Operation Cupcake: Red Velvet

"Naked" red velvet cupcakes.

My coworkers at the full-time "grown up" job were well aware that I was undertaking the making of massive numbers of cupcakes for my good friends' wedding on December 11. I mean, I took a personal day so that I could spend it in the kitchen baking. To say that they were in on the gig is doing little more than telling the truth.

Everyone knew. EVERYONE.

Of course, the first thing I was asked when I returned to the office was, "How did it go?"

The second thing I was asked was, "Where are our cupcakes?"

See, I had promised cupcakes with the good intention of bringing into the office the cupcakes I had left over from scrap batches on Friday. The problem? I didn't have any left to bring into the office. So I had two options: I could ignore the pleas for cupcakes and pretend I had no idea that I had promised to bring them in, or I could man up and make another special batch for the people that spend the most time with me outside of my husband and dog.

I chose the latter, obviously. I have learned one thing during my short time on this planet, if nothing else, and that is that one does not fail to provide cupcakes when they have been promised.

I like to wear PJs when I bake. Comfort is key, dang it!

 Thankfully, I have been lucky enough to produce cupcakes en mass in the last few weeks. This means that I am becoming ridiculously adept at working my way through batter preparation, baking, and decorating in a short amount of time. Total time to make these cupcakes? 1 hour 30 minutes. I was a cupcake goddess for all of one evening. It was glorious.

I am happy to say that I brought zero cupcakes home. I made 30, gave one to Shannon for his patience and will power in not eating the buttercream straight out of the mixing bowl, and took the other 29 to work. All gone by 5pm that day. It was a moment to be savored.

I'm sharing this recipe so that you'll make and savor your own cupcakes. While you're doing that, I'm going to make some cookies and assorted sweets with my good friend Steph today. Look for those recipes and photos throughout the week. What better way to countdown to Christmas than with cookies? Or cupcakes...

Red Velvet Cupcakes
adapted to cupcake form from the Food Network
makes 30 cupcakes

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring (1 ounce)
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the vegetable oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar and vanilla extract. Beat on low setting until combined.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in batches, waiting until the first batch is just incorporated before adding the second. Keep the mixer on low while you add the dry ingredients or you'll take a powder bath. Kick the mixer up to medium speed and stir until the batter is thick and combined.

Line cupcake tins with paper liners. Fill each liner 1/2 full with batter. Bake for 20 - 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Yummy Cream Cheese Buttercream
makes approximately 4 cups

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup butter, softened
1 pound cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
4 - 4 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together shortening, butter, and cream cheese until smooth. Be sure to scrape the sides with a spatula often. Add the vanilla extract and stir to combine.

Add the confectioner's sugar to the cream mixture 1/2 cup at a time. Make sure the mixer is on low and that you scrape the sides of the bowl often. Once one batch of the confectioner's sugar is incorporated, add another 1/2 cup. Continue adding sugar until the buttercream is thick and smooth.

If for any reason you have difficulty with the consistency of your buttercream, you can add a bit more sugar to thicken it up or milk to thin it. Add either one tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency.*

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Buttercream

You can pipe or spread the buttercream onto your cupcakes. I chose to pipe them to give them a sassy look before sprinkling red, green, and silver sugar crystals on the tops. Very holiday festive!

 *Be careful when you're thinning this mixture as you don't want a soupy frosting for your (cup)cakes. Usually 2 - 3 tablespoons will do the trick!

Radvent 12/17: Entertaining

I consider the above photo to be epic in its epicness. I mean, we look rough. We look really, really rough. And you know what? The party the night before was one of the best I've ever been to in my 30 years. Truly.

It's interesting that today's topic of journaling is discussing parties. For one, I'll be attending a pretty fantastic NYE party at our good friends' house. I'll be frank with you, any party that is based upon appetizer creativity is right up my alley. We'll be play Rock Band 3, noshing on good eats, and imbibing in our favorite cocktails. I really can't think of a better way to spend my NYE.

______________________________________________________________________

Write out some ideas for a party that you want to host in the next four weeks

Who will you invite?      What will you do?     Where will it be?

What will you serve?       How will you decorate?

