Galexi Cupcakes & Sweets

Happy St. Valentine's Day w/Red Velvet Cupcakes

2012-02-14T09:53:00.002-05:00

"If I had a flower for every time I thought of you, I could walk in my garden forever."
~Alfred Lord Tennyson

I baked these Red Velvet cupcakes for Gabi's class party today. Because they are for a bunch of sweet 8 & 9 year olds, I kept it very simple. Cream cheese frosting, pink sugar crystals and paper hearts in commemoration of the holiday. I'm quite certain Gabi will be very popular today!! Happy St. Valentine's to my friends and fellow bloggers. Most of all, Happy St. Valentine's Day to my husband. I met him in 1983 and we've been in love ever since!!!!!

Red Velvet Cupcakes
Yield: 24 Cupcakes

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy. Frost cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with pink sugar crystals.

Heart craft made by Lexi using cinnamon, glue and applesauce!

Source: cupcake recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Devil's Food Cupcakes

2012-02-08T13:09:00.001-05:00

I should rename this blog the Gabi blog because all recipes come from her, I'm just the baker. Though, I must admit she did not like the dark chocolate truffles, she thought they were too bitter for her taste, she did love eating these cuppies. These Devil's Food cupcakes were incredible, and combined with strawberry swiss meringue buttercream made our taste buds pop, pop, pop. To Gabi's credit, she does help out when I bake. She gathers all the ingredients and she hulled the strawberries (she ate more than she hulled).

Now back to these sinfully rich and decadent cupcakes. Devil's food cupcakes with strawberry SMBC...DELICIOUS! Because the cake itself was rich, I thought the SMBC was a good pairing. Not overly sweet like buttercream using powdered sugar. Very moist cake, very chocolatey and 24 cupcakes gone in three days! Sad when you think we only have four people in our home!! But so worth it..These would be great for Valentine's day with some champagne, don't you think?

Devil's Food Cupcakes
Yield: 24

Ingredients:
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 cup hot water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 and 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
1 and 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 and 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream, room temperature

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together the cocoa and hot water until smooth. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Melt butter with sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat, and pour into a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat until mixture is cooled, 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add vanilla, then cocoa mixture, and beat until combined.
Reduce mixer speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, and beating until just combined after each. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full (I never follow that rule btw). Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer cupcake pans to wire racks to cool 15 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Make the frosting below.

Lots of butter on Gabi's princess plate!

Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Ingredients:
1½ cups fresh strawberries (4 oz.), rinsed, hulled and coarsely chopped
4 large egg whites
1¼ cups sugar
3 sticks (1½ cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature

Directions:
To make the frosting, place the strawberries in a food processor. Puree until completely smooth. Combine the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved. The mixture will feel smooth between your fingers.

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 10 minutes. (The bowl should be cool to the touch.)

Reduce the speed to medium-low and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated. After you have added all the butter switch to paddle attachment and continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth, about 3-5 minutes more. Blend in the strawberry puree until smooth and completely incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Frost your cupcakes, using either a wide open tip or an offset spatula for that rustic look.

Congratulation to my G-Men on their Superbowl win!!!!

Source: Devil's food recipe The Curvy Carrot, SMBC Martha Stewart.

Dark Chocolate Truffles

2012-02-02T11:20:00.000-05:00

I love reading! I read my daughter's comics, I read my husband's home repair books, I read my baby's readables and I read silly frilly fiction novels. But, more than anything I love to read cookbooks and magazines about cooking and blogs about cooking. They take me away. When I read I like to eat, not an entire meal but finger food type of food (does that make sense?). Recently, my mom gave me a stack of magazines dating back to the 80's, and included in one of those magazines was this recipe for dark chocolate truffles. The magazine didn't have a cover but I think it may have been an old Good Housekeeping issue. Anyway, these dark chocolate truffles came out really good and were a snap to make.

Dark Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:
8 oz dark chocolate
⅔ cup whipping cream
1 cup cocoa powder

Directions:
Chop dark chocolate and melt in a double broiler. Bring to a simmer whipping cream and pour into melted dark chocolate while still in double broiler. Stir with a spatula until completely mixed and glossy. Let stand in room temperature until it cools down. Put the cream/chocolate mixture inside the fridge for four (4) hours or more until it’s firm. Use a melon baller to scoop out and mold truffles into balls. Roll the dark chocolate truffles in cocoa powder to coat them. If you want to keep them round, after you roll them in the cocoa powder set them on a baking rack that is covered by wax paper, if you prefer the flat bottom, press them in with your thumbs. Refrigerate until ready to serve. These will be soft at room temperature.

Source: An old GH magazine circa 1980's.

Cherry Vanilla Cake

2012-01-27T13:59:00.004-05:00

look at those maraschino cherries!!

There are times, not many mind you, when I want to take the quickest and easiest route in making a cake for my family. This cake was one of those times. The girls wanted a cherry vanilla cake and I just did not feel like going to the store and picking up the ingredients to make an old-fashioned CV cake from scratch. But, I did have in the pantry, a box of BC Cherry Chip cake mix. I know, I know, everyone frowns at using boxed cake mixes but don't knock 'em. They are convenient, always on sale and a fast fix for a sweet tooth. All the ingredients below were already in my pantry or in the fridge. Sweet! And besides, when these cake mixes hit the market, back in the day, they changed a housewife's life for the better. I doctored up this cake mix by adding some of my own ingredients and the cake came out moist, delicious and tasted home made! And we had fun making it and in the end, that's what its all about.

Cherry Vanilla Layer Cake
Yield: 8-10 slices

Ingredients:
1 box BC Cherry Chip Supermoist cake mix
3 Eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 jar maraschino cherries in juice

For Frosting:
2 sticks butter, slightly softened
4-6 tbsps maraschino cherry juice (to your taste)
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsps vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease, flour and line with parchment paper two 8 inch round cake pans. Set pans aside.

Remove maraschino cherries from jar, reserving juice for later. Roughly chop and set aside. Prepare cake mix as directed on box, adding vanilla extract. Mix as directed. Fold cherries in the batter before pouring into pans and baking. Bake as instructed on the box, removing from oven once center of cakes spring back when lightly touched. Let cakes cool in pans for about 5 minutes, then remove to wire rack. Let cakes cool for an additional 10 minutes. After 10 minutes have passed, wrapped each individual cake layer in saran wrap and freeze for 15 minutes.

Prepare your frosting: place softened butter, cherry juice, and vanilla extract in bowl of a mixer. Beat on medium low until combined. Slowly add powdered sugar, beating on low until just combined. Increase speed to high and beat for about a minute and a half.

