Halloween Cupcakes

This is the perfect Halloween treat, they're bite size and they use some of the leftover candy you might have from trick or treating!  Stay tuned to the end of the post to get a picture of what C and I were for Halloween.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a mini muffin pan with non-stick spray, and if you have mini liners, line the pan. I didn't use liners, because I didn't have any in the house, they came out of the pan easily though.  In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.  In a separate bowl combine the butter, brown sugar and peanut butter.  Beat until the batter is pale and fluffy.

Beat in egg and egg yolk, scraping down the bowl as needed.

With the mixer on low beat in the buttermilk and the vanilla extract.

Slowly beat in the flour mixture until combined.

Place two teaspoons of batter into each muffin cup.

Press a mini Reese's peanut butter cup into the center of each until the batter aligns with the top of the candy.  Bake until puffed and set, around 10 minutes. 

Immedately place a piece of corn candy on top of each cupcake.  Let cool completely in pans.  Store in single layers in airtight containers, they'll last up to three days.  The chocolate and candy corn mixture tastes great together, and is the perfect Halloween treat.

Have a great Halloween every one!

Halloween Cupcakes

Adapted from Everyday Food

Serving size 48 cupcakes

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 peanut butter

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg, plus 1 egg yolk

1/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

48 miniature chocolate peanut butter cups, such as Reese's

48 pieces of corn candy

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Line mini muffin pans with liners and spray with non-stick spray.

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

In a separate bowl beat together peanut butter, butter and brown sugar.

Beat in egg and egg yolk, scraping the bowl as needed.

With the mixer on low beat in buttermilk and vanilla extract.

Slowly add the flour mixture until well combined.

Scoop 2 teaspoons of batter into each muffin cup.

Press the peanut butter candy into the center of each muffin.

The batter aligns with the top of the candy.

Bake for 10 minutes, until puffed and set.

Remove from the oven and immediately place a piece of candy corn on top of each cupcake.

Let col completely and enjoy!



I'm not going to kill this one...

Confession: I cannot keep an orchid alive.  C has now bought me three different ones, and although the first one had a pretty good run, the last two have bitten the dust pretty fast.  I thought for sure the last one was dead so I took it into Gunter's Orchids in Dallas to get some advice.  The fate of my orchid is still up in the air, but I wanted to show some pictures of the flowers that were at Gunter's because they were so beautiful.

Have a great weekend everyone!



Soup Spoon Cafe - Lansing MI

A couple weekends ago I took a trip to Michigan State, to see old friends and be in town for the big MSU vs UofM football game.  One of my good friends from college is in grad school and working in Lansing right now, and had scoped out a great place for us to have dinner, Soup Spoon Cafe.  She knows me so well, and honestly picked the perfect place :)  I started out with the pumpkin soup, served with a little whip cream on top.  Amazing.

A couple other people at the table ordered the seafood chowder, which was also delicious.  I could taste that these were homemade soups, which is rare and made me very excited for my main dish.

I ordered the shellfish risotto, and I had trouble not stuffing my face!  It was delicious, and filled with whole scallops, shrimp, and blue crab. 

I had to take a picture of every one's meal, so my friends got a taste of my obsessive food picture taking ;) This is the east side chicken, a chicken breast stuffed with spinach, sun dried cranberries, garlic and goat cheese.  It was served with fresh veggies and rice.

This pork looked amazing, like I said I wish I could have tried everything, but my meal was taking up all of my stomach's available space.  Slow roasted pork loin in a caramelized onion and pepper glaze.  YUM!

And finally the largest salad I've seen in a while.  It was filled with fresh vegetables, and looks just as good as it taste. 

With all the delicious food, two bottles of wine, and the great company I couldn't have asked for a better night.  I will definitely be back to the Soup Spoon Cafe the next time I'm in the Lansing area.  Take a look at their website by clicking here, and if you live in the area take a night to try them out. The atmosphere is very relaxed and comfortable, and the food will leave you very satisfied.  Thank you for the great service and night! 

Steak w/ Mushroom and Red Wine Sauce

I recently subscribed to Bon Appetit magazine, and have fallen in love.  I love getting mail, but I especially love getting mail that's full of recipes and food pictures.  This steak  recipe came from the October magazine, and it was delicious. 

Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl, set aside.

Season 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of hanger steak with salt and pepper.

Add rosemary and garlic to the skillet.

