Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes

It was another day with two students out sick and I barely touched my to-do list...I just kept adding to it. The only thing I got done that I actually planned was making cupcakes. It's also the first time this season I've used pumpkin. Good thing I kept a giant can stored, because there was none in the store. I remember last year I had to stalk up at a Hannafords (where I never shop), while I was working on community shopping skills with a student. She must of thought I was a weirdo when I filled a basket with pumpkin puree....the things I do out of baking desperation....

My good friend Jaime turned me to the dark side last year. Up until June of 2010, I had never had Starbucks. I actually used to protest it, thinking it was overpriced and snobby. I still think it's semi over-priced and snobby with using the Italian words for their sizes (when a 16-year old kid is taking my order at the Barnes & Noble cafe, I'm not instantly transported to a little Italian cafe...it's a large, get with it). They do make some good drinks though, and Jaime proved that to me when the only coffee shop in our Vegas hotel was a Starbucks. You win, Starbucks, you win.

These cupcakes are the dessert version of a Spiced Pumpkin Latte, complete with the fresh whipped cream and caramel drizzle. I also injected the cupcakes with some caramel. I just put some caramel into a squeeze bottle, punctured some holed in them with a straw and squeezed the caramel into the holes.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes
From Annie's Eats (where else...)

For the cupcakes:
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. espresso powder
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. salt
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
4 large eggs
½ cup coffee or espresso, for brushing (optional)

For the whipped cream:
2¼ cups heavy cream, chilled
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar

For garnish:
Ground cinnamon

Caramel sauce

Directions:
1. To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350°F.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt.  Stir together and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, blend together the pumpkin, granulated sugar, brown sugar and oil. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  With the mixture on low speed, add the flour mixture in two additions, mixing just until incorporated.

2.Fill the cupcake liners about three-quarters full.  Bake until the cupcakes are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 18-20 minutes.  Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pans.  While the cupcakes are still warm, brush them two or three times with the coffee or espresso, allowing the first coat to soak in before repeating.  Let cool completely.

3. To make the frosting, place the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Whip on medium-low speed at first, gradually increasing to high speed.  Blend in the confectioners’ sugar gradually.  Whip until stiff peaks form, being careful not to over-beat.  Use a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip to frost the cooled cupcakes.  Sprinkle with ground cinnamon and drizzle with caramel sauce.  Store in an airtight container and refrigerate.

Mum stole one right from the oven....

Caramel sauce injection

Fresh whipped cream

Sprinkled with cinnamon

Drizzled with caramel

Sausage and Cornbread Stuffed Acorn Squash

Today was a pretty good Monday. I started my day off with notice that 2 of my kids were out sick. Now, don't get me wrong, I love my students and hate that they're sick, but a little time to catch up on some needed work was great. Not to mention that one of my teacher aides told me she went to a cupcake bakery this past weekend and said that my Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes were better than the professional bakery's. Damn right they are!

Today was also a good Monday because I tried acorn squash for the first time. I've been dying to eat squash again and as I stood in the grocery store I came to a predicament. What kind of squash should I get? Then when I decided it was acorn squash, I had to decide between the regular or the white acorn squash. I went with the regular before my head exploded. I bought 2 like the recipe said, but only cooked one. I'm going to use the other one tomorrow night, so be prepared for Acorn Squash Round 2. I adapted this recipe a bit. I only cooked one squash, which I only ate half of, one whole squash is supposed to feed one person...that seems like a lot to me. I had some left over stuffing, but not enough to fill 4 squash halves, so the recipe would need to be tweaked a bit of making the original using 2 squashes.

