raspberry swirl cupcakes with raspberry buttercream

Raspberry Puree

2 12 oz pkgs of unsweetened frozen raspberries

1/2 cup sugar

2 TB cornstarch

1 tsp lemon juice (fresh is best)

Place berries in a medium bowl. You can either place them on the counter to defrost, or in the fridge overnight. Once thawed, put the berries in a fine colander or sieve over a bowl and mash the berries until all the juice is out, and there are only seeds left. Chuck the seeds.

In a small saucepan BEFORE putting the pan on the stove, combine the puree with the cornstarch, stir well. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stir constantly for 2 minutes or until desired consistency is reached. Take off of heat, and add the lemon juice.

Let cool before using, but not in the fridge- it will gel up quite a bit in the fridge, and it needs to be syrup consistency for the following recipe.

Raspberry Swirl Cupcakes

1 pkg vanilla cake mix (betty crocker is the best)

1 stick butter, at room temp

1 1/4 cups water

3 eggs

2 TB raspberry puree

1 TB vanilla

pink food coloring

Preheat oven to 325. Line muffin tin with liners.

In a medium mixing bowl, mix all ingredients on low for 30 seconds, then on medium for 2 minutes. Add food coloring to desired pink-ish hue is achieved.

Portion 4 TB into each cupcake liner. Put about 1/4 tsp of raspberry puree in middle of each cupcake. Swirl into batter with a toothpick. Bake for 17 minutes.

Let cool. Make frosting.

Raspberry Buttercream

2 sticks butter, at room temp

1 TB light corn syrup

1 TB vanilla

4 TB raspberry puree

4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup heavy whip

Cream butter on high for 3 minutes. Slowly add vanilla, corn syrup, and puree. Whip until combined. Add the sugar in 2 parts, on low speed. Pour in the heavy whip, and whip on high for 3 more minutes so the frosting is fluffy and delicious.

Pipe onto cupcakes, (I used a big star tip). Stick them in the fridge until ready to eat.

Nom nom nom.

Yum!

Cherry Cobbler

1 stick butter, room temp

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 can of cherry pie filling

In a small mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Beat in egg. Add the dry ingredients, then the vanilla. Spoon some of the batter into the bottom of a pie dish. Pour cherries on top. Spoon the rest of the batter on top. Sprinkle cinnamon & sugar on top.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Serve with Snelgrove's canadian vanilla ice cream. Yum!

Spaghetti

Growing up, we had spaghetti once a week. Usually on Monday's. It's Loo-loo's favorite and luckily for me, Danny's favorite too.

So Danny and I continue the tradition spaghetti- once a week. Usually on days that I don't feel like making anything else- it's easy, fast, and we love it!

3/4 pkg spaghetti noodles (less or more, depending on how hungry you are)

1 can tomato sauce (We like S&W organic from Costco)

1/2 pkg McCormic Thick & Zesty Spaghetti sauce mix (heaping 1/8 cup)

1 TB Newman's Own Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

shredded mozzarella cheese

In a small saucepan, combine tomato sauce, spices and dressing. Set it on low, and stick a lid on it.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring salted water to a boil. Add noodles, and cook for 12 minutes, or until al dente. Drain.

Sprinkle with cheese, and pour sauce on top. Enjoy!

creamy chicken corn chowder

I got this recipe from my friend Kim. It's her favorite soup, and it's now Danny's too!

My changes are in purple.

