Cinnamon Pumpkin Cupcakes

What better way to kick off the first official day of fall than with delicious cinnamon pumpkin goodness. I baked these yesterday and they were gone by last night. The icing is so light and pairs so perfectly with the dense pumpkin cake that these are guaranteed to be an instant favorite.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees and grease your cupcake tins (or just line them).

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup + 2 T butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
8 oz pumpkin (with pie spices)
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk

Mix flour, baking soda, and salt.
Cream the butter and sugar together then beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in vanilla, pumpkin and oil.
Beat in the flour mixture alternating with the milk.

Bake cupcakes 28-30 minutes. Makes 20.


The Best Frosting EVER.

1 (8 oz) cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
2 cups heavy whipping cream

mix everything in a bowl except for cream, then slowly add heavy cream and whip until you have peaks.

Chicken and Stuffing Shells

With the colder weather rapidly approaching, nothing makes me happier than true comfort food. I altered a recipe I found for Thanksgiving stuffed shells (using leftovers) that is to die for. It's cheesy and creamy and everything that makes you feel warm and cozy.

1 box of pasta shells

1 large can of chicken

1 box Stove Top stuffing

4 oz. of cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup of parmesan cheese

1/3 cup of mayonnaise

4 cups of shredded mozzarella

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 (or 2 if you're like me) packets of chicken gravy

 

Boil your shells while you get the filling ready.

Make the stuffing, then add in the chicken and cream cheese while on a low heat to make it melt. Once the cream cheese is mixed thoroughly, take off the stove and add in the parmesan, mayo, and 3 cups of the mozzarella.

(Now's the time to preheat your oven to 350)

Put 1/2 the can of soup on the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

Stuff your shells with the stuffing mixture, and snuggly line them.

Put another layer of the soup over the top of the shells when you're done.

Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella.

Bake covered for 45 minutes and an additional 10 minutes uncovered.

While they are baking, make your gravy.

 

Let them sit for a few minutes, and then serve smothered in gravy. Voila!

 

Mary Lou's Famous Pancakes

I challenge you to find a better pancake recipe ANYWHERE. These are it. The cream of the crop. The best. Numero uno. My mom's pancakes are a widely requested treat in our family and if you make them, you'll quickly see why. The secret to these little buggers is to fry them using bacon fat. If you don't save up your leftover bacon grease, these probably won't be anything special. It gives them perfectly crispy edges with a taste reminiscent of bacon. I like these as silver dollar or just small pancakes (more edges!)

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 beaten egg

1 cup milk

1/4 cup of of butter/oil mix (1/8 cup melted butter and 1/8 cup oil mixed together)

Mix together the dry ingredients and in a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients. Then mix the dry into the wet. Heat up a cast iron skillet with some bacon grease over a medium heat. Pour the batter into little blobs and when most of the bubbles pop on top, flip them. Now go enjoy the best pancakes ever!



Pumpkin Applesauce Cake Bars

A few disclaimers before I really dig into this post (and probably one of these yummy bars):

#1.  I am in no way a food photographer.  I know next to nothing about food styling (as you'll see in the pictures below) - this is my first haphazard attempt at the "step by step" recipe picture thing and let me tell you...it was chaotic at best.  So bear with me!

#2.  You know how most people are either a good cook or a good baker, but very rarely will you find a person who is good at both?  I am not a baker.  You do the math.

#3.  This was an experiment - I'm sure there are a million ways to improve upon this, and I hope you let me know how you fared in your comments if you try this recipe!

You will need:
1 13x9 baking pan
1 box of spice cake mix
3 little cups of applesauce (see picture)
1 can pumpkin
pumpkin pie spice
nonstick spray
water

Spray the baking pan with the nonstick spray so that it is nicely coated - there is no fat (oil, butter, etc) in the cake, so you want to make sure this bad boy doesn't stick.  Next, combine the can of pumpkin and the applesauce in a bowl and mix well.  I used 3 of the little cups of applesauce, but you could probably just use 2 of them.  I chose cinnamon applesauce because I wanted this to bring some spice along with it.  Next, add 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to the pumpkin/applesauce and mix well so that it's combined throughout.  After that, gradually add a bit of the cake mix at a time, making sure that everything is mixed in well before you add more.  You may need to add a bit of water to the batter at this point as it will be thick - I didn't add more than 1/4 cup of water when making this.