______________________________________________________________________

Shannon and I are obviously not hosting our friends' party, but that doesn't mean that we're absolved of all responsibility. Since we don't have to plan everything, I'm going to talk about what I am responsible for. I say "I" in as much of a couple way as I can seeing as Shannon will not participate in the making. He will participate in the eating, though. We (I) are (am) in charge of bringing our appetizer and dessert selections to share with the rest of the gang. We (I) couldn't be more stoked to stretch our (my) appetizer muscles. We (I) have tossed around ideas ranging from the good to the horrible, but here are some of the things that are hanging out in our (my) appetizer brain right now.

• fried macaroni and cheese balls
• spinach and artichoke dip
• homemade roast red pepper hummus
• vegetable tartlettes
• goat cheese and cranberry-stuffed jalapeno poppers

I'm most excited about the idea of stuffing spicy peppers with creamy goat cheese and sweet cranberries. I might try this tomorrow just to see how it all turns out. It could go a few ways.

Let's be honest, though. Any (or all) of these ideas could be created in my kitchen in the next few days. I have very few qualms about spending my vacation time putting around in my kitchen. It's one of the delights of my time off, really. Of course, I know there will be plenty of baking that will happen as well. I have a laundry list of cookies that I still need to make. With that being said, I've already determined which dessert will be accompanying me to the NYE gathering.

RUM CAKE.

I don't need to say anything more than that, do I? This is how I feel about rum cake.

I might also feel this way about running. I was getting ready to run my first 5K when that picture was taken. So, yeah, I feel very thumbs uppy about rum cake and running. Maybe in that order, maybe not.

Either way, I'm taking a rum cake. THUMBS WAY UP!

I Need to Focus

I think this week may be the longest week in creation.

I say that only because I've been convinced that it's Friday since Wednesday and the hour hand on the clock moved at a snail's pace yesterday. Soooo slooooow. You would have thought it wasn't moving at all.

I think it has to do with the fact that I'll be on vacation as of a week from tomorrow. Having the possibility of three weeks of vacation looming on the horizon makes the weeks that you're at work move frighteningly slow. It also means that the time that you have at work before your vacation needs to be highly utilized. I have so much on my list of things to accomplish that I'm almost nauseated.

I also think it has much to do with the fact that tomorrow I'll be embarking on a baking adventure. I am producing 150 cupcakes and a wedding cake top for my friends' wedding on Saturday. I am responsible for the dessert at their wedding for 92 people. I am responsible for a part of their special day.

Look at them. How do you let a couple like this down?

I am a certifiable wreck at the present time. It's important that you know that. I am certifiable. I would enjoy a good cry right about now. Followed by the sifting of some flour. In that order, yes.

So the week? It's been long. What is getting me through is the fact that I know that everything will turn out if I just put my mind to it. If I focus. I must focus. So, I'm going to do just that. Focus.

I am going to focus on so many things, but mostly on Sunday afternoon and this soup for dinner.

*Cupcake Update: After baking for what felt like eons, but which turned out to be more like 14 hours, I had completed 144+ cupcakes and one three-tiered cake for cutting. Not only was I incredibly exhausted but I was also totally excited to share the cupcakes at the wedding. Let me just tell you, there is nothing better in this world than cream cheese buttercream. Nothing. It was the first time ever that I have confiscated the mixing bowl from Shannon and refused to share. Everything turned out beautifully. I almost started crying when I saw the cupcake display. I will have pictures soon from my lovely friend Abbie at Abbie Takes Pictures to share with you. Can't wait!

List Making

I need to buy stock in Post-It

I've been doing quite a bit of list making in the last few weeks. Given the season, I know this shouldn't be a surprise. However, when I add forced list making to my regular, everyday list making, I get a wee bit peaked.

I wrote out a list of Christmas gifts for my mom.

I wrote out a list for my sister.

I wrote a list for my husband for my mom.

I wrote a list for my husband for my sister.

I wrote out a list for my husband.

I wrote out a list of gifts to give my husband and in what order he is allowed to open said gifts on Christmas morning.

I may have written a list about the list, too, but in an effort not to seem entirely insane, I'm going to pretend said list does not exist.

