Happy Halloween Weekend!

I LOVE Halloween. What could be better than dressing up in a ridiculous costume and eating delicious treats? Halloween weekend this year happened to fall on the same weekend many on the East Coast saw the first snow of the year. This weekend called for not only treats, but a dish that would warm me up too. I also have been dying to use my new Babycakes Cake Pop maker. Because of the sugar high most feel around this time of year, my kitchen was turned into a bakery for a few days. This week includes a healthy, chili version of the French classic, Ratatouille, and two equally unhealthy treats. It's all about balance! 


 I have had my eye on this dish for a while, and with the weather, it was a perfect weekend to make it. I found the recipe for Ratatouille Chili on Eat Better America, a great recipe site that makes over recipes into healthy ones. 

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Vegetable oil
1 large eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup sliced zucchini
3 tsp chili powder
1 tsp chopped fresh basil
1/4 tsp salt
1 can northern beans, drained
1 can whole tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce

1. In dutch oven, or pot, heat oil over medium heat.
Add eggplant, onion,  bell  pepper, and garlic.
Cook until vegetables are crisp-tender.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients, breaking up tomatoes.
Cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is tender. 

Next time I will play around with spices a little bit more, but I definitely plan on making this simple dish again. 

Now for the good part...treats! First up, Halloween cake pops! I used the same pumpkin cake recipe as my last post, but cut it in half. 

First, fill the cake pop maker with batter. Close the lid....

It's like magic!!! Pumpkin cake pop balls! 

My cake pop assembly line. Sticks, cake,  icing, and sprinkles.

For the coating, I melted cream cheese frosting and then added  orange food coloring. 

Cake pops!!

Jack O' Lanterns! 

And finally....Pumpkin roll out cookies! It took me a while to find a pumpkin cookie recipe that could be made into cut-out cookies, but I found one!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp orange zest
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4  cups flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
pinch of salt

1. In a medium bowl, cream butter, brown sugar, and orange zest.
2. Stir in the pumpkin.
3. Add egg and vanilla, mix well.
4. Sift together flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt; stir into pumpkin mixture.
5. Chill dough for 30 minutes.

Roll out dough on floured surface.

Cut out cookie shapes. 

And now my favorite part...decorate!!

And enjoy with a glass of milk!! 

A delicious Halloween treat! This recipe makes almost 3 dozen cookies, so plenty to share!

The Perfect Fall Meal

The air is crisp, the leaves are changing color, and haunted forests are in full swing. It is fall! It is time for chili (if you don't have a crazy reaction to the peppers...not fun!), apple cider, pumpkin carving, and football Sundays. I love coming in from a fall run and having something warm and comforting at this time of year. For a warm, fall weekend meal, I went for a twist on an old Italian favorite, butternut risotto. And for dessert, delicious pumpkin cupcakes. 

I have been waiting for weeks to make this recipe, and it was a delicious, creamy success! And it is healthy (always a bonus)! You can find the recipe here at Good Housekeeping.

Butternut Squash Barley Risotto

Ingredients:
1 tbsp margarine
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 cups pearl barley
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 large butternut squash, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Salt and pepper
1 ounce (2/3 cup) grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves

1.In a skillet, melt 1 tbsp margarine. Add shallots and cook for 2 minutes. Add thyme. Add barley and cook 2 minutes, until toasted.

 2. Transfer to a slow cooker bowl. Add broth, water, squash, and 1/2 tsp salt. Cover and cook on high 3 1/2 to 4 hours until liquid is absorbed.  

3. Uncover and discard thyme. Add Parmesan, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Stir until cheese melts. 

Enjoy!!

Now for dessert - Martha Stewart's Pumpkin Cupcakes!!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees. Line cupcakes pans, set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside. 


2. In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree. 

3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until toothpick comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool completely. 

4. Now it is time for the best part...frosting! I used a basic cream cheese frosting, with cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and butter. 

And the fall decorations! 

Fall fabulous cupcakes!!!

These cupcakes were amazing! I think the best I have ever made. The cupcakes were enjoyed by many as the treat for my friend's birthday game night on Saturday. A few leftover ones made a perfect sweet ending to a hearty fall butternut squash risotto meal. I love fall! 

