Drawing Recipes

Watermelon Cake

2012-08-23T14:29:00.003-07:00

This cake is, well, ...it's watermelon. So, right off the bat it's a bit more nutritious for you than regular cake. It helps that it's super yummy too! Perfect for an end of summer bash before everyone goes back to school.

I should have taken more time icing the cake. I was a bit rushed though so I apologize for the uh lack of skill in decorating in the pictures. You have to lay on the yogurt icing really thick, otherwise it just slides off the watermelon. I was surprised though of how well it stayed once I got the hang of how much icing to slap on at once.

Watermelon Cake

1 seedless watermelon

1 6oz container of Greek yogurt, Chobani or Fage. I prefer Fage for this

1 package of instant vanilla pudding mix

2 tsp vanilla

any kind of fruit you want to decorate with

Cut the top and bottom off of your watermelon. Now, it depends on your watermelon what shape your cake will be in. I wanted a circle but mine was destined to be rectangular. Save the pieces you are cutting off. You can use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and decorate the cake with. The yogurt must be Greek yogurt as plain yogurt will be too runny and will slide right off your cake. Mix the Greek yogurt, pudding mix, and vanilla till combined. Now, slap it onto the watermelon. Remember to put a lot on there or it wont stay on the cake. Now decorate however you like :)

Grilled Chicken and Veggies

2012-08-23T12:46:00.000-07:00

As i continue on m 30 day challenge of making healthy lunches I'm constantly trying to find something to 'make' but when it comes to healthy food that isn't always the case. Nature has come up with the best recipes by far and it's time to really start enjoying them.

So for today's lunch I went very simple and easy but with enough variety to keep it interesting, nutritious, and most importantly, yummy!

Grilled Chicken and Veggies

1/2 grilled chicken breast

baby carrots

black beans, low sodium

steamed broccoli

1/2 avocado slices

2 campari tomatoes

Put everything on a plate and be dazzled by the simple but amazing lunch you just made! I had mine with cucumber and mint water. Very refreshing!

Tacos!

2012-08-23T10:35:00.001-07:00

Is there anything better than a good taco? I mean, they are so easy to make and you can make so many different kinds of tacos. Savory tacos. Sweet tacos. Spicy tacos. Crunchy tacos...and I'll stop there before I start sound like Buba from Forrest Gump.

I prepared the taco meat the same way I did for the taco salad , but I added onions, and I used the leftover yogurt dressing from it to top one of the tacos with. So there's our savory with a slight kick taco. The other taco I topped with glazed pineapple and mint. Sweet with a zing taco.

Tacos!

1 lb ground beef

1 tsp cumin

2 tsp creole

1/2 tsp salt

2 limes

1/2 white onion, diced

1 cup pineapple, cubed

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 sprigs mint leaves

1/4 cup jicama, chopped

12 whole wheat tortillas

left over yogurt sauce recipe

Brown the ground beef with creole, salt, cumin until done. Drain grease and saute the onions for a minute and then put meat back into the pan. Squeeze the juice of one lime and combine. Cover pan and turn off heat. Heat a small skillet and toss in the pineapple and brown sugar. Cook each side of the pineapple for about a minute each. Make sure both sides have brown sugar on them. Once done, take off heat and put on a plate.

To assemble your savory tacos. Load your tortilla with the meat and onion mixture. Add some jicama and desired amount of yogurt sauce. Serve with a lime wedge and devour.

To assemble the sweet tacos, load your tortillas with the meat and onion mixture and add some jicama. top with glazed pineapple and a few mint leaves.

Roasted Red Pepper and Squash Grilled Cheese with Peppered Avocado

2012-08-22T12:55:00.005-07:00

An adult grilled cheese that is full of flavor. As comforting as the kid version of white bread and cheese is this is just as comforting with a kick for discerning palates. Read: not living off of bland chicken nuggets and chocolate milk.

I think this sandwich is perfect for the weather right now. It tastes like summer with the squash and zucchini but at the same time fall with the melted cheese and roasted peppers. Don't ask me why roasted peppers make me think of fall, they just do. The fresh avocado slices give this sandwich just enough moisture so you don't have a dry sandwich but with health benefits beyond mayonnaise.

