coat. The pretzels and M&M's will sink to the bottom, so make sure to get those stirred in and coated with the popcorn and white chocolate.

Spread the popcorn out onto a large piece of wax paper. Top with some sprinkles (if desired) and allow to cool. (I have a feeling this will be hard not to pick at as it cools!) Break into pieces and serve in a large bowl.

Miracle-Gro® Expand ‘n Gro™ Concentrated Planting Mix {Review and Giveaway}

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Scotts® for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Spring is so close and I love the feeling in the air! It's almost time to get those flower beds ready for planting. Or in my case, the pots on my balcony. Planting flowers is definitely one of the things I miss about living in a house. (One day we'll be in a house again!) In the meantime, I'm excited to brighten up our balcony with all kinds of flowers.

This year I'll be trying out a new product that will really help my plants. It's called Miracle Gro® Expand ‘n Gro™ . Made up of natural cocount coir, Miracle-Gro® Expand ‘n Gro™ i's a concentrated planting mix that expands up to 3X when water is added, which results in 3X the flowers and vegetables in comparison to native soil. So really, by buying a small bag of Expand ‘n Gro™ it's like you're actually buying a bag 3X the size because it multiplies when the water is added. It gets all those important nutrients and moisture to the plant roots, holding up to 50% more water than basic potting soil. Ultimately this planting mix feeds for up to 6 months and significantly improves the soil for multiple years.

I plan on using Expand 'n Gro™ solely in my pots this year. I only need to fill each pot a third of the way full then add the water. After mixing it up the soil will expand and fill the pots. If we were living in a house I would use the mix in our flower beds by adding an inch of Expand ‘n Gro™ across the top of the soil already there. Then I would mix the soil and the Expand ‘n Gro™ all together, allowing the mix to be spread throughout the soil before planting the flowers. I'm excited for those big and beautiful flowers! Check out this short demonstration video to see how to use it:

WIN:

Are you as excited as I am to try Miracle-Gro® Expand ‘n Gro™ Concentrated Planting Mix in your garden and/or pots this year? I hope so! Miracle-Gro® is providing me a sample of this new planting mix to giveaway to one lucky Cupcake Diaries reader. To enter, all you have to do is comment on this post. Please leave an e-mail address so I can contact you if you win. Contest ends March 30th at 11:59 pm MST. A winner will be chosen via random.org.

Oroweat Health-full® Bread Review

My family has found a new favorite bread.

One of the best parts of being a BzzAgent is being introduced to all sorts of new products. For this campaign I was asked to try a free loaf of any kind of Oroweat Health-full^® bread that my family might like and then share my thoughts on it. (Thanks, Oroweat!) Out of the three options available (flax & fiber, nutty grain, and 10 grain) we decided that the 10 grain would be the best option for our family. And we were not disappointed! Not only is this bread 80 calories a slice (I know, right?) it is super soft and tastes SO good. When eating healthy bread I normally expect it to have a certain "healthy" taste. You know the taste I'm referring to. This bread is so NOT that way. It tastes healthy but in a delicious way, if that makes sense. We just love it!

My almost 2-year-old son really loves this bread too. I make him half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with it then cut it into squares. It's amazing how soft this bread is, and I can tell he likes the softness too. It's tempting not to steal a bite from him!

My husband and I ventured over to the Oroweat website and looked up the list of sandwich recipes for this delicious bread. What looked like the perfect sandwich was listed there so I decided to try it. And it's my new favorite! And of course I was too excited to eat it so I forgot to take a picture of it. Gah! Oh well. Here it is! (Click here for more recipe ideas!)

Autumn Turkey Sandwich

2 slices Oroweat® Health-full® Nutty Grain bread (or your favorite Health-full® bread)
1 tsp. cranberry sauce
2 slices of bacon, cooked and cooled (option: turkey bacon or reduced-fat bacon)
2 oz. deli turkey breast
1/2 serving Spiced Sweet Potatoes*
1/2 c. spinach leaves
Serving size: 1 sandwich

*Spiced Sweet Potatoes Ingredients
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4" cubes
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
2 teaspoon walnut oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions
Prep time: 5 minutes
Toast two slices of bread and spread a thick layer of cranberry sauce on one slice. Layer turkey, sweet potatoes, bacon and spinach on the bread slice; top with the other slice. Cut in half and serve.