Today, I am making a list of all the people to whom I need to provide a gift. Nothing major, just little "thank you" for being awesome gifts. You know, my staff. My girlfriends. Shannon's aunt. My neighbor who cut our front yard almost every week this summer just because she beat us to it! I need to make a list because these people receive edible gifts, and I need to start figuring out who is receiving what ASAP.

On the list (yes, another list!) of things to make?

• Chocolate mustaches
• Cake pops
• Mini loaves of holiday bread
• Homemade apple and pumpkin butter
• Cowgirl/boy cookie jars
• Bellini kits

It's at moments like this that I am thankful to be just a little Type A. Okay, more than a little.

Vegan Bake-Off

Let me first say that I promise this post will come full circle. If you know anything about me, you know that I tend to shoot off in one direction only to come back to point A like a boomerang. This post is one of those boomerang moments. Bear with me.

While Shannon and I have recently made the decision to return to being lacto-ovo vegetarians (we eat eggs and milk products but no meat), I have very rarely ventured into the world of vegan cooking.

Shannon was vegan a number of years ago, but returned to being lacto-ovo vegetarian about the time we began dating in 2009. As we progressed into our relationship, I was prepared to make the transition to being vegetarian. The older I've gotten, the less inclined I am to eat meat, and it didn't seem to be a difficult decision for me to make to turn to vegetarianism. It was especially easy to make the decision once I knew there were more meat substitutes than tofu. I might love tofu, but eating it every day would get tiresome. Luckily, there are a ton of other options, and I like pretty much every one.

Of course, the best laid plans often end up with snags. My decision to become vegetarian last year was thwarted by my diagnosis of ulcerative colitis in November. The ulcers in my colon are easily irritated by stress, irregular eating, and, most crushing of all, high intake of fibrous foods. Fresh fruits and veggies were really hard on me, and the thought of eating mostly all vegetables was daunting. So what happened? Shannon decided to start eating meat again so that we could save money on our grocery bill. Talk about finding someone special.

For the last year, we've been omnivores. It's been just find and dandy. I grew up an omnivore and, until I met Shannon, I had done very little exploring of vegetarianism. But I earlier this fall, when Shannon was diagnosed with high blood pressure and I was in a particularly difficult place with my weight loss, we began discussing the possibility of attempting vegetarianism again. My colitis is under control, and I've been doing a lot of research into recipes that allow me to cook most of the vegetables, thus making them much easier for my digestive system to handle. After talking and talking and talking some more, we decided to make the switch after our wedding reception November 6.

We are vegetarians for health reasons, not because we have a particular opposition to the eating of meat. In fact, we do our best not to inconvenience people, especially our families. On Thanksgiving? I ate a little turkey. I ate mostly vegetable side dishes, but I did have some meat-based protein. Did it hurt? Nope. In fact, I think it made my mom pretty happy. She didn't have to overcompensate, and we didn't have to request specialty items. (Next year, though, we might take a Tofurky just because I love it so.)

Considering that we're lacto-ovo, I haven't given much thought to vegan items. Some of the best recipes I have are vegan, and while I'm happy to use them as is, I sometimes need to substitute items back in. It's easy enough to add milk instead of soymilk or eggs instead of egg replacer. It's a little tougher, though, to figure out what to add when tofu is subbed in for a condiment. Thankfully, Shannon's the brain when it comes to such things.

Today, I was perusing Sarah Fit - to pull her Glee Cardio Workout Mix - and I saw a recipe for a delicious-looking Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie. It was linked to Made Just Right which is a vegan website. So, I started searching through the recipes and the content, and what did I find?

A Bake-Off. A holiday bake-off.

Did I ever mention that I can't resist a bake-off? Well, if not, I can't resist a bake-off! Of course, a vegan bake-off is slightly more challenging. This means it's ever that much more irresistible. I must compete!

This week is out. I don't have a pie recipe that I feel comfortable veganizing in such a short frame of time. However, next week is dessert bars. And the week after that is cookies. And the week after that is cakes! Do you know what I can do with three weeks worth of baking challenges?! Oh the possibilities.

