Back Track to Independence Day

Ok, since I have been out of the loop, vacationing my behind off...I have a lot of back tracking/catching up to do. Bare with me, folks. :)

SO! Independence Day... we had a great, fun in the sun day. We started off with church, with my step-dad being the key speaker. (AWESOME JOB, Ken!) After a quick lunch, we headed down to the beach at Fort Macon. Mom took all the pic's that day, so I will have to get them from her and share. After enjoying a couple of hours on the shore, we went back to mom/Ken's house for steaks on the grill. YUM! I made these cupcakes for desert. The night ended sitting near another shore watching fireworks in every direction. Bliss. Hope you all enjoyed your freedom in a relaxing way!

For the cupcakes....
I like to spice things up a bit, so I used a regular choc. cake mix and instead of the stated amount of water I used 1 cup of sour cream. TRUST ME. I also added in a couple of teaspoons of instant coffee. These two make a regular cake turn into a super moist, rich, mocha-esque delight.

The icing was just cream cheese with sugar mixed in, then folded into cool whip. This is kind of a add to taste sort of thing, but there are tons of recipes out there for it. Easy Peasy and a fantastic counter to the choc. sour cream cake.