*Sidenote - this was my first time using a Kitchenaid mixer and I have two words:  life changing!

Next, pour the batter (it will be on the thick side) into your baking pan.

Bake at 350 for 33-35 minutes.

The cake is going to come out looking cracky and not very pretty, mostly because of the density I'm sure.  Don't judge a book by it's cover here, folks!  There is a lot of goodness in this not so cute little cake!

Okay, so here is what I learned - while the temptation to immediately dig in is immense, let the cake sit and cool.  This was SO MUCH BETTER on the second day.  The flavors really combine together, and the bottom of the bar becomes even more dense, so that it's cakey on top, but incredibly moist on the bottom (almost like the texture of a really rich brownie.  Except, you know, it's pumpkin).

Let me know if you guys find any other delightful variations, or something that works better...
PS - if you put some butter on top and stick it in the microwave for a few seconds, it makes a really delectable breakfast.  :)

Review Friday: Moe and Joe's Spinach and Artichoke Dip

 

This is SO GOOD. It really tastes like you made it yourself (not that anyone here has ever scooped it into a bowl and claimed that). And it should taste like you made it at home, because you could. The ingredients are my favorite part about this dip. They are so simple - it's spinach, artichokes, feta cheese, garlic and a few other things. No crazy whattheheckdoesthatsay and icantpronouceyou crap. It's good honest real food. I reeeeally like this dip with Popcorners. Normally I would serve a spinach type dip with tortilla chips or pita chips, but the extra salt on the Popcorners makes it a perfect combo.

Moe and Joe's has other varieties as well like Chipotle Garlic Salsa, Mexicali Dip, Artichoke and Garlic Salsa, and Spinach Dip. I've only tried the Spinach and Artichoke Dip, but the cashier  where I bought it said the Mexicali Dip is something she can't live without. I imagine that all the varieties are equally as delicious. What are you waiting for? Go find some!

Strawberry Cupcakes with Whipped Cream/ Cream Cheese Frosting

 

I'm writing this one down because I definitely don't want to forget it! These were GREAT. I got the recipe from www.theburghbaby.com I'm sure they are perfect as written, but I didn't have angel food mix, but I did have a box of strawberry cake. Really, I don't think the cake is important. The fruit center was awesome and the icing is one to write home about. Oooh, that icing.

Make these - you won't be disappointed!

We have an overabundance of peaches right now from our neighbor's tree, so I'm going to make these again using those, but adding ginger,cinnamon and nutmeg to the centers...I have a feeling they are going to be out of this world.

Use any cake recipe you'd like - here's the recipe for the filling and icing (mmmm) taken directly from it's original source http://www.theburghbaby.com/burghbaby/strawberry-shortcupcakes.html

Strawberry Filling
1 quart fresh strawberries, diced
1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons white cornstarch
3/4 cup water

1. Divide the diced strawberries into two mostly equal piles. Place half aside and place the other half into a medium saucepan.

2. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water and add to the saucepan.

3. Add 1 cup sugar to the saucepan and stir everything up. (If your strawberries are super sweet, feel free to reduce the quantity of sugar in the sauce.)

4. Heat on medium heat until the strawberries are soft. Use a immersion blender or potato masher to mash the larger pieces of strawberry. It's OK if there are some chunks of strawberry in the end, but you don't want it to be super lumpy.

5. Allow the strawberry sauce to cool. Add the remaining (raw) chopped strawberries to it and mix.

Whip Cream Icing
1-8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups heavy cream

1. Throw your creamed cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract into a large mixing bowl.

2. Use an electric mixer on low speed to mix everything up. Once the sugar is well dissolved, begin adding the heavy cream a little at a time. Increase to medium speed. Keep mixing and adding heavy cream until you have "peaks" of icing.

Mamaw Pie

 

A lady at work gave me this recipe and it was delish! You have to have a verrrry sweet tooth for this one, but it was super easy to throw together if you have unexpected company coming over.