If you're interested, head on over to Made Just Right. If you win (and there are two winners per category), you could win a $400 gift card to Whole Paycheck Foods. It's well worth it if you're like me and love Whole Paycheck Foods, but find the prices a little scary.

Good luck to you (and me)!

Post of Randomness: Wedding Edition

Today is Tuesday.

I am getting married on Friday.

The following things must happen before this can take place:

• manicure and pedicure
• payment for and obtaining of birdcage veil
• ensuring for the 100th time that my bra does not show due to the low back of my dress
• creation of one bouquet of button flowers
• multiple 3-mile runs to maintain my stress level
• multiple attempts to not break my own leg prior to said wedding ceremony (remind me to tell you all about the slick stairs, the fall, the hairline fracture, and the crutches that happened for my college graduation)
• menu planning for a weekend at home

Yes, a weekend at home. Originally, Shannon and I were going to retire to the country for a relaxing weekend of camping and fishing. That was before my parents' neighbors decided to throw their annual Halloween party this Saturday. I don't really want to spend my honeymoon with 40 of my closest and drunkest friends. So, we're staying home. I mean that in a good way.

I'll be going apple picking on Saturday morning. I'm making something sinful for dinner that night which we plan to eat in the backyard with glasses of wine and my chimnea smoking away happily to keep the chill off the night air. Sunday we're headed somewhere for brunch and a hike. I fully intend for it to be an amazing weekend.

I also fully intend to use The Precious. You see, the coworkers gifted me with The Precious last Friday, and I have some Monster Cookies to make as a thank you for such an awesome wedding present.

In a nutshell? There's much to do before Friday. I can hardly wait.

The Precious

I didn't let myself down this weekend. I cooked. I really did. Not nearly as much as I would have liked, but I definitely cooked.

I was only sidelined briefly by the allure of pepperoni and mushroom pizza. I made up for it by making a fantastic red wine and rosemary mushroom sauce. I may have put it on a piece of medium steak.

I'll share the pictures and the recipes this week. For sure. Now, though, I'm going to share a simply picture I ripped off the interwebs.

"Why?" you ask.

"Because," I respond before pressing 'upload.'


I post this because this little lovely recently made its way onto our wedding registry. I didn't tell anyone because, well, no one was around for me to tell. But now I'm telling you. I did it. I put it on our registry. The one gift I have been saying will be on our registry is now on our registry. It was a moment, I'm telling you. A real moment.

It feels almost as if I have the slim chance of being reunited with my long-lost twin sister. If we receive nothing else but this mixer, life will still be glorious and wonderful and beautiful.

It really is my version of the One Ring. Scary, isn't it?

Congratulations, Grad

My youngest sister, Tori, graduated from college in mid-May. We had her graduation party last weekend due to her competing in the softball national championship with her team which came in first in their region. I made cupcakes. Go figure, right?



Graduate cupcakes no less. I highly recommend What's New, Cupcake by Karen Tack & Alan Richardson. Such adorable ideas, and when they say "for every occasion," they're not kidding. You've got a little bit of it all in this book. For instance, I already know which cupcakes I plan on making myself for my 30th birthday in two weeks. And for next Christmas. And Halloween. And Thanksgiving. I even picked up a pretty ingenious idea for my sister's wedding cupcakes. So, what I'm saying is get yourself a copy. You'll be all the better for it.

And you'll have yummy heads to eat.

Maple-Bacon Whoopie Pies

I know, I know. I've been gone for a while.

In the time I've been gone, I've done a few things. First and foremost, I was officially reclassified at the day job. I'm now an Assistant Director. Super exciting for me. I'm pumped.

I also spent a weekend with my family at their lake property soaking up time in the hammock and fishing with the special man in my life. He's never fished. Teaching him to cast was a good time. The plus? He didn't once hook me. The  negative? We lost a few bobbers. Not his fault. Two of the victims were mine.

Oh. Oh. I also managed to sign up for a 10K in October. Yeah. A 10K. What am I thinking?

So, I know I've been gone. And I know that it sucks (for me at least) since I said I was going to do a better job about posting consistently once I opened up this here food blog. To smooth things over and (maybe) help you like me again, I'm sharing the most delicious dessert involving bacon that I've tasted in quite some time. No POINTS on this one. It's too good to feel guilty.

