Here are some tie dye cupcakes in patriotic colors. Great for Memorial Day or the 4th of July. They are very simple to make and always draw smiles. Like these jokes.

What did one flag say to the other flag?
Nothing. It just waved!

Why did Paul Revere ride his horse from Boston to Lexington?
Because the horse was too heavy to carry.

Teacher: “The Declaration of Independence was written in Philadelphia. True or false?”
Student: “False! It was written in ink.”

I know. Enough already. Bring on the cupcakes. :)

Red, White And Blue Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated white sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (use clear to get a whiter cupcake)
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup milk
red, white and blue gel paste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12 cupcake pan with paper liners.

2. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at at time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

4. On low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

5. Split the batter evenly into three small bowls. Add red, white and blue gel paste until you achieve the colors that are desired. (The white won’t turn completely white, but a squirt or two will lighten up the batter a little bit.) Note: I didn’t have white paste and they still looked allwhite alright.

6. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups placing a spoonful of red, white and blue in each cup.

7. Bake 16 to 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

8. Cool completely before icing.

9. I used the Buttercream Icing from here to ice the cupcakes. Prepare the recipe for Buttercream Icing, then divide it into 3 bowls and color red and blue. Put the red, white, and blue icing in the same piping bag and you’ll get a nice swirl effect from all three colors.

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Recipe from RecipeGirl.com

How about some red and white and blue music?

I have it really bad for Swedish bands. The Carnation are no exception.
The Carnation-Roses Are Red

Check them out and buy their music on The Carnation’s Myspace Page.

The Mint Chicks refer to their music as ‘Trouble gum’. Works for me. Check out their website to learn more.
The Mint Chicks-Red, White Or Blue

How about some Italian electronica? Not usually my thang, but the ‘Da Ba Dee’ is awfully catchy. Buy Eiffel 65’s music here.
Eiffel 65-Blue

Cheers!