Sweetness on Sunday: Vanilla Chai Cupcakes

So what's your favorite Starbucks drink? Mine: Chai Soy Latte Frapp :D YUM. So I wanted to make a cupcake that had all the yummy flavors of my favorite drink. I love how these turn out---right before you take a bite, you get the rich aroma of Chai spices. ♥♥♥

For the cupcake:
1 box vanilla cake mix
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup Tazo Chai Tea Concentrate (you can get this at grocery stores and most starbucks, but I get mine at Target--link!)
3 eggs
1/4 vegetable oil
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 cup milk

Mix all ingredients together on slow just until blended with an electric mixer, then switch to medium-high speed and mix for 2 minutes. Spoon batter into lined cupcake pan and bake for 22-25 minutes at 350○, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely on cooling rack before frosting.

For the frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
4 cups sifted powdered sugar
a few pinches of salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3-4 tbsp milk
Cinnamon to sprinkle

Mix butter, salt, and vanilla extract in a stand mixer (you can use a handheld mixer, but a stand mixer is easier!) until blended. Slowly add sugar a cup at a time on low speed until it's all blended in. Add in milk a tablespoon at a time until your frosting as at the desired consistency. Beat for 3 minutes. Frost each cupcake and sprinkle a little cinnamon on top.

Enjoy! :D

In My Mailbox {70}

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, where we all share what we got during the week!

Sorry about the silent blog this past few days!! We were on a vacation! We packed up and went to Disneyland for my daughter and son's birthdays. We all had a blast---but after the crowds and hours of driving---it's definitely good to be home again. :)

Here's what's in my mailbox this week!!

For review:
Heist Society & Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter
Watched by Sharde Richardson
Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Did three seperate little happy dances for each these (which was good since I'd just gotten out of the car after hours of driving!). SO excited for each of these---thank you so much to Disney Hyperion, Sharde Richardson, and St. Martin's Griffin!!

Bought:
The Betrayal of Maggie Blair by Elizabeth Laird
Forgiven by Janet Fox
The Declaration by Gemma Malley

Super excited for all of these, too. All great finds at my local Half Price Books!! :D
Pictured with my partner-in-crime for the week---Mickey Mouse! I love these little vintage looking stuffed characters..had to have it!

So coming up this week, look out for reviews of Midnight Palace and Bloodspell. And be sure to check out my Sweetness on Sunday post later for some yummy Vanilla Chai Cupcakes! ALSO---I am getting awfully darn close to 1000 followers! Stay tuned for a big giveaway to celebrate!

Trailer + Giveaway!! Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

I have one more fantastic book to offer this week! The wonderful people at Macmillan are letting me give one lucky reader a copy of this gorgeousness:

Here's what it's about:

Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era!

Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon--the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.

Check out the trailer:

And HERE'S how to get yourself a copy!!
Fill out the FORM HERE for a chance to win.
Open to US & CA residents.
Ends June 15th, 2011, so hurry and enter! :D

Win Beauty Queens by Libba Bray + an Island Survival Kit!!

So you've all heard of this book, right?...

synopsis: The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream Pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and complete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eye liner. What’s a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program – or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan – or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?

Welcome to the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Your tour guide? None other than Libba Bray, the hilarious, sensational, Printz Award-winning author of A Great and Terrible Beauty and Going Bovine. The result is a novel that will make you laugh, make you think, and make you never see beauty the same way again.

SO...who wants to win a copy? Well, one winner is not only going to win a copy of Beauty Queens, but also their very own Island Survival kit!! Check this out:

You get a cool hat, cool sunglasses, and some awesome Philosophy Shelter Sunscreen!!
Just fill out THIS FORM for a chance to win!!
Contest ends 6/25/11.
edited to add-Open to US only.

This contest sponsored by:
Scholastic has launched a new online community called This Is Teen to connect readers with their favorite YA authors and books. Visit their page on Facebook for all the latest news on Libba Bray and her new book Beauty Queens: www.facebook.com/thisisteen.

* * * * *
Also, for those of you who are writers out there, be sure to check out the Beauty Queens writing competition. Check out the contest video:

Contest details:

The “Miss Teen Dream” contestants in Libba Bray’s new book Beauty Queens turn out to be anything but typical, proving that true beauty is way more than skin deep.

Now we want to know what makes YOU a Beauty Queen! In 500 words or less, share your most outrageous talent, your quirkiest catch-phrase, or your most inspiring platform.

The writer of the winning essay will receive a $250 shopping spree at Sephora, your very own sparkly tiara, and a signed copy of BEAUTY QUEENS!

To enter go to http://www.thisisteen.com/Contest.htm

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal US residents ages 13 to 18. Deadline to enter 5pm EST on July 1, 2011. Void where prohibited. For complete details and official rules go to www.ThisIsTeen.com

In My Mailbox {69}

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, where we all share what we got during the week!

A few fun things this week!

For review:
Forgotten by Cat Patrick
This one's getting raves already! Excited to read this!

