Peach Mango Cupcakes with Pomegranate Cream Cheese Frosting

As you all know it is cupcake mania here at the blog. I love cupcakes and it seems that lately all my inspiration comes in the form of a new cupcake recipe. But I'm not complaining and neither are my friends and family!

So, what do I have for you today, you ask? Today I offer you this little number.....

And do you know what is so awesome about this cupcake, besides the incredible flavor? The fact that it has actual fruit in it! And because of that you could totally say it is healthy! Well at least that was my excuse as I devoured two of these for breakfast, don't judge me! I like to think that it covers quite a few of the major food groups, you got the cake for grain, the cream cheese for the dairy, and the peach, mango and pomegranate for the fruit, BAM, it is now a healthy cupcake! 

Peach Mango Cupcakes

1 Cup Frozen peaches and Mango's
1 Cup Water
4 Tbsp sugar
1 Pillsbury White cake mix
1/4 Cup flour
3 Eggs
1/3 Cup oil

In a sauce pan, combine the fruit, water and sugar, and heat to a boil over medium heat. Once sugar has dissolved and mixture has come to a boil, remove from heat and allow to cool completely. In large mixing bowl combine the other ingredients and the cooled fruit mixture. Mix thoroughly, then fill cupcake liners a little over 3/4 of the way, the fruit will prevent the cupcakes from rising too high, cook according to instructions on the cake box. Allow cupcakes to cool completely on a cooling rack.

Pomegranate Cream Cheese Frosting

2 8oz. Packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 Cup Pomegranate juice
5 Cups Powdered sugar

In a large mixing bowl, with a mixer or stand mixer cream the cream cheese over medium speed until the cream cheese is smooth. Then add a little of the Pomegranate juice and 1/2 a cup of powdered sugar, mix thoroughly until both the powdered sugar and the juice have been integrated. Then add a little more of the juice and another 1/2 cup of sugar, mix thoroughly, then scrape the sides. Add more juice, if there is only a little left just add it all, and another 1/2 cup of sugar, again mixing thoroughly. Continue to do this until the mixture is stiff enough that it does not fall off a spoon and is as sweet as you desire. Remember that the heat and humidity in your house will determine the amount of sugar you will have to add. Then you can pipe or spread over your cupcakes. I just use a ziploc bag for my piping, by cutting off a small corner, sometimes I place a tip in, to add some flare. 

*Special Note: In order to cut down on the amount of sugar you have to add you could always reduce your pomegranate juice to a syrup by boiling it over medium high heat until it has reduced to half, or it coats the back of a spoon. I didn't, but next time I will. 

There you have it, a fruit-a-licious cupcake that is good enough to eat for breakfast!! Doubt me? Then try it!

So, what do you think? Sound like something you might try? Have you ever put fruit in a cupcake?

"Devouring worlds, one book and recipe at a time."

Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes with Vanilla Whipped Cream Frosting

As promised....cupcakes!!! Today I am going to treat you to the recipe for this little number......who doesn't like caramel and chocolate? If you don't, then don't answer that!

Chocolate Cupcakes

Yield: 18 cupcakes

1 Cup Milk chocolate chips
1 Cup Milk + 1 Tbsp. Lemon juice (This will make buttermilk)
1 3/4 Cup Flour
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1/4 Cup Vegetable oil
3 Eggs

Heat oven 325 degrees. In a medium sauce pan melt chocolate and milk mixture and heat over medium heat, until the chocolate is completely melted, whisk together. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, sugar, and salt. In small bowl combine eggs, and oil. Once the chocolate is cool add a little to the flour mixture and combine. Then add the egg mixture and mix thoroughly. Slowly add chocolate into mixture, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Mixture will be a little runny. Fill liners about 3/4 of the way and bake for 20-25 minutes, until cupcakes spring back when touched, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle. Once cupcakes have completely cooled, using a melon baller, remove small portion of cupcake.

