Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Icing

Another birthday, another day of baking! These cupcakes are light and fluffy, yet rich in flavor. This recipe is courtesy of Ina Garten (LOVE HER!) 

I always read reviews before using a recipe and there are always a few Debbie downers complaining about flavor, density, dryness, boring, bleh, whateva...usually they are complaining because they did not actually follow the exact recipe, which is crucial when baking. Using room temperature ingredients when it's called for and making sure not to over mix, over bake, etc. etc. is key. So pay attention to what you read and don't override simple details...it's science, people...only the correct formula will produce the correct deliciousness.

This recipe will yield about 21 cupcakes.

Chocolate Cupcake Ingredients:

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp.
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 extra large eggs, room temp.
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temp.
• 1/2 cup sour cream, room temp.
• 2 tablespoons brewed coffee (this will enhance chocolate, not create a coffee flavor)
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars on high speed until light and fluffy. Lower the speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternatively in thirds or fourths, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until blended. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it's completely blended.

Divide the batter among the cupcake pans. Bake in the middle of the oven for 18-25 minutes (I'd start checking at the 18 minute mark with a toothpick. Take them out when the toothpick comes out clean.) Cool for 10 minutes and then remove from the pan. Wait until completely cool before icing.

Peanut Butter Icing Ingredients:

• 1 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp.
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• chopped chocolate or peanuts for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Place the confectioner's sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

And YUM! Enjoy.

<3 Katie

Benny's Bean Salad

I made this bean salad for the first time, a few years ago. 

I was living on my own in Florida and had just started exploring the world of cooking for one. 

Although, ironically, you can feed a lot more than one person with this meal and there is no cooking involved.

The original recipe was called "Bob's Bean Salad" but I don't know Bob. My hamster, Benny, had just died at the time, so I named this bean salad in his honor. Still hungry? Good.

Servings: 8

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes

Chill Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/3 medium onion, chopped
• 1 jar (12 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 can (12 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (12 oz) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (12 oz) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• feta cheese (for serving)
• For the dressing:
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1/8 c. white or white wine vinegar
• 1/8 c. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. sugar

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, toss red bell pepper, onion, artichoke hearts, and beans together. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the salt, sugar, and vinegars together. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Adjust seasoning as desired.
3. Pour dressing over bean mixture, and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour before serving. Serve chilled with a sprinkle of feta cheese on top.

Enjoy.

<3 Katie

Art on a Budget

And no, you don't have to make it yourself. 

One of my favorite things to do is browse posters. I don't currently have the space or money to busy myself with furnishing a place (I'm currently between places) but I have made the most of my bedroom. You could also use calendar pictures, personal photographs (family, friends, nature, objects, colors), wrapping paper, fabric, personal art, etc. to fill your frames.

Framed posters are the cheapest way to incorporate art and add character to your place. You can find posters online (www.allposters.com kind of has it all) or in stores (Michaels, Barnes and Noble, Walmart, etc.) 

Here are a few random prints I picked out in about 30 seconds on allposters.com. There are TONS! And so many different categories...abstract, pop art, photography, landscapes, music, vintage, etc.

So you've found a print you love. Now, all you need is a frame. This is what will make your poster look polished and trick you and your guests in thinking you spent more money on it than you actually did. Allposters.com can do this for you. Framing can range in price, but especially at a place like Michaels, you can find some incredibly inexpensive frames that will fit your poster. Most posters are general sizes, but you could always trim it or find a frame with a mat or border. Don't custom frame a poster. That's just weird and probably not worth it.

A few months ago, I went to Michaels and spent about $25 TOTAL on two posters and frames to fit. Check it out:

Simple. Cheap. Cute.

And yes, that's my duck baby.

And above, I used a pretty floral calendar to fill these little frames (bought from Urban Outfitters, years ago.)

<3Katie

Deviled Eggs Cuteness

So this is a little late because Easter is o-v-e-r. 

