Because America

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So I know we are all still mourning that loss yesterday afternoon, but July 4th will still go on as regularly scheduled. I think this iPhone and Desktop background may be my favorite yet, so much so that I made it my Facebook cover photo, and included that for you to download as well. I hope you guys like it as much as I do! 

Before I bring you a guest post from one of the most patriotic (and hello, coolest) girls I'm happy to call my friend in blogland, I thought I would share a funny little thing that happened to me last night...

How does this even happen? I'm not entirely sure where I went wrong here. And to preemptively answer your question, yes, I used dishwashing detergent, not dish soap. The same dishwashing detergent I've been using for the past two months. #argh. Thank heavens I'm moving next week. I'm just going to grab those dishes and act like I had no idea anything was wrong with the dishwasher. Good plan? YUP!

Oh and, Tim Howard. Damn.

Now I would introduce Steph, from Not Entirely Perfect, but you already know her from this post she wrote that was practically Pinterest famous overnight. I've been following Steph's blog for like, ever. She's hilarious, clever and what I like most, genuine. And did I mention she's a girl after my own heart, I mean, she's showing us how to make alcoholic cupcakes...

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I love the 4th of July.  Love it.  I also love baking cupcakes full of booze for holidays.  So if you've ever been around my blog, you may have seen these.  It was one of my first posts ever, although now I've had time to perfect it.  Cotton candy vodka cupcakes.  They are glorious, and easier to make than you'd think.

Ingredients you will need:

- 1 box white cake mix + ingredients to make the cake, like eggs.  Alternatively, just mix cake mix with 12 ounces of pop like 7-up and it'll bake right up, no additional ingredients needed.  You're welcome.

- 8 ounces white chocolate, if you want to make the filling, but it's of course optional in a pinch.  It just adds more booze.  So wait, I take that back.  Not optional.

- 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

- 2+ cups powdered sugar

- 1/3 cup butter, at room temperature

- Blue food coloring

- 1 jar of cherries

- Sprinkles.  Possibly mixed with pop rocks, because that would be perfect for the 4th.

and of course, the booze.  Whiskey for the cherries and cotton candy vodka for the frosting and filling. Oh yes, you heard me, cotton candy.  Pinnacle makes cotton candy flavored vodka.  It was even on sale for $10 a bottle at my local Binny's.  It's delicious.

First things first - take your jar of cherries, dump the liquid, fill with Jack Daniels honey whiskey.  Put the lid back on and stick it in the fridge until the 4th so the cherries soak up all the booze.

Alright, when you're ready to make the cupcakes, either on the 4th or the night before:

(1) Bake cupcakes according to package directions.  Let them cool completely.  Then, use a scoop to take the centers of the cupcakes out.  A spoon works just fine.  Not all the way to the bottom, we're just filling little holes.  A center surprise, if you will.

(2) Chop the chocolate and place it in a bowl.  Boil the cream on the stove and pour it over the chocolate and stir until all the chocolate melts.  Add 2 tablespoons of cotton candy vodka.  Give it some time to cool and thicken so it won't just leak out of the cupcakes.

(3) Spoon it into the cupcakes.

(4) In a separate bowl, beat the butter until it's smooth and fluffy.  Slowly add in 1 to 2 cups of powdered sugar and 1/3 cup of the cotton candy vodka.  Mix in the blue coloring.  Adjust to your liking - more powdered sugar equals thicker frosting, more vodka will thin it out.

(5) Frost away!  And then top with your sprinkles and the cherries you soaked in Jack (or your liquor of choice.)

Obviously I haven't made this year's cupcakes yet, but I'll take some better photos when I do!

Happy Birthday America!

For more of Steph's boozy cupcakes, click here. 

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