Selena Robins, Author

To celebrate the release of my alter ego’s (Maddie Ryan) children’s novel, Pippy’s Wish, this Tasty Tuesday I am sharing one of the recipes included at the end of Pippy’s Book. For more of Pippy’s favorite recipes, check out the book on Amazon.

Tangerine Angel Cupcakes with Sweet Cloud Frosting

Ingredients:

1 box Angel Food Cake Mix, prepared as directed

Zest of 3 small tangerines (or 1 large orange)

1 package (3 oz.) of Tangerine Jell-O (or Orange Jell-O)

1 cup of water

Frosting Ingredients:

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons white sugar

3 fluid ounces of frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

Directions:

Preheat oven as directed on the cake mix box and make the cake as directed on the cake box.

Fold in orange (or tangerine zest) after mixing.

Line muffin tins with paper cupcake holders.

Bake cupcakes according to the instructions for cupcakes on the box.

Cool the cupcakes on a rack.

After they are cooled, using a fork, pierce three holes in the top on each cupcake.

Add 8 ounces of boiling water into a measuring cup, then add the Jell-O and stir with a spoon until the Jell-O is all dissolved.

Carefully spoon the dissolved Jell-O over each cupcake so that the Jell-O runs into the holes you poked in the cupcakes. (Try not to soak each cupcake.)

Put the cupcakes in the refrigerator for one hour.

For the Frosting:

Combine whipping cream, sugar and orange concentrate in a bowl and using a beater, beat well, until the frosting forms stiff peaks.

Your cupcakes are now ready to be frosted.

Garnish with additional orange zest if desired.

EXCERPT of Pippy’s Wish – Copyright 2013 Maddie Ryan

CHAPTER ONE

St. Valentine’s Junior High

Highway to Heaven

“Yikes. Watch. Out…everybody!” Angel-in-Training Pippy shouted as she zoomed across Cloud 98 on her super-cosmic skateboard. “I–I can’t stop….”

Cupid waved his arrow. “Uh oh, the Pipster’s done it again.”

“Yee stars and little fishes.” Pippy wind-milled her arms, trying to stay upright. “Tasha, help me out,” she yelled at her golden retriever puppy. “Grab my robe and…slow me down.”

Tasha scampered alongside Pippy. Her floppy ears bounced as her fluffy tail twirled around like a helicopter’s blade.

“It’s not play time, Tash,” Pippy managed to say as she ducked under the rainbow. “I have to get to class on time. In. One. Piece.”

Tasha performed a front roll, landed on all fours and walked with a wiggle toward Nova, the two year old retriever and St. Valentine’s archery mascot.

“Stop strutting and pay attention. I need you.” Pippy blew strands of her bright red hair away from her mouth. “I’ll never get my wings if I don’t get an A in Derek’s Flight Class.”

Tasha yapped, caught up to Pippy and scurried behind her.

“Finally,” Pippy said. “Now, grab on to my uniform.”

Tasha bounced up and chomped down on the tail end of Pippy’s white robe. The maneuver was a good idea in theory–just like all of Pippy’s ideas–but it didn’t slow the skateboard’s wheels down.

The fleece robe flew off of Pippy, landing on her puppy’s head.

Tasha scampered and yelped playfully before she yanked the robe off her head and clasped it between her teeth.

“Aw, cheese-whiz and crackers,” Pippy said, practically out of breath. “It didn’t work.”

Pippy heard the laughter of the students lined up in the hallway below.

She probably looked like a Lifesaver roll on steroids with the clothes she always wore under her uniform robe–tangerine capri pants, a cherry red blouse, lime green sweater and neon yellow runners.

Tasha leaped-frogged over Pippy and raced ahead of her.

“Show off.”

Feathered sheets flew out of silver-sparkled gloved hands and scattered over the white vapor hallway when Pippy zoomed by Halo-Creation teacher, Victoria. In Heaven, the student angels called their teachers by their angelic given names.

“Oops.” Pippy turned her head and yelled, “Sorry, Veeeee…”

“Pippilina?” The deep voice and teeth that looked like white lightning belonged to Principal J.P.

