Happy blogiversary to me :)

Well it’s officially been a year since I started blogging again. Thanks to my readers and pinners who have visited my site. I have a couple new recipes to share. First one of my favorite things to eat. Chicken Chow Mein. Since moving to Oklahoma I haven’t been able to find a good Chinese restaurant. If anybody knows a good 0ne in the Lawton/Fort Sill area I would really appreciate the suggestion. Anyway, since I get a hankering for Chinese quite often I decided to add another recipe to the mix. The other one that I make is this orange chicken. Orange chicken is my husbands favorite and I really only make it when he’s here to eat it. Don’t get me wrong I like it too but it’s not on my short list when we go out for Chinese.

Ingredients:
source: Favorite Family Recipes

2-3 Boneless Chicken Breast

1/4 c. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
ground black pepper, to taste
2-3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 (5.6 oz) packages refrigerated Yaki Soba noodles (found in the produce section of the grocery store) (or you can find the dried Yaki Soba noodles. They are cheaper but you do have to cook them according to the package)
2/3 c. chopped celery (chopped diagonally)
1 medium-sized onion, thinly sliced
2 c. cabbage, thinly sliced

Directions

In a small bowl combine soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and black pepper. Set aside.

Cook or grill chicken with a bit of salt and pepper. When done set aside to add to the noodle mix later. Or you can use leftover chicken from a previous meal.
Remove Yaki Soba from packages and discard included flavoring packets. Rinse noodles well, drain, and set aside.(this is for the Yaki Soba noodles that are already prepared)
Heat oil in a large wok or skillet. Add celery and onion and saute for about 1-2 minutes or until onions start to become soft and transparent. Add cabbage and saute an additional minute or so.
Toss Yaki Soba noodles and soy sauce mixture with the vegetables over medium-high heat for an additional 2-3 minutes or until noodles are heated through. Add cooked chicken and heat just enough to warm it. Not too long or the chicken may dry out. 

 

What’s an anniversary without dessert? I had some really ripe bananas sitting on my counter and what better way to use them. You could make this banana bread or you could make chocolate chip banana cupcakes. The original recipe is one that I found on All Recipes. It was for 2 8 inch cake pans. This makes about 2 1/2 dozen cupcakes.

 

Chocolate Chip Banana cupcakes with Vanilla frosting

source: All recipes

Ingredients

2  1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 pinch salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup light brown sugar

2 eggs

4 ripe bananas, mashed

2/3 cup buttermilk

1 pkg. chocolate chips, I used milk chocolate

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 2 – 8 inch round pans. Or prepare cupcake tin with paper liners.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter, white sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in the bananas. Add flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk to the creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter into the prepared pans or scoop batter into cupcake tin. Fill 2/3 full with batter.
For cake bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes for cupcakes back for 18-22 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean and tops are golden brown. Mine took 20 minutes. Allow to cool before frosting cupcakes.

Nothing fancy vanilla frosting

Ingredients: makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes, about 1 cup frosting

2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons milk, I had to use a bit more
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

In a bowl of a mixer combine the sugar, butter, milk and vanilla. Start mixing slowly so that sugar doesn’t go all over the place and then increase speed to medium speed until smooth and fluffy add more milk if needed.

 

Thanks again for an awesome year. I will be posting tomorrow to so you all my latest creation using my new sewing machine.

 

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Heartbreak and a headache

Well I can’t believe that this happened. This is going to be a very picture loaded post, only because I am so sad. Last week I was asked to make some cupcakes for a little girls 10 year birthday party. Of course I said yes and was going to get paid for all my efforts to make what she requested, Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting. Long story short we never got to taste these beautiful cupcakes. I dropped all 24 completely frosted cupcakes 30 minutes before I had to deliver them to the party. UGH! I could have cried. Instead my mind went into “how to I fix this mess” mode. I didn’t have enough cocoa powder to make a full batch of chocolate cupcakes I had to resort to making vanilla with chocolate frosting. I called her mom and told her what had happened and said that I was going to be about 30 minutes late to the party. I had to whip up 24 more cupcakes and a batch and a half of chocolate frosting. Impossible, almost. I thought about “Cupcakes Wars” and what those bakers have to do each episode and I thought that this is definitely possible. I baked the cupcakes in record time, put them in the freezer to cool before  frosted and ran out the door with 24 vanilla cupcakes. This time being WAY more careful transferring them to the car. If you try this recipe let me know how it tastes haha just kidding I have made this chocolate cake recipe before and it is good. Nothing fancy, just your basic chocolate cake made by the wonderful people in Hershey land.