Roasted Red Pepper and Squash Grilled Cheese with Peppered Avocado

2 multi grain bread slices

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced

olive oil

1 squash

1 zucchini

2 slices sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 avocado, sliced

pepper

preheat oven to 400 F

Using a vegetable peeler or a knife for thicker slices, slice the squash and zucchini. Using as much olive oil as you need bush both sides of the squash, zucchini, and red pepper and arrange on cooking sheet. Cook for five minutes or until tender. Brush both sides of bread with olive oil and cook in a small skillet. Or if you are in a hurry you could put them in a toaster. Once the bread and squash are done assemble you sandwich. Cheese on bottom with squash, zucchini, and red pepper on top. Leave top slice of bread off. Heat in a skillet until cheese is melted. Put your avocado slices on the other piece of bread and add pepper to taste. Now, go enjoy this delicious sandwich!

Crunchy Tuna Salad

2012-08-22T12:31:00.004-07:00

I have nightmares of this tuna salad from Subway that they scooped out with an ice cream scoop and plopped on some white bread. It stayed in that perfect little round shape. This squishy, bland, disgusting half sphere of disgusting-ness.....that is not what I made.

No, nonono. This tuna salad is full of crunch and flavor. From delicious red onion, to crunchy celery, to sweet, crisp grapes. This is a tuna salad that I will go back for seconds for.

Crunchy Tuna Salad

2 cans of tuna in water

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 cup red grapes, halved

1/2 red onion, diced

3 tbsp low-fat mayonnaise

2 sweet dill pickles, sliced

1 romaine lettuce leaf, one for each serving

1 cup mixed greens

Drain your tuna and in a medium bowl mix celery, grapes, onion, mayo, and pickles together. Wash and dry your lettuce and greens and make a bed of mixed greens on top of the romaine lettuce. Dish some of the tuna salad on top and wrap and enjoy! I also used extra celery slices to eat the tuna. It was amazing :)

Open Faced Chicken Unwhich

2012-08-21T10:04:00.002-07:00

Unwich because it's not a sandwich. Get it? I'm clever like that. Not really...totally stole it from Jimmy Jons.
Trademark aside, these are scrumptious.

When I was thinking of what to make for lunch I really wanted some teriyaki chicken. That did not happen sadly but these came out of that misfortune so I'm over the fact there is no teriyaki sauce in this kitchen....sort of.

Open Faced Chicken Unwhich

1 chicken breast, I used an already grilled piece but if yours isn't cook it up however you want.

worcestershire sauce

dash of salt

munster cheese, grate how ever much you want on your sandwich

1 small zucchini

1 small carrot, or a couple baby carrots

2 leaves romaine lettuce

Chop the chicken breast into small pieces. Put the chicken in a small skillet on medium heat and give a few good shakes of worcestershire sauce. You want each piece to be brown and soak up some of that flavor. Heat through for about 5-7 minutes. Turn heat to low and add your cheese while stirring. Take off heat and set aside. Using a potato peeler shred some of you carrot and zucchini. Place your chicken mixture on the lettuce leaves and add your shredded veggies and now you have a filling and tasty lunch that wont weigh you down.

In the picture those are Apple Cider Vinegar Cucumber Chips which I'll be posting the recipe for soon.

Taco Salad

2012-08-20T10:15:00.006-07:00

I'm in love with this taco salad. It turned out so much better than I thought it would. (yes, I'm admitting I have no idea what I'm doing and just making things up as I go along.)I went for healthy version of taco salad , meaning no fried tortillas, but with a kick. The yogurt dressing was the perfect punch for this salad.

I was told by my niece when I asked her if she would eat taco salad that she 'can only eat it if I make it good.' Touche child, touche. Well, she ate it so I'll let that speak for itself. I do suggest not adding the yogurt sauce to a child's plate until they try it though. Some kids can't handle the awesome deliciousness.