*Creamy Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder

3 chicken breasts, diced (4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded)

1/2 cup chopped onions (I put mine in the food processor)

1-‐2 cloves minced garlic

3 Tbsp butter

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1 cup hot water

1/2 to 1 tsp ground cumin

( 1TB smoked paprika, 1 TB Mexican chili powder)

2 cups half and half

2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

1 (14 3/4oz) cream style corn (1 bag frozen corn, thawed. I put 2/3rds of it in the food processor with a few TB of half & half)

1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies, undrained

1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce (pinch of red pepper flakes)

1 medium tomato, chopped (no tomato)

fresh cilantro (optional)

Tortilla strips

In a dutch over or large saucepan, brown chicken, onion, and garlic in butter until chicken is no longer pink. Dissolve the bouillon in hot water. Add to pan along with cumin; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add half and half, cheese, corn, chilies, and Tabasco sauce. Cook and stir over low heat until the cheese is melted. Stir in chopped tomato. Serve immediately. Garnish with cilantro if desired.

Notes:

*This is the base recipe that I start from, but I always tweak it and do things differently every time.

The last few times that I have made it, I cheated and just used a Costco Chicken that I shredded and added to the soup base. Its super easy, less messy and really yummy, but I have made it both ways and it's always great.

I also add some cilantro into the soup at the end of the cooking instead of just as a garnish.

Also, I like a little bit thicker soup so I make a roux using 2Tbsp butter and 2Tbsp flour, microwave it, stir it up and add it to the soup to thicken it.

Massaman Curry

(or Chicken with Peanut Curry Sauce)

2 T canola oil

1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, cut into 1” pieces

salt and pepper

vegetables of choice, fresh or frozen (I use carrots and red potatoes and I usually par-boil them just a bit)

Peanut Curry Sauce:

1.5 cups coconut milk ( I use light)

1/2 cup chicken broth (I use low-sodium)

1/3 cup peanut butter

2 T packed brown sugar

2 T lime juice

1 T red curry paste

Dry Roasted Peanuts * optional (you can easily tweak this sauce, if you like your curry spicier, sweeter, etc)

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to hot oil: cook about 5 minutes or until cooked through, stirring occasionally. Add whatever vegetables you like. Cook and stir 3 minutes more.

Meanwhile, whisk together ingredients for Peanut Curry Sauce in a medium bowl. Pour into skillet over chicken and vegetables, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat; simmer for 10+ minutes or until vegetables are to desired tenderness.

Serve with Coconut Rice

Coconut Rice

1 cup white rice (I use calrose)

1 cup chicken broth (low sodium)

3/4 cup coconut milk

2 T lime juice

1/4 cup flaked coconut, toasted

You are basically just making white rice as directed, but using the above liquids rather than water. While the rice is cooking toast the coconut in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally until golden brown. If you have a rice cooker, it makes it easier... but the stovetop works fine too.

Add toasted coconut to the rice and fluff just before serving.

Enjoy!

* I used regular coconut milk, and organic chicken broth. I also added some red pepper flakes to the sauce for a bit more spice.

I used yams instead of carrots because Danny does not like carrots- and I used red, golden and purple fingerling potatoes- and they were perfect!

Recipe from Kim's Kitchen.

and, I did NOT take that photo. I found it.

mayan chocolate cupcakes

Pre-heat oven to 350. Put liners in a cupcake pan.

2 cups flour

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

6 TB cocoa powder

Mix together in a small mixing bowl, then add 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips, and set aside.

4 TB brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix together in a small bowl and set aside.

1 stick of butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

Mix well, then add:

3 eggs

Beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Then add:

1 TB vanilla

1/2 cup sour cream

Mix until well combined. Gently add:

3 cups of finely grated zucchini

Add flour mixture to other mixture, and beat on low until just combined.

Portion batter into cupcake liners, then sprinkle with topping mixture. Bake for 17 minutes. (cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.)

Cool on a rack.

Chocolate Cinnamon Frosting:

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp cinnamon

2 cups powdered sugar

1 TB vanilla

2 TB + 2 tsp milk

Mix butter, cocoa, and cinnamon together. Add 1 cup of sugar, mix well. Add half of the milk, mix well. Add the remaining cup of sugar, then the rest of the milk and the vanilla. Beat on high until light and fluffy.

Drizzle over cooled cupcakes. Keep in fridge, but they taste better at room temperature.

