Since we received them as wedding gifts, I have had the same two green throw pillows on our bed because they match all of our various green patterned pottery barn bedding. (See them in this post, which is hilarious to read due to the bears!)
So today when I was changing the sheets, I spotted a pair of pillow covers that my dad bought for me at an auction a year ago. I hadn’t put them on the bed yet because they didn’t exactly match the green bedspread. But today after I put on our white one, I thought the pillows would look great, so I put ’em on.
And now I can’t stop thinking about them!!!!!! They made my day before it even began!
So my point is, changing something small about your house can lead to a fun boost in mood 🙂 Sometimes I just move a single plant or frame and have fun enjoying the change all week.
Breakfast made my day too!
I topped an Oikos with some leftovers of Ashley’s peach crisp from Tuesday’s dinner party (recipe can be found at comment #23 in this post: Cause Its Ladies’ Night) along with a bit of her ota.bar leftover from the movies last night, blueberries from the farmer’s market, chia seeds and Barney Butter.
+ Charlottesville coffee, which left me rather buzzed
***
Anyone have any tried and true cupcake recipes with a fabulous buttercream icing??
***
Matt is volunteering this morning at Great Harvest for Animal Kneads Day. I’m going to visit by bike in just a bit – 6 miles each way. Not sure what’s in store for this afternoon. I’ve got some work to do and he’s brewing brew with his cronies. I might leave the house to avoid the mess! Karen’s coming over for dinner.
Later gators.
Andee (Runtolive) says
I totally agree about making small changes, it makes me so much happier than going out and buying a lot of things to change my condo. Breakfast looks delish!
Jenna says
Breakfast= drool!
I don’t have that particular cupcake recipe that you are looking for. However, I have a famous recipe for buttermilk chocolate cake with buttermilk chocolate frosting, which could be turned into cupcakes pretty easily I would think.
Let me know if you even need that recipe, it is a sure winner!
Leianna says
I love your clean, simple bedding with those cute pillow!
Chia seeds on that yogurt mess loks good, going to have to try that!
Courtney says
I love making small changes or just moving a piece or two of furniture around. It makes me smile every time I see it!
Love the pillow covers, they are beautiful.
Happy Sunday!
Courtney
Adventures in Tri-ing
Lizzy says
you are so right with not sweating the small stuff. making those little changes really make a difference!
katey says
breakfast looks delish 🙂
april says
That breakfast looks so good! So many different flavors and textures going on = perfect!
Christie @ Quit Your Diet says
The pillows look so pretty!!
Have you checked 101cookbooks or smittenkitchen? I bet both of them have something fabulous.
Meghan@traveleatlove says
I LOVE Animal Kneads day! That is such a sweet wonderful idea!
BethT says
My surefire recipes both involve cream cheese icing. However, I would point you toward anything from Ina Garten on the foodnetwork.com site – her cupcake recipes are the best.
Steph says
Small changes are for real the best, we just rearranged our bedroom furniture in our new house yesterday and it felt like a whole new room! Love it! Nice brekkie too 🙂
Emily says
This is a recipe from Magnolia bakery for buttercream frosting. Sooo good. I frosted 200 cupcakes for my brother’s open house with this recipe (doubled or tripled, of course!).
http://www.recipelink.com/cookbooks/2005/0743246616_4.html
Heather @ Health, Happiness, and Hope says
That bed looks just gorgeous now! Those pillow look made for that room. LOVE IT! Sometimes the best house makeovers are the simplest ones. 😉
Have a fabulous Sunday!
Susan @ Nurse on the Run says
This is a total cop-out, but Martha Stewart has some awesome cupcake recipes (I recommend the chocolate chip ones). Her buttercream frosting:
* 1 1/3 cups sugar
* 7 large egg whites
* Pinch of salt
* 1 1/4 pounds (5 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces, softened
* 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Makes 6-ish cups
And you can’t go wrong with the basic Wilton recipe, since they are the cake decorating gurus.