Place one cake layer on a cake plate, top side down. Spread frosting evenly over surface of cake and top with the other 8 inch cake, top side down and frost. Sprinkle with conversation hearts and have a conversation while enjoying a delicious cake. Do not forget the milk.

Source: Betty Crocker

Chocolate Thumbprints

2012-01-20T13:01:00.004-05:00

I spent Monday morning making chocolate thumbprint cookies with my daughters and Monday afternoon watching a special on the life of Dr. King. It was a three day weekend that turned into a four day weekend because the girls had a snow day on Tuesday. I love baking with my girls! They are so eager to help in the kitchen, to gather the ingredients and mix and pour and eat. Gabi and Lexi both decided on this recipe because it was fun for them to pick and choose how they wanted to fill the little dent in the cookies. As you can see, we went with maraschino cherries, marshmallows, chips and even a marshmallow inside a cherry! This is definitely a recipe that you can make with your kiddies and have a fun time baking. And eating!

Do you see that marshmallow inside the cherry? Gabi's idea!

Chocolate Thumbprints

Makes about 6 dozen

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar, plus more for rolling

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Cherries, marshmallows, chocolate chips or any

topping of your choice.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Sift flour, cocoa powder, and salt into a small bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium, add egg yolks one at a time, cream, and vanilla. Scrape sides of bowl. Beat in flour-cocoa mixture, 1/3 at a time, until just combined.

To form each cookie, roll a rounded tablespoon or 2 teaspoons (I eyeballed it) of dough between your palms to form about a 1 1/2 inch ball. Roll the rounded ball in the granulated sugar and then in the powdered sugar, covering it really well. Using your thumb press gently in the centre of each to create an indentation. Fill each cookie with your choice of toppings. Spacing 1-inch apart, arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are just set, about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly on baking sheets and transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies will keep, covered, for up to 3 days.

Source: Slight adaptation from Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart Living

Raspberry Chocolate Cheesecake

2012-01-13T10:03:00.037-05:00

I need cheesecake cutting tips!

This is arguably the most decadent cheesecake ever. It takes some work but it makes a great presentation. I baked this cheesecake to celebrate a dear friend's birthday. It was delicious and very rich. Unfortunately, the cake was finished in about 15 minutes and it was enough for ten people.

This cheesecake has several components, a dark chocolate cookie crust, creamy cheesecake goes on next, raspberry filling and a layer of chocolate cheesecake, then as if that weren't enough a chocolate ganache is spread on top. Lexi added chocolate jimmies. Lexi adds jimmies to everything, yes, even her mashed potatoes!! Who are you to judge? lol...This cheesecake would also make nice for St. Valentine's day.

I butchered this slice! As you can see, I can't cut a slice of cheesecake to save my life! Tips?

Raspberry Chocolate Cheesecake
Yield: 10 slices

Ingredients:
1 cup chocolate biscuits or cookies
3 Tbs butter, melted
4 pkgs (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
9 oz dark chocolate, chopped

Topping:
6 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup heavy whipping

Raspberry Filling

Ingredients:
16 oz. frozen raspberries, thawed
1/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. lemon juice

Directions:
Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap the foil around the pan. Combine the cookie crumbs and butter; press onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Make the raspberry filling (see below).

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla. Add the eggs, beat on low speed just until combined. Set aside 1 1/2 cups of the batter and pour the remaining amount over the crust. Drop by spoonfuls the raspberry filling.

Melt the 9 oz. of dark chocolate. Stir the chocolate into the reserved batter just until blended. Drop by spoonfuls over the plain batter (do not swirl).

Bake at 325º for 60-65 minutes, or until the center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen, cool 1 hour longer. (I have a Wolf oven and my baking times are always faster so keep that in mind).

For the topping, place the 6 oz of dark chocolate in a small bowl. In a small sauce pan bring the cream just to a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Cool slightly and let it thicken a bit. Spread the ganache over the cheese cake with an offset spatula. Sprinkle with chocolate jimmies or leave plain.

Raspberry Filling directions:
To make the raspberry filling, drain the thawed berries, reserving the juice in a liquid measuring cup. Add enough water so that the total liquid equals 1¼ cups. Add the liquid to a medium saucepan with the sugar and cornstarch. Heat over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture begins to bubble and thicken. Continue whisking so no lumps form. Once thickened, remove from the heat and whisk in the lemon juice. Fold in the drained berries with a spatula. Cover and chill until ready to use. (The filling will continue to thicken as it chills).

Source: Slight adaptation from Taste of Home recipes.

Cake Batter Rice Krispy Treats

2012-01-03T10:35:00.003-05:00

Rice krispy treats! Can you believe I've never had one. My girls have tried them at parties and they have even brought some home. But, I've never tried them. Today Gabi wanted to bring in a snack to share with all her classmates during snack time in her classroom. Someone was already baking cupcakes and I didn't want to bake cookies so I thought about what to make and found a great recipe online for Cake Batter Rice Krispy treats. Whoa! That sound delicious.

Since I have never tasted a rice krispy treat and I have never made them, I needed some help from my blogger friends. I search the internet and found a recipe that included cake mix in the ingredients. Why not? So I set upon my task and lo and behold, my rice krispy treats came out so delicious and chewy. Just perfect. I hope Gabi and her crew of 24 enjoy them.

Cake Batter Rice Crispy Treats
Yield: 24 small squares

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
1 10-ounce bag of mini marshmallows
1/3 cup yellow cake mix
5 cups rice krispies cereal
1 container of rainbow sprinkles
4 oz white chocolate, melted

Directions:
Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat and add marshmallows. Stir until they begin to melt, adding in cake mix one spoonful at a time so its combined. Stir in cereal so it is completely coated with marshmallow mixture. Sprinkle in half of the sprinkles and mix. Press into a 9 x 13 baking dish and top with remaining sprinkles. Melt the white chocolate and with an off set spatula, spread it all over the rice krispies. Let sit for about 30 minutes before cutting.

Note: What to do with the remaining cake mix? You could use it to whip up a batch of cake mix cookies, just measure out 6 oz. of the remaining cake mix, and combine it with 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil, and 1 egg. Stir until mixed. Add chocolate chips or white chocolate chips for an added bonus. Then form into cookie dough balls, and bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.

Source: Recipe adapted from Gimme Some Oven with some changes.