Taco Salad

Servings: Enough for 4 people

1 pound hamburger meat

1 tsp cumin

2 tsp creole

1/2 tsp salt

1 can black beans, drained

3 slices jicama, chopped

1 cup cabbage, chopped

2 cup romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved

2 limes

Yogurt dressing

3/4 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt

1 tsp paprika

2 tsp creole

2 good shakes of hot sauce

Brown the hamburger meat with creole, salt, cumin until done. Drain grease and put meat back into the pan. Squeeze the juice of one lime and stir. Toss your cabbage, lettuce, beans, jicama, tomatoes, and meat together. In a small bowl, mix the yogurt with creole, hot sauce, and paprika. Add about two tablespoons to each plate and mix or to taste. Grab a fork and dig in!

Zesty Salad Bowl

2012-08-18T12:31:00.002-07:00

Yesterday was the first day of my 30 day healthy lunch challenge and it was a delicious start to the 30 days. I took photos but forgot my cable to put them on my laptop. So it's a double post today :p

This is a good representation of a salad. Not the plain crunchy water you get at some restaurants. Sweet, zesty, and filling. Using lemon juice as the dressing, brings out the flavors and makes the salad light and fresh.

Zesty Salad Bowl

5 cabbage leaves (can be substituted with your favorite lettuce)

1 radish

1/2 red bell pepper

1/4 cup raspberries

1/4 cup blueberries

1/2 cucumber

2 slices of ham, chopped

1/2 grilled chicken breast, chopped

1 cup lettuce (whatever you have on hand), chopped

1 lemon

Carefully, pull the 2 leaves off the cabbage head. Wash and dry them, these will make your bowl. Chop the other three leaves, these will add lots of crunch to your salad without the calories that croutons do! Add the chopped lettuce and cabbage to the bowl. Toss in all the other ingredients except the lemon. Squeeze some lemon juice on and voila! You have a wonderfully delicious salad with lots of flavor and nutrients.

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

2012-08-16T21:35:00.005-07:00

I feel like most things I make center around chocolate. And honestly I see no problem with that. I'm starting a challenge of 30 days of healthy lunches but I still feel that even if you are trying to eat healthy and 'what you should' that you should also indulge every now and then to feed your soul. It's all about balance. And hey, these have vegetables in them.

The great thing about zucchini is that you can put it in a lot of baked goods and it keeps the piece moist and adds fiber. Great flavor and benefits? It's a win win.

These muffins aren't terribly sweet but more of a balance between sugar and spice. You get chocolate's sweetness offset by the muffin's spicy hint of cinnamon.

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cups sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 egg

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/4 cup almond milk, or whole milk

1 tsp cinnamon, heaping

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 zucchini, shredded

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F

Cream the sugar and butter together till smooth. Mix in the egg. Add the milk, flour, vanilla, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until just incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips and zucchini. Use a 1/4 cup measuring spoon to divide up batter into muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Excellent with Italian Roast coffee :)

Great Grandma's Chocolate Pie

2012-08-14T22:08:00.003-07:00

This recipe is from my Great Grandmother who is 98 now. She would have bacon and fried eggs for breakfast almost every morning. I don't feel bad about eating bacon anymore after learning that. Not that I felt that bad in the first place. I mean come on...it's bacon.

Intense, smooth, chocolate flavor with a light flaky crust served with fresh whip cream and you have the makings of a very good pie.

Chocolate Pie

1 9''baked pie shell

1 1/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa

2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp flour

3 cups whole milk

3 egg yolks, beaten

2 tbsp vanilla

Mix the sugar, salt, cocoa, cornstarch, and flour in a saucepan with high sides on moderate heat. Gradually stir in the three cups of milk. Continually stir until mixture thickens and boils. Let boil for one minute. Remove from heat. In another bowl beat your egg yolks and add about half the mixture from saucepan into bowl. Don't add your yolks straight into the pan otherwise you run the risk of cooking your eggs. Add egg and chocolate mixture into the saucepan. Put back on heat and boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and mix in vanilla. Cool, stirring occasionally. Pour into cooled baked pie shell. Chill thoroughly, about two hours. Take out of the fridge about 20 minutes before serving. Serve with fresh whip cream or grated chocolate.

