Classic White Cake

Classic white cake with white frosting has always been my daddy's favorite.  And seeing as he was visiting me in Texas, and it just happened to be that he was flying in on his birthday, I couldn't pass by the special opportunity.

Growing up, I have fond memories of my mom making the classic Hershey's Chocolate Cake recipe from the back of the cocoa powder container.  It's certainly a recipe that I have gone to many times when making a chocolate cake (even though I love to make my own recipe up quite often!).  Knowing that my daddy loves his white cake, and that chocolate is not quite the same thing, and after looking at numerous white cake recipes and not really finding anything I liked all that well, I decided to go with my creative side again.  What if I substituted the cocoa powder used in the Hershey's recipe with cake flour?  Hmmm!!!  So, once again, scrounging the cupboards, it came to my sad realization that, well... there wasn't really enough oil.  I didn't want to add a lot of density to this recipe, so olive oil was out of the question.  I measured out what measly amount was left.  1/8 of a cup...  Well, that wasn't going to suffice for the 1/2 I needed.  Why not try something new?  So, the recipe that follows below is exactly what I did, and you know what?  I was quite pleased with the cake portion of it!  (I was pleased with the frosting as well, but I have to say that personally, with a white cake, I want a chocolate or other flavored frosting, and with a chocolate cake, I tend to like a white frosting.  I think they provide a nice balance with one another, but as it wasn't my birthday, I decided to go with the options that I knew would make my dad's taste-buds the happiest!).

Classic White Cake
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
1/8 cup oil
3/8 (or 6 tbs) melted butter
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350.

In a bowl, combine flour, cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.  In a stand mixer, combine oil, butter, and sugar and mix for about two minutes (or until light and fluffy!).  Add in eggs, milk, vanilla, and almond extracts and mix.  On low, incorporate flour mixture into wet ingredients.  Do not over mix, but allow to be blended.  Add boiling water and slowly mix again just until mixture looks fully incorporated.

Butter and flour two 8" or two 9" cake pans.  Divide batter evenly between the two.  Once oven has preheated, baking for 18-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean, but cake is not overdone (mine was done when I checked it at 18 minutes, but your oven may be quite different!).

Allow to cool for about 10 minutes on cooling racks before removing the cakes from the pans.  (If you're not sure how to best remove cakes from cake pans, check out the first cake recipe Anna and I did back in February in "Party Time.")  The cakes should rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes before frosting.

Almond Buttercream Frosting
1/2 cup butter (room temp)
1/4 - 1/3 cup milk
1 - 2 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 - 4 cups powdered sugar

In a stand mixer, beat butter and almond extract (until fluffy).  Slowly alternate milk and powdered sugar until forms nice peaks and holds it's texture well or until desired texture is reached. 

If you're a big frosting person, I would suggest using 3/4 cup butter and making an extra half of the recipe as this was just enough to frost the cake with a nice layer but not an abundant amount of frosting!

If you're a chocolate person, then think about adding some cocoa powder in place of the powdered sugar.

Assemble the cake by placing a layer of frosting in the middle of the cake or be creative.  Do whatever sounds best to you for the middle between the two cake layers.  This cake had a thin layer of the white frosting as well as a layer of raspberry!  Just a few ideas of what can be done with a white cake!

And yes, the egg really is balanced (it isn't balanced against anything and hasn't been photoshopped!)

Lemon Fennel Chicken with Brown Butter Sauce

I guess tonight I don't have too much to say...  It was a night alone and I needed some dinner to inspire me to keep working and getting things done.  I started searching the cupboards and looking for what I could use without heading to the store (sounding like a theme?).  This was certainly not a planned meal, but all in all, I was quite pleased and rather sad that I enjoyed it all by myself.  While stuffing my face, I wished I had had a loaf of nice garlic bread or maybe some garlic mashed potatoes to accompany the meal, but despite that, it didn't discourage me from enjoying the creation.  (I highly suggest some if you make this!).

