Favorite Things Thursday Link-Up: Favorite City

I am linking up once again with Miss Melanie for Favorite Things Thursday.  This week's topic: my favorite city.



 

This one happens to be a tough choice.  Jason and I love to travel, and while funds do not allow us to travel as extensively as we would like, we have been blessed with many opportunities to see various amazing cities this country has to offer.

If we were merely talking of a "place" and not a city, I would immediately say Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, is the most beautiful and relaxing place I've ever been.  In fact, I wish we were going this summer.

However, if we are specifically talking cities, in the running would most definitely be:

New York City (the food, the people-watching, the Broadway shows)

San Antonio (Riverwalk, Tex-Mex food, gorgeous, sunny days)

San Francisco (Redwoods, Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf, Pacific Ocean)

But my favorite city of them all is...

CHICAGO!

Why?  We have spent the last 9 summers each year for one week working a Pacific Garden Mission, a homeless shelter that has simply captured our hearts.  We love the people we work with, we love the mission of the shelter, and we have come to love the city dearly.  Some of my favorite parts of Chicago include the Cubbies (of course!), Oak Street Beach, Millenium Park, Lincoln Park Zoo, the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio tour, Water Tower Place, Spinkles Cupcakes, and most importantly, Giordano's pizza. New York's thin crust pizza has nothing on a Chicago-style deep dish pie (see below).  :) 

No matter how many times we visit, I never tire of the sights, the food, the shopping, and especially the work at Pacific Garden Mission.  I love Chicago!

Champagne Cupcakes

To preface this recipe, let me say that I love two things in particular about this recipe:

1)  It's for cupcakes...which I LOVE.  It's totally illogical, but there is something vastly cuter and more appealing about a cupcake than a piece of cake.  Besides that, during our annual visit to Chicago last summer, my love for cupcakes grew after visiting Sprinkles (You might recognize the owner of Sprinkles, Candace Nelson, as a judge on "Cupcake Wars.").  I have never had such a moist, delicious cupcake in all my life.

Sprinkles -- best cupcakes I've ever had

2) The recipe is EASY.  I love the Food Network, and although this recipe isn't from this show, one of my favorites is "Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee."  I enjoy cooking elaborate meals and desserts occasionally (Soon I plan to post my ice-cream cake recipe, which took two days to complete.), but most of the time I enjoy cooking with items I have on hand, not making EVERYTHING from scratch, but still having delicious meals.  The beauty of this recipe is that you use a boxed cake mix, but spice it up to make it special.  That is something that definitely appeals to this busy mom!

The below recipe was originally found and tested by my mom for our Easter celebration at Gran's house (We both made slight changes to the original recipe, which I will make note of.  The recipe was first found at The Tasteful Life, but from what I read, seems to be originally a Betty Crocker recipe.)  I made these for my small group yesterday, and it seemed to be a hit.  Hope you enjoy as well!

Champagne Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® white cake mix (not Vanilla or Golden)
1 ¼ cups champagne (I used sparkling white grape juice)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 egg whites
3-4 drops red food coloring

--Champagne Frosting--
½ cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
¼ cup champagne (again, I used sparkling white grape juice)
2 teaspoons vanilla 
3 drops red food coloring (I wanted my cupcakes to stay white, so I did not include this.)

--Garnish--
Sugar crystals
Edible pink pearls

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. (I actually have the silicone baking cups, and I love them, b/c they cook evenly and I never have any problem with burned edges.)

2. In large bowl, combine dry cake mix and champagne. Add oil, eggs and food color. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. (A little less than ¼ cup per cupcake.)

3. Bake 17 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

4. In medium bowl, beat frosting ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Frost cupcakes. Sprinkle with sugar crystals and pearls.

Finished products:



Enjoy, and have a blessed week!