"Leftovers" Cupcakes

Last week I wanted to bake and realized I had leftover frosting in the freezer. There was a tub of chocolate fudge frosting from the peanut butter cupcakes that didn't turn out so hot. There was also a tub of bourbon caramel cream cheese frosting from the second batch of amazing eggnog cupcakes. Being the frugal person that I am, I decided to use the leftovers. I baked up a batch of vanilla cupcakes from the book 500 Cupcakes and frosted half with the chocolate and the other half with the cream cheese. Truth be told, they weren't that great. Brennan still ate them but he's 12 so he'll eat any sweets he can! I'll keep searching for the perfect vanilla cupcake recipe.

Curry Perfume!?

I love curry...love it! I love the taste, the smell, everything! I love it so much that when I was cooking dinner the other night I told Laura that I'd wear curry perfume if I could find it. She asked me not to ;) I found this recipe when I was cooking with pearl onions for Thanksgiving and couldn't wait to try it! Pearl Onions and Curry Chicken served with some rice, asparagus, and naan. Yumm!

 Pearl Onions & Curry Chicken

10 oz. package pearl onions, peeled (boil in a pot of water for about 3 minutes to make them easier to peel)

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

8 oz. can of tomato sauce

1 tbsp. curry powder

1/4 cup white white

1/2 tsp. Sriracha ("Rooster Sauce")

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp. olive oil

Sauté chicken breasts in olive oil. I seasoned with a little curry powder, salt, and pepper first.  Remove after cooking and cut into chunks.  Sauté pearl onions in the same pan for about 3 minutes.  Stir in curry powder, garlic, and Sriracha.  Sauté until the onions are translucent.  Return chicken to the pan and stir in wine and tomato sauce. Let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serves 4.

A Spiked Eggnog is a Happy Eggnog...

That being said, a spiked eggnog cupcake is a happy cupcake! I am not a fan of eggnog but Laura is. I feel like she's deprived every holiday season because I turn my nose up at it. So I decided to bake eggnog cupcakes. Wow! These are delicious. The cupcake recipe makes 12. The frosting is probably enough for a little over 2 dozen cupcakes. I froze the leftover frosting to use on a future batch of cupcakes.

 Eggnog Cupcakes with Bourbon Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

Cupcakes:

1/4 cup bourbon

1 cup eggnog

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup sugar

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.  In a small bowl, mix together the bourbon, eggnog, vegetable oil, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract.  In a large bowl, mix together the nutmeg, sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.  Divide evenly between prepared muffin cups.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed.  Cool in the pan 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Frosting:

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon butter

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons bourbon

1 1/2 packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

4 cups confectioner's sugar

To make the bourbon caramel, heat brown sugar, cream, butter, and salt over medium high heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved.  Continue cooking for another minute. Pour in bourbon and stir to combine. Take off heat and let cool.

Beat cream cheese and butter until soft with an electric mixer.  Add the confectioner's sugar and beat to combine.  Add the bourbon caramel and beat to combine.

Frost the cupcakes and dust with nutmeg, if desired.

 

Meatless Monday!

So, I started this blog with the intention of just posting my cupcakes and muffins but sometimes I'm going to share other recipes that I think are worthy. This is definitely one of them! I've been trying to convince Laura and Brennan to participate in Meatless Monday for a while now but they are both very dedicated carnivores so it was no easy task. They finally agreed, probably to get me to stop nagging them!

Laura had Baltimore Nighthawks football practice on a frigid Monday night a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to have a dinner ready for her afterward that would really warm her up. This did the trick!  I sauteed some baby spinach with a clove of chopped garlic and some onion and served that on top of the risotto with some warm, crusty bread.

Wild Mushroom and Red Wine Risotto

5 1/2 cups vegetable stock

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry red wine

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 pound mixed wild mushrooms, thinly sliced ( I used porcini mushrooms and baby bellas )

1 shallot, minced

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

In a medium saucepan, bring the vegetable stock to a simmer. Keep warm.

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil.  Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium heat, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.  Add the wine and cook, stirring until the wine is absorbed.  Add 1 cup of the warm stock and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it is nearly absorbed.  Continue adding the stock 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly, until it is nearly absorbed between additions.  The risotto is done when the rice is al dente and suspended in a thick, creamy sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt the butter.  Add the mushrooms and shallot, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and brown, about 10 minutes.  Scrape the mushrooms into the risotto and stir in the cheese and parsley. Serve immediately. Makes about 6 servings.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

I promise... This is my last pumpkin recipe of the year. Really, it is. This year Laura had to work on Thanksgiving so Brennan and I had dinner at my parent's house. Then we had Thanksgiving II at home on Friday. We planned our menu of ham, sauteed brussels sprouts, green bean casserole, and au gratin potato casserole and Laura went to the grocery store to get everything. But we forgot dessert! How did that happen!? She saved the day by grabbing a Keebler pie crust and everything needed for the recipe on the back of the label. It was actually pretty darn good! Super easy, too!

Fluffy Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 eggs

1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin

1 Keebler Ready Crust Extra Serving Size Pie Crust

In large mixing bowl beat cream cheese on medium speed until fluffy. Add sugar and spices. Beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined after each addition. Stir in the pumpkin. 

Pour into crust (on a baking sheet). Bake at 350 F for 35 to 40 minutes or until center is almost set. 

Cool for 1 hour on wire rack. Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving. Garnish with whipped cream and a little spice. Enjoy!

And the Winner is...

The poll results are in and the next cupcake I'll be baking is...

Peanut Butter Cup!

Thanks to everyone who voted. Brennan is the one who gave me the idea so he'll be tickled! Laura will have to wait on those mint chocolate chip cupcakes!

Time to Hit the Trails!

I won't be baking this weekend because Laura and I will be backpacking in the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia. Woohoo! I've been looking forward to this hike for months! Thinking about hiking reminded me of the Trail Mix Muffins I made for a day hike some months ago. They were delicious and perfectly packable!

Trail Mix Muffins

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats (plain oatmeal)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups trail mix (got mine at Trader Joe's. It had chocolate and peanut butter chips. Yumm!)

Preheat oven to 400. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Pour into dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in trail mix.

Divide batter evenly into prepared muffin cups. Each cup will be about 3/4 full.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of each comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 24 muffins