Caramel

1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
2 Tbsp. Butter
1/2 Cup Heavy whipping cream

In medium, heavy sauce pan, heat the sugar over medium heat, until the sugar liquefies. Do not stir, once the sugar turns to liquid swirl the sugar around the pan and cook until the sugar turns a nice amber color. *Warning: this next part can be very dangerous. It is always a good idea to wear oven mitts for the next part. Once the sugar has turned a nice amber color, add in 1 Tbsp. of butter and whisk. Then slowly add in the cream, make sure you lean back from the pan for this, it will be extremely hot! Don't worry, the sugar will solidify, then add the last tablespoon of butter and whisk. Continue to cook, whisking constantly until the sugar has remelted. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Once caramel has cooled completely, spoon caramel into the holes of each cupcake.

Vanilla Whipped Cream Frosting

2 Cups Heavy whipping cream
1/2 Cup Powdered sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. Cream bouquet emulsion (optional)

Place stainless steel bowl and whisk (beaters) in freezer for 5 minutes. Remove from the freezer and pour in the heavy whipping cream, vanilla and cream bouquet emulsion (if you have it, don't worry if you don't, it can be hard to find), on medium speed whip mixture for about 2 minutes. Then add sugar 1/4 cup at a time. Making sure to whip well after each addition. At this point, taste the mixture, if it is not sweet enough add another 1/4 cup of sugar. Continue to whip mixture until the cream stands up when you remove the beaters. Then place in a large ziploc bag and cut a small corner off, now pipe. If you have any piping tips, then cut a small corner, add the tip, then fill with the frosting. Now pipe those cupcakes and eat up!

These cupcakes are best stored in the fridge because of the whipped cream. 

"Devouring worlds, one book and recipe at a time."

Cupcake Mania

Okay, I think it is safe to say I am obsessed with cupcakes. It's okay, you can say it. I can take it. I am obsessed. But that's okay.

I have come to accept my cupcake obsession and turn it into blogging perfection! Like my rhyming there? Yeah, me neither, but oh well, I'm not taking it back now.

Well anyway, back to why I am writing this post. I know that I have been kind of absent from this blog lately, and that has a lot to do with the fact that I have not had a lot of culinary inspiration the last couple of weeks. I know, sad right?

But the good news is, that my culinary inspiration is back!! Can I get a fist bump?! Oh yeah! So what can you expect from me in the upcoming weeks.......cupcakes of course!

First I will give you a recipe for my Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Frosting....Yup that's this lovely little cupcake right here!

I will also give you my recipe for Mango Peach Cupcakes with Pomegranate Cream Cheese Frosting.....that's this one.......

And I plan on creating.......an Apple Pie Cupcake with Caramel Buttercream and a Smores' Cupcake with Marshmallow filling and a Graham Cracker Crust. I haven't figured out the frosting just yet, but you can bet your yumminess that it will be delish! 

Well there you have it, my cupcake obsession! What can I say, when I walk in my kitchen it screams CUPCAKE!!!

Have a good one! And I will catch you on the blogging flip side!

"Devouring worlds, one book and recipe at a time."

Buttery Mashed Potatoes

As you can see from the picture above, today I am going to give you one of my recipes for mashed potatoes, and as you can also see, my mashed potatoes are not lump free. And I am okay with that! 

I love mashed potatoes, and personally I think they could make a meal all on their own and that they really don't get enough respect! Mashed potatoes are good dang it! So good that we should eat them all the time! Okay well maybe not all the time, but a lot!

Buttery Mashed Potatoes

Yield: 12-15 Servings (depend on size)

12 Yukon golden potatoes, peeled, cubed

1 8oz. Package cream cheese

1 Cup Butter/Margarine

1/2-3/4 Cup Milk

1 Tbsp. Kosher salt

In a large stock pot place cubed potatoes and cover with water, enough to come above the potatoes at least an inch. Pour in the kosher salt, place on medium heat and cook until the potatoes can be smashed with a fork, making sure to stir them from time to time. Once the potatoes are tender remove from heat and drain. Place the potatoes back in the pan and add the cream cheese. Using a hand masher or a hand mixer, smash the potatoes, then add the butter/margarine and continue to smash, ending with 1/2 a cup of milk. Continue to smash the potatoes until they reach the desired creaminess. May need to add more milk. (I personally prefer to mash my potatoes with a hand masher, not only do I get a good work out, but I kind of like the lumps.)

