Happy Thanksgiving Week, everyone! I am getting ready to head home for a holiday break, but wanted to share these cute and EASY little turkeys with you. They would be perfect if you want to make something for the kids at your holiday table :)

I hope you all have a safe, happy, and healthy Thanksgiving.

Reese’s Turkeys
Recipe source: InsideBruCrewLife
Print Recipe

12 full size Reese’s peanut butter cups
12 mini Reese’s peanut butter cups
1 cup candy corn, I used regular candy corn and Indian corn
24 candy eyeballs (Target sells them!)
1 oz. chocolate Candiquik, melted (I used a tub of store-bought chocolate frosting)
A pastry bag and small round tip

1. Unwrap the full-size and mini Reese’s cups. Fill the pastry bag with the chocolate frosting.
2. Pipe a bit of chocolate frosting onto each full-size peanut butter cup, then place the mini peanut butter cup on top.
3. Cut the white tips off of the candy corn pieces. Use the chocolate icing to “glue” the candy corn pieces (without the white tips) onto each peanut butter cup.
4. Use the chocolate icing as to “glue” the candy eyeballs onto each mini peanut butter cup.
5. Cut the yellow ends off of a few more candy corn pieces. Use the yellow end as the turkey’s nose — and again, use the chocolate icing to attach it.

That’s it!

About six months ago, The Milwaukee Cupcake Company closed its doors and Holey Moley moved in to replace it. What a glorious turn of events. Cupcakes are alright, but they can’t even touch the joy that is a DONUT! I went to a Packers game with some of my friends and before we hit the road to Green Bay, we picked up a box of Holey Moley donuts and devoured them. It wasn’t pretty — fighting, bickering, and yelling over who was going to get the s’mores donut… who was going to get the maple bacon donut… etc. OK, so we didn’t exactly fight — but we all LOVED these donuts.

• My favorite was the maple bacon: a donut covered in maple-flavored frosting topped with bits of bacon. Oh. My. God.
• The pink-ish donut in the photo above was blood orange flavored. *raise your hand if you just thought about that episode of Project Runway…*
• The s’mores donut was another favorite of ours, as was the peanut butter-filled donut.
• Other flavors we tried: espresso, coconut, chocolate glazed, pumpkin, and vanilla.
• The staff was friendly and cheerful (even at 7 am on a Sunday!)
• My only complaint is that their location is a little strange — in the lobby of a building in the Third Ward. Hopefully their business keeps booming and they can expand to have their own storefront.
• Holey Moley is located at 316 N. Milwaukee Street in the Third Ward

Note: I am not being paid to review this bakery, nor am I affiliated with it. I just really like trying local bakeries and treats.

If you were a child of the 80s or 90s, you remember the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Donatello, Splinter, Shredder… all those names should ring the bells of nostalgia! I saw these decorations and knew I had to make some TMNT cupcakes!

Who was your favorite turtle? The tactical, courageous, and blue mask-wearing Leonardo? The easy-going, free-spirited, and orange mask-wearing Michelangelo? The tough, rough, red mask-wearing Raphael? Or the knowledgeable, science-minded, and purple mask-wearing Donatello? I always liked Donatello — because duh, purple mask… and science-minded!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Cupcakes
Print Recipe

1 box cake mix plus required oil + eggs (any flavor cake mix will work!)
2 batches of buttercream icing (I would recommend the White Buttercream recipe here)
Green, blue, orange, red, and purple food coloring (I used Wilton gel colorings)
Four disposable pastry bags
A large star pastry tip
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cupcake decorations (I’ve seen them at WalMart, Party City, etc)

1. Make the cupcakes according to box directions. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before decorating.
2. Dye one batch of buttercream green. Split the other batch into four bowls — and dye the icing red, orange, purple, and blue.
3. I decided to swirl the green icing together with the red, orange, purple, or blue. For example, for the blue Leonardo cupcakes — fit a disposable pastry bag with the large star tip. Fill half the bag with green icing and half with blue icing. The colors will swirl together if you do this. If you need a visual, please visit Sally’s lovely tutorial! Pipe the swirled icing onto each cupcake, then top with the corresponding Turtle.
4. Repeat step 3 for the rest of the colors — green + red, green + orange, green + purple.

Every semester, without fail, I become fixated on one movie. I like doing my work with the noise of the TV in the background, so I put a movie on repeat… sometimes for days. Whatever the movie may be, it keeps me company but doesn’t distract me (because really, after the 16th time watching anything, you’re over it).

Last spring it was the Breakfast Club. This fall it’s the Jurassic Park triology. I’ve always adored these movies — they’re entertaining, a little kitschy, and involve DINOSAURS! Awesome, right? Who knows what life will bring me, but I secretly hope for a son (or a daughter… don’t want to make gender assumptions!) who loves dinosaurs as much as I do.

Dinosaur Cupcakes
Print Recipe

1 box cake mix plus required oil + eggs (any flavor cake will work)
1 batch of buttercream icing (I’d recommend the White Buttercream recipe here)
Green food coloring
A disposable pastry bag
A large star pastry tip (I used a large French tip)
Pressed sugar dinosaurs (mine are from Cook’s Baking Supply in Milwaukee)
Chocolate “rocks” (mine are from Vanilla Bean in Madison)

1. Make the cupcakes according to box directions. Allow them to cool completely before beginning to decorate.
2. Dye your batch of buttercream icing green. Pipe icing onto each cupcake using your disposable pastry bag and pastry tip.
3. Decorate the cupcakes with the dinosaurs and “rocks.”

I’m reviewing Miss Julia’s Bake Shop – located in Brookfield, WI!

• I only have 7 months left in Milwaukee, so I’m trying to eat as many good things as possible — and to try as many new places as I can. Miss Julia’s was on my list!
• I thought these cupcakes were great — moist, fresh, and the frosting was so, so good (and I’m not a huge frosting lover).
• I can’t remember every kind that we tried, but the Whopper cupcake was my favorite! Jillian loved the pumpkin. Andrea loved the grasshopper. And Bekah loved the banana.
• Miss Julia’s has a standard, everyday selection of flavors (like vanilla, chocolate, red velvet) plus varieties that change daily and seasonally.
• Miss Julia’s is located in a strip mall in Brookfield. Not the cutest of locations, but at least the treats were delicious!
• PS: they are located right behind Kopp’s… should you need a some amazing savory to balance out the sweets. All of you Milwaukeeans will know what I’m talkin’ about with Kopp’s!

Note: I’m not being paid to promote this bakery. I just like to try new places and I’ll take any excuse I can get to eat a few cupcakes.