* 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened
* 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
* 4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
* 2 tablespoons milk
– Makes 3-ish cups
I didn’t say it was healthy…
Allyson says
I love those pillows! I would have thrown them on, despite not matching anything, when I first got them!
Lindsay @ bananaandchocolate says
Those pillows are pretty! I agree that sometimes making a small change can be just as good as a much larger change.
Ashley says
Tried and true cupcakes & buttercream:
Hershey’s Black Magic Cake recipe makes wonderful cupcakes:
http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipes/detail.asp?id=4754&page=1&per=10&category_id=13
And Martha Stewart’s Swiss Meringue Buttercream is to die for:
http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc77a0dbc44dd1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=59dbcf06cd80f010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&autonomy_kw=buttercream&rsc=ns2006_r7
Clare says
Magnolia’s recipe for Traditional Vanilla Birthday cake plus Traditional Vanilla Frosting makes wonderful cupcakes everytime. I like that there’s no shortening in the recipes and they’re so easy to make. Actually, too easy to make–I frequently find myself whipping up a batch on quiet afternoons “for the kids” 😉
Amelia says
Love the pillows! Changing up little things can make a huge difference in a room. Those beautiful colors really pop against the white sheets.
Biz319 says
I love those pillows! That bed is beautiful – do you ever put curtains on the canopy bed?
Sarah R says
The pillows are beautiful! I love the feel of your bedroom.
If you’re not looking for a healthy recipe, I have a wonderful strawberry cake recipe that has gotten rave reviews. http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/?p=1088
She’s got a buttercream recipe in the comments that easy and wonderful!
Run Niki Run says
The pillow covers are really cute! They add a nice splash of color to the white bedding!
P.S. I covet your Breakfast at Tiffany’s picture! 🙂
Niki F says
Love the pillow cases. They look fab on the all white!
Here is the chocolate buttercream recipe I use and get raves for. I keep meaning to try the PB buttercream on a chocolate cupcake, as it sounds divine!! (The same site has cupcake recipes too, and I’m betting they would be good.)
http://www.inspired-by-chocolate-and-cakes.com/chocolate-buttercream.html
Emily says
I love how the blue pillows add that faint pop of color! I can’t help on the cupcakes, but I`m enjoying reading everyone else’s suggestions.
Shannon The Healthy Beach Bum says
Your bedroom looks so peaceful and serene 🙂 That could definitely be on an HGTV show. Lovely breakfast eats!
Janet says
Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake is, indeed, pretty perfect. It’s super easy and fabulous. Of course, I don’t actually use Hershey in it – I like Lake Champlain’s fair trade, organic cocoa, or Ghirardelli if I don’t have any.
Jenn Eats Nutritiously Now says
I made this recipe this Spring with my friend, and it was the best I’ve ever tried. The frosting is honestly THE BEST EVER.
http://bakerella.blogspot.com/2008/11/finally-i-found-it.html
[You could easily make them into cupcakes.]
Sarah Snacks says
I looooove your bed!! Your room looks so peaceful!
Brooke says
Your bedroom does look serene. Love your blog for food ideas and healthy living but I have to ask: where did you get your nightstands? Your bed frame looks as dark as mine. I’ve been having trouble finding nightstands, with a drawer, that match the wood.
Priyanka says
I love your pillows for the work and also the color, its my favorite!
Nicole says
The chocolate cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World are super delicious!
http://www.chow.com/recipes/10794
I cannot recommend that recipe enough. Never fails to please a crowd!!
Emily, homecookedem says
I just tried chia seeds for the first time yesterday. I put them in my pancakes and I’m hooked! I’m going to try them in a yogurt mess sometime soon.
Your bed looks great!!
Blair says
This has your name written all over it:
http://www.dietdessertndogs.com/2009/08/22/flash-in-the-pan-zucchini-bread-oatmeal/
Is it crazy that when I read this recipe you are the first person I thought of?
lynn (The Actors Diet) says
those pillows totally pop! last year i supervised my 10-year-old cousin’s bday party and we used the magnolia cupcake recipe. turned out really amazing. you can just google and you’ll find it.