I can't take all the credit for this creation.  Props go to Julia Child, as she has a delicious white wine cream sauce with lemon and fennel chicken, that Nicholas and I quite enjoy (and as for the green beans, it's a twist on a regular in my in-laws household).  As I found I was lacking some good 'ol heavy cream and couldn't make that recipe, I decided to go with my instinct.  That's what you have just got to do!

 Lemon Fennel Chicken with Brown Butter Sauce
2 large chicken breasts (butterflied and cut in half)
salt and pepper
zest of one lemon
juice of lemon
3-4 garlic cloves (minced)
2/3 - 1 cup white wine
3-4 tbs butter
1 tsp fennel seeds

Prepare chicken by butterflying and salt and peppering both sides.  In a large skillet, heat 2 tbs butter on medium heat.  Once melted, add in chicken, browning both sides (about 3-4 minutes per side).  Turn up heat to medium-high and add wine (it will do that cool burning-off thing when it sizzles!).  Toss in garlic, zest, lemon juice, and fennel seeds.  Check to see if chicken is cooked through, if not, remove sauce and chicken to finish cooking.  If chicken is fully cooked, remove chicken from the skillet, add 1-2 more tbs butter, and allow sauce to thicken and brown (but not burn!).  Once sauce has reduced, add chicken back in for about 1-2 minutes to allow sauce to cover the chicken.

Remove from heat and serve.

Balsamic Green Beans and Onion
1 medium onion (sliced)
16 oz green beans
salt and pepper
2-3 cloves garlic (minced)
3-4 tbs olive oil
1-2 tbs balsamic vinegar

Heat a skillet on medium-high heat.  Add 2 tbs olive oil to skillet.  Once oil is heated, add onions and add salt and pepper to season.  Begin cooking down onions.  After about five minutes, add garlic.  Once onions have begin to nicely caramelize, toss in green beans, adding more olive oil if necessary.  Cook until desired tenderness.  About a minute before, toss on balsamic so it lightly coats the green beans and onions.

Orange Walnut Muffins

So, as some of you might have seen last night on Facebook, I (Lexi) was having a craving for muffins.  An extreme, or rather extremely distracting, craving that just wasn't going away.  I NEEDED a muffin!  It almost didn't matter what kind it was, I just wanted to pull out all the ingredients and get baking!

There's something comforting about a muffin.  I have a favorite muffin from my childhood that my mom would make once every two or three months (pure butter, sugar, and cinnamon) that we called French Breakfast Puffs, and, let's just say, they would never last that long.  I guess there was a "good" reason they were reserved for special days, as they call for a large amount of butter.  But when you're eating them, you suddenly forget about that small thing called calories (and indulge yourself!).  Someday we'll make those, because they melt in your mouth and are o-so-addicting, but today was a day for a slightly "more healthy" muffin.  Or rather, just one without two sticks (or more...) of butter.any

With all the delicious muffin ideas people suggested, can you believe that I basically didn't have ONE ingredient for any of those?!  So, after raiding the cupboards to see what I had and what my options could be (I figured it was better to use what I had rather than let things go to waste and go to the store to buy more food, when really, there's plenty here to be used), this is what I settled upon.  Someday friends, I shall make the other suggestions.  :)

Orange Walnut Muffins
6 tbs butter (melted)
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup yogurt (I used maple!)
zest of one orange
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp orange extract

Preheat oven to 350.

Start by mixing the butter and brown sugar together until smooth and slightly fluffy.  Then mix in eggs, and next yogurt until creamy.  Add vanilla, orange extract, and orange zest and mix just until blended.  Toss in walnuts last and mix for just a few seconds.

In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together until blended.  Pour dry ingredients into wet mixture and mix just until incorporated (do not over work the batter).

Depending on your preference, either place liners in your muffin tin or butter and flour.  Divide batter evenly, filling just about to the top.  Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

This recipe yields 12 muffins.

Spaghetti Squash with Tomato and Basil

Spaghetti Squash: part one.  The boys are officially out of town for about a week, which means that we'll be cooking some meals together now.  So, here we go!

