Pink Velvet Cupcakes and Mini Ombre Cake

We are back from our annual family beach trip! Such a fantastic week, I can't wait to share the details. The theme nights were so much fun and we've already selected the themes for next year. Now we're trying to get back in the swing of routine a little bit more tan and a lot more relaxed. I'll do some posts about the vacation, but before we left we had to celebrate my sister-in-law to be, Rose's birthday! 

Love this girl!

We have some pretty set-in-stone birthday traditions. We always celebrate at my parents house with dinner and the birthday boy or girl gets to pick the dinner and cake. My mom even has certain pictures she gets every single year (seriously, we checked and they go all the way back). For this year, Rosie requested the cupcakes I made for her Superbowl party! I was so excited to revisit that recipe, but I couldn't do bright blue, orange and green cupcakes, so we went with pink instead. 

Rosie loves animal print so these liners were a must

I also didn't want to just make cupcakes. I wanted to get our traditional cake picture and have something for her to cut into. Looking through my local kitchen store, I was able to find a small cake pan and decided to make a tiny little ombre (kinda) cake to go with the dozen cupcakes. It wasn't a total success - it looked more like a giant cupcake - but boy was it delicious! Pretty sure Rosie had a wonderful birthday, but we certainly enjoyed celebrating her! 

For all of the 'kids' birthdays this year, my parents gave us a long weekend away in the mountains on a beautiful lake. It's the perfect gift for this group, another vacation together! We can't wait.

For the full recipe head over to the Superbowl cupcakes post. 

Sort of cute

Loving my new piping tip

Yummy cake!

My favorite girls

Hubby

Oh this loverly lady

Cheers!

Pops

Can't wait to share pictures of the vacation theme nights. Everyone truly outdid themselves this year. Until then!

xo
Alison

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! This was our first as a married couple, but we HATE going out on Valentine's day. We love eating out usually, but on Valentine's they jack up the prices, pile in tables close together and usually the food leaves something to be desired. We prefer to stay in and Kyle cooks. It's intimate, romantic and far less fussy than going to a restaurant. 

We decided not to do gifts this year and get goggles for our snowboarding trip instead. But Kyle of course went above and beyond. I woke up to roses and breakfast before work, hen he came home from work he got busy in the kitchen and then he surprised me with chocolates and a beautiful locket! What a guy. My contributions paled in comparison, but he was still pleased. I picked up some of his favorite beer, got a nice card, made some cupcakes and set the table with our new china from the wedding. Really wonderful day. 

Re-purposing a vase from last Valentine's day

Now I'm sitting on the couch having just watched the USA hockey team win in a crazy shootout versus the Russians, nursing my champagne headache and thought it would be the perfect time to share my cupcake recipe. Enjoy!

Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cocoa powder

1 ½ cups vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons Wilton red food coloring (I didn't have time to get this so I had to use grocery store food coloring - hence the pink cupcakes)

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In your mixer, mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. In a separate bowl, mix together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla. Slowly add the wet mixture into your stand mixer with the dry ingredients. Mix until thoroughly combined. The batter is so velvety!

Only fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake for 20-32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting. 

Cointreau Ganache
½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon Cointreau liquor 
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I eyeballed this measurement, so I may have used more)

In a saucepan, bring the heavy cream and Cointreau to a bowl. Reduce heat and slowly add the chocolate chips stirring continuously to avoid burning. Add to piping bag or some other injecting mechanism and inject into the center of the cupcakes. If the ganache spills out the top of the cupcakes, don't worry about it - it will be covered by butter cream.

Cream Cheese Butter Cream
1 package cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar 

In mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar a half cup at a time, mixing well between each addition. Mix until very light and fluffy. 

Pipe the butter cream onto cooled cupcakes and add any embellishments. 

Chocolate Embellishments
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Melt chocolate in double boiler. Add to piping bag and create the designs of your choice on parchment paper (we had just run out that morning so I used plastic wrap). Let the designs harden in the refrigerator for as long as you can before adding to cupcakes.

Of course I had to do some fun Valentine's nails! For more of my crazy nail designs click here.

Thanks for visiting!

xo
Alison

Fact: Food you don't have to cook tastes better.

Kyle and I are currently looking for a house as we are currently renting. This means that if all goes according to plan we will eventually have to fork over large sums of money. For two people who thought first and lasts month rent was daunting, you could say we're a bit nervous about this prospect (or inevitability, I suppose).

In order to make us feel a bit better about the fees, taxes, down payment, arm and leg that this will cost us, we are attempting to save money. Let me tell you, this is not our strong suit. We love to eat out and enjoy fancy craft beer and wine. We rarely say no to a shopping trip or a fancy brand coffee. We love our lifestyle! But boy is it expensive...

The best way for us to save money (and stay paleo): cook at home. We know this. Our rational minds tell us that this make sense. Our irrational, stress-ridden, hungry minds tell us to order pizza or go to the new BYOB down the street. Those minds are so much louder and more convincing (why yes, I would much prefer to have someone else cook while I sample the latest Marlborough county Sauvignon Blanc, thank you irrational mind!). 

Don't get me wrong, I actually love to cook. But I love to cook when I can do something fun and I have the time to devote to it. Not after a long day of work when we're both starving and a bit cranky and just want to eat something! Considering how desperate I am to find our dream house and STOP RENTING, I'm willing to give anything a try. Even cooking during the week.