Add the steak and cook for around three minutes on each side, for medium rare.  Cook longer if you like your steak cooked medium or higher.  Transfer to a cutting board and let rest while preparing the sauce.

Disguard the garlic and rosemary from the killey, and pour off all but one tablepsoon of the fat.  Add wine, and cook until reduced fo 3/4 of a cup.  Strain and return liquid to the skillet.

Stir in the stock and bring to a boil. Simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup, about five minutes, and remove from heat.

Whisk in 3 tablespoons of butter. 

Stir in the mushrooms and one tablespoon of tarragon.  Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon mushroom mixture onto plates.  Thinly slice the steak and serve over mushrooms.  Garnish with additional tarragon if you like.  I served this with spaghetti squash that I posed earlier this week and it was amazing.  The steak was very tender, and I was happy I picked some random mushrooms to serve with the steak because they added a lot of flavor.  Thank you Bon Appetit!

Hanger Steak w/ Mushroom and Red Wine Sauce

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Serves 4

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

12 oz assorted mushrooms, torn or cut into large pieces

salt and ground pepper to taste

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

3 garlic cloves

1 6 inch sprig rosemary

1 cup dry red wine

3/4 cup low salt chicken stock

2 tablespoon chopped tarragon

Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large skillet.

Add mushrooms and cook until soft and golden.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer to a bowl, and set aside.

Melt one tablespoon of butter with the remaining oil in the same skillet.

Season steak with salt and pepper.

Add the garlic, rosemary, and steak to skillet.

Cook for around 3 minutes on each side, for medium rare.

Transfer to a cutting board, and let rest while you make the sauce.

Discard garlic and rosemary from the skillet.

Pour off all but one tablespoon of fat.

Add wine, and cook until reduced to 3/4 cup.

Strain and return liquid to the skillet.

Stir in the stock and bring to a boil.

Simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup, around 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and whisk in 3 tablespoons of butter.

Stir in the mushrooms and one tablespoon of tarragon

Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon mushroom mixture onto plates.

Thinly slice steak and serve over mushroom mixture.

Garnish with remaining tarragon.

Spaghetti Squash

My friend Arran first introduced me to spaghetti squash.  I eat as the side veggie with a lot of meals I make in the fall.  It can also be used as a pasta substitute, but that's for another time!  It's so simple to cook, and tastes little to no preparation.

I  bought this from the farmers market by my apartment, and it was delicious.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Slice the squash in half and place on a baking sheet lined with foil.  I put a tablespoon of butter, cut in half, on each half before baking.

Bake for around 30 minutes, until soft in the center.

Pull the inside apart with a fork.  I also usually sprinkle some pepper on the squash before serving.

I made this as a side with steak, and it was perfect.  It's jam packed with flavor, and doesn't require hardly any additional ingredients.  This is definitely a vegetable you need to try this fall, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Spaghetti Squash

Serves 6

1 whole spaghetti squash

2 tablespoons butter

pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with foil.

Cut the squash in half, length wise.

Place one tablespoon of butter in each half.

Bake for around 30 minutes, until the middle is tender.

When finished baking, scrape out the middle with a fork.

Serve with pepper to taste and enjoy!



Photography Challenge - #6

From a low angle.

The trees changing in Michigan, one of my favorite things.

Szechuan Noodles with Chicken & Vegetables

It seems like a million years ago not but when I was in Door County this summer I took a cooking class.  I posted pictures and a recipes from the class, but have finally gotten around to making one of the recipes on my own.  I will warn you; this meal is not for the faint hearted.  It takes some time, effort, love, and a food processor.  If you don’t have one, this might be the recipe that makes you change your mind.  Plus, in all honesty, I bought mine for less than $50 and love it.  It’s not super fancy, but for the amount I use it (once, maybe twice a month) it does the job.

Start by making the chicken.  Thinly slice shallots and garlic cloves. 

Heat oil in a heavy duty skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add the shallots, garlic, red pepper flakes and cook until the shallots soften.  Add the chicken and cook until it’s no longer pink and the shallots begin to brown.  Set aside.

Place garlic and ginger in a food processor.  Add the vegetable oil, sesame paste, peanut butter, soy sauce, sherry, honey, chili oil, sesame oil and ground pepper.

Puree the sauce; it will look like a thin peanut butter.

Boil salted water and cook spaghetti al dente.  Drain the pasta and place in a large bowl.  While still warm toss with ¾ of the sauce.   Then add the red and yellow bell peppers, broccoli, and scallions and toss well.

