A Jar of Jelly Beans?

Thanks so much to everyone who entered into the Surprise Jelly Bean contest! It was a lot of fun to read everyone's comments. There are a couple flavors that I'd never even heard of....so I'll have to keep my eyes out for those.

For the booger-flavored beans....I *think* when I saw them they were in Fear Factor Jelly Bellys. Along with [dry heave] vomit, monkey farts, earwax, and many other disgusting flavors.

*deep breath*

Alright, so moving on......

Our fabulous winner is someone who obviously disagrees with 'buttered popcorn' flavored beans belonging in the "creepy flavors" category (and that's OK by me):



Congrats! Now, for the prize.....were you thinking you'd probably end up with this:


....or even worse....this:


Well, rest assured, my friend. Neither of those are your prize.

These glorious products are all yours:


To get you kick-started for Summer, you have:
Coconut Papaya Shower Gel with Soap Saver from Jordan Essentials
Coconut Papaya Lotion Bar from JE
Bath Scrunchie from JE
8 summer-scented tealights from PartyLite
Caramel Pecan Pie Mix (not pictured) from The Gourmet Cupboard

Once again, thanks to everyone who entered! If you haven't already, subscribe to my blog....there are plenty more giveaways coming in the next few weeks.

Enjoy!
-Erica

Know what I mean, Jelly Bean?

This is a cute little saying that my good friend Maggie says. I find it cute and whimsical....and totally appropriate for today.

That's right, did you know today is National Jelly Bean Day? Well, it is my friend. Glorious Jelly Beans. They have been around since the 1800's, and while no one knows the name of the person (probably a woman, by the way) that actually invented the Jelly Bean, we're sure glad *she* did it!



You know how I love colorful things. So, naturally I am a Jelly Bean fan. However, I cannot seem to jump on the, what I have deemed, "creepy flavors" bandwagon. A Jelly Bean just shouldn't taste like buttered popcorn or boogers. I mean, really? I thought we, as a society, agreed that eating boogers is nasty, no? So why promote eating boogers IN public, WITH your friends, AND laughing while you do it?! I don't know, my friend, I don't know.

Alright, moving on. Jelly Beans have now been created in well over 50 distinct flavors and can be found almost anywhere. Here is Jelly Belly's chart of their "standard" flavors.



Thank goodness the "booger" flavor isn't a standard, yeah?

*clears throat*

Sorry, I just cannot help but dwell on that. It really bothers me....boogers? Who would think of such a flavor?

Ok, ok....so anyway, Jelly Beans have even been served at high-end parties. They're growing up, you know. These Jelly Beans are out having a great time. I hope they have a DD* to get them home safely.


Did you know that there is even such a thing as a Jelly Bean Bar? Yes, indeed there is. It is OK if you didn't know, I didn't either. See, we're forming bonds, learning together.



Yes, evidently, someone has spent a lot (and I do mean a LOT) of time eating Jelly Beans in different combinations and seeing what it tastes like. Everything, from desserts like Tiramisu to WINE. Yes, I said wine. I found this information on Isn't She Lovely.

So, in light of National Jelly Bean Day, would you like to do something else super fun? Yes? I thought you might.

Alright, here we go:

Leave a comment and tell me YOUR favorite Jelly Bean flavor. It can even be a "specialty" flavor that is not on the "standard" flavor list.

Comments will be accepted now through 5 PM Eastern on Thursday, April 23rd.

Then, I will go to RANDOM.org and we'll have ourselves a winner!

"A winner of what?", you might ask? Well, that part is a surprise! It is something yummy, something sweet, something special. You'll just have to comment to find out what it is!

[Please remember if you choose to leave an ANON comment to include your name and some sort of contact info]

*DD = Designated Driver (non-drinker) for those who didn't know.

Enjoy!
-Erica

LIMA WINNER!

Thanks so much to everyone who shared with me the wisdom of why I should respect Lima Beans. I feel enlightened....and maybe I'll toss some beautiful green Limas in my chili next time. Probably not, but who knows? Maybe I will.

Ok, I think we both know I won't, but it sounded nice, didn't it?

