cupcake planter

This is kind of tacky. I made it at a decorating class at AC Moore. But its a cute gift idea. I am sure with a terracotta pot and lose the irredescent grass and it would be super cute.

Easter Cakes

Franch vanilla cupcakes with rasperry icing annnnd french vanilla cake with milk chocolate icing!!!!

easy way for great icing....

1 buy domino's confectioners sugar

2 follow recipe on box

3 substitute vanilla extract for rasberry, banana, almond, mint etc extract

4 or add lemon/ orange jucie in stead of milk and lemon and orange rind in stead of any extract

the icing is a really rich sugary recipe its almost like doughnut glaze!

cookies by mail

Check out this website by a friend of mine. She ships homemade cookies all over the US. Rainbow cookies are their specialty!!!!

http://damselsindesserts.com/store/index.php

Sausage and peppers mini mac

3 medium onions

2 green bell peppers

6 Italian sausage links casings removed (hot or sweet/ pork or turkey

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tablespoon oregano

1 tsp dried basil or 10 fresh basil leaves

1 tsp garlic powder or 1 minced clove garlic

1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1 pinch dried rosemary (optional)

1 pinch fennel seeds (optional)

in a large pan cook sausage with olive oil until brown remove sausage from pan. add roughly chopped onions and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add chopped green pepper cook another 2 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes and all spices and cook for 30-45 minutes. Until flavors have combined with tomato sauce. Cook 1 pound mini pasta. Strain pasta and put directly into pot with sauce. Mix together serve while hot with Romano or Parmesan cheese.

Thersa'a bday part 2

These cupcake were also for Theresa. They are Banana pecan cupcakes with caramel buttercream. They came out really good. The caramel buttercream was difficult to make I had to add a ton of confectioner's sugar to it because it was to light and fluffy and would have melted on the drive to Long Island.

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/banana-cupcakes-with-caramel-buttercream

Theresa's 30th

Today is Theresa's 30th baday!!! Since she looves reese's peanut butter cups soooo much i decided to make her a cupcake version I found in Food & Wine magazine. these were quite difficult to make. I am going to have to try again to master this recipe.

Double Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Filling
ACTIVE: 45 MIN
TOTAL TIME: 3 HRS
SERVINGS: Makes 24 cupcakes
Make-Ahead
Ingredients
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup buttermilk
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350° and position 2 racks in the lower and middle third of the oven. Line 24 muffin cups with paper or foil liners.
Put the cocoa powder in a medium heatproof bowl. Add the boiling water and whisk until a smooth paste forms. Whisk in the buttermilk until combined. In a medium bowl, sift the flour with the baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat 1 1/2 sticks of the butter with the granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs and vanilla, then beat in the dry ingredients in 2 batches, alternating with the cocoa mixture. Carefully spoon the cupcake batter into the lined muffin cups, filling them about two-thirds full. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the cupcakes are springy. Let the cupcakes cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.
In a medium bowl, beat the peanut butter with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter until creamy. Sift the confectioners' sugar into the bowl and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Spoon all but 3 tablespoons of the peanut butter filling into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch star tip. Holding a cupcake in your hand, plunge the tip into the top of the cake, pushing it about 3/4 inch deep. Gently squeeze the pastry bag to fill the cupcake, withdrawing it slowly as you squeeze; you will feel the cupcake expand slightly as you fill it. Scrape any filling from the top of the cupcake and repeat until all of the cupcakes are filled.
In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a simmer. Off the heat, add the semisweet chocolate to the cream and let stand for 5 minutes, then whisk the melted chocolate into the cream until smooth. Let the chocolate icing stand until slightly cooled and thickened, about 15 minutes. Dip the tops of the cupcakes into the icing, letting the excess drip back into the pan. Transfer the cupcakes to racks and let stand for 5 minutes. Dip the tops of the cupcakes again and transfer them to racks. Spoon the remaining 3 tablespoons of peanut butter filling into the pastry bag and pipe tiny rosettes on the tops of the cupcakes.
Make Ahead
The cupcakes are best served the same day they are made, but they can be refrigerated overnight in an airtight container.
Notes
Cooking Club Tip: If you dont have a pastry bag with a fitted tip, you can fill these cupcakes by carving a hole in the center (from the top) with a sharp paring knife. Put the filling in a resealable plastic bag and snip off one of the corners. Pipe the filling directly into the hole.

A New Start

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes. It's my first posting. Not much to say yet. Am posting great recipe for these cakes.




Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
Prep Time: 30 minBake Time: 30 min
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1 2/3 cups sugar, plus more for decorating
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon peel, plus thin strips of peel for garnish
2 large eggs plus 4 egg whites, at room temperature
One 10- to 12-ounce jar lemon curd
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°. Line mini-muffin pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk and lemon juice.2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter on high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup sugar and the lemon peel and beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the 2 eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined, scraping down the sides between additions. On low speed, beat in a third of the dry ingredients, then a third of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat, alternating ingredients, until the batter is smooth.3. Spoon the batter into each liner, about three-quarters full. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool on a rack.4. In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the remaining 2/3 cup sugar and the egg whites. Place over a saucepan of barely simmering water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bowl, and heat just until the sugar dissolves, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form.5. Spread a thin layer of lemon curd over each cupcake and dollop the meringue on top. Toss the lemon peel strips in sugar to coat.

courtesy Rachel Ray Mag

Love
Gina