Since his pearly whites were blindingly shiny, that meant he was smiling. J.P. was cool for a principal.

Even cooler when he smiled.

A smiling principal was a good thing.

Pippy surprised herself by staying upright on the skateboard as it slowed down long enough for her to talk to the principal. “Yo.” She waved. “How’s it going, Sir?”

“Yo?” he asked. A frown colored his voice. She could tell. It didn’t sound like he was smiling now. “Pippilina, what is going on?”

“Alternative transportation project, Sir.” Pippy wasn’t sure if the principal heard her, because the skateboard had spiraled out of control and had now rocketed over to St. Valentine’s air hockey arena on Cloud 99.

She skate-boarded right in front of the Red Wing’s goaltender. The yellow star-shaped puck narrowly missed her head.

“Hey, Pip! You blocked my shot,” the Ninety-Niner’s superstar center yelled.

“Sorry, Wayne.” Trying to stay upright, she managed an apologetic smile. “See ya.”

She looked straight and took in the thousands of purple, yellow and pink diamonds against a background of mother-of-pearl marble, glittering up ahead.

The Pearly Gates.

“Uh-oh,” Pippy said in a shaky voice. “This is not good.”

The doors were shut and two turtle doves held up a white poster. Written in bold, blue lettering the sign said: Back in One Hour.

She still couldn’t slow down her skateboard nor make it stop. “Oh, this is bad. Real bad.” She clasped her hands together and prayed it wouldn’t hurt too much. This time.

The gate loomed a mere foot from Pippy’s freckled nose. “Yikes. This is gonna be painful.”

She squeezed her eyes shut and inhaled a large dose of heavenly air.

Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven…She counted down in her head, knowing she’d soon make contact with that gate.

The heavy, locked gate.

She counted down to two and suddenly couldn’t feel the skateboard beneath her feet any longer.

The air trapped in her lungs swooshed out of her, sounding like a set of out-of-tune bagpipes.

She drifted up.

High up.

Way, way high up.

Pippy opened her eyes and gasped. “Huh? What just happened?”

She wasn’t going to crash because she was flying.

Flying! On her own, and it wasn’t a dream.

Tasha’s yelps echoed from miles below. Pippy looked down as she soared high above Soft Cloud Café, where the high school angels waved and giggled.

“Yup, that’s right. I’m flying. Woo hoo.” Pippy held two thumbs up. “I totally rock.”

A sweet scent drifted in the air. Pippy inhaled the delicious aroma of pink cotton candy. Pink as in Lucinda’s–or as Pippy liked to call her, Lucy’s–curly hair. “Nah, I can’t be that unlucky.”

A hand tugged gently on Pippy’s collar.

She turned her head upward and met the twinkling blue eyes of the Divine Guidance Counselor, Lucinda.

Gulp.

“Um, nice catch?” Pippy said with a nervous hitch in her voice.

Lucinda frowned as she tucked Pippy’s skateboard under her arm.

Wrong thing to say.

Double gulp.

“What I really meant…well, thanks for rescuing me, Lucy,” Pippy said then corrected herself. “Sorry, I meant to say, Lucinda.”

“You’re welcome,” Lucy said, guiding Pippy to the feather-weaving class. She dropped Pippy off outside the classroom door.

Pippy peeked through the stained glass window. Weaving class had started. She was late.

Again.

Pippy stared down at her toes. “Guess my wheels are grounded, huh?”

“That’s a given,” Lucy answered, floating upward.

Oh, how Pippy longed to get to high school so she could learn how to float like a grown up angel. Like her idol, Lucy.

“Meet me in my office tomorrow morning,” Lucy instructed. “After the New-Day-Candle-Lighting Ceremony.”

Lucy pointed to the gold door knob on the classroom’s door, nodded and drifted toward her pink crystal office.

Pippy’s cheeks grew hotter than a mini-cloud-smore.

Authors changing the world one recipe and one word at a time.

Please stop by my fellow author blogs and pick up a few more Tasty Tuesday recipes.

Cravin’ Cornbread by Nancy Lauzon

Orange Ginger Chicken by Renee Wildes