Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

Wow, it’s been awhile…sorry, blog. I have been baking a lot as well as taking pictures and all that jazz – I just haven’t been able to get anything online. Plus my computer got a nasty virus so I was without it for a little bit.

But moving on, I have a nice cupcake recipe for you today! Courtesy of Ms. Martha Stewart, who had the brilliant idea of turning my favorite cookies into cupcakes. Genius, I tell you.

I made these for a party I went to a couple weeks ago, so they’re a little overdue…but delicious none the less. They may actually be my new favorite cupcake recipe. They’re pretty perfect, even without icing.

*Note: And next time, I might use cream cheese icing…cinnamon buttercream is nice, but it’s almost overkill on these.

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
(Taken from my Martha Stewart Cupcakes cookbook)

Ingredients:

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups cake flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1¾ cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1¼ cups milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together both flours, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating until combined after each.


Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.


I iced these with a cinnamon buttercream, which is basically just regular vanilla buttercream with a tsp or 2 of cinnamon added into the mix. However, like I said, cream cheese icing might balance the flavors better.

My boyfriend isn't picky.

Conversation with my boyfriend yesterday evening:

Matt-“Hey Weez!”

Me-“Yes?”

Matt-“I love ya.”

Me-“I love you too.”

Matt-“I’d even love you if you fed me human meat.”

Me-“…”

Matt-“I might even love you more!”

Apparently, there are now no limitations when it comes to my cooking.

*Note: Don’t even ask where the nickname “Weez” came from…it’s a long – and not very politically correct – story.
**Note: We’re not future cannibals. We just really like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

He's a special one.

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

So, I got a slow cooker for Christmas…and one of my resolutions was to use it a lot and post the recipes. On the plus side, I have been using it a ton however I’ve just been too lazy or unorganized to ever blog about it. Mainly, I’ve just made a lot of chili and a bunch of roasts…

However, I do have a recipe for you today! Finally! I had been craving spaghetti and meatballs for most of last week and so when the weekend finally rolled around, I decided to make a nice hearty meal for Matt and I. I decided to make the meat sauce in my slow cooker and it turned out really well. Plus my house just smelled incredible all day.

I also threw in some meatballs that I already had in my freezer, made this garlic bread to accompany the meal and these chocolate chip cookies for dessert…it was a serious comfort food party.

P.S. I NEED to do a post on those chocolate chip cookies. They are quite possibly the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had. EVER.

Slow Cooker Meat Sauce

Ingredients:

2 lb lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 can (28 oz) diced or whole tomatoes*, undrained
1 bottle (24 oz) strained tomatoes
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
dried thyme
dried oregano leaves
salt
pepper
crushed red pepper flakes
olive oil

*I only used whole tomatoes because I originally thought it was a can of diced…it didn’t make too much of a difference though, I just had to break them up a bit but diced would’ve probably been better.

Directions:

In a large skillet, cook onions in a drizzle of olive oil on medium heat. When onions are just starting to get soft, add garlic and cook for another minute or two. Add beef and cook until it is no longer pink; drain.


Spoon beef mixture into your slow cooker. Stir in remaining ingredients. (*Note: I rarely measure spices so unfortunately I didn’t really have an idea of how much I put in…plus, I just ended up adding more to taste later anyways.)

Cover; cook on high heat for 4-6 hours or low heat for 8-9 hours.



Spoon over your favorite pasta and enjoy!

The Green Monster

Ok…so I know you probably came here for sweet things. Butter, sugar, sprinkles and cookies and cakes galore. The last thing you probably want to see is a nutrient-packed, green smoothie.

Well, too bad.

I had heard about the Green Monster Movement through Simply Scrumptious awhile back. And as much as I thought it was a pretty-looking smoothie, the fact that there was a whole whackload of spinach in it turned me off a little. However, this morning I decided to be brave and give it a try. As part of my own personal movement to start eating healthier again.

The result? AMAZING. Seriously. You honestly cannot even taste the spinach – the banana disguises it completely.

This is a fantastic way to start off your day. It’s packed with all good things, and it tastes surprisingly delicious.

So, go give the Green Monster a try…you might be surprised ;)

The Green Monster
(Recipe from Green Monster Movement)

Ingredients:

2 cups spinach
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1 cup milk (cow’s milk, soy, almond…anything is good)
1 banana
ice

Directions:

Combine all ingredients into your blender. Blend well.

Enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

I just came to the realization that I make a lot of soups…some “Sprinkled Life” I lead. I should change the name of this blog to “The Soupy Life”.

…erm, maybe not.

Regardless, I made yet another soup today. I’m on a bit of a wholesome kick. Don’t judge me.

(However, I am making cupcakes for a party this weekend…so there will be some sprinkle action again soon enough, I promise.)

Anyways, I recently picked up an immersion blender on sale, so I’ve been dying to make some sort of puréed soup in order to use it. And what is better than the combination of roasted red pepper and tomato?

Nothing. They make a crazy delicious soup. You should go make some. Right now.

Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup
(Adapted from Leslie Sarna’s recipe for Roasted Tomato Soup)

Ingredients:

6 roma tomatoes, halved
1 red pepper, quartered w/ seeds removed
8 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 cup vegetable broth
olive oil
sea salt
pepper
cayenne pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a cookie sheet with foil. Toss the tomatoes, red pepper and garlic in some olive oil and a big pinch of salt. Lay on the cookie sheet and bake for 30-45 minutes or until they just start to brown.


Heat a large pot on medium low. Pour in a few rounds of olive oil and the diced onions. Cook them until they are translucent.

Once the onion is translucent and your vegetables are roasted, pour the tomatoes, red pepper, garlic, all the juice from the pan and the vegetable broth into the pot. Stir, breaking up the tomatoes and pepper, and cook for about 5-10 minutes.


Now you can either transfer the soup into a blender (do this in batches) and blend till smooth, or go to town on it with your fancy immersion blender. Leslie recommends to then run the liquid through a strainer, however I like my soup with a little bit more texture – so I skipped the strainer.


Season to taste with a pinch of cayenne pepper and salt & pepper.

Vegetable Stock

So, I’m going on a bit of a detox this week…I had been treating my body pretty badly so I thought cutting back on my sugar and caffeine intake and upping my fruits and vegetables might be a little bit better for me.

As such, I decided to make some vegetable stock – to use for some hearty soups and stews, as it’s becoming clear that winter still isn’t going anywhere.

Vegetable stock is even easier to make than chicken stock, and it’s super delicious. Way better than the stuff you buy in those cartons – I promise!

Vegetable Stock
As usual, this recipe is just a bit of a guideline…you can always throw in more or less of any of the ingredients, depending on what you have. It’s a great way to use up vegetables and herbs.

Ingredients:

3 carrots, unpeeled and coarsely chopped
3 onions, unpeeled and coarsely chopped
3 ribs of celery + leaves, coarsely chopped
1 roma tomato, halved
1 head of garlic, unpeeled and separated into cloves
5-10 sprigs of fresh parsley
1-2 tsp thyme
about 10 whole peppercorns
2 bay leaves
12 cups cold water
*I also threw in some fresh dill…just cus I had it

salt (optional)

Directions:

In a large stockpot, combine carrots, onions, celery, tomato, garlic, parsley, thyme, peppercorns, bay leaves and dill. Pour in water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1½ - 2 hours.


Drain stock through a colander. You can also do this through a fine sieve, but I like that some of the thyme and spices end up in the stock. Add enough salt to suit your tastes, if you’re using it.


The stock will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days, or it freezes really well for up to 4 months.

I used some of the stock to cook some brown rice, and it flavored it beautifully. I then added some fresh vegetables and made a pilaf of sorts. So yummy!

Wedding Cake Consultations - 3 Ways

So, the first girlfriend from my high school group of friends is getting married this year. Her name is Char. She is girly, blonde and classy. We’re all very excited.

Today, I was fortunate enough to accompany her on her wedding cake consultations. I figured it would be a good chance to not only help her with her own cake, but also get some ideas for the cupcakes I’m doing for my cousin’s wedding in September.

Since we went to 3 very different places, I felt I needed to do some sort of blog post on the entire ordeal. Partially as a mini cake shop review, but also as an insight in case anyone reading this is looking into any 3 of these places to get their own wedding cake done.

Stop #1 – Delish Custom Cakes & Sweets

I fell in love with this place as soon as we walked in. It smelled absolutely divine and there were so many cupcake flavors as well as the most colorful and delicious-looking icing choices. You could also see right into the bakery from the entrance, which I always like. And after clearing up a minor scheduling issue, we got to pick a number of cupcakes to try and were whisked into the back room (an undeveloped half of the shop that the owner told us was being turned into a café) to do the consultation.

