Yeah, thats right. Cherry Nectarine Cobbler. I have never been a fan of rhubarb, which was supposed to accompany the cherries in this dessert. And I had wanted to go the apple route. However, the granny smiths at the store didnt look so great, unless you bought them in bulk, which I did not care to do. The nectarines were already in my cart for next week’s TWD recipe, so I thought, what the hell? Lets give it a go.

Surprisingly, cherries and nectarines go very well together. This cobbler is easy as can be to whip up. We loved the cobbler part, too. Infact I liked it waaaaay better than the cobbler part of the berry cobbler we did a couple weeks ago. The only ‘issue’ was that the nectarines gave off a lot of juice, I should have added a tad more cornstarch to thicken it up. It didnt really make a difference to us though, I used the syrupy liquid to spoon over vanilla ice cream. Holy Yum!

This is a keeper for us. I love cobbler, we both do, and this one made me feel better about eating it. Whole wheat flour and fruit. Its at least a little healthy, right?

Thanks to Amanda of Like Sprinkles on a Cupcake for picking this super sweet and simple recipe. Check out the rest of our baking cult on the TWD Baker list.

I hate the sun.

My brother has referred to me as “night walker” before. (Which sounds too much like street walker for my liking.) Back before we had kids, Jaos and I would sleep half the day and stay up half the night. Ahhh, those were the days…

Okay here is my reasoning for hating the sun.  1) my skin is about as pale as they come. My skin does not like the sun. I freckle, burn and peel, repeat. I refuse to tan, or use self tanner. Whats the point, why should I damage my skin so that I look darker to please others? The way I see it, when I am 50 maybe my skin will have minimal sun damage. Others who tan, tan, tan may be in the depths of deep sun worshipper regret. 2) its just too damn bright! Going outside right now, I am blinded for the first 10 minutes. My eyes cant take it. And 3) its so fucking hot. I hate being hot.

Of course I may be rationalizing all this just to make myself feel better about my hatred of the sun.

It seems weird to even this Cupcake Hero entry. I have entered lots of times.. in my dreams.. Literally, I have tons of dreams about cupcakes. Its a definite sickness. Normally, I name the theme, then think of tons of entries in my head. Never executing any of them because at the end of every month, I have to execute other peoples cupcake masterpieces.

So, here I am on my Cupcake Free Summer and yes, I am baking cupcakes. I should be shot. Really, I just wanted to show my support to my good friends CB and Nikki. (I wanted to participate in June too, but I dont like cantaloupe, so sorry April, love you too babe!)

Red, white and blue posed to be harder than I originally thought. I didnt want to do berries, because I knew that they would be used by the masses. Knowing that, whats left? Whats blue? It took me a while to come up with an idea. In the end, I went with white cake cupcakes for the white part. Cherry Jello for the red part. And marshmallow frosting tinted blue for the blue part. Then, I topped them with blue raspberry sugar and sour cherry balls. The light was fading fast on me for the pictures, and I wasnt sure how marshmallow frosting would hold up in the fridge. I took the pictures fast and called it a day.

The white cake recipe came from my Better Homes and Gardens. I think any white cake recipe would do it justice. Its really not about the cake anyway. The jello totally takes over. The jello aspect of it can be found here. And the marshmallow frosting recipe came from Baking: From My Home to Yours.

My 1 year blogversary is coming up a week from today. Had I known a year ago that I would fall so far down the rabbit hole of blogging, I would have chosen a better name for myself. While “quirky cupcake” is cute. Most of you who know me well, know that I am anything but cute. “Cupcake” of any sort does not really sum me up.

I have been tossing around some stuff. Ill just put them out there.

• Burnt Pop Tarts (because I love them so. just a little burnt.)
• I Hate People (this one speaks for itself)
• Back the Fuck Off (that one really makes me smile)
• just slush (slush has been a nickname for years.)
• so over cupcakes… (well, yeah, I am. DONT WORRY, CH will continue)

So, I ask all my faithful readers, and you are oh so faithful, because I am been the most slackity of slack this summer and you still comment… I ask of you.. Name my blog?

