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Valentine’s Day: Chocolate filled Golden-Cherry Cupcakes

Looking for a fun Valentine’s Day Cupcake idea that looks super impressive, but takes only minimal skill? Then these super delish Chocolate filled Golden-Cherry Cupcakes are perfect for you! {They start with a boxed mix. Love that, right?} Keep reading to learn my secret trick to jazzin’ ’em up!

Valentine's Day, Cupcakes, Red frosting, baking

“Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.” – Ernestine Ulmer

As I mentioned over on the Click, Color, Capture Photo Challenge post earlier this week – I’m not a fan of Valentine’s Day. But – I am a fan of cupcakes! And these Chocolate-Cherry filled Golden Cupcakes totally brighten up the holiday for me! They’re incredibly easy to make, and super delicious too. They’re like – cute puppy faces and pretty flowers delivered to your door and sparkles and pretty shoes – everything that’s happy and good, all put together, and transformed into a cupcake. They’re also why my jeans are fitting tighter these days… Lol.

Baking, Cupcakes

“Forget love – I’d rather fall in chocolate!” – Sandra J. Dykes

This cupcake recipe is a kinda-homemade style dessert – Because that’s the only way I do my baking! It starts with the new Fun-da-Middles Yellow Cupcake Mix, with chocolate frosting. But I’m never happy with a plain ol’ boxed mix, I like to get creative – But I admit, I have much more creativity and enthusiasm than I do skill, so there are disasters sometimes. Luckily, this experiment was a total success!

Chocolate filled Golden-Cherry Cupcakes

  • 1. Stir up the Fun-da-Middles mix, following the instructions on the package – but instead of adding regular water, use the Clear American Cherry Flavored Water from Walmart. It fizzes a little bit when you pour it in, which is cool. Now stir up the batter just like you usually would, and move on to step 2!
  • 2. Put adorable cupcake liners into your cupcake pan. I prefer polka-dots.
  • 3. Now, things get a wee bit tricky – You want to use just enough cupcake batter to cover the bottom of each liner, but have enough left over to cover the filling! So, fill each cupcake liner with a small scoop, and make sure it fills the whole bottom of the cup.
  • 4. Now the fun part – Grab the pouch of chocolate filling included in the package, and squeeze it for a minute or two. I listen to my music loud while cooking, so I dance while I squeeze. It’s up to you.
  • 5. Now that the chocolate filling is warmed up, snip off a corner, and start squeezing dollops of it onto each cup of batter. Make them even, and keep it in the middle, not touching the edges of the liner. You don’t want it to ooze out while baking!
  • 6. Now, add one maraschino cherry on top of the chocolate filling! I absolutely love the combination of chocolate and cherry together!
  • 7. Next, use the rest of your batter to cover the cherry and chocolate filling in each cup. Bake ’em up at the temperature recommended on the box. It’s ok to have a glass of wine while you wait….
  • 8. Now, you can take a short cut and use a canister of Betty Crocker red frosting, or tint your own favorite recipe with the Wilton Red Icing Color, and use your own bag and tip to swirl on some fun frosting!
  • 9. Almost done – Grab a pretty sprinkle to top your cupcakes! I used some silver pearls on half, and chocolate sprinkles on the other half. I love sprinkles. A lot.

“I’d give up chocolate, but I’m no quitter!” – Author Unknown

Sounds good, right? These are so super fun, and the kids love the surprise of chocolate and cherry in the middle. They’re also pretty enough for fancier events too. So, while I boycott most things Valentine’s Day related – I do support holiday themed cupcakes, and will be making these again this week! Enjoy…. And – if you’re a cupcake junkie too, check out my Pinterest Cupcake Board!

“Save the earth.  It’s the only planet with chocolate.” – Author Unknown

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Social Media Boost Giveaway – Google+

Giveaway, Social Media, Google+ Pages

Social Media Boost Giveaway Event!

How would you like a chance to win some PayPal cash each week? I have teamed up with a great group of bloggers and we plan on growing each week. The giveaway starts each Friday at 12:01 am EST and runs until Tuesday at 12:01 pm EST. The winner will be notified on Tuesday and have 48  hours to confirm – and then we start all over again! Each week you will have a new task to perform… but after a 4 week rotation it will be easier since you will most likely already be following everyone already!

  • This week’s task: Circle all participating bloggers on Google+
  • This week’s prize: $30 in PayPal Cash

Enter using the Rafflecopter form below. You only need to enter on one blog and make sure to come back for your daily tweet! And… are you feelin’ lucky? Then check out my big list of giveaways to enter in my sidebar – the more you enter, the more chances you have to WIN!

Have fun and Good Luck!

[Read more…]

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Groundhog One-Day-Only Giveaway: Are You a Winner?

 

 

Groundhog Day, Giveaway, Amazon, Kindle Fire, Coupons

Groundhog Day Giveaway – Today Only!

If you’re a registered user over at Cellfire.com, simply log-in to your account, and you’ll see a big banner on your homepage – Click it to see if you’re a winner!

Not a Cellfire User Yet?

