Operation Gratitude
http://www.operationgratitude.com
On Halloween Night, after trick or treating, my kids loved to look through their bags to see how many different kinds of candy they’d gotten. They would trade with each other or their friends and put my favorite candies, licorice and Butterfingers, aside for me. They were then allowed to eat as much as they wanted, after I had thoroughly checked it. They would over do it, but it was only one night… By the next day, they were over it, their bags would sit on the counter, and after a day or so, I would put the candy in the pantry and it was forgotten, that is until I would run across it the next Halloween! I really do miss those nights! I was so grateful to learn about a woman who was collecting and sending left over Halloween Candy to the troops! I actually started collecting candy at my kids’ schools and we would box it up, include notes of gratitude and drop it off. My kids loved the idea of giving their candy to the troops, knowing that they would love it! It made everyone feel good!
Since then, an organization was started that nationalized the collection. I was so happy to find “Operation Gratitude”, http://signup.operationgratitude.com/halloween-candy-give-back-map, if you go to the website, you can find drop-off locations near you. I highly recommend this as a fun activity with kids or grandkids. Mine loved it! It’s always great to find new ways to support our troops!
Tequila Lime Cupcakes with Margarita Buttercream Frosting
These terrifying tequila cupcakes are scary... They’re so tasty you might eat a few too many! The extra bit of tequila after they’re baked makes them moist and flavorful and the margarita buttercream is light and fluffy. The nice part about these is they are fairly easy to make and always a crowd pleaser. And...if you eat a few too many, just remember the tequila made me do it!
Cupcake ingredients:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
Zest and juice of 1½ limes (equal to 2 Tbsp. of juice)
3 tablespoons of gold tequila
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup whole milk
Frosting ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 ¾ cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 ½ tablespoons tequila
Pinch of coarse salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions for cupcakes:
1. Preheat the oven to 325°. Line muffin tin with cupcake papers.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In another bowl use an electric mixer on high-speed, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. About five minutes.
4. Reduce mixer speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time. Mix thoroughly after each egg.
5. Scrape the size of the bowl and add lime zest, lime juice, vanilla extract, and tequila ask until combined.
6. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Slowly adding dry ingredients and milk separately. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk until everything is combined.
7. Bake for about 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Cupcakes are finished when slightly golden. Insert a toothpick; if it comes out clean they are done.
8. Let the cupcakes to cool for 8-10 minutes.
9. Brush the tops of the cupcakes with 1 to 2 tablespoons of tequila.
10. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
Directions for frosting:
1. Whip butter on medium high speed with an electric mixer for five minutes. Use the whisk attachment. Reduce the speed to medium low, and gradually add the powdered sugar, scraping the sides of the bowl until all is mixed.
2. Continue to mix on medium speed for an additional 30 seconds.
3. Add the lime juice, tequila, and salt. Mix on medium high speed until fluffy. If the frosting gets a little too soft, add some additional sugar 1 teaspoon at a time until perfect.
4. Use a decorator bag to frost the cupcakes. You can use colored sugar on top to add a festive touch or zest a lime and serve with a lime wedge for color… we went for a Halloween theme.
Happy Halloween!
While you’re living with a partner who abuses you, be it verbally or physically – it becomes a daily challenge to rise above their behavior and to function in life. As a mother this challenge is sometimes beyond difficult. The instinct to protect and preserve your child’s happiness is as strong as any a mother has. So it was the year that my best mom friend and I decided we wanted to take our kids to a pumpkin patch. As women of means, living in beautiful coastal Southern California, there was no shortage of pop-up pumpkin vendors for us to choose from. None of the tented, carnival type venues were up to our standards. My friend being the more on top of it mom, started surfing the internet to find our perfect location. Before long we had selected the perfect spot for our excursion. We took the kids out to a working ranch, took a hay ride, got lost in the maze, took pictures with a scarecrow, and of course, got lots of “perfect” pumpkin patch photos of our offspring. The absurdity of being so focused on finding the ideal fall location for a group of preschoolers to see pumpkins is not lost on me now. A better step would have been seeking help or counseling or doing something to get myself out of my situation. In self-help books and blogs, it always sounds so easy and effortless. In reality it is neither.
A good first step would have been to tell my friend how difficult my life was. Our kids were together almost every day, we carpooled, we lunched and we lived around the corner from one another. I had ample opportunities to confide in her – what stopped me? Embarrassment? It felt wrong somehow to admit to anyone how bad things were. Imagine my surprise to learn many years later that we were living parallel lives in more ways than I thought.
Our secret lives were dark and desperate but our public ones seemed ideal. It’s astonishing to realize that we knew each other for so long and yet knew so little about each other.
Please share your story with us at mystory@50fabulousandfinallyfree.com
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