Super Easy Black Forest Cupcake Recipe!

I made these cupcakes for my daughter's classroom Christmas party, but I think they could be for a Valentine's party as well.  They were a great hit with the kids and they were very easy to make.  I found the recipe on the Kraft website.

What You Need:

1 pkg. (2-layer size) chocolate cake mix

1/2 cup boiling water

1 pkg. (3 oz.) JELL-O Black Cherry Flavor Gelatin

1 - 1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

24 maraschino cherries with stems, drained

Make It:

Prepare cake batter and bake as directed on package for 24 cupcakes; cool completely.

Add boiling water to gelatin mix in medium bowl; stir 2 min.

Whisk COOL WHIP gradually into gelatin until well blended.  Spread onto cupcakes, using about 2 Tbsp. for each.  Top with cherries just before serving.

Fresh out of the oven...mmm.

I was in a huge hurry so I added extra COOL WHIP to firm up the frosting which is why my frosting wasn't as pink as it should have been.  Oh well, the kids didn't seem to mind.

Some of the goodies at the class party.  I made chocolate covered strawberries too.  I felt I needed to add something healthy to the party.  At least there is fruit under all that chocolate, right?

Free Shipping For The Month Of February In My Etsy Shop!

Hello everyone.  I took some unintended time off from blogging.  I was so busy with the holidays and then my household was hit with the flu bug over winter break.  It has taken me a while to get back into the swing of things.

Since February is one of my favorite months, having both Valentine's Day and my birthday in it, I have decided to give free shipping on all  U.S. orders of $10 or more in my Etsy shop! Use code FREESHIP10 at checkout.  Stop by and check things out.

Debra Lynn Mejia at Etsy

If any of you lovely ladies would like to help me spread the word, that would be great!

Have a wonderful day!

The Thin Man - Not Exactly A Christmas Movie

Every December I post about one Christmas movie that I try to see each year.  Last year it was The Man Who Came To Dinner.  The year before that it was Christmas in Connecticut.

Ok, so The Thin Man is not exactly a Christmas movie, but it does have a funny Christmas morning scene in it. I have been thinking about it ever since I had a conversation with one of my friends (Lori you know what I'm talking about).  I found out she had never seen this movie.  And that is very sad and has to be remedied right away.  And that goes for everybody who hasn't seen it.

This is a comedy-mystery film made in 1934 based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett.  I just love this era in films with it's sophisticated comedies, beautiful black and white photography, and gorgeous costumes.  This film stars Myrna Loy and William Powell as Nick and Nora Charles and Skippy as their dog Asta.  

The book description sums it all up. - Nick and Nora Charles are Hammett's most enchanting creations, a rich, glamorous couple who solve homicides in between wisecracks and martinis.

Nick is a retired detective and his wife Nora comes from a very wealthy family.  The movie starts as the couple has just traveled by train from the West Coast I believe back to New York, where Nick used to work.  His old associates beg him to come back and help out with one more murder case.  The "thin man" is missing and Nick, Nora, and Asta will work together to solve this mystery!

This Christmas morning scene involves a mink coat, a BB gun, a tree decorated with tinsel and balloons, and lots of cocktails!

All photos from thethinman1934.com

Every time I watch this movie it makes me laugh.  Along with the other great comedies of that time like His Girl Friday and It Happened One Night, the dialogue is witty and fast.  Sometimes you have to watch these films a couple of times to catch up with all the mayhem and hear all the jokes.

Amazingly this film was shot in twelve days.  And it was released only four months after The Thin Man book by Dashiell Hammet was released.  It was so popular that five sequels came after it:

After The Thin Man (1936)

Another Thin Man (1939)

Shadow Of The Thin Man (1941)

The Thin Man Goes Home (1945)

Song Of The Thin Man (1947)

So put The Thin Man and the sequels on your Christmas list!

Twas The Night Before Christmas Pajamas

Every year, either I or Santa , make sure there are new "jammies" under the tree for my daughter.  And this year she really needs them.  She's grown out of everything.  The poor thing has been squeezing into pajamas that seemed to fit yesterday, but are suddenly too small.  How did that happen?

Well, there certainly are some fun choices out there with the themes she loves.  Blue cats, teddy bears  and cute R2D2.

I have a hard time getting her to wear slippers, but I thought these Sully and Hello Kitty slippers are so adorable I might be able to convince her to wear them:)

Twas the night before Christmas Pajamas by debralynn5 featuring a food & drink

Visiting The Crown & Crumpet For Tea In San Francisco

A long time ago I discovered a delightful Tea Salon called the Crown & Crumpet while looking at a magazine.  I forgot about it and came across the website by accident one day and posted about it in Time For Tea, back in 2011.  But since it is in San Francisco, I didn't know when or if I would ever get a chance to go there.  Then one day my sister decided to move from Hawaii to San Francisco.  This year she invited my daughter and myself to spend Thanksgiving with her.

So I finally got my chance to go visit the Crown & Crumpet!  Unfortunately I missed their first incarnation at the Ghirardelli Square.  They have relocated to a smaller venue in the New People Building in the Japantown neighborhood of San Francisco.  It may be a mini version of their original Tea Salon, but it is still a spirited, delicious, and sometimes cheeky place, serving the world's most popular drink - second only to water (as the owners Amy and Christopher Dean say).

Sandra and I at The Crown & Crumpet.

My daughter, Sandra, was not the least bit interested in taking photos.  She was seriously focused on her goodies that arrived with her Nursery Tea.  She loved the fact that she got her own little teapot of fruit tea with her own mini-three-tiered stand of treats.  And the tea was pink!

My nephew, Philip, and my sister, Jackie.

We dragged my poor nephew along.  A tea salon is, well.... not his cup of tea.  He was a good sport about it, but he refused to drink tea.  Luckily for him they have more beverage choices.  He decided on a cappucino.

My sister, Jackie and I, ordered the Afternoon Tea.  We chose the Crown & Crumpet Private Blend of tea.  It is described as a full bodied tea with toasty notes from Darjeeling, maltiness from Assam and lively flavor from Ceylon.  Worthy of any Royal table.  I have to agree. And we were so lucky to arrive when the scones were fresh out of the oven.  They were so delicious!  Everything was.

If I get a chance to go again, I think I will try the Marie Antoinette Tea.  

Rumour has it this was Marie Antoinette's favorite.  Let this relaxing blend of bergamot, blue mallow and roses be the perfect tea for eating cake! - Crown & Crumpet

Hot Spiced Cider

The holidays are upon us and I just love the aroma of spiced cider simmering on the stove.  It makes the whole house fragrant with holiday joy and the anticipation of Santa!

The Betty Crocker Cookbook was my very first cookbook.  I remember asking for it one Christmas.  And it's always fun to go back to the old classics.

Here's a Betty Crocker recipe for Hot Spiced Cider.

6 cups apple cider
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cinnamon sticks

In a 3-quart saucepan, heat ingredients to boiling over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 10 minutes.  Before serving, strain cider mixture to remove cloves and cinnamon, if desired.

Serve hot and enjoy!

Hot Spiced Cider by debralynn5 featuring a coffee grinder

Decorating Your Vanity With MAC

I wanted to thank a customer of mine, Jennifer from Louisville KY, for sending me photos of the Purple MAC Lipstick Print she ordered from me.  She has decorated her vanity with it and it looks great.  I love to see how customers have decorated their spaces with my prints!

Purple MAC Watercolor Print - also available in 8 1/2 in. x 11 in.

Thank you Jennifer, your vanity looks lovely!