vanilla cupcakes

These cupcakes are not your standard sickly sweet lightweight fluffy cupcakes.  These are denser, not too sweet, and perfectly delicious.  They pair great with the fluffy chocolate frosting.  Also, they are very simple to make, and look pretty while being mixed.

ingredients:
1 1/2 C AP flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 C sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 C milk

directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a 12 cup muffin pan with wrappers.  In a small bowl mix the flour, baking powder, and the salt.  In the bowl of a stand mixer place the butter and sugar.  Beat on medium high for 4 minutes, until light and fluffy.  Keeping the mixer on, add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, half the flour mix, then the milk, then the rest of the flour mix.  The batter should look soft and velvety.
2.  Evenly distribute the batter in the muffin pan, filling each 3/4th the way up.  Bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, 18-20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.  Let the cupcakes sit out of the oven for 5 minutes to cool, then remove them from the pan and allow to cool fully before frosting.

fluffy chocolate frosting

This is very light flavor wise and weight wise.  It is the kind of frosting that makes people say, "oh my gosh, what is in this?" in a good way.  I suppose if you wanted more of a hard core chocolate flavor you could add a teaspoon or two of cocoa powder, but I like it as is.

This frosting is great when you:
1. don't want to worry about competing flavors with your cake or cupcakes
2.  don't want the guilt of eating the million sticks of butter contained in most other frosting
3.  want the fluffiest frosting possible.

This recipe makes enough to massively over-frost 24 cupcakes.  And by that I mean twice as much frosting as is on the cupcake directly above.  If you don't need it all right away, store remaining frosting in an air tight container in the fridge for up to a week.

ingredients:
1 box instant chocolate pudding (I used JELL-O)
1 C milk
1/3 C confectioners sugar
8 oz. tub cool whip (regular or lite)
1 package of cream cheese

directions:
1.  Add the pudding mix, milk, and sugar to the bowl or a stand mixer and whisk until smooth.  Add the cream cheese and mix until there are no lumps.  Add the cool whip and whisk until fully integrated.
2.  Refrigerate the frosting for an hour, then either pipe onto cupcakes or frost with a knife, spatula, etc.  Store any leftover frosting in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.

overnight cinnamon rolls

I love making cinnamon rolls.  They take forever to make, but they are so delicious!  We have a tradition of making fresh cinnamon rolls for Liam's birthday and so far I've adjusted the recipe every year.  This year we finally have a winner!  I call these cinnamon "overnighters" because really, who wants to get up before sunrise to make them?  Not me, that's for sure.  Of course, by the time I remembered to start these it was 9pm birthday eve, so I stayed up past midnight baking...Realistically give yourself about 3 hours to make these the night before, and an hour and a half the next morning (including baking).

Note: I thought these cinnamon rolls were great, and Jeff agrees with me.  However, he is a bit cinnamon obsessed and seriously would have been overjoyed if I had gone nuts with the cinnamon and added an entire cup of it throughout the recipe.  So, if you too are cinnamon obsessed, go ahead and add a bit extra.

Also, sorry for the lack of photos during the process.   I didn't start these until evening and it had been a crazy day and my brain had flown out the window.  On the bright side, apparently you can make fantastic cinnamon rolls using very little brain power.  Perfect for the novice baker with some spare time on their hands.

Also, I am one of the very few people on the planet who really doesn't care for cream cheese frosting.  I used a simple icing instead.  It is quick and easy to make, and works well with the cinnamon rolls, but by all means, feel free to substitute in your beloved cream cheese frosting instead.

Seriously, this picture is making me crave these cinnamon rolls.