Sausage and Cornbread Stuffed Acorn Squash 
adapted from Five and Spice

1 acorn squash
olive oil
dried sage
salt and pepper
butter
3-4 breakfast sausage links, defrosted if frozen (more if you really like sausage)
1 clove garlic, pressed
2 cups (loosely packed) of 1/2 inch chunks of cornbread (or corn muffin) (or corn muffin toaster cakes like I used)
raisins or dried cranberries (which I forgot)
1 cup fresh corn kernels (I used a single-serving steamer bag)
1/4 chicken broth or water (do the broth, it adds more flavor)
a drizzle of maple syrup
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375. Cut squash in half and clean out the seeds and ribs by scraping the sides with a spoon. Cut off a bit of the top and bottom of the squash halves so they can sit flat. Rub the flesh with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and a pinch of sage. Place on a baking pan, cut side down, and roast for 40-45 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, melt a big chunk of butter in a medium-large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sausage and stir. Fry the sausage, breaking it up into pieces as it cooks. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the raisins, corn and cornbread.
3. Stir for a couple of minutes and then add the broth and a drizzle (about a tbsp) of maple syrup. Give it a stir, then let cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. When the squash are done, fill each half with the stuffing and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes

September has arrived. Monday, I saw a plethora of squashes in the grocery store. It's a little chilly out at night now. That means it's fall (even if I claim so a little early). September has so many pros and cons. Back to school = con. An end to the oppressive heat and humidity that summer brings = pro. Watching September 11th footage = con. Hockey begins soon = PRO.


Yesterday was a pro and a con. My dear cousin Jackie turned 15. It's a pro because she's growing into a lovely young lady and I get to see her at times roaming around the school now that she's a freshman. It's also a con, because that means I am getting old. Watching babies grow up is a defining moment in my adulthood. Another defining moment is my brimming excitement about my new dishwasher that is waiting to be installed. I remember when Jackie was a baby (and Jax if you're reading this, don't be embarrassed...embrace it as a heartfelt moment, and let me vent my frustration of being an adult). A well known fact in the Crocker family, but not to the blog-reading world (until now) is that I have a family nickname - RaRa. That came from Jax trying to pronounce my name. I'd give anything to go back to those days (and not have a job or any responsibility other than owning the coolest CDs ((which is actually a major responsibility)). (How do you even cite parentheses within parentheses??)


I am getting off topic. The topic of this blog is supposed to be food, but every now and then I go on a tangent. I consider reminiscing about my more youthful days a good tangent, though I'm sure you all want me to get to the point...which is cupcakes.


This is for you Jax.

Back when Jackie wore awesome hats and I had terrible hair

Here we are today with our respective Grams

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes
from The Curvy Carrot


For the cupcakes:
3 and 1/4 cups cake flour
1 and 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 and 3/4 sticks (14 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 and 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
5 egg whites, at room temperature
2 cups miniature semisweet chocolate chips

For the frosting:
12 tablespoons (1 and 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 and 1/2 cups light brown sugar

 For the cupcakes: 
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line your cupcake pan with the liners of your choice.
3. In a large bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder, and salt, mixing until combined.
4. In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
5. Reduce the mixer speed to low.
6. In a small bowl, combine the milk and vanilla, mixing well.
7. Beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, alternately add the flour and milk mixtures to the butter mixture.
8. In a separate bowl using a hand mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
9. Gently fold the egg whites into the cupcake batter, mixing until combined.
10. Add the chocolate chips to the batter.
11. Divide the batter evenly among your cupcake liners and bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20-22 minutes.  Let cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting: In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, cream cheese, and brown sugar, mixing well until light and fluffy.

And for good measure, check out this badass hand-held electric mixer

Portobello Mushroom Tortellini

I was pretty surprised when I realized that I have never posted this recipe before, I've made it 5 or so times since I became a chef (I use that term loosely). This is a super easy and very adaptable recipe, so you can make it in a snap and change it up. Most of the ingredients I already had at home, other than the tortellini and the mushrooms. It also smells really really good, so it's an impressive dish to have cooking if people are going to stop by.

Portobello Mushroom Tortellini
no idea where it's from

1 lb. cheese tortellini
2 portobello caps, sliced into 1-inch pieces (I used pre-sliced baby portobellos, they were cheaper)
1/4 cup white wine
1 tablespoon parsley
2 cloves of garlic, minced
8 oz. Alfredo sauce (I had a jar of roasted red pepper Alfredo on hand)
grated or shredded Parmesan for topping

1. Cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. In a medium skillet, add the wine, parsley, garlic and mushrooms over medium heat. Saute until the mushrooms are cooked through. Remove from heat and stir in the alfredo sauce.
3. Spoon tortellinis into a dish and top with sauce (I mix all mine together before hand). Then top with Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Oreo Stuffed Brownies

Last Friday one of my students turned 17. I asked her what kind of dessert she wanted for her birthday and she said brownies. Obviously, boxed brownies weren't gonna cut it, and for some reason plain brownies weren't either. I asked her if she liked oreos or how she felt about oreos in her brownies. She said she'd never had one but wanted to try it. I had a 50-minute window to make these in between work, practice, a coaches meeting and trivia. I succeeded under pressure, but had to leave a note for my mom to cut them for me. Thanks mom!