Nutritional Value (per serving)
370 calories
11g fiber
30g protein
46g carbs
10g fat

*Spiced Sweet Potatoes Directions (10 servings)
Prep time: 30 minutes
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a roasting pan; stir well to coat. Bake for 10 minutes; stir and bake until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes more.

While I made my sandwich, my husband decided to get creative and make a sandwich of his own. Here's what he came up with:

He made a roast beef sandwich and it was delish. Here's what he put on it:

• swiss cheese
• Romaine lettuce
• tomatoes
• mayo
• deli roast beef

As you can see, we had a good dinner that night.

I highly recommend this bread! It's decently priced but would be well worth spending a little extra to get such a good bread. It's healthy and oh so good! Give it a try!

Fun St. Patrick's Day Ideas {Treat & Craft}

The world of Pinterest has been flooded with St. Patrick's Day goodness for the past few weeks. I love it! There are so many fun and creative ideas to celebrate that fabulous day of green. I could pin and pin all day. I love when a holiday is coming up and pin upon pin shows up relating to that holiday. Easter is another holiday that has been quite popular on Pinterest. I'm so excited to share what I've found for Easter!! One of my favorites for sure. We'll save those for another time! For now we'll focus on St. Patrick's day. Here are a few of my favorite ideas I've stumbled upon:

We'll start with a little something for the front door...

St. Patrick's Day Ribbon Wreath @ She's {Kinda} Crafty


Time for breakfast...

A Lucky Breakfast @ Thoughtfully Simple


Now for some fun treats...

St. Patrick's Day Sandwich Cookies @ Thirty Handmade Days


Grasshopper Mint Cookies @ Six Sisters' Stuff

FREE St. Patrick's Day Cupcake Toppers Printable @ Creations by Kara

Leprechaun Floats @ Make and Takes
Lime sherbet and Sprite. Perfect! I want one of those right now.

Lucky Charms Cupcakes @ Betty Crocker

And my biggest weakness ever...

Triple Layer Fudgy Mint Oreo Brownies @ Love Veggies and Yoga

Mint brownies make my heart sing.

Cookies 'n Cream Oreo Fudge Brownies {Happy 100th Birthday, Oreo!}

Today marks 100 years since the birth of the Oreo: "milk's favorite cookie". What a great day! I love Oreos so much, they make me so happy. I especially love all of the different holiday makeovers the Oreo gets each season. The spring ones in stores right now are especially fun!

Because today is such a special day in the cookie world (and my world), I thought it would be fun to share a recipe made up of Oreo goodness. I have never tried this recipe but I trust it 100%. I'm pretty sure I would like a brownie layered with Oreo cookies! (Did I mention there's Cookies and Cream ice cream in these brownies as well? Indeed. I think I've found our "Biggest Loser"-watching treat for the evening.)

Big thanks to Kevin and Amanda for the recipe and photo. When she posted this recipe on their blog she took a few step-by-step pictures that are, as Penney from "Happy Endings" would say, "A-mah-zing!" Check those out here if you'd like to see the goodness for yourself.

Happy birthday, Oreo! Thank you for changing all of our lives in such a fabulous way!


Cookies 'n Cream Oreo Fudge Brownies
recipe and image from Kevin and Amanda

• 1 box brownie mix
• eggs & oil (as called for on the brownie mix box)
• 1 heaping 1/2 c. Cookies & Cream ice cream
• 1/4 c. hot fudge topping (chilled or room temperature)

Directions

Preheat the oven (depending on what the brownie box says to preheat it to) and spray an 8×8 baking dish generously with cooking spray. Combine brownie mix, eggs, and oil as directed on the back of the box, but do not add the water. Add ice cream and hot fudge to the brownie batter and stir to combine. Pour half of the brownie batter into the baking dish, then place a layer of Oreos over that, and top with remaining batter. Bake for 40-45 minutes or as directed on the back of the box.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss! Let's Celebrate!