The bottom two pictures are of the cinnamon rolls just out of the fridge the morning after I made them.  You don't have to store the extras in the fridge, I just like mine cool.

ingredients:
dough:
4 C AP flour
1/3 C granulated sugar
2 1/4 tsp instant dry yeast (or 1 packet)
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs
3/4 C milk

filling:
1/2 C unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
1 C brown sugar, packed
4 tbsp cinnamon (adjust amount to taste)

icing:
3 C confectioners sugar
3 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

directions:
1.  Use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.  Add to the bowl the flour, sugar, and salt.  Mix.  In a small microwave safe bowl heat the milk in the microwave until warm, but not hot (about 30-40 seconds) and stir in the yeast.  Let this sit for several minutes.  Add the milk mixture into the large bowl with the dry ingredients.  Then add the eggs and the butter (melt this in the microwave 30 seconds at a time until just melted).  With all the dough ingredients in the bowl, mix at medium speed for about a minute, until combined.
2.  Switch to a dough hook and knead the dough for 10 minutes (15 minutes by hand!).  Check on the dough halfway through.  If it needs more flour add up to 1/4 cup more a tablespoon at a time.  The dough should be a bit sticky, and be wary of over-flouring it.  As long as the dough doesn't stick to the sides of your bowl, leave it alone!
3.  Remove the dough hook and cover the dough with plastic wrap or a towel and leave in a warm place for 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
4.  Prep a pan for your rolls.  I use a 9x13 dish coated in PAM.  You can use a large jelly roll pan instead if you want your rolls to grow slightly larger, or not bake touching.  Set this aside.
5. When your dough has doubled in size test it by poking it with your finger.  It should feel light and fluffy like a pillow.  Reattach your dough hook and knead the dough for about a minute until the dough has condensed and pulled away from the bowl.
6.  Lightly flour a space on your kitchen counter and use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to 12x18 inches.  Pour the melted butter onto the dough and use a pastry brush to evenly spread it out, leaving a 3/4 inch stretch empty along one long side of the dough.  Then sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly on the dough, also avoiding the 3/4 inch section of the side long side of the dough.  This is the section where you can eyeball the cinnamon and adjust it to your personal preference.
7.  Starting with the sugar coated long edge of dough start rolling it into a tight log.  Pinch the log closed at the edge and turn the edge so it is on the bottom.  Don't worry if your log is a bit ugly.
8.  Slice the log into 12 pieces using a bench scraper or sharp serrated knife.  The easiest way to make equally sized rolls is to cut the log in half.  Then cut both pieces in half.  Then cut the four pieces in thirds.  Place the rolls in the pan and cover with plastic wrap.  At this point you can either put the pan in the fridge overnight and go to bed, or let the rolls sit in a warm spot on the counter for 1 hour.  If you go the overnight route then let the rolls sit on in a warm spot for an hour in the morning before baking.
9.  When the hour is up bake the rolls at 350 degrees F for 22 to 25 minutes, or until cooked all the way through and tops are lightly golden, but not brown.  Take the rolls out and let them cool slightly before frosting.
10.  To make the frosting just combine the sugar and milk until smooth.  Add a bit more sugar or milk if needed to get your desired consistency, 1 teaspoon at a time.  Mix in the vanilla.  Pour over the cinnamon rolls evenly.  This recipe makes plenty of icing to cover well.  Feel free to half the recipe if you only want a light drizzle.  Eat at any time.

The rolls can be served warm or cool.  Makes 12 rolls.  You can store these on the counter or the fridge for up to a week, but I doubt they'll last that long!

coffee creamer

I could be bad and dump whipping cream and sugar in my coffee every morning and be very happy.  And gain 10 pounds.  My most recent favorite creamer is a bit more guilt free.  This is literally a two ingredient recipe.  You can add one or two other ingredients per batch to create almost any flavor you could think of.

A helpful hint for creamer?  Find a container for it that you love.  You can always reuse Coffeemate container, but I find that once you reuse them a few times they begin to leak.  Lame.  I prefer Snapware style airtight containers.  I never have to worry about them leaking.  Ever.  Huzzah!

