Pumpkin Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Frosting

The leaves are colorful, the air is chilly and it's beginning to smell like fall.  Celebrate the season by making Pumpkin Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Frosting, or little bites of pumpkin love. 

Pumpkin Cupcakes

1 cup bread flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup or 1 stick butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon Molasses
3/4 cup pure pumpkin puree
2 large eggs


Brown Sugar Frosting

1/2 cup or 1 stick butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
optional chopped walnuts for garnish

For the pumpkin cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  If you are not using cupcake liners, prepare muffin tins by spraying with no stick butter flavored spray. (A teflon, or no stick coated muffin tin works best if going liner less).

Mix dry ingredients and set aside.  In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the pumpkin puree and molasses then slowly beat in the eggs, one at a time.  Gradually add the dry mixture until combined.

Fill each muffin slot with batter, about 3/4 full.  Bake for 17 minutes for mini cupcakes or 20-25 minutes for regular sized cupcakes, or until tops are lightly brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

This recipe will yield about 30 mini cupcakes or 12 regular sized cupcakes.

For the brown sugar frosting:
In a saucepan, melt the butter on medium high heat then add the brown sugar.  Bring to a boil and lower heat to medium low and continue to boil for 2 minutes stirring constantly.  Add the milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Cool to lukewarm then add vanilla.  Gradually add confectioners sugar and beat until spreadable.

To frost cupcakes I use a plastic baggy with the corner cut off with a Wilton Decorating Tip, #32 Star (Google Affiliate Ad) inserted.  Place frosting in bag and pipe over warm cupcakes.  Make sure your frosting is cool enough to hold it's shape, otherwise it will just melt all over your cupcakes.  Stash the frosting baggy in the freezer for a minute or two to harden it up a bit if needed.

If your frosting gets too cool or your tip gets plugged, it will pop the seam on the plastic bag.  If this happens, remove tip and rinse it with warm water.  Rewarm the frosting in the microwave for 10 seconds, then place tip on other corner of bag and squeeze the frosting to that side of the bag.

mmmm....I can smell them baking now.  Don't forget to share.


p.s. My brown sugar frosting is like "penuche" a soft, sweet candy made with brown sugar and cream and tastes like yummy caramel.  The pumpkin shapes are clip art that I printed, cut out and taped to a toothpick. 

Taco Bell Inspired Healthy Chicken Cantina Bowl

One taste of the new Chicken Cantina Bowl from Taco Bell and it was love at first bite.  I knew a similar dish of home made goodness would be so much fresher, and flavorful, so I attempted to recreate the recipe at home.  Score one for the home team because the flavors explode off of my Cantina Bowl like fireworks...and I think my husband just fell in love with me all over again.

Healthy Chicken Cantina Bowl

There are several components to this recipe that can be made ahead, or larger quantities to use in other dishes, or purchased separately to reduce preparation time.  For five servings, you will need the following components.  The recipes are below.

Citrus and Herb Marinated Chicken
Rice
Guacamole
Roasted Corn and Black Beans
Light Creamy Cilantro Dressing
Pico de Gallo
Lettuce 

Citrus and Herb Marinated Chicken

10 chicken tenders
1/4 cup Wegmans Lemon Vinaigrette (or make your own marinade with olive oil, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, cilantro, garlic and a bit of sugar, salt and pepper to taste).

Marinate chicken tenders in vinaigrette for 1 hour or while making other recipe components.  Once all of your components are assembled, grill chicken until done, about 4 minutes each side on a preheated gas or charcoal grill.

Rice

Assemble and cook in a rice cooker:
1 cup jasmine rice
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 T fresh cilantro
optional add 4 T water for softer rice

Guacamole

We used store bought :) but go ahead and use your favorite recipe.

Roasted Corn and Black Beans

1 16oz can of corn, drained
1 16oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained

Heat skillet on medium high heat, lightly coat with butter flavored no stick spray, add corn and brown on both sides, be careful not to burn it.  Add black beans and stir until warm.  Turn off heat and keep warm.

Light Creamy Cilantro Dressing

In large mixing cup whisk the following ingredients:
1/2 cup Kraft Mayo with Olive Oil
1/3 cup lowfat or skim milk
1 T dried cilantro
juice from one small lime
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp chilli powder
optional salt and fresh cilantro to taste

Adjust seasoning to your taste;  should be the consistency of ranch salad dressing.