Oreo Stuffed Brownies
from Sing for Your Supper

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup chocolate chips
1 package Oreos

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 pan, though I recommend a smaller pan, the batter was sparing for a large pan.
2. In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the heat (or microwave) briefly, just until it’s hot, but not bubbling; it’ll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating the mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.
3. While the sugar heats a second time, beat the eggs, cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla until smooth. Add the hot butter/sugar mixture, stirring until smooth.
Add the flour and chips, again stirring until smooth.
4. Spoon half of the batter into the greased pan. Place the oreos in even rows across the batter many . Pour the remaining batter over the oreos and gently spread to the edges of the pan. Bake for about 35-40 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the brownies for at least 10 minutes before serving.

This is the only picture you get

Five Spice Ginger Beef

I love having long weekends from work. That just means a 4-day work-week ahead, but a busy one at that. We have our first football game on Friday, which means we have to organize a spaghetti supper. Then Saturday we have team pictures and our canning fundraising. After that, I run off to the clambake. Then Sunday, I recoup for a new week. After this post, I need to coordinate my schedule with my mom's, because I will be mooching dinners off of her a few days a week when practice goes to 6:30. Tonight is one of the last planned dinners I have until I figure out my schedule. So sad. This recipe was really good, though I would get better beef next time, or make it with shrimp. I also learned that the smell of molasses makes me super nauseous. I was also sure I had peanut oil, something my mind clearly made up, because I don't. I used vegetable oil.

Five Spice Ginger Beef
from Rock Recipes

2 thick-cut strip loin steak, trimmed and thinly sliced (I used pre-cut stir-fry meat)
4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup Hoisin Sauce
3 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp Chinese five spice powder
4 tbsp molasses
1 tsp crushed chili paste
4 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
3 tsp toasted sesame oil

 2 red bell peppers, chopped

1. Preheat a wok. Once the wok is nice and hot, add 3 tbsp of peanut oil. Stir-fry the beef for only a minute or two.

2. Remove the beef and drain the oil and dripping. Add another tbsp of oil to the wok and saute the garlic for a minute.

3. Add in the remaining ingredients, except the red pepper, and let simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens into a glaze. Once the sauce thickens, add the beef back to the wok along with the peppers. Cook for 5-10 minutes until the beef fully cooks and the peppers soften a bit. 

Serve over white rice or Chinese noodles.

Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

I've been getting the third degree lately on not posting any recipes lately. The end of August was a whirlwind for me. I have tried to fit in a vacation at the beach, which in my family, isn't a vacation. It's a week of sun and celebration, and when it ends, you feel like you need a vacation from your vacation. I've also tried to plan the start of the school year. And lastly, I've taken a position as the head coach of varsity cheerleading at the school. That is basically equal to adopting 20 teenage girls. 43 if you count the JV team. I will be posting much less than I do in a normal month, but I promise to try and post at least once a week. I'm not sure when I became such a productive human being...I just hope it doesn't kill me.

Since it is now September, that means the weather is cooling down and it's almost fall. That means it's almost squash time, and pumpkin time, and chili time, and fondue time, and football tailgating food time. With the long weekend upon me, and me being absolutely lazy today (no seriously, I got off my couch to take the dog out, grab a couple things at the grocery store, and eat dinner with my parents), I decided I would keep my night busy. I was all excited to make a crazy cupcake concoction that included Ferrero Rocher chocolates on top. Today is Macadamia Nut Day, and in my own mind, I was absolutely sure that inside those chocolates is a Macadamia nut. But no. It's a hazelnut. Which I actually knew, but I think I just wanted to pretend it was a Macadamia nut so I could make something for the special day. Instead, I went through all of my cupcake recipes (all 60) and decided upon one where I had almost all of the ingredients. All I needed was pudding, sour cream and the peanut butter cups. Thankfully (and frightfully) the Halloween candy is already out, so Reeses was in abundance. Halloween, already?!