You can sign up here – Save grocery coupons directly to your supermarket savings card with Cellfire. Click Here – It’s super quick and simple. I’m not sure if new users are eligible to win the contest or not – but it’s so easy to set up, it’s awesome to use, and there are a ton of prizes – It’s worth joining today!

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Weekly Bloggertunities – 2/1

Sponsored Posts, Reviews & Giveaways, Blogging

New Weekly Blogging Opportunities

I’ve had {another!} crazy week around here. My dad had emergency surgery, my dog went to the vet for surgery too, and I’ve had a million out-of-the-house appointments. But like I always say – Better too busy than too slow! I haven’t come across too many specific opps this week, so I’m sharing some great sites, resources, and networks that I use to find fun opportunities and earn my own income. I hope they’re helpful! And as always – If you have a fun event that’s open for sign-ups, or know of a great opp to share, please leave a comment with the info!

If you’re a brand that would like to reach more bloggers, please email Meagan at sunshineandsippycups@gmail.com to have your campaign shared in next weeks post!

Writing Jobs & Sponsored Posts

  • Blogger Link Up: Sign up for an account, to connect with writers and PR reps, find guest posting opps, and more. Blogger Link Up Sign Up.
  • Constant Content: I find a lot of great opps on here. Sign up for the newsletter, and they’ll send you a list of new things to apply for each week. The topics have a huge range, and the pay runs from $20 bucks for a short post, up to $200 for longer articles. Writing Job Sign Up.
  • Sponsored Posts: One of my favorite sites is doing very limited recruiting – Collective Bias is searching for African American bloggers from the Charlotte, NC are. They are also recruiting bloggers in Mexico, specifically Guadalajara and Mexico City. If you fit either of these, email me at sunshineandsippycups@gmail.com, and I can send over your info!
  • Examiner: Get your own column, and get paid to post local content. {See mine – Yakima Frugal Living Examiner}. Get started by applying to be an Examiner today.

Blogger Newsletters

  • Mommy PR: She sends out a great email newsletter with new opps that you don’t want to miss! Visit Mommy PR, and click on the Blogger Connections tab in her navigation bar to sign up.
  • Eli Rose: Great weekly newsletter with tips on blogging and social media. You can also get a free template to build your own Media Kit, or a pitch letter template, by emailing them. Find that info here – Free Blogger Media Kit & PitchTemplates.

Events to Join

  • KitchenAid Mixer Giveaway: 30-35 bloggers can join this big event – should be super popular! Sign up here.
  • Birthday Bash Giveaway: You can join by paying a cash fee, or by having your own giveaway item. Additional links can be purchased too! Find details and sign up here.
  • Netbook Giveaway: Event starts February 15th, and they’ll be giving away a Netbook PC and accessories. Find details and sign up form here.
  • Kindle Fire Giveaway: There are 3 different levels you can join, to get your blog maximum exposure! Sign up here.
  • Extreme Cash Giveaway: This was a big success last time – and February’s event should be awesome too! $1 admin fee, $2 per link you want to add! Learn more and Sign Up Here.

Fun Blogging Linkys

  • Stumble Tumble Tuesday: Each week we link up our favorite posts to Stumble – This can be an amazing way to drive new traffic to your site. Just make sure to write content your readers will love – Don’t write posts just for StumbleUpon. Join the party here!
  • Click, Color, Capture: This is a brand new event – Each week will feature a different color, plus some helpful photography tips. Take a great pic that captures that color, share it in a post, and link it up with us! This week is Red, and you can join the Photography Challenge Here!

My Favorite Affiliates:

  • Social Spark: The longer I’ve worked with them, the better opportunities I have been getting! It takes a little bit for each post to credit to your account – But once it does, and you hit $50 – when you cash out to PayPal it credits there right away! Love that. Social Spark Sign Up.
  • Escalate Media: Another of my favorites. Great support staff, easy to use, quick payouts. Join Escalate Media.
  • Integrate: Love this site! I really love the way that they track offers – I seem to get more accurate results with them. Integrate Sign Up. Already signed up, but having trouble getting started? Read – How To Get Started with Integrate.com.

Recent Favorite Resource:

ProBloggers 31 Days to Build a Better Blog: This is the most helpful book I’ve had in a long time! Click here to view more details.

Wrapping it up

I hope that some of these sites, resources, and networks can help YOU grow your blog, reach your goals, and find more success as a blogger! Remember – Feel free to share this post with your own bloggy buddies and networks. And please add your fun event sign ups or other opps in the comments! Thanks for reading – I hope you’re all having a great start to a new month!

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Stumble Tumble Tuesday – #BloggingTips

StumbleUpon, Stumble Upon, How to Use Stumble Upon for your Blog, Blogging

Welcome to Stumble Tumble Tuesday!

This fun weekly event is hosted by Acting Balanced, Sunshine and Sippy Cups and Wyoming Girl Turned Coastie Wife! The goal of this hop is to use Stumble Upon to help you promote your blog posts and get more traffic.

Even if you think you are stumbling correctly, please readthis post on how to check and see if your stumble was successful. Some stumbles aren’t showing up, thanks!