Quite an odd little vegetable here that spaghetti squash is, and rather difficult to cut through as well.  As I read what someone wrote in a blog of their own, it probably is the most well named vegetable, as it really does look like spaghetti once it's cooked.  Since we're nearing the end of squash season, we might as well make the most of it.  This squash is lasting us two meals.  So, ladies and gentleman, here is part one of the spaghetti squash adventure!

Spaghetti Squash with Tomato and Basil
1/2 medium spaghetti squash
2 decently sized tomatoes (diced and deseeded)
2 generous tbs basil paste (or pesto)
3-4 cloves garlic (minced)
1/4 cup olive oil
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

To prepare the spaghetti squash, cut longways in half.  This will take some brute force, so brace yourself.  This is a little more difficult, in our opinion, to cut than an acorn squash, butternut squash, etc.  Once halved, remove the seeds and strings from the center.  Place face down in a glass baking pan and bake until squash is tender (about 40-50 minutes).

In a sauce pan, heat on medium-low heat, and add olive oil and garlic and season with salt.  Saute garlic for about three or four minutes before adding basil paste, sauteing for another three or four minutes.  Add tomatoes into sauce and season with pepper (and additional salt if desired).  Allow to simmer for a couple minutes, if you'd like your tomatoes a little more firm, and longer if you'd like them a little more tender.

Serve over warm spaghetti squash.  Season with additional olive oil, salt, and pepper if desired.

Braised Lamb with Orange Marmalade, Couscous, and Asparagus

Anna and I both love to watch Simply Ming on the PBS station.  We both don't have cable, which is really a blessing disguise, as we'd both spend multiple hours a day watching the Food Network if we did (which is why when we're around a television with cable, we instantly will turn to that station and start watching).  If you're any kind of a foodie and like to keep up-to-date with your favorite chef(s) or a blog or two (or three or four) or enjoy creating things, then you probably have an appreciation for being inspired to make your own twist on a recipe or two you see.

Well, let's just say that today I was about ready to reach right into the television and grab that lamb Ming was making with his clementine marmalade.  This marmalade was inspired by his, but it is not a replica, and I can't say that putting marmalade on-top of lamb is something I think of doing quite often.  Sorry if you're a fan of mint jelly and lamb, which since I have never tried, can't quite seem to wrap my head around, but despite that, I certainly see a correlation between the two.  As this isn't quite the best season for fresh citrus fruits, even though we're in Texas, I decided to stick with the traditional orange and make my own twist on the marmalade and how I braised the lamb.  I have to say, both Nicholas and I really enjoyed the brightness it brought to the dish.  Give it a try if you like lamb!

Braised Lamb
4 lamb shanks
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium red onion diced
1 cup + 2 tbs red wine (of choice)
4-5 cloves garlic (minced)
salt
pepper

Being by patting excess moisture off the lamb shanks.  Season both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat skillet (preferably stainless steel) on medium-high heat with olive oil.  Once oil has heated, place shanks in skillet and allow to brown (it should take 3-4 minutes on both sides).  After browning both sides, remove from heat and add onions to olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper.  Add garlic and continue to cook down.  This should begin to deglaze the pan.  You want all of the nice juices to flavor the onions.

Once the onions have nicely browned (8-12 minutes), add in red wine and deglaze again if necessary.  Simmer for about three minutes before adding the lamb back to the skillet and reduce heat to medium.  Cover and let cook.

Turn lamb after about 5-7 minutes, cover again, and let cook for another 5-7 minutes.  At this point, check the internal temperature of the lamb and make sure it is fully cooked.  If so, remove from the skillet, turn the heat to high and let wine reduce down to a nice, thick glaze (this can take up to 10 minutes or so depending on how much moisture your lamb took in).  Serve the onions on top of the lamb with the marmalade.

Orange Marmalade
3 medium oranges
zest of all 3 oranges
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2" piece of ginger (peeled, in two halves)

Wash oranges (unless you like the taste of pesticide if you're not going the organic route).  Start by zesting the three oranges and setting zest side.  Cut oranges in half and juice.

