Cupcakes!

After a 2 month hiatus, I'm back! I have no excuse for not posting for so long, I just got lazy one week, and that one week turned into 2 months. Oops! So much for my resolution of posting a new creation every week. I may have been missing in action from my cyber world, but I did have a couple yummy experiments that I would like to share. They're both cupcakes...my current obsession.

The first were key lime cupcakes with cream cheese frosting I made for a baby shower at work. For these I just used a Betty Crocker recipe you can find here. They turned out pretty good. I had a lot of fun playing with different designs using my new piping bag!

My next cupcake adventure was inspired by the 3 boxes of Tagalongs sitting in my cupboards staring at me every time I opened the door. Tagalongs are one my absolute favorite treats, and I needed to get them out of my house before I devoured all 3 boxes. I googled tagalong cupcake recipes, and came across several variations, but no one recipe stuck out to me. So, I got creative and took ideas I liked from each and made my own Tagalong Cupcakes.

The best part of this recipe (besides the fact that it is nothing but choclatey-peanut buttery goodness) is that the cake itself was just a box mix. You can use any chocolate cake mix you like. I think I used Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate. Prepare the mix according to the directions on the box. Place one tagalong in the bottom of each cupcake liner. Pour batter on top so that your liners are about 2/3 full. Because the tagalongs take up a little room you will have extra batter after filling two 12-cupcake pans. You have 2 choices here: 1. Eat the batter (the prefferred choice); 2. make a couple extra cupcakes. I must admit, I took the high road and baked the extra batter using one of my mini-cupcake pans. Bake the cupcakes according the the box directions.

While the cupcakes are baking go ahead and whip up some peanut butter buttercream frosting. This stuff absolutely makes the cupcakes. I got the recipe here. For something so delicious, it was pretty simple.

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter
1 c creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
2-3 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla

Cream butter and peanut butter together until smooth. Add vanilla as the butter and peanut butter are mixing. Add the powdered sugar and mix well. Add milk one tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency. Let the icing whip 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. This is more important in this particular buttercream than a basic vanilla buttercream.

Ice your cupcakes and decorate with 1/2 a tagalong. Try not to eat too many in one sitting! I took them to work, and sent the rest with Brian to work, only keeping a couple for myself. I knew I would have no self-control if these things were sitting in my kitchen for too long. Bathing suit season is right around the corner you know!

Week 7 - Cheddar Beer Soup with Homemade Soft Pretzels

Happy Valentine's Day! Well, almost. This week I'm posting the Valentine's meal requested by my hubby. A few days ago we were talking about what I might blog about this week, and he told me he knew just what I should make. I was a little nervous, because I'd never even looked at a recipe for cheddar beer soup or pretzels. We ended up making it a joint effort, coming up with the recipe for the soup after Brian glanced at a few just to get an idea of basic ingredients and amounts. For the pretzels I used Alton Brown's recipe. We worked together to make them both this Saturday and had an early Valentines celebration. I must say, I'm pretty impressed with our result. The soup was very good, and I couldn't get enough of the pretzels!

Cheddar Beer Soup

8 slices bacon

1 cup baby carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 white onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 stick unsalted butter

4 Tablespoons flour

12 oz. bottle beer (We used Fat Tire amber ale)

2 cups chicken stock

1/2 tsp. mustard powder

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 Tb. Worcestershire

1 Tb. dijon mustard

12 oz. half and half

12 oz. milk

10 oz. extra sharp cheddar, grated

10 oz. extra sharp white cheddar, grated

salt

pepper

• Cook bacon in large pot. I cooked 4 at a time and cut them in half so they would crisp up. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels. Crumble once bacon is cool enough to handle. Reserve about half the bacon grease.
• Add the diced vegetables (carrots, celery, onion, garlic) to the bacon drippings. Season with about 1 tsp. each salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat. Stir occasionally. Cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 12-15 minutes.
• Add butter and flour. Stir to melt butter and coat vegetables. Cook about 5 minutes, until butter and flour mixture just begin to brown.
• Add beer, stock, mustard powder, dijon mustard, cayenne pepper, Worcestershire, and a pinch of black pepper. Bring to a boil. Add milk and half & half. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.
• Add cheeses a handful at a time, stirring to melt evenly.
• Serve with crumbled bacon, a pretzel, and a beer :).

This recipe made 6 servings (for us, you could probably stretch it to 7 or 8). Next time we make this we may add either potatoes or crab meat. I think either would be delicious. Also, the pretzel made the meal, so if you don't want to make pretzels I would suggest a good loaf of crusty bread. This soup is pretty rich, so one bowl makes a filling meal. If you try it let me know how it goes!

