reliable lemon buttercream icing

i know.

it's a weird title for an icing.

but have you ever tried icing cupcakes for an outside party? let alone an outside party in florida?

well, sometimes i wonder if i put out an unbaked cake in a pan on my porch, i think it would probably cook and burn.

yup.

cuz the sun here is sometimes brutal.

i know i can fry an egg on my head!

not that i ever did that but

i wonder who made that saying up,

"it's so hot i could fry an egg on my head!"

do you suppose they did?

wonder if it was scrambled or sunny side up?

oopsies.

i think i may have digressed a little.

anywhooo,

icing. yes we were talking icing.

if you make cupcakes that gotta sit for awhile, you need good icing so the darn things don't melt and puddle on you waiting to be eaten in the heat.

cuz one time i did not have reliable icing.

and i ended up with pink puddle cupcakes.

it was ugly!

i knew for sure cuz i brought it to work and put it in the staff lounge.

and NO ONE hardly ate them.

you know that's bad cuz people flock when food is free.

i mean, if you put a dead rat on the table with an apple in its mouth and some parsley, they would probably take a bite of it.

dang! i gotta stop rambling...

so make this icing cuz not only is it reliable and holds it's shape for you until eaten, but it tastes awfully good too!

awfully good.

wonder who made that up too?

another oxymoron.

sigh.

ok so here ya go:

(print recipe here)

Reliable Lemon Buttercream Icing

1/2 cup Crisco

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 tbsp. lemon juice

4 cups (about 1 lb) of confectioner's sugar

1. cream shortening and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer til light and fluffy.

2.add lemon juice and beat well

3. gradually add confectioner's sugar, beating well on medium speed until light and fluffy. add more lemon juice or milk if to dry.

4. decorate cupcakes with fancy schmany icing tip. lick beater and bowl.

oops! i mean, there you have it.

now you can make purrtty icing cupcakes

and take a pic of it.

you won't have to use the black and white option on your camera to hide ugly icing cupcake pictures like this:

but instead you can take purrtty pictures

and show your kid how to make it so next year they can give you a Mommy's Day treat!

Have a treat filled

Mother's Day!!!