Everyday Mom's Meals: Weekend Company #2 {Guest Blogger Tina}

I can't thank each of you enough for making last week's debut of Weekend Company such a huge success. It received such great feedback and everyone enjoyed it so much (including me) it is now a permanent weekly feature. I've had so many foodie and blogger friends say they would love to join you every Saturday, that my calendar is full until February!

This week, I have a special blogger friend here for the weekend. Back in the spring, I linked up to my very first blog hop. For those of you who don't know what that is, bloggers share recipes on one another sites and readers "hop" from one dish to the next. The host requested we visit another participant and I chose Sugar Bean Bakers. We became instant foodie friends, and I'm so excited she is here to share w/ you today. Please welcome Tina.....

Hi, my name is Tina from Sugar Bean Bakers.

I'm a graphic designer with a passion for photography and I have a huge crush on flour. And sugar. And cocoa. And butter. Oh... butter.

I began blogging last year at the suggestion of a friend. Well, actually her husband suggested that I start a blog. I had been baking and posting the resulting photos and recipes on Facebook until that time. I try to present fun and easily achievable recipes. No Martha Stewart ingredients here! Just regular stuff that regular people like showcased with step by step photography.

Baking and I have a long history. I'm a farm girl, and grew up very involved in 4-H. I took cooking as a project many years. I baked and cooked with my mom growing up, and even after I got married. Once married, I continued to bake until I had my son. At that time, it seemed easier to just reach for those place and bake cookies than to make something from scratch. I still baked, but usually just for holidays and special occasions.

A couple years ago I stumbled upon Bakerella's blog. From there, things changed. I suddenly remembered what I used to love about baking.

Now, I bake two times a week, at least. I bake on Sunday nights to have treats for lunch boxes, and on Wednesdays, when I send the goodies to the Bean's youth group.

Who is the Bean? Oh, I'm glad you asked. Since my son, now 14, was very small, I have called him "Sugar Bean". I told him should I ever open a bakery (very unlikely), I would name it either The Sugar Bean Bakers or The Sugar Bean Bakery. I needed a name for my blog and it just seemed right. However, there's no Bakery to speak of... so... Sugar Bean Bakery was out. Sugar Bean Baker sounded odd... so... that was out. Sugar Bean Bakers it is, even if there is but one baker. Of course there will also only ever be one "Sugar Bean" in my life :)

This recipe, which one of my youth group members dubbed "Amazing Cakes", is something I've been making for a couple years now. You can't tell from the outside that it is filled, so when people bite into it and hit that fluffy filling, they are surprised (in a good way!).

You can start with a boxed mix for your cupcakes- no worries. The cake isn't what makes this recipe, it's the filling. And the glaze.

oh.the.glaze.

~These Cupcakes Have A Secret~

Sure, it looks unassuming. That's the fun part.

Pretty, yes. But normal.

(not that I know much about normal.)

However, these little babies contain a surprise.

shhhhh……it’s a seeekrit!!!

Rich, creamy, clouds of yumminess reside inside.

(hey, that rhymes)

So… you wanna bite?

Well, you’re gonna have to make them yourself!

I’ve tried emailing food to people before.

Apparently that is not what the slots on my computer are for.

Who knew?

First you’ll need some chocolate cuppycakes

I recommend this recipe.

You can use any though.

Or a boxed mix. I’ll never tell.

While those are cooling, make the filling.

You’ll need:

1 Cup Milk

5 Tablespoons Flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 Cup Butter

1 Cup Granulated Sugar (NOT powdered sugar)

In a small saucepan, whisk flour into the milk until smooth. Heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Remove and allow to cool fully. You can sit the pan in an icebath if you don’t want to wait.

In your mixer, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy.

Once cool, add the vanilla to the flour/milk milk and stir until fully combined.

Then add the flour/milk/vanilla mix to the butter and sugar and beat until fluffers!

Once finished, it will look like whipped cream, but be much thicker, as shown here with my upside down spoon of the stuff.

I found this recipe on Tasty Kitchen. She uses it as icing. I don’t like it like that. It’s more of a filing. Well, in my opinion. You are free to have your own opinion.

You’re welcome :)

This is similar to, but the not the same as the filling in my whoopie pies.