Sometimes, don't you need to just do something scrumptiously frivolous?
Something perfectly Victorian?
Lovely.
Wonderful.
I do.
It's fun to just step out of everyday life from time to time.
So you can imagine my thoughts when I saw my two big patches of violets in full bloom.
The thing about these violets is that, they are extra special.
You see, when I was from 1-7 years old, we lived in this old little charming neighborhood.
In a red brick gingerbread house on a hill.
Where kids rode their bikes all around.
The Shamrock delivery man lived down the street, and he'd sell you a little plastic cup of ice-cream with a wooden spoon, for 25 cents.
Kids trick or treated by the boat load full.
The front door was always open.
Kids running in and out after school.
You ran across the street to play all afternoon.
You were safe.
Times were idyllic.
Childhood was the real deal.
My mom had beautiful flowers and succulents in her garden.
And gobs and gobs of violets.
When we moved to the middle of nowhere desert, my mom transplanted lots of her violets to my grandma's garden.
Those violets still grow in my grandma's garden today.
So, about 3 years ago, my gran and I dug up some violets in her garden, and I brought them to my garden.
Where they are now thriving.
So, these violets are extra extra special to me.
I picked a few with stems, and popped them into water.
Then I searched for a candied violet recipe.
I used this recipe, which gives you two options.
I opted for the non egg white mixture.
Just dipped in sugar water, sprinkled with caster sugar.
Then placed on wax paper to dry for 24+ hours.
The violets when picked, smell like faint sweet grape candy.
Just what they taste like when candied.
So lovely.
I decided to surprise Mister Lovee.
Chocolate butter-cream cream cheese cupcakes.
With candied violets.
I think candied flowers just stole my heart.
Some hot tea in the garden after trimming trees for ML...
And chocolate.
Yumm.
The frosting was outrageous.
I just winged it on a whim, and I think it's going to be my go to frosting now.
The ingredients are so wrong, they're right :)
I just plopped the following into a bowl and mixered.
ButterCreamCheese Frosting
1 - stick real butter (salted)
1 - 8oz. package cream cheese
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
Whip softened butter and cream cheese for about 4 minutes.
(I used a hand mixer)
Then add sugar, salt and vanilla.
Whip until fluffy (4 minutes).
Done.
(adjust sugar and vanilla to your liking)
Of course, I had lots of cupcakes left over.
So I decorated the rest, and sent them off with Mister Lovee to the office.
I didn't put violets on the office ones though.
You never know about allergies people have etc.
Cupcakes are the epitome of pretty things, aren't they?
I confess, I used a devil's food cake box mixture for the cakelets.
But the frosting made up for it.
I hope.
:)
And now I am freaked out because it's Friday.
And I don't know what happened to my week.
Where does the time go, seriously?
I ask.
Matty is crying at me, must go for now.
(There was a blog service glitch, and I lost this post 2 times today. Let's hope it works this time.)
Looove, V
