Tryouts are in session

I can't believe my baby turns 1 in 9 days. When did that happen??? Last year at this time, I was 36 weeks pregnant, thinking I had a good 3-4 more weeks before that baby was coming. ha! Little did I know, this kid operates on his own time!

Anyway, I plan to make all of the cupcakes for his big par-tay (obviously), so I am currently testing out potential applicants.
Possible options being considered include chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting, vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting, carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, and apple spice cupcakes with brown sugar cream cheese frosting.

Today's applicant: good ol' chocolate. They look pretty damn pro (as you can see) so stay tuned for that recipe later this week...

Oh and for all you baby food nazis out there, these are cupcakes for the GUESTS at G's birthday party. Not for the cake that he will actually eat/smash. That is going to be a surprise and something I've never done before. That could either be awesome or disastrous. Guess we'll see?

Everything but the tortilla

 

See? I told you I'd be a better blogger.. and here I am, twice in one week! Who knew??

So, I know this blog is about baking but sometimes you gotta lay off the sugar and eat something healthy. That's where this comes in. Chicken tortilla soup, minus the tortillas. Why, you ask? Cause those fried strips of deliciousness aren't exactly fat-free (nothing that good ever is, right?) And if you get rid of those, this soup is completely and totally guilt-free (just watch the cheese.)

When the weather gets a little colder, there's nothing like a warm, hearty bowl of soup. This is my personal favorite. The base soup recipe came from the Food Network's Tyler Florence. His version, however, is pretty much just a base and is somewhat bland. I added a few things to spice it up, and a couple options to make it easier and faster to make, and VOILA! Delicious, homemade soup in less than 2 hours. 

Chicken Tortilla-less Soup

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium white onions, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (2 if you like it spicy)
• 2 cans (15oz cans) diced tomatoes, 1 plain and 1 with diced green chiles
• 1 quart chicken stock
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
• 1/2 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced
• 1/2 cup shredded Jack cheese, optional
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
• 1 lime, cut in wedges, for serving

Directions

Place a stockpot over medium heat and coat with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the onions, garlic, jalapenos, and tomatoes; cook, stirring for 30 minutes until the vegetables are cooked down and pulpy. Pour in the stock, seasonings, and simmer for 30 minutes or longer.

Ladle the hot soup into 4 soup bowls and put a pile of shredded chicken on top of each. Top with the diced avocado and cheese. Garnish with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

NOTE: I add my shredded chicken to the pot, rather than use it as a garnish. Just my personal preference.

You're welcome.

I suck at blogging

And fantasy football. Seriously. I think my defense scored a -4 yesterday. But anyway, you can't eat fantasy football so I doubt you all care.

First I have to apologize for being a terribly bad blogger. I know, I know.. it's been a month since I updated. It's been a little busy around here, with in-laws visiting and then playgroup starting, and me making excuses, and all that nonsense. Not to mention, who do you think was eating all the yummy stuff I was making in the name of my blog?? I had to take a sanity break!

Anyway, to make up for it, I've got something very seasonal and quite tasty that I think you'll like.

Pumpkin spice cupcakes packed full of flavor, with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting. It's like a Starbucks pumpkin spice latte, but with a lot more calories. I found a great recipe online, using my absolute favorite website, www.allrecipes.com. Why do I love it so much? Not only can you find just about anything you're looking for, you also have tons of reviews that you can read through, get tips on how to improve the recipe, and great modifications. I have learned so much just reading people's comments on that site.

The recipe I used can be found here, but the one below has all of the modifications I made based on my own preferences, and reading other people's reviews.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup oil (preferably vegetable)
• 1/4 unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
 

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 24 muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners. Sift together the flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove, allspice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.
2. Beat oil, applesauce, the white sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Stir in the milk and pumpkin puree after the last egg. Stir in the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 20 minutes. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.
4. While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting by beating the cream cheese and 1/4 butter with an electric mixer in a bowl until smooth. Beat in the confectioners' sugar a little at a time until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; beat until fluffy. Once the cupcakes are cool, frost with the cream cheese icing.

And if you have really cool Halloween cupcake wrappers like I do, you can be fun and festive like me. Otherwise, be lame and use the pastel colored ones. I won't make fun. 

Miss me??