Week 6 - Orange Zested Cookies with Orange Glaze

Yesterday we had our sunday school class over for a superbowl party. When we originally decided to host the party I was so excited. My mind was instantly reeling with football-themed snacks and sweets. Then real life happened! Last week was crazy-busy, and I had two other parties to attend on Saturday, so the cute football snacks never happened. All week I planned on posting about the snacks that never ended up getting made, so instead I'm sharing the cookies I made for the party. They are not super cute, but they make up for it in flavor. They are so moist and taste wonderful! I got the recipe from a cute blog with lots of yummy recipes. I'm looking forward to trying the creamy potato leek soup soon!

Orange Zested Cookies with Orange Glaze

Cookies:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons orange zest
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 egg

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Mix sugar and orange zest. Rub together with your fingers until the zest is mixed through and the sugar is a little moist from the oils in the zest. Using a mixer, cream the butter and orange zested sugar. Add egg and orange juice. Slowly add the dry ingredients until well incorporated. Chill the dough for an hour or more (overnight even). Roll into smooth round balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Mine were about 1 - 1 1/2 inch balls. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, just until bottoms a very lightly golden brown.  I took mine out right at 10 minutes.

Glaze:

1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

1 tablespoon orange zest

fresh orange juice

Mix confectioners sugar, zest, and just enough juice to get a glaze consistency. I left mine a little think so it would stick to the cookies a little better. Once the cookies have cooled drizzle the glaze all over (it's ok to get a little on your fingers!). Let set up.

This recipe can be used with any citrus fruit. I think grapefruit would be delicious! I'm also thinking about taking the idea to cupcakes. If you try these let me know how it goes, and if you changed the fruit!

Week 4 - Coasters & Gooey Brownies

Once again, I'm posting late. Maybe I need to add stop procrastinating to my resolutions! This week I have 2 creations. I made some cheap, cute coasters to replace the old glass ones I've had forever. I also made a gooey brownie/cookie/oreo dessert that was delicious!

Here's how I made the coasters:

Materials needed:

Scrapbook paper (1 or 2, depending on the pattern you choose)

4 x 4 tiles from Home Depot

Mod Podge

Clear spray paint

What to do:

Start by cutting your paper. Cutting and deciding on the design for the coasters was the hardest part for me (I'm so indecisive!). Once you have decided on your design, mod podge the paper to the tiles. I applied 2 or 3 coats on top of the paper. Let them dry overnight, then spray paint. Once again, let them dry overnight. Now you have brand new coasters!

*One step I have not done that is probably needed is to add felt pads to the bottom of the tiles. The only felt pads we could find at Lowes are pretty thick, so I'm hoping to find something at Michael's or Hobby Lobby. 

And now, for the brownies....

These were yet another Pinterest find. The blog I got them from called them Slutty Brownies, because they're so easy and a little filthy. :)  I made them for a lunch at school, and they disappeared pretty quickly, so that's a good sign!

What you need:
Brownie mix (along with needed eggs, oil, & water)
Chocolate Chip cookie mix (same as above)
Oreos

Mix cookie dough according to directions plus 1 tsp. water(keeps the dough moist since you'll be baking it longer than normal). Line an 8x8 or 9x13 pan (see notes below) with parchment paper. Press cookie dough into the bottom of the pan. Press oreos into cookie dough. 

Mix brownie batter according to directions. Pour on top of oreos.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

While the brownies are still somewhat warm pull them out of the pan using the parchment paper and place on a cutting board. Slice and enjoy the ooey, gooey brownie/oreo/cookie magic! They are very messy and gooey, so be prepared to lick your fingers!

Notes-I used an 8x8 pan because that's what it looked like in the pictures from the original recipe, but the brownies were so tall I think I may try a 9x13 pan next time. Also, the recipe said to bake for 30 minutes, but when I checked at 30 minutes they looked too raw for me. They were still pretty gooey in the center after 40 minutes, but it was perfect for me.

I hope you try the brownies, they really were amazing! Whoever thought to put cookie dough, oreos, and brownies together is a genius!

Week 3 - New Life to an Old Vase

I'm super late posting this week, but I have a good excuse. I have a new nephew! We spent all weekend in Valdosta swooning over baby Jack. He's pretty much perfect, and I didn't want to leave! I guess it's back to reality for me though...



Jack

I did complete my project last week though, so I'm still following the stipulations of my new year's resolution! This week I took an idea I saw on Pinterest and rejuvenated an old boring vase. Here's a link to the original. It was a very easy project, and I'm really happy with my end result.

Here's what you'll need:
glass vase
rubber bands
frosted glass spray paint
painter's tape

Steps:

1. Thoroughly clean and dry your vase.

2. Wrap rubber bands around your vase. The pattern (or lack thereof) is completely up to you. I tried to make it kind of random.

4. If your rubber bands leave dust on the vase wipe it off with a wet paper towel.

5. Stick some painter's tape on the inside of the top rim to prevent the paint from getting inside the vase.

6. Go outside. Spray a few coats of frosted glass spray paint onto the vase according to the directions on the can of paint. I sprayed 4 coats.

7. Once the paint is dry you can remove the rubber bands, wipe any dust left behind by the rubber bands off with a paper towel, and enjoy your new vase!