As far as the cupcakes go, theirs were my favorite. All the cupcakes were moist, just dense enough and filled with flavor. We tried Vanilla w/ Vanilla Buttercream, Hazelnut w/ Hazelnut Buttercream, Apple Spice w/ Cinnamon Buttercream and Black Forest w/ Whipped Cream. Being a vanilla girl, the vanilla cupcake was definitely my favorite. We also both fell in love with the hazelnut – the icing was incredible – and the black forest was really good too (plus it was Char’s favorite). The apple spice was nice, but we decided it was too “autumn-y” for a summer wedding.

In terms of the service, the girl who helped us was really sweet and patient with us, as Char came very prepared though we ended up making a lot of changes and coming up with an entirely new idea in the process. She was also just very eager and excited to take on Char’s wedding cake vision (which is magnificent but challenging). All in all, it was a really good experience, and they were able to keep it all within Char’s budget. So that was a bonus.

Stop #2 – Cake Couture

The first thing that put me off of Cake Couture was that there were no cupcakes on display or even for immediate purchase (it also didn’t smell like a bakery). They did, however, have a nice selection of absolutely beautiful and unique wedding cakes on display, as well as a few cakes they were finishing up (one was shaped like a frog prince and it was absolutely adorable). There was also a big window where you could see into the bakery to see them at work.

It was a very professional atmosphere though, and the woman who helped us was a lot more serious and analytical than the one at Delish. She was knowledgeable and right to the point, which was nice, but I just didn’t get the same vibe from them. Not to mention the fact that the quote they gave us for the cake was more than double what Delish offered us, and we had to therefore make considerable alterations to keep it within budget.

I can’t really review the taste of the cakes there as we weren’t given any to try – apparently that is the next step with them after you’ve solidified a design. All in all, I got the impression that Cake Couture is more about the aesthetic of the cake. Don’t get me wrong, they do beautiful cakes and I have no doubt that they could give Char exactly what she wanted, however they were very pricey for what we wanted and I personally just didn’t get a good vibe from them.

Stop #2.5 – Fife n’ Dekel

I know this isn’t a cake place but I just wanted to mention that we stopped at Fife n’ Dekel for lunch…Char had never been and we were both craving something somewhat wholesome to balance out the cake so we went and had sandwiches. And there isn’t a better place in the city for that than Fife n’ Dekel. I absolutely love going there, partially because all their bread and ingredients are so fresh and delicious, but also because you can go in the height of the lunch hour rush on a Friday and still be out of there in a surprisingly short amount of time. It is a well-oiled machine. And so delicious. Plus – their strawberry-rhubarb pie is the best in the city. At least, in my opinion.

Stop #3 – Cakes by Trina

Our final stop was Cakes by Trina, which is actually run out of the owner Trina’s home. As soon as we got there, she brought us down to the commercial kitchen in her basement and I felt as if I had died and gone to heaven. Shelves upon shelves of cake pans, sprinkles, flour, vanilla…you name it. It was paradise.

I also immediately liked her as she offered us tea and coffee with our cake. We then went to try 4 of the flavors she had on hand; Vanilla, Chocolate, Raspberry and Lemon Poppyseed – all with a vanilla buttercream. The cakes were all very good, they definitely tasted like they were made from scratch, and I have to say that the Lemon Poppyseed was my favorite. I’m not even a huge fan of Lemon Poppyseed, but hers was just perfect and I couldn’t stop eating it.

I also got a really good vibe from her. She had a real love of baking and creating, “edible art” (as she calls it). She had a strong distaste for having fake Styrofoam tiers in cakes as she wants people to be able to eat what she creates. She was also very honest and knowledgeable about all things cake. She showed us a slideshow of numerous cakes she had done over the years (she said she’s made over a thousand cakes in her career) and the whole experience was just very personal. She also ended up helping Char meld her new cake vision with her original one into her perfect wedding cake, while keeping it within her budget. Kind of amazing.

I didn’t like her cake quite as much as Delish, but I really liked her. And I think she was my all-around favorite stop. Maybe because I want to be her...but that’s another story.

So yeah, 3 very different cake consultations and far too much free cake later…I think I have a much better handle on what’s out there in the wedding cake industry. And hopefully Char will have the cake of her dreams :)

(Char and I - back in our high school days before we even had thoughts of wedding cakes)