I like having two containers so I can have two flavors of creamer at once.  You never know what you'll be in the mood for.

ingredients:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
your choice of milk (amounts vary)

directions:
1. For two containers worth like mine, split the can of sweetened condensed milk between the containers, and fill almost to the top with milk.  I use 13 ounces of skim milk per container.
2.  Heat your creamer in the microwave about 40 seconds, or until warm.  This will help thin out the condensed milk momentarily.  Shake well to combine.  Store in the fridge and shake before using.  I can't really give you a serving size, because it really depends on how much creamer you use, what size container you have, and how much coffee you drink.  Enjoy!

flavor add-ins:
(these are my favorites.  If you want other options, look online, there are a million of them.)

-2 tsp vanilla extract
-2 tsp vanilla extract and 2 tsp caramel sauce
-1 tbsp cocoa powder and 1 tsp peppermint extract

sweet potato patties

No doubt you're looking at the title of this recipe thinking, "sweet potato patties?  That sounds like some funky hippie food.  Too weird for me."  You would be wrong.  Don't worry.  I'm not crazy.  Jeff, my mom and I all had the same first thought as you.  But we tried it anyway, and I'm so glad we did.  They are very much worth making.  These patties are sweet and savory, soft with a satisfying crunch... I could go on, but just trust me on this, make some now.

This recipe is simple and I love that the simple list of ingredients all help bring out the natural yummy flavors.  You could make this recipe all in one go, but if you pause a little between steps, you will have a much better experience.  Just read the directions and I'll explain what I mean.

Let these sit for 5-10 minutes after you take them out of the oven.  They should be cool enough to touch, but warm enough for the skins to peel off easily.

Mash the potatoes and add the remaining ingredients.

Form into patties and cover lightly in flour.  Place 3-4 patties in a bit of oil in a frying pan.

The patties should be lightly browned and have a crunchy exterior without being burned.


ingredients:
3 large sweet potatoes
1 C cooked small shape pasta
1/2 C loose bunch fresh basil (or 1 tbsp. dry basil if you're desperate)
1/4 C pine nuts
1/4 C Parmesan
1 C breadcrumbs
2 tsp garlic
flour to coat patties
oil for pan frying

directions:
1. Throw your sweet potatoes in the oven and bake st 350 degrees F for an hour.  Take the potatoes out and let them cool until they are cool enough to peel (about 30 minutes).  The peel should easily separate if you take the peel off by hand.  Place the potatoes in large bowl and leave them alone while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
2. Cook the pasta until al dente.  Drain and add in with the potatoes.  Chop the basil and stir it into the potato mixture, along with the pine nuts, parmesan, breadcrumbs, and garlic.  At this point, all that's left in the pan frying.  If you want, you can go right ahead and finish.  Or, if you want to cook these later in the day, you can stick the whole (covered) bowl in the fridge or a few hours.
3.  Form the patties one at a time and lightly coat in flour.  Pan fry them in the oil on medium heat.  You should be able to fit three or four patties in the pan.  Cook each side about 2-3 minutes, until browned but not burnt.  They should be nice and crunchy on the outside, and soft and fluffy on the inside.

makes aprx. 16 4" patties

these make for good leftover too.  If you want the crunch when eaten as laftovers, warm them in the oven for several minutes.  If you don't particularly care about the crunch, feel free to nuke them.

polenta with white beans and veggies

This dish is my version of comfort food.  Jeff thinks I'm crazy.  He says comfort food is supposed to be really bad for you, so this can't count.  Whatever.  This is delicious.  Another reason I like this dish is that I can have it prepped ahead of time and have it hot and on the table exactly when Jeff gets home.  I never know exactly when Jeff will get home from work, but it doesn't matter when I make this dish.

The polenta is nice and creamy and flavorful.  If you like creamy polenta, eat it directly out of the oven before it firms.  If you like firmer polenta that can hold a shape, let it sit out of the oven and firm up.

Wait until the broth, milk, and water mixture has boiled before adding the cornmeal to make the polenta.