Once they reach your desired consistency, serve up and eat. If you want to really indulge then top with bacon, cheese, and chives for a loaded mashed potato!

I love these potatoes and so do my kids, there are never any leftovers and we always fight over who get's to eat the last of them. So, how do you do your mashed potatoes? Do you like lumps or no lumps?

"Devouring worlds, one book and recipe at a time."

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream

I think we have established that I have a small obsession with creating cupcakes! Hello, have you seen my blogs?! Well, I also love peanut butter and chocolate together, so I thought why not combine all three of these loves???? Now I see that look on your face, and I know what you are thinking...."you put peanut butter in a cupcake?" And my answer would be.....Yes, I put peanut butter in a cupcake, and no it did not turn out the way I planned!

So here's what happened on the first attempt.....

Does this look like a chocolate cupcake to you? No, well me either. And the taste.....it tasted like peanut butter! So I guess I scored there, but the peanut butter completely over powered the taste of the chocolate, and since I was kind of going for a CHOCOLATE peanut butter cupcake I decided that I had to make them again! 

And finally I got something that looked like a chocolate cupcake and tasted like a chocolate cupcake, but with a hint of peanut butter! 

Alas! I had done it, and I perfected my chocolate cake recipe while I was at it! Total bonus!!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream

Yield: 18 cupcakes

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

1 Cup Milk chocolate chips

1 Cup Milk + 1 Tbsp. Lemon juice (This will make buttermilk)

1 3/4 Cup Flour

1 tsp. Baking soda

1 Cup Sugar

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Vanilla

1/4 Cup Vegetable oil

3 Eggs

1/2 Cup Peanut butter

Heat oven 325 degrees. In a medium sauce pan melt chocolate and milk mixture and heat over medium heat, until the chocolate is completely melted, whisk together. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, sugar, and salt. In small bowl combine eggs, oil and peanut butter. Once the chocolate is cool add a little to the flour mixture and combine. Then add the egg mixture and mix thoroughly. Slowly add chocolate into mixture, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Mixture will be a little runny. Fill liners about 3/4 of the way and bake for 20-25 minutes, until cupcakes spring back when touched, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.

Chocolate Buttercream

1 Cup Milk chocolate chips

2 Sticks Butter (salted or unsalted)

1 Cup Butter flavor Crisco

1 tsp. Vanilla

3 1/2 Cups Powdered sugar

In medium saucepan, combine chocolate and 1 stick of butter, place over medium heat and melt chocolate; whisk until butter and chocolate combine. Remove from the heat and allow chocolate to cool completely, you don't want your buttercream to melt! In a large bowl, or in your stand mixer cream together Butter Flavor Crisco and the other stick of butter. Add vanilla and 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and mix on medium speed. Add another 1/2 a cup of powdered sugar and mix thoroughly. Once chocolate is cool pour some chocolate into the creamed mixture and mix together. (Make sure you scrap the bowl before you add the next ingredient). Now continue to add 1/2 a cup of powdered sugar and chocolate until both ingredients have been completely used. Mixture should be thick enough to not fall off a spoon and easy enough to pipe. If the mixture is too soft add another 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. If the mixture is too thick, add 1 Tbsp. of water, until the mixture reaches the desired thickness. Keep in mind that the temperature and humidity in your kitchen will effect the amount of powdered sugar needed to reach your desired thickness.

And there you have it.....Peanut Butter in a cupcake! What do you think? Is this something that you would try? Have you tried to put in any unusual ingredients into your cupcakes?

"Devouring worlds, one book and recipe at a time."

Chocolate Covered Nutella Peanut Butter Balls

I have been making Chocolate covered Peanut Butter Balls since I was old enough to roll a ball with play dough. Peanut Butter Balls have been a great family tradition, one that I gladly pass on to my children. Peanut Butter Balls are so simple and so delicious and I am always looking for ways to change them. With my love of Nutella it only seemed logical to combine the two. And let me tell you, they are totally AWESOME!! I'm not just saying that either, these really are awesome.

