Irish Hills Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 12-cup muffin pans with liners. In a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Mix together the milk and buttermilk in a pitcher. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Alternate adding the wet and dry ingredients in four batches each, until the batter is thick and smooth. Add 1/4 cup batter to each muffin cup, then bake for 18 minutes (approximately.) Remove and allow to cool completely. Make the icing by mixing together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and green food coloring. Add a little more powdered sugar if it seems too thin. Place the sanding sugar in a small dish. Dip the cupcakes, top side down, in the icing until coated, then dip them in the sanding sugar, gently rolling them to coat. Repeat with the rest of the cupcakes. For a little variation, pipe icing on half the cupcakes, then sprinkle with sugar. (Refrigerate if not serving immediately, as icing will be soft.)