This recipes makes a nice small batch of 12 cupcakes - and they are super moist and delish.  I highly recommend this cake recipe - it's downsized and slightly altered from Beatty's chocolate cake on the food network.  So good.  The icing is my own mixture with a titch of cream cheese added to the usual butter.  It just gives it great flavor without being a total cream cheesey icing (more for carrot and pumpkin cakes).  I don't know...I'm a huge fan!

For the cupcakes:
1 cup flour
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup plain yogurt (or buttermilk)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup hot coffee

For the icing:
6 Tbsp butter, softened to room temp
2 oz cream cheese, softened to room temp (1/4 of a regular package)
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp milk or half and half
1 1/2 -2 cups confectioners sugar

To make:
Prepare a 12-cupcake pan either by greasing it or lining it with cupcake papers.  Preheat oven to 350.  

Toss together your flour, sugar, cocoa, soda, powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.  

Whisk together the rest of the ingredients and then add to the dry, mixing just until dry ingredients are incorporated.  

Divide your batter among the 12 cupcake cups, filling them 2/3- 3/4 full (batter will rise and overflow if they are too full).  You may get a few extra cupcakes out of the batter. 

Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool slightly in the pan and then completely on a wire rack.

For the icing:
Beat butter and cream cheese for about 3 minutes in a mixer until smooth.  Add milk, vanilla and 1 cup of confectioners sugar and beat well, scrape sides and then beat again.  Add more sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, until you've reached a smooth and creamy but spreadable consistency. 

Enjoy!

This bread is A M A Z I N G.  All hail King Arthur.  Seriously.  I grew up loving Pepperidge Farm Oatmeal bread and this tastes so similar, except it is better cause you can eat it warm out of the oven!  The recipe is from King Arthur Flour, and since I am new to baking bread, I didn't mess with the recipe at all.  

You will need:
3 cups unbleached bread flour (preferably King Arthur Flour brand)
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
2 Tbs salted butter
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbs brown sugar or honey (I have made it both ways and both taste wonderful)
2 tsp instant yeast (or 1 packet active dry yeast dissolved in the lukewarm milk)
1 1/4 cups lukewarm milk (I used whole once and 2% once, both tasted the same)

How to make it:
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine all of the ingredients, kneading with the dough hook for 5 minutes.

Put the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it to rest for 1 hour.  

On a lightly oiled surface, and shape the dough into a log. Place the log in a lightly greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan, lightly cover the pan with plastic wrap and let rise for  90 minutes.  

During the last 30 minutes of rising, preheat your oven to 350F.  Bake for 35-40 min or until a thermometer reads 190 degrees when inserted to the center of the loaf.   If the bread appears to be browning too quickly, tent it with aluminum foil for the final 10 minutes of baking.


IMPORTANT - be sure to eat at least one piece while the bread is warm.  Slap on some butter and enjoy!  It's soooo wonderful!

I made some summery cole slaw the other day to go with baked beans and Emily's pulled pork sandwiches - so good.  I normally would add just a titch of horseradish to give it a little zing but my Remy would have said "It's too picy" so I held off and tried to be happy that she even eats cole slaw.

You will need:
1.5 Tbs vinegar (cider or white)
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt (more to taste) 
black pepper
1/2 cup mayo
2 carrots, shredded
8 cups loosely packed, shredded or thin sliced cabbage
1/2 tsp celery seed

To make:
Toss together your carrots and cabbage together in a large bowl.  Whisk together the rest of the ingredients and then pour over cabbage mixture.  Toss to coat thoroughly and refridgerate until ready to eat.  Makes about 10 servings.

My husband and I eat ice cream out of the Ben & Jerry's pints at least a couple nights a week (a naughty habit that started during my first pregnancy, but "baby wanted it".  And he had sympathy cravings...which all led to a lot of exercise later).  I don't make my own ice cream often because B & J's just does it so right.  But if I was to think outside the carton, this is a pretty damn good combination that Ben & Jerry should really consider.  It's my rendition of a dessert we love from our favorite restaurant in Jersey City.  It's an ice cream sundae called German Chocolate Cake because of the ingredients, but minus the cake.  I guess we could just call it German Chocolate... 

For two good size servings, you'll need:

A pint of your favorite chocolate ice cream  (we like Haagen Dazs or Ben & Jerry's)

For Toasted Coconut & Nuts:
1/3 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1/4 cup total of combination of chopped walnuts and almonds (I used sliced almonds)


In small frying pan, let the nuts cook for about 2-3 minutes on medium, then add coconut (since this cooks faster).  You want to cook until nuts and coconut are just looking toasty light brown.  Remove from heat and let cook in a bowl set aside.