TO TAKE PART IS SIMPLE

  1. Add a link to a blog post that you would like people to stumble to the linky below. It *must* be a link to an actual post and NOT your main site. Please do not list giveaways.
  2. Stumble as many other posts as you care to, check to make sure that your stumble went through by clicking on the “Info” icon. If you’d like to, you can leave a comment on their post saying something like, “I’m stopping by from Stumble Tumble Tuesday and just stumbled you – great post! My post is _____(add link)”. That makes it easier for them to return the love! The great thing about Stumble Upon is that it is fast and easy to do with the Stumble Upon toolbar.
    PLEASE DO NOT ADD YOUR LINK IF YOU AREN’T GOING TO STUMBLE ANY POSTS.
  3. Remember, link directly to the actual post, not your home page.
  4. PLEASE – Don’t list any giveaways. StumbleUpon is for Evergreen posts.
  5. PLEASE – Only one link per blog.

Feel free to post about Stumble Tumble Tuesday on your blog and help us spread the word – The more people are stumbling, the more traffic we’ll all get, and, hey – the more, the merrier, right?

HAVE FUN WITH IT AND LET’S DISCOVER AND STUMBLE SOME POSTS!

The first person to “like” a post on StumbleUpon assigns it a category. If your post has not been discovered yet, please leave the category you would like, in your link to help the discoverer assign it correctly. Example: Strawberry Shortcake Recipe (food).

If you have ANY questions on how this works – remember to read the post above, which covers some great basics. If that doesn’t answer it, leave me a comment here or on my Facebook wall – and I’ll get back to your right away. StumbleUpon can be an uh-MAY-zing new way to increase traffic to your site – and this is a fun way to use it!

STUMBLE TUMBLE TUESDAY LINKY

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Click, Color, Capture – Photography Challenge Linky – Week 1: Red

Photography, Color, Click, Camera, Photos, Challenge

Click, Color, Capture Photo Challenge!

Welcome to Week 1 of the Color, Click, Capture photography challenge hosted byEast9thStreet, A Helicopter Mom, Nap Time Is My Time and Sunshine and Sippy Cups!  Our color this week is RED.

Cupcakes, Valentines Day, Baking, Red

“When life gives you lemons… just bake some lemon cupcakes.” – Unknown

I’m not a big fan of Valentine’s Day. It’s never really been a good experience for me. But – there’s nothing that a great cupcake can’t fix, right? These little beauties started with the new Fun-da-Middles mix from Betty Crocker, with a little bit of extra creativity thrown in. Recipe will be posted later today – so stay tuned!

Weekly Photography Tip

Our first photography tip comes from Rebecca Cooper who blogs at Simple As That.  A professional photographer, Rebecca has written a eBook called, 40 Top Tips for Better Photos that contains easy-to-follow instructions with lots of images to guide you!  Since most of want to capture images of our children, this first tip is one that is easy to apply.

No More Cheese Please. While it may seem to do the trick, asking your child to ‘say cheese’ will yeild a smile that is just that…cheesy. Try engaging your child in a conversation about something they are interested in (ie. an upcoming birthday, their favorite tv show, a recent family trip, what you’re going to do after pictures) and be ready to catch that winning smile. While it may take a little more time, that beautiful smile is always worth the wait!

Want to participate in our challenge?  It’s super easy!  Here’s how It Works:

  1. Take a picture the represents the color of the week.
  2. Write a blog post that features your picture and link it up.
  3. Visit other people’s posts and hopefully find some inspiration!
  4. You can put the button and link code on your blog if you wish but it’s not a requirement.

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My Bacon Interview with Burger King Chef Koch!

Burger King, Bacon, Chef, John Koch, InterviewWho Loves Bacon?

In my house, we are total bacon junkies. We believe every single dish can be improved by the addition of bacon. I recently got the opportunity to submit my questions about all things bacon to the Bacon Master himself – John Koch, the Executive Chef and Director, Product Innovation for Culinary Research and Development for Burger King restaurants {imagine trying to fit that title on your business cards, lol} – and was glad to see that he agrees with our family – There’s really nothing you CAN’T improve with a bit of bacon!

Check out my exclusive interview with Chef Kock…

“Porkchops and bacon, my two favorite animals.” – Homer Simpson

John Koch’s career is filled with experience in nearly every restaurant segment in the industry. From family dining to fine dining, with bar & grill, micro brewery, casual dining and chef/owner roles along the way, John has a clear and real understanding of who eats what, where they eat it, and why.

My own Favorite Bacon Recipe

In the video interview, Chef Kock mentions Bacon Jam – and he’s right, that stuff is so dang good. Here’s my favorite bacon recipe, including the uh-MAY-zing bacon jam…

Mmmmm…. Breakfast with Skillet Bacon Jam!!

What’s your favorite bacon recipe?

I’d love to hear how your family uses bacon – Is it simply a perfect breakfast food on it’s own? Do you have any unique recipes or ways that you add it to your meals? If you’ve got a great recipe, link it up in the comments! You guys always have the best ideas.

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