Cucumber Rolls

2012-08-13T15:36:00.001-07:00

I love food that is contrasting. And these cucumber rolls fit the bill perfectly. Smooth but crunchy. Light but flavorful. Innocuous but addicting.

I've seen similar recipes over the past few years but most of them were with feta cheese. Which I'm a fan of in only certain situations. This is not one of them. Plus, I think making it with cream cheese makes them more crowd pleasing than the feta version.

To make these you need to make thin slices of cucumbers. Having a Mandolin slicer makes life so much easier but you can also use a regular potato peeler. You just need to be more careful of keeping your hand steady so you don't end up with a bunch of slices that are thin then thick or missing pieces.

Cucumber Rolls

2 cucumbers

1/2 red bell pepper

1 package cream cheese, room temperature

3 green onions. chopped

1 stem of fresh dill, chopped or 1 tsp dried dill

Wash and cut the ends off of your cucumbers. Slice your cucumbers, using each side until you only have the heart of the cucumber left. Save it. You can chops it up into the cream cheese mixture or chop it into a salad or give it to a whiny kid to munch on. Using a spoon, cream or cream cheese so it is easily spreadable. Add the red bell pepper, onions, and dill and mix. On a flat surface, add about a tablespoon of the mixture to one end of the cucumber slice and roll it up like you would a sleeping bag. Try to keep them nice and tight when rolling and then you wont need toothpicks. Which, since I'm out of those at the moment, is quite handy. If you have any extra cream cheese you can always set out some carrots or celery and use it as a delicious dip!

X marks the spot for something delicious!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2012-08-11T20:17:00.002-07:00

Have you ever had Otis Spunkmeyer cookies before? Well, these aren't like those. Not even close. I wish they were but these are a different kind of goodness. I promise. Crisp with a soft gooey center and just enough chocolate to satisfy your cravings without overloading your senses.

I keep losing my train of thought as there is a party bus outside my house pumping out house music like nobody's business. I wouldn't be so distracted nor annoyed if said party bus was for me. But it's not so it needs to move on and take its tantalizing flashing lights and dance music elsewhere. So I can enjoy my wine and book and perhaps curl up with my cat.....I lead such an exciting life I know.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 sticks butter, room temperature

3/4 cup dark brown sugar (use light if you don't have dark)

3/4 cup sugar

1 tbsp vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 1/4 cups flour

1 - 1 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips, heaping

1 - 1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, heaping

Preheat oven to 350 F

In an electric mixing bowl mix your butter and both sugars together till smooth. Add in both eggs and mix into just incorporated. Add vanilla. In a separate bowl mix the rest of your dry ingredients together. Add too mixing bowl in batches until just completely mixed. For something like cookies, brownies, and cakes you need to be careful not to mix too much.

Using a tablespoon scoop out a heaping mound of cookie dough and eat it. Then moving on, use about a tablespoon of dough for each cookie. It doesn't need to be in a perfect ball or anything. Just plop it on the cookie sheet and move on. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. Until the center is just done so you will end up with a nice soft center of melted chocolate goodness.

These cookies will cause happiness but in some subjects violence was displayed. Mostly in response to all the cookies being eaten and the culprit looking something like this.

Fake innocence can obviously be learned at a very young age. Enjoy your cookies!

Strawberry Cookies (Pink Cookies!)

2012-08-11T19:10:00.000-07:00

Every time one of my nieces or nephew come over I hear the cry to make Pink cookies! Over and over until I finally submit for the sake of my nerves...or it might be the fact I'm out of duct tape....I really need to go buy some and they get to help make these oh so amazing pink cookies.

Bite-sized and complimented with powdered sugar and a cold glass of milk these wont last very long in any household. Even a child that told me in no uncertain way that she HATED strawberries and anything fake or real to do with them, gobbled these up. These are very moist and easy to make that you can make it with children 'helping' and nothing but a wooden spoon and a mixing bowl.