Goodbye 2011....Hello 2012

2011-12-31T10:00:00.000-05:00

I want to end this year with a fun post instead of my usual "best of 2011" post.
A more intimate look of my family and me. On the day before Thanksgiving, I was involved in a serious car accident. I was on my way to work, it was a rainy Wednesday and I was taking a turn at 45 mph. All of a sudden my tires slid and my car hit an enbankment, just as I thought my car would stop at that first hit, the momentum of the impact flipped my car over twice with me inside. When my car landed, thank God I was ok. I was in shock or at least that was what I kept being told. I didn't cry, scream, faint and I did not suffered any injuries. All I could think of was thank goodness my daughters weren't in the car with me. I thank God everyday I survived that incident. I enjoy life and I love my familly and I'm grateful for everyday that I'm with them.

For the past five years, David and I have been living in Warwick, New York. A bucolic town 60 miles from New York City. Warwick has great schools, nice people and is a wonderful place to raise children. We are famous for our Applefest festival and the Warwick Valley Jazz festival. We have numerous farms, farmer's markets and if that isn't enough, Derek Jeter owns a home in Warwick.

Warwick Visitor's Center Caboose

My husband and I made the decision to move to Warwick to give our daughters a more easygoing lifestyle. Also the relatively affordable housing market was a big plus as well as the great school system. Of course, it was difficult to leave our roots behind and our families. David and I are Bronx born, Yankee loving, train riding, old skool hip hop listening fanatics. Minds made up, we packed our one bedroom apartment in Co-Op city, lock, stock and barrel. We grabbed our 3yr old and 1 month old daughters and drove that U-Haul straight to the country. We haven't regretted that decision yet.

Co-Op City, Bronx, New York

Our daughters are now 8 yrs. old and 5 yrs old. Gabi and Lexi see deer, possum, skunks, bears, red fox, hawks, bats, wild turtles, frogs on a regular basis. We drive past farms with pumpkins coming out of the ground, corn growing sky high and trees filled with different varieties of apples. When it snows, it SNOWS! Granted, we see a lot more bugs in the country and that really freaks us out cause, ya know, we're not bug loving girls, but we just run in the other direction.

Gabi (3) and Lexi (1 month)

We are a fun loving and crazy family. We love watching television as much as going out to ride our bikes. The girls love their backyard pool, their trampoline and we love our hot tub. They have active social lives and are active in sports. We love playing hide -n-seek with the girls and once in a while a great pillow fight. Inevitably, one of the girls always, always falls off the bed, starts crying and game over.

Gabi (4) & Lexi (12 mons)

This time of year our home is decorated with all the traditional Christmas trimmings including a real Fir tree. Our electric bill is insane but who cares. It makes Gabi and Lexi happy to see all those twinkling lights. I love the holidays and even though I spend the entire holiday, really the year cooking the bulk of our family meals, snacks, & desserts. I wouldn't want it any other way.

Jackie & David circa 1994

Happy New Year to my friends and fellow bloggers. We may not know each other personally, we may not have shared a cup of coffee, but your friendship is special to me. Thank you for making this year a great one. May 2012 be your best year ever, go make it special !!! xoxo

Our Family
Sister in law Geri, hubby David, my cuz Mike, my mom, my aunt, my nephew ltl Oscar, my brother Oscar, my cuz Kim,
Gabi & Lexi.

Homemade Cinnamon Buns

2011-12-28T09:25:00.001-05:00

I wanted to sneak in one more foodie post before the end of this year. For some reason, I only make cinnamon buns on Christmas day for breakfast along with scrambled eggs and cheese, hash browns and bacon. And usually, I take a shortcut and just buy one of those prepackaged tubes of dough, pop open the canister and follow the directions on the tube. But this year, inspired by Ree Drummond and other bloggers, I decided to make my own version of homemade cinnamon buns. Why did I wait so long? These cinnamon buns were so soft and delicious. They vanished in seconds, the girls and the hubby each had second and third servings and even though I was trying to be good, I have to admit I also had one and half servings and then went back later on and ate the other half of the cinnamon bun.

I suppose I was intimidated by making cinnamon buns at home but I'm here to let you know that it was simple and not time consuming. A little planning does go a long way because of the time necessary to let the yeast rise and the dough cool but it is definitely worth it. I'm happy I made these and look forward to making them again on New Year's day!

Cinnamon Buns

Ingredients:
1 quart whole milk
1 cup Vegetable Oil
1 cup sugar
2 packages active dry yeast
8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) AP flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon salt
Plenty of melted butter
2 cups sugar
Generous sprinkling of cinnamon

Directions:
For the dough, heat the milk, vegetable oil, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat to just below a boil. Set aside and cool to warm. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit on the milk for 1 minute.

Add 8 cups of the flour. Stir until just combined, then cover with a clean kitchen towel, and set aside in a relatively warm place for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove the towel and add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and the remaining 1 cup flour. Stir thoroughly to combine. Use the dough right away, (Note: dough is easier to work with if it’s been chilled for at least an hour or so beforehand.)
Preheat the oven to 375°F.

To assemble the rolls, remove half the dough from the pan/bowl. On a floured baking surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 30 x 10 inches. The dough should be rolled very thin.

To make the filling, pour 3/4 cup to 1 cup of the melted butter over the surface of the dough. Use your fingers to spread the butter evenly or a pastry brush. Generously sprinkle half of the ground cinnamon and 1 cup of the sugar over the butter.

Now, beginning at the end farthest from you, roll the rectangle tightly towards you. Use both hands and work slowly, being careful to keep the roll tight. Don’t worry if the filling oozes as you work; it is a bit messy but who cares. When you reach the end, pinch the seam together and flip the roll so that the seam is face down. When you’re finished, you’ll wind up with one long gooey log.
Slip a cutting board underneath the roll and with a sharp knife, make 1/2-inch slices. One “log “will produce 20 to 25 rolls. Pour a couple of teaspoons of melted butter into several round cake pans and swirl to coat. Place the sliced rolls in the pan. Rolls should barely touch, don't overcrowd.

Cover all the pans with a kitchen towel and set aside to rise on the countertop for at least 20 minutes before baking. Remove the towel and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden brown. Don't overbake.

Remove pans from the oven. Immediately drizzle icing over the top. Be sure to get it all around the edges and over the top. As they sit, the rolls will absorb some of the icing’s moisture and flavor.

Glaze Ingredients:

4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions:
Meanwhile, make the glaze by whisking the cream cheese, milk, vanilla and confectioner's sugar in a medium bowl. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and top the rolls with 1/2 cup of the glaze. Let cool for 30 minutes then top with remaining glaze (optional) and serve.