Jenn (www. j3nn.net ) says
Cute pillows! Love the yogurt bowl, too.
Jenn
Kath says
Thanks for all the cupcakes!!!
Biz319 ,
Nope, I’m more of a fan of clean lines 🙂
Brooke ,
They are from World Market as of 2 years ago. So is the bed.
Blair ,
Sounds great!!
Kath
Penny says
I also use the Wilton buttercream recipe. So good. I see it has already been posted here, but I have some pics here:
http://blondebibliophile.wordpress.com/2009/08/04/dinner-and-dessert-recipes-lemon-cake-and-wilton-buttercream-frosting/
and here:
http://blondebibliophile.wordpress.com/2009/08/21/chewy-frosted-brownies/
Farah says
My brother and sister-in-law use this blog called “Our Best Bites” a lot for new recipes and fun stuff to try. I haven’t tried any of their recipes yet because they look kind of work-intensive and I’m a lazy cook. 🙂 I still like to check it out, though, just in case I some day get brave. But this recipe for cupcakes looked wonderful!! Maybe you could test it out!
Lemon Buttercream Cupcakes –
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/06/lemon-cupcakes.html
Strawberries & Cream Cupcakes –
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/03/strawberries-and-cream-cupcakes.html
Good luck finding a good recipe to try. Oh, and this Best Bites blog has a Recipe Index with lots of wonderful sounding stuff.
Not necessarily health-conscious all the time, though.
KatieF says
I used to have a subscription to Food & Wine magazine, and in the May 2008 issue, there was a great cupcake article that featured two different types of cupcake batters and three different kinds of frostings, buttercream being one of them. I couldn’t find the article on the website, but I did find a couple of the variations on there. Here’s one of them… http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/cookies-and-cream-cupcakes
Kate says
Do you cook the chia seeds into your oats or sprinkle them on top? I just got some from Whole Foods recently and I sprinkled them on top… but I wonder what they’d do if cooked inside? They are awesome either way.
Kath says
Kate,
Both! A few days ago (yesterday?) I cooked them in. Sometimes I sprinkle (like on the yogurt today)
Kath
Kathleen says
Tried and true cupcake recipe=Martha’s One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes:
http://howtoeatacupcake.net/2008/09/marthas-one-bowl-chocolate-cupcakes.html
Make sure to use full fat milk if making the buttermilk with milk and lemon or vinegar or they will be terrible.
I have paired it with these frostings:
http://www.recipezaar.com/Kittencals-Chocolate-Buttercream-FrostingIcing-89207
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/ganache-frosting-recipe/index.html
http://www.recipezaar.com/The-Best-Creamy-White-FrostingIcing-Better-Than-Canned-80118 (followed a suggestion for 2.5 cups sugar rather than the amount called for in the recipe).
All fabulous.
This is a great site for other cupcake recipes/cupcake frosting. I have found our tastes to be similar and she always tells it like it is with regard to any given recipe. She also makes up a lot of her own recipes that look delicious.
HTH!
http://howtoeatacupcake.net/
mari sullivan says
I would like to know why you are eating chia seeds. How do they effect your health. What do they give your body. How do they make you feel. Thank you . Mari Sullivan
Emily (The Experimentarian) says
I made some pretty delicious, and ALMOST healthy cupcakes for my hubby’s birthday earlier this month. You can check them out here:
http://experimentarianism.blogspot.com/2009/08/sugar.html
Kath says
Mari,
Here is a site with some of the benefits of chia. I don’t feel any different.
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=dailytip&dbid=242
Kath
Andrea [bella eats] says
Still need these? http://bellaeats.com/2009/07/03/perfect-summer-cupcakes/ I posted a picture on twitter last night too…so delicious!
Jenna says
i love how you say matt’s cronies! haha.
your bedroom looks beautiful!
sarah says
breakfast looks delicious on the top is it peanut butter