But it's still a cute idea. It'd be cute for any occasion, really. All pink or blue for a baby shower, or maybe a red, white, and blue theme for Independence Day? I'm sure you can think of something. And yes, I stole this from Pinterest. And yes, mine turned out cuter and more delicious.

This Easter, I made deviled eggs (for the first time ever) and decided to give them a little Easter lovin'. I used a Paula Deen recipe because I figured she'd know best when it comes to this simple classic. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

7 large eggs, hard boiled and peeled

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 1/2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish

1 teaspoon prepared mustard

Salt and pepper, for taste

Paprika, for garnishing

Sweet gherkin pickles sliced, for garnishing

Pimentos, for garnishing

Directions

Halve 7 eggs lengthwise. Remove yolks and place in a small bowl.

Mash yolks with a fork and stir in mayonnaise, pickle relish, and mustard. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Fill egg whites evenly with yolk mixture. Garnish with paprika, pickles and pimentos. Store covered in refrigerator.

So after de-yolking the eggs, that is when I dyed the egg halves. I bought a basic package of food coloring at the grocery store (yellow, red, blue, green). I filled 6 cups with water and then squirted dye into each cup (obviously, I mixed a couple colors to make orange and purple. And no, I will not tell you what colors make orange and purple). I probably put about 20-30 drops into each...but honestly, I didn't count. I squeezed so much dye, I think it was more of a stream than droplets. The eggs should have color within a few minutes, check on them and take them out when you have reached the desired hue. Lay them on a paper towel to dry before filling the egg halves with your yolk mixture. 

So when I made this, I used already hard boiled and peeled eggs from the grocery store. It was definitely 1000 times more convenient, but these are not usually large eggs, they are about a medium size. If you do this, be careful about the amount of ingredients you add. Also, I was limited on the yolk filling using these smaller eggs. But you can easily use more yolk than egg in order to really stuff it.

And that's it for now! Things have been really exciting and busy for me lately, so I'm not going to complain about not keeping up with posting. But I really, really, really hope I don't wait another four months to share something with you. Have a good night!

<3 Katie

Pumpkin Squares

Okay, so this is yum, yum, yummy! You'll never want plain old pumpkin pie, again. There are many pumpkin square dessert recipes, but this particular recipe was given to me by my college internship teacher (Thank you, Mrs. Steele!) One day, coming into work (student teaching, 2nd grade class, Florida) I had this wonderful little treat waiting for me on my desk. I inhaled it, she asked if I wanted the recipe, and the rest is history.

Notice removed cup -- save this
 for the topping!!

You'll need:


Crust

• 1 box of yellow cake (remove 1 cup)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c. melted unsalted butter

Filling

• 1 large can of pumpkin puree (30 oz) OR 2 small cans of pumpkin puree (15 oz. each) 

(**NOTE: DO NOT GET PUMPKIN PIE MIX...I've almost made that mistake.)

• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 c. milk

Topping

• 1 c. cake mix (that you removed, remember?!?)
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 c. chopped nuts (I prefer walnuts. But any, or none, would do!)

Directions:

1. For the crust: grease 9x13 pan. Mix the yellow cake mix (except for the 1 cup you set aside), the egg, and butter. Mix together and press onto the bottom and sides of the pan.
2. For the filling: mix pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, spices, 3 eggs, and milk. Pour over cake mix in the pan.
3. For the topping: mix the 1 cup of cake mix, sugar, butter, and nuts. Sprinkle on top of filling.
4. Bake at 400 F for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 F and bake for 40 minutes.

And there you have it! Easy as pie...pumpkin pie! I don't know if that's easy, never made it. Enjoy :)

<3 Katie

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hope everyone had a great holiday! 

It's sleeting outside which is making me lazy...but not lazy enough to not post some yum yum recipes!