Serve with chicken on top.  Note that you shouldn’t combine the sauce with the pasta until you’re about to serve, because soy sauce tends to break down the noodles.  Yes, I did learn that from the cooking class.  This meal is SO awesome.  Jam packed with flavor, and very diverse.  The peppers and broccoli aren't cooked so their crunchy texture with the creamy pasta is delicious. You can serve this hot and cold, another bonus, and it’d be tasty both ways.

Szechuan Noodles with Chicken Vegetables

Serves 6-8

Chicken:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 medium shallots, thinly sliced

¼ teaspoon black or red pepper

1 lb. boneless chicken breast, cut into strips

Heat the oil in a skillet or wok over medium high heat until simmering hot.

Add the shallots, garlic, and pepper and cook stirring frequently.

When the shallots have started to soften, add chicken.

Cook until the chicken is no longer pink, and shallots have started to brown.

Set aside.

Noodles:

6 garlic cloves, chopped

¼ cup fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

½ cup vegetable oil *I used olive oil

½ cup sesame paste

½ cup smooth peanut butter

½ cup soy sauce

¼ sherry *I used apple juice

¼ cup sherry vinegar

¼ cup honey

½ teaspoon hot chili oil

½ tablespoon black pepper

18 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 pound spaghetti

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 yellow w bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 small head broccoli, blanched

4 scallions, sliced diagonally

Place garlic and ginger in a food processor.  Add the vegetable oil, sesame paste, peanut butter, soy sauce, sherry, sherry vinegar, honey, chili oil, sesame oil, and ground pepper. 

Puree the sauce.

Boil salted water and cook spaghetti al dente.

Drain the pasta and place in a large bowl.

While still warm toss with around ¾ of the sauce.

Add the pepper, broccoli, and scallions.

Toss well.

Serve warm or at room temperature with chicken on top.

*Leftover sauce can be added as needed to moisten the pasta.

Apple Fritter Muffins

I would like to raise my glass to fall baking. Probably one of my favorite things is spending a chilly fall day in the kitchen. Pumpkin flavors are obviously a big part of this, but I think apples are as well. I thought a breakfast/dessert that incorporated apple was needed, and that’s exactly what I did!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line a muffin pan with muffin liners and spray with non-stick.   I used a cupcake pan, but you can use whatever you like.  I had apples in the house that I used, but I will say I thin granny smith would be your best option here.  Cut up two apples into ¼ inch slices.

In a skillet add the apple ingredients except for the flour.  Cook over medium heat until the apples are tender.

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

In a large bowl beat together applesauce, oil, and sugars until smooth.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Then add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.

Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk.  Make sure you begin and end with flour, making sure everything is well incorporated.

Fold in the apples.

Spoon batter into the lined cups.  Bake until muffin tops are pale golden brown, around 14 minutes.

 Cool the muffins in the pan for around five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

To make the glaze, mix the melted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and water together in a large bowl.  Whisk until smooth.

When muffins have cooled dip the top of the muffin into the glaze.  Allow the glaze to harden, and dip for a second time before serving.
I’m not sure whether these are breakfast muffins or dessert muffins.  Even people at work had trouble classifying them.  “These cupcakes, er muffins are delicious.”  Despite being a little hard to place, they are pretty awesome.  I really like the chunks of apple that you get when you bite in.  Plus, they are topped with a glaze, need I say more?

Apple Fritter Muffins

Apples:
2 large apples, preferably granny smith
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons water
1/3 cup flour

Muffins:
2 large eggs
¼ cup apple sauce
¼ cup oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/3 cup flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
Glaze:
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon hot water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Line a muffin or cupcake tin with liners and spray with non-stick spray.
In a skillet add apple ingredients, except flour.
Cook over medium high heat until the apples are tender, around 10 minutes.
Stir in flour and set aside.
In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. 
In a large bowl beat together apple sauce, oil and sugars until smooth.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
Add vanilla and mix thoroughly.
Stir the flour mixture into the sugar mixture alternately with the buttermilk.
Make sure to begin and end with the flour mixture.
Fold in the apples and make sure everything is well combined.
Spoon batter into cups and bake for around 14 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.
Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack.
To make the glaze, mix all of the glaze ingredients together in a large bowl.
Whisk until smooth.
When the muffins have cooled dip the top into the glaze.
Let the glaze harden for a few minutes, and dip into glaze again before serving.