Not to worry. I am back! Sorry for the lack of posts the past week. G and I just got back from a few days in IL to see some family, and it took me awhile to get back in the groove.
However, for all of you anxiously awaiting my next post (aren't you all?) I've got a goodie. A couple of years ago, Seth and I spent a week on the north shore of Oahu. Everyone told us we had to stop at a little place called Ted's Bakery to get this.

Chocolate Haupia pie. Haupia, for you non-Hawaiians, is coconut pudding.
So the pie is basically chocolate pudding layered with coconut pudding, and topped with fresh whipped cream & chocolate shavings. Personally, I've never been much of a coconut person.. but this pie changed my mind. It was delicious. Chocolately, creamy deliciousness.

When we returned, I was determined to re-create this pie.I found a recipe online.. and while it is quite delicious, I won't lie to you and tell you that it is as good as Ted's. It totally isn't. But it IS pretty tasty.

Chocolate Haupia Pie

• 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
• 1 cup milk
• 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup white sugar

Call me lazy, but I use store-bought crust. Making pie crust just doesn't sound all that exciting to me, and Marie Callender does an excellent job so why re-invent the wheel?

First, Bake crust for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Set aside to cool. 

In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, coconut milk and 1 cup sugar. In a separate bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in water. Bring coconut mixture to a boil. Reduce to simmer and slowly whisk in the cornstarch. Continue stirring mixture over low heat until thickened, about 3 minutes.

In a glass bowl, microwave chocolate chips for 1 minute or until melted. Divide the coconut pudding evenly into two bowls. Mix chocolate into one portion. Spread on the bottom of the pie crust. 

Pour the remaining portion of pudding on top of the chocolate and spread smooth. Refrigerate for about an hour.

While the pie is refrigerating, make the whipped cream.  Whip heavy cream with 1/4 cup sugar until stiff peaks form. Layer the cream on pie; if desired garnish with chocolate shavings. 

 I like to add the chocolate shavings to make it pretty and professional-looking. I just used a dark chocolate bar that I keep in my freezer for chocolate emergencies.
And when you cut it open, it should look beautiful and layered.. unlike mine, which looks messy. (where's my food stylist??)

 Aloha! 

Baby Foodie: Squash it up

 My brain is feeling a little muddled today thanks to several random wake-ups by a certain blue-eyed babbler last night. (He doesn't even look apologetic, does he?)

 Anyway, so I apologize that this recipe isn't exactly re-inventing the wheel or anything.. however, it is seasonal, economical, easy to make, and delicious.



 
This is one of those things you can easily buy in jars at the store, but you can actually make it yourself for very little money, and it's something you'd actually want to eat. I'm talking about butternut squash. Squash is everywhere this time of year, and it's really quite cheap. I like to buy mine pre-cut and packaged at Trader Joe's, because I'm lazy like that. But you can always buy a whole one and chop it up if you wanna use your muscles a little bit.

Simply roast your butternut squash on a cookie pan, tossed with a little olive oil, in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

Yum right? Don't worry about overcooking it. The longer it cooks, the softer it will get.. and soft is good when you're puree-ing.
1 cup roasted butternut squash + 1 tbsp unsweetened applesauce + 1/4 tsp cinnamon =

Tastes like Thanksgiving. :-) You really don't need the applesauce, but it does help with the consistency in the puree process. You could always use a little water instead.

Griffin really likes this one. The consistency is a lot like mashed potatoes, but better for you. And you can sneak bites for yourself without feeling guilty.. unlike what I'll be making this weekend. I'm taking a few days break from making sweets to prepare for the calorie feast that will be consumed on Sunday, the first day of football season!! I'm planning a yummy Hawaiian treat to share with ya'll next week, you'll have to check me out to find out what it is. (Hint: Ted's Bakery makes it and they make it AMAZING!!)

Food Porn Friday: Everything's better with sour cream

Yes, even cupcakes.

Ok, I can't take total credit for these beauties. I got the recipe for the cakes from Anne Burrell's Secrets of a Restaurant Chef.  Yes, I'm slightly obsessed with the Food Network.. there's something relaxing about watching someone cook, right? Plus, you get a lot of ideas.

Anyway, she was making sour cream cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting for a kid's birthday party. And, turns out, I've been on the lookout for a good basic cupcake recipe for G's upcoming 1st birthday party, which I'll be turning into Elmo faces (yeah, stay tuned for that.) The cake really turned out great, kind of dense, but with a really mild vanilla flavor.. and super easy to make. Oh - and ya know what else makes baking easier?