Alright, on to the winner of the beautiful Lima Bean Earrings and Bracelet set.



Beth! Thanks so much for sharing....and while she doesn't really care for Lima Beans, I bet she'll love these fancy pieces of jewelry!

Congratulations, Love!

Enjoy!
-Erica

PS) Keep your eyes peeled, I have more giveaways up my sleeve and coming your way!

Respect those Lima Beans!

So, according to this site on American Food Holidays, today is "Lima Bean Respect Day". Not exactly sure how often Lima Beans get disrespected, but evidently it is a lot, considering they now have a National Holiday in which they have demanded respect.

Personally, I don't really care for Lima Beans.

*Wait* Maybe I shouldn't say that ON "Lima Bean Respect Day". Is that horrible of me? I should be paying homage to Lima Beans? Today? Only today? Oh, OK, I guess that I can be nice to Lima Beans for one day.

Here, this picture is kinda pretty:


Don't you think? Well, green IS my favorite color....and these ARE a very nice shade of green. Ok, so maybe Lima Beans aren't *that* bad.

So, let's do something super fun, shall we?

Look what I found on Etsy:


LIMA BEAN EARRINGS


LIMA BEAN BRACELET

Are they not beautiful!? The color is fantastic!

Who would like to win these fabulous pieces of jewelry....handcrafted by Sassaffras....would YOU like to win them?

Well, you can! Here's how:

Post a COMMENT and tell me why YOU "respect" Lima Beans. Doesn't have to be anything fancy, can even be something great like, "Because they're green and that is my favorite color." (Then I'll say, "Me too!")

The winner will be chosen at random (by RANDOM.org). Comments will be accepted through 3 PM Eastern on Tuesday, April 21.

***Please be sure to leave your name and e-mail in the post if you're leaving an ANON comment. Thanks!***

Winner will be announced Tuesday evening!

Enjoy!
-Erica

Blueberry Crumbcake Pancakes

I was feeling a little frisky this morning and wanted to try something new. There was this recipe I came across on Joy the Baker's blog, Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes. They looked so delicious and we definitely share a love of pancakes.

So, I took Joy's recipe into the kitchen with me and got to mixing.

Here is the finished plate:


Delicious, no? YES!

From the blueberries, cinnamon, and brown sugar IN the batter.....all the way to that delightful crumb/streudel topping.....then drizzled with maple syrup.

Talk about Heaven. Mmmmmmm.

If you would like to try your hand at these, here ya go:

Blueberry Crumbcake Pancakes
(modified from Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes, Joy the Baker)

2 eggs
2 C buttermilk
4 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C old fashioned oats
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1 C blueberries

(oil, butter, or cooking spray for the pan)

Step 1: In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add buttermilk, butter, and vanilla; mix well. Add flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt. Mix well until mostly smooth. Fold in blueberries and let batter set for a few minutes.

Step 2: Heat griddle or pan over medium heat. Add a tsp of oil or butter to pan (or spray with cooking spray). You can test to see if the pan is hot enough by adding a few drops of water, when the water drops start to dance, its hot enough.

Step 3: Pour 2 Tbsp of batter onto the griddle. Cook on the first side until bubbles that form start to pop. You can also gently lift up the pancake to make sure the bottom is not overcooking, if it is the pan may be too hot and you will need to adjust the heat. Flip the pancake over with a spatula and cook until golden brown. Repeat until all the batter is gone. Let cooked pancakes rest on a heat proof plate in a 200 degree F over until ready to serve.

Step 4: Serve pancakes in stacks with a dollop of butter, drizzled with maple syrup, and topped with streudel crumbs.


Streudel Crumbs

1/4 C oats
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1 Tbsp brown sugar (packed)
1 1/2 Tbsp butter or margarine, softened

Mix ingredients together with a fork until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Sprinkle on top of your pancakes.

*You can adjust the quantity of any ingredient to suit your personal tastes.