For Whipped Cream:
1/2 cup heavy cream 
1 tsp sugar (powdered or white granular sugar)


Pour heavy cream in kitchen-aide mixer and add 1 tsp sugar (powdered or white granular sugar works) and whip about 5 min or so with wire whisk attachment until soft peaks form.  

For Butterscotch Sauce:
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 Tbs unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sea salt

NOTE: Usually I'm all for subbing but in this case, don't sub anything or you may sacrifice the thick sticky texture that makes this sauce great.  I have made it a few times with salted butter, 1/2 & 1/2 instead of heavy cream, and light brown sugar, but it just isn't the same. 

Combine ALL ingredients above in small/medium sauce pot on medium heat and bring to a slow boil.  Let boil for about 5 minutes and then let it cool on stove til you are ready to load on top of your sundae.  Pour the remains in an airtight container and store in the fridge.  (3-4 days I'd say, but I have not tested this)

To assemble, top a few scoops of chocolate ice cream with your homemade whipped cream, butterscotch sauce, and toasted coconut/nuts and "guten appetit!" 

My husband absolutely loves the Banana Nut Bran Muffins that Mandy gave me the recipe to a while back.  But in an effort to get rid of some buttermilk I had in the fridge I looked around for a new banana bran muffin recipe that required buttermilk and here is what I came up with.  They are different than the last banana muffin recipe and still really good, especially when grilled or toasted and the chocolate chips get all gooey and melted - yum!

You will need:
2 eggs
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 ripe bananas, smashed
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup wheat bran
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup wheat flour
3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips

To make:

Pre-heat your oven to 400F and line your muffin tin with paper/tin cups.

Mix eggs and sugar in a bowl, and then add bananas, buttermilk, oil, vanilla and then bran.

In a separate bowl, mix the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.  Slowly add the wet ingredients mixture to the dry and fold until just combined.

Next, stir in the chocolate chips, being careful to not over-mix so you don't get rubbery muffins.  

Bake the muffins at 400 until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes.  Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Store in an airtight container for up to a week (not-so-fresh muffins still taste awesome when toasted or grilled!). 

I recently came up with this recipe after making a Honey Baked ham. After a few days of eating the ham leftovers, finally I got around to making soup from the ham bone (to freeze because we were sick of ham!).  I read a few recipes and got the idea to puree the soup which added a fancy twist.  It was so good, it never made it to the freezer! 

You'll Need:
1 Tbs olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, whole
3 sizable celery stalks chopped (with leaves if they have them)
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1-2 lb ham bone (not sure what mine weighed but it was what was left over from a Honey Baked ham, and it still had some meat on it)
1 bay leaf
About 10 cups of water
3 15 1/2 oz cans of light colored beans (I used "pinto", "white" & "navy" beans)

To Make:
In a large soup pot, cook veggies (onion, garlic, celery & carrots) in olive oil on medium for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add 10 cups of water, ham bone with all the meat on it, beans and bay leaf.  The meat will fall off the ham bone after cooking for a while so don't do any trimming yet.

Bring to a boil, then simmer with a lid on for 2 hrs.

Remove ham bone and set aside on a plate to cool.

Meanwhile, let the soup cool a little, then puree in batches using a blender or food processor.  This gets a little messy but it's worth it.  Return pureed soup to the pot.

Remove meat from the ham bone now that it's slightly cooled enough to handle, chop and return the meat to the pot of soup.  Discard the bone and any fatty pieces.

Season to taste with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.  Serve with warm rolls, crusty french bread, or you can garnish with homemade croutons*.

*To make homemade croutons, chop french bread up into small cubes (about 1/2-1" diameter) and toss with olive oil, sea salt and fresh ground pepper.  Spread all out on a cookie sheet and broil on high for about 5 minutes until they start to brown and toast.  Toss the croutons halfway thru broiling so the other sides get a little brown too.  Remove and let them cool on a paper towel. 

You gotta be careful with this - make sure you have company to share it with because its very easy to refill your glass and refill your glass and refill your glass and then you cant count anymore...  Also I should mention ahead of time that this takes a few days to make.  It tastes ok when just made, but a few days in the fridge makes a huge difference in the flavor.

You'll need:2 oranges
2 apples
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbs lime juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 bottles red wine (750 ml each)
2 Tbs brandy (optional)
Tonic or seltzer (optional)

To make:
Heat the water in the microwave and add the sugar - stir to dissolve then set aside to cool. 