My new vase!
Ignore that nastiness on the table, refinishing it is one of my next projects :)





Week 2 - Chicken Artichoke Lasagna

Well, week 2 wasn't any more crafty than week 1. I stuck to a new recipe again this week. I have the materials for a couple projects I hope to complete in the next week though.

So, this week I chose a recipe that I pinned weeks ago, and just never got around to actually making. To be honest, I wasn't sure if I'd ever make it, because it has artichokes and it's a lasagna, and Brian is not a huge fan of either (I am though!). I was pleasantly surprised when I asked if it was something he'd eat and he said yes. As soon as I got the go ahead I put it on my menu for the week. It turned out pretty good, but not as good as I thought it would be. :( I'm pretty sure it's my fault, and not the recipe's though. I made a couple minor changes, and I'm not one for sticking to precise measurements, so it wasn't as creamy as it should have been. I don't want to discourage anyone from trying this recipe, because I did enjoy it! I just need to learn to follow the recipe sometimes. :) 

You can find the original recipe here. Below I have the recipe along with where I made changes:

2 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts *I increased the chicken to about 3 cups. I think this decreased the creaminess. I also cooked my chicken in the crock pot all day. Do not do this! It was overcooked and the chicken mixture ended up with a weird texture.1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
1 pkg. (8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese with a TOUCH OF PHILADELPHIA, divided *I used fat free mozzarella

1/2 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

1/2 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened *I used neufchatel

1 cup milk

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 cup tightly packed fresh basil, chopped, divided *I couldn't find any fresh basil at Kroger, so I used dried

12 lasagna noodles, cooked

Directions
HEAT oven to 350°F.
COMBINE chicken, artichokes, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan and tomatoes. Beat cream cheese, milk and garlic powder with mixer until well blended; stir in 2 Tbsp. basil. Mix half with the chicken mixture.
SPREAD half the remaining cream cheese mixture onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with 3 noodles and 1/3 of the chicken mixture. Repeat layers of noodles and chicken mixture twice. Top with remaining noodles, cream cheese mixture and mozzarella; cover.
BAKE 25 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining basil. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve.

If I had stuck with the recipe I think this would have been delicious. The taste was great, it was just the texture of the chicken that really got me. I've learned something though! Don't cook 3 chicken breasts in a tiny bit of water in the crock pot for 9 hours! I think I will make this again. I'll follow the recipe next time, and I'll probably cut the recipe in half. It made 8 servings, and as good as it tasted, I was pretty tired of it by day 3! The best part of this recipe...I got to use my new mixer! Now that I've broken it in I can get to baking. I see some sort of cupcakes in my near future :)

Week 1 - Chicken Tortilla Soup

     I'm officially onto my New Year's resolution! I had some fun crafting while on Christmas break, but to start my year of cooking and crafting I decided to use the many delicious recipes on Pinterest as my inspiration. (Actually, between going back to school and it being my birthday this weekend I was feeling kind of lazy.) But hey, either way I made something!

     My original plan was to use my new super awesome Kitchenaid Stand Mixer (Christmas present-yay!) to make myself some birthday cupcakes. I found a recipe for white-chocolate vanilla cupcakes that look too good not to make. I was then informed by my husband that it's a little sad to make your own birthday cupcakes, so those will have to wait for another week. As for my birthday treats, my husband is now in charge of the cooking!

     What I actually ended up making was a recipe that I stumbled upon while browsing---wait for it---Pinterest! I know, shocking, I was browsing Pinterest? Anyway, it's soup and made in the crockpot. On a week like this those are two of the best ways to describe a meal. It's been freeeeezing here this week, and I've had no energy to actually cook after school. My body is still on vacation!

Here's the recipe, with a few of my adaptations, originally found here.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped

1 can kidney beans, drained

1 can black beans, drained

1 can corn, drained (I completely forgot to add this!)

2 cans Ro-Tel

2 cans chicken broth (I always have a carton, so I just filled the two Ro-Tel cans wiith broth and measured that way)

1-2 cans (Ro-Tel cans again) water

1 Tbsp each Cumin, Garlic Powder, Chili Powder

1 dried red chili pepper (optional, I added this because the soup was lacking heat)

*1 small can diced chilies (I didn't have them this time, but next time I will to add more heat)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

Place all ingredients except chicken in a crockpot. Stir to combine. Place chicken in the crockpot, making sure they're mostly covered by liquid. Turn crockpot on low and let cook for about 8 hours. Once cooked, shred chicken with two forks, stir, and serve! (makes 5-6 servings)

Optional toppings:

sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado slices, tortilla chips

I wasn't sure how tasty this soup would be since it was so easy, but it was surprisingly good! Especially when I added the sour cream, cheese, avocado, and chips. There are two things I will change for next time- remember the corn, and add more peppers for heat. I don't like spicy food, but I do like my chicken tortilla soup to be a little bit spicy.

Maybe next week I'll feel a little more crafty....