Pour the polenta into a prepped oven safe dish.

Cut the carrots and onion into evenly sized pieces

The polenta is ready to remove from the oven when the edges are slightly golden, and the polenta is solid but soft.

Add the tomatoes to the veggies, and cook until everything is soft but not mushy.

Mix the beans in with the veggies.  Plate your polenta and top with the beans and veggies.  You can do any proportions you like.  If you have beans and veggies left over after the polenta has been eaten, eat them as a side side.  They are yummy solo!


ingredients:
2 3/4 C low-sodium chicken broth
2 C water
1 1/2 C milk
1 1/2 C cornmeal
4 tsp garlic, separated
4 tsp thyme, separated
1/2 tsp salt
2 14.5 oz cans of white beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes
1 yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 tbsp olive oil

directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Spray an 8x8 pan lightly with PAM or butter.  Bring chicken broth, water, milk, 2 tsp garlic, 2 tsp thyme, and salt to boil in a large pot.  Slowly whisk in the cornmeal, and reduce the heat to medium-low.  Cook until the polenta is soft, and the mixture is thick and creamy, stirring occasionally.  Transfer the polenta to the 8x8 pan and bake for 30 minutes.  Serve immediately for soft and creamy style polenta, or let sit 10 minutes for firmer polenta.
Note:  At this point the polenta can be stored in the fridge overnight in an airtight container if you aren't planning on eating it until the following day.
2.  For the topping dice the carrots and the onion.  Saute them in a pan with the olive oil until they have softened a bit (around 5 minutes).  Add the tomato, stirring often.  Add the remaining garlic and thyme, as well as the white beans.  When the onion is soft, but the carrots still have a bit of crunch, make sure everything is well mixed and hot, and remove from the heat.  Serve over the polenta and enjoy!

Note:  The beans and veggies should be stored separately from the polenta in the event of leftovers to prevent the polenta from getting soggy.  The beans and veggies taste pretty yummy on their own too, you know, for if your husband finishes the polenta, and leaves you just the topping.  Great little side dish.
Serves: 4 starving men-9 waifish little girls

skinny double chocolate chip muffins

This is not my recipe.  This is a courtesy announcement to tell you that if you have not made these muffins you are missing out.  These muffins are awesome.  They are totally amazing.  They taste like about a million calories, but as far as chocolate muffins go, they aren't truly terrible for you.  When I make this recipe I usually get a dozen regular sized muffins and about a dozen mini muffins.  One mini and a side of fruit is a great pick-me-up.  It fulfills my need for sugar without me going totally overboard.  Sweet.

Let me explain the mini muffins.  Anytime I have batter left after I prep the first dozen muffins I always use to make mini muffins?  Why minis?  They are the perfect size for kids, and the perfect snack size for grown-ups.  I like having the option of the two sizes.  It works for us.

Head over to Sally's Baking Addiction now and make these muffins.

Oh yeah, the recipe is great.  I just make one change, which is to use all whole wheat flour instead of half whole wheat and half AP flour.  They still turn out great.  Also, don't skip over the part where she tells you to spray the tins and not use muffin tins.  That is very important.

I'm still not great at taking food pictures yet, these are much yummier than the picture makes it look.  And wouldn't these be so pretty with a light dusting of powdered sugar on top?

falafel

I love falafel.  I'm pretty sure I could eat it everyday for a year and not get sick of it.  I could do it with pizza too, but this is much healthier and just as yummy.  This recipe is great because you can prep the falafel and stick it in the fridge in tupperware for up to a few days.  Then when you go make cook it it will only take 5 minutes.  Great for dinner in a hurry.

Although it tastes great by itself, you can serve falafel a number of different ways.  I like it in pita bread with sliced cucumbers and tomato.  Liam usually steals all my cucumbers so I cut up quite a few.  Jeff likes his in pitas too and smothered in cheese.  Well, he likes most things smothered in cheese...