So to inspire myself, here are a few paleo recipes that I've either tried or would like to try. 

Paleo Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry

Link

Recipe Revisions: I used chicken rather then beef. My only issue with the paleo diet is the amount of red meat. Don't get me wrong, I love red meat, but I try to eat it sparingly. I also included more veggies then the recipe called for and used Almond flour instead of arrowroot (it's just what I had on hand).

Verdict: Not the fastest meal for during the week, but it was VERY tasty. Will definitely make this again.

Paleo Blueberry Muffins

Link

Recipe Revisions: I followed the recipe pretty closely. I think I may have added more blueberries then what was called for.

Verdict: Quick and easy paleo breakfast!

Carrot Chips with Guacamole

Link

Recipe Revisions: None. My guacamole was from whole foods though. 

Verdict: One of my favorite lunches for when I'm working from home.

Paleo Turkey Crockpot Chili

Link

Recipe Revisions: None.  

Verdict: Another household favorite! will be making this one again.

Paleo Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken

Link

Recipe Revisions: Haven't made this one yet, but I will probably use boneless skinless breasts as opposed to drumsticks. My husband is a baby about bones in his meat.
Verdict: TBD


Paleo Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken

Link

Recipe Revisions: I made a TON of revisions to this recipe. For us, sweet potatoes are not paleo, so I do not include them in any recipe. I also used ground turkey instead of beef and avocado oil instead of the recommended bacon grease (seriously, they recommended bacon grease... Just because something is paleo doesn't mean it is healthy).

Verdict: It was essentially a completely different dish, but it was delicious! 

Paleo Turkey Club Wraps

Link

Recipe Revisions: I can not master the lettuce wrap. They always fall apart or just do not look like the pictures. Oh well, I TRIED to follow this recipe to the letter.

Verdict: Perfect lunch. Skip the bacon if you're worried about fat or cholesterol. 

Paleasgna

Add caption

Recipe Revisions: Haven't made this one yet! I will definitely use ground turkey and will skip the Greek yogurt and cheese (not paleo).

Verdict: TBD

Wish us luck! If all goes according to plan, we should be out of our apartment and into a home of our own by Spring! Hopefully with slimmer waistlines and improved health as well. :-) If all else fails, there is always a back up dinner:

xo

Alison

Holiday Cupcake Recipes

I absolutely LOVE to bake, but cupcakes, cookies and cakes don't typically fit into my attempt at a  'clean eating' diet. Thank goodness for cheating during the holidays! :-)

For Thanksgiving this year, I made two different types of cupcakes; Squash with Maple Buttercream and Andes Mint Cupcakes (Chocolate Peppermint with Peppermint Buttercream). Oh man, they were fantastic! Unfortunately, I made too many and I currently have a few tempting me in our fridge. Here are the recipes for each, enjoy!

Squash Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Buttercream

Squash Cupcakes:

1 ½ cups acorn and butternut squash (roasted, peeled, mashed) – you can also use canned 100% pumpkin, just avoid pumpkin pie filling

2 eggs (you can substitute 1 cup mashed banana for vegan cupcakes)

½ cup pure vegetable oil canola

¼ cup applesauce (add a little bit more if the batter looks a little thick)

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cups gluten-free flour

½ teaspoon gluten-free baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ancho chili powder

dash of cayenne pepper

Maple Cream Cheese Buttercream:

1 block (8 oz.) cream cheese, room temperature

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, room temperature

3 Tbsp. real maple syrup

1 lb. powdered sugar (or more/less to achieve desired consistency – added 1 cup at a time)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix  flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, chili, and cayenne in stand mixer. In separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (squash, eggs, oil, applesauce, sugar, and vanilla). Mix well until there are no lumps. Pour squash mixture into the flour mixture and combine, but don't over mix. Fill a lined muffin tin ¾ full. Bake for 35 minutes. Let cool to room temperature prior to frosting.

Using an electric mixer, cream together cream cheese, butter, and maple syrup until smooth and well-combined. Gradually add in the powdered sugar, mixing well until it’s all incorporated. Use a pastry bag to pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.

Andes Mint Cupcakes (Chocolate Peppermint with Peppermint Buttercream)

Recipe from http://www.yourcupofcake.com/2011/05/andes-mint-cupcakes.html

Chocolate Cake

1 cup sour cream

½ cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 eggs

¼ cup water

½ cup buttermilk

Devil’s Food Cake Mix

Chocolate Mint Filling:

1/3 cup chocolate chips

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

¼ cup powdered sugar

Mint Buttercream:

8 oz cream cheese

6 tablespoons butter

3-4 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon heavy cream or milk

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

green food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a whisk, mix sour cream, oil and vanilla extract together. Add eggs one at a time, stirring well in between each addition. Alternate adding the cake mix and liquids (buttermilk and water), starting and ending with the cake mix. Fill liners 2/3 full and bake for 14-18 minutes, or until and inserted knife come out clean.

Chocolate Mint Filling: Melt chocolate chips and heavy cream together in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium heat. Stir in peppermint extract and powdered sugar. When cupcake come out of the oven, use a squeeze bottle to fill the cupcake with the filling, or use the filling as a ganache and dip the tops of the cakes into it.

Mint Buttercream: Beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, heavy cream and peppermint extract and beat well. Add green food coloring and stir well. Pipe buttercream onto cooled cupcakes and top with extra Chocolate Mint Filling and an Andes Mint.