Pour the fresh orange juice into a sauce pan and add the sugar.  Begin by cooking on medium-high stirring occasionally as the mixture begins to boil.  After about five minutes, add the ginger and zest in and continue to cook/boil, continuing to stir, and let mixture reduce.  This will take about 35-45 minutes and will reduce greatly from the original amount.  Once it begins to start to resemble the texture of marmalade or jam, you know it's ready to go!  Remove from heat and discard ginger pieces.

Parsley and Olive Oil Couscous
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup couscous
1/4 cup olive oil (more if you'd like)
1/4 cup fresh parsley (minced)
1 tsp salt (to taste)

Even though this couscous recipe is rather simple, it's a nice contrast to all of the flavor in the lamb and the marmalade.

Bring water to a boil, pour over couscous, cover tightly and allow to sit for 5 minutes.  Fluff with a fork and toss in olive oil, parsley, and salt.  You may decide you want more or less parsley or olive oil.  Adjust salt if you'd like, but trust me, you'll notice a big difference if you don't put it in.  (Whoops!!  We added it after a bit or two and it make all the difference in the world.)  :)

Lemon Garlic Asparagus
1 bunch asparagus
1 lemon
zest of lemon
2-3 tbs olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
salt
pepper

Wash asparagus and get rid of ends.  (There's an easy trick to getting the most out of your asparagus!  Simply hold the two ends of the asparagus in both hands and break "in half."  The asparagus will break at its "best" point.  Trick from watching TOO many cooking shows.  You may feel like you're wasting too much as sometimes it does break in the middle, so you may decide that you payed for a whole bunch of asparagus and you'd like to use the whole thing, but I'll leave that decision to you!).

Heat skillet on medium heat with olive oil.  Once the oil is ready, toss in asparagus and season with salt and pepper.  Allow to begin cooking, mixing around the asparagus so certain pieces don't overcook on the bottom.  After about two or three minutes, add the garlic, zest and juice of the lemon, and mix.  Allow to continue to cook for another few minutes before adding the Worcestershire Sauce.  Once it looks tender, remove from heat and serve immediately.

Vegan Made Easy

So tonight, in honor of our dear vegan friends, we have given this evening to you!  That's right.  You heard us correctly.  Here are two, count them, TWO recipes for you guys.  Pasta and cupcakes!

This pasta dish is light and filling, but packed full of a lot of flavor!  And guess what "non-vegan-ers," these are SO easy to make "non-vegan" if you choose with a few adjustments.  If you're not interested in this being a vegan recipe, saute-up some chicken with garlic and olive oil or toss some parmesan or feta on top, or even serve this as a side dish!

As for the cupcakes?  Well.... have we not seen a trend lately?  And really, who's going to pass-up a cupcake?  Just pretend these are healthy since they're banana based, minus the frosting.  :)



Sun-Dried Tomato, Red Pepper, and Spinach Farfalle Pasta
1 large onion
1 large red pepper
3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
6 oz fresh spinach
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
olive oil
salt
pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
tricolore farfalle pasta (8 - 16 oz, depending on pasta/sauce ratio preference)
truffle oil (for drizzling at the end)

Begin to boil water and prepare pasta as directed.  If you'd like, you could substitute another pasta.

Dice onion, red pepper,  and sun-dried tomatoes.  In a large, pre-heated skillet, add about 2 tbs olive oil, garlic, onion, and red pepper, and cook down.  Once vegetables have begun to brown, add in the sun-dried tomatoes and continue to saute (adding the oils from the jar).  If needed, add more olive oil so the vegetables do not become dry or stick to the bottom of the pan.  Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.  You may decide that you want the dish more or less spicy and add or omit some of the red pepper, however, it adds a nice, subtle zing to the dish.  :)

Once the vegetables have browned evenly, add the fresh spinach in and mix until lightly wilted (about two minutes).

Remove from heat and dish over pasta.  Drizzle with truffle oil, if desired, or more olive oil.


Banana Nut Cupcakes

1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup oil
4 ripe, ripe bananas (mashed)
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (toasted if you'd like)

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and set aside.

Mash bananas well and add to mixing bowl.  Brown bananas are great for baking, since they have such a high sugar content.  Make sure the bananas you use are nice and brown like the ones above!