If anyone comes up with something wicked good, I will rename my blog a week from today for my blogversary. (Which is the most made of words.. so made up.)

Let the naming begin…

Better late than never?? My deepest apologies for the delay in posting this round-up. Its been a wicked busy couple of months here at CH Headquarters. I am going to cut right to the cupcakes so that maybe you forget what an awful slacker I am..

Cue Cupcakes now…

Mary of Shazam in the Kitchen baked Cocoa Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting. Comfy hot cocoa gets a kick in the pants with some ginger and black pepper in Mary’s take on a cold day fav. We agree, these are frisky!

Mary wasn’t content to stop there though. A shipment of the good stuff had her turning out Lavender Cocoa Cupcakes with Blueberry Frosting, in a second bid for the coveted prizes. These are so fancy, they wouldn’t let me in the same room with them. And now I have to say it. SHAZAM! Feel much better now.

Tanya of Take The Cannoli baked Chocolate-Chili Cupcakes with Chocolate Fudge Frosting. Look at that fudgy frosting. It looks to die for. Holy Yum with a little kick to it too. Sweet and Spicy, nice.

Libby of The Allergic Kid baked Chocolate Covered Cherry Cupcakes. All contests aside, these babies win hearts for edibility by all. No eggs nuts or dairy make these allergy friendly, and the cherry inside proves her right when she says these “provide incontrovertible proof that food allergies do not cause a life of deprivation.”

Mox baked Sexy Mexy Banana Hammock CuppyCakes aka The Cabana Boy. With a name like that, I would think this cupcake would grab anyones attention. It certainly grabbed mine. And you all know how much I adore bananas. Love them!

Amanda of DelightfulLea Sweet baked Purple Cashmere Cupcakes. These cupcakes are getting all swanky in cashmere. Not just any cashmere either, she went purple with these! From the cake to the frosting, they’re decked out in the royal colour head to toe.

Janna of Honeyed Hashette baked Hot Cocoa Cupcakes. You can’t keep a good idea down, and the same goes for hot cocoa! Y’all, she even made her own marshmallows for this.

Stef of Cupcake Project baked Smoky Chocolate Cupcakes with Sweet Corn Cream Cheese Frosting. Where there’s smoke, there’s cupcakes? You never know what to expect from the queen of cupcake projects, but you can be sure it won’t be run of the mill. Liquid smoke and corn? Really? This woman niques up on cupcakes all the time (come on, it’s the bunny joke).

Michelle of Big Black Dogs baked Pinks! A classic combination of strawberry and chocolate, dressed up with some meringue. They are simply lovely.

Sophie of Flour Arrangements baked Double Chocolate Razzcherry Cheesecake Cupcakes. Try to say the name of these cupcakes 5 times fast. Ain’t they the cheeriest things? The little bunny at the top is obviously a cheap attempt at swaying CB (and me since I was nibbling on these too!)

Eunice of Dolce baked Red Velvet Marshmallow Cupcakes. When a cupcake look this good, who cares about it’s colour? Red or brown, let’s not be cupcake discriminators here. You don’t see the marshmallow on top making a fuss do you?

Steph of Steph Chows baked The Best Chocolate Cupcakes Ever. Tasty and low calorie? She claims these are the best chocolate cupcakes ever, and I doubt many people would argue. You know it’s good when it doesn’t even need frosting!

Marilla of Cupcake Rehab baked Man in Black Chocolate Oreo Cupcakes. It’s difficult for me to write objectively about these cupcakes, because I’m easily swayed by Johnny Cash. This ain’t the pic I wanted to put up here either, but this is most likely a family friendly sort of contest and I didn’t want Laurie to beat me. Y’all don’t know what’s it like, she has one of those big wooden spoons…  Here it is, now y’all go look at the decorated version on her blog.

Tammy of Wee Treats by Tammy baked Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding Cupcakes. It’s cute! It’s perky! Heck, it’s self saucing! What more could y’all want? Tammy brings us the comforts of childhood with pudding in a cupcake. The swirl is so frigging cute!