Pink Cookies

1 package of cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 stick of butter, room temperature

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla

1 box of strawberry cake mix

1 cup powdered sugar

preheat the oven to 350 F

Cream the cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl. Add all the other ingredients and mix until smooth. You can even use a spoon if your cream cheese is melted enough but I just use an electric mixer. Cover the bowl with either plastic wrap or a paper towel and chill for 1 -2 hours. I told you this recipe was easy!

I (read children) am impatient so I usually just chill for about 15 minutes before rolling the dough into balls but you will get very messy hands if your dough isn't chilled enough. Set out a plate of 1/4 cup of powdered sugar. Add more to your plate as needed. Once your dough has chilled, scoop out a heaping tablespoon and roll into a ball in between your hands then roll each into the powdered sugar till it is completely coated. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. After taking them out of the oven you can add a bit more powdered sugar on top. Let cool then set your little ones or yourself loose on them.

Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

2012-08-11T18:08:00.000-07:00

Creamy and savory with a slight kick. These mushrooms will go fast at any event or be just enough to placate the hungry hoards that show up around dinner time known as friends and family so you can finish making dinner.

I love how the softness of the mushroom and cream cheese is offset by the crunch of the red pepper. I tend to notice texture more and more now since my best friend is obsessed by it. I'm big on taste considering it's well...food but her thing is texture. To each their own I suppose.

Cream cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

1 package of white button mushrooms about 18

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tsp fresh rosemary, diced or 1/2 tsp dried

1 package cream cheese, room temperature

olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 F
If you wipe the dirt off the mushrooms with a damp cloth instead of rinsing them with water you'll avoid them becoming waterlogged and getting soggy when baking but if you are in a hurry rinse and be sure to dry thoroughly. Remove the steams and if you feel like going above and beyond, save the stems and chop them up to add to the cream cheese mixture. Otherwise, just throw them out. Cream you cream cheese with a spoon till there are no lumps and it is easily spreadable. Add your rosemary, garlic, red pepper, and mushroom stems (if you kept them). Mix until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Brush the mushroom caps with olive oil and stuff them with cream cheese mixture. About a tablespoon each or so depending on the size of your mushrooms should do the trick. Pop those babies into the oven on a large baking sheet and bake for twenty minutes. Transfer to a pretty dish and watch them disappear faster than they show up in your neighbors yard. (you really should stop kicking those mushrooms so they stop spreading :p )

Sea Salt Caramel Cookie Bars

2012-08-07T11:18:00.004-07:00

Crack. That's what these are. Ridiculously addictive and ridiculously easy to make. If you can be patient enough to let them set you can cut them up and serve them and be the favorite person at any party.

Salty and sweet with a slight crunch and soft gooey center.

Sea Salt Caramel Cookie Bars

For the cookies:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 cup butter (two sticks)
2 eggs
3/4 cup dark brown sugar (light works just as well)
3/4 sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the caramel:
50 caramel cubes
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
sea salt

Preheat your oven to 350 F.
You can use any cookie batter recipe that you like but this one is my favorite as of now. Use room temperature butter but if you're like me you forget that part and end up zapping it in the microwave. Just don't melt them completely or your batter will be a little too soft to work with. Save your butter wrappers to grease your pan with later. Mix the butter and sugar together until you have a nice creamy texture. Add both eggs and mix them in. Then add the vanilla. It might be my imagination since I have a slight obsession with vanilla but to me it seems mixing the vanilla in with the eggs takes away some of the flavor it could add to your cookie dough.

In another bowl mix your baking soda, salt, and flour together. Just give them a quick stir as all you want to do is make sure the salt and baking soda is evenly distributed throughout your dough. I'm always afraid of over beating the dough which can make your cookies taste funny (I still don't know why though). So I dump the whole mixture in and mix just until there is no more flour to be mixed in. A thing I learned if you do it this way or whenever I add dry ingredients is to just hold the beater in place and let them do there thing. Moving them around the bowl usually just creates a dust cloud for me and gets everywhere. Whatever way you mix just make sure to get the sides and bottom of your bowl. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Now grease whatever pan you are using. I used a 9 by 9 in square glass pan as I wanted thick bars so each bite had lots of cookie and caramel in it. Take half your dough and plop it into your pan. Now pushing out from the center to the edges make your dough cover the entire bottom of the pan. You want to try and have an even layer of thickness. Now pop that sucker into the oven for about 8 minutes. The goal is not to completely cook it but just set it enough that the caramel wont leak through when you pour it on top.