Add oil, maple syrup, and vanilla to banana mash and mix until well incorporated.  Slowly add the dry ingredients in halves and blend into the wet mix.  Add walnuts last (if desired) and mix.  You may decide to toast the walnuts for a few minutes like we did (since the oven has already been preheated for the cupcakes themselves, but toss the chopped walnuts onto a cookie sheet and toast until lightly browned or desired darkness).  If you don't like nuts, omit them all together.

Bake for 17-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  (Look!  Everything in here is vegan!)

Frosting
4 oz cream cheese (substitute)
4 tbs butter (margarine or other substitute)
1 - 2 tsp vanilla
powdered sugar

In a stand mixer or a bowl with a hand mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Add the vanilla and powdered sugar until you reach desired sweetness and/or texture.  If you're not a vegan, then, by all means, use the regular ingredients, but here's a recipe that's easily made with substitutions!

Without the frosting, these are really just muffins... shhhh don't tell anyone!

Irish Cream Cupcakes

What is St. Patrick's Day without a little bit of Irish flare?  No, they're not exactly green like the last cupcakes we made, but they're still tasty.  :)

Admitidly, Lexi (Alexandra) was a little "bored" after teaching this morning and wanted to do something in honor of this holiday. No, it's certainly not a day in which my family celebrates, but a holiday  is certainly an excuse to make a dessert if any day is!

Irish Cream Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter (room temp)
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup Irish Cream (any brand)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350.

In a separate bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients together and set aside (flour, cake flour, baking soda, and salt).

Cream butter and sugar together until nice and fluffy.  Add in Irish cream and blend well.  It'll be a nice, smooth texture at this point (and... tasty!  But don't eat too much, otherwise the ratio will be out of whack for the rest of the ingredients!).  Mix eggs and vanilla in and blend. 

Add in the dry ingredients into the wet mixture on low and mix until blended.  Lastly, add in the sour cream and mix.

Place liners in cupcake pans or grease and butter if you'd rather.  Spoon the batter into the holders and fill to almost the top (or about 3/4 of the way full).  This should yield about 18 cupcakes.

Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs.

Let cupcakes cool for about 10 minutes before removing from the pan and let cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Espresso Frosting
8 oz cream cheese (room temp)
1/2 tsp espresso grounds
4 tsp cocoa powder
2-3 tbs Irish Cream
powdered sugar



Cream the Irish Cream into the cream cheese.  Add espresso grounds and cocoa powder and mix until well incorporated.  Slowly add powdered sugar until desired texture and sweetness.

You may desire a stlightly more intense espresso flavor and decide to add more or even double.  This recipe gives a nice subtle hint of coffee but is not overwhelming.  Also, if you REALLY love frosting, then you might just want to double the whole recipe.  :)

Frost cupcakes!

Garlic Chili Popcorn

Looking for an easy, healthy snack?  This is awesome, then!  Popcorn is a great movie food and if prepared at home the "old fashioned way," can be really healthy.  Why not spice-up the traditional version a little?  Since it's Spring Break here in the great Central Texas region, we're trying our best to have some fun, kick back, and relax a little.  :)

Chili Garlic Popcorn
oil
popcorn kernels
1 - 2 tbs melted butter
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Prepare the popcorn in a large pot on the stove or use a popcorn machine to make it!  If you're using the stove-top and have never done this before, here are some easy, basic steps.  It gets easier and better each time you do it!

Mix chili powder, garlic powder, sugar, cayenne, and salt together so they're well blended.

Now, make the popcorn!  First, turn stove on to medium-medium-high (not quite medium-high, but not medium - you know, that in between area!) and cover the bottom of your pot with some oil (whatever kind you prefer, but note that if you choose olive oil, it WILL smoke, so canola or vegetable oil is recommended).  Place enough kernels to mostly cover the bottom of the pot.

Cover pot with lid and allow to start popping!  Once you hear the kernels, keep a close eye on the popcorn so it doesn't start to burn.  You may want to shake the pot around some to keep the kernels at the bottom from burning and to allow the un-popped kernels to make their way back down to the bottom.  Once most of the popping has died down, remove from heat.