Maple-Bacon Whoopie Pies
from Whoopie Pies by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell

For the whoopie:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup (packed) brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups rolled oats (not fast-cooking)
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 cup chopped pecans or nuts of your choice (optional)

Pre-heat the over to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Inn the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and both sugars on low speed. Increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla and beat until light and creamy, about another 3 minutes.

In a food processor, process 3/4 cup of the oatmeal until it resembles whole grain flour. Transfer the ground oatmeal to a medium bowl and add the remaining oatmeal, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add the oatmeal mixture to the butter-sugar mixture and beat on low speed until just combined.

Using a spoon, drop about 1 tablespoon of batter onto one of the prepared baking sheets and repeat, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time for 11 minutes each or until the cookies begin to brown. Remove from the oven and let the cakes cool on the sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Makes about 48 two-inch cakes. Yes, that says 48.

For the maple-bacon whoopie cream:

4 thick strips bacon cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups confectioner's sugar
3 tablespoons heavy (whipping) cream
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1/8 teaspoon maple flavoring
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a medium skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool.

In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on low speed until combined. Add the heavy cream, sour cream, vanilla, maple syrup, maple flavoring, and salt and beat on low until smooth, about 3 minutes.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in the bacon until just combined.

And then...THEN...you spread some yummy filling on one cookie and top it with another cookie. You can use a pastry bag if you'd like (it's actually recommended), but I just used a butter knife. There was no time to wait.

The verdict? Delicious times ten. We even threw some in the freezer in a Tupperware container (separated by sheets of wax paper less the whoopies stick to one another) and ate them frozen. The best darned "ice cream" sandwich you'll ever have.

Even for breakfast Shannon says. Even for breakfast.

A Full Unfilled Weekend

This weekend is my first totally unfilled weekend in a long, long time. It's also going to be my last totally unfilled weekend for a while. We have Memorial Day coming up, my sister's college graduation party, Baby Sofie's first birthday party, Jacob's graduation party, my parents' 30th wedding anniversary, my 30th birthday (do the math, people)...

I might actually have at least one thing planned per weekend from now until the end of July.

Terrifying.

Of course, the one weekend I have completely free is another one of the weekends that Shannon is working. I'll be left up to my own devices for a full 48 hours. Okay, not all 48 hours, but a good enough chunk for me to feel comfortable exaggerating.

So what to do?

Cook. And garden. What else, right? You're starting to see a trend in my life, aren't you?

I'll also manage to run at least one of the two days. I need to make sure I get a run in so that I'm not panting and gasping when I'm trying to run that 5K in June.

Gardening is simple - I need to weed the garden. Enough said.

Cooking is a bit more of a challenge for me. We'll be having a semi-celebratory dinner on Saturday night. For what? I'll tell you when it's official. For said celebratory dinner, we'll be having homemade pizza, salad, and, most likely, some homemade berry shortcake. Keep your eyes peeled for the berry shortcake recipe. I'm hoping it'll be a tasty one.

I also have some homemade marshmallows to make. And graham crackers.

Shannon is demanding that I make him whoopie pies. Specifically, maple-bacon filled whoopie pies.

I would also like to whip up those Mexican breakfast sandwich thingies I said I was going to make a few weeks ago. 

Oh...and I need to make our neighbor chocolate chip cookies for allowing us to borrow her lawn mower twice while ours wasn't working. And for mowing the front lawn just because she rocks.

Whew! I have quite the list. Hopefully, I can check off a few of those little projects.

Ancho Chili-Spiced Chocolate Cupcakes with Avocado Buttercream

Chocolate, meet Ancho Chili. Ancho, please play nice with Chocolate; she can be a bit of a drama queen from time to time. Especially when she's not the only star in a recipe. You know how that goes...

Avocado, this is Powdered Sugar. Powdered Sugar, this is Avocado. Come on, give each other a hug. There you go! Aren't you two glad you met? You know who's glad you met? I'm glad you met. I'm really, really glad you met.

