INTRODUCTION
Welcome back friends! This week we’ll be baking the cupcakes Randall bakes in the hope of making new friends at Monster’s University in Disney and Pixar’s Monster’s University.
These “Be My Pal” cupcakes are featured right before Randall leaves for a campus party. He’s baked them to impress members of the fraternity he’s trying to join and asks Mike to join him, but Mike declines to study instead.
In all honesty, I feel a little guilty for not making the cupcake portion of this recipe from scratch. I am rationalizing it by an idea that a college student probably wouldn’t want to take the time to bake everything from scratch, but on the flip-side this is Randall we’re talking about; it could go either way! I look forward to revisiting this recipe in the future and re-creating it completely from scratch, but in the meantime, enjoy and substitute butter for a more homemade flavor!
CUPCAKES
- 1 box of Devil’s Food Cake Mix (I used Duncan Hines)
- 1/3 cup butter (or vegetable oil)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup water
- Cooking spray
INSTRUCTIONS (CUPCAKES)
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan and set it aside to cool.
- Line a muffin/cupcake pan with cupcake liners and spray them lightly with cooking spray.
- Place the dry cake mix in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the melted butter, eggs and water.
- Slowly add the combined wet ingredients to the dry cake mix a little at a time, mixing until smooth.
- Distribute the batter into the prepared cupcake liners, filling each liner about about 2/3 full (you can use an ice cream scoop or I used a small measuring cup).
- Bake the cupcakes for 18 to 21 minutes, until a toothpick poked into the center of each cupcake comes out clean.
- Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool completely before frosting.
FROSTING
- 1 8 oz. package of cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream (cold)
- 1 1/2 cups powdered confectioners sugar
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS (FROSTING)
- Refrigerate or freeze your mixing bowl and whisk attachment(s) for 10-15 minutes before using, then whip the heavy whipping cream on high speed for 1 to 2 minutes until it’s thick, fluffy and spreadable.
- In a second mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar slowly until well incorporated, then add the vanilla extract.
- Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
- Separate out about a third of the frosting out into a small bowl and add red food coloring until it reaches the desired hue for the “Be My Pal” letters.
- Spread the white frosting on each cupcake using a butter knife.
- Place the red frosting into a piping bag and spell out “Be My Pal” onto 7 (or more) of the cupcakes.
- Enjoy!
During these Summer months, and even into Fall, we get some pretty warm and sometimes uncomfortably hot days. To cool Zoey off and soothe her teething gums, I thought it would be fun and refreshing to make some frozen treats using the food she already eats and candy molds!
I’m always on the look out for a fun, entertaining way to pass the time like a good tabletop game! Blokus was introduced to us by my husband’s parents and we enjoyed playing it so much we purchased it straightaway!
Blokus is a two to four player strategy game that can be played with reckless abandon, or the studied care one would reserve for Chess or Checkers.
When a player reaches a point where they cannot place another piece, they are done. The game ends when no player can place anymore pieces. Once the game ends the players count the number of squares in their unplayed pieces, the player with the lowest number of squares left, wins!
My only complaint is based on the packaging or storage. The version we purchased has no storage for the 84 colored pieces which is surprising and disappointing. I use four sandwich bags, one for each color to store them. This cuts down on the amount of time spent sifting through the pieces before starting each game!
If you’re looking for a fun, fresh take on a timeless strategy game that feels like a spiritual successor to Checkers and/or Chess, check out Blokus!
Part of the fun in raising Zoey is making things that teach and fascinate her. I’ve seen the stacking toy done in so many fun and creative ways, but I don’t believe I’ve seen a felt doughnut stacking toy yet, so let’s make one!
I have provided the patterns I used to make the four different sizes of donuts for my stacking toy. You’re welcome to use them if the base of your toy closely resembles mine, or you can make them as play food without the base. Another option would be to create your own patterns using the measurements of your base and a compass.
INTRODUCTION
Pawpsicles are featured after Nick and Fennec hustle a jumbo-pop from Judy and Jumbeaux Cafe’s owner, then turn it into their own smaller pawpsicles to sell for a profit. 
These are sweet, juicy and delicious, although they start to melt quickly so eat quickly! I wanted to use real fruit to make these with only minimal sugar added. Quite honestly, these probably would have been just as delicious without adding any sugar. I think I want to try that too!
PAWPSICLES
Reading has always been very special to me. I remember my mom reading to me as a child and I believe it had a profound impact on my love for reading and books, not to mention my performance in school. I want to continue that tradition with Zoey. I want her to hear my voice, hear the diction and the pronunciation, see the beautiful images and eventually enjoy the stories.
I’ve also started a 
Whole Heartily 