Thanksgiving Recap

Why does Thanksgiving always catch me off guard? Last year, Mr. G and I had a wedding that week, and this year it came earlier than usual. I'm never prepared. It's probably a good thing I don't have any fall decorations, because Thanksgiving always comes and goes faster than I can throw away my pumpkin and log into Pinterest for craft ideas.

The one thing I've managed to somehow prepare in time for Thanksgiving is the food. Even though I don't typically start thinking about it until the week before and cooking it the night or two before, it's miraculously worked out so far. I even (successfully) cooked my first turkey last year! We spent Thanksgiving with my in-laws this year, so everyone brought one dish. Since I love holiday cooking, I contributed a couple more. :) Here is what I made for this year's feast:

• 11-lb Turkey (for Mr. G and me)
• Apple & Goat Cheese Salad
• My Mom's Sweet Potato Casserole
• 44 Cupcakes -- 18 Pumpkin, 26 Chai :)

Turkey

For my turkey directions, check out my Thanksgiving post from last year. I only did a couple things differently this year: I cooked the turkey in an oven bag (it keeps the pan clean and browns the skin), and I used the packet provided by Jenni-O for gravy instead of my mother-in-law's recipe (we didn't keep enough drippings to make the latter, but it was still really good!). And FYI, Jenni-O turkeys have a thermometer that pops out when the turkey is cooked, so it's super easy to tell when it's done. I made this for our "round two" of Thanksgiving at home, just for Mr. G and me. We had it with mashed potatoes and leftover sweet potato casserole (starches much?).

And in case you're wondering, I'm STILL eating turkey leftovers.

Apple & Goat Cheese Salad

This was inspired by the Apple Gorgonzola Salad at Buca di Beppo. I worked there for four years, and that salad was always my favorite. I posted this recipe once before and called it the "summer apple salad." Here's the link. Try it out -- it's a light, sweet salad that pairs well with a raspberry/cranberry/walnut vinaigrette and can be enjoyed as much in the fall or winter as in the summer. :)

Mom's Sweet Potato Casserole

My mom makes the best casseroles. Maybe it was her Southern roots, but holidays at my house were always delicious and abundant. This is one of her sweet potato casserole recipes. I've made this one three years in a row now, but this year was the first time I tried the crunchy topping (usually I just do marshmallows). For the record, the crunchy topping is way better! Here is her recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 c sweet potatoes (canned is fine)
• 3/4 c sugar
• 2 eggs
• 6 tbsp melted butter
• 1/2 c milk
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Topping:
• 3/4 c crushed corn flakes
• 1/2 c chopped nuts (I chopped up honey glazed peanuts)
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 6 tbsp melted butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Bake sweet potatoes according to directions on can. Mash when they are cooked.
3. Add eggs, melted butter and spices to mashed potatoes.
4. Slowly add milk until mixture reaches pudding consistency.
5. Pour mixture into greased 9x9 pan and bake for 20 minutes.
6. Sprinkle topping on casserole when it comes out of the oven. Return casserole to the oven to bake 10 additional minutes.

Chai Cupakes

I've been wanting to make chai cupcakes for a long time. I have a slight major obsession with chai tea. I drink it every single morning while getting ready for work, and I usually order it whenever I go out for coffee. (For those who share my obsession: my favorite chai makers are Panera, Starbucks and Uncommon Grounds in Minneapolis.) Sadly, these cupcakes turned out to be much more challenging than I expected due to several issues I encountered with this recipe. I got it from Pinterest (naturally), and the blogger who posted it neglected a few details:

1. I had no idea how many cupcakes the batter was supposed to make (I wanted 12 cupcakes and ended up with 26).
2. The ingredients were very imbalanced -- the dry/wet ratio was off due to the pot of CHAI TEA I added. Even after adding several additional cups of flour/sugar and test baking three cupcakes, I still ended up with soupy batter and sad little cupcake craters.
3. The frosting recipe (honey cinnamon swiss meringue) lacked directions entirely. Have you ever made swiss meringue? If so, you know that it requires VERY specific directions. With most frostings, if there are no special directions, you can pretty much throw all the ingredients in the KitchenAid and mix them up. Not so with swiss meringue! I eventually found these directions and was able to make a successful swiss meringue (after throwing out a batch), but Mr. G hated it. :( I liked it, but just in case I was the weird one, I made a double batch of my go-to buttercream -- Magnolia Bakery's vanilla buttercream. (Pro tip: use less butter or more confectioner's sugar if you want buttercream that doesn't melt; I've learned this the hard way. Multiple times.)

