Holiday Dessert Highlight: Christmas Cupcakes...Puerto Rican Style!

This Christmas season I made some Puerto Rican cupcakes for our holiday after-meal dessert. It has been a while since I've made these...probably because it is quite time consuming since it is all from scratch, plus I wanted to decorate it to reflect the special occasion. They are Puerto Rican cupcakes (the same kind of cupcakes I made for my wedding). They are 'Puerto Rican' due to the unique flavor and moistness of the cake (not as moist as Tres Leches, but moist enough to notice its yumminess :-d). Unfortunately, I am unable to give y'all the recipe...it is one of the two recipes I have that are family secrets. Nevertheless, enjoy the beautifully decorated cupycakes (even I was surprised at myself) and have a Merry, Merry Christmas!! :)

Dessert Highlight: Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes

Nope! ...not healthy at all... BUT..yummy!! :-D

If anyone knows me well enough, they would know how much I enjoy baking. The weekend of December 12th was special since it was my mother-in-law's birthday, so my father-in-law requested cupcakes for our little get-together. This recipe is very simple and is a real treat for those who have extreme sweet teeth (and I mean it). Enjoy!

Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 boxed cake of choice, chocolate flavor (I used butter chocolate by Betty Crocker), prepared as directed on the box
1/4 cup caramel (can be homemade, or the caramel topping for the ice cream)
1.5 sticks of butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp meringue powder
1/2-1 Tbsp milk
whole pecans

Directions:
Pre-heat oven as directed on the cake box.
Prepare cake as directed on the cake box (may include other ingredients not listed above).
To make icing, first take the butter out of the fridge until it becomes room temperature. Of course, if you're in a hurry (like I usually am) you can simply zap the butter in the microwave until it becomes soft (about 10-15 seconds). Cream the butter a mixer. Add caramel, then the powdered sugar and meringue powder, then the milk. The consistency should be thick and creamy. Frost all over the cooled cupcakes and top with a whole pecan. Voila! Enjoy! :)

When life gives you lemons...

...make lemonade!! :-D

Okay, okay...this blog won't be about a lemonade recipe; rather, it's about this particular time in my life (specifically these last few weeks of school). If you don't know, I am currently pursuing a Master's degree in Business Administration. My team and I are now facing the end-of-semester stress that goes with having numerous presentations and finals during the last two weeks of class. This past week was particularly brutal. However, there are ways to relieve this stress. One of the ways I do it is to go out to a restaurant and have a date night with my wonderful husband. Obviously, my husband + delicious food is a great combo. ;-)

On Saturday, we went to Seito Sushi. From what I remember, there are three locations: Celebration, Baldwin Park and Winter Park Village. This particular restaurant has sentimental value for both of us since this was where we had our first date...ever. On Saturday night, we ordered our usual Spicy Volcano roll, and then we tried the TGIF roll and that night's special, the Sweetheart roll. Needless to say, they were all deeelicious!
(p.s. the Sweetheart roll was UH-mazing!!!)

Finally, on Sunday after church, my husband and I decided to go straight home after church since we desperately needed some rest after a hectic work/school week. However, we were both craving some pizza and decided to get some Pizza Hut. Boy, was it difficult to find a sit-down Pizza Hut near our area! We finally found one at the corner of 17-92 and Lake Mary Blvd. We ordered a large supreme pizza...Mmm-mmmm... Our weekend of yummy food was definitely memorable! I hope this makes your mouth water and try out these restaurants! :)

Dessert Highlight: Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

Nope! Not an original recipe... But! Deeelicious nonetheless! :-D

I first tasted this cake when the director at work made some and brought it to work. I only had a little bite of it and automatically tasted a keeper. I decided to make it for Thanksgiving and sure enough, it was a winner!! :-D

It is a Paula Deen recipe and it can also be found online. I just had to post it on my blog due to its supreme yummy-ness!! Enjoy! :-D

Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

Ingredients:

Cake:
1 18 1/4-ounce package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 16-ounce box powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer.  Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.  Prepare Filling.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter and beat together. 
Next, add the powdered sugar and mix well.  Spread over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. The top of the cake should be a dark golden brown.  Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey -- you can check this by shaking the pan a bit; the middle of the cake should jiggle. Make sure to cool completely before diving into the gooey goodness. Enjoy! :-D

Dinner Highlight: Simple Steak and Sweet Potato Mash

Who says steak is only for special occasions?? Not at the Lo Presti home!! :-D

No no, don't get me wrong; we usually purchase the less expensive cuts, such as the round or blade steaks. C'mon now, we're newlyweds on a budget! Hehehe...

I made this recipe a few months ago and my husband absolutely LOVED it. So, I decided to incorporate it into my menu for this week.

As the title reads, this recipe is suuuper simple (and not to mention, very healthy, too!!...rich in protein and potassium). For those of you reading and trying out these recipes, I hope you will enjoy it as much as my husband and I have. :-)

Simple Steak and Sweet Potato Mash
(this recipe serves 2)

Ingredients:
2-4 cuts of steak of choice, 4-6 ounces each
1 medium to large sweet potato
salt
pepper
additional steak seasoning of choice (I used a garlic and herb seasoning)

Directions:
Season steaks with salt and pepper on both sides. On one side, season steak with the seasoning of your choice (as I mentioned, I used a garlic and herb seasoning). Let the steak stand and marinade.
Wash sweet potato and dry with a paper towel. Wrap the potato in the same paper towel and heat in the microwave for 4 minutes (you may want to put it in a bowl/plate/tupperware). Remove the potato from the microwave when done and peel of skin with a knife and your fingers. Heat the potato in the microwave again for 3 minutes, this time without the paper towel. Once the second heating is done, the potato is mash-able! :)
Heat a frying pan until hot. No need to add any oil; the steaks are meant to be pan-seared. Place steaks on the pan (pan should sizzle -- this indicates it is hot enough). Sear one side for 4 minutes, flip over, and sear the other for 3-4 minutes (depending on size of steak). This ensures a medium rare to medium steak. **Note** DO NOT touch/poke/move the steaks while they are being pan-seared.
When both sides are cooked, the steaks are ready! (If they are too rare for you once you've already sliced them, simply zap them for about 30 seconds in the microwave). Serve steaks with the sweet potato mash and some yummy veggies! Enjoy!