Alton Brown's Chewy Chocolate Chip Recipe

I found a few cookie recipes on various sites but after reading several reviews and comments I asked myself...What Would Alton Brown Do? I stumbled across his recipe for "The Chewy", which included the Good Eats video clip explaining how to make it. Good thing I read the comments because it was noted that the recipe printed on the Food Network website is WRONG, and to follow the mentioned recipe in the Good Eats episode. Lesson to all: read the comments.

Yields: 2 dozen 

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Inactive Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 30 minutes

This is your best friend.

You'll need:

• parchment paper
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 2 1/4 c. bread flour
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1 1/4 c. brown sugar 
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tbsp. milk
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 12 oz chocolate chips (yes, that's one bag -- side note: I prefer the chunky chips)

Directions:

This is a paddle attachment.
 It's meant to work with thick batters (cake, cookie...) 

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Set aside to cool slightly.
2. Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda into it's own bowl and put aside. Pour the butter into your stand mixer's work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar and beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 2 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, whisk together the whole egg, the egg yolk, milk and vanilla extract in small bowl. Reduce the mixer speed and slowly add the egg mixture. Mix until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds.
4. Gradually integrate the dry ingredients, stopping a couple of times to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Once the flour is worked in, drop the speed to "stir" and add the chocolate chips. Chill the dough for 1 hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and place racks in the top third and bottom third of the oven.
6. Scoop the dough into 1 1/2-ounce portions (I eyeballed it) onto parchment-lined half sheet pans, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake 2 sheets at a time for 15 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through (I didn't actually do this...if you think you need to, go for it.) Remove from the oven, slide the parchment with the cookies onto a cooling rack and wait at least 5 minutes before devouring.

And enjoy! My theory is: if you can read, you can cook. But baking comes with a little more practice and intuition...make sure when baking, you keep an eye on your treats and get a feel for how your kitchen appliances work. I'd take the cookies out as soon as you see a hint of golden edges...waiting for them to brown, you'll regret it. Happy baking! Next up, pumpkin squares.

<3 Katie

Santa IS real...really yummy!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas is, by far, my favorite holiday...the tree, the lights, music, presents, food...yum. Love it.

In this post, I'll be sharing a cute and healthy appetizer idea and a few of the gifts that Santa brought me this year :) I also made chocolate chip cookies and a pumpkin squares dessert for tonight and will be posting the recipes for those later. 

So this is definitely the cutest and easiest way to be festive. I have to credit Pinterest for the idea, but, of course, mine turned out cuter. You'll need:

• strawberries
• Cool Whip 
• Black or brown sprinkles OR Black decorating gel (can be found in the baking aisle)
• Knife 
• Toothpick
• Cutting board (if you care about your counters)

Just by looking at the picture, I'm sure you can figure out how to do this. Wash the strawberries, cut off the leaves so they can stand up straight, and cut off the tips for the little hats. Don't worry about keeping the same tip for the same strawberry...that's crazy. Put a dollop of cool whip on the strawberry, add the hat, and another smaller dollop for the hat's poofy ball. I used a toothpick to make Santa's buttons...just dip it into the cool whip and give Santa a couple pokes ;) On Pinterest, the woman used sprinkles for the eyes but I found some black decorating gel that seemed like a better, more controlled option. And voila! Cuteness.

And here are some of the goodies Santa my family and friends have given me!

I've run across this book on a couple different websites and I was always curious what was in it. Now, I know! Maybe I'll Julia Child-style this book...maybe. Regardless, I'm excited to get crafting!! Thanks, brother!

4000 piece puzzle (52 in x 38 in) -- I will be attempting this, though I can't promise I'll ever do it again.  

GIFT CARDS! Money is always nice but knowing I can only selfishly spend it at a store I love, makes me a happy girl. Anthropologie, Francesca's and Birchbox :)

And, of course, peppermints and chocolate <3

So, I'm excited to share the recipes with you, but it's Christmas! I must get cute, go out, and be merry with mi familia. I will post tomorrow, for those of you who would like a little post-Christmas, pre-New Year's treat.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

<3 Katie