Thankfully, even though they looked pitiful, the cupcakes actually tasted amazing. I think they may be my new favorites.... In spite of how angry they made me!

Pumpkin Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes last year around Thanksgiving for the first time. Here's the link to my post with the recipe. This year, I substituted the vanilla buttercream for the cream cheese frosting and sprinkled cinnamon on top. I was going to make a salted caramel frosting, but after two (kinda) failed attempts at the swiss meringue, I just decided to make something that would work for both the chai and pumpkin cupcakes. Whatever, I was tired.

How was your Thanksgiving? Did you try any new recipes, or do you have classics that you always make? Feel free to share your recipes and your cooking/baking stories and screw-ups with me. :)

<3 Mrs. G

P.S. I may not have any Thanksgiving decorations, but Christmas I've got covered. Right now I'm working on a burlap ruffle tree skirt (Pinterest project, of course). I'll post it soon!

Raspberry-Rhubarb Cupcakes

If you know me, you know I'm always looking for an occasion to bake cupcakes. I try to avoid baking them randomly, since they will just end up in my stomach. My mother-in-law's birthday was last week, and she loves rhubarb. As it so happens, I had recently bought some rhubarb at the Minneapolis Farmers Market in July and froze it, and since Mr. G is not a rhubarb fan, I figured this would be the perfect time to use it.

As you may remember from a previous post, I made a raspberry rhubarb crisp last summer and loved it, so I decided to try raspberry-rhubarb cupcakes and use the same topping from the crisp for my frosting. It's called Devonshire cream, and it's basically a sweeter, thicker whipped cream. My mother-in-law is actually the one who introduced me to it and gave me the recipe, so it seemed fitting.

I was worried the cupcakes would be too tart, but they came out amazing; I think it was because I created a compote with the fruit before adding it to the mix, which seemed to get rid of the tanginess. Also, my Devonshire cream ended up as more of a glaze, but it still tasted great, so I was happy.

Here's the recipe:

Raspberry-Rhubarb Cupcake Recipe (adapted from Betty Crocker's strawberry-rhubarb cupcake recipe; makes 12 cupcakes)

Compote Ingredients:

• 1 cup sliced fresh raspberries
• 1 cup chopped fresh/frozen rhubarb
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp butter/margarine

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup butter/margarine, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg

Directions:

1. Make fruit compote: Add compote ingredients to a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, then remove from heat. Transfer to a small bowl, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Pre-heat oven to 350 and line muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners.
3. In a small bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
4. Take out 2 tbsp of compote for frosting (I took it out to keep proportions correct but didn't use it in my frosting).
5. In another small bowl, stir remaining compote, milk and vanilla.
6. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add egg and beat until blended.
7. Add half of flour mixture and half of fruit mixture, beating well after each addition. Repeat with the remaining mixtures. Batter should be thick.
8. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes depending on the strength of your oven (mine is extra hot and finished in about 17 minutes). If you insert a toothpick in the cupcake, it should come out mostly clean.
9. Remove cupcakes and let them cool before frosting.

Devonshire Cream "Glaze" Recipe

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. softened cream cheese
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup whipped cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Whip cream and set aside.
2. Cream sugar and cream cheese with mixer.
3. Add whipped cream and vanilla; mix well.
4. Refrigerate.

Up next is Mr. G's birthday on the 22nd, and I'm already brainstorming ideas for his dessert... His birthday is actually on a Saturday this year, so we'll be going to a football game with a bunch of friends; it should be a really fun day, and the lucky boy gets his fancy new grill soon! :) After that is my mom's birthday, and I wished she lived closer so that I could bake something for her.

