Samoa Cupcakes

Happy Monday guys!  Today was my first day back to work after vacation, and I'll have to say it wasn't too bad.  But I could use another week of vacation - just sayin'.

How was everyone's weekend?  I volunteered for the MS Walk downtown on Saturday and then came home to take a nap - which led to practically sleeping Saturday away (we didn't wake up until 6!).  Then Sunday we went to a Bats game - the minor league baseball team in town - which was pretty fun too.  I mean, you can't beat hot dogs and baseball, right? 

Samoa Cupcakes won the poll on Friday, so I figured I'd get started (and not make you guys wait a week or two) and post that recipe since I had time this weekend!

I'd have to say that these are pretty awesome.  I used my new favorite chocolate cake recipe (seriously, I'm never making chocolate cake any other way) and made a couple adjustments to a caramel frosting recipe - and the end result is something truly amazing.

Ingredients:

Cupcake:
Adapted from Foodess's recipe

2 cups sugar
1 & 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon clear vanilla
1 cup hot coffee

Coconut-Caramel Frosting:
Adapted from Sweet Pea's Kitchen's Recipe


2 sticks (1 cup) of unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups dark brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons clear vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the cupcakes, preheat oven to 350F.  Line 2 muffin tins with paper liners. 

In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add in eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla.  Beat with a hand mixer for about 2-3 minutes, or until combined.  On low speed, slowly beat in hot coffee until just combined. (The mixture will be VERY aqueous, but don't fret).  Divide batter among paper liners, filling them halfway full (I ended up with roughly 34-36 cupcakes).

Bake cupcakes on the middle rack of oven for about 20-22 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.  Transfer cupcakes to wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, melt the butter in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in salt and brown sugar.  Allow mixture to boil, stirring constantly.  Cook over low heat for about 2-3 minutes until the brown sugar is completely dissolved.  Stir in milk and return mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. 

Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla.  Cool mixture to lukewarm, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once mixture is cooled, stir in about 3/4 cup of the toasted coconut.  Add in powdered sugar and beat on medium speed until at desired consistency.  My frosting never got to a very thick state (maybe it was the 2% milk I used, instead of whole milk??), but I actually liked it this way - it was more of a glaze.

Spread glaze on cooled cupcakes.

Melt chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30 second intervals.  Place chocolate in a piping bag with a fine tip (or you can put it in a plastic sandwich bag with the corner cut off - I like this method because there's no clean up!) and drizzle chocolate atop glaze.  Then garnish cupcakes with remaining toasted coconut.

And then try to resist eating all 36 cupcakes.  I had to take several to work this morning, but I think I've still got about 10-15 cupcakes around here.  I've got to hide them from myself - in the fridge.  Which, considering I open my fridge every hour or two, it doesn't seem to be the best of hiding spots.

Hehe, but seriously.  These. Are. Delicious.  Have a great Monday guys!

Sweet Potato Donuts w/ Cinnamon Marshmallow Cream

Well, you guys sure do like Chocolate Cake don't you?!  I hear you people, and I have no idea why I didn't just make it into a post, but the recipe I used for the chocolate cake is from the blog Foodess - recipe titled "Moist Chocolate Cake".  And it ain't no lie!  I pretty much followed that one to a tee (I made it into a rectangle cake, instead of a circular one), so it's no-fail.  I was a little worried, because you add the hot coffee at the end and it made the batter look like a big mud puddle (but I think that's what makes this cake so moist, so don't fret!).  I also used this Buttercream Frosting recipe from Wilton.com, and the only change I made was to only use 2 cups of powdered sugar instead of 4 (I just have trouble using that much sugar sometimes) and it made just enough frosting to frost the whole cake.

Anyway, to today's recipe (which won the poll from a couple weeks ago) is Sweet Potato Donuts.  Seriously, these are a must try.  And to have it with the cinnamon marshmallow cream just puts them over the top!  A-d-d-i-c-t-i-n-g.

Don't forget to vote for the new poll (which I'll try not to be too late on, again) down below!

I bet you can't have just one!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Food & Wine's recipe

Donuts:


1 large sweet potato
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon instant dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 & 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
pinch of nutmeg
1 tablespoon bourbon (c'mon, I live in Kentucky, had to replace the rum with this, hehe)
1 egg
2 egg yolks
3 & 1/4 to 5 cups flour, plus more for rolling out dough

Cinnamon Marshmallow Cream:

1 & 1/2 cups marshmallows
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream, plus more if desired
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Prick your sweet potato all over with a fork and cook in the microwave for 10 minutes, or until softened.  Let cool to room temperature and carefully peel.

