Mom’s Favorite Cupcake Recipe and Traveling for the Holidays

If you and your children are away from home on the holidays, like so many young families visiting parents and grandparents, we hope this idea helps you.  We are Lucky Little Travelers (www.luckylittletravelers.com) a website dedicated to family travel with children.  You and your children can make these cupcakes together before you leave.  Pack them in your suitcase in a heavy plastic box, and place them into your checked luggage.  I love to make special treats and bring them with us.  I hope it helps my children to remember our family traditions during the holidays.  Happy Holidays!

My mom used to make these cupcakes for us for desserts and special snacks.   This is my mom’s favorite cupcake recipe.   

Mom’s Favorite Cupcakes  

Preheat oven:  350 degrees/makes 8 cupcakes

¾ C. Flour (all purpose)

¾ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ C. butter (softened)

1/3 C. Sour Cream

2 eggs

½ teaspoon Vanilla extract (or Almond extract)

1 Jar Maraschino cherries (6 0unce size)  Drain, finely chop, and pat dry with paper towel.

Directions:

Cream together, in medium size mixing bowl using an electric mixer (on high speed), butter and sugar.  Add to the creamed butter/sugar mixture the eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and beat until blended.

Still using the electric mixer (low speed) add flour to the above mixture.  Stir in the cherries.

Bake.

 Cool completely (about 30 minutes) before glazing.

Glaze Recipe:

1 C. Powdered sugar

1 Tablespoon light corn syrup

2 teaspoons water

1/8 teaspoon Vanilla extract (or Almond extract)

Sprinkles

Children's Vacation Packing List

Packing for my children was always so stressful.  I always worry about what I might forget.  My darling husband has always been kind enough to say, “Don’t worry, we can always buy what we need when we get there,” but that isn’t the point to me.  I always feel like it is such a huge waste of money to buy what our children already have.  I began making list, adding to them each vacation, until I had the list perfected, or as close to perfection as I could come.  I have kept organized lists for warm weather, cold weather, in-flight entertainment, carry-on luggage, checked luggage, and optional items for children.   It all sounds a little crazy, until you realize that you can customize the printable lists by crossing off what you don’t need, and checking-off what you have already put into your luggage.  The list can also be altered to fit the individual needs of your child.  Just add what you think might be missing.  If you have a little guy that loves to crawl around on the ground, add more pants, etc.  I hope that my lists reduce the stress that comes with packing.
For more travel tips, Please look at our new website:  http://www.luckylittletravelers.com/  Lucky Little Travelers is a website dedicated to families traveling with children.