Cut up the 2 apples and 1 of the oranges and drop them in a 1/2 gallon size (atleast) container.  Squeeze the remaining orange over the fruit, and also add the lime juice,
cinnamon, brandy and wine.  

Add in about 1/3 cup of the sugar/water mixture, stir then taste.  Add more of the sugar water (called simple syrup) to taste.  The mixture will sweeten over the next 2 days so make it just a tad less sweet than how you'd want it.  You could also save the rest of the simple syrup in the fridge to add later.  

Cover your container and place in fridge to let the sangria "brew" for at least 2 days before serving.  Can serve straight up or topped with a little seltzer or tonic.  Don't forget to eat your fruit too! 

Note: you can experiment with different red wines, but I like to add one darker wine like a burgundy and then one sweeter wine so i don't have to add as much sugar.   

I don't know how to make this recipe sound as delicious as it is...so you are just going to have to take my word for it!  The super tender meat has a slightly smokey flavor and pretty much melts in your mouth and the polenta is creamy and full of flavor from the cheese and peppers.  I hope that description is enough to make you go try it yourself!  

For the meat, you will need:
2 Tbs canola oil
2 Tbs butter
Approx 2 cups of stew beef, cut into chunks (you can definitely used more, there will be enough liquid for about 4 cups of beef if needed)
2-3 tsp chiles in Adobo sauce (you can add more if you like but 3 tsp make sit pretty spicy!)
4 cups beef broth
3 small/med garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1 Tbs cumin
1 Tbs chili powder

For the polenta, you will need:
1/2 of a large onion, diced
1/2 of a large red pepper, diced
1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs oil
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups milk (I used 1%)
2 tsp minced/pressed garlic
1 bay leaf
2 tsp thyme
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup polenta (I used cornmeal)
4 Tbs unsalted butter
1/2-1 cup sharp cheddar, grated
2 Tbs fresh Parmesan, grated

Start your meat about 4 hours before you want to eat...

Heat oil and  butter in a dutch oven/cast iron pot over high heat.  Throw in stew meat and brown for 1 minute, then add chiles in adobo, beef broth, garlic, cumin, and chili powder. Stir, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, then cover and simmer for 3-4 hours, or until the meat is fall-apart tender.  I did not have to add any extra water/broth, but you might need to.  Just keep an eye on the meat and if the liquid is getting low, add a little more to the pot. 

In the last hour of cooking time, make your polenta...

Heat the oil and butter in a large sauce pan.  Add onion and red pepper and cook  for a few minutes, or until onions start to get translucent.   Add the garlic and stir for another minute.  Then add the water, milk, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil and then slowly add the cornmeal/polenta, stirring constantly.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring often until the polenta thickens, about 25 minutes.

Add the butter to the polenta and stir until melted. Add the cheddar and Parmesan, stirring well.

To serve, scoop a generous helping of polenta and make a crater in the middle.  Add a few chunks of beef and a splash of the cooking liquid.  

Since this is a kind of "heavy" meal, I served it with mixed greens to make me feel better!  It was DELICIOUS and gave us lots of leftovers for lunch through the rest of the week!  

I've been into making my own salad dressings lately.  We had a random few summery days here in NH in March so we made grilled chicken Caesar salads! 

You will need:
Scant 1/3 cup mayo
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp cider vinegar
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 garlic clove
1 cup shredded parmesean cheese *
pepper+ salt to taste

*I shred my own parm, so 1 cup might be different than if you use pre-grated instead.

Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor.  Makes about 1/2 cup. 

Mandy sent me this recipe a while ago and it called for margarine instead of butter, and regular chocolate chips instead of white.  I like the recipe with these modifications because it reminds me of the cookies I loved from the deli I worked in growing up. Don't forget to grease the cookie sheet, it makes a big difference! 

You'll Need:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 T + 2 tsp unsweetened Hershey's cocoa powder
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup white chocolate chips

To Make:
Preheat to 375F

Grease cookie sheets.

In mixing bowl or kitchen-aid mixer, cream together butter and sugars until smooth.  Beat the egg in, then add vanilla.  In separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder.  Add to the butter/sugar/egg/vanilla mixture and mix well.  Stir in the chocolate and white chocolate chips slowly until just incorporated.  Make tablespoonfuls of dough (about 1 1/2" diameter) and place on greased cookie sheet, and bake in oven for about 10 minutes.  Allow to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet before removing to wire racks to cool.

Suggestion: bake what you need immediately (need, ha!).  Fridge the rest of the dough balls on a separate cookie sheet until firm, then transfer to a ziplock bag and freeze until you are ready for more cookies.  You can't beat fresh baked cookies!