dear pollen.

Dear Pollen, 

I do not like you. I am not your friend. And I don't see the need for you to stick around any longer. You are causing my eyes to itch and water, my nose to run, and my head to hurt. And I for one am OVER you. So if you don't mind ... kindly leave. 

P.S. - You are also causing me to feel badly for myself and indulge in these today. 

{stupid pollen}. 

Sprinkles' Strawberry Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup whole fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 2 large egg whites, room temperature
• Sprinkles' Strawberry Frosting

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.

2. Place strawberries in a small food processor; process until pureed. You should have about 1/3 cup of puree, add a few more strawberries if necessary or save any extra puree for frosting; set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, and strawberry puree; set aside.

4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended.

5. With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk mixture; mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.

6. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely in tin before icing.

Do y'all hate pollen as much as this girl? 

We can hate pollen and love strawberry cupcakes together! 

Happy Saturday Y'all! 

menu monday. {and a CUPCAKE recipe!}

How is it possible that the weekend just went by that fast? I blinked and it was over! 

It was a good one though! Lots of rain ... which meant lots of couch snuggles with hubs & pup! My kind of weekend! 

Lots of yummy goodness on our menu this week! 

But before I get to that ... Can I just say, it has become less & less of a chore and more & more fun to plan these menus and to challenge myself to spend less & less at the grocery! If I've never mentioned before ... I am extremely competitive ... don't worry, it's just with myself! 

I always push myself to do more and better than before. In grad school, this competitiveness allowed me to graduate with a 4.0 .... Now it's allowing me to save more dough at the sto'. 

{omg. I'm a dork but that rhyme just made me die laughing}

So here's what on our menu board this week: 

~ Monday: sushi date night with a GF {so fun!}

~ Tuesday: chicken fried rice

~ Wednesday: pork tacos with yellow rice

~ Thursday: roasted cauliflower pasta 
{we're doing ours without ham}

~ Friday: egg & potato samis

~ Saturday: FIL's bday! 

~ Sunday: spicy grits with chorizo

I think I'm most excited about the pork tacos! I love 'different' kinds of tacos! 

Ok so now the moment all you fellow cupcake lovers have been waiting for ... {drum roll please}

BANANA CUPCAKES WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING 

{and the best part: they're from COOKING LIGHT!} 

{Amazing, I know.}

                                                                                  Ingredients

• Cupcakes:
• 3/4  cup  granulated sugar, divided
• 1/2  cup  mashed ripe banana
• 1/4  cup  butter or stick margarine, softened
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 2  large eggs
• 1  cup  all-purpose flour
• 1/2  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground nutmeg
• 1/4  cup  plain fat-free yogurt
• Frosting:
• 1 3/4  cups  powdered sugar
• 1/2  cup  (4 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, chilled
• 1/2  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 2  tablespoons  finely chopped walnuts, toasted

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare cupcakes, combine 1/4 cup granulated sugar and banana; set aside. Beat 1/2 cup granulated sugar, butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 3 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana mixture to sugar mixture, beating well. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with yogurt, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix after each addition.

Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups lined with paper liners. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

To prepare the frosting, beat the powdered sugar, chilled cream cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla at medium speed of a mixer just until blended (do not overbeat). Spread frosting over cupcakes, and sprinkle with toasted walnuts.

Now y'all these things are amazing!
They taste like you could eat them for breakfast {which I may or may not have done!}
So try them this week! And tell me how they were! 

Ok, gotta finish my cupcake coffee! Happy Monday Y'all!

*linking to