Devilishly Delicious Devils Food Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream Icing ~ And A New Friend

I'm gradually getting into the spirit of the season with my baking and decorating, but for the life of me I can't face the box of Halloween cookie cutters and pastry bags and tips and make sugar cookies. I still have two weeks and things might change, but I'm not betting on it.  I'm on the lookout for good recipes that don't require all the work and don't leave my kitchen with a sugar coating from one end to the other.  I did pipe   orange buttercream on cupcakes this morning and I was reminded what a mess I can make in the kitchen so that's probably the end of that for now.

What could be more appropriate for Halloween than devilishly good Devils Food Cupcakes?  They are rich and chocolate-y and the slightly tart orange buttercream is the perfect topping. Thanks to the little skulls and crossbones I think they look pretty scary, too. Certainly passable Halloween treats in my house.

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I have a new friend I would like to introduce you to.  I met Linda last Spring when she emailed me and asked if she could use several of my recipes and photographs (Dungeness Crab Louie and Papa Haydn's Oregon Hazelnut Torte) on her website, What's Cooking America. I'm always flattered to get that request and wanted to visit her before I emailed back.  What I found was one of the most information packed cooking sites I've ever seen.  She has put together an encyclopedia of American cooking that impressed the heck out of me. There is everything from recipes for just about any dish you could imagine to a list of food related newspaper columns in major newspapers in the U.S. to the history of hundreds of traditional American dishes.  I have trouble managing my little blog and I can't even imagine how Linda keeps thousands of pages of information in such perfect order. What's Cooking in America is an amazing resource for those of us who are always looking for information, new ideas, cooking equipment, recipes, and other food related things.

We emailed back and forth several times and soon realized that, of all the places in the world two web surfers might live, Linda and I are just several miles from each other here in the Pacific Northwest. Hard to imagine, isn't it? What are the odd of that! We've met  and enjoyed each other's company and I look forward to getting to know her better.

I hope you will visit Linda at What's Cooking America.  I know you will be impressed by the wealth of information on the site and will find recipes you can't wait to try.  I regularly browse through the food sections of newspapers across the country in search of articles on regional foods.  Here are a few recipe selections that you might enjoy. 

Cranberry Ecstacy Bars

Corn Velvet Soup with Dungeness Crab

Shrimp Paella

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I'm joining Ann at Thibeault's Table and Lori at All that Splatters today for

Weekend Blog Showcase

I love this event because it gives us the opportunity to share new recipes and wonderful blogs like

What's Cooking America
I hope you stop by for a visit.  Be prepared to stay awhile.