I've been on an avocado kick for a while now. If you've been stopping by, you know this because I reference guacamole at least twice a week, and I post pictures of Mr. Shannon going insane on breakfast sandwiches when left unattended with my stash of avocados. In my house, the avocado is certainly reigning supreme at the moment, and I thought it was about time we allowed it to step out of the guacamole/sandwich/salad categories and into the realm of desserts.

You heard me, desserts. Everyone likes to feel pretty sometimes. It's about time avocado was given a chance to shine. And you know what? Avocado shined. Oh, did it shine. With a little help from Chocolate and her new friend Ancho, that is.

Ancho-Spiced Chocolate Cupcakes with Avocado Buttercream
Serves 16

For the cupcakes:
1 1/3 cup unbleached flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon ancho chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/8 cups buttermilk

For the buttercream frosting:
1 cup avocado meat
2 teaspoons lime juice
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a muffin tin with paper or foil liners.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, ancho chili powder, cayenne and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well. Add the vanilla and combine.

Add the flour mixture in 1/4 increments making sure to alternate with the buttermilk. End with the last of the buttermilk. Beat until well combined.

Fill each of the muffin cups 2/3 full of batter. Bake for 17 - 19 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

In the meantime, peel and pit a large avocado. Place the avocado in a bowl and combine with lime juice. Beat until the color lightens and the mixture becomes mostly smooth. Add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time making sure to fully combine before adding the next batch of powdered sugar. Add the vanilla extract.

At this point, the frosting will most likely appear too thick. Add 1 tablespoon of buttermilk to smooth and thin the mixture just slightly. If you won't use the buttercream immediately, store it in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Top each cupcake with your desired amount of buttercream frosting and enjoy!

Hey There, Sugar

I'm feeling kind of good about my baking life right now.

Why you ask?

Well, my friend, I'll tell you. I'm picking up a wee bit of side business.

My wonderful co-worker Lauren ordered two dozen of my Sweet & Salty Strawberry Ganache Cookies for her birthday in a few weeks. They're fun little cookies to make, and I'm especially excited that she'll be sharing them with her friends at a birthday celebration. How fun!

(PS - if you haven't checked out her blog, get your booty over to You Had Me at Handmade. You'll be glad you did.)

My second mother texted me today with a request for cupcakes in a hurry. Two dozen, to be exact. I'll be throwing together some yummy cupcakes for her work function on Monday. Strawberry or lemon are top of the list per her suggestion. I'm debating which I think we'll be the tastiest.

My awesome boss is passing along my name to a friend of hers that works in catering. Baking just isn't his thing. So, maybe, if all goes well... We'll see.

Plus, I still have my two weddings booked in December. I'm downright pumped!

Angel Food Cake

I think this may be the lightest recipe I've baked up in a while. I need to come up with a few more angel food recipes - it might take some of the pressure off my hips.

Angel Food Cake
Serves 20
Points 2

1 1/2 cups liquid egg whites
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup granulated sugar

Pour egg whites into mixing bowl and let stand for 30 minutes to reach room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Sift together flour and powdered sugar. Make sure you don't have any lumps hanging out in your dry ingredients.

Add cream of tartar, vanilla extract, almond extract and salt to the egg whites. Beat on high. Slowly add the granulated sugar, beating thoroughly until the sugar is dissolved and stiff peaks form in the whites.

NOTE: Some people are going to tell you this only takes a few minutes of beating for peaks to form. Frankly, it took me at least 15 minutes. Be patient. You will get your peaks. If you have a stand mixer, turn it on high and walk away for a bit. It helps you keep your cool.

Once stiff peaks have formed, fold in the flour mixture in small batches. Pour into an ungreased flute pan or bundt pan (I used the latter). Run a knife through the batter to make sure any air bubbles are released. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until the cake springs back when you press down lightly.

When you remove the pan from the oven, immediately invert it onto a cake pan or plate. Allow to cool completely in the inverted position. Once cool, remove from pan by gently running a knife along the sides of the cake and shaking out.

If you've allowed the cake to cool completely, it won't tear as you're removing it from the pan. If you haven't, you won't be quite as lucky. Patience is the name of the game with angel food cake. In the end, though, it's worth it.