Source: Cinnamon bun recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman. Glaze adapted from Cook's Country

Banana-Rum Bars

2011-12-23T16:00:00.002-05:00

When I saw these banana-rum bars in my new BHG Christmas cookies cookbook, I was in love. Our family loves bananas and banana flavored desserts. I was a bit weary about the rum component in the dessert because I do have little ones and I wasn't sure how "rummy" these would taste. Would it be a mild flavor? Or would they taste like a rum cake, full of rum flavor and strong. I decided to err on the side of caution and use rum extract.

These banana-rum bars are full of banana flavor with a delicious buttery crust, tons of cinnamon flavor and a cinnamon-rum frosting. I used very ripe bananas I had previously frozen. This recipe also yields 36 bars, great for church functions, or to bring to a pot luck dinner or even to share with your colleagues but save some for yourself. They make great breakfast treats. As for the frosting, it is very smooth, with plenty of cinnamon, if your into that kind of thing.

Banana - Rum Bars
Yield: 36 bars

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups AP flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 1/3 cups mashed banana
1 tbsp rum or 1 tbsp milk and 1/8 tsp rum extract
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups AP flour

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For crust, in a large bowl beat the 1 cup butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar and the 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until well combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in the 2 cups flour, cinnamon, and the 1/2 teaspoon salt. Press crust mixture evenly onto the bottom of an ungreased 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until light brown. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack (which I never do btw).

For filling, in another large bowl beat the 1/2 cup butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, baking soda, and the 1/4 teaspoon salt. Beat until combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Add eggs, mashed bananas, rum, and the 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until combined. Beat in the 2 cups flour. Spread filling over cooled crust in pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until a wooden chopstick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan.

Cinnamon-Rum Frosting: In a large bowl, combine 1/4 cup butter, softened, and one
3 ounce package cream cheese, softened. Beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until combined and fluffy. Gradually beat in 3 cups powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Beat in 2 teaspoons vanilla and enough rum or milk to make a frosting of spreading consistency. Frost uncut bars with Cinnamon-Rum Frosting. Cut into bars. To store bars, place in a single layer in an airtight container; cover. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a Great Holiday Season!!

Source: Better Homes & Gardens Christmas Cookies issues

Food Network Magazine- Winner Announced

2011-12-23T08:45:00.002-05:00

The winner of the 1 year Food Network magazine subscription is:

#12 Estela "We go to the Midnight mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral as a family and then come and open our xmas presents. Happy Holidays".

Congrats, winner! Contact galexicupcakes@gmail.com to claim your prize!!!

White Chocolate Cupcakes & A Giveaway

2011-12-17T16:55:00.002-05:00

I'm a troop leader to thirteen beautiful Girl Scout Brownies. Yesterday we had our final meeting for this year and we celebrated with cupcakes, homemade chocolate chip cookies and other sweet treats full of sugar. I chose white chocolate cupcakes because it is a festive ingredient, and in keeping with the taste buds of a bunch of cute eight year olds, I didn't want to give them strong flavor i.e. pumpkin, cranberry or gingerbread. We had a great end of year meeting and sang Christmas songs. I introduced the girls to a new Christmas song, "I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas".

These cupcakes are moist, and light. I traditionally associate white chocolate with having a little too much sweetness for my taste, but these cupcakes were not overwhelmingly sweet. I decided to pair them with a basic buttercream and added a few drops of green food coloring for that "holiday" effect.

White Chocolate Cupcakes
Yield: 18 cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 1/3 cup butter (5 and 1/3 tablespoons-your stick of butter will probably give you the measurement in case you are like me and can’t do math), softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
4 ounces good-quality white chocolate, chopped and melted (Ghiradelli)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line your cupcake pans with cupcakes liners. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Add the melted white chocolate and vanilla, mixing well. Alternately add the dry ingredients with the milk in 2-3 portions, mixing well after each addition. Divide the batter evenly into the prepared cupcake pan. Bake the cupcakes until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

Ingredients:
2 sticks of butter, softened to room temperature
Corn syrup
Powdered sugar
Vanilla extract
Milk (2% or whole)

Directions:
Put two sticks of butter, two tablespoons milk, and one teaspoon vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer.Mix on low speed until it just starts to come together. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Increase to medium low speed and beat for about another minute or so. Increase mixer speed to medium high and beat for about another minute or so. Add four cups powdered sugar. Beat on low speed until sugar is just barely incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and increase speed slowly to medium. Mix for about two minutes.
At this point, you want to check your consistency. If your frosting is too thick, it will not spread well. If your spatula does not glide through the frosting, add about a two tablespoosn of corn syrup and beat on medium for about 30 seconds. Once you get your frosting to a good, spreadable consistency, increase mixer speed to medium high and beat for one minute. This will get your frosting nice and fluffy. Add 5-6 drops of green food coloring or more to achieve the green color you desire.

Frost cooled cupcakes using a star tip and garnish with a Christmas jimmies or your preference.

Holiday Giveaway

One lucky reader will receive a one (1) year paid subscription to Food Network Magazine. To enter just answer the following question in the comments section below:

What is a family tradition observed during the holidays?

Do you watch the Griswold's family Christmas movie? Do you have to have a special dish served during the holidays? Do you hide the pickle or display an Elf on your shelf?

THE RULES
One entry per person, please. Open to USA residents only. 18 years and older
Winners will be announced Friday, Dec. 23, 2011 Good Luck!

Sources: White chocolate cupcakes adapted from BHG. Frosting courtesy of Confessions of a Cookbook Queen.

Eggnog Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Cream Filling

2011-12-12T11:19:00.003-05:00

Tis' the season when we pull out the Christmas decorations and decorate our homes with tinsel, garland, buy a super expensive Balsam tree and drape it with twinkling lights, hand made ornaments and angel's wings. It's the most wonderful time of the year cue Johnny Mathis.

The girls and I made Eggnog cupcakes this weekend while we decorated our home in all the traditional decorations. We actually made 250 eggnog cupcakes, setting aside 12 for our family. I had wanted to watch the Polar Express with my girls but there simply isn't enough time to do everything we would like to do in just two days. But back to these cupcakes, they are simply delicious, moist and chock full of flavor. They are the perfect treat or gift either for home or a friend.

Eggnog Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Cream filling
Yield: 12

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg (you can also use 1/4 tsp)
1/4 cup dark rum or bourbon (optional)
1 cup eggnog
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup sugar

For the frosting:
20 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Pinch of salt
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2½ tbsp. eggnog
1 tbsp. dark rum (0ptional)

For the vanilla bean cream filling:
2 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup sugar
pinch salt
5 egg yolks
3 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 slices
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Vanilla beans extracted from pod

For garnish:
Grated nutmeg

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg; whisk to combine. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine rum (if using) eggnog, vegetable oil, vinegar, sugar and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-low speed until well blended. Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until blended. Do not overbeat.

Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners, filling the cups 2/3 full. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack or plate.

To make the frosting: Place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth, 30 seconds. Add in the powdered sugar, salt and nutmeg, and mix on medium-high speed until incorporated and smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in the eggnog and whip on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium-low speed, blend in the rum, if using.

To make the pastry cream: In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, combine the half-and-half, six tablespoons of the sugar, and the salt. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks together. Add the remaining sugar and whisk for 15 to 20 seconds. Add the corn starch and whisk until combined, about 30 seconds.
Gradually whisk the simmering half-and-half mixture into the egg mixture. Return the entire mixture to the saucepan and return to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture has thickened and looks glossy. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter pieces and the vanilla and vanilla beans. Strain the cream through a fine mesh sieve into a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it gently into the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill until cold, at least three hours.

To fill and frost cupcakes:
Using a small paring knife, cut a hole into each cupcakes,. Using a squeeze bottle filled with vanilla pastry cream, fill each cupcake with cream and replace cut out. Fill a pastry bag with the frosting and decorate the cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle with grated nutmeg, and garnish with cinnamon sticks if desired.

Source: cupcakes adapted from Annie's Eats,, frosting adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, vanilla cream slightly adapted from Bakingdom.

Cookbook Giveaway {Winner Announced}

2011-12-09T15:41:00.000-05:00

The winner of the The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking:

#5 "Oh I am a total sucker for a good baguette or foccacia! Seriously, I love my carbs!! "
~Megan Pence

Congrats, book winner! Contact galexicupcakes@gmail.com to claim prize!!!

If you didn't win this time around, stay tuned for another giveaway next week. A subscription to Food Network Magazine!! Happy HO HO Holidays!!

Pane alle Patate & A Giveaway

2011-12-05T14:49:00.004-05:00

Could I love these words anymore? Pane alle Patate or Potato Bread. If I were stranded on a deserted island, I would want three food items with me, bread, cheese and water. I love bread and this bread is delicious. It is moist and hearty in texture, perfect for soup or stews, even pasta. Its flavor improves with age. Not complicated at all to make and anyway, the reward is worth it. A great recipe to have on hand for soup or stew suppers or for when you just want to bring a gift to a special someone. And just in time for the holidays, I am giving away one (1) cookbook to one lucky reader. Please read below for entry requirements.

Pane alle Patate
Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients:
For the biga: (pre-ferment used in Italian baking)
1 1/8 ozs Bread flour
1 oz         Water
pinch of fresh yeast

For the final dough:
1 lb 3/4 oz   Bread flour
8 1/3 oz      Water
2 1/8 ozs    Biga
1/2 oz         Salt
1/8 oz        Fresh yeast
12 1/2 ozs   Roughly mashed potatoes (I used two medium sized potatoes)
1 oz            Olive oil
2/3 oz        Garlic, minced
1/3 oz         Flat-leaf parsley, minced

Directions:
Prepare the mise en place for the biga. To make the biga, combine the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, stirring with a wooden or plastic spoon to blend. After you have blended the biga ingredients, scrape down the edge of the bowl, cover with plastic film, and set it aside for it to ferment for 12 to 14 hours.

When ready to make the final dough, prepare the mise en place. Combine the bread flour with the water in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the hook. Mix on low speed until blended. Stop the mixer and let that sit for 15 minutes. Add the biga, salt, and yeast and mix on low for 5 minutes. Increase the mixer speed to medium and mix for about 12 minutes, or until the dough has come together but remains slightly sticky. Mix in the potatoes, olive oil, garlic, and parsley on low speed.

Lightly oil a large bowl or container. Scrape the dough into the prepared bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic film and set aside to ferment for 45 minutes. Uncover and fold the dough. Again, cover with plastic film and set aside to ferment for 1 hour. Lightly flour a clean flat surface. Uncover your dough and divide it into two equal rounds. Cover again and let it rest for 15 minutes. Carefully uncover your dough, shape each piece into a neat round loaf. Cover with plastic film and let it sit for 1 hour.  At this time, if you have a baking stone or tiles, place them into a pre-heated over set at 450 degrees.

Uncover your loaves and, using a knife or razor immediately score the loaves. You can score the tops, I score the bottoms because that is what Gabi wanted me to do. We also added cheddar cheese to the top of the loaves because we wanted potato bread with cheese on top. This is purely optional.
Bake for 40 mins or until the loaves are reddish brown and crisp on top. Remove from the oven and transfer to wire racks to cool.

*It is suggested you add a pan into the oven with ice to create steam to aid in baking your loaves but I skipped this step and my loaves came out just wonderful. I'm a risk taker like that!!

Pane alle Patate and many other recipes can be found in the magnificent book by The French Culinary Institute titled The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking. "To make a perfect loaf of bread, the home baker needs just five essential ingredients: flour, water, salt, yeast—and this indispensable book!” Iacopo Falai, Owner of Falai, Caffe Falai, and Falai Panetteria. This cookbook contains 351 pages of bread making techiques and is considered essential for anyone, from the novice bread baker (myself) to the professional baker. This book weighs about 10 lbs., just sayin'.

To Enter

To enter the giveaway for the cookbook titled "The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking" by The French Culinary Institute, just answer the following question in the Comments section of this post:

“What’s your favorite kind of bread?”

Are you a baguette kind of person? Or do you prefer ciabatta? Do you only eat bread with butter and honey? Or do you like a smear of cream cheese? Foccacia anyone? Just shout out your favorite bread and you’re automatically entered to win this beautiful glossy cookbook. It also has lots of pictures.

Two entries per person, winner will be chosen on Friday, December 9, 2011. One winner will be chosen at random. Winner will have 24 hrs to respond with name and mailing address. Otherwise another person will be selected. 18 yrs and over. US residents only. Please include email information.

Additional entry:
1. Follow @galexicupcakes on Twitter and tweet the following statement then come back to this post and tell us you tweeted:

I just entered to win The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking hosted by @galexicupcakes! Enter here: http://bit.ly/rygJ7v

Isn't he cute? Gabi think he looks like a lady bug bread!

