birthdays and blackberries

Please excuse the cunctation of this post! I was drooping so badly last night that I just didn't have it in me to wriggle down on the floor and belly up to my laptop to blog! (the only position so far that my laptop wants to take a charge in is half-on half-off the rug with the cord curled up and around a chair leg!!) But I do have fun things to write about so here goes! On Wednesday, several of us girls celebrated Monica's birthday at the Coffee House. Had a delightful time savoring coffees, smoothies, friendships, belly laughs, and pie! I sure hope this coffee shop will last! It's a charming lil place... Moni surprised me with an early bday present of $$ and a vibrant, yellow Paris wall print which I ADORE! Can't decide where to put it; I want it in every room!! The $$ will be stashed away to be used for a few art classes...Thanks again, dear friend!

Neil, my mom, and I had picked piles of luscious blackberries Tuesday eve, so since I had them handy, and I needed to make cupcakes for VBS, I decided to tackle this blackberry key lime cupcake recipe that had snagged my eye on pinterest. Some of the comments were a bit dubious, but I figured a little recipe tweaking would help the finished results! (one comment was "help! this filling taste like Lysol!!) I did mess with and make changes to each the batter, filling, and frosting recipes. I will post it with my tweakations. Still in a weird food mood and in need of a fruit salad to take to Kevin's for supper, I mixed 1 pkg cream cheese with 1 cup sugar, added 4 8oz. tubs of Cool Whip, and a splash of clear vanilla. Divided the fluff mixture in half, and added blackberry pie filling to some, and mandarin oranges to the other. The orange fluff tasted a touch blah, so I melted some o.j. concentrate and threw that in! I guess it was improved! :) This salad idea stems from the lovely strawberry cheesecake fluff we've had in Guntersville...nothing like taking dessert ingredients, mixing them together, and pronouncing it "salad" and part of the main course! I won't fuss about it, anyway! Two desserts in one meal is right up my alley! Needless to say, by the end of the day, it looked as if a Blackberry Bomb had dropped on my kitchen!!

Key Lime Cupcakes with Blackberry Frosting

recipe from Baked Perfectionmakes 30 cupcakes

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 tablespoons key lime juice

zest of two limes

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease or paper-line 30 baking cups.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla, key lime juice and lime zest; mix well. Add the flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. (batter will be thick). Fill muffin cups with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely, cut out small hole on each cupcake, then fill and frost as desired.

Blackberry Filling

recipe from Baked Perfection1 32oz container frozen blackberries

1/2 cup sugar

Juice of one lemon

3 tablespoons cornstarch

pinch of salt

Place blackberries in a small bowl and sprinkle with sugar, let thaw. Drain blackberries, reserving liquid. Squish the blackberries and push through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds, set aside. Add enough water to the blackberry liquid to equal 1 cup. In a large saucepan, combine the blackberry liquid, lemon juice, cornstarch, and salt. Heat and stir until the mixture boils and thickens. Cool completely. Refrigerate until ready to use. (This can be made several days in advance and any leftovers works well on toast, on pancakes, or mixed in plain Greek Yogurt.)

Blackberry Buttercream

recipe from Baked Perfection2 sticks butter, softened

1 tsp clear vanilla extract

2/3 cup blackberry filling (seedless blackberry jam or preserves can be substituted)

pinch of salt

6 cups powdered sugar

4 tablespoons whipping cream

Beat butter and vanilla until creamy. Mix in blackberry filling and salt. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beating until combined. Add cream 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach desired consistency.

Yesterday, after rescuing Roxie from the clutches of the airlines, we ended up at Dharma Blue for lunch. It fit the ticket since we both wanted a unique, cozy, cafe instead of a bustling chain restaurant. I would describe it as a chic, Southern bistro. As you can see in the pic, we could have dined on the porch in the sweltering humidity, but we declined, and basked in the AC surrounded by vivid shades of turquoise and aqua walls adorned with the abstractest of artwork. Lunch was lovely; Roxie had the quiche of the day, and I the fried green tomato club which was ravishing!

Our next stop was DUH.  We had a mutual desire to explore this store based solely upon its eccentric name! It did not disappoint!! This next passage describing the place is transcribed from their website, which I definitely recommend you to browse about it a bit on. http://www.duhpensacola.com/

Philosophy

Welcome to duh for garden and home. Our store in Pensacola, Florida offers an eclectic collection of furniture, home accessories and found objects from all over the world. Our collections emphasize texture/pattern and natural design elements from a mixture of cultures and eras. Our belief is this defines today's way of living in a comfortable, relaxed style with an elegant presence.

The philosophy at duh is simple. Look to neutrals to create a calming home and keep the design clean and sophisticated. Introduce materials such as wood, shell, glass, iron, stone and linens. Make your interior appear collected with a mix of new, vintage, and antique treasures. Above all else - surround yourself with things you love!

After a healthy dose of shopping, we soothed our weary souls with ice cream from the Marble Slab Creamery before heading home to open our birthday presents!!! I LOVE the paisley platter!! Thanks again, Roxie!

I shall end this giganoramous post with a hearty farewell! I must needs get busy with my breakfast of coffee and a blackberry cupcake. :)