Enjoy!
-Erica

Sunday Spotlight: Omnomicon

I come to you today extremely excited....nope, just flat out beside myself with enthusiasm. Really. People who know me would tell you that I am a very colorful person. I love everything colorful. Everything. Green especially. Lime green, if we're getting technical....anyway....I can be seen almost anywhere carrying my obnoxiously large, bright, lime-green Laffy Taffy bag (it is so adorable and I got it for a STEAL). I rarely have ever been described as "normal"...and that is quite alright by me. *smile*



Ok, so moving on.....I was browsing the internet, looking for a blog to highlight today, when I found this site called Tastespotting. I was awe-stricken. A place that I can just look at all kinds of glorious food! Well, I came across this beautiful piece of cake, Daffodil Cake. I thought to myself, "I'd love to try that cake!" Then I proceeded to peruse the blog that it came from. I love this girl! She is hilarious, I cannot tell you the number of times that I actually laughed out loud and said, "Me too!".

Now, I have decided that I'm definitely doing the Sunday Spotlight on her....but to find a few other things that I'd like to try. Well, that did not take long, let me tell you! She had the most beautiful cake I have ever seen on there...and I stopped dead in my tracks (Ok, well I was sitting....but you know what I mean!). I walked through the recipe and knew I had every ingredient on-hand. That was it!

I give you.....RAINBOW CAKE:



Beautiful, isn't it?

Don't worry, I have PLENTY of other shots of it that I WILL be sharing, so you'll get to see lots more of it's wonder! *smile*

My daughter, Syndel, walked in right as I was printing the recipe out and said, "Oh, Mommy! Can I help you make that pretty cake?" How was I going to turn down a girl who obviously loves color (and baking) as much as me? Well, I couldn't.

So, Syndel and I got to mixing:


She thought that part was fun, but this is what really got her pumping:




All those glorious colors.....just beautiful!


Now, I know, I know....we didn't have the "real" rainbow colors, so we just made do with what we did have.....6 gorgeous colors....just not all found in the "traditional" rainbow. And that is OK by both of us....I checked.

So, we didn't really care about the layering effect, we just wanted something pretty....so we just did spoonfuls of the different colors into the bundt pan:


Syndel sat at the oven door for most of the time it was baking. She kept turning the light on to check on it and such. So cute....and reminds me a lot of when I was young. I've always had a passion for everything in the kitchen....baking, cooking....anything.

When it came out, we both "oooohed and aaaahed" over it. Phenominal! I tell you....really. Look closely......beautiful, yeah?



So, naturally, we were even more excited to cut into that baby! Syndel and I hovered over the cake, we could already picture the beauty that we were about to witness in our little minds......



Syndel squealed with delight....I held mine back just slightly and gasped. *giggle*giggle* Really, I have never seen such a beautiful cake! Have you? Really now, let's be honest!



I was so moved by it, I almost didn't want to eat it.....almost. But now I needed to know if it tasted as wonderful as it looked.


.....and it did!



I couldn't help but take a ton of pictures of it. Everytime I took another bite, I smiled, excitedly, because I thought it was even more pretty than before!



Fabulous!

Ok, so for the complete recipe for this darling.....go here and visit Omnomicon. I think she is pretty great and you probably will too.

Enjoy!
-Erica

Berry Lemonade Cupcakes

Alright, so here is the other cuppie that I created with that Jones Soda.



I used the same recipes for the cuppie, icing, and filling...but omited the glaze on top. The flavor of this one was so good, I didn't think it needed the glaze.



Wanna see what is inside? Here ya go:


Now, for the filling on this cuppie, I added a splash of the soda pop, so it isn't as thick and firm as the other filling, but I loved it!

Thanks again to Play at Home Mama, Gonna Go Walk the Dogs, and Put a Cupcake In It for the recipes I used to create these delights.

Check out IronCupcake for more cool cupcake stuff.
Our April ETSY PRIZE-PACK is from artists:
A creation by FRUITFLYPIE, a pair of cupcake earrings from LOTS OF SPRINKLES, a sweet surprise from Sweet Cuppin' Cakes Cupcakery,
PLUS, IronCupcake:Earth can not forget our good friend, CAKESPY, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice - sweet!

Last and certainly not least, don’t forget our corporate prize providers: HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS, HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, JESSIE STEELE APRONS ; TASTE OF HOME books, a t-shirt from UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM. Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers.

Enjoy!
-Erica