Giveaway sponsored by Galexi Cupcakes, with cooperation by ABRAM Books. Special thanks to Marisa Dobson, Publicist at ABRAM Books. Book will be shipped from the publisher. Recipe adapted from The Fundamentals Techniques of Classic Bread Baking.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

2011-12-01T15:59:00.000-05:00

Adios turkey and all the trimmings, hello cookies, candy and cakes. The stores seem to usher in the Christmas holiday season earlier and earlier every year, for our family it officially begins December 1. My sweet daughters start working on their Christmas lists, my husband peruses all the tool catalogs and I look through shoe online stores and Chef catalogs. We also think more about those that have less than we have and think of ways to share our happiness with others. Our neighbors start decorating their homes with bright twinkly lights and decorate their evergreen treelets with popcorn and cranberry garland. I begin to think about all of the goodies I want to bake over the following four weeks. There are cookies, cupcakes, quick breads, and Puerto Rican pasteles. The first recipe my daughter had to have were these lemon poppy seed muffins. Gabi loves poppy seeds and the great lemony scent is divine. Great choice Gabi!!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Yield 12 muffins

Ingredients:
2/3 cup granulated sugar
zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup buttermilk or sour cream
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 stick o' butter, melted until browned and cooled
2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Directions:
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 12 mold cupcake/muffin pan with paper muffin liners and set aside.

In a large bowl, rub the granulated sugar with the lemon zest until the sugar is lightly colored and scented with lemon. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a medium sized bowl whisk together the eggs, buttermilk (or sour cream) vanilla extract, melted butter and lemon juice.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold together. When almost thoroughly mixed, add the poppy seeds. Divide batter between muffin cups.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until the tops are golden and a skewer inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. These muffins are also delicious with a glaze of powdered sugar and lemon zest. Enjoy!

Source: adapted from Baking by Dorie Greenspan

Blondies

2011-11-22T13:08:00.001-05:00

The blondie is the delicious opposite of the brownie – as opposed to the dark chocolate treat, this is for those with a sweet tooth and an affection for rich, decadent desserts. Blondies are first cousins to chocolate chip cookies, the flavorings are very similar--vanilla, brown sugar and butter.

For me, both have their upsides and downsides. Well, I can’t think of downsides for either but I guess they both suit certain moods. A brownie for when I’m feeling grown up, a blondie for the kid in me.

These blondies were absolutely delicious, almost perfect. My hubby, who is a brownie fan even said that these blondies really were amazing. You can taste every ingredient, the butter, the brown sugar, the vanilla. An experience for sure.

Blondies
Makes 36

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
12 tbsps (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cups white chocolate chips
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped coarsely (optional)

Directions:
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13 by 9 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. Fold two 16 inch pieces of foil or parchment paper lengthwise so that 1 measures 13 inches wide and the other measures 9 inches wide. Fit one sheet in the bottom of the greased pan, pushing it into the corners and up the sides of the pan. Overhang will help in removal of baked bars. Fit the second sheet in the pan in the same manner, perpendicular to the first sheet. Spray the sheets with nonstick cooking spray.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl, set aside.

Whisk the melted butter and brown sugar together in a medium bowl until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold in the semisweet and white chooclate chips and the nuts (if using) and turn the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula.

Bake until the top is shiny and cracked and feels firm to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Remove the bars from the pan using the foil or parchment paper handles and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 1 1/2 by 2 inch bars and serve.

Source: Baking Illustrated by the editors of Cook's Illustrated magazine

Raisin Pumpkin Bread

2011-11-15T12:06:00.001-05:00

Nothing says Fall in my home like fresh baked pumpkin bread. A family tradition shall we say. Warm from the oven, slathered in butter for the little ones and just plain with a glass of milk for the big ones. I add raisins to my pumpkin bread because I like raisins and I think it gives it that certain je ne sais quoi (did I mention I was multi-lingual?). I try a new recipe every year, mainly because I tend to misplace my recipes, especially the ones I rip out of magazines and such. This recipe comes from Kirbie over at Kirbie's Cravings. It is a very moist and easy to follow recipe. I just love the color of pumpkin bread. Don't you?

Pumpkin Bread
Yield: 2 loaves

Ingredients:
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
(if you want to forgo the individual spices, just add 2 tsps of pumpkin pie spice)

1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3 boxes of raisins (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 9×5 inch loaf pans with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar with an electric mixer. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice or spices as directed above. Using an electric mixer on low speed, mix the dry ingredients with the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans. Bake for about 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Source: recipe adapted with some minor changes from Kirbie's Cravings.

Maple Spice Cake with Caramel Frosting

2011-11-07T15:02:00.000-05:00

When it comes to dessert, I am a fruit-pie lover first and a cake lover second; but this cake totally won me over. This is a moist and light cake with maple and spice flavors. In addition, it is a snap to make. Usually, it's the frosting that makes a cake, and this one is no exception. The moist and spicy cake is absolutely delicious on its own, but the cinnamon-laced brown sugar frosting brings it right over the top. Add a nice glass of ice cold milk and sit back to watch your favorite television show, which in my case is Revenge!!

Maple Spice Cake with Caramel Frosting

Yield: 8 Servings

Ingredients:

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temp.

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup dark-brown sugar

4 extra large eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup pure maple syrup, grade B preferable

2 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

toasted pecans, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour the edges of 2 8-inch baking pans, shaking out the excess. Line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper. Cream butter with sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one by one, then add the sour cream and maple syrup, beating thoroughly. Mix together the remaining ingredients and add to the first mixture, beating until just combined. Pour the batter into the pans and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes, before turning out to cool on a rack. Frost with Caramel Cinnamon Frosting and garnish autumn colored jimmies. (Optional: garnish with pecans)

Caramel Cinnamon Frosting

Ingredients:

2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temp.

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tsps vanilla xtract

2 tsps cinnamon

4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Directions:

To make the frosting, melt the butter and brown sugar in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Add cream, vanilla and cinnamon and mix well. Cool completely. When cool, beat in sugar until thick enough to spread.

Sorry for the blurry pic, it was taken on a rainy day!

Turkey Day Is Coming!!

2011-11-03T11:23:00.005-04:00

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is only three weeks away? Wow!! This will be my tenth year hosting and I am looking forward to it as I do every year. I love watching the parade, the aroma of food cooking fills the air in the house. I love it! This year I decided to replace our dinner plates and cloth napkins. I also want a new tablecloth, as well as get more serving utensils so we don’t end up using a random assortment of plastic dollar tree serving pieces.

I’ve been having a lot of fun planning my menu and as of right now, this is what I’ve got. It may seem like a lot but we love leftovers and after cooking for a couple of days, I want a few days to just relax, sit back and reheat leftovers.