I'm still not quite sure why I included this photo because I realized after I took it that I left out some of the ingredients in it.

Stir the ingredients to check that it has a smooth consistency before you remove it from your food processor.  The falafel should be the consistency of play dough.

In our house this is a fairly standard serving size for falafel.  Two small patties for each pita half.  I put two falafel patties in each pita half.  There are many add-in options.  My stand by is cucumber and tomato slices.  Jeff likes fresh spinach and shredded cheddar.

ingredients:
2 cans garbanzo beans, rinsed
2 tsp. olive oil, plus more for cooking can be substituted with vegetable oil
1 tbsp. cumin
1 tbsp. garlic
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili pepper
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 small handful flat leafed parsley
1 small handful cilantro
1 egg
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 C flour, plus more for shaping

directions:
1.  Add rinsed beans, 2 tsp. oil, cumin, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice, parsley, cilantro, egg, baking powder, and 1/4 C flour into your food processor.  Let it run until the ingredients are smooth.  Turn it off and run a spatula down the sides if need be.  If your consistency is too thick add a bit of water a teaspoon at a time, do the same with flour if it is too thin.  The desired consistency should be similar to play-dough.
2.  Scoop your falafel out into an air-tight container and put it in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.  You can leave it in your fridge for several days if you don't plan to use it all right away.
3.  Take the falafel out and shape small patties.  Dust them with flour and place in a lightly oiled frying pan on medium high heat.  You should be able to comfortably fit 4 patties in the pan at once.
4.  Keep an eye on your patties, they cook pretty quickly.  Turn them when they start to brown, and add more oil to your pan as needed.  I pop my pita in the microwave for 10 seconds when I flip my patties over so I can be ready to stuff the warm pita with falafel and veggies.  Serve them immediately.  The edges of the falafel should have a nice little crunch and still be hot.  Serves 4-6

apple-pear sauce

Applesauce is great.  I like to keep some in our fridge at all times.  I often use to it replace oil in recipes.  Plus we all like to eat it by itself too.  Yes, I know.  Applesauce is so easy and cheap to buy, but I prefer to make it myself.  Besides, who needs the preservatives when it gets eaten so quickly?  And homemade just tastes better.

One of Liam's favorite foods is "squeezy fruit".  You know, puree in a pouch.  He would eat a dozen of them every day if I let him (I do not).  Applesauce, or if this case apple-pear sauce make great squeezy fruit.  This version is a bit overbearing on the seasonings because Jeff and Liam are both ga-ga for cinnamon, so disregard the really dark color of the finished product.  I'm listing the seasonings in the amount that NORMAL people enjoy.

Peel the fruit and toss it in chunks into the crock pot.

Lift the lid and stir occasionally.  Most sauce will be lighter in color, but my boys loooove cinnamon, and there is at least 2 tablespoons of cinnamon in this.

this pouch filler is the best invention ever for a mom like me whose kid will eat ANYTHING if it is in pouch form.  This if from Target  if you are curious.  It makes filling pouches so much quicker and tidier.

note:  If you want to make just applesauce instead of apple-pear sauce just don't add the ginger.  Also, the amount of fruit used is just a guideline.  Use whatever amount fills your crockpot.  Although I'm pretty sure my crockpot is a fairly standard size.

ingredients:
8 small granny smith apples, peeled and cubed
4 anjou pears, peeled and cubed
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 C water or apple cider
1/4 C sugar

directions:
1. Peel and cube fruit and throw it in your crockpot.  Add the rest of the ingredients.  Turn the crockpot on high for 4 hours.
2.  Use an immersion blender for a fine puree or a potato masher for a chuckier sauce.
3.  Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or make squeezy fruit.  My batch made 11 pouches.

roasted cauliflower

Yeah, okay.  This is barely even a recipe.  It is more of a suggestion for a brilliant way to eat cauliflower.  When I was  kid I hated the stuff.  Probably because I had only ever had it boiled or steamed or some other way guaranteed to kill all flavor.  And of course it was most likely served with zero seasoning.  Yuck.  The basic seasoning here just brings out the natural flavor, which is simple enough that you can pair it with almost anything.  Jeff likes to dip his florets in ketchup.  I like to mix mine with some couscous and garbanzo beans.