As for other September events, Mr. G and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary on the 4th. It was the Tuesday after Labor Day (lame), so we stayed at home and recreated our wedding meal (quite successfully, I'll say), drank some wine, baked cookies and watched a movie. It was perfect. Then we celebrated in style the following weekend with a trip to Stillwater: we toured a vineyard (see pic above!), stayed at a charming B&B, ate a delicious dinner at a wine bar (best tenderloin I've ever had) and did some window shopping. All in all, we had an amazing anniversary week. Each year, the bar gets raised... These past 2 years will be hard to beat!

Not gonna lie: I LOVE September, but my wallet and my waistline are looking forward to October. ;)

<3 Mrs. G

Spinach Dip Recipe & KitchenAid Mixer Debate

Hello everyone,

I figured it was time for me to share my spinach dip recipe since I make it basically every week - especially around the holidays. It's also been a favorite of mine, Mr. G's, and pretty much all of our friends for the past few months. It's really simple to make, and it tastes SO GOOD. I originally got the recipe from my Betty Crocker Cookbook app, but I tweaked it a little and my version is actually healthier. Here it is:

Creamy Spinach Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 box (9 oz.) frozen chopped spinach (preferably Green Giant)
• 1 8 oz. container sour cream (I use fat-free and actually prefer the taste)
• 1 cup mayonnaise (again, I use light)
• 1/2 tsp celery salt
• 1/2 tsp dried dill weed
• 1/4 tsp onion salt
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped yellow onions

To make it, first cook the spinach according to the package directions (I usually boil on the stove). Then mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl, cover it and let it sit in the fridge for about an hour. That's it! You're done.

Now I need some advice...

I want to buy a KitchenAid stand mixer for my birthday in February, but I'm torn between getting a tilt-head or a bowl-lift. Both of the ones I'm looking at are similar in price, so basically I'm choosing between power and convenience... Here are the two I'm down to (I would get either in silver):

Tilt-head: KitchenAid Artisan series (5-quart glass bowl, 325 watts)

Bowl-lift: KitchenAid Professional series (5.5-quart bowl, 575 watts)

Stand mixer owners/aficionados - let me know your thoughts. I'm leaning toward the Artisan, but I'm not 100% sold.

Thanks!

<3 Mrs. G

New Christmas Favorites: DIY Decor & Cake Balls

If you read my previous post, then you're aware that I spent the little free time I had last week making DIY Christmas decorations for our Christmas party on Saturday. See my last post for my inspiration (via Pinterest, of course). Here are my final products:

Styrofoam cone + floral pins + LOTS of ribbon!

Tall vase + fresh cranberries and dill + floating candle

Mason jar + Epsom salt + small candle + twine

Free Christmas printable from this blog that I found on Pinterest

I also made my spinach dip (my favorite go-to party dip), Pillsbury Christmas cookies (so easy...) and, for the first time, cake balls! I've been wanting to make them ever since they started popping up all over the internet. I ate them on Thanksgiving for the first time and they looked easy to make. Since I didn't have enough time to whip up a batch of homemade cupcakes for the party - plus I had yellow cake mix leftover from apple crisp - I thought I would give these a try. They turned out to be pretty simple, but having the sticks to go in them (a la cake pops) would have been better, since toothpicks are too small and flimsy for dipping, and barbecue skewers are too fat and just look ridiculous (yes, I tried them). I know there are a lot of ways to make these, but here's how I did it:

Chocolate Cake Balls

Ingredients:

• Betty Crocker SuperMoist yellow cake mix (I used half a box, which was enough for a 9x9 pan and 18 large cake balls) - see back of box for remaining cake ingredients
• Vanilla buttercream frosting (from my 200 Cupcakes book - I made half):
• 10 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp hot water
• 2 bags semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Sprinkles to decorate

Directions:

• Bake cake according to box directions - in a 9x13 pan for a full box and a 9x9 pan for half a box.
• Make frosting while allowing cake to cool. I made vanilla buttercream, but I've heard cream cheese is really good, too. If you're short on time, just use a half-tub of store-bought frosting.
• When cake is cooled, crumble all of it into a large mixing bowl. Add frosting and mix together so that it's mushy.
• Roll little balls from cake-frosting mixture and place on wax paper or foil.
• Heat chocolate chips in microwave, mixing every 30 seconds until smooth and creamy. If necessary, add some hot water to make the consistency thinner (I did this).
• Dip cake balls into chocolate, coat evenly, and place back on paper/foil. Use sticks if you have them. If not, just drop the cake balls in and use a spoon to cover them with chocolate. Toothpicks didn't work for me because of the thickness of the chocolate, but they may work for other toppings.
• If you want, add sprinkles as you finish coating each cake ball with chocolate.
• When finished, place them (covered) in the fridge to sit. Serve and enjoy!