Happy birthday, Dr. Seuss! We all know that Dr. Seuss (Theodore Seuss Geisel) was an absolute genius. And thanks to him, my childhood was full of fun books that made my imagination run wild. It's fun to share Dr. Seuss with my son now. He really likes the show "The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That" on PBS, as well as the books I read to him. Dr. Seuss would have been 108 today.

Did you know?

• In May of 1954, Life published a report concerning illiteracy among school children. The report said, among other things, that children were having trouble to read because their books were boring. This inspired Dr. Seuss' publisher, and prompted him to send Dr. Seuss a list of 400 words he felt were important, asked him to cut the list to 250 words (the publishers idea of how many words at one time a first grader could absorb), and write a book. Nine months later, Dr. Seuss, using 220 of the words given to him published The Cat in the Hat, which went on to instant success.
• In 1960 Bennett Cerf bet Dr. Seuss $50 that he couldn't write an entire book using only fifty words. The result was Green Eggs and Ham. Cerf never paid the $50 from the bet.

In honor of Dr. Seuss, I wanted to share with you a whole bunch of fun ideas to celebrate his big day. Birthday party ideas, snacks, and even bedding! And before the day is over, go check out the fantastic Dr. Seuss website Seussville. It is so fun, bright, and interactive. This website makes me so happy!

Dr. Seuss Room @ Pottery Barn Kids

We'll start with this cute Dr. Seuss bedding. The thought of a Dr. Seuss-themed bedroom is just too cute. There are all different kinds of bedding sets, as well as cute decor to put in the room. And they're having all kinds of sales right now! This bedding is on sale for $19.99 right now, regularly $42.99. Awesome deal!

Thing 1 and Thing 2 Cupcakes @ Black / White Side by Side
I just love these darling Thing 1 and Thing 2 cupcakes! That cotton candy really does the trick!

Thing 1 and Thing 2 Cupcakes @ Good Life Eats
These cupcakes are also super cute. So bright and fun!

Dr. Seuss Birthday Party @ Hostess Blog
I love the idea of a Dr. Seuss birthday party. You could do SO much with it. This blog has a ton of great ideas!

Dr. Seuss Birthday Party @ Half Baked: The Cake Blog
And here is another blog with more Dr. Seuss birthday party ideas! So fun!

Dr. Seuss Cake @ Cake Central
This cake is so awesome! I love the whimsical look it has. Just like the animations in Dr. Seuss' book. What a fun addition to a Dr. Seuss birthday party!


Cat in the Hat Treats @ Fancy Frugal Life
These simple little treats would be fun to serve at a party or just to have as a treat at home after school. I could go for one of these right now! Yum!

Green Eggs and Ham Treats @ The Girl Who Ate Everything

Here's a simple treat to celebrate Dr. Seuss' second book. What a fun little treat!

{Copycat Recipe} Texas Roadhouse Cinnamon Honey Butter and a Winner!

Sometimes we do dumb things. In my case it was not posting this recipe when I posted the recipe for copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls. Hello! I guess I forgot I had this lying around. I don't know how one forgets about this beautiful piece of magic. Leave it to me!

We're heading to Texas Roadhouse for dinner tonight. But what happens when I come home and start craving that butter all over again? I guess I'll just make it! It's seriously so SIMPLE to make, it's wonderful. Not to mention it's super delicious. Ok, is it dinner time yet?

image via Eat Cake for Dinner

{Copycat Recipe} Texas Roadhouse Cinnamon Honey Butter
Fly Through Our Window

• 2 sticks of butter, at room temperature


• 1 c. powdered sugar


• 1 c. honey


• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Using the whisk attachment on your KitchenAid or stand mixer, or using a hand mixer, whip the butter so it's nice and creamy. This is where the room temperature part makes things easier.


2. Add the powdered sugar and mix it all in. Then add the honey and the cinnamon. Then whip it. Whip it good. ("Ba da ba da da. Crack that whip!") Scrape the sides and whip it a little more.


3. Store the heavenly concoction in the fridge or leave it out at room temperature. It's going to spread much easier at room temperature, but it's up to you! Serve on rolls, toast, bagels, sweet potatoes, etc. Enjoy! And good luck not eating all of it!

And the winner of the MyMemories Suite Digital Scrapbooking Software is...

McKenzie Guymon
Congratulations, McKenzie! I will be sending you an e-mail shortly!