*I have been craving my favorite ice cream, Hagen Daaz Mayan Chocolate, but they don't make it anymore. I decided to try and make some cupcakes to satisfy my craving. Haven't quite embarked on that adventure yet. Until...

My friend Kim made Chocolate Zucchini Bread and brought it to work, and yesterday I dug into it. My first bite instantly reminded of my favorite ice cream, and I had an ah-ha! moment. This was it! So I adjusted the recipe to my liking, and made cupcakes!

temple worthy tiramisu

Holy Grail of dessert? Definitely maybe.

Mascarpone Cheese:

2 8-oz pkg of cream cheese, at room temp

5 TB sour cream

1/c cup heavy whipping cream

Mix together in a medium mixing bowl until well blended. Set aside.

Zabaglione Cream:

5 egg yolks from 5 large eggs

1/4 cup sugar

2-3 TB vanilla extract (sonoma syrup co if you have it)

In a small metal mixing bowl or the top part of a double boiler, beat eggs and sugar on high until pale yellow and about the consistency of cake batter. (about 5-10 minutes)

Bring some water to a boil in a pan that the bowl will fit in, but not touch the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat down to a simmer, and place egg mixture in pan. Stir every few minutes until light mounds form, or the mixture has small bubbles in it. (about 5-10 minutes) (you are basically heating the eggs up enough to avoid any potential sickness causing bacteria or whatever.)

Stir in the vanilla. Let it cool for a minute, then cover and place in the fridge for 30 min.

Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 TB sugar

In a small bowl, whip the cream and sugar together until whipped. Set aside.

Take the egg mixture, and the whipped cream, and add it to the cream cheese mixture. Cover and put in the fridge for an hour.

Vanilla Sauce:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup heavy whip

3 TB vanilla extract

Put all ingredients into a small pan. Cook over medium heat until it boils. Let it boil for 1-2 minutes, then remove from heat. SLOWLY pour in the vanilla. Since it has alcohol in it, the mixture will bubble rapidly when you add the vanilla. Stir well, and set aside.

The Layers:

2 7oz pkg of Italian ladyfingers. (you can get them at Italian shops, like Granatos and Caputos. Sometimes you can get them at the grocery store, but good luck. I went to 5 stores in 2 hours looking for them. I finally found them at the Dan's on 33rd and 20th. They are with the fancier cookies- like Pepperidge Farm. They are in a green package and the brand is Alessi. If you ask for help finding them, most of the staff will point you to the bakery- they have Lady Fingers that are smaller and way too soft. These are the American version, don't get them. They will get too soggy.)

Butter the sides and bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan. (It's tall enough to handle all the layers) If you don't have one, you can just use a 9x13 pan.

Cut some of the ladyfingers in half. Line the sides of the spring form pan with the cut part down

and the round part up. This will give you a nice, pretty edge to each slice. Then fit more ladyfingers along the bottom of the pan, securing the ones on the sides. I always have to cut them in half and then just cut them so you can fit as much as you can for the bottom layer.

Take a spoon and coat the ladyfingers with the vanilla sauce. Don't worry about using too much, you will have extra.

Take 1/3 of the cheese mixture and spoon it onto the cookies. Repeat twice more with another layer of ladyfingers, vanilla sauce, and cheese. By this time your pan should be brimming with cheese mixture. You can drizzle on some vanilla sauce if you like, or you can do that later when you serve it, slice by slice.

Put the tiramisu into the fridge for at least 6 hours or even better, overnight. This dessert ages in the fridge, and is good for about 5 days after you make it. It's fine beyond that, the bottom layer might be a little too soggy, but that has never stopped me from eating it anyway.

To serve, remove ring from pan. Slice the cake in half, rotate it and slice in half again. Then you can cut pieces as big or small as you like. I like to try and cut in between the ladyfingers, if you can. That makes cutting it way easier than trying to cut through the dryer outer cookies.

Enjoy!