Apple Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream

At the beginning of 2015 I decided I had had enough to carting around the rest of this baby weight and get back to feeling like myself. It had only taken me a year to get around to it. I was lucky, I only had an extra 15 pounds or so sticking around but it has still been a complete pain to get rid of. Can I get my teenage metabolism back, please? Stupid body. 
But, even with my efforts I still occasionally crave something sweet. And I figured, what the heck? If I'm going to go for some delicious sugary goodness I may as well put some effort into it. 

Apple Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream

makes 24 cupcakes

3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups grated apples
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease or line a 12 cup muffin pan.

In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs and sugars until creamy. Beat in the the orange juice, vanilla, and vegetable oil. Slowly add the flour mixture, mix until just combined. Stir in the grated apples. Bake 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. Cool completely before frosting.


Caramel Buttercream

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
4 large egg whites, room temperature
2 teaspoons  vanilla extract

Bring 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar and the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Wash sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until caramel is dark amber. Immediately remove from heat, and slowly add cream, salt, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, stirring with a wooden spoon until smooth. Let cool.

Beat butter with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

Place whites and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a heatproof mixer bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture registers 160 degrees on a candy thermometer.  Remove from heat, and attach bowl to a mixer. Whisk on medium speed for 5 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high, and whisk until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 6 minutes. Reduce speed to medium, and add beaten butter, cup at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in vanilla.   Switch to paddle attachment. With mixer on low speed, add caramel, and beat until smooth, 3 to 5 minutes.


Even when I'm not spending time in the gym I don't typically enjoy sweets much but this cupcake sounded too good to pass up. I'm not a fantastic baker so I follow this recipe down to the last syllable even though I thought that adding orange juice sounded a little weird. Other than that the cake portion of the recipe is short, sweet, and to the point. I will mention that both times I have made this recipe that the cake needed cooked a good ten minutes longer than the recipe called for, but, it very well may have been my oven acting up so just keep an eye on them. 

However, then we get to the icing. I'm not a patient woman. I bet you never would have guessed that. The icing takes attention, time, and lack of distractions. I've made these cupcakes twice and the icing four times because I've screwed it up pretty royally twice. It's not so much that it is difficult because, really, it's not, it just requires constant attention. I've seen toddlers with a longer attention span than I have which is certainly part of my problem. 

But, despite my own shortcomings, these cupcakes are absolutely delicious. I adore them. I could sit in the kitchen and eat them by the dozen and not have a single regret. Pardon my caps but THEY ARE FANTASTIC! Go, indulge, make yourself a sugary confection to regret in the morning. It is worth it.  

(Recipe and photo taken from Baked Perfection)

Shrimp and Mushrooms in a Garlic Bisque Sauce

Finding something both my husband and I will eat has become a daunting task. To put it mildly, we do not enjoy eating the same things. At all. Honestly, it's why I joined Pinterest in the first place. I hoped to find new recipe ideas more easily and all in one place instead of gallivanting all over the internet. For example, he likes fish and while I will eat fish I don't particularly find joy in it. I love soup but he wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. I also love mushrooms while he tends to pick around them. So, I tried to find something that combined different things we like in hopes of finding something we both enjoy. 

Let me just say that I failed. 

Shrimp and Mushrooms in a Garlic Bisque Sauce 

• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 3 medium tomatoes
• 5 cloves of garlic, pressed
• 1 Lb Mushrooms
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp sweet chili sauce
• ½ cup sour cream (not low fat)
• 1 Lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined (I left the tail on for effect)
• 1½ cups reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1 tsp sea salt

