Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Beer in cake? Yes, please. St. Patrick's Day may have come and gone, but I won't be waiting until next year to make these again! I told Nick these may be my new favorite cupcakes, which is quite a bold statement for me! The chocolate cake has a great flavor with a VERY subtle taste of Guinness, and the Bailey's frosting was just as delicious. Drinkers and non-drinkers alike will love these so get in the kitchen and make them ASAP!

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes (adapted from Annie's Eats)
Makes 24 cupcakes
Ingredients:
For Cake:

• 16 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 cup Guinness
• ¾ cup dutch process cocoa powder
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1½ tsp. baking soda
• ¾ tsp. salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup light sour cream

For Frosting:

• 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 5-6 tbsp. Bailey’s Irish cream

Directions: 
For Cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 pans with cupcake liners.
2. Bring Guinness and butter to simmer in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool a little.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
4.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the eggs and sour cream to blend.  Add the chocolate-beer-butter mixture and beat just to combine.
5. Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed just until incorporated.
6. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 to 3/4 full.
7. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 16-17 minutes.
8. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.


For Frosting:
1. Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
2. Gradually add the powdered sugar until it is all incorporated.
3. Mix in the Bailey’s until smooth.
4. Add any additional sugar or Bailey's to reach desired consistency.
5.  Frost the cupcakes once they have completely cooled.

White Chicken Chili

It may seem odd to post a recipe for a warm bowl of chili just as the weather finally shows signs of long, long awaited spring, but this is a recipe I didn't want to forget! I found it on Jenna's blog, Eat Live Run, and it was really good- the best I have had to-date! It has a pretty mild spice to it so if you want really spicy, I would kick up the amount of cayenne. Also, just FYI it freezes well so it is a great make-ahead meal. I made a couple minor changes to lighten it up a little, and those changes are reflected below. (Click on the link for the original version). I can't wait to make this again next winter... or during the inevitable cold front that always comes as soon as I think we are safe into spring!

White Chicken Chili ( adapted from Eat, Live, Run)
Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
• 1 medium onion, small diced
• 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 2 cans cannellini beans, drained
• 14.5 ounces chicken broth
• 2 4-ounce cans chopped green chilies
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup 2% milk
• 6 ounces light sour cream

Directions:  1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the chicken and onion and cook for about 5-6 minutes, or until the chicken is seared and the onion is translucent.
2. Add the garlic and cook for another 3 minutes.
3. Add the beans, spices, chicken broth and green chilies and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat and add the sour cream and milk.
5. Enjoy

Maple Bacon Cupcakes

 Happy 27th Birthday to my old man husband! I love picking out what I am going to make for his birthday "treat" each year, and this year I thought that Maple Bacon Cupcakes would be perfect knowing what a bacon lover he is! I have seen bacon used in several dessert recipes, but I had never tried it for myself. These cupcakes are a great salty sweet dessert, but I have to say that he was not able to tell that they were bacon until I told him what the secret ingredient was. Knowing what it was, I could definitely taste it when I had a bacon bit in a bite but not so much when I got a bite with out it. Either way, he seemed to enjoy them! Their texture is more muffin-like that cake in my opinion as they are a bit crumbly, but the delicious maple frosting definitely removes any confusion that they are anything but a cupcake! I made the recipe exactly as written on the blog, Vanilla Garlic, so you can click here to get the recipe. However, I would recommend doubling the frosting because I ran out and had to make another batch. Also, I got 9 cupcakes from the recipe rather than the 6 that is stated. Let me know what you think if you try them!

 

Action shot.

Wheat Hamburger Buns

The idea of making your own hamburger buns seemed kind of ridiculous to me at first. Why in the world would you go through that trouble when you could buy some decent ones for just a couple of bucks? I had seen a couple recipes for buns on other blogs but I pretty much just looked over them because I knew I would NEVER make them- or so I thought. But it turns out that I was wrong. It all started when I decided I would buy some buffalo meat at the grocery. It was very hectic, and I just grabbed it without checking the price, which I rarely do. As I was checking out, I realized it cost $11! Holy cow. There is no way I am just going to use this buffalo to make chili like originally planned. So, I decided to make burgers, but of course I didn't have any buns. Well, I guess it was time to make them, and it actually was a pretty good way to spend my lazy Saturday!

I found the recipe on Annie's Eats. I love her blog because I have never been disappointed by one of her recipes! Mine didn't look nearly as pretty as hers, but I'm used to that! I also used half whole wheat flour to up the nutritional value. I loved the addition of the whole wheat taste, but Nick thought they were a little "too wheaty" for him although he still enjoyed them. So, you can make that call yourself as to how much white vs wheat flour you want to use. We loved them topped with a delicious bison burger- yum! Recipe below is Annie's and my changes are noted in the parentheses.

Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns (adapted from Annie's Eats)
Makes 8 buns

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. sugar

2 ¼ tsp. instant yeast

¼ cup warm water (105°-115°)

1 cup warm milk (105°-115°) (I used 2%)

1 tbsp. vegetable oil (I used olive oil)

1 tsp. salt

3 to 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (I used half whole wheat)

1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp. cold water

sesame, poppy or caraway seeds, or coarse salt, for topping (I used sesame seeds)

Directions:

1. In a bowl of an electric mixer, dissolve the sugar and then the yeast in the warm water.  Add the milk, oil, salt and 1 ½ cups of flour to the yeast mixture.  Beat vigorously for 2 minutes. (I wasn't sure which attachment I should use since I am a bread newbie, but I used the paddle attachment and that worked just fine).

2. Gradually add flour, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl *.  (This will vary but mine was pulling away after I added 1.5 cups for a total of 3 cups).

3. Switch to the dough hook and knead until you have a smooth and elastic dough, about 7-9 minutes. 

4. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl. (I just sprayed my bowl with my olive oil mister). Turn once to coat the entire ball of dough in oil. 

5. Cover with a tightly-woven dampened towel and let rise in a warm area until doubled, about one hour. 

6. Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface.  Working with oiled hands, divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.  Shape each piece into a ball, and flatten into 3 ½ -inch disks.  For soft-sided buns, place them on a well-seasoned baking sheet a half-inch apart so they will grow together when they rise.  For crisper bun, place them three inches apart. ( I spaced mine out.)

7. Cover with a towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes. 

8. About 15-20 minutes before you want to bake the buns, preheat the oven to 400°.  Just before baking, brush the tops of the buns lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with any desired toppings. 

9. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the bread reaches 190°. (I used my meat thermometer for this, which worked well and they were done in 15 minutes). When the buns are done, remove them from the baking sheet to cool on a wire rack.  This will prevent the crust from becoming soggy.

* Annie's Note: This particular dough should be quite slack, i.e. very relaxed in order to make soft and tender buns.  So you want to add only enough more flour, past the 3 cup point, to make the dough just kneadable, sprinkling in only enough more to keep it from sticking to you or the work surface.

Southwestern Chicken Soup

I LOVE making soup in the winter. It is just so hearty, warm, filling, and healthy! I make it pretty often (and by "pretty often" I mean Nick is probably sick and tired of it!), but I have so many recipes that I like such as this one and this one that I don't try all that many new ones. I am really glad I tried this one as it will probably go into the regular rotation :) It is slightly spicy from the jalepeno but not at all too hot (you could add more if you really want spicy), and the sweetness of corn was a great addition! It is also great for feeding a crowd. I tripled the recipe below for our community group, and I think everyone liked it :) The recipe is from Cooking Light, but I made a few changes which are reflected below. 

 Southwestern Chicken Soup (adapted from Cooking Light)

Serves 4

Ingredients: 

• Cooking spray
• 1  cup  diced onion
• 2/3  cup diced green bell pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1  jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
• 1  pound of chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2  teaspoons  chili powder
• 1  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
• 1  (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1  (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1  cup  diced avocado
• 1 cup of frozen sweet corn

Directions:

1. Heat a small nonstick Dutch oven over medium-heat. 

2. Coat pan with cooking spray or a little olive oil. 

3. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeño to pan; sauté for 2 minutes. 

4. Add chicken; cook 3-5 minutes. 

5. Add broth and next 6 ingredients (through tomatoes); bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer until chicken is done, stirring occasionally.

6. Add corn and cook until corn has thawed.

7. Remove from heat. 

8. Serve with avocado.

Tate's Bake Shop Sugar Cookies

Let's talk about sugar cookies. Christmas is really their season. While they are delicious any time of the year, I think the time they really shine is during the holidays because of all the pretty colored frosting and sprinkles. Most often though, it is the "cut out" sugar cookies rather than the "drop" kind that you see around. While the cut out ones are awfully pretty and festive, I feel like they just can't compare to the taste of the drop cookies, not-to-mention that they are definitely less time consuming. I think we can all agree that we could use a little extra time during Christmas! I know more hours in the day is definitely at the top of my wish list :) Now, these cookies in particular are something special. My decorating skills may be lacking, but these cookies definitely made up for that in taste! They had a great flavor and texture- soft and chewy on the inside and slightly crispy on the bottom. They will definitely be my "go-to" recipe in the future!

Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies (from Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook, seen on Smells like Home)
(Recipe yielded about 40 med-lg cookies) 
Ingredients:

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup salted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup sour cream

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. (You don't have to do this, but the bottoms came out more browned when I didn't)
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
4. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. 
5. Add the vanilla and egg.  Mix together.
6. Then, add the sour cream and mix it well.  
7. Add the flour mixture and mix it until it is combined.
8. Drop the cookies onto the prepared cookie sheets 2-3 inches apart as they do spread.
9. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until they are light brown.  Cool them on the cookie sheets for about 5 minutes, and remove them to wire cooling racks to cool completely.

 For the Frosting:
Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 2 tbsp milk
• Food coloring (optional)

Directions:

1. Beat butter with a mixer for about 1 minute or until smooth.
2. Add vanilla, salt, sugar, and milk and beat again until smooth.
3. Add food coloring if you want and spread over cooled cookies. 
   
   

Pear Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

Making your own salad dressing is really quite simple and takes a salad from good to delicious! So often I rely on bottled salad dressing, but the extra 5 minutes it takes to make is really worth it- that is if you have an extra 5 minutes on that given day! I loved how the slight sweetness of the maple came through and also gave it a more seasonal flavor as maple really makes me think of the fall and winter. It was great on the pear salad, but I also used the leftovers through out the week on a salad with apples, which was equally delicious.

 Pear Salad with Maple Vinaigrette (from Taste of South magazine)
Ingredients:
For Salad:

• Bibb lettuce (or any kind you prefer)
• Pear
• Dried cranberries
• Blue cheese
• Toasted walnuts

  For Dressing: 

•  1/4 cup  maple syrup  
•  1/4 cup  olive oil
•  3 tablespoons  balsamic vinegar
•  1 tablespoon  Dijon-style mustard
•  1/4 teaspoon  ground black pepper
•  1/8 teaspoon salt 

 Directions:

1. Place handful or 2 of lettuce on each plate and top with pear, blue cheese, dried cranberries, and walnuts.
2. Combine all dressing ingredients together in a bowl and drizzle on top of salad.  

Pumpkin Polenta with Turkey Sausage and Greens

 Whenever I come across recipes with greens in them, I instantly think "Oh, delicious! I HAVE to make that," even when it is cooked spinach, which after several tries I am always disappointed in it and never learn my lesson! However, when I stumbled across Cara's Blog, I saw pumpkin polenta (delicious), turkey sausage (delicious), and swiss chard (hmmm- never had it but it sure looks delicious), I immediately knew I wanted to make it! I saw the swiss chard at the grocery store, but i chickened out and went with the safe choice of collard greens because I know I love those! Also, they come in a pre-cut and washed bag, which was a big selling point.

 
Nick and I both loved this! The polenta was so creamy without adding any cream or butter, and the addition of the pumpkin was not only healthy, but also really tasty. I may never make polenta without pumpkin again! We had some leftover that Nick ate for dinner the next night, and I have to admit I was a little jealous (not that the leftover soup that I had eaten for the past 5 meals wasn't delicious...) Can't wait to make this again!

Pumpkin Polenta with Turkey Sausage and Greens (adapted from Cara's Cravings)
Serves 3 
Ingredients: 
For the polenta:

• 1.5 cups pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup course ground polenta (I used Bob's Red Mill)
• 2.25 cups of water
• salt and pepper

For the Turkey Sausage and Greens Saute:

•  3 links spicy turkey sausage, casing removed
• 1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 8 oz trimmed collard greens (I used half a bag of these, which are washed and ready to go)
• 3/4 cup halved grape tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook the turkey sausage, stirring to crumble.  Once it has cooked through, remove it from the pan and put on a plate lined with a paper towel.
2. In the same skillet, heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat.
3. Add onion and garlic, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook until tender.
4. Add tomatoes and collard greens to pan and cook for a couple of minutes. Then add chicken broth, balsamic vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until they are wilted.
5. Turn off heat and add turkey sausage back to the pan. Set aside.
6. Combine water and pumpkin in medium or large sauce pan. Bring to a boil. 
7. Slowly stream in the polenta, stirring constantly so it does not clump. Continue to cook stirring often with a whisk until thickened, about 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. If you have a handy assistant, they can complete steps 6-7 while you do steps 1-5 :)
8. If necessary, reheat turkey sausage and greens mixture.
9. Serve by dividing polenta among plates and topping with turkey sausage and greens mixture.