Cream Filled Pumpkin Cupcakes

I've made these for my team at work for the past two years and they're becoming both famous and infamous. Everyone is excited to see them, but then they are mad at me because they smell and taste so good that they are tempted all day to eat nothing but cupcakes.

I had originally planned to make them in one night, but I was ahead of schedule on my to-do list for the week (Jeff and I are hosting a Halloween Party tomorrow so my to-do list was quite involved), so I made the cupcakes themselves one night and did the filling the next day. I would recommend doing it this way every time because I had forgotten how long the filling takes.

For the filling, you have to bring the milk and cornstarch to a boil, then remove them from the heat and let them come to room temperature. If you're making them all at once, I would definitely recommend doing this step while the cupcakes are baking, because you can use the rest of the bake time along with cupcake cooling time to wait for this stuff to come back down to room temp. I passed the time by practicing doing my hair for my Halloween costume this year (Rosie the Riveter). The hair didn't go so well, but by the time I gave up, the mixture had cooled, so I suppose it all worked out.

After having made the pumpkin whoopie pies this year and having loved that filling so much, I might go nuts next year and use that filling instead of this one. It would definitely make the cupcakes a heavier treat, but that spiced filling was just SO good. Also, the smell of boiled milk and cornstarch is gross, so I've always personally struggled a little with these cupcakes since I started making them myself because that's all I think of when I try to eat them.

Also, this year instead of spooning the filling into the cupcakes, I put it in a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and piped it in, and this is definitely the way to go. I didn't even use a fancy pastry bag tip, but the speed and precision from the bag just blows the spoon method out of the water.

The original recipe suggests putting a clove stem in the top of the little "hats" (as I call them) once you place them back on top, but I have never done this because while it is cute, it means I have to buy clove stems so everyone can take them off their cupcakes and throw them away.

Recipe (Originally from Taste of Home)

Cupcakes

2 Cups Sugar

3/4 Cup Canola Oil

1 15oz Can Solid-Pack Pumpkin

4 Eggs

2 Cups Flour

2 Tsp Baking Soda

1 Tsp Salt

1 Tsp Baking Powder

1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon

Filling:

1 Tbsp Cornstarch

1 Cup Milk

1/2 Cup Shortening

1/4 Cup Butter, softened

2 Cups Confectioner's Sugar

1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, beat sugar, oil, pumpkin, and eggs until well blended. In a separate bowl, combine Flour, Baking Soda, Salt, Baking Powder, and Cinnamon. Gradually add to Pumpkin mixture until well blended.

-Fill paper-lined muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool.

-For Filling, combine cornstarch and milk in a small saucepan until smooth. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature.

-In a large bowl, cream Shortening, Butter, and Confectioner's Sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in Vanilla. Gradually add cornstarch mixture, beating until smooth.

-Using a sharp knife, cut a 1 inch circle 1 inch deep in the top of each cupcake (I tend to cut a cone shape). Carefully remove tops and set aside. Spoon or pipe filling into cupcakes. Replace tops.

Taco Salad

For the first several years of my life (well into high school) I was not able to eat lettuce.
No, wait, let me be more specific: I was physically capable of eating lettuce, but the act of doing so filled me with an unmatchable disgust. I was able to detect the tiniest speck of lettuce in my food, and I had the immediate reaction of spitting out the entire bite onto my plate. My parents thought this was gross and awful, but it was how it was.

Sometime during my senior year of high school, I decided to try to lose weight and eat healthier. I knew that my meal choices were limited unless I decided to get over this thing with lettuce, because it's super easy to make or order a salad (though I know several restaurants have managed to make them unhealthy, but that's a different matter). Right around when I first made this decision, my sister brought this taco salad to a family gathering. I tried it, and I loved it immediately. It was my gateway salad and thanks to it, I am able to eat some green leafy things (though not many... let's not go nuts here).

Sometimes at restaurants I will see salads on the menu that are similar to this one, and every time I order one, I am stunned when the server asks me what kind of dressing I'd like. There is a solid moment every time in which I stare at them with a completely confused look on my face and don't say anything, then ask them what they have, and choose something that sounds vinaigrette-y, but request it on the side. When the salad comes, I just remove the dressing cup and ignore it completely.
With the salsa and sour cream mixing together in this salad, you really don't need a dressing. It's delicious just how it is.

You can make this salad in varying levels of "completeness" depending on where you are eating it and how much you think will be gone in a sitting. If you are taking it to an event and expect it all to be eaten, mix everything together really well in a bowl and leave it for guests to help themselves.
However, if you're making it at home or expect there will be leftovers, only mix the romaine, beans, and corn into the salad bowl. After that, serve the other mix ins separately and allow each person to make their own. The salad can't be kept once the salsa is mixed in with it, and the chips just get pretty gross after sitting in it for a while.