Instructions

1. In a large heavy bottom skillet or a WOK, combine your diced tomatoes and pressed garlic with 3 Tbsp olive oil and simmer uncovered over medium heat until tomatoes are soft and release their juices (10-12 min). Remove your tomatoes and set aside.
2. In the same skillet over med/high heat, caramelize your diced onions and sliced mushrooms then add the tomato mixture back into the same pan.
3. Add 1 tsp salt, ½ cup sour cream and 1 Tbsp chili sauce. Stir to combine. Add in 1½ cups chicken broth and stir to combine.
4. Bring your sauce to a simmer over med/high heat and add in the shrimp. Turn the shrimp a couple times in the sauce while cooking and simmer until shrimp is cooked through. Don't overcook or your shrimp will turn rubbery.
5. Let the sauce cool down a little bit (it will thicken a little as it cools) then serve over your favorite plain rice, pasta or mashed potatoes

I'll start by saying that I did make a couple of minor changes to this recipe. I used canned, diced, fire roasted tomatoes with garlic instead of chopping them myself to save time and, well, I had them in my pantry. I also despise sour cream with the fiery passion of a thousand suns so I used plain Greek yogurt instead. Any recipe that calls for sour cream gets Greek yogurt instead. 

Other than that, I went on with the recipe as written. I very, very rarely cook shrimp but the fellow behind the shellfish counter at the market recommended some to me that were locally caught and already de-veined. If I were on a cooking show like Chopped and had to de-vein shrimp I would out of the running because I would have barely a clue on how to do it properly. I don't particularly enjoy shrimp so why would I? But, the spouse likes them, so whatever. 

This was a fairly easy recipe, it got right to the point, and was pretty quick start to finish. But it had no pizzazz. It wasn't "oh yum! This is great!" nor was it "man, this is terrible." It was just...eh. My husband picked all the shrimp out and ate them, I let the rice soak up the sauce and ate that and there were a lot of leftovers. Just wasn't anything to get excited about. If I'm just going to eat something because I need to eat then I'll pop some toast in, not spend money on shrimp that I don't like anyway. In a nutshell, won't be making this again. Not worth it. 

(Recipe and photo taken from Natasha's Kitchen)

Paprika Chicken and Spinach with White Wine Butter Thyme Sauce

Since expanding our family to include an incredibly adorable and fun little girl, cooking has fallen pretty far down on my list of things that require my time and attention during the day. Some nights I just toss some marinated tofu on a spring mix of greens and that's that. Just too worn out or have too much going on to go all out on dinner. Last night was not one of those nights. It had been a pretty good day (despite frustrations at my local day care) and I wanted to give my husband and I a good home cooked meal. 

Paprika Chicken and Spinach with White Wine Butter Thyme Sauce

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large chicken breasts
• 1 tsp paprika
• salt & pepper
• 5 Tbsp butter*
• ¼ cup fresh thyme leaves
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 handfuls spinach (chopped if they're huge pieces)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Season the chicken breasts with the paprika, rubbing it evenly over both sides. Also season with salt and pepper — about ¼ tsp each.
2. Melt 1 Tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and add the chicken breasts. Cook on the first side for three minutes (or until crisping and golden), flip, and turn the heat down to medium, or slightly less. Let cook for another three minutes before adding the remaining butter, thyme and garlic.
3. Cook, stirring the thyme and garlic around, for about 2 minutes before adding the wine.
4. Bring the wine to a gentle simmer and let cook for 20 minutes. It will reduce, so add more if necessary.
5. Add the spinach, and let wilt fully. Season with salt and pepper, make sure the chicken is done, and serve with a grain of your choice.

This is one of those recipes that I altered pretty thoroughly, partially because of the ingredients available to me at the local super market. Getting decent looking herbs in this town is the next best thing to impossible. I don't understand why. Even mid winter during a blizzard you could get nice herbs in New England but apparently Georgia didn't get the memo. The thyme was all brown and wilted so I figured, hey, let's use sage instead. It was still green which is a miracle in this neck of the woods. The sauce sounded like it would be tasty with sage so I went for it.  

I also went a little heavy handed with the paprika and really gave the chicken a good rub before I started. But, I really like my food to have intense flavors. A subtle smattering of seasoning would have done nothing for me. I also added part of the sage where it tells you to put in the thyme and the other part at the end with the spinach. Then, at the end, I also added a bit of heavy cream to the sauce, maybe two tablespoons, and let it cook for another minute or two. I told you I altered this one quite a bit. 