Pumpkin Beer Pretzels

I love fall because fall means that it is okay to make everything with pumpkin! 'Tis the season for pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bread, pumpkin beer, and pumpkin pretzels! Today was a day of fall decorating in my apartment, so I wanted to make something to start off my favorite season, with one of my favorite ingredients - PUMPKIN! I was feeling a bit lazy and didn't want to go to the store to buy canned pumpkin for pumpkin muffins (look for some in the future!), but thanks to my dad, I have an abundance of pumpkin beer on hand. Pretzels are on of my favorite treats because you can dip them in all kinds of mustard. I found a great recipe on one of the best cooking blogs I have found, wearenotmartha.com. 

Ingredients: 1 packet active dry yeast
1/2 C warm water, plus 2 C warm water
1/2 T sugar1/2 t fine sea salt1 t olive oil
1 C pumpkin beer of your choice
3-4 C all-purpose flour (I used mostly whole wheat flour) 
1 t baking soda
1 egg, beaten
2-3 T coarse salt1 T butter, melted


Directions:
1. In a large bowl, add dry yeast to 1/2 cup of warm water and let it sit for 5 minutes.

2. Add the sugar, salt, and olive oil. Pour in the beer. The yeast makes it very foamy!
**I also added some cinnamon and nutmeg to try and bring out the pumpkin flavor. 
3. With a wooden spoon, add in 1 cup of flour at a time. Start by adding 3 cups, and add more if needed.

4. Knead dough on floured surface or put in mixer with dough hook (much easier!) and mix for 3 minutes.  Add flour if necessary.
5. Cover dough with a towel for an hour to let it rise. 

6. Punch the dough down. Separate into 12 pieces to make individual pretzels. 

7. Roll out each dough piece into a rope. 

8. Form the rope into a pretzel shape. 
9. Mix the remaining 2 cups of warm water and baking soda in a small baking dish. Dip each pretzel in the water and then place on a well greased cookie sheet.

10. Cover with a towel and let rise for an additional 20 minutes. 
11. Brush each pretzel with a lightly beaten egg. Sprinkle with coarse salt. 
12. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 425. 
13. Brush with melted butter immediately and let cool.

And enjoy with a pumpkin beer and any type of dipping sauce you like. 


A perfect fall or game time snack! My pretzels came out with the perfect amount of slight crunch on the outside, soft inside. Although the pretzels didn't have a lot of pumpkin flavor, they were delicious dipped in some honey mustard! Next time, I think I will add pumpkin puree to the dough to really bring out the pumpkin flavor. It is just the beginning of my favorite season, and many more pumpkin cooking creations to come!

Cake Pops!

I know I am jumping on the Cake Pop bandwagon, but I can't resist! They are fun, bite sized treats, that can be made with any kind of cake and decorated however you want. My next baking investment will be either a cake pop pan (buybakepops.com) or a Babycakes Cake Pop maker. I am trying to spread the word on my baking, and a bake sale at the school I work at was exactly what I was waiting for. I made nearly 4 dozen green and yellow (go Cougars!) cake pops for the event. Of course, the day before the bake sale was cancelled! But they will not go to waste. The teachers will get to enjoy them in the staff lounge as a delicious Friday treat. 


I used the chocolate velvet cake batter from Southern Living that I have used before. You can find the directions for the cake at the Southern Living link. You can use any cake you would like, including boxed if you don't like to make cake! Cool cake completely before starting your cake pop.


To make cake pops, you will need chocolate wafers in whatever color you desire, any other toppings/decorations, and lollipop sticks (you can find these at craft store).

Crumble cake into a large bowl. Mix with icing of your choice until all cake is coated
and it is the consistency of cookie dough.

Roll cake and icing mixture into balls. Refrigerate for a few hours, or overnight. 

The colors of the school I work for are yellow and green.
Melt chocolate in bowl for dipping your cake pops.

Dip the lollipop stick in the melted chocolate.
Push lollipop stick into cake pop, but don't push the whole way through.

Dip cake pop into chocolate and cover with other decorations. 

I wrapped each cake pop in a small plastic treat bag (also can be purchased at a craft store).

Not only did I make 4 dozen Cougar pride cake pops, but I was asked to make football cake pops for a co-worker. My first client!!! Using the same cake batter and method of combining crumbled cake and icing, I shaped the balls into footballs instead. 

Assemble the cake and lollipop stick, then dip! 

Refrigerate until chocolate gets hard.

Footballs! 

