Here’s how to participate:

 1. Photograph an object, room, or person in keeping with the posted topic.

2. Post one picture on your blog.

3. Include a link to Bona Vita’s Photographic Friday in your post.

4. Through Bona Vita’s Mr. Linky, link to your Photographic Friday blog post (not to your main site). Remember, I reserve the right to delete inappropriate links!

5. Be sure to leave a comment!

Christmas celebrations are all about delicious desserts.  Last weekend I served these simple but festive lemon-raspberry cupcakes. They proved to be sophisticated enough for adults when sitting side by side a caramel cheesecake. Yet, children delighted in them as well. I was initially inspired by these petite cakes as they graced the cover of  Bon Appetit’s April 2008 cover. Here is my customized version.

Lemon-Raspberry Cupcakes

1 white cake mix

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup lemon juice

8 tblsp melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

4 eggs

Lemon Icing

3 cups sifted powdered sugar

4 – 6 tblsp lemon juice

Whisk the sugar and lemon juice together. You should start with 4 tablespoons of lemon juice and add additional juice as you need it. The icing should be fairly viscous.

Place the cake mix, water, lemon juice, butter and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend on medium speed until combined, about 20 seconds. Add the eggs, one at a time, to the cake batter mixing after each addition.  Once all of the eggs have been added,  continue mixing for 2 minutes on medium speed.  Pour the batter into prepared cupcake pans. You can either grease and flour your pans or utilize cupcake liners. Silver liners always look festive. Bake in a 350° oven for 17 – 20 minutes. Do not over bake the cupcakes. Let the cupcakes cool completely on a wire rack. Spread lemon icing evenly over the cupcakes and top with a plump raspberry.

You can utilize raspberry jam or preserves as a filling in these cupcakes. Simply add 1 or 2 tablespoons of cake batter to the cupcake pan, then add 1 tablespoon of jam and cover with additional cake batter. 

“The children were nestled all snug in their beds, / While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads . . . ” – Clement Clarke Moore, The Night Before Christmas 

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My mother’s skills abound. She is an extraordinary cook, a charming hostess, and a tasteful decorator. However, I think the time has come for truth to prevail. Contrary to common misconception, domestic catastrophe is never far away.

For every Lucious Lemon Cake, there is a discarded disaster. To top this off, Mom holds tightly to an aggravating habit of remaining in sweats up until 30 minutes before guests are scheduled to arrive. I’ve tried to break this terrifying habit, but it’s hopeless.

Her taste is generally impeccable, but there was that time that she painted tiger stripes on the living room bookshelf. It was awful. Fortunately, my brother’s brutal honesty saved our reputation and decor.

Lately, she has, to the consternation of her already-intimidated friends and family, also discovered her love and talent for photography. However, the pictures which effortlessly grace the pages of Bona Vita, frankly, hide a dark secret.

Several dozen shots have been discarded for every lovely photo published. Mom, having never mastered the over-achiever within, is an obsessive editor. I have padded sleepily into the kitchen on many a dark and snowy morning to find Mom holding out a camera. “Emily, can you upload these really quickly?” Three hours later, we’re still tweaking.

Fortunately, what works for my mom is Paint.net. Paint.net was designed by some brilliant undergraduate students. These students will have my (and my mother’s) eternal gratitude. This program makes editing, tweaking, and enhancing photos enjoyable and simple. (For others, the process might even be faster). It  has several attractive aspects:

• It’s cheap. The suggested donation is $12.00
• It’s easy to use.
• It’s a simplistic copy-cat of Photoshop.

How, exactly, does Photo.net enhance Mom’s photography? The following is an example. Here is an unmodified picture, hot off the press:

And here is a modified version:

Here’s another example:

Here is the “Photo-netified” version:

You see? The originals are really quite . . . . normal. The magic lies in the editing.

For more tips, tricks, and secrets revealed, visit Works for Me Wednesday at Rocks in My Dryer.

“No legacy is so rich as honesty.” – William Shakespeare

Emily Adams is the oldest daughter of Kathy Adams and a 2007 graduate of  Belhaven College. She is a freelance writer and offers classes for homeschooled students through Alethea Academy when not uploading pictures for Bona Vita.

Here’s how to participate:

1. Photograph an object, room, or person in keeping with the posted topic.

2. Post one picture on your blog.

3. Include a link to Bona Vita’s Photographic Friday in your post.

4. Through Bona Vita’s Mr. Linky, link to your Photographic Friday blog post (not your main site). Remember, I reserve the right to delete inappropriate links!

5. Be sure to leave a comment!

I have actually accomplished very little wrapping. However, the few gifts I managed to secure made a lovely subject.

I look forward to seeing your photos!

“I have been looking on, this evening, at a merry company of children assembled round that pretty German toy, a Christmas Tree. The tree was planted in the middle of a great round table, and towered high above their heads. It was brilliantly lighted by a multitude of little tapers; and everywhere sparkled and glittered with bright objects.” – Charles Dickens