Thanksgiving 2011
Appetizers:
Deviled Eggs with Capers and Smoked Salmon
Wild Mushroom and Goat Cheese Puff Pastry pockets
Vermont Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese Straws

Soup:
Butternut Squash Bisque with a Fried Sage and Popcorn garnish

Main Course:
Buttermilk Brined Roast Turkey with a Vidalia Cream Gravy

Side Dishes:
Southern Corn Bread & Chorizo sausage stuffing
Butter-Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes with Parmesan
Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallow Meringue
Arlene's Macaroni & Cheese Casserole
Sauteed Cabbage with Smoked Ham
Southwest Simmered Green Beans with Garlic and Onions
Cape Cod Cranberry Compote
Southern-Style Biscuits
Corn and Jalapeno Bread with Bacon

Desserts:
Pumpkin Pie
Cranberry Cheesecake with a Chocolate-Cinnamon Crust
Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

November Favorites

2011-11-01T08:01:00.000-04:00

Every month I scoured the blogosphere looking for what I think are the best recipes for the month. I'm a visual person, so if its appealing to my eyes and screams try me, then its a good choice. November is a month to give thanks and appreciate what you have. I think every month is a good time to give thanks and pay it forward. We don't get to where we are in life by ourselves. Family is important as is having friends and if they love you and support you even when you make silly choices then everything else will fall into place. I want to wish all my blogosphere friends a Happy Thanksgiving. May you find yourself surrounded by family and friends and feel their warmth and love always. The holidays were meant to be shared.

November is a great month of food holidays. Peanut butter month, raisin bread month, we have doughnut day, cake day and mousse day. I've rounded up some beautiful recipes and photos by fellow food bloggers to share with you all. Enjoy!

Cinnamon glazed doughnuts

Doesn't looking at these doughnuts by blogger Taste and Tell get you in the mood? To bake doughnuts! Look at how soft they look. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, is this picture talking or what? Homemade doughnuts taste very fresh, almost silky in texture, light. Make this for breakfast over the weekend and enjoy with a cup of coffee or your beverage of choice.

Vanilla cupcakes with lemon curd filling and lemon BC frosting

November 10th is National Vanilla cupcake day! Be still my heart for cupcakes are my passion These cupcakes by Live Love Pasta blogger are definitely on my to bake list. If you look at the frosting you can see vanilla bean specks and the taste of lemon curd..YUM!!!

Peanut butter fudge

In my home, we do not make any dishes that contain peanut butter or tree nuts because my daughter Gabi is anaphylatic to these ingredients. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy peanut butter outside of my home when I'm away from my little girl. Look at these peanut butter fudge candies, how could I resist one or two or three? The two flavor combo is delicious and thanks to Recipe Girl you can make them at home for your family, after all November 20th is peanut butter fudge day!

Mango Yogurt Parfait

I love parfaits! I like that I can just grab a glass or cup outta the fridge, take a spoon and start eating without mess or fuss. November 25th is Parfait day and these from blogger 4th Sense Cooking are exactly what I would like to eat. Besides, anything that includes mango and yogurt as ingredients is like taking a vacation to an island paradise, a healthy one, sorta!!

Fraisier-Strawberry Bavarian Cake

One look at this Fraisier Strawberry bavarian cake and you know you're going to experience something akin to nirvana. Seriously!! Look at it, cream, sponge, strawberries, what's not to like. November 26 is Cake day and November 27 is Bavarian day so I combined the two by featuring this awesome photo and delicious recipe. Classic dessert from a great blogger, Berry Lovely

Pumpkin Mousse

What better dessert to make to accompany your Thanksgiving day meal? Pumpkin mousse is celebrated on November 30th but why wait? Give your guests other options besides pumpkin pie or sweet potato pie (both my favs) with this creamy and velvety pumpkin mousse. The decadent dessert comes from Spoon Fork Bacon blogger. One of my favorite bloggers. I think I'm addicted to anything with the word bacon in it. We might even name our future puppy Bacon! Just saying.

And the finale to our November favorites roundup, is this delicous homemade raisin bread from blogger Delishhh . Yup, this bread sure looks delishhhcious! Especially when you bake it at home and the aroma of cinnamon hits the air and you drizzle maple syrup all over it with a dollop of butter or cream cheese. Or you eat it plain with a cup of Chai latte.

Visit this bloggers, leave them some love and make these recipes.

My apologies to my October featured bloggers, that were not featured, my computer went up in flames. Literally!

Chocolate Banana Caramel Cupcakes

2011-10-24T14:16:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I could kick myself for saving a recipe and taking so long to try it. This recipe had been sitting waiting patiently for a few months. These cupcakes are truly divine. The banana flavor combine with the chocolate flavor in the cake and the caramel in the frosting are both prominent and compliment each other wonderfully. You can treat them as cupcakes or muffins, either way, they are delicious.

Chocolate Banana Caramel Cupcakes

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup ripe banana (about 1 banana)
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with paper liners. In a small bowl, mash the banana with a fork. Whisk in the coconut milk, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract until incorporated. Mixture will still be a little lumpy because of the banana, but whisk out as many large lumps as you can. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and pour in banana mixture. Stir until just smooth (do not overmix).

Pour into liners, filling each 2/3 full of batter. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 stick salted butter
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

In a saucepan, stir together granulated sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cook without stirring until mixture turns a deep amber color. Remove from heat and slowly add in cream and vanilla, stirring until very smooth. Let caramel cool for about 20 minutes, until it is just barely warm and still pourable.

In a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and salt together until lightened and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add powdered sugar. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the caramel. Beat on medium high speed until light and airy, and completely mixed (about 2-3 minutes). Mixture should be ready to use without refrigeration.

Frost your cupcakes, sprinkle with some sea salt and drizzel caramel sauce. Garnish with a banana slice.

Caramel Sauce (quick and painless way)

40 caramels, unwrapped

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

In a saucepan, over low heat melt caramels and heavy whipping cream stirring frequently. Let it cool down. When it is barely warm, slightly cool but not too thick, spoon over your frosting.

Sources: cupcake recipe from Love and Olive Oil, caramel buttercream adapted from Sprinkle bakes.

Chocolate, Pretzel and Candy Corn Bark

2011-10-18T08:00:00.002-04:00

I've never made bark before and this dessert seems easy and simple and my girls thought it rocked! They had a great time stirring the chocolate, eating and placing the candy corn on the melted chocolate, as well as the pretzels. It came together relatively easy and was ready in less than 30 minutes from start to finish. Not to mention, it was no. 6 on my list of Fall recipes to do this season.

Chocolate, Pretzel and Candy Corn Bark
Yield: 8 servings or more

Ingredients:
8 ozs bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tbsp vegetable shortening
1 cup of pretzels
1/2 cup to 1 cup of candy corn
1/2 cup white chocolate (either morsels or bar)

Directions:
Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil.

