Cuppy Cakes

Just a few cupcakes I want to try someday...

 
 
 
 

Jam Butter

 

Came across this beautiful blog called Sunday Suppers. The second I saw the picture of the jam butters, I thought, "I have to make that this very instant".

To make your own, all you need is:

one stick very soft unsalted butter
5 Tablespoons jam/preserves

Combine by hand or in electric mixer. Spread into small bowl or ramekins and serve with these heavenly biscuits. My mind is running away with all the occasions I am going to be making these for. Yikes!

May 24 Menu

Here goes nothin-

Sun: Chicken Cobb Salad, garlic bread, and frozen key lime pie

Mon: Burgers, dogs, salad, watermelon, beans, popsicles, the usuals

T: Taco salad

W: BBQ chicken and veggies

Th: Chicken salad croissants

F: out

Sat: steaks, potatoes, salad, cowboy bars

Happy Memorial Day, one and all!

Pancake Portraits

 

I think these are pretty fun... they also did likenesses of Paula Deen, Bobby Flay, and the guy from Ace of Cakes.

See here for the how-to.

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon-sugar Chips

Last week I gave a bridal shower for a cute girl in my ward, Kelli. On the menu: rolled tacos, fresh chips and two salsas (all from Tia Rosa's Taqueria), Amanda's guacamole, corn on the cob with lime butter (just zest a couple limes into the softened butter and roll the cobs in it- SO good), homemade chocolates from friend Jen, and fruit salsa with cinnamon-sugar chips. The only thing missing was sweetened whipped cream. MUST have this to serve with the fruit salsa. Also make sure whatever else you're making can be prepped ahead of time, because the salsa has to be prepared just an hour or two before eating. The chips can be made the night before. D-lish!

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon-sugar Chips

4 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Gala apples - peeled, cored and diced
1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and diced
2 lbs strawberries
4 T. white sugar
4 T. strawberry jam

juice of one lime

24 flour tortillas
1 stick butter
1 C. sugar and 2 T. cinnamon

In a large bowl, mix kiwis, apples, pineapple, strawberries, lime juice, sugar and jam. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for an hour.
Preheat oven to 350. Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with fruit salsa and sweetened whipped cream.

May 17 Menu

Last week, Dad made us all breakfast for dinner on Mother's Day. It was wonderful! He asked us repeatedly if he and his meal were going to make it on "the blog". Your wish is our command, Dad!


It seems I am always renewing my efforts in healthy cooking because- it's been a CRAZY busy week, or somebody was sick, or we were out of town, etc. I guess that's life, so this week is another one of those get-back-to-business veggie-loaded menus:

Sun- Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, corn on the cob, fruit salad, Maren's chocolate cake (Clay's b-day!)

M- Caprese sandwiches

Tues- lasagna primavera

W- chicken and veggie kabobs with pineapple ginger rice

Th- steak and potatoes

F- broccoli chicken calzones

Sat- who knows?

Cowboy Bars

These 7-layer bars reminded Chris of a yummy dessert we had at a fun place in Northern Cali called Comforts (a favorite of Sean Penn's). They are also highly addictive. Recipe from America's Test Kitchen.

Cowboy Bars

Makes 18

1 C. sweetened flaked coconut
1 stick unsalted butter
9 graham crackers, crushed in a large ziploc bag
1 C. finely chopped walnuts
1 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 C. white chocolate chips
1/2 C. swirled chocolate chips
(or butterscotch chips, but i don't like those)
1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350. Spray a 9 by 13 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Fold two pieces of foil or parchment paper so that one measures 13 inches wide and the other 9 inches wide. Lay sheets in pan, perpendicular to each other, pressing into the corners, then spray again.

Spread coconut onto baking sheet and bake til just beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Set aside. Melt butter and mix with crushed graham crackers. Spread crushed crackers in pan. In order, sprinkle the walnuts, semisweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, swirled chocolate ships, and coconut over the graham cracker crumbs. Pour the condensed milk over the entire dish.

Return pan to oven and bake til top is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temp, about two hours. Remove bars from pan using the foil handles and transfer to cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut into 2x3 inch bars.

Chicken Cobb Salad

This salad is too good to be true. A MUST-try. And in the words of Lavar Burton, "But don't take my word for it!" Recipe from Everyday Food.

Chicken Cobb Salad

6 bacon slices, cut into 1-inch pieces
romaine lettuce
seasoned grilled chicken, thinly sliced
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
2 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick
1 avocado, thinly sliced
coarse salt and ground pepper
vinaigrette

In a medium skillet, cook bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, til crisp, 8 minutes. Drain on paper-towel-lined plate. In a large bowl, toss lettuce with vinaigrette. Place lettuce on platter. Arrange bacon, chicken, goat cheese, tomatoes, and avocado on top. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Vinaigrette:

In small bowl, whisk together

2 T. white-wine vinegar
2 T. honey
salt and pepper

Add 1/4 C. olive oil, whisking as you pour. Store in airtight container or jar and refrigerate up to two weeks.

Wow.

I can't wait to make these for dinner next week just to see Chris and the kids' reactions. This discovery made my day.

Found on Plum Pudding.

Fried Ice Cream

Happy Cinco De Mayo everyone!



Fried Ice Cream

3 C. crushed "Honey Bunches of Oats"
3 C. sweetened coconut
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 half gallon of your fave vanilla ice cream
honey

Toast the coconut on a cookie sheet in the oven at 350 for 10-12 minutes, stirring once 1/2 way through. Coconut should be just BARELY starting to get some color. Combine coconut, crushed cereal and cinnamon. While coconut cools, soften ice cream on counter. You can scoop ice cream balls and roll them in the cereal mixture and re-freeze, or if you are making it for a Bradshaw Sunday dinner, table of twenty, then you can just spread the ice cream in a casserole dish or two, and top with the cereal topping. Drizzle a few Tablespoons of honey over the whole thing, and re-freeze a few hours, til firm again. FIESTA!

Vegetable & Hummus Wrap

Does anyone else think of Joey Tribiani whenever they hear the word hummus? It has only been in the last couple years that I have opened my mind to the idea of it. And, of course, now I love the stuff, just like Joey. I found this recipe in Everyday Food, and it is my new favorite lunch.

Vegetable & Hummus Wrap

flour tortillas
cucumber
avocado
tomato
hummus
bell pepper

Chop all veggies into strips. Spread a couple tablespoons hummus down the center of tortilla. Top with chopped veggies, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roll it on up. Tasty, tasty!

May 3 Menu

Here's my Mostly Mexican Menu for the week:

Sun- spicy chicken enchiladas, spinach salad, corn and tomato salad, and "fried" ice cream

M- Green pizza

T- Shredded beef tostadas and homemade guacamole

W- 7-layer bean dip and corn on the cob with cheese and lime

Th- spinach and ricotta ravioli

F- Fast chicken fajitas

Sat- Missionary open house (Elder Jeff Drew returns from Columbia!) - I'm making lemon blossoms, 7-layer bars, and mini strawberry cheesecakes