In the end, this was delicious. I put the chicken over some sticky rice and it was fabulous. The rice really soaked up that sauce and the chicken was very flavorful. I know I'll be making this again. Maybe at some point I'll be able to find some thyme to actually make it how it was intended. 

(Recipe and photo taken from The Kitchen Paper)

Ropa Vieja

As I've mentioned before, my sister will at times be adding her own Pinterest recipe attempts. The last one she sent me I had to harass her into adding a bit of fluff. Personal stories and said fluff typically do not make it into her writing. At times I feel that I need someone who specializes in cryptography just to read her texts they are so brief. But, personal views and the occasional ramble make things a bit more fun, don't you think? I think she hit the nail on the head with this one.

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I was talking to a friend this evening while our kids played. She runs a fitness/lifestyle business where she provides workouts, meal plans and individual attention to help people achieve their goals.  She is very much a meal planner, where she plans for the week what they are having for each day and what she needs at the store. We were contrasting that to how I cook. I buy the major proteins every week, meat, poultry, etc and fresh vegetables along with whatever pantry items I have used up. The key for me though is pantry, I always have certain ingredients on hand and hardly ever know what I am going to cook on any given evening.

Today we had several inches of snow and everyone was home because of it. There was lots of shoveling and sledding going on and I thought we could all use a hearty dinner. I had a flank steak in the freezer and decided to crock pot that up. We have visited Puerto Rico a couple times and love it there, especially the food, so I looked up a recipe on Pinterest for Ropa Vieja. Here is the one I based our dinner off of:

Ropa Vieja

Original recipe:

2 1/2 pounds beef flank steak

6 Tbsp ground cumin

4 Tbsp EVOO

2 cups beef broth

(2) 8-ounce can's tomato sauce

(2) 6-ounce can's tomato paste

2 Tbsp distilled vinegar

8 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 large yellow or white onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded & sliced into 1/2 inch strips

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded & sliced into 1/2 inch strips

1 bunch cilantro, leaves chopped

To make:

Rub the steak with 3 Tbsp cumin on both sides. In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp EVOO over med-high heat. Add steak & cook until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to Crock Pot.

In large mixing bowl, mix together the broth, tomato sauce, paste, vinegar, garlic, salt, & remaining 3 Tbsp cumin. Then add the remaining 2 Tbsp EVOO. Stir well. Then add onion, bell peppers, & cilantro. Stir again & pour mixture over steak in crock pot.

Cook on high 4 hours or low up to 10 hours. The meat is ready when it falls apart when pierced with a fork. Use 2 forks to shred the meat. Let it sit for 15 minutes. Then serve inside flour tortillas, use some white rice to soak up the yummy juices, serve with a side or refried or black beans!

The blogger gives credit to Eva Longoria’s cookbook which is found here:

Eva's Kitchen .

Now for my edits, which take into account what I had on hand along with personal preferences:

1.5 pounds of Flank Steak

3 TBSP of Cumin

1 TBSP of Olive Oil

1 “serving” of chicken bouillon (I use packets from Trader Joe’s)

1 can (regular size) of diced tomatoes

1 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar

4 garlic cloves, smushed

1 palm full of salt (maybe 1.5 tsps)

½ a Vidalia onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper sliced

1 tsp of coriander

2 TBSP of dried onion

1 tsp Oregano

Also, I am lazy, so all those lovely browning directions, bleh. I tossed all of the above in the crock pot (the meat was frozen) and cooked it on high for 5 hours and on low for about 40 minutes, I shredded it about 15 minutes before serving. 

All of the ingredients are those that I had on hand and threw together on a whim.  My friend wishes she could do a little more of that, whereas I sometimes wish I could plan ahead and not have so much stress about dinner.