If you're a visual learner, here's a helpful video I found on YouTube for making cake balls.

If you have any delicious cake ball/pop recipes, please feel free to comment and share! These might be my newest obsession... :)

Now, time to watch Love Actually and drink some egg nog (another favorite) after a day of Christmas shopping at the Mall of America - yes, we braved it. Good luck with all of your shopping/crafting/baking/traveling this holiday season! Lots of love from snowy Minnesota. ;)

<3 Mrs. G

P.S. Our Christmas cards came in this week! If I can figure out how to upload them on here, I'll show you what they look like. I actually ended up buying them through Walgreens because I could fit a lot of our cute Christmas photos into one card. :)

Pumpkin Cupcakes

Hi everyone,

As promised, here is my pumpkin cupcake recipe that I found on Pinterest:

Pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting
Salted caramel drizzle

Even the mix looks like fall. :)

All 48 cupcakes!

On my new cake stands - one DIY, one a thrift store find!

I think this might have been my best batch yet, and at 48 it was definitely my largest... I made them because we had 16 people over to our house last week and I was in charge of dessert, plus I had to make extra to bring to work, of course. I had been wanting to make pumpkin cupcakes for quite a while anyway. Molly and I finished off the last two tonight. :) Still delicious!

Are you ready for Thanksgiving? Mr. G and I bought our turkey this week. We're actually having Thanksgiving with his family and his brother's fiance's family since their wedding is on Saturday and her whole family is in town. There will be a ton of people there, but I'm only responsible for green bean casserole. Still, we bought a turkey because Mr. G loves turkey leftovers, so after a big Thanksgiving lunch we'll have a 14 lb. turkey for dinner. Just the two of us... At least his sister and brother-in-law will be staying at our house to help us finish it off. Between Thanksgiving, bachelor/bachelorette parties, the rehearsal and the wedding, this will be a busy week for us... Wish me luck! It will be fun, though.

Happy Thanksgiving! Feel free to share any yummy recipes. :)

<3 Mrs. G

For those who love cake...

Hello all,

Hope you've had a nice weekend. I went to another bridal shower today, which was a nice end to my relaxing but productive weekend. An example of my productivity: I finally made my cake stand! I actually bought the materials a few months ago but kept forgetting to make it. One of the things holding me back was that I knew I wanted to paint something on the plate I bought (which is plain white), so that requires more thought and work... But a couple weeks ago I went craft shopping and bought a black paint pen (best invention ever), so that got things going.

Cake Stand Tutorial

As it turns out, cake stands are really easy to make - all you need is a plate, a candlestick and some hot glue! Even better - it's cheap. I bought my plate and candlestick from a thrift store for a total of about $5, and I got my glue gun from the Dollar Store. I decided to paint a monogram on my plate (surprised much?), mostly because it's easier than trying to replicate some intricate design. I recommend it for those who aren't painters or those who want to add something but don't have a ton of time. :) And I highly recommend paint pens!

Here are some photos:

To attach the candlestick to the plate, just run a line of hot glue around the top rim of the candlestick and then flip it over and press it into the middle of your overturned plate. Hold firmly in place until attached and then, after a minute or so, flip the stand over (carefully!) so that the plate can weigh it down. I tried using super glue, but all it did was make the candlestick slide around; it never stuck. I'm no glue expert, but if it doesn't stick, it doesn't work, so I moved on. Hot glue wins yet again.

If you paint your plate, I highly recommend buying a glaze to protect the paint since cake stands are meant to be used. :) I bought Delta air-dry PermEnamel satin glaze (from Michael's). Time will tell if it's a good one or not, but if you buy it I do recommend buying a large brush to use with it because it tends to show brush strokes. It supposedly takes 10 days to dry as well, so definitely paint the glaze after attaching the candlestick to avoid messing it up. Side Note: it also smells really bad.