Ohhh yeah.. the bonus of having a bigger kitchen means finalllllllllllllllllly being able to bring out my Kitchen Aid mixer! A most amazing wedding gift (thanks Norm & Gail!) that's been sitting in our garage for oh, well over two years. Aside from the small learning curve (i.e. careful when dumping flour in there at high speeds) it was very easy to use and made the baking process so much more fun.


Anne Burrell's Sour Cream cupcakes

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• Pinch salt
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3/4 cup sour cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Reserve.

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the butter and sugar. Using the paddle attachment beat the butter and sugar together until they are light and fluffy. Turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time. Slowly add the vanilla, milk and sour cream. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, as needed. With the mixer on medium speed, gradually mix in the flour.

Line a muffin tin with paper muffin cups. Fill the muffin cups about 2/3 of the way, dividing the batter evenly among the lined cups.

Put in the preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes. Check about halfway through the baking process to make sure everything is going along great and also rotate.
The cupcakes are done when a toothpick comes out clean.

Anne used a chocolate buttercream frosting that looked delicious, but the reviews on foodnetwork.com were less than stellar. Three sticks of butter to 1/2 cup powdered sugar? Possible recipe misprint?? Anyway, I found this recipe on another blogger site, and it was WONDERFUL.


Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks or 1/2 pound), softened (but not melted!)
• 3 1/2 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

Instructions

1. Cream butter for a few minutes in a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Turn off the mixer. Sift 3 cups powdered sugar and cocoa into the mixing bowl. Turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the dry ingredients do not blow everywhere) until the sugar and cocoa are absorbed by the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add a little more sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add additional milk 1 tablespoon at a time.

 I used 1% milk simply because that's what I had. I think cream would probably just make it that much better.

In the future, I might add a little almond extract to the cake, as I think it would give it a little more flavor. Plus, I just love almond extract.
But they were pretty delicious as is.. so I had two yesterday. And I might do it again today.
Happy Labor day to me.

Baby Foodie: Smoothies!

My hope for G is that he'll be the kind of kid who isn't afraid to try any type of food. (Unlike his mama, who was a terribly picky eater. Sorry mom.) Therefore, I really want to introduce his palette to all kinds of things while he's still open to it. So far, it's going well. This kid will eat anything you put in front of him. Seriously - guacamole, tuna, salmon, eggs, peas, spaghetti-o's.. you name it, he'll eat it.

So lately, I've just been taking whatever we have on hand and throwing it in the Cuisinart. It's been kinda fun, coming up with fun & yummy combinations - like this one. Ya know that baby food that you just want to steal a few bites of for yourself? No? Well.. this is about to change that.

A handful of strawberries + half banana + 1/4 cup greek yogurt =

Kinda like a breakfast smoothie. You can sub out the fruits however you want. Today I did nectarine and strawberry, and it was a hit. You could also add a touch of cinnamon if you prefer.

Ummm mom, why are you eating my food?

Nanner Nanner Nanner Bread

When it comes to baking, I don't have a lot of my "own" recipes.. most of them I've found on the internet, or gotten from a friend or family member. I might make a few changes or substitutions to suit my tastebuds, but generally I don't have many recipes that I can call my own.  This recipe, however, is all mine.

I played around with a lot of different banana bread recipes and took the parts of each that I liked to put them all together into the PERFECT banana bread. Mine is moist, full of banana flavor, and chock full of  crunchy walnuts.
And to make it even better, mine has no oil or butter, and you can use white whole wheat flour if you choose for added fiber content. (I do and you cannot tell the difference.)

The key is unsweetened applesauce. Actually, I use applesauce a lot, whether I'm baking or making baby food - it's really a great ingredient. It easily replaces oil or butter in just about any baking recipe, and you really cannot taste the difference. Plus it tends to add a nice moisture to baked goods.


Jane's Nanner Nanner Nanner Bread
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
2 eggs
1/4 c. milk
1 c. white flour & 2/3 c. whole-wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
3 ripe bananas (or more)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. walnuts, chopped
Optional - 1/4 tsp. almond extract

Preheat 350 degree oven. Grease a loaf pan.
Beat sugars and applesauce until well-blended. Add eggs, milk, bananas, & vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients until just moistened. Bake for 45-60 minutes. I tend to go more towards 45.

