No sweet treats, but one sweet Pepaw…

Today, I’m not writing about baked goodies.  Today, I’m writing about my sweet Pepaw, who has been gone from us a year today.  Oh, how I miss him, and I know I’m not the only one.

I miss him whistling. I miss him telling jokes. I miss his laugh.  I miss him licking his spoon clean when he really enjoyed eating something.  I miss listening to him from the pulpit.  I miss him telling embarrassing stories about me and my cousins from that pulpit.  I miss going over to the church with him and running around in the sanctuary and getting on the microphone and pretending I was a preacher like him.  I miss his scrambled eggs, that I now make and have perfected.  I miss him stopping everything to pray with me over the phone, every time I called.  I miss him sitting on the couch watching basketball at their home.  I miss him playing the piano and singing, “Bessie the Heifer”.  She was the queen of all the cows! I miss his kind eyes.  I miss his soft hands when they held mine no matter how old I was.  I miss him for my uncles.  I miss him for my precious mom.  I miss him for my equally precious Memaw.  Most of all, I miss seeing him with my children.  What a blessing it was that they knew him for a short time.  My son still prays for him nightly.  He still doesn’t quite get that he’s no longer around on Earth.  But, I know where he is and I try to explain that to my son.  In Heaven.  What a joyful homecoming he must have had.  And, what a great hope for us all if we know Jesus.  The word hope has rung loudly in my head for a year now.  The hope for my future is certain and how relieved I am to know that.  I cannot wait to see him again and to meet my Pepaw’s close and personal friend, Jesus, face to face.

My Pepaw, Bro. Bill Stowell, left a lot of people who loved and cared for him.  And, he left many more that he impacted through his life.  What a legacy.  I’m so happy to have known him for 34 years.  And, to have been his first grandchild was just icing on the cupcake.

We love you, Pepaw, and we miss you every day.

At my wedding in 2004, where he performed the ceremony.

Signing the marriage certificate.

January 17, 2004…what a special day to share with him!

With Grey when he was about a year old.

Spring of 2010, with my little Wren, who was a year old.

Love you, Bro. Bill!

AJ

Cookie Cups

I made these special little gems last week for a neighborhood party and the ladies nodded in approval while gobbling them up. Yes, I witnessed gobbling, but I won’t name names.  I got them from Picky Palate.  Love her site.  She has great recipes.  Looks like you could use a chocolate chip cookie dough from the store, but that just ain’t my thing.  Sorry folks, I’m weird like that.  I used a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe using bittersweet chocolate chips for the cute little “cups” and then used the cream cheese and brown sugar mixture for the filling and the sweet little “no calorie” mini chips on top.  (I mean, there can’t be that many calories in those tiny little chocolate chips, right?)  These were very cute and very tasty.

You should try them too!

Ain’t they cute?

(My former English teachers would not be happy about a post with two “ain’ts” in it.  Shame, shame.)

Snicker, snicker…

I made some Snickerdoodle cupcakes for a clothing trunk show I had at the house.  Shopping for cute clothing and cupcakes.  My two favorite things, other than my precious children and husband…of course.  :-)  I have lots of favorite things, just like the incredible Julie Andrews.  I could make a list of all my favorite things right now, but that’s not what I’m here to talk about today.  I’m here to talk Snickerdoodle cupcakes!  I love snickerdoodle cookies.  I love the old-fashioned goodness of that cookie.  I love the cinnamon and sugar coating.  I LOVE the name.  Who couldn’t like a snickerdoodle?

I ended up trying Martha Stewart’s recipe from her Cupcakes book, which is my favorite cookbook.  One of these days, I want to make every cupcake in that book, but that has not happened yet.  Between running at 5:30 AM four days a week, wrangling two children under 4 all day (well, I have a smidge of a break on Tues/Thurs…awesome sauce), grocery shopping, cleaning, cooking dinner, 2 bible studies, MOPS, spending time with my super cool husband and watching Biggest Loser of course…well, I just have not had the time or energy to make all of Martha’s wonderful cupcakes yet.  Anyhoo, back to the Snickerdoodle cupcakes, I used her cupcake recipe but used a different frosting.  I made a cinnamon buttercream for the cupcake.  I loved that frosting.  They really did taste like the cookie.

Here’s to a good ol’ Snickerdoodle!

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Chocolate for breakfast, well, I should think so!  Thanks Bakerella.  These hit the spot.  I’ve made something similar to these, but these were also really good.  Especially good with Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate.  That chocolate is so melty good.  Really yummy.  For fear that someone in my running club would read this, I did not make these after a run this week.  Honest.  Ok, I’m lying.  I did only have one.

S’mores Cupcakes…I’ll have two, please

Tried out some s’mores cupcakes that I read about on The Cake Blog website (http://www.thecakeblog.com/?s=smores+cupcakes&x=0&y=0).  I love everything about s’mores.  I mean, really, who doesn’t??  I made these for a get-together with some fun ladies.  I used my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe and changed up the marshmallow buttercream a bit as well.  Made it more marshmallowy.  Is that a word?  I hope so.  Because it’s fun to say.

Here they are…in all their marshmallowy glory.