Tommi of Brown Interior baked Cherry Lime Cupcakes with Cocoa Fudge Frosting. A tart little cupcake with a super fast frosting. This sweet little sponge kick is bright with cherry and lime, and the fudgey goodness on top only takes a minute to whip up. Not even long enough to annoy the waiting boyfriend!

Mara of Lick the Spatula baked Cocoa-Swirled Coffee Cup Cakes. They’re in a mug, but they ain’t your momma’s hot cocoa. Coffee makes an appearence to shake things up, dragging it’s party friend Kahlua along with it! Ain’t she talented with the decorations?

Philippa of Lemon Lane baked Delicious and Dark Cupcakes. Dark and sultry, these cupcakes aren’t for the meek. The dusky richness of cocoa gets naughty with nibs, and parades around in some tasty ganache for all to see. Yay dark chocolate!

Thayer of I Like Cake baked Chocolate Banoffi Cupcakes. It’s Banoffi-esque. You need to go read her entry, so you can be as worldly and sophisticated as me and be able to say things like Banoffi-esque. You too will know what Banoffi is, and I ain’t telling!

Brina of Brina Bakes baked Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes. Brina said what needs to be said when she stated “chocolate, raspberries, and cream is a classic pairing”. You really can’t beat it (unless you’re a person who doesn’t like one of those, but we’re not mention those people right now). These have birthday goodness!

Cordelia of The Urban Nutritionist baked Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes. She can make these with a new baby, and I couldn’t manage something that looked that good with a cat. Errr, she made them with cocoa I mean. There’s a new baby in the house. That first statement was a bit awkward really.

Luki of Sinfully Sweet baked The Devil Made Me Do It Cupcakes. The devil must be a real slave driver if he made her make these! There’s a lot of steps, but the end result speaks for itself. Chocolate and caramel and coconut and marshmallow, with neat tricks like making floaters and torching the tops! She even managed not to need the fire department (in spite of a few close calls).

Jenny of All Things Edible baked Miracle Whip Cupcakes. Recipes like this make me get all biased again, I’m in love with old fashioned economical food. Miracle Whip and mayo cake is one of the best things to come out of the frugal resourcefulness of The Depression, and I adore them. Miracle Whip really does add that tang you can’t do without very easily.

Jen of Beantown Baker baked Frito Cupcakes. You heard her. They really are. Right in the cupcake. She didn’t leave out the pretzels either, and I believe her that these are a husband fav.

Clara of I Heart Cuppycakes baked Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Cupcakes. You can tell CB made these. They’re adorable like her, sweet and simple like her. By simple I mean in the good uncomplicated refreshing way, not the helmet way. Focus on the raspberries and chocolate please, and not that I may have called a good friend slow. Ahem. Moving right along.

Elizabeth of Red KitchenAid baked Banana Chocolate Cupcakes. These were called the Ugliest Cupcakes Ever by their creator Elizabeth, and I… Ummm… You can tell they’d be so tasty, but they truly are verging on so ugly they’re cute. They kinda make me think of an alien egg right there in the middle. You just know it pulses, and occasionally lets out a small moan. This is why I shouldn’t write these late at night with no adult supervision y’all.

Minko of Couture Cupcakes baked Chocolate, Coconut and Macadamia Cupcakes. They’re like a tropical vacation! That’s how one should be any way, with chocolate and fluffiness.

Deeba of Passionate About Baking baked Cocoa Mint Cupcakes. They’re dressed up for a tea party, and what could be more appropriate than fresh mint? You have to admire the care that went into the decorations on the cupcake.

Robert of Amicus Cupcake baked Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes. You can’t have a cocoa contest without the famous chocolate and chili combination. These cupcakes go a little farther, adding in some cinnamon to make sure your taste buds are alert and on the job!

Ashley of One Imaginary Girl baked Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream. The French teacher enjoyed them. You will too. Ain’t they classy posing for their very retro diner picture? These ain’t only an entry, they’re an educational experience and you’ll feel smarter after eating them.