Place sweet potato in a high rimmed bowl and puree with an immersion blender (or an actual blender - but I was going for getting less contraptions dirty) until smooth.  I had about 1 & 1/2 cups of puree.

In a small skillet, brown butter under medium high heat until nutty in flavor, about 5-6 minutes.

Scrape butter and any solids into a medium sized bowl and let cool.

Using the same skillet used for butter, add milk and heat until it is just warm (about 105 F).  Pour milk into a large bowl and add yeast.  Let sit for about 5 minutes.  Slowly mix in white sugar, dark brown sugar, salt, vanilla seeds, nutmeg, and bourbon.  Stir in sweet potato puree, browned butter & solids, egg, and egg yolks.  Beat mixture until combined.  Add the flour and beat at a medium speed (I used a wooden spoon for this - nothing like an old-fashioned workout) until pliable dough forms.  I think I added about 1 to 1 & 1/2 more cups of flour to get the desired dough consistency for mine (but I think this all depends on how big your actual sweet potato is, and how much puree you end up with).  Knead dough for a few minutes and place in a greased bowl.  Cover and let rise for about 1 hour.

Punch down the dough and let sit for about 5 minutes.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thickness.  Use a floured rim of a glass (or round cookie cutters) and cut out as many rounds as you can.  Use a smaller round cookie cutter (or in my case, the bourbon cap) to cut out the centers of the donuts for donut holes.  Nothing goes to waste here!  Roll out dough one or two more times to cut out as many donuts as possible.  I think I ended up with a little over 2 dozen.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and transfer cut out dough to each sheet.  Cover baking sheets with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 F and place oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven.  Bake the donut holes for about 10 minutes, and the donuts for 20 minutes, or until risen and golden.  You can have the holes and donuts on the same sheet, just remember to remove the donut holes first.  Let donuts cool to room temperature before dipping in cream.

To make the marshmallow cream, heat a small saucepan under medium low to medium heat.  Add marshmallows, heavy cream, and cinnamon.  Stir slowly until marshmallows have melted.  You can add more cream if you want a thinner sauce.

Dip the donuts in cream and let any excess drip off (into your mouth, if you wish).

The original recipe had a cinnamon sugar topping, which is all well and fine, but seriously, the marshmallow cream here is where it's at.  There's a restaurant here in Louisville, the Village Anchor, that serves sweet potato fries with this cream (I was lucky enough to obtain this VERY simple recipe from our waiter last time we were there), and I just thought it would be perfect for these donuts!  I could really just drink that cream by itself, it's that good.

I love that these donuts were baked, instead of fried, too.  It makes them actually somewhat healthy, right?  They were absolutely delicious, unique, and perfect with a cup of coffee!

And don't forget to vote for next time's dessert in this week's poll!  I'm in a chocolate mood - and when I'm in a chocolate mood, Andy is very very happy.

And the Runner Up(s) is...

Like many bloggers, I have somewhat of a "back-log" of dishes for posts.  Or maybe you don't have that problem, I don't know.

I like to keep things fresh, so every 2 weeks or so, I just get rid of the dishes I don't post.  So instead of doing that, I think I may start a new little section (every 2 weeks or so) to just show the "visuals" - because really, the dishes take pretty good pictures, I just don't have a way of incorporating them into this round of posts.

Now this is where YOU have a say.  If you find the particular picture intriguing, or just really want the recipe... I'll give it to you.  Otherwise, you can just ogle the dishes that just didn't quite make the cut.

Andy said this was straight up one of the best chocolate cakes he's ever had.

Black-Sesame Seed Encrusted Pork Tenderloin

We have a favorite Indian restaurant in town, Kashmir, that serves a "Peshwari Naan" with dried fruit and coconut - I thought I'd experiment with my own little version.

I've had chocolate graham crackers in the pantry for a while - it was time to use them - in pancakes.

Also had some French green lentils in the pantry - soup's on!

I think I may be the only person on Earth that decided to make eggnog in March - I had an itch - so I "itched" it.

Just a shot of those lentils - pre-soak.

And this is completely non-food related, but I was sitting in traffic on the Kennedy Bridge the other day (and happened to have my camera) and had the perfect angle for the Louisville skyline.  Pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.

So yeah, lots of recipes get made, not all of them get published.  I can't really explain my reasoning for not posting some things and posting others, but it's just really what I'm in the mood to talk about when I get ready to write a post. 