Ingredients: (they're approximate because I usually just make my own personal bowl, so feel free to play around with it until you like what you have)
-Head of Romaine Lettuce (or bag if you don't feel like cutting it up)
-Can of Black Beans
-Can of Corn
-Tortilla Chips
-1/2 jar Salsa
-8 oz Sour Cream
-Shredded Mexican Cheese
-Optional: Cook some chicken or steak with taco seasoning to put on top

Directions:
1) If adding meat, prepare as desired. I usually cut up chicken breasts into cubes then cook them with taco seasoning.
2) Rinse and chop romaine and put in salad bowl
3) Drain cans of beans and corn, then add to salad bowl and mix well
 - here's where you stop and put everything on the table buffet style if you want to keep any -
4) Crumble tortilla chips into bowl
5) Add salsa and sour cream, then top with cheese
6) Mix well and enjoy

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

I have a difficult relationship with Fall related foods. I like them, but I get furious that I start hearing about them so early in the year; if it's still an average of 80 degrees or more, Starbucks should hold off on the Pumpkin Spice Lattes. However, once the temperatures drop a little, I'm excited to partake of seasonal delicacies with gusto.

Typically to celebrate the season I will bake my cream filled pumpkin cupcakes (which I still expect to do this year, so there's an entry to look forward to), but for my sister's Halloween party she requested that I make Pumpkin Whoopie Pies.
Last Christmas I received a whoopie pie pan, so I thought I'd test that while I made them. Unfortunately, I've never made any other whoopie pies, so I have no point of comparison. But let's not let that stop me from talking about the pan method anyway:

1) The instructions on the pan say  to "fill the cavities 2/3 full." Have you seen a whoopie pie pan? Those cavities are about 1/8" deep. I challenge anyone here to pour in just enough batter to reach 2/3 full.

2) They're not kidding about the 2/3 full thing.

The recipe was supposed to make 15 whoopie pies, but apparently I overfilled my pan, so I only ended up with 12. Actually, that was kind of convenient for me because the pan makes 12 at a time, so I just filled it twice.

I tried not to put too much of the Marshmallow Spice Filling on the pies because I remember it going EVERYWHERE the last time I ate one, but I definitely didn't put enough. I did, however, have a giant bowl of the filling left over, so Jeff and I just starting eating it with spoons. It's astoundingly delicious and I need to find something else to do with it. Maybe just a fruit dip.

I'll let you know how that turns out if I ever try it.

Recipe here

Sweet & Sour Chicken

As previously mentioned, a lot of my renewed inspiration to start this blog back up was from Jessica of Crash Bang Kitchen. This recipe is one that I got from her blog (though it's originally from the food blog Made it, Ate it, Loved it). She brought it in to work one day and after sampling just a little bit of the sauce, I knew I wanted the recipe.

For authenticity, I referenced the original recipe while I made this. I will admit, it felt like it skipped a few important notes. For example, it never told me to preheat the oven. Obviously, if I read the recipe before diving in, I should be able to figure that out, but I just prefer a recipe that really lays it all out for you and makes it plain as day. This is also how I ended up with little chicken nubbins covered in cornstarch and egg goop waiting for the oil in my skillet to get hot. However, despite these little hiccups, it all still turned out.

Jessica had mentioned earlier that if I happened to have extra leftovers of this recipe and wanted to bring them in to work to share, she would be happy to help me prevent them from going to waste. So, with that in mind, I made a little more chicken than the recipe called for. I also used chicken breast tenderloins rather than chicken breasts, so the amount was difficult to judge, but the meat was pretty much the same once it was cut into pieces. Since I had more chicken, I also doubled the sauce recipe because Jeff and I agreed that we'd both rather have more sauce than not enough.

While I was making the chicken bits, Jeff set our new fancy steamer to work on some rice and broccoli. I definitely liked having the rice with this meal because it feels more like I ordered Chinese delivery. The broccoli will be a work in progress in the steamer. It was... less than desirable (unless you like broccoli that you don't have to chew).

Overall, I think this recipe was a big success and I would definitely make it again. Perhaps next time, to really seal that Chinese takeout feeling, I'll sprinkle it with sesame seeds when I flip the chicken.

Original recipe here

New Life

So, this blog got off track and was generally left to wither and die because we got lazy and stopped making new meals, and therefore ran out of entry material.
However, several things have changed since the last entry that lead up to a perfect time to resurrect this poor old thing. Some of these things include:

1) Jeff and I have moved into our first house and it is closer to our jobs, so we have more time in the evenings and are therefore trying new meals again rather than coming home and being so exhausted that we cook eggs and go to bed immediately every night.

