Lemon Cupcakes with Fresh Raspberry Buttercream

The month of October is very busy for me for some reason, guess it could be the number of birthdays to celebrate?!?!!...but who knows;) Either way, it gives me a reason to bake! This past week, two of my very close friends celebrated their birthday and for a special surprise I made lemon cupcakes with fresh raspberry butter cream. They were super tasty! I have to say I wanted to really go all out and make a blueberry butter cream as well, but after a lot of searching, I just was not seeing what I liked, not to make with fresh blueberries anyway...I will try those another time, as I really do think they will be fabulous.
Since I did not have much time I used the Lemon Supreme Mix from I think either Betty Crocker or Pillsbury, not 100%?? To be honest, I have yet to make a homemade cupcake from scratch, I guess the timing is a factor...I feel like I would need to make sure they are perfect before serving..it is on my list though, for sure! And really you can't beat the box, it is always good, right!?!
Anyway, my frosting of course was homemade as when it comes to that, I am not sure I would buy pre-made ever again. It is just too easy to make your own!
For this recipe, I used the basic butter cream of:
-About 2 to 2.5 cups of powdered sugar (depending on how sweet you want it)
-Two sticks of unsalted butter
-About a teaspoon of vanilla
-Typically I add in a teaspoon of whipping cream, but I was out.
-And finally I would say about 15-20 fresh raspberries. Again, that depends on how bright and colorful you want the frosting to be!
So overall this was super easy for something so delish! Happy Birthday Claire and Karen! Love you Guys, hope you enjoyed!

Frogs Leap Public House in Waynesville, NC

This past weekend my aunt and I had a girl's trip to Waynesville, NC. Quite some time ago I had purchased a deal from Living Social for a weekend get away at the Waynesville Inn Golf and Resort Spa. It was a deal I just could not pass up, especially after I read some reviews on trip advisor. I have to say we really lucked out, the weather was amazing, the resort was beautiful and the view from our room was fantastic!

The other thing I did some research on was where to eat when we got to town! Very typical of me if I do say so myself. I am kind of a menu junkie! I came across Frogs Leap and it drew me in right away due to the fact that it was a new farm to table place in town! On the way into town we called the resort to see what they suggested in order to make our reservation for the evening. I asked about Frog's Leap and got rave reviews, so that made our decision very easy! I called and we were in!

The inside is rustic and cozy, perfect for a little mountain town. The staff was friendly right away which is always a plus! Now I have to say before I go any further I finally got a new camera! However, I am still trying to figure it all out and was not really too impressed by my pictures, but don't let that deter you, the food was really tasty!

We started off with the cheese plate and that was gone in about 5 mins. The combos of flavors were spot on.

We were in such awe of the cheese, I forgot to take a picture before we dug in! Next was the Fried Green Tomatoes with pimento cheese and bacon. This one was by far our favorite. The flavor combo was so rich and delicious we ate every last drop!

After that we figured we should try something a little lighter, so we went with the tuna. I thought this was very tasty, but a little too spicy for my aunt...

Our last small plate was the BBQ Pizza with apple and pork..This too was yummy, but had no mention of red pepper flakes on it and unfortunately, they were all over the pizza and again to spicy for my aunt.
We ended our meal with two scrumptious desserts, a toffee ice cream and snicker doodle apple tart. YUM DE LUM.
So overall, I would give Frogs Leap a thumbs up and next time I am back in Waynesville I will definitely pop in for more yummy creations! Enjoy-

Waynesville on Dwellable

Blackboard Bistro in Carmel, NY

On my last night home I wanted to take my mom to a nice dinner. After a little research and recommendations from friends we decided on Blackboard Bistro in Carmel, NY, a farm to table restaurant. As usual this was our main meal for the day, so we were ready to eat like little piggy's for sure:) Blackboard is a cute, quaint little home, probably only about 15 tables. And the name says it all as the chef changes the menu daily depending on what the local farmers market had that day...hence the blackboard below..

We started out with a bottle of wine, which turned out to be really great!

For an appetizer we had the fried calamari. This is one of my favorite apps, but as we all know not always cooked to perfection. I can say hands down, this was some of the BEST calamari I have had. It was not over coated or over cooked, it was seriously perfect and the plate was overloaded with it as well!

I must also add the marinara was also super tasty and being Italian we are not throwing out compliments that often when it comes to sauce!!!
For dinner I decided to give the duck a try. I have only had duck twice and the first time was amazing, the second, not so much...so I was a little hesitant, but the waitstaff could not say enough great things about it. I have to say they were right, it was delicious. The crispiness of the skin was SO good, the crunch of the pistachios and soaked cherries made it and the succotash underneath it was just the right side to this dish. The flavor was amazing!

I pretty much licked the plate! My mom went with the Filet Mignon Oscar, which is a filet topped with crab and hollindase and served over garlic mashed potatoes. I was able to sneak in a bite and it was really great! Cooked again to perfection!

I have to admit, the picture probably is not the best, but the taste was fantastic! I could not get a picture in fast enough before my mom dug in;)
For dessert I went with the fresh peach tart with a creamy ricotta cream. My mom got the fresh berries in a puff pastry. We were both very happy with our choices.

So overall we had a great experience at Blackboard. I would recommend it to anyone and plan to go back next time I am home for sure! DELICIOUS!!! Enjoy-