Something about baking makes me so happy. Probably because sharing is one of my all time favorite things and what better thing to share than baked treats? (Some far away friends should be expecting a package soon!)  I saved two for The Beard and I, and of course I ate the ugly cracked one as soon as I was finished.

Hot Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Melted Marshmallow Middles!
adapted from here!

1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups of flour
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 k-cup of hot chocolate (or a regular packet of hot chocolate mix)
a bunch of mini marshmallows
a splash of 2% milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

I lined a cookie sheet with wax paper then sprayed it with pan spray; set aside.

is there anything better than fresh mozzarella?!

You'll want to store them in the fridge if you can resist eating them all instantly. They are so light and fresh, and the sweetness is very subtle. The baked pancetta that is crumbled inside the cupcake adds a lovely crunch and flavor. Needless to say, Andrea and I were both cursing in delight as we took our first bites.

Sometimes my lack of ingredients make for the best treats. I really wanted a sweet breakfast today, but alas... no syrup. BUT WAIT! I have a very sad 3oz of cream cheese sitting miserably in its foil wrapper? I have some blackberry jam? Stuffed french toast it is.

so good, so good, so good

Sometimes its fun to make breakfast a little over-extravagant. It was 4 pieces of french toast tall, stuffed to the brim with the cream cheese and jam mixture, and I could hardly finish it. I ended up leaving one slice of french toast on the plate... poor, delicious, soggy leftovers that we probably, um, definitely won't eat.


:)

This is one of The Beard's most requested dinners for me to make. I always forget how easy and tasty they are... Plus I made them for around $12 and with just the two of us, we have leftovers for a couple days. I always post pictures of these on Facebook and pals have asked for the recipe multiple times. I guess now is the time to reveal it's glory.

This is a recipe that my dad gave me and I added a little of my own stuff to it (like the shrimp, rice, and shredded cheese). These certainly could be spiced up with some black beans and other fillings. Yum. Also, if you make the filling with more milk it makes an amazing pasta sauce. Just sayin'.

Seafood Enchiladas
1 stick of butter
8 tablespoons of flour
2 cups of milk
8oz pepperjack cheese block
8oz pack of lobster
8oz pack of crab
small package of salad shrimp
shredded cheese
3 cooked cups of rice
package of tortilla shells

The first step is to make the sauce. You do this by first making a roux: melt the butter on low to medium heat, add the flour one tablespoon at a time stirring the whole time. Once that is all smooth and mixed, slowly slowly slowly add the milk. I added my 2 cups in about 8 small pours with stirring in between each splash of milk. You can add the chopped up block of cheese a few pieces at a time and stir until its all melted.

Toss in the seafood, then add a dash of cayenne pepper. Mix well!

Make sure you save enough of the filling to spread a little on top of the filled shells, then sprinkle the shredded cheese on top.

Heat them in the oven on 350 until the cheese gets bubbly.
  
Voilà. Meet your lover's new favorite dinner.  Try not to over eat!

nom.

Let me know if you make them and what you think!

:)

 

Ew gross, right? WRONG. These are savory little jerks and not one thing about them is sweet. Unless you mean "sweet" like "awesome".

savory and spicy perfection

Introducing: Buffalo Chicken Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Cupcakes with Popcorn Chicken on top

I was inspired to makes these from a crazy version our friend Anna Marie posted on the Beard's facebook wall. The link featured a sweet cupcake with a buttercream frosting WITH a whole buffalo wing on top. Ew, gross, gag. UGH! We and several more friends shared a conversation on this facebook post and ideas of blue cheese and cornbread were tossed around. That's when I chimed in with "What about cornbread cupcakes with buffalo chicken dip (with extra cream cheese) frosting/filling. With a popcorn chicken covered in buffalo sauce on top." A few minutes later I added "Ohhhh maybe even a cheddar jalapeno cornbread. omgggg." So here it is, with a little how-to. 



I used the cheapest versions of everything I could find, except I didn't end up using the butter. I made the cornbread mix like it told me on the side of the box then I added canned jalapenos and shredded cheddar cheese until it looked right. Not too much, not too little. I baked them in foil cups for a little more than 15 minutes.
While they baked, I made the buffalo chicken dip "frosting" and filling. It is made up of 12oz of cream cheese, a can of chicken breast, shredded mexican cheese, jalapeno ranch dressing, and of course - lots of buffalo sauce. The only real measurment you have to worry about is the cream cheese. From there its about half the bottle of ranch, two big handfuls of cheese, the whole can of chicken, then buffalo sauce until it all looks and tastes right. I usually bake this when I am serving it as a dip, but since it was going to be going in and on the "cupcakes", I just microwaved it a little to melt the cheese. After you heat it up, pour it all into a plastic baggy and cool it in the fridge.
Once your cupcakes are cool, take a knife and cut out cone shaped holes. Take your baggy of buffalo chicken dip from the fridge and cut off the corner. Fill up the holes with the dip and try not to squeeze the dip into your mouth from the baggy, please.
Frost the tops with more buffalo chicken dip, add a popcorn chicken, then drizzle with more buffalo sauce! And there you have it! Delicious jalapeno cheddar "cupcakes" with buffalo chicken dip "frosting" and filling with a popcorn chicken on top, drizzled with buffalo sauce! They are probably a fork and plate worthy appetizer, unless you are a brave soul. I can't wait to share these with pals, and take them to a super bowl party, and generally use them as a bribe for if I want the Beard to do girly things with me. Haha!

Let me know if you try these out! You will love them, I promise.

:)