Hamburger Cupcakes

Happy Summer Yall!! This month has been such a whirl wind. I got home from Europe, and then it was Mother's Day. I made my favorite thing ever for my godmother, mom and friend for dinner that day -- Jerk Chicken with Jalapeno-Mint Glaze & Mango Salsa. THEN came birthday season... Within 1 week, I have the bf's, my friends Juan's & Brett's AND my birthday. And then was Memorial Day Weekend, so I am ready for some R&R this week by the pool! My mom is leaving on Monday for Maine until October, so hopefully we can have some QT this week too :)

I saw these ADORABLE cupcakes a few years ago on Bakerella's website (sidenote: she has the cutest ideas EVER) and made them for a 4th of July Party two years ago and they were a big hit. I got asked to make dessert for a Memorial Day Pool Party...which was SO EPIC, BTW:

Token Janie-face

So I whipped up these cute hamburger cupcakes again. They are adorable and so easy.

First, make a set of yellow boxed cupcake mix. I always use mixes for this recipe. For the cupcakes, I underfill the cupcakes a little - closer to half-full then 2/3 like the box says. Let cool, then take the papers off. I also sprinkle white sesame seeds to the top while they are cooling to make them look more like hamburger buns (if you forget, you can rub the tops with a little water to help them stick).

Then, mix up a brownie mix, and bake in a 13x9-ish sized pan. If you bake them in a smaller pan, they will turn out too fat to look like hamburger patties. While they are still warm, use a cookie cutter or empty can to cut out the patties. I've used an empty Campbell's soup can and also a small mason jar. Then let finish cooling.

Get a can of frosting, and dye half red (for ketchup) and half yellow (for mustard). For the lettuce, I shake sweetened coconut in a ziplock bag with a few drops of green food coloring.

To assemble, cut the cupcakes in half. I cut them close to the top little ledge. Put the cut-out brownie on the "bottom bun" with some "lettuce" and then squeeze some "ketchup & mustard" on the edges and top with the "top bun." This makes about 16 "burgers" so if you need more, make an extra batch!

 I had some leftover frosting and coconut so I put them in ramekins on the side if anyone wanted extra.

How cute are those?!?! And truly so easy and impressive for a summer BBQ or picnic. 

Hope everyone is having a great start to the summer! It's hot as blazes here in Florida, so summer has definitely arrived :)

xoxo,

Janie from Scratch

Painted Wine Glasses

Lately I've been so into crafting! Ever since I decorated those wine glasses for Relay for Life, I wanted to make some more. Plus, my godmother asked me to make her a new glass. So, I did a little online research to find out how to "cure"the glasses to make the paint stay on longer. There's no definitive answers online that I found, so we'll see how the system I used works out. I went to Joanne's and wandered in the paint/marker aisle and just kind of went with what I felt. I got two Sharpie paint markers and bought some stemless wine glasses from Target. I'm having a few people over for Mother's Day, so I wanted to make each of us a glass.

First, I decorated each glass with the Sharpie paint marker:

Then, according to one online instruction I found, I put all 4 glasses on a cookie sheet lined with foil, and put into a cold oven:

I turned on the over to preheat to 350, then once it was at 350, I let it "cook" for 20 minutes. Then I turned the oven off and let the glasses sit in the oven until they were completely cold. Then I took them out and VOILA!

They turned out super cute! I'll let yall know if they stand up to washing after Sunday!

Happy Mother's Day!
xoxo,
Janie from Scratch

**UPDATE: So far, so good. I used my glass last night and hand-washed it and the paint seems to be staying put. I even tried scratching a little with my nail and nothing came off! Also, I made a real cocktail in my glass, so there was a lot of condensation on the outside and still the paint stayed.

Fancy Burger

Hey you guys!!! (Make sure you read that in the Goonies voice) So I just got back Sunday from an 11-day transatlantic cruise, 2 days in Barcelona and 2 days in Berlin with the bf. The last part was a total whirlwind but the cruise was SO relaxing. It was totally different than the other round-trip-type cruises I've been on where I always feel like I'm racing against time to do everything and see everything on the boat. We had 10 days at sea and it was AMAZING!

Look how much fun we're having!!

But, while I LOVE traveling, it is nice to be home. My mom is actually also in Europe, just off a Rhine river cruise and spending a few days in Amsterdam so I've been eating whatever frozen meats she has in the fridge. (She always goes to Sams and gets a bunch and then freezes individual portions--super helpful and easy for us since we're either always one or two for dinner.) Last night I had a pork chop, and today I made a delish burger!

For the burger part, I used ground kobe beef (I know, Jane B is FANCY!) with some seasoned salt and pepper. I bought a ciabatta roll at Publix this morning and toasted it in the oven. I was just going to use regular ketchup, but we didn't have any, so I mixed some balsamic sauce with mayo to make a yummy aioli. I sauteed up some mushrooms and onions, and then topped the burger with swiss. I also baked a corn on the cob (350 for 30 minutes in the oven with the husk on). It turned out SO good! I even impressed myself with this quick dinner :)

Hope yall are ready for summer and more grilling and burgers and fun in the sun!
xoxo,
Janie from Scratch