Pineapple Upside-Down Cupcakes

Good Tuesday morning!

NOTE TO ROBIN - I don't know what you're talking about. Sparkle is a VERY sensitive, intelligent animal. She knows something is very, very different (Code for HORRIBLY, HORRIBLY WRONG) in our household of late. I don't think I'm projecting my feelings on her at all!

NOTE TO LEANNA - Lest you forget, Sparkle has a very nice buddy named Copper. (Code for WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER BEAGLE LIVING AT THE FAULKNER HOME... EVEN ONE AS WELL-TRAINED AS YOUR "BUDDY.")

I know I've been a little single-minded of late, so it's going to be a little hard for me to tackle another subject... but I'm going to try. Between Austin and Barry Manilow, my brain has been filled to capacity, and I'm going to have to think, think, think in order to write about something else. Something relevant. Something important to all of you who read the blog. Hmmm. What to write... what to write?

Oh! I know. Earlier this year, I suggested a book by Vicki Courtney called Your Boy. (She also wrote Your Girl.) She gave this book to her publisher a couple of weeks before her son became a senior in high school, and in Chapter 12 of her book (Passing Down the Formula for a Virtuous Wife), she wrote some VERY wise words. During the remainder of this week, I would like to share some of these thoughts with the "boy moms" out there. And being blessed enough to be in the "girl mom" club, too, she offers advice for girls, also. (Code for DON'T SKIP THIS SECTION BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE SONS!)

"Come graduation day, make sure your son is well versed in the passage (Proverbs 31) and doesn't leave home without it! I have included key questions for your son, should he be open to measuring potential brides against God's standards for a virtuous woman. (Also note, if you have daughter, this is a great chapter to go with them to ensure they are in the process of becoming virtuous women.)

"'A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.' Proverbs 31:10.

"Our sons should be made aware of how rare this type of woman is and should be encouraged to hold out for the best... God's best. If they find her, they have found a treasure. She is not like most other girls (including Christian girls) who have conformed themselves to the culture.

"Key questions for your son: Would this young lady be described by others with words like 'virtuous,' 'moral,' and 'noble'? Even if she has a past, would these words describe who she is today?"

Wow! She's good, isn't she? I have a little story of my own to add here, if you'll allow.

When I was still living at home, I dated a young Christian man. He had grown up in church, and he had a fine testimony. We had been going out for some time when things began to change. I remember one night he picked me up to go to a party. I had not asked a lot of questions regarding the party because I assumed it would be with other church friends (as it had always been before).

I was very surprised when we arrived at an apartment on Southside with lots and lots of cars parked all around. Loud music was pouring out of two of the apartments, and it was apparent this was not your typical Sunday School party. "What's going on?" I asked.

"It's a friend of mine from work. I told him we'd stop by. We'll stay for a minute or two and then we'll leave," he replied. I sat in the car while he walked around to open the door.

"What kind of party is this?" I naively asked.

"It sounds pretty fun, doesn't it?" he replied.

I slowly got out of the car and followed him up the stairs and into the first apartment which was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with people dancing and drinking. "Take me home!" I yelled over the music.

"Just a minute. Just let me say hi to my friend, and we'll be out of here," he yelled back. And then he disappeared into the crowd. I stayed outside for several minutes, and then I decided I had experienced enough fun.

Now remember, this was before cell phones. I walked into the party and began searching for a telephone. When I finally found one, thankfully it had a cord long enough to reach into the bathroom where I shooed three people out and locked the door. I started dialing, but didn't finish before someone starting banging on the bathroom door. It was my date... soon to be ex-date.

I opened the door a crack and held the phone up to my ear. "What are you doing?" he yelled over the noise.

"I'm calling my Dad, and when he gets here he is going to KILL you," I calmly replied as I shut and locked the bathroom door.

The phone was ringing... the door was being knocked on LOUDLY. "Wait a minute," my soon-to-be ex-date yelled again. Luckily for my soon-to-be ex-date, my Mom and Dad had gone over to a friend's house, but I was quickly dialing that number when I cracked the door one more time.

"I told you we were only staying a minute," he yelled angrily.

"Oh. Are we going now?" I asked, still holding the phone.

"No. I just need five more minutes, and then we'll leave."

"No hurry," I replied... closed the door... and began dialing again.

"What are you doing?" he screamed through the door.

"I'm calling my Dad, and when he gets here he is going to KILL you," I reiterated once again, very calmly.

"Okay. Okay. Let's go," he said through the door. I hung up the phone on the second ring, walked out of the bathroom and out of the apartment without even looking back. I knew he was right behind me.

He had the nerve to be furious with me, and we drove back to my house in silence.

"Are you going to mention this to your parents?" he asked as I got out of the car.

"Oh, yeah. And if I were you, I'd start driving right now, because when I tell my Dad, he's going to come outside and KILL you for taking me to that kind of party." And then I turned around and walked into the house.

See... That young man wasn't worthy of a virtuous young woman. Not at that particular time of his life.

I've told that story to Roxie so she can know exactly what to do if she is ever in a similar situation. But I've also told the boys that story so they will know a Godly young man should NEVER put the young lady in that kind of situation either. And they should not be dating someone who would not object to that kind of party. It's a two-way street.

I'll share more from this book tomorrow. If you haven't already purchased it, it's a great book for your "parental library."

Pineapple Upside-Down Cupcakes

This is a recipe from Family Fun Magazine (August 2009). (Code for KID FRIENDLY AND FUN.)

Batter Ingredients:

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
1/2 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping Ingredients:

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
3/4 cup light or dark brown sugar, tightly packed
6 maraschino cherries
1 (20 ounce) can pineapple rings

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the butter and milk for the batter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Warm the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the butter melts. Then transfer the mixture to a small bowl to cool.

2. Prepare the pineapple topping. Into each cup of a 12-cup muffin pan, add 1/2 tablespoon of unmelted butter. Then evenly sprinkle 1 tablespoon of brown sugar over the bottom. Place the pan in the oven until the butter melts, about 3 minutes.

3. Halve each maraschino cherry, then cut the pineapple rings into quarters. Place a cherry half, sliced side up, in the center of each cup and lay a pineapple quarter on each side. Press the fruit gently down into the butter-sugar mixture, then set the prepared pan aside.

4. Finish making the batter. In a medium-size bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt, and stir the ingredients with a fork until they are evenly blended. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir until the flour is fully incorporated. Add the milk-butter mixture and stir well to combine the ingredients into a smooth batter.

5. Pour the batter into the muffin pan, dividing it evenly among all the cups. Bake the cupcakes until they are lightly brown, dry around the edges, and pulling away from the pan a little, about 25 minutes.

6. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for 5 minutes. Use a butter knife to carefully loosen each cupcake from the edges and bottom of the pan, then place a cookie sheet over the top. Invert the pan, turning the cupcakes out onto the cookie sheet. Then transfer them back to the rack to cool completely.

Out of the Faulkner Five, only three of us like pineapple upside-down cake, but with cupcakes being "all the rage" these days (see how I used another little "enchanting" phrase), these would make a wonderful dessert for a luau-themed get together with friends and/or family.

Tomorrow I'll have yet another "must-do" Seasonal Tradition for you and yours. We'll continue with the Topic of the Week (Passing Down the Formula for a Virtuous Wife), and I'll talk to you a little bit about Project 365 which will begin next week. Check back if you get a chance.

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda

(Yeah! It's much, much better without the Faulkner. We'll use this a week or so and see how I like it.)