I'll share my strawberry rhubarb sauce with you tomorrow Friday. It's the perfect topping for some freshly baked angel food cake!

I Need to Tell You Something

You need to make this pie.



You need to make it right now.

Right. Now.

I say this because, despite the fact that it has so many Points I refuse to tell you the number, one itty bitty slice is just about enough to send you into sugar-induced bliss for the better part of an entire evening.

All things considered, I feel like a better person. Not only because I made it (from scratch!), but also because I ate one perfectly sinful slice and it made my entire weekend.

If you think I'm joking, it's because you haven't tried it yet. So please do. You need to. You can find the handy-dandy recipe over at Joy the Baker. To make it easy for you, just click here.

Simple, right?

Dutch Apple Pie

I've mentioned that birthdays have become a chance for me to create edible presents for my friends. It's what I'm doing currently. Who's to say that in the next couple of years I won't have changed my MO completely. For the moment, though, it's what works.

It's also what enables me to bake this yummy Dutch Apple Pie for my friend Amanda. It's her favorite dessert, and since I couldn't come up with a solid idea for True Blood cupcakes, despite many hours of thinking and scanning the world around me for inspiration, it became her birthday present from me. I should also mention that said birthday present was delivered hot from the oven last night. That's right, we go all out for birthdays around here.

Dutch Apple Pie
Serves 8

For pie
1 9-inch deep dish pie crust, unbaked
5 apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon cornstarch

For cinnamon crumb topping
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup cold butter, cut into pads

Preheat your oven to 400 F.

In a large bowl combine the apples with the sugar, cinnamon and corn starch. Toss to thoroughly cover all apple slices with the cinnamon sugar mixture and the corn starch. You want to make sure you get a thick, syrupy filling with plenty of sweet flavor. Pour apple mixture into uncooked pie shell.

I'm still not very adept at using my mother's pie crust recipe, so I opted for a frozen pie crust. I know, shame on me. One day, probably around the holidays, I'll perfect it. As it stands,  you could check out Joy the Baker's Easy No-Roll Pie Crust or Pioneer Woman's Perfect Pie Crust or any other pie crust recipe that you think would be appropriate. I will be using my mom's recipe in the future, I assure you, but for this pie, though, we went with safe.

Because it was a birthday gift. And because I'd already had one massive failure in the kitchen to deflate my spirit for the day. Royal icing isn't always your friend in a time of need.

I digress.

To make the crumbly, cinnamony, all around tasty topping, you're going to combine your dry ingredients in a handy-dandy bowl. Then add the pads of butter and using a pastry blender, or two butter knives, or, heck, even your fingers, blend the butter into flour mixture until it becomes crumbly. It was my first date with my pastry blender. I think it may be true love.

Top your apple-filled pie crust with the crumb mixture and pop your pie into the oven for 35 - 40 minutes, or until the pie crust is a nice golden brown and so is your crumbly Dutch topping.

Little Bit of Everything Going On

Today is a super busy day.

Man-baby Shower. 30th Birthday Dinner & Drinks. Making sure my house doesn't look like two slobs live in it.

That does not mean I don't have a super secret project to share tomorrow. Or lots of great recipes from this weekend/this week that are going to rock. I have both, and I can't wait to share.

Starting tomorrow.

Hot Cross Buns

I won't take any credit for this delicious recipe. It's not mine, and I don't steal. However, I will tell you that the suggestion to add your own spices encouraged me for some reason. I think it's because the encouragement came from Pioneer Woman, and I think she's pretty swell. So you know what I did? I added my own spice.

I recently visited the spice shop in our local farmers' market for the second time, and I picked up some cardamom. It's a spice I've seen in a number of recipes, but I'd never been able to find it at a reasonable price. Low and behold, the spice shop had it and had it cheap. I snagged some. The hot cross buns were the first recipe to feel the warm touch of my new cardamom purchase.

I think it was a good choice. Delicious.

Now that you've seen that anyone can make these buns, you should head on over to PW's site and pick up the recipe for yourself. And remember, don't be afraid to add your own spice. It's worth it.

Happy Easter!