And now for the next cake topic - Mr. G's birthday banana cake recipe!

Banana Cake Recipe

old man ;)

For those of you who followed my previous blog, you'll remember this recipe from when I made it for Mr. G's birthday last year. However, I have added a couple ingredients, so maybe it's worth posting again. Regardless, it's a delicious cake, so that alone makes it worth the repost. So here goes:

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe, mashed bananas
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup shortening or softened, melted butter
• 2/3 cup buttermilk (3 tbsp lemon juice + milk)
• 2 1/3 cups flour
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp (ish) vanilla extract - I added this and didn't measure... 

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Grease 9x13 pan.
• Mash bananas while oven preheats. 
• Mix liquid ingredients. 
• Mix dry ingredients then add to liquid mixture and pour in pan.
• Bake for 45-50 minutes.

Frosting:

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 4 tbsp milk
• Pinches of cinnamon - my other addition, and it was a good one!
• Mix together and frost onto cake when cooled.
• Enjoy! This is a really good cake. :)

That's all for now. Inspired to eat some cake yet? ;) I just had some cake batter ice cream, so apparently I was... I never said this blog was for dieters.

Have a good week!

<3 Mrs. G

Chocolate Cupcakes & Fall Bliss

Hi everyone!

Hope you're all having a lovely week. I don't know about elsewhere in the country, but our weather here in the Twin Cities has been AMAZING this week. Fall suddenly came with a vengeance; the temperature hasn't risen above 60 the past couple of days, and I couldn't be happier about it. I'm so excited to break out my boots again. :) Fall is definitely my favorite season - I love the weather, the leaves, the clothes, the holidays, the activities and, of course, the food! In fact, I was thinking about making some fall treats this weekend... namely apple cider and either chili or corn chowder. I would also love to make some pumpkin spice and/or chai cupcakes soon. So many ideas! Let me know if you have any goodies to recommend. :)

For now, though, I have another cupcake recipe as promised! For my mother-in-law's birthday last weekend, I made classic chocolate fudge cupcakes topped with a yummy coffee buttercream. I wasn't crazy about the recipe I used for the cakes - they were a little bland and very dry. The dryness may have been my fault, though, because I stuck them in the fridge without covering them. Nevertheless, the buttercream was delicious. I decided to go with coffee because Mr. G's mom is an avid coffee drinker and it's more fun than plain buttercream. :) I got my recipes from my 200 Cupcakes book. If you have a delicious chocolate cupcake/cake recipe, please share!

Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup lightly salted butter, softened (I always use unsalted - not sure if that makes a difference)
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup self-rising flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:

• Line muffin pan with paper cake liners.
• Put all ingredients in a large bowl and beat for about a minute, until light and creamy (I started with dry ingredients then added wet).
• Pour mix into pan - fill each cup about 2/3 full.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until risen and just firm to the touch. 
• Make buttercream while cupcakes are baking.
• Makes 12 cupcakes.

Coffee Buttercream

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp espresso coffee powder (I just used regular coffee)
• 2 tsp boiling water (add any more and it's too runny)
• 7 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cups confectioner's sugar
• chocolate chips for garnish

Directions:

• Beat ingredients in a bowl until pale and creamy.
• Spread or pipe buttercream on cupcakes after they are cooled down.
• Makes enough for 12 cupcakes.
• Enjoy!

I have to admit that I almost messed up the buttercream, too... I wasn't thinking and put the whole stick of butter in, then I tried to fix it by adding more of the other ingredients, which was a complete fail. So I ended up throwing it out and starting over. Ha oh well, at least I got it right the second time.

Let me know your fall recipes! I'll post mine if I end up making them this weekend. 

P.S. If you're on Pinterest, you should follow me. :) If you're not, read my post from yesterday to see why you should be!

<3 Mrs. G

Sunday Recipe #8: Lemon Salmon

Hello everyone!