Steph of A Whisk and A Spoon baked Cocoa Cupcakes with Zebra Frosting. baked All cupcakes should look like this. You can taste the moist chocolate cupcake, and you know the frosting will seduce you with it’s two toned goodness. It’s true, I’m a sucker for the zebra swirl. Y’all have to love how it makes you want an ice cream cone.

And now for our winner. I had a hell of a time making a decision. So, I did what any other rational person would do… I pushed the decision making onto Shawn of Askinosie Chocolate. I mean, he was supplying the super sweet prize pack for the winner, afterall. Shawn also had a tad bit of difficulty, there were too many wickedly good chocolate cupcakes this month, and so he consulted his staff. Finally, a winner was chosen…

April of Abby Sweets.. You are the Cocoa Cupcake Hero!

April of Abby Sweets baked Cocoa Orange Cupcakes and the staff at Askinosie loved it. I will pass along your information to Shawn for your prize pack. Congrats April!

Thanks to everyone who entered May’s Cupcake Hero Contest. My apologies for being so late with the round-up. Life happens. Excuses, excuses.. I know. Ill shut it.

If you haven’t entered yet, please go check out Cupcake Hero July: Red, White and Blue. Clara and Nikki are waiting anxiously to sink their teeth into CH goodness.

And a HUGE thanks to Shawn and his staff at Askinosie for his generous prize pack and general support of Cupcake Hero. I can’t thank you enough. I have already declared my love for Askinosie cocoa. I love it. And if you haven’t tried it, what are you waiting for? Clickity clack over there and buy yourself some. I swear to you, you will not be disappointed.

LT and LW out.

I am still on cupcake hiatus. Let’s call it “A Cupcake Free Summer“. However, several friends have jumped in and taken the reigns while I am in cupcake rehab. For this month, my great friends Clara and Nikki have taken over. I am going to say out right that I think their selection of theme is a doozie. Its a toughie. Its a hard one.

July’s Cupcake Hero Theme is:

RED, WHITE and BLUE!

> All cup-ticipants must incorporate red, white AND blue into their cupcake entry.
> One ingredient per color. (Don’t be a smarta$$ and use food color. You can use it for one color but not all 3.)
> Get creative!

If you want to participate, email Clara and Nikki your cupcakery by July 31st before 12mid EST with the following info:

* Name
* Link to your Cupcake Hero entry
* Picture of your cupcakery (250 width is preferred) and/or permission to use image off your blog.

Clara checks her email like a junkie needing a fix and comments just as badly.  If you do not receive a comment from her (or Nikki) within a few days of your email, please email again so they don’t miss your entry!

What to do when your Chocolate Pudding does not set…

Empty sloshy pudding mixture into ice cream maker.

Turn ice cream maker on.

Chop up Tribute to Katherine Hepburn Brownies, and add to ice cream maker.

Churn to desired consistency. (I like mine melty.)

Enjoy!

Thanks to Melissa of Its Melissa’s Kitchen for choosing a simple recipe that made such stellar ice cream. Please check out the 200+ other (most likely proper) Chocolate Puddings from the TWD Baker Blogroll.

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Ok, This is going to be short and sweet because it is UFA Signing Day!!! If you guys watch hockey, you know what a big F’N deal today is. The Pens have a lot of guys who became UFAs today. I am on the edge of my seat neurotically refreshing the UFA Signing Tracker.

I almost didnt make these scones, but at the very last minute this morning, I whipped them up and I am so glad that I did. I did not have dried apples on hand, so I used a fresh apple. I grated it with a box grater and then squeezed the liquid out with a towel. These scones are perfect for a good southern breakfast, with grits and bacon. HOLY YUM! They have this sweet cornbread flavor, but with a biscuity texture. I loved them.  I could barely detect the apple, and cheddar cheese is always a winner with me.

Thanks to Karina for picking a lovely breakfast treat. It was nice to give the pies a rest at least for a week. Please go check out what the rest of the TWD Bakers did with their scones. I am sure there are some lovlies out there. And big thanks to Dorie for her very kind post today.