Chocolate Covered Nutella Peanut Butter Balls

Yield: ~150-200 

2 Cups Creamy peanut butter
1 26.5 oz. Jar of Nutella
1 Stick of butter melted, OR 1/2 cup butter/margarine
3 1/2 Cups of powdered sugar
1 1lb. 8oz. Package of Almond Bark (Chocolate)

In a large mixing bowl place peanut butter and Nutella and mix thoroughly, then add melted butter and mix again. Once everything is mixed slowly add the powdered sugar, 1/2 a cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. This will help prevent lumps of powdered sugar. Keep adding powdered sugar until all the powdered sugar has been used or until you can roll the mixture into a ball without it completely sticking to your hands. If the mixture still sticks to your hands, then add more powdered sugar. The humidity and heat in your house will directly impact the amount of powdered sugar needed to form the balls. Once the mixture is ready roll into balls about the size of a quarter. Really you can roll them as big or as little as you want, but a quarter seems to be a good size. Roll the balls and place on a sheet pan (cookie sheet). 

In a microwave safe bowl melt 6 of the Almond Bark squares in the microwave for 1 minute at a time, until the chocolate is completely melted. You do this in 1 minute intervals to make sure that you don't burn or scorch the chocolate. Once the chocolate is melted then roll the Nutella Peanut Butter Balls around in the chocolate until they are completely coated. Place back on the cookie sheet and continue until all the balls are covered. (You will have to melt more chocolate). Once all the balls have been covered place them in the freezer to allow the chocolate to harden. 

Once the chocolate has hardened, remove from the freezer and devour!!! These great little diddies will keep in the fridge for a good month, in the freezer for a good 2 or 3 months and will last at room temperature as long as your house is not hot, for a couple of weeks. But I feel I must warn you, they won't last longer than the first week!!! 

This is my favorite sweet treat, Do you have one? If so, what is it?

Recipe: Leftover Remake: Pork Fried LoMein

In my house it is rare that we have leftovers, but there are times when I have a ton of leftovers. As was the case last week when we made Pork Steaks for dinner. We accidentally dethawed too many, and of course rather then let them go to waste we cooked them and were left with four pork steaks! So, I created this simple Pork Fried LoMein!

Pork Fried LoMein:

Yield: 14 bowls

Leftover meat, cubed (I used 3 of my leftover Pork Steaks, but you can use whatever you have)

4 Packages of Ramen noodles (won't need the season packet)

2 Cups Chicken broth

2 Cups Beef broth 

1/2 of a 4oz. can of mushrooms chopped (can use fresh, but I always have canned)

2 Large cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 Cup Chives (or scallions, just the greens)

2 1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 

3 Tbsp. Oil

1 Tsp. Kosher salt

1 Tsp. Soy sauce (for the pork)

2 Tbsp. Soy sauce

1 Tsp. Onion powder

1 Tsp. Powdered ginger

1 Tsp. Sesame oil

3 Eggs, scrambled

In a medium sauce pan place noodles, chicken broth and beef broth over medium heat. Then add the scallions, 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce and 1 tsp. of kosher salt and cook until the noodles are tender. Should take no more than 10 minutes. Remove from heat and place to the side.

In a large skillet or wok, heat the 3 Tbsp. of oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot add the meat and 1 Tsp. of soy sauce, garlic and mushrooms. Saute until the meat is hot. Remove ingredients from the pan and place to the side. Drain noodles, keeping the scallions, and add to the pan you cooked the pork in. Saute the noodles, then add the onion powder, ginger and 2 Tbsp. Soy sauce, mix thoroughly, then add 1 1/2 Tbsp. of Worcestershire sauce, the meat and bring everything together, then add the sesame oil. Form a well in the middle of the noodles.

Now this part is crucial, allow the eggs to cook a little before you mix them into the noodles, otherwise you won't actually see any egg, but if you want to sneak eggs in then by all means stir everything together. Once you see the eggs begin to cook then integrate everything together. Turn off heat and serve with a little scallions.

And there you have it! A great way to eat up those leftovers! And this way they don't really feel like leftovers. 

So, what do you do with your leftovers?

"Devouring worlds, one book and recipe at a time."