Hope you've all had a great week. I survived my first week at the new job! Moreover, I actually really enjoyed it, and I think I picked a good company to work for. I picked a good week to start, too - we launched our company this week and had our summer party at the horse races yesterday. I just feel so blessed to finally be doing what I want to do, even if it did take me a while to get here. :)

As for today's recipe, Mr. G and I bought a huge slab of fresh atlantic salmon on sale yesterday at Cub, so I decided to try my hand at it. I've cooked salmon a couple times before, but I've never cooked it fresh, and let me say - it is a million times better fresh. Honestly. I used a very simple recipe with only the following ingredients - olive oil, lemon juice, lemon pepper seasoning and rosemary. I cut a couple strips of the salmon, basted it in a small amount of olive oil and lemon juice, and sprinkled with the spices. After about 15 minutes in the oven at 375, I added a little more lemon juice and pepper then let it cook 2 more minutes before taking it out. In my oven, 17 minutes was perfect - the salmon was flaky and tender but still juicy. We ate it with sides of rice and broccoli, and it was a perfect summer meal.

I also made chocolate chip cookies tonight (as requested by Mr. G), and I think they were my best batch yet! I used the recipe on the back of the Nestle Toll House chocolate chip bag, but I added a little extra brown sugar, substituted some pancake mix for flour, and I didn't use the entire bag of chocolate chips. Also, they only took about 8 minutes to cook. Definitely will be making these again!

In other news, Mr. G and I joined a gym! We had been waiting to see what kind of insurance I got at my job, which turned out to be a good decision because it will pay most of our (already severely discounted) membership fee each month. :) We joined L.A. Fitness, and the one we go to is a huge facility that never seems very busy, so it's perfect. However, we do have to go at least 3 days a week in order to get insurance coverage, so we will be working out a lot. Maybe now I'll finally get in shape! If I stop baking cookies and cupcakes, that is...

Hope you have a good week!

<3 Mrs. G

Engagement Cupcakes

On Friday, Mr. G and I invited his brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law over for dinner to celebrate their recent engagement. Naturally, I took advantage of the situation to bake some cupcakes. ;) I used my Easter strawberry cupcakes recipe because it was Mr. G's brother's favorite. I made 34, however, so the lucky couple got to take a bunch home with them! Haha whoops. I used my amateur decorating skills to top each little pink cupcake with a white heart and pearls... Until I got tired of making hearts and just topped the rest with a swirl. These are fun cupcakes to make, if you haven't tried the recipe. And what's even better is that they have fresh strawberries in them, which makes them divine.

I got a last-minute invite to a baby shower on Sunday, so I brought over the rest of my cupcakes since I didn't have enough time to get a present. I love when things work themselves out. This is truly turning out to be the summer of weddings and babies, but I don't mind because I enjoy a good celebration. The shower was lots of fun, and the cupcakes were a hit. The only downside is that they were pink, and the baby is a boy.... At least there was a themed cake, and it was adorable - it even had little fondant booties!

Anyone know a good cake/cupcake decorating class in the MSP area?? :)

<3 Mrs. G

(Belated) Sunday Recipe #2: Mocha Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

Hi everyone!

Long time no see... Sorry for the delay in posts! I was in northern MN at a cabin all last week with the  family. We didn't end up crossing over into Canada after all (Mr. G was afraid I'd get stuck because of my outdated passport), but we had a nice, relaxing week that I will relay in my next post.

For this post, I'm attempting to catch up on one of the Sunday recipes I missed with my latest cupcake confection - mocha cupcakes with chocolate ganache!

Let me begin by announcing that I am no longer a mall employee... I quit my job just before going on vacation. My managers and coworkers were all really sweet, and I was treated well, but it was time to leave retail. My last week was also our biggest sale of the season, so I was scheduled for my first (and hopefully only) overnight floorset shift. It was also a potluck for us associates, so of course I seized the opportunity to try a new cupcake recipe. Here it is:

Mocha Cupcakes (from my 200 Cupcakes recipe book):

• Ingredients:
• 1 cup water
• Heaping 1 cup superfine sugar
• 1/2 cup lightly salted butter (I used unsalted)
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder, sifted
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tbsp coffee granules
• 1 3/4 cups self-rising flour
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• Directions:
• Line muffin pan with paper/foil liners and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Put water and sugar in a saucepan and heat gently, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the butter, cocoa powder, baking soda, and coffee granules and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from heat and let cool. (Try a little bit - it legitimately tastes like mocha!)
• Beat flour and eggs into the cooled chocolate mixture until smooth. Pour cake mixture into muffin pan.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until risen and firm. 
• Makes 1 dozen cupcakes.