Pour popcorn into a large bowl.  Toss spice mix onto the popcorn so it coats it as desired.  Melt butter (1 - 2 tbs as you feel is necessary for the amount of popcorn prepared and for how buttery you'd like it) and toss on top of popcorn.  Mix and serve immediately!

Early Irish Fest.: Guinness Cupcakes

Cupcake binge?  Cupcake fling?  Cupcake obsession?  We're not sure...  And we're also not sure how long this is going to last, but who cares, right?  As long as they taste good!  And why not make each kind as different as possible?  We already have a few prospective flavors we had to put on the back-burner tonight (due to some failed missions in getting required ingredients, but we won't go into details.  We'll just leave it at... this part of town is not stocked for our high-end taste buds).

Since we're quickly approaching the time of year when little green men, pots of gold, and rainbows are abundant, we thought we'd give a toast to the Irish and make a recipe with the nation's staple food: some good 'ol fashioned Guinness beer!  Can't say either of us enjoy drinking the beer on its own, but baking with this alcohol is a whole new ballgame!  Partially inspired by our lack of Irish Creme and an awesome friend Lindsey who made a tasty Guinness cake a few months back, here is our tribute to the Irish!

We might just even have to enter ourselves on Cupcake Wars...  :)  Is that allowed?

Guinness Cupcake
1 cup Guinness
3/4 cup butter (room temp)
1 cup flour
1 cup cake flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tbs vanilla
2/4 cup sour cream

Preheat the oven to 350.

Combine the flour, cake flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda together and mix.  In a stand mixer, add butter and sugar together and blend until creamed.  Once nice and fluffy, and in the Guinness and mix on low. The texture will look a little funny, but don't be disturbed, that's okay.  Add in the vanilla and eggs and mix.  The batter will still look funny.  :)  Next, mix in the sour cream.  The texture will start to look a little more normal.  Once all incorporated, slowly start to mix in the dry ingredients.  Do not over beat the batter, but make sure all of the dry ingredients are blended in.


Place cupcake liners in the muffin tins and fill about 3/4 of the way (they will look decently full, but shouldn't be spilling over the edge).  This yields about 18 cupcakes.

Bake for 15-16 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.  You want them to be nice and fluffy looking (no over baking!).  Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before removing from the pans.



Ganache Filling
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup  half-n-half (or heavy cream)
2 tbs butter
1 tbs Guinness

In a saucepan, add chocolate chips and butter and allow to melt on medium-low, constantly stirring.  Once mixture is almost fully melted, add in the Guinness and the half-n-half (or heavy cream).  Continue to stir until all of the chocolate is melted and the mixture is nice and smooth.  If you want it a little thicker, add more chocolate or less liquid.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, remove the insides of the cupcakes making about a 3/4" hole about 1" deep. It'll be a little crater.  :)  We used the 1/4 and 1/2 teaspoon measures, since we don't own a cool to do it for us.

Carefully spoon the ganache filling into the holes!  This should be just enough, with a little extra, depending on how deep and wide you make those holes.  We came out with just a little left over.  We didn't want to overdue the ganache and have a chocolate overload on the inside (just a nice, little surprise!).

Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup butter (room temp)
8 oz cream cheese (room temp)
1 tsp vanilla
green food coloring (optional... but FUN!)
powdered sugar (approx 1 - 1 1/2 cups)

In a stand mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth.   Add in vanilla and food coloring (if desired).  Mix until blended and slowly add powdered sugar until you reach the desired consistency for your frosting.

Now frost those guys and eat 'em!!!

Funfetti!

That's right!  You read it correctly!  Let's be honest here.  Who doesn't have fond childhood memories that include funfetti cake or cupcakes in one form or another?!  And what better a time to celebrate funfetti than with a birthday?!