In a medium size microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate pieces and shortening. Microwave for 60 to 90 seconds, stir. If not melted, repeat, stirring after every 30 seconds to prevent scorching. When only small lumps remain, remove from the microwave, and stir until completely melted.

Spread chocolate mixture into a 12 x 8 inch rectangle. Top with pretzels and candy corn, pressing gently to adhere. The kids would be great for this job. Melt white chocolate and drizzel over candy corn mixture. Place baking sheet on a wire rack. Let stand in a cool place until completely firm for about 4 hours or place the baking sheet into the fridge for about 1 hour. (My fridge is a Sub-Zero so in 20 minutes it was ready). Break into pieces, store in a airtight container in a cool, dry place. The kids will love it as well as the adults.

Fluffy Pancakes

2011-10-15T12:02:00.001-04:00

Pancakes and my daughters have a great love affair. They could eat pancakes all day, everyday. Unfortunately, I don't have the time on weekdays to make pancakes as much as they would like. But on weekends our family is more relaxed. Like most families, schools are closed, we don't have to rush through breakfast, we're off from work so running around the house looking for a missing shoe, sock or car keys is avoided. We have more time to sit down to a nice luxurious breakfast. We normally have pancakes or waffles with turkey bacon or pork bacon and grits with butter and cheese. Usually, my husband David makes breakfast on the weekends. Today, I woke up and decided I wanted to make pancakes from scratch not from a boxed mixed. Allow me to explain, my parents immigrated to NYC in the late 1960's from Puerto Rico, when women were starting to work outside the home. Convenience was welcomed and appreciated. Pancake mix in the box was the easiest way to get breakfast on the table and to this day it still is. But I wanted to try something different and this is the result.

Light, Fluffy and Rich Pancakes

Yield: I made 10 pancakes, recipes says 4

Ingredients:

1 cup ricotta or cottage cheese

1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
3 eggs, separated
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup all-purpose flour
Dash salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 tsp or more of cinnamon
Butter as needed

Directions:
Beat together the ricotta or cottage cheese, sour cream or yogurt and egg yolks. Combine baking soda, flour, salt and sugar. Beat egg whites until fairly stiff but not dry.

Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium-low heat while you finish batter. Stir flour mixture into cheese mixture, blending well but not beating. Stir in lemon juice and zest, then gently fold in beaten egg whites; they should remain somewhat distinct in batter.

Add about 1 tablespoon butter or oil to griddle or skillet and coat surface. When it is hot, add batter by the heaping tablespoon, making sure to include some egg white in each spoonful. Cook until lightly browned on bottom, 3 to 5 minutes, then turn and cook second side. Serve immediately.

Notes:
These definitely were fluffy and tasty but I thought they could have had a stronger flavor. The lemon flavor did nothing for me. The true test: My daughters said the pancakes tasted okay but preferred the boxed mix!

Beurre Noisette & Vanilla Bean Cake

2011-10-12T08:00:00.001-04:00

This was my year to discover brown butter, in not only cooking our family dinners, but in baking as well. What is brown butter? Browned butter is pretty much what it sounds like, butter that has been cooked until it is brown. The slightly more formal name for this is “beurre noisette,” or hazelnut butter,a reference to the light brown color of the cooked butter and the nutty flavor that it acquires during the cooking process. What does brown butter smell like..simply heavenly! So imagine adding vanilla bean seeds to browning butter?! And that is exactly what this cakes calls for. Three sticks of unsalted butter browned with added vanilla bean seeds and pod. I chose this cake to celebrate my second blogoversary. I cannot believe it has been two years since I started blogging. I have learned so much and made so many wonderful friends. I have sharpened not only my baking skills but my cooking skills as well. I'm very proud of myself and my accomplishments. And I love the new friends I've made. Their passion for blogging, their cooking skills and amazing talents is admirable.

So without further ado...

Brown Butter & Vanilla Bean Cake

with Vanilla Bean Latte Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Yield: Serves 12 -(2) 9inch round layers

Ingredients:

1 vanilla bean, split and seeds removed

12 ounces unsalted butter

1 2/3 cups sugar

2 whole eggs plus 4 egg yolks, room temperature

2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups milk, room temperature

Directions:

Split open the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds. Place bean and seeds in a medium saucepan and add in the butter. Cook on medium-high heat until the butter begins to turn brown and smell nutty. Swirl the pan so the butter cooks evenly. When butter is rich brown (you can leave it lighter for a more subtle flavor, but don’t let it get too dark and burn), remove from heat. Take out vanilla bean and place melted butter in a container. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours until butter has resolidified.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans. Place solid browned butter in a stand mixer. Beat on medium speed for about 1 minute until it softens and becomes creamy. Add sugar and beat on medium-high speed until the mixture becomes fluffy and almost beige in color, about 8 to 12 minutes. Add in eggs and egg yolks one at a time, beating between each addition until fully incorporated and the mixture looks smooth and glossy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. With mixer set on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the butter in 3 parts, alternating with the milk. Beat the batter on medium speed until just incorporated, about 20 seconds. Divide batter among the two pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove and place on wire racks. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Run a paring knife around the edges and invert pans onto a cooling rack. Allow cakes to cool to remove temperature, wrap layers in plastic wrap and put them in your freezer for 15-20 minutes before decorating.

Vanilla Bean Latte SMBC
Yield: about 5 cups

Ingredients:
5 large egg whites
1 cup plus 2 tbsps of granulated sugar
4 sticks unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, split & seeds scraped out
1 tbsp instant espresso powder, dissolved into 1 tsp boiling water
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Directions:
Add egg whites and sugar, and simmer over a pot of water (not boiling), whisking constantly, until temperature reaches 160 degrees F, or until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot.

With whisk attachment of mixer, begin to whip until the mixture is thick, glossy, and cool, about 10 minutes. Be sure the bottom of the mixer bowl is cool, not warm, before you begin adding the butter. While mixing on medium speed continuously, add softened (but cool) butter in chunks, one at a time, until incorporated, and mix until it has reached a silky smooth texture. Switch over to paddle attachment and continue beating your swiss meringue on low speed until it comes together. Add vanilla bean extraced, vanilla bean seeds and salt, then mix well. Lay down your first layer and generously spread your SM buttercream, starting in the middle and working your way to the ends. Next, add on your second layer, repeat with the SM buttercream. I garnished my cake top with crushed malted balls, why? Because, my babies love malted chocolate balls on everything!!

Sources: Cake recipe adapted from The Sweet Life by Kate Zuckerman, SM buttercream adapted from Martha Stewart and Sweetapolita.

Happy Blogoversary!!