•2 pie shells
•1/2 stick butter
•1 bag flaked sweethened coconut
•1 1/2 cups pecans (rough chop)
•1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
•1 can sweetened condensed milk
•1 (16 ounce) cool whip
•1 jar of caramel ice cream topping

Toast the pecans and coconut in the butter, then let them cool. Beat the cream cheese and the condensed milk until smooth, then fold in the cool whip. Now put 1/4 of the mixture on the bottom of each pie (1/2 total). Drizzle 1/4 of the caramel sauce on each pie (1/2 the jar total). Sprinkle 1/4 of the pecan/coconut mix on each pie (1/2 total). Lather, rinse, Repeat. You're done! Pop those babies in the freezer so they set up and thaw before serving (I actually preferred it partial frozen).

I made one of the two pies with sugar free caramel and sugar free cool whip and it was equally delicious. For the regular pie, I used butterscotch sauce and it was a bit too sweet for me - stick with caramel.

Oreo Truffles

1 package Oreos (15-16 oz)

1 block of cream cheese (8 oz)



Use food processor to pulverize the cookies and then add softened cream cheese. Roll this black mush into balls, and dip in melted chocolate. Get fancy if you wish and drizzle white chocolate over them. These taste awesome and like you put waaay more work and ingredients into them than you really did :-)

Strawberry Cookies (Candy?)

Makes  approx. 35 depending on size

1 large box strawberry Jello (6 oz)

1 cup chopped almonds (really any nut)

1 cup flaked coconut

3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

Jar of red sanding sugar

Plastic strawberry stems



In a food processor, grind the nuts, then add the coconut and then the jello and milk. Shape this mushy mixture into strawberries and roll in the red sugar. Top with stem. Easy peasy and adorable!

White Almond Sour Cream Cake with Cheesecake Mousse Filling

I made this cake for Labor Day, coloring the filling in red and blue stripes, but this cake would be wonderful for any event. Sorry, I only took a picture of the outside, not a cut piece - it's not very exciting, just a round cake, so I won't include the photo. I think this is actually meant to be a wedding cake form what I've read. I added the cheesecake filling between the layers of cake (do.not.skip.this.step. It's sooo delicious) and it turned out to be one of the best white cakes I've ever made. I read all the claims about the WASC cake, and was very underwhelmed when I tried the cake when it cooled. The next day after it sat overnight it was MUCH better and very impressive. If you're planning on making this, definitely put it in the fridge for at least 24 hours, also let it come close to room temperature before serving. Buttercream is always better soft :-)

White Almond Sour Cream Cake (found on Plain Chicken blog)

1 box white cake mix (Duncan Hines)
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups water
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup sour cream
4 large egg whites

Preheat oven to 325.

Place all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir together with a whisk. Add remaining ingredients and beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour into 3 greased and floured cake pans. Fill about half way full.

Bake for about 30 minutes.

Buttercream Frosting (from the Food Network)

• 3 cups confectioners' sugar


• 1 cup butter


• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


• 4 tablespoons whipping cream

In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, mix together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.

Add vanilla and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if needed for spreading consistency.

Cheesecake Mousse

1 small box Jello instant cheesecake pudding mix

1 pint whipping cream

Use a hand mixer and whip until fluffy consistency - don't go too long or it will be cheesecake flavored butter.

The Holy Grail of Macaroni & Cheese

Alright. Here goes. I'm only sharing this recipe because I want a back up for myself in the horrible instance that my written recipe gets lost. This recipe is special. Of all the things I make, I get the request to make this most often. I got the recipe from a friend of mine, because I was so head-over-heels in love with this stuff. I'm tellin ya - worth it's weight in gold. Ready? Here goes. One last thing - this stuff comes with a warning: don't make this unless you want to eternally be disappointed with every other mac n cheese recipe you'll ever make again.

1 lb Creamettes (yes, you must use this brand of macaroni. I'm not sure why it's so much better)

1 lb block of Hoffman's SuperSharp cheddar (don't try to substitute - I know it's expensive, but the whole dish depends on it)

1 quart of milk (that's 4 cups :-) )

1/2 Tablespoon black pepper

1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grate your cheese into a large baking pan.

Stir the sugar, pepper, and salt into the milk.