2) Jeff's brother has moved in with us and we feel obligated to make food that isn't so lame or repetitive as we let ourselves get away with when it's just the two of us.

3) My friend Jessica from the blog "Crash Bang Kitchen" (see new link at right of page) has been inspiring me and making me want to get back into this food... blog... thing.

The major change from here is that Jeff will probably participate less in the entries if he participates at all. I may cover some meals he makes (by hovering obnoxiously over him taking pictures and asking him how it's going) and post in his place. Therefore, the baking entries will probably become more regular, because that's most of what I do.

Happy relaunch!

Breakfast Feature: Magic Sausage Rolls

Don't laugh because I said "magic sausage." If you're laughing, you can't eat them, and that means you have to deal with your brutal hangover.

Yes, that is why they are magic; these breakfast rolls are the ultimate hangover relief food. They're composed of Jimmy Dean sausage, a brick of Philadelphia cream cheese, and a roll of Pillsbury Flaky Layers biscuits. The exact ingredients are important for these, so I don't bother with generic versions.

I like to get as far along in the preparation as possible the day before so the next morning when I'm glaring at my kitchen out of one bloodshot eye, I don't have to tackle a lot of prep. This usually includes browning the sausage and mixing it with the cream cheese, but this time I took it a step further an prepped the biscuits, too. It's crucial to get the Flaky Layers biscuits, because you need to peel each biscuit into 3 pieces, which isn't too hard if they're already flaky layers.

Several people that I've made these rolls for have been hesitant because of the sausage cream cheese mixture, but these are the only food that I make that has NO leftovers EVERY time; I think that says it all.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 roll Jimmy Dean Sausage (I prefer Maple flavor)

8oz Philadelphia cream cheese

1 roll Pillsbury Flaky Layer Grands Biscuits

Directions:

1) Brown the sausage and drain it very thoroughly (I put it on a layer of several paper towels and dab it to get it as drained as I can)

2) After the sausage cools, mix it with the brick of cream cheese

3) Peel each biscuit into 3 pieces to get a total of 24 thinner biscuits

4) Spoon the sausage mixture into the biscuits and pinch them closed so it looks like a little taco

5) Put in a baking dish and bake at 375 for about 30 minutes until the biscuits are brown

Baking Feature: Peach Pies

My sister and I took my nephew to Baugher’s farm/orchard in Westminster, MD where we picked our own peaches. I love the smell and taste of peaches and Jeff spent several years living in Georgia, so he has some fondness for them, as well. We don’t get them often even when we are in a big fruit kick because I do not like eating the fuzz and I don’t take the time to cut them up, and I guess Jeff just doesn’t think of it? I’m not sure why he doesn’t get them.

Whatever the reason, I got some while we were at the orchard and I needed to use them. I decided to make a peach pie, which would officially be the first pie I’ve ever made. I’ve heard stories from several people saying that making a pie crust is a pain and often doesn’t turn out, so I decided for my first pie to just buy a Pillsbury one and call it good. For the rest of the pie, I used a Crisco recipe out of a cookbook my sister had.

The book had a pie crust recipe in it that you were supposed to use, and it specified to skip baking the crust for any time before the pie is fully assembled, so I assumed that would be the same for my pie. It was not the same for my pie.

The Pillsbury crust definitely needed to bake a little as when I removed the pie from the oven, the filling was over baked and the crust was under baked. Harrumph.

We ended up throwing most of that pie away (though it looked SUPER cute with the little crust cutout shapes on it).

I was very upset at my complete failure at pie and was determined to try again, so Jeff and I returned to the orchard and got more peaches for take 2. Conveniently, the orchard had little recipe slips for a peach crumb pie, so I thought I’d try this one instead because they are really well known for all of their awesome baked goods.

Rather than a traditional crust, this one calls for a crumb mixture that you press into the pan to make a crust, and sprinkle on top of the filling for a topping. I liked this crumb mixture, but after eating some pie, I think it was too bland and I would take out some flour and add brown sugar to it. Also, when they say to butter the pan, they aren’t messing around; my pie doesn’t come out of the pan despite the buttering I gave it. It’s more of a peach cobbler crumble by the time you wrestle it onto a plate.

Overall, this pie turned out better than the first one, but it still isn’t very good. I’m starting to think that the main problem may be that I don’t actually like peach pie…

Immediately after taking a bite of the second pie, Jeff said “you should make it with blueberries.” I think I agree; the crumb part seems like it will work well with blueberries, but I would definitely sweeten it for that. I also think I would try the blueberry with the original pie recipe (with the Crisco crust) because I like the crumb topping on that one more. Perhaps there is a blueberry pie entry on the horizon…