Watermelon Cupcakes

I've been binge watching Cupcake Wars now that the first season is on Netflix. So when I saw this Betty Crocker Watermelon cupcake mix in the store I knew I had to go all Cupcake Wars on it. Plus you know how I'm a sucker for anything that says Limited Edition. 

I just happened to have watermelon cupcake liners on hand. I can't resist a fun cupcake liner either.  I had thought of adding some watermelon flavoring to the mix but it already smelled very watermelony. No additional flavoring was needed. 

Here's where the experimenting begins.  I made a balsamic reduction that I planned to dip the cupcake tops into. I thought I'd take it a step further and add a little balsamic to the cream cheese frosting I made. I should have known it would turn it an ugly shade of brown. The balsamic gave it a little kick that was tasty but I didn't like the color. 

Instead I dipped the tops of the cupcakes in the balsamic reduction, frosted it with plain cream cheese frosting and added a sprinkling of feta cheese.  What I was going for was the taste of a watermelon salad. The only thing missing is some fresh basil. 

The cupcake mix is very sweet in my opinion. I liked the zing of the balsamic and the tang of the feta cheese but feel like I added too much frosting. The sweetness of the cupcake mix and the cream cheese frosting put it over the top for me. 

***Update*** 
I took these to work and people loved them!!! Success. For the ones I brought to work I lightly dipped them in the balsamic reduction and cut back on the feta. 

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Sunday Brunch

The Hydrangeas were a perfect backdrop to a Sunday brunch with friends. My friend Carole had us over for some delicious food and great conversation. How fun to be Going to a party instead of hosting. Now if I can just talk more of my friends into doing this, hint hint

Carole is a good cook so I was looking forward to this brunch. She made us baked french toast with pecans and this delicious crust less quiche. Spinach, eggs and dripping with extra cheese. I need to make me one of these.  No quiche pan? Do what Carole did and use a pie dish. 

With watermelon in season Carole served hers up with in season blueberries. Fresh fruit for brunch is a must!

I too brought watermelon but gourmet'd mine up. I added feta cheese and drizzled it with a balsamic reduction. I got all fancy. My friends loved it! They had never had watermelon this way. 

Thank you to my friend TheMistressT of Bubble Off Plumb for introducing me to this fancied up watermelon. 

Now go invite some friends to brunch before summer comes to an end and you can't dine outside anymore.