Boil the noodles for 7 minutes and drain. Pour the hot noodles over the grated cheese. Let sit for about a minute and then mix together until all the cheese is melted. Pour the milk mixture over the cheesy noodles. Do not mix. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 55 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.

Voila! Enjoy and try to share even though it hurts. You can thank me later.

 

Pumpkin Loaf

Labor Day. The glorious segue from summer into fall. In honor of the most fantastic season being right around the corner, I'm going to give you all a fabulous recipe to get your warm and fuzzy fix. I had a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbuck's this morning, and this recipe would have been a perfect match. This pumpkin bread is to die for. I personally think it's better than Starbuck's pumpkin loaf and it's easy to make. It's rainy and chilly here in Pittsburgh (which I happen to love) and I'm planning on snuggling up to a movie tonight and waiting for the incredible scent of pumpkin spice to fill my house while this bakes. What are you waiting for? You do it too!

 

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and in a big bowl, mix these together:

1  (15 oz) can pumpkin puree (or 2 cups if you have a bigger can)

4 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup lukewarm water

3 cups sugar

Now in a separate bowl, whisk together:

3 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

and all the fragrant lovely spices: 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground nutmeg, 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger. I love it with lots of spice, but if you want a milder flavor, feel free to cut back on them.

 

Stir all the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients just until combined. Don't over-blend. Pour into (2) 9x5" loaf pans that have been greased and floured. My oven takes about 55-60 minutes.

Ready for this? Sit down, because this is going to knock your socks off. As if this wasn't delicious enough already, we're going to push it right over the top. After you take the loaves out of the oven, while they are still hot, poke several small holes in the tops.  Melt some butter, cinnamon, and sugar in a bowl and  drizzle over the loaves. No specific amounts, just add enough til you think it's awesome. You can thank me later.

While it may feel like torture to have these incredible delights tempting you on the counter, do yourself a favor and let them sit overnight. If they rest for about a day, all those spices get to know eachother and become friends. While the loaves are still warm, wrap them up in saran wrap, and they'll become even more delicious and moist and fabulous.

Thai Curry Tofu

So this is more of a product review than a recipe, but we’ll call it a two-fer. I’m not at all into curry or tofu, but these two things together are delicious! Never something I though I would like, but gave it a shot just in case. It’s spicy (but not too spicy) and flavorful and just really good. I like to eat it with chopsticks just for fun. This is such a quick thing to whip up, it’s nice when you’re whooped at the end of the day and just want something easy to throw together.

 

Start off by steaming a bag of frozen broccoli and cooking up some mushrooms.

Cut up extra firm tofu into bite size chunks (serving size is 1/5 or 1/4 of the package depending on brand) and sauté in a pan until there is a nice golden color on the edges.

In a separate pan, heat up a ¼ cup of Trader Joe’s Thai Red Curry Sauce.



Mix it all together and you’re set!

 

Nutritional information:

Calories: 250

Fat: 13

Carbs: 24

Protein: 19

Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Pasta

I’m starting out with my favorite healthy recipe. This is so delicious, you would never guess it was a lighten up version. It has a sort of alfredo-ness about it, but not as rich. It’s just creamy and flavorful and seriously yummy. You’ll crave this whether you’re trying to cut back or not. Here’s a recipe for 2 servings.

 

Start off by boiling some Dreamfields spaghetti (1” dry circle) This is low-carb pasta that seriously doesn’t taste any different from normal stuff. I hate whole wheat pasta – it tastes like cardboard. I also can’t get into shirataki noodles – way too weird of a consistency. The Dreamfields is right on in taste and texture, just make sure you cook according to the instructions on the box. If you overcook your noodles, the carbs will creep back in.

Combine 2 wedges of Laughing Cow light garlic and herb, 1 Tablespoon of fat free sour cream, 1 Tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese, and garlic salt to taste. You’ll want to heat this up in the microwave for 30 seconds or so just to make it smoother. Stir this sauce into drained and heated frozen spinach (a 10 oz box is good) and cooked baby bella mushrooms ( I used about 10-15). When your pasta is finished cooking, drain it and mix in the spinach/mushroom sauce. I like to sprinkle the top with fresh diced tomatoes. Feel free to add some chicken in the mix, but I prefer it without.