Hope you enjoy!
Also.. if you have anything specific that you would like to see me make, feel free to make suggestions! I'm always open to new ideas.

Food Porn Friday

I promised a little food porn every Friday, so here we are.

 A fully homemade strawberry shortcake. No I did not buy those little cakes at the grocery store. I made this shortcake from scratch, as well as the whipped cream. Mid-way through making said shortcake, I was cursing myself for being the type of person who can't go to the store and just buy the damn cake. That's because not only was the recipe kind of a pain in the ass, it really didn't turn out that great. Maybe I'm just bitter because as I was scooping the dough-balls onto the pan.. this happened.

That was my 1/3 measuring cup.. broken. Awesome.
Anyway, eventually I'll detail the shortcake recipe, once I find one that I really enjoy. Until then, stare at this one and pretend it tasted amazing.
Also... check me out on Monday cause I'll be making my very own banana bread recipe, which happens to contain no oil or butter, and is full of fiber.

Bringing up a baby foodie

I never thought I'd be the kind of mom who makes their own baby food. Even a few months ago, I thought, Eh.. the stuff in the jar is just as good. But.. I think, would I eat that?? Usually, the answer is no. It looks kinda nasty. I also realized, I can make my own that tastes just as good, for a lot less cost and less waste (I know, it's kinda granola, blame my Colorado roots.)

So, once a week I'm going to try and feature a yummy baby food combo that you moms out there can easily make yourselves. Today, I am making a spinach, pear, apple puree that G absolutely adores. It doesn't take much, just a food processor and 3 ingredients:

 1/2 pear + 1/3 bag spinach sauteed in a little olive oil until wilted + 2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce =

 I won't lie.. it doesn't look very appetizing. But it actually tastes pretty good, and G likes it. (Not that this is surprising. You don't get those thighs by skipping meals.)

There's a difference between health-y and health-ier

These delicious Triple Chocolate Chunk cookies - are the latter. As a relatively healthy eater with a severe sweet tooth, I do everything I can to try and make my treats a tiny bit better for you. That's not to say that nutrition trumps taste. No.. if that were the case, I'd be making spinach cookies that no one wanted to eat. But if you can save even a few calories here and there without sacrificing taste, then I'm all for it.

I first saw this recipe on the now-defunct Food Network show Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger. Of course, that's not on anymore because she couldn't compete with Paula Deen and her 13 sticks of butter. And, to be honest, I made a few of her recipes and they were pretty.. eh. But these cookies are a standout.

Triple Chocolate Chunk Cookies
1/4 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. canola oil
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 c. coarsely chopped dark chocolate (3 oz.)
1/3 c. coarsely chopped milk chocolate (I use chocolate chips)
2/3 c. coarsely chopped pecans (I like to use walnuts)

Preheat oven to 350.
In large bowl, mash butter and sugars with a fork. Add oil & egg, beat til creamy. Add vanilla.
In medium bowl, whisk together flours, cocoa, salt. I like to use 1 cup of white whole-wheat flour, rather than 1/2 c. of white and 1/2 of wheat. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well.

For my dark chocolate, I like to use a bar of 70% cacao.

In lieu of milk chocolate, I just chop up some semi-sweet chocolate chips. And lastly, mix in the nuts, whatever kind you like (I prefer walnuts and they are great for you.)

Bake on ungreased cookie sheets for 12 minutes.. and there you have it, a healthier cookie that's super rich and chocolate-y. They don't spread a whole lot, so you just kind of have to go by feel as to when they are done.

Now you can eat your dessert, AND feel good about it. :-)

Food Porn Friday

I hereby declare today, and every Friday henceforth, "Food Porn Friday"!

Food porn is a provocative term variously applied to a spectacular visual presentation of cooking or eating in advertisements, infomercials, cooking shows or other visual media, foods boasting a high fat and calorie content, exotic dishes that arouse a desire to eat or the glorification of food ...

Last week, my amateur chef of a husband cooked up this delight. A juicy grilled filet mignon, oven-roasted rosemary potato crisps, and baked spaghetti squash with olive oil and parmesan. It was quite tasty, in case you were wondering.
Also, in case you have nothing else to look forward to this weekend...

 I'll be showing you how to make these not only delicious, but heart-healthy triple chocolate chunk cookies. :-)