Spiced Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Spiced Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes (modified from a recipe posted by LILBIT on thebump)

2 2/3 cup AP flour

2tsp baking soda

2tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cloves

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice*

1 tsp salt

1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 can pumpkin (or squash)*

1 cup white sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

Best Cream Cheese Frosting (see recipe below)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350

Line muffins cups with liners

in a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice & salt. set aside.

using a stand mixer, mix together the pumpkin, white sugar, dark brown sugar & oil until combined. add the eggs one at a time making sure to mix well after each addition.

add the dry mixture to the wet mixture in 3 parts- mixing until JUST combined after each addition (over-mixing is a no no)

flour the chocolate chips (add 1tsp flour to the chips & shake- this keeps them from sinking) & then stir into the batter

fill the muffin cup 3/4 of the way & bake for 20-25 min (mine were done in 20 min)

remove from the pan after 5 minutes & cool on a baking rack.

frost. eat. yum! (i got 30 cupcakes)

Best Cream Cheese Frosting: (i usually dislike cream cheese frosting- but this stuff is freaking awesome. light, fluffy & just a hint of cream cheese flavor. perfect!)

8 oz cream cheese (softened)

1 stick un-salted butter (softened)

1 tsp vanilla

4 cups confection sugar

Directions:

using a hand mixer: beat together the cream cheese & butter until blended. add the vanilla. then mix in the sugar 1 cup at a time until blended.

jack up the mixer speed (like HIGH) and beat for about 30 seconds or so (until you get some fluffy)- and you're done. make sure to lick the beaters as so not to waste.

perfect.

*p.s. i didn't have a can of pumpkin. so i used a can of squash. and guess what? no one knew but me. why? because i threw in the pumpkin pie spice. if you have actual pumpkin then you probably don't need it- but would i use it anyway? heck yeah. cause it's good. but it's something to think about!

Banana Bread

i'm always looking for new banana bread recipes. i've YET to find the PERFECT one- seriously. i've never had the most perfect piece of banana bread.

one day- anyway. until then, this one is actually pretty good.

the first batch i made i used a VERY ripe (like, omg is that bad?!) banana & i forgot the baking soda.
the bread was good, but very dense. it tasted like banana- but there were no tell-tale banana squiggles (you know what i'm talking about)- it was odd. but good.

the second/third batches i made i used thawed (not quite as ripe when frozen) bananas & i remembered the baking soda. this time it actually looked like banana bread- and it's more fluffy. and good- so either way it was a win.


Banana Bread

For the bread:
1 cup plus all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
coarse salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup buttermilk (you can use plain yogurt if you want)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large banana, mashed (about 1/2 cup)
1 tblsp brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the topping:
1 tablespoon room temp butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon flour
pinch of salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350º Butter (or use cooking spray) a loaf pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup flour, the sugar, baking powder, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Stir in the melted butter and the buttermilk. Add the egg and beat for 1 minute. Add the brown sugar to the banana & stir- then add the banana and vanilla to the mix. Stir until well combined. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.

Make the topping by mixing together the tablespoon of butter with the tablespoon of flour, the brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Distribute the topping evening over the batter (i used my fingers & kind of clumped it around like so)


Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until cake tester or toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Cut and serve from the pan.

Enjoy!

sweet golden cornbread

Sweet Golden Cornbread (adapted from Allrecipes)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2/3 cup white sugar (i also like to do 1/2 brown sugar & 1/2 white sugar- but it's your pref)
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
1 cup heavy cream (or whole milk)
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Directions: place 2-3 tblsp butter in a cast iron pan & place in the oven. turn the oven on to 400° & allow to pre-heat.

while your oven & pan are pre-heating, put together your cornbread:

in a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt & baking powder.
stir in the milk, egg & vegetable oil until JUST combined (no need to overmix)

by now your pan should be pretty hot & your butter should be melted- remove the pan from the oven & pour the batter into the pan. it may sizzle- that's A-Ok. spread the batter into the pan & place back into the oven.


bake for 20-25 min (checking around 20) it's done when the top is a nice golden brown (you can also check with a toothpick but you really shouldn't have to)

remove the pan from the oven & butter the bread (i used about 2 tblsp- i like butter)


give it a minute to rest, then slice it up & serve (with more butter of course- or honey, chili, milk- etc etc)

Enjoy!

p.s. i like it straight from the oven with butter. plain & simple- but i also love to crumble it up in a bowl with some ice cold milk & a sprinkle of brown sugar. omg. so freaking good!

homemade pepperoni pizza

Homemade Pepperoni Pizza

1lb pizza dough (you can make it yourself or pick up some pre-made)
pizza sauce (again, make your own or pick up a GOOD jar)
pepperoni
2 1/2 cups shredded cheese (pizza cheese & mozz)
olive oil (to brush on the crust)

Addtl:
cornmeal
flour
pizza stone
pizza peel
onion powder
garlic powder
red pepper flakes
dried basil

Directions:
place your pizza stone in the oven (on the 2nd rack up from the bottom) & pre-heat to 500°. make sure your pizza stone sits in the 500° oven for at least 45min to 1 hour.

while your pizza stone is heating up: flour a flat surface & roll out your dough into a circle. just eyeball it- it shouldn't be too small but not to thin/big either. it needs to fit on your pizza stone.

spread some cornmeal on your pizza peel (if you don't have a pizza peel then use a wooden cutting board) to keep the dough from sticking.

place the rolled out dough on your peel & brush with a small amount of olive oil- then start building.