* Note: The original recipe called for the espresso granules to be dissolved in 1/2 cup of warm water. I overlooked this step until right now when I was looking up the recipe to type....they turned out ok though. I was wondering why the picture from the website had a batter that looked thinner than mine, that explains it....

Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes
from The Little Kitchen

Cupcakes
1 18.25 oz package devil’s food cake mix
1 3.4 oz package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp instant espresso granules
30 Reese’s Miniatures peanut butter cups, frozen

Peanut Butter Buttercream Icing
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 lbs powdered sugar
3 - 4 tbsp low-fat milk
Reese's peanut butter cups minis

 For the cupcakes:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Place cupcake liners in your cupcake or muffin pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer or your stand mixer bowl using the paddle attachment, mix together all of your ingredients except the peanut butter cups for minute or two until well mixed.
3. Place 3 tbsp of cake batter in each cupcake liner. Take one frozen peanut butter cup and place in the center of each cupcake on top of the batter, press down a little bit.
4. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until several cupcakes pricked with a toothpick come out clean. Do not prick the cupcake where the peanut butter cup is inserted. There will be a slight indentation or hole where the cupcake is sunken in from the peanut butter cup, you'll fill that with icing. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Remove cupcakes from the pans and place them on a cooling rack & let them cool all the way. While the cupcakes are baking you can make the buttercream icing.

For the icing:

1. In your stand mixer bowl using the paddle attachment, mix thoroughly the softened butter and peanut butter on low to medium speed. Turn off your mixer and in two batches, add the powdered sugar and mixing until well blended. Be careful, the powered sugar can go everywhere!
2. Add vanilla and 3 to 4 tablespoons of milk a little bit at a time while blending on low speed. Blend until well combined. You'll start to see the icing pull from the sides of the bowl. Add a little bit more milk to get to the right thinness (to your preference). Keep blending, higher the speed, until nice and fluffy, about 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Using a big round tip and decorator bag, pipe icing onto cooled cupcakes and top with a mini on each cupcake.

Restaurant Review: Stella Blu

I have recently realized that I have a habit of making lists. I have lists of recipes, to-do lists, work supply lists, and lists of restaurants I want to eat in. My friend Jaime has gift certificates. When her gift certificates and my restaurant lists get together, we have a great night out planned. That's what happened last night. I decided that a girl's night out was in order, and Jaime thought $100 towards a meal was just what we needed. We went to Stella Blu in Nashua, NH.

Stella Blu is a little tapas place I discovered while trolling around Urbanspoon.com. Each dish ranges from $7-$15 or so, and while the portions tend to be small (serves 2-3 people), they are delicious. We started with some Lobster Mac & Cheese springrolls. Yes. Lobster. Mac & Cheese. Rolled up and fried/baked. I wish I came up with genius ideas like that.

Lobster Mac & Cheese Springrolls

Then, we had some fried calamari with a spicy arrabiata dipping sauce. Jaime wanted to drink the sauce, and I agreed that it wouldn't have been wrong of her to do so. The sauce was better than the calamari.

Calamari with Arrabiata Sauce

We also had some crab dip, which was ridiculously good. I didn't each too much of it, I was saving room to try the other dishes we wanted.

Crab Dip

The second round consisted of szechuan green beans, smoked salmon and vegetables, duck rangoons and my personal favorite - braised short ribs with pureed root veggies. I don't use this term often (or in a serious manner) but OMG. I could eat these all day long. I will definitely be trying to make my own in the future.

Smoked Salmon with Veggies

Szechuan Green Beans

Duck Rangoons

Braised Short Ribs with Pureed Root Veggies

I topped it all off with a nice Stella Artois. I would definitely go back there again. There were so many plates that we didn't even get to try. And, for a highly rated restaurant, it was very quiet. Perhaps it was just due to it being labor day weekend, but we were surprised. Luckily, that had no reflection on the food. It was fantastic.