If the dough is still pretty soupy after eight minutes stick it in for a few more minutes until it seems to be set a bit. Now let it get fairly cool so it can set even more. Pouring the caramel right onto after it comes out of the oven leads to a swamp land of cookie dough and caramel. No less delicious but slightly hazardous if children get into it and then start touching things in your house....

Onto the caramel! I'm a lazy person and impatient at that. So I use child labor and the microwave for this part. Have some kids or an unsuspecting significant other to unwrap 50 of those caramel squares for you and make sure they throw all those pesky little wrappers away! Dump all those into a microwave safe bowl and pour your heavy whipping cream in. You can use sweetened condescend milk in a pinch here. I just prefer the flavor of the heavy whipping cream kind. :) Zap the whole lot in the microwave for about 45 seconds the first round. Then 25 seconds every time after that. Now caramel is kind of like chocolate in the fact it is melting even though it doesn't look it. So using a wooden spoon do a quick stir to see if its melted. You want to get it to the consistency of melted caramel with a few lumps in it. Over cooking is bad...trust me and my broken microwaves. Stir until all lumps are gone and the dough base should be finished cooling by now.

Pour the caramel onto the cookie base and then add a healthy sprinkling of sea salt caramel. How much you add is up to you and how much you like that salty sweet combination. I like to give a few healthy shakes and make sure each piece would have a good amount of salt. Next, scoop out the rest of the cookie dough and press it between your hands to form the top layer. You could be fancy and get some wax paper and press it blah blah blah quick and dirty folks. You might need to do it in sections depending on your dough. Just get as much of the caramel covered as you can. Then put it into the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Using other oven I've had to bake it for as long as 40 minutes so just check with a toothpick to see if the top layer is done. After that let them cool and stick into the fridge to set. DO NOT put a straight from the oven dish into the fridge! Let cool for at least half an hour. You can add powdered sugar on top or leave it plain as I did.

Now that you have this delicious dessert go enjoy yourself...and maybe share :)

Rootbeer Float Cupcakes

2012-08-06T10:49:00.003-07:00

Light with a rich aftertaste just like a real rootbeer float. A not as messy option as Floats can be to give to miniature people with tiny hands that like to make messes. Though, messy in its own way as everything is you give to children.

I topped mine with a cherry and hot fudge so I guess it's more like a sundae than a float but either way it was delicious.

Root Beer Float Cupcakes

makes 12 cupcakes

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup dark cocoa powder

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

2 egg

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 teaspoons root beer concentrate

1/3 cup root beer

1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon heavy cream

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 tablespoons sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, mix egg and sugar until smooth. Add butter, cream and vanilla, and mix until just combined. Stir in sour cream. Sift all dry ingredients together and add to wet mixture. Be sure not to over mix. Add root beer concentrate and root beer. Mix until batter is smooth. Line a muffin tin with liners and fill each about half way. A heaping 1/4 cup measure should do the trick. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Let cool before frosting.

Vanilla and Root Beer Frosting

1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature

4 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk

1/4 teaspoon root beer concentrate

Cream butter until smooth. On low speed, add powdered sugar one cup at a time, increasing speed after each addition to bring the frosting together. Add milk and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Remove most of the vanilla frosting, till you have about 1/3-1/2 cup left in the mixer. Add root beer concentrate to remaining frosting in the bowl and beat until mixed through.

Prep two pastry bags and fill one with vanilla frosting and the other with root beer frosting. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, fill each one with root beer frosting by either putting the tip of the pastry bag in the cupcake and squeezing some into the cupcake or using the end of a wooden spoon to create a hole. Be sure not to make the hole all the way to the bottom of the cupcake otherwise when you take the liner off you'll have a mess on your hands. Top with the vanilla icing and leave it at that or add a cherry or hot fudge or any other yummy thing you can think of to add to these delicious cupcakes.