Quick Dessert

For the most part I try to make my cakes and cupcakes from scratch these days, but with the small stockpile of cake mixes I’ve acquired I’d better use them right? Plus they come in handy in a pinch. But I’m not talking about making cupcakes according to the box….oh no that just wont do. How about a twist?

Box Cake Up-Do

Makes 24 cupcakes

1 box devil’s food cake mix (I used Dunkin Hines)

1 small package Jello instant chocolate pudding  mix

1 cup buttermilk, (you can also use sour cream if you don’t have buttermilk)

1 cup vegetable oil (I used canola because that’s what I had on hand)

4 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup  milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl of a mixer put together everything  except chocolate chips. Batter will be thick. Stir in the chocolate chips. Scoop batter into cupcake pan lined with cupcake papers or silicone cupcake liners. Place in oven and bake according to package. Check with a toothpick. If cupcake needs a bit more baking then check after another 3-5 min. Cool in pan a few minutes before completely cooling on wire rack.

Frost and enjoy 🙂

 

 

Valentine goodies continued

Here are a couple of the other things I made for the day of love.

Butterfinger Cupcakes

Yield: 24 cupcakes Ingredients: For the cupcakes: 1½ cups plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour 2 tsp. baking powder ¼ tsp. salt 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature 1½ cups plus 2 tbsp. sugar 4 eggs Scant 1 cup mashed ripe banana 2/3 cup buttermilk 12 fun size Butterfinger bars, cut in half

For the frosting: 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened ½ cup creamy peanut butter 3¼ cups confectioners’ sugar 1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

For garnish: 4 fun size Butterfinger bars, coarsely chopped

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 powder and salt; whisk together and set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Reduce the mixer speed to medium low and add in eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Mix in the mashed banana until well combined.  With the mixer on low speed alternately add the dry ingredients and buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing only until just incorporated.

Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about 2/3 to ¾ full.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20-22 minutes.  Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter and peanut butter until smooth.  Slowly mix in the confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth and well blended.  Mix in the whipped topping until smooth and fluffy.

To assemble the cupcakes, place a candy bar half on top of each cooled cupcake.  Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip and pipe onto the cupcakes, covering the candy bar completely.  (I used a large, unlabeled star tip to frost these cupcakes.) Sprinkle with chopped candy bars for garnish.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Yield: approximately 18 sandwich cookies, but depends entirely on the size of hearts you make.

For the cookies:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tbsp. cocoa powder

½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature

1 oz. red food coloring

Ingredients:

For the frosting

8 oz. cream cheese

5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Directions: Preheat the oven to 375˚ F.

Using a heart template cut out from card stock, trace evenly spaced hearts onto pieces of parchment paper sized to fit two cookie sheets.  Place the parchment on the cookie sheets so that the side you have drawn on is facing down; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Beat in the egg until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Blend in the vanilla.  With the mixer on low speed, beat in about a third of the dry ingredients, followed by half of the buttermilk, beating each addition just until incorporated.  Repeat so that all the buttermilk has been added and then mix in the final third of dry ingredients.  Do not overbeat.  Blend in the food coloring.

Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip.  Pipe the batter onto the parchment paper using the heart tracings as a guide.  Bake 7-9 minutes or until the tops are set, rotating the baking sheets halfway through.  Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets at least 10 minutes, until they can be easily transferred to a cooling rack.  Repeat with any remaining batter.  Allow cookies to cool completely before proceeding.

To make the cream cheese frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes.  Mix in the vanilla extract.  Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth.

Transfer the frosting to a clean pastry bag fitted with a plain, round tip.  Pair the cookies up by shape and size.

Pipe filling onto flat side of one cookie and place another cookie on top. To store, refrigerate in an airtight container.

Milk Chocolate covered strawberries (for  my hubby)

1 cup Milk chocolate chips

1Tbs. shortening

In a double boiler melt chocolate chips and shortening til smooth. Holding strawberry by leaves, dip into chocolate and place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Let harden for about an 1hr. Eat or store in refrigerator.

Sources:

Butterfinger cupcakes- Annie Eats

Red Velvet whoopie pies – Annie Eats