Pico de Gallo

In a bowl, lightly mix:
3-4 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 small sweet peppers, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
juice from 1/2 small lime
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 T fresh cilantro
optional 1/8 tsp dried cilantro

Lettuce

I used a family sized bag of Wal Mart Market Place Romaine lettuce

To get the Taco Bell look, line half of your plate with rice and the other with lettuce.  On top of the lettuce lay 2 chicken tenders and top with creamy cilantro dressing.  On the rice side top half with pico de gallo and the rest with corn and black beans, then add a dollop of guacamole.  Enjoy! 

Molly Woo's Inspired Chicken Lettuce Cups

Last weekend we met our son and his girlfriend for lunch at Molly Woo's Restaurant at Polaris.  For an appetizer we ordered lettuce cups that were absolutely fantastic!  With the very first bite we all became huge fans of this healthy and delicious chicken lettuce wrap.  Here is our inspired recipe of this popular dish :

2 chicken breasts, or about one pound cut into small pieces, no bigger than 1/2 inch
6 to 8 lettuce leaves rinsed, we used Romaine, but Molly Woo's uses regular head lettuce
1 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
4 ounces of water chestnuts, cut into thin strips
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons of hoisin sauce
4 tablespoons of reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon finely chopped scallion or green onion
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice, extra lime and/or juice for garnish
rice noodles
brown rice

To save time, we use microwavable rice, minced garlic and ramein noodles.  For a healthier meal, we use low sodium soy sauce.

Precook your brown rice and rice noodles.  

Saute garlic in olive oil and sesame oil then add chicken and cook about 8 minutes on medium high heat until almost cooked through.  Add red pepper, brown sugar, hoisin sauce and soy sauce, finish cooking until chicken is no longer pink and all ingredients are well mixed.  Add lime juice and garnish with scallion.

At this point taste your chicken and add any of  the above ingredients to adjust the recipe to your liking.

And now the fun part:  Start with a lettuce leaf then layer with rice noodles, brown rice and top with chicken mixture.  Sprinkle your creation with juice from a fresh lime if desired or garnish with lime wedges.  Roll like a burrito and enjoy!

For dessert, try fresh pineapple, yum!

Mike's Greek Pasta Salad

 

Wow!  Dear hubby, (Mike), created this healthy, yummy recipe in an effort to eat healthier.  A delicious healthy meal, quick enough for a weeknight dinner.  I'm packing the leftovers for lunch, and we are making a fresh batch for dinner again tomorrow.  That's one smart guy I married.  We love it, and hope you will too! 

Ingredients:

1 medium onion chopped 

2 small chicken breasts, or one large, cut into 3/4 inch pieces  

10 red, orange and yellow mini sweet peppers, cut into 3/4 inch pieces

1 lb of angel hair pasta

olive oil

Toppings:

feta cheese, reduced fat

tomato, diced with seeds removed.

black olives

Greek dressing vinaigrette

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions and toss with 1 teaspoon of olive oil.  While the pasta is cooking, saute onion in olive oil until lightly browned, then add chicken and cook 8 minutes or until done.  Drizzle 3 Tablespoons of Greek dressing over the chicken then add peppers and saute for about 3 minutes, or until heated thoroughly, but not mushy.

Now for the fun part, start filling up your plate!  Layer your salad starting with the pasta, next layer the chicken, onion and pepper mixture.  Finish off with your favorite toppings listed above, then sprinkle on extra Greek dressing, if desired.

Note:  you can substitute regular sized red, orange and yellow peppers for the miniatures.

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie Experience

Dear hubby bought these adorable little cast iron skillets from WalMart in the Christmas gift section.  They were individually wrapped and came with a cookie mix that tasted terrible!  The skillets are 5 inch diameter by 1/2 inch deep.  They are worth the purchase price of $4.88 each because the best online price I could find for a 5 inch miniature cast iron skillet was $8.95 at  http://www.castironcookware.com/cast-iron-cookware.html

The chocolate chip cookie recipe can be baked in one large skillet and cut like a pie to serve.  Adjust the baking time, depending on size of skillet.  Or just make them as cookies!