spread on the pizza sauce. i eyeball the sauce- but i'd say i use about 3/4 cup or so. then i season to taste with the onion & garlic powder.

sprinkle on the cheese (again, eyeball)- i used about 2 1/2 cups because we like cheese.

lay on the pepperoni (your pref)

sprinkle the top with dried basil & red pepper flakes (to taste)- your pizza should look something like this:

if your pizza stone is still heating up then let your pizza sit. once the stone is ready, slide the pizza from the peel onto the hot stone (be careful not to burn yourself or drop the pizza. the cornmeal should help it slide nicely & you can use a spatula to help it along)

cook your pizza for about 10-15 minutes- make sure you watch it so it doesn't burn, every oven is different. my pizza took about 12 minutes in my oven (which gets pretty hot)

it's done when the cheese is melted & has a hint of brown- or however you like it!
remove from the oven (carefully again) and let it sit for a minute. then slice it up & dish it out.

Enjoy!

Napa Chicken Salad

i have a slight obsession with the current Napa chicken salad sandwich from Panera Bread.
chicken, special sauce, grapes, almonds- oy!
i searched in vain for a recipe but alas- i had to come up with my own.

i got as close as i could- i simply cannot figure out their super secret sauce.
i kind of eyeballed everything- but the below is my best guess at the amounts used.


Napa Chicken Salad

2 cups cooked chicken (shredded or cubed- i roasted a chicken the day before)
1/2 heavy cup of mayo
1 heavy spoonful of Miracle Whip (i love me the whip- but you can skip it)
3 tblsp of honey
3 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup halved grapes
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup slivered/sliced almonds
1 tsp poppy seeds
salt & pepper to taste
tomato slices
lettuce
good hearty bread slices

Directions:

In a large bowl- whisk/stir together the mayo, MW, honey, vinegar, poppy seeds, salt & pepper.


chop the chicken/fruits/veggies/nuts (i used already slivered almonds. makes life easier)
i like my celery tiny & my grapes halved. my chicken is mostly shredded with a few chunks here & there.

toss the chicken into the mayo mix & stir it up- then tthrow in the rest & stir/fold it all together.


gently now- you don't want to smash the grapes!

Serve it over lettuce & tomato sliced on a nice hearty bread.

Enjoy!

p.s. you can adjust the mayo amount. initially my salad was a bit dry which i why i added the scoop of Miracle Whip. go with what you like!

Cordon Rose Banana Cake

Cordon Rose Banana Cake (from the cake bible)

For the cake:
2 cups sifted cake flour
¾ cup plus 2 Tbs sugar
1 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 large ripe bananas (about 225 grams, peeled)
½ cup sour cream (not low- or non-fat)
2 large eggs
1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
10 Tbs unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tsp grated lemon zest (orange zest will also work)

For the frosting:
1 stick salted butter (if using unsalted, add 1/2 tsp of salt)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup whole milk
2 cups confectioners sugar, must be sifted!
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Spray a 9-inch round springform pan with cooking spray, line the base with a round of parchment paper, and spray the parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a food processor, purée the banana and sour cream until completely smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla & lemon zest, and process briefly to combine. The puréed mixture will be light yellow and quite loose.

Add the softened butter and about ½ of the puréed mixture to the dry ingredients in the bowl. Beat to combine on low speed; then increase the speed and beat for about 90 seconds to aerate the cake structure. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, and add the rest of the purée, beating to combine well. The batter will be light tan in color and should be smooth and creamy.

Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and dry. Remove the cake from the oven, let cool for 10 minutes while you make the frosting (below), and then remove the rim of the pan. Invert the cake onto a wire rack, and carefully remove the base of the pan and the parchment paper. Turn onto a cake platter.

For the frosting:
Heat butter and brown sugars over medium until the mixture comes to a boil about 2 minutes. Add the milk, stir, and bring the mixture back to a boil, then remove the pan from the heat. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Beat with a wooden spoon or whisk until smooth. Use immediately, while it and cake are still warm, and spread quickly before cool.

Allow the cake to sit at room temperature for at least a half hour before serving.

Enjoy!

Cinnamon Rolls

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls (from the pioneerwoman)

Ingredients:

1 quart Whole Milk
1 cup Vegetable Oil
1 cup Sugar
2 packages Active Dry Yeast
8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt
Plenty Of Melted Butter
2 cups Sugar
Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon
_____
MAPLE FROSTING:
1 bag Powdered Sugar
2 teaspoons Maple Flavoring
½ cups Milk
¼ cups Melted Butter
¼ cups Brewed Coffee
⅛ teaspoons Salt

Directions:

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. “Scald” the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in both packages of Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour. (i let it rise for at least 2-3)

After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (i had to stir + use my hands to get it mixed in well)

At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down. (i made half on Sat & half on Sun- so i ended up punching it down on Sun morning)

When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape.


(specifics: i rolled my dough out to about 28-29 inches long)

Drizzle 1/2 to 1 cup melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.


Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.


Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven inch round foil cake or pie pan. Then begin cutting the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans.


(specifics: i cut my rolls at 1 inch a piece.)

Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes:


then bake at 375 degrees until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes (i cooked min for about 18-19 minutes)

For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Go crazy and don’t skimp on the frosting.

Beware- this WHOLE recipe makes A LOT of rolls! i got 7 pans with 7-8 rolls per pan! i brought them to work & sent them to work with the hubs. i also gave away 2 pans to the rents/in-laws...and i still had an extra pan! but it's ok- you'll eat them.