How about you guys?  Do you post everything you make?  If not, how do you decide what's "good" or what's "bad"?  How long do you keep posts before you pitch 'em?

Stay tuned tomorrow for another poll and the Sweet Potato Donut recipe!  Have a Happy Thursday guys!

Wheat Germ-Crusted Salmon

My body hates me right now.  I've put it through some extreme circumstances lately.  You know, actually going to the gym on Sunday (Andy renewed his membership, so it's easier to go together!), running (well... run/walking) over 4 miles in the park yesterday, and worst of all... making it endure a 1 hour interval spinning class this morning.  Should I mention that this was my first. ever. spin class?  Yeah.  PURE TORTURE. 

I know my body doesn't really hate me, and that my whining is just every day life for the majority of you (bravo you! and yes, I am a wuss), but you know what?  I think I actually really liked the spinning class.  I jokingly said to my friend (who is now cursing me for making her go to her first ever spin class this morning also) that we should make this a weekly thing, but I don't think I'm joking.  I think I actually want to put myself through that again, and again.  But maybe it's my endorphins just playing tricks on my brain.  We'll see how I feel when I wake up tomorrow, maybe I'll be back to sanity and realize that was a ludicrous idea.

Now exercising may not be my forte, but food - now we're talking.  I ventured into the world of wheat germ a couple weekends ago and I must say that I'm a fan.  The smell alone had me hooked.  So what the heck is wheat germ?  Well, I'm obviously no expert, but from what I gather, it's a great source of fiber (as well as Vitamin E, folic acid, phosphorous, thiamin, etc. etc.) and you can practically add it to anything from protein shakes to casseroles.  So pretty versatile little bugger, eh?  So when I saw this recipe in March's Food & Wine, I knew I had to try it out (especially since it was easy, and we still had a bunch of salmon, from our bulk buying binge, still in the freezer).

Ingredients:
Adapted from Food & Wine's recipe

3 tablespoons wheat germ
1/2 tablespoon, plus 1 & 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder, divided
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper, to taste
2 6 oz. skinless salmon fillets
2 & 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon olive oil

In a small saute pan, gently toast wheat germ for a few minutes, until fragrant.  Watch it carefully because it can burn quickly.

In a shallow dish, combine the toasted wheat germ, 1/2 tablespoon mustard powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.

Season the salmon with salt and pepper on both sides.  In a small bowl, combine the dijon mustard and remaining 1 & 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder.  Spread mixture onto both sides of the salmon fillets, then dip each salmon fillet in the wheat germ mixture, and coat both sides.

Heat a large skillet under medium high heat and add olive oil.  Heat until oil is shimmering and add both salmon fillets to pan.  Cook until browned and crisp, about 3-4 minutes.  Carefully flip fillets over and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes longer.  Transfer the salmon to plates and serve with a side salad (top it with an egg, you won't be disappointed!).

Now, usually when a recipe called for skinless salmon, I ignore that (because for real, the skin is the best part, right?!), but for this one, I decided to be a good recipe follower and skin my fillets.  I'm glad I did because I don't think the wheat germ crust would have formed as well, let alone still stick, with the skin still on. 

So seriously, give this sucker a try... it's fast, easy, and delicious.

Have you guys ever tried wheat germ?  What do you put it on or add it to?

And check back tomorrow for a new little feature - "things that don't make the blog, but still take a good picture" - still working on the name, suggestions welcome!
And if you don't make it back tomorrow, definitely come back Friday (yes, I'm late on this once again) for the poll winner - sweet potato donuts!

Who knew?

Who knew that I could actually be somewhat creative.  I don't have a creative bone in my body.  That's my sister, Frances.  She could turn some blah thing into something amazing.  Remember my dinner party last year for Project Food Blog?  My sister decorated my back deck with things I had around the house.  I would never have been able to think of that crap.


But after running a bunch of errands and trying to rearrange our bedroom, I came up with these two pieces.

Andy helped pick out the artwork - I never would have thought to pick this out.  And well... he picked out the fake flowers too.  So, maybe Andy's the creative one, not me. 

Oh well... they still make our bedroom more "liveable" - regardless of who picked out what.  We can share the credit. =)


Are you guys the creative type?  Where do you find inspiration?

Well, happy Tuesday guys!  I've got a lunch date with a hunky IT guy (aka Andy).

Just ignore this next part, it's for verification purposes for Technorati- 2PGJT2XKBQJF

Shrimp Naan Pizzas

 Happy Monday guys!  How was everyone's weekend?!