Chocolate Ganache (from my faves Katherine and Sophie at Georgetown Cupcake):

• Ingredients:
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups chocolate chips 
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• Directions:
• Put 2 cups water in a pot and bring to a boil.
• Place large heat-resistant bowl on top of boiling pot.
• Pour chocolate chips and heavy cream into bowl.
• Stir continuously until chocolate chips are melted and mixture is smooth and shiny. This process should only take 3 minutes. :)
• When ganache is ready, "dip and twist" cupcakes into mixture and add desired topping.

Here are photos of the ganache and the finished cupcakes:

FYI - these cupcakes taste even better than they look. They're perfect for both chocolate and coffee lovers alike, and they're practically necessary for all-nighters (that's how I justify it). 

Hope you enjoy! I'll report on the vacation soon. Feel free to comment with any yummy coffee recipes you recommend.

<3 Mrs. G

Garden Inspiration: Lavender & Rhubarb

Hello everyone!

Hope you all had a fantastic Memorial Day weekend! I spent mine out in the country with my in-laws while Mr. G was away at a business conference in Canada. We grilled burgers, went shopping, played with my dog, and tried to avoid the humidity. I made chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes for the occasion (recipe forthcoming!), and considering my father-in-law ate about 6, I think they were a success. I also tried rhubarb for the first time and made a rhubarb crisp with Mr. G's mom, who has a rhubarb plant in her backyard - can't get any fresher than that! The crisp was fantastic, and I chopped up some stems to take home with me. :)

Here is the recipe for the rhubarb crisp:

Ingredients:

• Filling:
• 8 cups fresh, cut rhubarb
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup additional fruit (optional - raspberries were delicious!)
• Topping:
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 3/4 cup oatmeal
• 3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• For filling:
• Mix first 4 ingredients in a large bowl until coated.
• Spoon into 9x13 pan.
• Drizzle with vanilla extract.
• For topping:
• In another bowl, mix all topping ingredients until crumbly.
• Sprinkle over filling.
• Bake 35-45 minutes or until rhubarb is tender and topping is golden-brown.
• Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Enjoy!

Speaking of fabulous plants, I have also developed a fascination with lavender after seeing it on several wedding blogs. It is such a soft, fragrant flower with colorful blooms and an almost ethereal quality to it. 

Source: Style Me Pretty

Source: Style Me Pretty

Source: Style Me Pretty

See what I mean? Lavender is so dreamy... Tiffany blue will always be my favorite color, but lavender is definitely a close second. To me, it is reminiscent of the French countryside, and it evokes a vintage-y feel while still being colorful and pretty. 

On Memorial Day, I decided to turn my fascination into a hobby by buying my very own lavender plant! It will be my first experience gardening, if you can even call it that (baby steps). I bought lavender provence, which is a French lavender that is very fragrant and low-maintenance. I also got talked into buying lime basil, which I can't wait to use in salsa. What's great about it is that you can eat the leaves right off the stem. Also, as a plus, both are organic! Here are my baby plants:

my little herb garden!

And speaking of vintage, I did more thrift shopping with my mother-in-law yesterday and found some great stuff - my favorite is a lime green wooden mail sorter. It doesn't really match anything I have, but I love the bold color so much that I'll figure out a way to incorporate it... Hopefully.

Anyone else have herb gardens? Or any rhubarb recipes to suggest??

I'll post my cupcake recipe soon! The frosting is the best part - I may or may not be eating leftover frosting by itself right now...

<3 Mrs. G

P.S. Happy June!

Cupcakes & Custard

Hi everyone!

As promised, I'm posting the recipes for my recent dessert ventures: chocolate dulce de leche cupcakes and berry custard pie. As you know from my last post, my parents came to visit over the weekend, and on Friday, we all went down to Mr. G's parents' house for dinner. I was assigned dessert, so I was excited to try a new cupcake recipe, of course. However, I also wanted to make something low-fat for my health-conscious dad, so that's how I found the berry custard pie recipe.

