S’more Inspiration

This is a bittersweet post to write today.  The content is sweet but I am sad to say this is my last project for The Curtsey Boutique.  I’ve had a great run with them and the products have been super fun to play with but my plate has been quite full for a while now and change is sometimes good for the soul!  I’m sure I will still be using lots of Curtsy Boutique embellishments in my projects in the future, regardless.

I love the possibilities for these wood berry baskets.  This would be the perfect gift for an end of summer BBQ. 

The marshmallows are in a decorated glassine bag, with a Hershey bar of course, and the graham crackers are in a glassine envelop tied with twine and a chalkboard tag. 

Now to just avoid eating it before I give it!

Blueberry Lemon Streusel Muffins

It’s been a super long time since I posted a recipe.  I made these a few days ago and they were too good to not share with you guys! The “streusel” is a very light sprinkle of buttery sugar.  I adapted the recipe from about three others and in my humble opinion it needs no more tweaking.


Blueberry Lemon Streusel Muffins
Preheat oven to 400* and line 18 muffin cups with liners

For the Muffins: 2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2+ cups (one pint) fresh blueberries
zest of one lemon
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

For the Streusel:
1 Tbsp melted butter
3 Tbsn sugar
2 Tbsp flour

1. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
2. In another bowl mix the eggs, sour cream, oil, and vanilla. Add 3/4 of the lemon zest and reserve the rest.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and mix until just combined. Gently stir in the blueberries.
4. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.
5. For the streusel topping: melt the butter and stir in the sugar and flour with a fork until you have a loose crumble. Add the remaining lemon zest.
6. Sprinkle a bit of the topping on each muffin. Bake the muffins for approximately 20-22 minutes until golden and the edges are just beginning to brown.

The Halloween Lunch Bunch

This past spring our best friends moved just far enough away that it’s annoying to pack up the tots (they have a little girl five weeks younger than Owen) and visit more than once per weekend.  My best girlfriend went back to teaching and that, combined with the distance, means we see each other far less frequently than we would like. 

Today we had a little Halloween lunch with them.  Usually we spend the evening together and have a spooky meal while we greet the trick or treaters but this year Halloween is on a school night and we will be in our separate houses.  Boooo! (that’s a sad boo, not a scary one)

As is typical when we’re all together and there are two nearly two year olds running amok I never was able to get photos.  But here’s what I made and recommend if you need some last minute fun ideas for your Halloween festivities:

“Puking” Pumpkin Dip Plate – I used a green pepper instead of a pumpkin because it was what I had on hand.  Gross, and yet… strangely cute!

Photo credit: Halloween Forum.com

Mummy Dogs – These are a crowd pleaser with kids and adults alike.  Nothing fancy here!  Just good old-fashioned processed crescent rolls and hot dogs!  The recipe is from Our Best Bites.

Photo credit: OurBestBites.com

Roasted Tomato Spider Web Soup and Pumpkin Shaped Grilled Cheeses – I made this roasted tomato soup recipe from Michael Chiarello and did the spider webs with a bit of sour cream.  No photo of the grilled cheese sandwiches but I simply made them and then used a pumpkin cookie cutter to cut the shapes.


Photo credit: Better Homes and Gardens

Sparkling Pomegranate Apple Ciders – Since the bestie is pregnant we went with an afternoon mocktail.  I don’t have a real recipe here… just pour one part apple cider then one part sparkling cider and then slowly pour pomegranate juice over the back of a spoon until you like the color.  The POM juice settles into the ciders and is really pretty AND delicious!

Halloween cupcakes all around for dessert, of course!

Have a happy and safe Halloween tomorrow, everyone!

Muffins for a Crop Morning

Ahhh… crop weekend at A Cherry On Top. You’re happily cropping along, enjoying your “you time” and blissfully unaware of the needs of the rest of the household.

Until you hear the dreaded “Moooooommmmm!” or feel the eyes of hungry people boring into the back of your skull.

That’s where these muffins come in. This recipe for Anytime Muffins is super fast to whip up and will trick remind your family that you still care about them, after all. They’ll marvel at what a great wife and mom you are… just look at you baking from scratch and creating works of art all at the same time!

Anytime Muffins are not the “bang you over the head with flavor” kind of muffins. They are subtle and don’t leave you with a heavy feeling. They go great with a glass of OJ or your morning coffee. Or your afternoon tea. Or, well… pretty much any drink/time combination.

Anytime Muffins

- Stir together:
1 3/4 C. all-purpose flour
1/4 C. sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

- In a separate bowl combine:
1 beaten egg
3/4 C. milk
1/3 C. cooking oil

- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and combine just till moist.
- Add in choice of fruit. Berries are great. I like to make mine with a drained 8oz. can of crushed pineapple. You can also make these savory by adding in 1/2 C. of shredded cheese and some herbs, instead of fruit. Awesome for dinner!
- Grease/spray 12 muffin cups or line them with paper liners.
- Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 17-20 minutes or until your tester comes out clean and the tops are golden.
- Wait till the muffins are still warm but cool enough to handle and dip the tops in melted butter and then sugar. This is optional but oh so good!!

These come together in a flash and will have you back at your scrap desk before you know it! Happy cropping, everyone!

Move Over Cupcakes!

There's a new baked good in town!

Ryan and I took the little guy for his first apple picking expedition last weekend and came home with a ginormous bag of apples. We've been picking them off one by one but really, let's be honest here... half the point of going apple picking is getting to bake sumptuous Autumn desserts!

And you know these will be some mighty fine desserts if the ingredients were plucked with sweet little hands:

Tonight I put together some Pie in a Jar. Pies in a Jar? Hmmm. Pies in Jars??

Well, anyway, you get the idea. *I* got the idea from the fabulous ladies over at Our Best Bites and nearly wet my pants because of the sheer cuteness factor. I didn't have the patience to "scrap" these up with paper and adorable pinked fabric skirts but you can bet a box of Martha Stewarts that it will be happening with the next batch!

Go ahead. I DARE you to tell me you don't want to dig into one of these *right now*. They were oh so delectable! However, next time I will use my own crust recipe. And a bit more sugar, although that will depend on your apples.


Don't worry cupcakes. There is plenty of room on the bench for both of you. :-)

That hit the spot!

You always know it was a good dinner when you and your husband have a tug of war over who gets to lick the spoon. Tonight I made Gnocchi with Pesto Cream Sauce and it was SO good. Lately I have not been interested in food in the slightest. I think it is partly the heat and partly the lack of sleep that has been sapping the fun out of cooking. But tonight's dinner gave me a renewed interest.

Tomorrow: Teriyaki Marnated Chicken and Shrimp Kabobs!