We got a TON of work done, let me tell you.  I practically rearranged our bedroom this weekend, and I'm still not complete.  I got a couple of things to spice up the room (some artwork, flowers, etc.), so it looks like an actual bedroom, instead of a bare prison cell.  Will definitely have to post some before/after pictures tomorrow.

We're also preparing for some garden work!  We went to Lowe's (which was a madhouse!), and Andy did some mulching and yard work.  I'm planting my seeds indoors this week, and tilling up the rest of my garden bed outside, so hopefully everything will be ready for the end of this week or next.  It's so exciting having a garden!  And the spring weather is absolutely amazing too - although it's raining a tad today.

Oh, and yeah, I'm on VACATION!  It's amazing, and kind of sad having to still go to class this week, but at least that's only 2 hours out of the day for 3 days.  I can live with that.

So on to today's recipe.  Last week's naan was a big hit with you guys and I'm glad!  And the whole reason I made the naan, was so that I could make these pizzas, from the same blog (Food For My Family) that I got the naan recipe from.  If you haven't checked out Food For My Family, I highly suggest you do!  It's full of awesome goodies, definitely kid friendly too!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Food For My Family's recipe

2 tablespoons olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 pieces of naan bread
about 12 pieces of rock shrimp, cleaned
1/2 cup pecorino romano cheese, grated
1/2 cup parmesan, grated
1 teaspoon dried parsley

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a small bowl, combine olive oil and garlic.  Mix well and let sit for about 10 minutes, in order to let the flavors infuse in the oil.

Lay out naan on a baking sheet and spread about a tablespoon of the olive oil mixture on each piece.  Top each piece of naan with about 6-7 rock shrimps.  Sprinkle about 1/4 cup each of pecorino romano and parmesan on each piece, as well.  Divide the dried parsley among the two pieces of naan, also.

Bake pizzas for about 10 minutes, or until shrimp is cooked through and cheese is melted.  Let sit for about 5 minutes, to cool, and then slice into pieces.

This is a perfect appetizer for dinner parties, or if you don't want to share, you can easily eat the whole thing for a light lunch - which is what I did.  Yes, I'm selfish.  And I'm proud. =)  But I'm sharing with you... so now we're even, right?

Enjoy your Monday guys!  I know I'll be doing some homework (which I should have done this weekend!) and some more cleaning/gardening!

Homemade Naan Bread

Happy Friday everyone!  This particular Friday is a very special one.  Not only is it April's Fools (don't worry, I'm not going to try any trickery on you guys!), but as of 8:30pm tonight, I'm officially on vacation! 

It's definitely more of a "stay"-cation, but hey, I won't have to work for a full 11 days.  So it's going to be amazing.

What will I be doing? 

SPRING CLEANING.  There's so much I want to throw out and do over, it's not even funny.  Will I get to it all done in one week?  Umm... no.  I highly doubt it.  I'll probably only get through 3, maybe 4 rooms out of the house, but hey, it's a start.

Anyway, let's get on with some naan!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Food for my Family's recipe

3/4 cup warm water
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 cups flour, plus more if needed
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch baking powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 & 1/2 tablespoons sour cream
cornmeal, for dusting
unsalted butter, optional

In a small bowl, add the water and sprinkle yeast over top.  Allow to sit for about 10 minutes until foamy. 

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.  Mix in olive oil and sour cream until mixture is crumbly.  Slowly stir in the yeast and water mixture until a ball of dough forms.  My mixture was still a tad wet, so I added maybe 1/2 to 1 cup extra flour to get a desired consistency.

Knead dough on a floured surface for a few minutes until smooth.  Place the dough ball in a clean and greased bowl.  Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 to 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 500F with a baking stone or an upside-down rimmed baking sheet (i don't have a baking stone, so this is the method I used). 

Flip dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a couple minutes.  Divide dough into about 5-6 equally sized balls.  Dip each ball into flour and roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness.

Dust preheated baking stone or baking sheet with a light layer of cornmeal.  Wet hands and gently wet each piece of dough before placing them on hot baking stone or sheet (I did batches of 3).

Bake for about 5-7 minutes, or until tops are starting to brown and get bubbly.

Transfer each piece of naan to a plate and top with a pat of unsalted butter.

This was my first attempt at making naan and I must say that it couldn't have been easier!  Or more delicious!  I had a 1/2 piece of naan with each of my dinners this week, and it was the perfect accompaniment to my curried lentil soup I had the other night!  It's even great by itself!

How about you guys... have you ever made naan at home? 

Have a great weekend guys!  I'll see you next week for some goodies (and maybe some before and after pictures of the rooms I clean out!)