 

Nutritional information per serving:

Calories: 304

Fat: 4.5

Carbs: 19

Protein: 16.5

Lasagna

I'm seriously craving my mom's Italian food.  So please forgive the slew of recipes that I'm posting that involve some sort of sauce and gooey melty cheese combination.  But in case you're ever in the market for an easy, family pleasing lasagna recipe (and who isn't), try this one out.  It's basic and it's delicious.  Plus, you always have the option of adding veggies or meat to the recipe if that's what floats your boat.  But try out the original recipe (courtesy of my mom) below first - you won't regret it!

 

15 lasagna noodles

16 ounces mozzarella cheese

16 ounces large curd cottage cheese

1 jar pasta sauce (avoid the watery marinara variety)

parmesan cheese

 

Cook lasagna noodles according to directions on box.  Once the pasta is drained, carefully lay out each lasagna noodle flat on pieces of wax paper to cool.  Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish (I use a glass pan).  Add a layer of noodles (3, next to each other), then a layer of cottage cheese, then a layer of mozzarella cheese.  Spoon a line of sauce down the center of the cheese topped noodle.  Sprinkle the top of the sauce with parmesan cheese.  Then repeat the layering (noodles, cottage cheese, mozzarella, sauce, parmesan).  Keep the 3 best lasagna noodles (no cracks or breaks) for the top layer.  Layer the last 3 noodles next to each other on the top, then cover with sauce and mozzarella and parmesan cheese.  Spoon cheese around the sides of the pan so the lasagna doesn't dry out.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour, until bubbly.

Veggie Pizza

Have you ever noticed that graduation parties and reunions have some of the best food ever?  I love good old fashioned party food, and this is one of my favorite appetizers.  Delicious!  The recipe is adapted from a cookbook that my parents gave me a few years back, which was made by the family of one of the guys that my dad works with.  Long story, I know, but I try to give credit where it's due.  Here are the ingredients:

 

two cans refrigerated crescent rolls

two 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened

1 packet of ranch dressing mix (dry)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup sour cream

assorted raw veggies of your choice (here are some ideas):

• chopped broccoli


• shredded carrots


• chopped cauliflower


• sliced mushrooms


• sliced radishes


• black olives

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Beat together cream cheese, mayo, sour cream, and ranch dressing packet.  Unroll the crescent roll dough and cover the bottom of a 15x10 inch jelly roll pan and pinch the edges together (make sure you press the perforations together as well).  Prick the dough all over with a fork.  Bake the crescent roll dough for 10 minutes until very lightly browned.  Remove from oven and spread on the cream cheese mixture.  Sprinkle the assorted veggies on top of the cheese.  Sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top of the veggies.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.  Cut into squares and serve.

Smelly Chicken

Don't be turned off by the name of the chicken, I beg you.  This is a recipe of my Gram's, and we used to call it this because it made the house smell SO. GOOD.  I talked to my Grammy today and was thinking of her when I was going through recipes for this post.  This is perfect for summer - fresh herbs, and such a delicious and unique taste.  Try it today!  You and your family will love it!

 

1 to 1.5 pounds chicken pieces (you can use boneless breasts, or bone-in pieces like wings, legs, etc - up to you)

Sprinkle the chicken pieces with salt, allspice, and cinnamon.  Brown the chicken pieces in a deep pot in 3 tablespoons of oil.  Once the chicken pieces are browned, add:

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

1 teaspoon rosemary, finely chopped

1 teaspoon thyme, finely chopped

1 tablespoon basil, finely chopped

1 large vine ripe tomato, chopped into small chunks

1/2 cup dry white wine (whatever you would feel comfortable drinking)

Mix the herbs, tomato, and wine well with the chicken, cover and cook slowly until tender (45 minutes to 1 hour).

Hot Crab Dip

When it's summertime, I always think of eating seafood.  It's delicious, summery and light.  This is the perfect summer appetizer that will rival any crab dip that you would order at a restaurant.  It's also great for holidays as well.  This is my aunt's recipe, and she always brings it to my grandma's house for Christmas.  It's gone in about two seconds.  So here it is...my gift to you!  Think of it as Christmas in July!