This version of cauliflower tastes amazing.  I kid you not.  For the three people in the house old enough to eat it we buy it in bulk at Costco.  We don't eat it all like this.  Some gets added to other recipes, some pureed for the little guy, etc.  But I digress...  Just trust me on this.

I'm a fan of idiot proof cooking, and also cooking that a mom who got four hours of sleep the night before can easily do while teaching for toddler how to cook, and while holding the baby.  Apparently I'm also a fan of multi-tasking...

It shrinks down a bit when cooked.  Just make extra.  You'll thank me later.

ingredients:
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Place florets in an oven safe pan.  Drizzle olive oil, salt, and pepper on top.  Bake for 35 minutes, or until florets are fork tender and edges are a bit brown and crispy.

That's it.  Seriously.  Make it now.  I'll wait.  :)

ratatouille, pixar style

I don't know anyone who watched Ratatouille and didn't think, "That food looks amazing, I want to eat that!"  I'm really not a fan of traditional style ratatouille.  The vegetables are cut in chunks too large.  They get a bit un-appetizingly mushy.  Really, not very good.

This I think is a much more improved version.  The vegetables are cut thin so they become soft without getting gushy, plus they are small enough that you can eat multiple veggies in one bit without massively stuffing your face.  And, let's be honest.  This presentation is way better than a boring stew.  I'm terrible at food presentation (I trick myself into saying presentation doesn't matter as much if the food tastes really good), and mine is still an improvement over the stew.

The characters in Ratatouille weren't exaggerating how awesome this dish is.  Delicious, healthy, a great side dish.  I often pair it with roasted chicken and potatoes.

I adapted this recipe from smitten kitchen.

note: slightly disregard this picture.  I only used one zucchini and tomato.

ingredients:
1/2 C tomato sauce
1 yellow squash, sliced thin
1 zucchini, sliced thin
1 yellow onion, sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 tomato, sliced thin
2 tsp olive oil
 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste

directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Cover the bottom of a 9x9 pan evenly with tomato sauce.
2.  Using a knife or a mandolin, thinly slice the the vegetables.  Stack the vegetables on their sides in order.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkles the thyme, salt, and pepper over the top.
3.  Bake in the middle rack for 40 minutes.  Serve hot.

This makes for good leftovers, btw.  If you, you know, magically have any.

pasta, veggies, and lentils

This is a great meal for cold, rainy evenings, or if you just really want some carb-y pasta goodness.  But you don't feel super guilty eating it because its loaded with veggies and lentils.  At least that's what I tell myself.  Anyway, this is comforting and yummy, and pretty quick to make.

Dice the carrot and onion and heat over the stove in a bit of oil.  Onion should soften and become less opaque.

Add the can of petite diced tomatoes, juice and all.  Stir thorough to combine.

ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 carrots, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 can of petite diced tomato 14.5 oz.
spaghetti*
3/4 C lentils
pepper to taste
2 tsp garlic
1 tsp oregano
 tsp basil
1 tsp chili powder

* I used the spaghetti measure to figure out the amount for 2 people.

directions:
1. Dice the onion and carrots and saute them on medium heat in 1 tbsp olive oil for 5-10 minutes until softened.  Add can of tomatoes.  Meanwhile, cook lentils until soft but not mushy, and drain.  Also, boil a pot of water and add spaghetti, simmer until al dente and drain.
2.  Add reamining 2 tbsp olive oil to cooked and drained spaghetti in the pot.  Add the cooked lentils and the veggies.  Season, and enjoy hot.