Passion by Lauren Kate
SO excited for this one---but I'll apparently have to wait my turn because the moment it came, my daughter immediately snatched it away. I'm taking her to a Lauren Kate signing in a few weeks and we're both freaking excited!! :D

Bought:
The Warlock by Michael Scott
This one is actually more for my hubby---he loves this series. I will read it someday soon!


New on my Nook:

Frost by Wendy Delsol
Absolutely loved book one, can't wait to read this one!

Misfit by Jon Skovron
This one sounds fun..mythology, magic,...and cute skater boy! Aww...hubby was a cute skater boy in high school :)

Solstice by P.J. Hoover
The very first line of the synopsis was what caught my eye: "Where mythology and dystopia meet". Sounds good to me!


Many thanks to Little,Brown, Random House, & Netgalley for these!

Show me those mailboxes!

Book Trailers: Miss Peregrine & Shatter Me!!

Two cool book trailers to share! Both books I can't wait to read!!

Oh, and, fair warning, both trailers are just a little creepy... ;)

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs:


Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi:

What's New: June Releases & Giveaways

Wow. Wow, guys! It's JUNE already!! So, of course, that means it's time for the What's New List & Giveaway here at Stories & Sweeties! :D As always, you'll find a full list of the new releases in YA for the month, and entry to the giveaway. At the end of each month, one lucky winner will get to choose any new release as their prize! So let's get started because it's a loooong list once again!

Oh, wait! First off, I want to announce last month's winner!
Elodie @ Once Upon A Quote!! Congrats, Elodie!

Ok, on with the list!!

June Releases:

{1}
Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiani
Bloodspell by Amalie Howard
Eternal Sea by Angie Frazier
Ladybird, Ladybird by Abra Ebner
Spoiled by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan
Vampire Stalker by Allison Van Diepen

{2}
Dark Heart Rising by Lee Monroe
Forgiven by Janet Fox
Ultraviolet by RJ Anderson

{7}
The Amanda Project 2: Revealed by Amanda Valentino & Peter Silsbee
Blood Red Road by Moira Young
City of Ice by Laurence Yep
Cleopatra Confesses by Carolyn Meyer
Don't Stop Now by Julie Halpern
Everlasting by Alyson Noel
Flying Blind: Dragon Diaries by Deborah Cooke
Forgotten by Cat Patrick
Hereafter by Tara Hudson
He's So Not Worth It by Kieran Scott
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
My Undecided Life by Jessica Brody
Possesion by Elana Johnson
Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski
Tiger's Quest by Colleen Houck
The Waking: Spirits of Noh by Thomas Randall

{8}
How I Stole Johnny Depp's Alien Girlfriend by Gary Ghislain
Sirenz by Charlotte Bennardo & Natalie Zaman
What We Keep is Not Always What Will Stay by Amanda Cockrell

{9}
Brother/Sister by Sean Olin
Crossing Lines by Paul Valponi
Crush Control by Jennifer Jabaley
Displacement by Thalia Chaltas
Dragon Castle by Joseph Brachac
Fairy Bad Day by Amanda Ashby
The Forgotten Locket by Lisa Magnum
War and Watermelon by Rich Wallace
What Would My Cell Phone Do? by Micol Ostow
Z. Raptor by Steve Cole

{14}
From Bad To Cursed by Katie Alender
Belladonna by Mary Finn
The Chamber of Five by Michael Harmon
Countess Nobody by Lynn Kiele Bonasia
Dead End by Jason Myers
The Demon's Surrender by Sarah Rees Brennan
Hourglass by Myra McEntire
Imaginary Girls by Nova Sum Rena
The Lost Crown by Sarah Miller
The Lost Heiress by Catherine Fisher
Mission (Un)Popular by Anna Humphrey
Never Sit Down in a Hoopskirt and Other Things I Learned in Southern Belle Hell by Crickett Rumley
Ordinary Beauty by Laura Weiss
Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard
Passion by Lauren Kate
Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares
The Revenant by Sonia Gensler
Trial By Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

{21}
Breath of Angel by Karyn Henley
Dead Rules by Randy Russell
Eden by Keary Taylor
Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey
Long Story Short by Siobhan Parkinson
A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young
Shadowcry by Jenna Burtenshaw
Stolen Nights by Rebecca Maizel
Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter
Vicious Little Darlings by Katherine Easer

{28}
The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder
Eternity by Heather Terrell
Fins are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs
Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma
Legacy by Cayla Kluver
Sharks & Boys by Kristen Tracy
Spellbound by Cara Lynn Schultz
Torn by Erica O'Rourke
Withering Tights by Louise Rennison

{30}
The Ascension by Michael Carroll
Luminous by Dawn Metcalf

(links go to Goodreads)
Please feel free to email me if you notice any YA titles missing! :)

Giveaway Details: One winner will win a June Release of their choice! *see note below
• Contest ends at 11:59 PM, PST on June 30st, 2011.
• Must be 13 or older
• Open internationally. *International winners will be required to choose a book that is available through BookDepository.com.
• Please enter one time only for each monthly giveaway.
*CONTEST CLOSED*