The ropa vieja turned out wonderfully, by the way. You are getting this blog post because my husband wanted me to actually write this one down so I can try to replicate it someday. The meat shredded easily and we served it with rice and beans for everyone but me (I made a burrito, because). The 4 year old cleaned the plate. The 1 year old got seconds. The husband, well, here is your blog post. And I ended up with two burritos (oops).  This reminder of a great vacation was perfect today.

I now need to replenish my cumin, canned tomatoes, red pepper, and frozen beef.

(Recipe and photo taken from Cooking with Crystal)

One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese

The last few days my little 16 month old had been battling a cold. While it doesn't seem to really bother her all that much the non stop coughing, snuggling, and runny nose has been driving me crazy. I don't sit still well and don't particularly like being touched. I'll do it for my little girl but, boy, it's grating on my nerves. So, to appease my annoyance and lack of gym time, I decided to indulge in some comfort food. 

One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 8 ounces ground beef
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 3/4 cup canned white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 3/4 cup canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 10 ounces uncooked elbows pasta
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion and ground beef, and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat.
• Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes, beans, chili powder and cumin; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a simmer and stir in pasta. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked through, about 13-15 minutes.
• Remove from heat. Top with cheese and cover until melted, about 2 minutes.
• Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

This is something I chose to make out of pure selfishness. My husband wouldn't touch with with a ten foot pole. If this was the only thing he could eat for the rest of his life he would probably choose to starve to death and get it over with quickly. It has beans, a conglomeration of ingredients in a single pot, and could loosely be deems a type of soup. All things he hates with an untold passion. Not to mention that if even even smells a whiff of cumin he starts asking the last time the litter has been changed. 

Me, I think it sounds, and smells, fantastic. 

I adore chili, I like pasta, and cheese finds itself into nearly everything I eat. Needless to say, it would be hard for this to fail. You know what? It didn't. It was easy to put together, didn't require much of my attention, fairly inexpensive, and not a lot of dishes to do afterward. What a winner! This also provided a lot of leftovers which will keep me from having to be chained in the kitchen over the next day or so. So many things to be appreciative of all in one dish. Thank you, thank you person who provided this recipe. 

Now, back to my regularly scheduled baby snuggles. 

(Recipe and photo taken from Damn Delicious)

Marinated Flank Steak

I have a terrible time trying to pick something for dinner that my husband and I would both enjoy. We just don't like the same foods. Besides tacos, we both adore tacos. For instance, he could just eat meat every meal and be happy while I am the kind of person that keeps tofu in the fridge. I'm no vegetarian I just don't particularly enjoy biting into the muscles of a dead animal. I usually find myself picturing said animal in my head and then I can't bring myself to eat any more of it. So, when I stumbled across this recipe I was surprised when I found that it sounded good. 

Marinated Flank Steak 

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp. black peppercorns
1 tbsp. coriander seeds
1 tbsp. fennel seeds
2 dried chiles de àrbol, broken
2 fresh bay leaves
1⁄2 cup red wine
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. worcestershire
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 (2-lb.) flank steak
Kosher salt, to taste
 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Toast peppercorns, coriander, fennel, chiles de àrbol, and bay leaves in a small skillet over high heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer aromatics to a hard surface; lightly crush with the bottom of a heavy skillet; then transfer to a 9"x13" baking dish.

2. Add wine, vinegar, worcestershire, garlic, rosemary, and olive oil; whisk to combine. Poke flank steak all over with a fork and place in marinade; spoon some marinade over top. Cover and refrigerate, turning occasionally, for 12 to 24 hours.

3. An hour before grilling, transfer steak to a plate; set aside at room temperature. Transfer marinade to a small pot and bring just to a boil; set aside.

4. Build a medium-hot charcoal fire in your grill. Grill steak, turning once and, using a brush, basting with reserved marinade occasionally, until browned and medium rare, 7 to 8 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. Carve steak into thin slices on the bias and serve with any accumulated juices.


This recipe went against everything I usually look for when cooking. It isn't quick, it isn't low or no meat, and it requires the grill which I just have never mastered. Despite that, for the first time ever, I found myself leaning over the beef in the grocery store trying to pick out a flank steak. I've never picked out a flank steak but my father had given me a few tips on what to look for so I chose as best I could. 