Nicholas (Alexandra's husband) has a birthday this week and as a pre-celebration for all the folks at school, Nicholas gets to take these homemade cupcakes to school with him.  :)



Funfetti Cupcakes
2 1/4 cup flour (all purpose)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 - 1/4 cup sprinkles
1/2 cup oil (or melted butter)
1 cup milk (or yogurt or buttermilk)
4 egg whites
2 tsp vanilla

Just like the box mix (shhh!!!), mix all of the dry ingredients together (flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, and sprinkles).  We suggest using the long sprinkles (apparently called " rainbow jimmies" in New England, which was unknown to me until reading another blog...) as they "bleed" better into the batter.  Add in the oil or butter, milk, egg whites, and vanilla and mix until well blended, but do not over mix.

Line muffin tins with paper liners or grease with cooking spray or butter.  Evenly destribute batter.  Fill the approximately 1/2 - 2/3 of the way full (or about 3/4's of the way for the mini muffin tins).  This recipe yielded 12 "regular" sized cupcakes and 24 mini cupcakes!  You may decide to make 48+ mini cupcakes or 24 regular ones.

Bake at 350 for 16-18 minutes or until lightly golden (or for mini cupcakes, bake approximately 11-12 minutes).  They should be able to "bounce back" upon a light touch (make sure your finger doesn't sink in, or they need another minute or two).  Times may vary according to your oven.

Let cool for about 10 minutes before removing from baking pans and let cool completely before frosting (unless you'd like melting frosting...).

Buttercream Frosting
1 stick butter (1/2 cup at room temperature)
2 tbs heavy cream (half-n-half, milk, etc)
powdered sugar
1/4 - 1/2 tsp almond extract (if desired!)
food dye (if desired)

Make sure butter is room temperature!  (The texture will not come out the same if you melt it or use a hard stick of butter!)  Put butter into mixer and add dye (if desired) and blend until smooth (and desired color is achieved).  Slowly add powdered sugar, alternating with heavy cream, until a light, fluffy, yet stable, texture is created.  You may decide to alter the color at this point, so have fun!

This recipe was decent for frosting the 12 regular-sized cupcakes and the 24 mini cupcakes the batter yielded.  If you're a big frosting fan, then by all means, double it and INDULGE your sweet tooth!

Frost each cupcake and add some sprinkles for a final touch.  :)

Happy Birthday, Nicholas! (part 1)

Avgolemono

This post is dedicated to Anna's sister, Kelly - who introduced her to this fine soup at a Greek restaurant in Tampa where they throw napkins and dance every hour on the hour!  Fantastic!

Avgolemono is a traditional Greek soup that translates to egg-lemon - and that's just what it is!  A simple stock with chicken or without, rice, and a lemon-egg mixture stirred in at the end. It's tasty, refreshing and easy to make!  Adjust accordingly to make vegetarian with vegetable stock and egg substitute!

AVGOLEMONO! 
2 tbs olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped fine
2 carrots, peeled and also chopped fine
2 bay leaves
8 cups chicken stock (or water with stock cubes - or homemade stock!)
2/3 cup Arborio rice
3 eggs
6 lemons
salt to taste

Chop the onion, celery and carrots.

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot to medium high and toss in the chopped veggies and bay leaves. Sweat down for 10-15 minutes until the bottom of the pan begins to brown a bit.

Add chicken stock and simmer for 45 minutes - to an hour. Then strain the veggie mixture from the soup, pressing against the sides of the strainer to get all of the extra juice!


Add the rice and simmer until cooked, about 25-30 minutes.






Whisk together the juice of six lemons and 3 eggs.

Temper the egg lemon mixture with soup by adding one ladle full of soup into the egg lemon bowl, whisking constantly. Add another ladle full to the egg lemon mixture then add the contents of the small bowl into the pot and whisk to incorporate. Serve warm!

Serve with fresh parsley or dill on top and a side of warm bread and a salad.  :)  You can make this recipe even creamier by adding some plain Greek yogurt!  If making yo chicken broth, add the chicken or if you're a vegetarian/vegan using vegetable broth, add some tofu to make it a heartier meal instead of a starter dish.  Let your imagination run wild!

This recipe is perfect for a sore throat.  Take it from us (we have BOTH been overwhelmed and out of commission these last few weeks having been hit with everything going around!).