Celebrating with Blueberry Cupcakes

Patti Digh's book Life is a Verb is still on my mind. See previously written blog review of the book. The author 's guide book hopes to motivate the reader by throwing out some challenges to try within 37 days. I particularly liked her idea for finding ways to celebrate on non-holiday/non-birthday days. She suggested that one should always have on hand a box of birthday candles and matches for just the right occasion to turn an ordinary day into a great one.

In the author's own words: Go to the grocery store today. Buy five packages of birthday candles. Use them with wild abandon. Find a cause for a birthday celebration every day for the next 37 days. It doesn't have to be a big thing-the little things are even more fun to celebrate because they are unexpected. Never be without your candles. I travel with a pack because you just never know when a celebration will break out -and you know what the Girl Scouts say:Be Prepared. p.33

So I decided this was a worthy goal found matches and purchased several packs of candles. Recently while at a restaurant with friends celebrating a birthday I gave each person in the group a pack of birthday candles and a small box of matches. I suggested they look for a reason in the next few weeks to celebrate with a friend or family member and light a candle to mark the occasion.

I think serving a cupcake would be a good way to add to the celebratory mood! Be sure to light the candle.

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Blueberry Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

• 3-1/4 cups flour
• 1-1/4 cups sugar
• 1 TB. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 6 TB. butter melted
• 1/4 cup oil (vegetable or canola)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 TB. grated lemon zest
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1-1/4 cup fresh blueberries that have been frozen for 4 hours-freezing the berries before adding to batter prevents them from sinking to bottom or discoloring batter

Frosting:

• 2-1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1-1/4 tsp. vanilla
• about 3-4 TB milk
• 1- 3 oz. package softened cream cheese
• 2-3 TB. lemon zest
• 5 TB. softened butter

Directions:

• Preheat oven 350
• Line muffin pans with 24 cupcake liners
• Sift dry ingredients
• Whisk melted butter and oil in bowl
• Add eggs and whisk in buttermilk, milk,vanilla and lemon zest
• Add buttermilk to dry ingredients whisk just to blend
• Stir in frozen berries
• Bake 20-23 minutes
• Frost when cooled