May you have a wonderful holiday full of all the beautiful traditions and sweet moments with your loved ones that one day can hold.

The weather is supposed to be lovely in my neck of the woods, and I'm quite excited to be spending some quality time with my sister, her fiance, my parents and my main squeeze in the "country" tomorrow. We may have to conference call my other sister and her husband out in Cali. It's hard not having the whole gang together for some holidays, but they'll be in for a visit in July. For now, a conference call will do.

So what's on the menu? Slow smoked pork loin and my mom's potato salad. And the cupcakes above.

I used my carrot cupcake recipe and Bakerella's inspiring idea to make these little Easter numbers.

Adorable.

Yummy.

What more can you ask for?



Happy Easter, everyone!

Carrot Cupcakes

If you're anything like me, when you think about Easter you then think about bunnies. When you think about bunnies, you think about carrots. When you think about carrots, you think about ranch dressing or humus or Laughing Cow Light Swiss Cheese Wedges. No? Just me? Maybe. When you think about carrots, you may also think about raisins and cinnamon and tasty, tasty cake. Then, despite your best intentions to be nice to your thighs after your run-ins with your personal trainer and her 30-pound squats, you make carrot cupcakes.

Carrot Cupcakes
Servings: 24 - 30
Points: A lot - eat at your own risk

For the cake:
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups carrots, grated
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup raisins

For frosting:
1 stick butter, softened
8 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare muffin tins with wrappers.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl) beat together the eggs, vegetable oil, sugar and vanilla extract. Mix in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Once fully incorporated, you'll have a very thick batter. Stir in the grated carrots and raisins. Carefully fold in the chopped pecans.

Fill each cupcake cup 1/2 full. Do not overfill the muffin cups. If you do, the rising power of this batter will cause the cupcake to spill over the liners and create a thick crusty ledge around the cupcake. It's not pretty. I'd know.

Bake cupcakes for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from cupcake tins and allow to cool on complete on a wire rack.

While the cupcakes are cooling, start the cream cheese frosting. Yum!

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, cream cheese and vanilla extract. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, stirring until smooth before adding the next cup.

Top each cupcake with a generous heap of frosting. It's so worth it.

Remember, don't tell your hips what you're doing. They really, really won't like you. If they complain too loudly, remind them that you're going on a two-mile run tomorrow. Then take another bite. Mmmm.

Sweet Potato "Casserole" Bread with Cinnamon Cream Sauce

It wasn't until I was an adult that I fully appreciated Sweet Potato Casserole. It took me a long time to come to terms with the tastiness that is the sweet potato, mostly because the slightly sweet flavor never really jived with me as potato-like when I was a kid. Now, though, I can't wait for Thanksgiving to roll around so I can try some of my mom's casserole. I considered her recipe the inspiration for this slightly sweet, spice-filled bread that incorporates all my favorite things about the Thanksgiving classic.

The best part is you can go simple or you can go a little fancier depending on your mood of the moment. Toast it up and spread it with a little butter, or drizzle it with warm cinnamon cream sauce. Either way, it's delicious. I'm partial to the cream sauce . It just gives it such a yummy dessert quality that I can't resist.

Sweet Potato "Casserole" Bread with Cinnamon Cream Sauce


For the bread:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/3 cup sweet potato puree
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
3/4 cup miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

For the cinnamon cream sauce:
1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup fat-free evaporated milk

To make sweet potato puree, rinse a large sweet potato thoroughly under warm water. Puncture 10 - 12 times with a fork on all sides of the potato. Microwave for 8 minutes or until soft. Allow to cool. Scoop meat out of the skin.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Sift together the flour, kosher salt, sugar and baking soda.

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the sweet potato, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup water, vanilla and spices. Combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix together too thoroughly. Add the marshmallows and nuts and stir gently to incorporate.

Pour into a well-greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake 50 - 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn out of the pan onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely.



While the bread is cooling, combine the sugar, corn syrup, water and cinnamon in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for approximately 4 minutes. Allow the sugar mixture to cool for 10 minutes. After the sauce has cooled, stir in the evaporated milk.

Serve cinnamon cream warm over slices of sweet potato bread.