Recipes

Bananas Foster Cupcakes

Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients & Directions:

For the Spiced Rum Coconut Cake:

• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 2 cups flour,
• 2tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 1 tsp coconut extract
• 1/4 cup rum
 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 muffin cups with baking cups. In a bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, spices and salt. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and the 3/4 cup coconut milk to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Stir in the rum until incorporated. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling each about three-fourths full. Use the back of a spoon to smooth out batter in cups. Bake for about 20 minutes.

For the Spiced Rum Cream Cheese Icing:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 3-4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1tbsp rum
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Cream together the cream cheese and butter in a  mixing bowl with mixer on medium. Once incorporated, turn mixer to low, and gradually add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. After adding 2 cups of powdered sugar, add in vanilla, rum, and spices. Continue adding powdered sugar until it has reached a taste and consistency you prefer.

Bananas Foster:

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 3 bananas, sliced
• 1/4 cup rum

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

In a large skillet melt butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add bananas; toss gently to coat. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes or until bananas are heated through. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan heat rum over low heat just until rum almost simmers; remove from heat.  Once the rum cools down some, about 5 minutes, stir rum into bananas mixture. Add vanilla.

When you've finished preparing everything, and the cupcakes have cooled down, pipe the icing in circled on top of the cupcakes. It will create a small well for the bananas foster to sit in. Serve the bananas foster warm over the prepared cupcakes. Springle a little ground nutmeg and you're done!!

If you use this recipe or share any content from it, please link back to my blog.



The Bananas Foster

 

 

 



Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 3/4 C Butter
• 3 Eggs
• 2 C Flour
• 3/4 Unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 Tsp Baking Soda
• 3/4 tsp Baking Power
• Dash of Salt
• 2 C Sugar
• 2 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/2 C Milk

1. Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, line twenty-four to thirty muffin cups with paper bake cups. In a medium bowl stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, about 14 cup at a time, beating on medium speed until combined. Scrape sides of bowl; beat about 2 minutes more or until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and milk to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Beat on medium to high speed for 20 seconds more. ** NOTE: I use pure Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla. I can taste a difference in the food I make with it, and so can my customers! Click here for a link to the vanilla I buy**
3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each one-half to two-thirds full. Use the back of a spoon to smooth out batter in cups.
4. Bake for about 18 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks. Frost with desired frosting.

You might be expecting a frosting recipe right about now, but what kind of baker would I be if I gave away all of my trade secrets?

Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch (more if needed to thicken)
• 1 tablespoon cold water

For the crust:

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 16 squares)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted (more if needed, crumbs shouldn't be falling apart when pressed together)

For the filling:

• 3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions

• In a small saucepan, combine the blueberries, sugar and lemon juice. Cook and stir over medium heat for 5 minutes or until the berries are softened. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into the blueberry mixture.
• Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; cool to room temperature. Transfer to a blender; cover and process until smooth. Set aside.
• For crust, in a small bowl, combine the crumbs and sugar; stir in the butter. Press onto the bottom of a greased 9-in. springform pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
• In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the sour cream, flour and vanilla. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour filling over crust. Drizzle with blueberry mixture; cut through batter with a knife to swirl.
• Return pan to baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around the edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer.
• Refrigerate overnight.

Chicken Bacon Spinach Pasta Bake

• 3 Strips of thick cut bacon, chopped and cooked
• 1 Box Rigatoni pasta, cooked
• 1 c chopped yellow onion (optional)
• 2 (8 oz) pack frozen spinach, thawed
• 3 c cubed, cooked chicken breasts
• 1 (14 oz) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 (8 oz) container Philadelphia chive & onion cream cheese
• ½ t salt, ½ t pepper
• 1 Tbsp Cajun Seasoning
• 1 Tbsp Garlic Salt
• 1/2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
• 2 c shredded Italian blend cheese

Directions:

Put cooked pasta in a large bowl. In pan with bacon grease, saute chopped onion on medium heat. Once the onion is cooked soft and thin, add to bowl with pasta, along with the thawed spinach. Cook chicken in remaining bacon grease (if there's not enough grease for chicken to cook add a small amount of olive oil.) Season chicken with half of the salt, pepper, cajun seasoning, italian seasoning, and garlic salt. Once chicken is cooked, add to bowl, along with diced tomatoes, cream cheese, 1/2 Cup of shredded Italian cheese, and remaining seasoning. Taste it! If it's not seasoned enough, add some more.

Once everything is mixed well, cover  pour into casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake covered with foil at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake until cheese is bubbly (or lightly browned the way I like it.)

Here's some pics for reference:

Cook everything, mix it together..

Take a close up picture of the deliciousness in front of your face.

Top with cheese and bake!

This recipe was adapted from http://www.savingmoneylivinglife.com/2010/06/chicken-spinach-pasta-bake.html

Blueberry Peach Crumbles

Want to see more pictures of this recipe? Click here to see my blog post about it!

Ingredients:

For the fruit filling:

2 pounds firm, ripe peaches (6 to 8 peaches)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup fresh blueberries (1/2 pint)

1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

For the crumble topping:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Filling: Rinse the fruit clean, then peel the peaches and section (or to make it super easy, just cut it up in chunks.) Place peaches, sugar, and lemon juice in a non-stick pot on medium heat. Stir it up. When the sugar begins to melt and the juice begins to bubble, stir the blueberries in. Let the blueberry/peach mixture cook for about 3 more minutes, then remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract and flour and spoon into ramekins

Crumble: combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. Rub the mixture with your fingertips until it's in big crumbles, then sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Place the ramekins on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the tops are browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

If you want to make these early, store the unbaked crumbles in the refrigerator and bake before dinner.