I definitely made a few changes to this recipe. For instance, there was no way I was wasting my time toasting peppercorns, regular ones would be just fine.  Also instead of chiles de àrbo I tossed in a pablano. I like their flavor and they are cheap here. I can get behind cheap. Get behind it, root for it, and do a little cheer. 

The most expensive park of this recipe ended up being the red wine. I keep white on hand, not red, so I had to buy a small bottle of it. Besides the meat I already had everything else on hand so this ended up being fairly inexpensive. The marinade went together quickly and easily and smelled fantastic. I left it to marinade around 30 hours, turning occasionally. My real problems occurred on the grill but hopefully you are more proficient than I am at it. We have an infrared grill, which is fantastic, but it means I can't follow the grill time recommendations given on recipes so I have to wing it. None the less, once I reached the correct doneness I was pleasantly surprised. 

The marinade had made the meat tender and flavorful and I ended up eating a couple slices of it. My husband enjoyed it as well and ate the leftovers the next day for lunch. I probably won't be personally making this again any time soon, I've had my fill of cow for a while, but it was still very good. I do recommend it for cost and flavor.  

(Recipe and photo taken from Saveur)

Cheesy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

You ever have one of those days when you not only want a glass of wine but feel the urge just to take the entire bottle to the couch and say "to heck with it?" It has been one of those days. Nothing huge happened, unless you count the shower door completely falling off while I was still in it, but just one of those days when something small happened every five minutes and you just want to rip your hair out. But, if you rip your hair out, then you just have one more problem to deal with and, let's face it, you just don't have the time. 

This lead me to browsing my recipe board on Pinterest in search of comfort food. You know what happened? We went to Moe's and now I'm feeling major guilt over that carb intake. But, I did stumble upon a recipe I made not so long ago that I felt the need to tell you about. 

Cheesy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 stalks celery, finely diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 Tablespoons fresh minced garlic
2 Cups shredded, cooked chicken breast
2 Cups steamed white rice
16 oz prepared wild rice (I get mine at Trader Joes, LOVE it)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

______

CHEESE SAUCE

4 Tablespoons butter
1/4 Cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 Cups chicken broth
2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese
Top with 1 1/2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Heat oil into a medium dutch oven or pot over medium heat.  Saute onion, celery and carrots until softened, about 10 minutes.  Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in chicken, both rices, salt, pepper and garlic salt.  Reduce heat to low.

2.  To prepare cheese sauce melt butter into a medium saucepan over medium high heat.  Whisk in flour, salt and pepper then slowly pour in chicken broth whisking continuously.  Whisk until thick and nearly boiling then stir in cheese until melted.  Pour cheese sauce into cooked rice mixture then transfer to a 9×13 inch baking dish. Top with additional cheddar cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted through.  Serve.

I initially found this recipe right after I got married and we were on a seriously tight budget. My husband had been assigned to his first duty station so I had left my job, moved to an area of the US I had never been before, and had yet to find work. When it came to food it had to be cheap and make a lot because we were eating off of my last paycheck until I found a new job. 

This recipe sounded perfect. It was easy to make, quick, and included my favorite ingredient. Cheese. I didn't shred the chicken as it states, just gave it a quick fine chop after I'd cooked it. I hate shredding chicken. It is an infuriating task, but, that rant is for another day. So, other than the chicken, I followed the recipe. For the rice I just used the microwave Uncle Bens. Who wants to waste a bunch of time cooking rice that never turns out right, anyway?

What got me? This recipe is so completely and utterly bland. Boring. Dull. Lifeless. Without taste. No bueno. Have I got my point across yet? Good, because I was going to have to resort to Google Translate to come up with anything else. Schlecht, just for good measure. 

My point is, don't waste your time. Unless you pile on some seasoning or add more ingredients to add to the flavor you'll just have yourself a big dud. 


(Photos and recipe taken from Picky Palate)