Lemon Cupcakes

Second batch offers a refreshing change to dessert and is perfect for the party tomorrow, and any other time in summer!

Lemon Cupcakes:

Ingredients:
1 box white cake mix
4 egg whites
1/4 cup oil 
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed **
3/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of 3 lemons

Glaze:
3 Tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1-2 cups powdered sugar

** tastes significantly better freshly squeezed

Directions:
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees, line pan with cupcake lines
2. sift cake mix into a small bowl to remove any lump (my first attempt at sifting)
3. In a large bowl, gently whisk egg whites, oil, buttermilk, lemon juice, sour cream, vanilla, and lemon zest together
4. Combine cake mix and wet ingredients, stir well
5. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until inserted knife comes clean
6. Lemon Glaze: in a bowl, combine all ingredients using a whisk. Add powdered sugar until your glaze is smooth
7. Use a toothpick to punch small holes into the top of each cupcake so the glaze can sink into the cake
8. Spoon glaze over the nearly cooled cupcakes, and allow time for the glaze to set.
9. Add the cream cheese frosting (in other post) on cooled cupcakes
10. Enjoy!

♥ The Westward Wives

Best Chocolate Cupcake Ever

So Tom (Callie's older brother) is graduating next Friday from CSU and Callie and I have been given the task to make cupcakes for the party. We are making 4 different kinds but the first type of cupcake we made are the chocolate ones, so this is for you chocolate lovers.

Best Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 box devils food cake mix

1 small package Jello instant pudding mix (chocolate)

1 cup sour cream

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs beaten

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla 

Preheat the oven for 350 degrees Fahrenheit  

Mix everything together 

Cook as directed on box (which was 19-23 min for our box)

*We are using cream cheese frosting to frost them. Recipe to follow later 

First round done off to do 3 more

♥ The Westward Wives

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

So in Colorado it has officially stopped snowing for the season, but the last couple of days it has been raining; and in Colorado the rain is cold!
Also since the school year is almost done (today is our last day of classes, yay!), we are trying to eat all of our food without having to go to the grocery store, it's a fun game let us tell you.

So we thought we should bring out an old recipe and make it our own way with the ingredients left in the fridge/freezer. We present to you..... 

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:
2 packages of cubed beef steaks (4 total steaks) <---- super cheap by the way!
2 cans of cream of mushroom
2 cans (5 oz) of mushrooms
4 Tablespoons of ketchup
2 Tablespoons of worcestershire sauce

Directions:
Place steaks at the bottom of the crockpot
Mix rest of ingredients in a separate bowl
Pour mixture over steaks
Cook on low for 8 hours

Serve over rice

♥ The Westward Wives

Coming soon.....

CHECK BACK IN LATER TODAY FOR SOME CUPCAKE RECIPES!

Grad season recipes

Graduation season is coming up and you may be hosting a newly graduate or going to a pot luck. These recipes are also perfect for picnics (which are our favorite in the summer). I am going to continually add to this post so keep looking back for new recipes!

First, this recipe I had for the first time last year at Callie's friend's retirement party and I fell in love right there. I even grabbed a red solo cup and filled that with the grape salad to go, because it is THAT good.

Grape Salad
Ingredients:
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup ( 8 oz) sour cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 lbs seedless red grapes
2 lbs seedless green grapes
3 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp chopped pecans

Directions:
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla until smooth
Add grapes and toss to coat
Transfer to a serving bowl.
Cover and refrigerate until serving
Sprinkle with brown sugar and pecans right before serving

To be continued.....

♥ The Westward Wives

Artichoke Bread!

Today  is our last week of classes in our junior year. As summer is coming closer, finals are looking harder, and  our fridges are looking bare. We are trying not to stock our fridge with unnessary items. (I don't think we have gone grocery shopping in weeks) We are trying to eat out whatever we have left!
So today I thought I would share a recipe that we made last night. Which we served with spaghetti (because there is always spaghetti in our pantries, always!)

Artichoke bread

• 1 loaf french bread
• 1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts in water, drained
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 0.5 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 0.25 tsp. pepper
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Slice bread. In a bowl, combine drained artichokes, garlic, olive oil, Parmesan cheese and pepper. Spread evenly over sliced bread. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Place under broiler for 5-7 minutes or until bread is toasty and cheese is melted and bubbly

♥ The Westward Wives

A long class

Yes I am in class right now.
No my teacher is not talking about anything important (just stories of his life)

So what is a girl to do? I am pinning to find more recipes for you guys!

♥ The Westward Wives