Cookie Ingredients

2 sticks of butter
1 egg
1 Tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1 bag of chocolate chips


Topping ingredients

Vanilla ice cream
Cool Whip

Optional Topping ingredients

chocolate ice cream syrup
one cherry

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream the butter, egg, molasses, vanilla, and sugars.  Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, flour and mix.  With a spoon or spatula, fold in the chocolate chips.

Spoon the dough into the skillet and pat down flat.  Leave room for the cookie to raise and grow a bit, then bake for about 12 minutes, or until lightly brown.  Do not over bake, because these cookies will continue to bake in the skillet when removed from the oven.

Remove from oven, and place on plate, remember, the handle of the skillet will be hot!  Scoop on vanilla ice cream, then top with your cool whip decorating bag.  Add a cherry, just for fun!

For a step by step detailed instructions, check out my instructable at Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie Experience

http://www.instructables.com/id/Ultimate-Chocolate-Chip-Cookie-Experience/

Rolly Pollies

My cookie recipe got featured on Instructables, and they gave me a one year pro-membership for free! yay!

Rolly Pollies are the best cookies you will ever taste this side of heaven.  These are addictive cookies that melt in your mouth.  They are soft and chewy with a molasses taste that has a perfectly synergistic caramel and chocolate Rolo candy melted in the middle.  This recipe will yield 25 cookies.

Step 1 Ingredients

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Ingredients

3/4 cup shortening (solid shortening in a can works best, not the stick kind)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Rolo candy, about 25 pieces

Topping
Mix the following in a small bowl:

3 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

After baking, sprinkle with:
Sanding sugar

Step 2 Mix the Dough

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Cream the shortening and sugar.  Beat in the egg and molasses.  Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Mix until combined.  Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls.

Step 3 Insert Rolo Candy

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Press thumb into dough ball to make an impression, then insert one Rolo candy into the indentation you just created.  Push the dough up and over the candy to cover it completely.  Smooth out the dough ball, then press the top of the dough ball into topping mixture. 

Step 4 Bake

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Place the dough ball, with sugar side up, on a greased baking sheet.  Bake in an oven pre-heated to 350 degrees for 12 minutes.  If you are using a warm cookie tray, the cookie baking time will be shortened to about 10 minutes.  The cookies should be lightly baked with slight cracking.  Sprinkle with sanding sugar.

Step 5 Enjoy

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Take out of the oven and share with those you love. 

 

Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, Black Forest Cake

 

For our last German class of this year, our instructor mentioned he wanted to buy a Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte.  He told us how much the cake was going to cost, and that he would have to drive about an hour to pick it up.  We also decided as a class, that we needed a non-alcoholic version of the cake, because our class meets at a local high school. I'm not much of a cake baker, but I volunteered to make one anyway.  My husband found a recipe online, and I made a test cake just to make sure I could make one.  I accidentally made extra batter for the test cake, but it turned out perfectly.  A week later, I made the cake for class and followed the recipe exactly.  One of my layers was so thin that it fell apart, and I had to remake it.  This recipe is my accident version, with extra batter and frosting, so your layers will not be too thin.  An awesome cake, that tastes great too!

Cake:
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups water
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Cake Directions:  Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in water until blended.  In a microwave melt chocolate, stir until smooth, then stir in vanilla until blended. Combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda and add to creamed mixture alternately with chocolate mixture beating well after each addition. Pour into four greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

Chocolate Filling:
5 ounces German sweet chocolate
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Chocolate Filling Directions:  Melt chocolate in a microwave and stir until smooth.  Stir in softened butter until smooth, then add almonds.

Cream Filling:
4 cups heavy whipping cream
3 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

Cream Filling Directions: Beat cream until it begins to thicken.  Add Sugar and vanilla, beat until soft peaks form.

Topping:
1 can cherry pie filling
3 cups sliced almonds

To assemble cake: place one cake on a serving platter, spread with a fourth of the chocolate filling and a fourth of the cream filling.  Repeat layers.  Top with remaining cake and chocolate filling.  Place 2 cups of the remaining cream filling in a pastry bag with a large star tip.  Pipe around top edge of cake.  Fill center with cherry pie filling.  Spread remaining cream filling over sides of cake; press almonds into sides.

Note: Allow to chill for several hours or overnight to allow the cream to set.  Otherwise, the layers will slip a bit as you are trying to cut it.