 

1 can crab meat (6 oz)

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon finely minced onion

grated parmesan cheese for the topping

 

Combine all ingredients (except for the parmesan cheese) and pour into a shallow baking dish.  Top with a layer of grated parmesan cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees until brown and bubbly.

More S'mores, please!

This recipe is a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Everyone loved these and I thought they looked absolutely adorable.

First off, use the graham cupcake recipe from my key lime pie cupcakes. Fill these little guys with marshmallow fluff (from a jar, because you know I'm not making homemake fluff. Please.) Then frost them with my sent-from-the-heavens chocolate ganache frosting.

I decorated these with mini marshmallows, a piece of Hershey's chocolate bar, and then drizzled them with some of the liquid chocolate ganache. Gorgeous!

Key Lime Pie Cupcakes

Key Lime Pie Cupcakes

Because Key West is calling my name but I’m dirt poor, I opted to bring a little bit of the Keys to me. There’s nothing like a cool, refreshing key lime pie on a hot summer day. And because I’m the local cupcake dealer and my coworkers are cupcake junkies, I modified this classic treat into a portable delight. Like most of my cupcakes, there are 3 parts to this recipe – the cupcake, the filling, and the frosting. These were absolutely delicious. Just a few tips – they were better on the first day, so make these right before you plan to eat them. They were fine as leftovers, but the filling sort of soaked into the cake and just…eh…eat em while they’re fresh. Also, if you have to refrigerate them and then serve, make sure they come back to room temperature. They are definitely not as good while cold. The flavors are so much more pronounced when you let them warm up a bit. Who needs Margaritaville when there’s cake?

Graham Cupcakes
Makes about 3 dozen

1 cup softened butter
2 cups sugar
6 eggs, room temperature
2 cups milk (I used 2%)
2 cups flour
3 cups graham cracker crumbs (do yourself a favor and just buy the box of crumbs – it would take forever to smoosh graham crackers into a powder. However, if you’re feeling angry and need an outlet, this might be a perfect project for you.)
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Break out the Kitchenaid (you’ll need it – there’s a lot of wet batter and it’s kinda messy) and mix the butter until it’s creamed. Add the sugar a little at a time and mix for another couple of minutes until it’s nice and fluffy. Slowly add one egg at a time, mixing thoroughly between each one. Incorporate some of the dry mix into the butter/sugar/eggs, then add some of the milk. Switching back and forth, add the flour mix and the milk, a little at a time, ending with the dry. Continue to mix until it looks like it came together nicely.
Scoop into cupcake liners and bake for about 16-18 minutes.

Easy Peasy Citrus Curd

While that’s baking, you can make your “Why the Heck Have I Painstakingly Been Using A Double Boiler and Timing It Precisely For Years” Key Lime Curd (remember this when you want to make lemon curd, you hear that, self?! Don’t be a dummy - do it the easy way!)
This makes about 2 cups and you’re going to need…

1 cup sugar
3 eggs (the whole egg, not just the yolks as most other recipes have)
1 cup citrus juice (I used key lime, but you can use lemon, lime, orange, meyer lemon…mmm)
1/2 cup melted butter

In a large microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until smooth and thoroughly combined. Whisk in citrus juice, and then a little bit of the melted butter. You don’t want the eggs to scramble, so incorporate the melted butter slowly.

Cook in the microwave in one minute intervals, stirring after each minute. The timing will depend on the strength of your microwave, but mine took 4 minutes. You will know the curd is done cooking when it coats the back of a metal spoon. I tasted this while it was still hot, and I wasn’t very impressed. There was just something off. Wait until it’s cooled off and you’ve refrigerated it for at least an hour before you taste test. It thickens up and has a nice tang to it. Yummy!

 

My Go-To Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Beat one package of cream cheese (8 oz) with 5 Tablespoons of softened butter and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract until combined. Very slowly (seriously, this is going to puff out of the mixer like it’s snowing) add 3 cups of powdered sugar. Mix until it’s nice and creamy and delicious looking. Since I was putting this on a key lime pie cupcake, I added about 2-3 Tablespoons of key lime juice to the frosting. It was very subtle but tasty.