I can't wait to make these again for Steelers games this season. I am excited for everyone to try these cake pops out, and hopefully I will get some more business! I am currently taking orders :) 

PB and J...Cupcakes that is!

One of my favorite comfort foods is a really good PB and J sandwich. Or just peanut butter in general. It is not a good idea for me to have it around. I am known to spoon it out right from the jar. My family was in town last weekend and we were having a crab cake dinner with some of the ladies. I decided to do what I do best, dessert! I needed a little comfort to go along with my wine and crab cakes, so I found a great recipe for jelly filled cupcakes. I made my own PB frosting, mainly because I did not have cream cheese for the frosting in the recipe, and I wasn't going back to the store.

You can find the recipe here!

Ingredients for cupcakes: 1 1/2 cups AP flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, room temp

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk

2 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup milk

Jelly - use any that you like!

1. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.

2. Cream butter and sugar with mixer until fluffy

3. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Pour in milk and beat until smooth.

4. Gradually pour the dry ingredients in. Mix until blended.

5. Spoon batter into lined cupcake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

6. Cool completely before filling or icing.

Filling Your Cupcakes

Cut hole in top of cupcake with a knife.
I have a tool that does this for you (from Bed Bath and Beyond).
Be sure to save top that you cut off!

Fill with Jelly.

Replace top to cupcake over filling.

Frosting

1/2 cup butter

1 cup peanut butter

3 tbsp milk

2 cups confectioner sugar

Beat peanut butter and butter. Add sugar.
Add milk, 1 tbsp at a time until desired consistency.
Mix until fluffy.

Frost and decorate as you would like!
 The recipe recommends crushed peanut butter candy (snickers, butterfingers, etc).
I went simple with some chocolate sprinkles.

And enjoy with a glass of milk (or wine!)

These PB and J cupcakes were the perfect end to a delicious dinner! The cupcake is a little spongier and denser then others, but works well holding in the jelly filling. The original recipe gives an alternative filling option, so choose whichever is best for you! Filling cupcakes is easy, and a great way to change up a recipe, or make a new flavor combination.

You can call me the cookie monster

It is that time of year again...back to school! But before that happened, I needed to do some final summer baking. As many of you know, we have been hit with mother nature a lot this year, and the recent hurricane brought upon a lot of hours in the kitchen. My roommates and I decided to have hurricane party, and to celebrate I made some ferocious hurricane cookies. I think they were more dangerous than Hurricane Irene ended up being. Once you ate one, you just couldn't stop!

I made my favorite cookie batter, the one that tastes like the "Walmart crack cookies." You know, the big sugar cookies with thick, colorful icing? I doubled the following recipe  to make about 2 dozen or so cookies.

Cookie Ingredients: 

1 1/3 cup AP flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

5 1/2 tbsp butter, softened

1/3 cup buttermilk  (I made my own by using milk + lemon juice, let sit for 5 minutes)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside for now.

2. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Add egg and beat for 3 more minutes. Alternate adding the buttermilk and
the flour to the mixture, starting and ending with the flour.
 Add the vanilla and beat until all is combined. 

4. Pipe out or scoop out (I found piping the batter out of a plastic bag easiest) onto a lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes on 350.

The best part of these cookies - the icing! And not just the icing, but my hurricane icing.

Icing Ingredients and Directions:

(Doubled)

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 box (or 3 cups) of powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2-3 tbsp milk

Red, green, and blue food coloring

1. Cream the butter and powdered sugar.

2. Add the vanilla.

3. Add 1 tbsp of milk at a time until it is the consistency you want.

4. Separate icing into 3 bowls, add red, green, and blue food coloring to a bowl.

Hurricane cookies! Layer the icing with red in the middle.
Swirl lightly to make the icing appear as if it is a hurricane on the weather radar!

I made the same cookies the next day, but football shaped for my Fantasy Football draft.
To make cut-outs with this batter, refrigerate for a few hours first.

A few days later, I used this same recipe x5 and made nearly 100 cookies for the staff at my school, to welcome them back to a new school year. I have to say, this is my go to cookie recipe. You really can't go wrong with them! They are soft, sweet, and delicious! And you can be as creative as you would like with the icing. So if this winter you are stuck in another Snowpocalypse this year, you know what kind of cookies to make for your Snowpocalypse party (or just to enjoy for yourself!)