Chocolate Dulce de Leche Cupcakes

I randomly got the idea to add dulce de leche to my cupcakes - it's one of my favorite flavors, and it seemed fitting around Cinco de Mayo. :) At first I was going to add it as a filling to a chocolate cake, but then I found this amazing recipe for chocolate dulce de leche cupcakes! Here are the recipes I used:

Chocolate Dulce de Leche Cupcakes

Dulce de Leche (for filling and/or topping)

Unfortunately, I had a few problems with these cupcakes... They turned out pretty good still, but they were a struggle to make. FYI - dulce de leche is very challenging and very time-consuming to make. If you have the time and the patience, go for it, because it tastes delicious home-made. But if not, you can always buy it in a can. That wasn't the only problem, though... This is really embarrassing to admit, but I forgot to put in the chocolate chips!! Kind-of important for CHOCOLATE cupcakes! :( Thankfully, I had already put cocoa powder in the mix, so they still tasted like chocolate. But I'm sure they would have been much better with the chocolate chips... Oh well. Lesson learned: pay close attention to your ingredients!! Especially when there is a lot, like in this recipe. Double-check everything!

Also, my cupcakes fell in the middle instead of rising... Maybe it was due to the missing chocolate chips? Or maybe it was the temperature change. Who knows. Either way, I opted out of using dulce de leche filling since there wasn't really room for it... Instead, I just put a lot on top of the cupcakes and swirled in chocolate fudge. They ended up looking pretty cute, and they still tasted good in spite of all the problems.

Here they are, flaws and all:

Berry Custard Pie

The berry custard pie recipe went much more smoothly than the cupcakes, and it came out delicious!

As it turns out, there is actually a pie crust recipe included, but I used a different one that is actually easier and worked great.

Here are my recipes:

Graham Cracker Pie Crust

Berry Custard Pie

I didn't take a picture of the pie. :( Completely forgot. But it was a hit, and it is surprisingly healthy! I used peaches and raspberries - only because my dad doesn't like blackberries - but I think any berry combination would work. I loved the peach/raspberry mixture, though! And I think the custard actually tasted better than the cupcakes, but if they had been made right, maybe that wouldn't have been the case...

In other news, I'm hoping to get another DIY project done this week - either the book page wreath or the moss letters (see "Crafting My Nest" for more info). I'll report back!

Feel free to comment if you've had a similar ditzy baking moment, or if you have any fun cupcake recipes or low-fat dessert recipes to share!

<3 Mrs. G

Easter Cupcakes

Hey everyone!

The royal wedding may be this Friday, but this past Sunday was one of my favorite holidays - Easter! I love Easter because it involves going to church, getting together with family, and eating good food. :) In honor of my first Easter in Minnesota, I decided I was going to make cupcakes for our family gathering. I have never made cupcakes from scratch before, and I have probably only ever made them a couple times from the box, but I got inspired after watching several episodes of DC Cupcakes and the Cupcake Girls (which is what happens when you're not working and have On Demand). I like to challenge myself when I'm learning new recipes, so I went with two different recipes (a la Martha Stewart, of course) that involved fresh fruit - strawberry cupcakes with strawberry meringue buttercream frosting, and banana cupcakes with honey-cinnamon frosting. Even the icing was made from scratch! Here are links to the recipes I found on Martha's website:

Banana cupcakes

Strawberry cupcakes

And here are my finished cupcakes (still working on my icing skills...):

Even though they kinda looked like a kid made them, they actually tasted amazing. Fresh fruit really does make a difference! The family really enjoyed them as well, especially the kids. :) Cupcakes just make everyone happy.

After hearing about my cupcakes, my brother-in-law's girlfriend (who also bakes) got me a book of 200 cupcake recipes! I'm SO excited to try them - there is everything from lavender to strawberry margarita to camomile to crazy savory cupcakes that have corn, chili, and bacon in them. Who knows, maybe now I'll open up a cupcake shop here in MN haha. ;) Either way, I can't wait to bake more! Once I make my cake plate, I'll really be legit!

That's all for now - time for this girl to catch up on some crafting while Mr. G is away at a baseball game. :)

I hope you all had a lovely Easter as well. Feel free to comment with any of your Easter recipes!

<3 Mrs. G

P.S. Georgetown Cupcakes (of DC Cupcakes on TLC) has made royal wedding cupcakes! So cute. Check them out here.