Monday, March 28, 2011
Continuation of Birthday Week for My Love! :-D
Sooo... We had a small, intimate birthday get-together for my huney with some church and work friends this past Saturday. Our menu included, guava-mozzarella crackers as our starter, salad, taco lasagna, rice n' beans, and Publix fried chicken for the main entrees, and finally, some guava-filled Puerto Rican cake per request of my sweetie. It was such a nice (and deeelicious!) evening. I'm glad it all worked out for my hubby. Happy 28th, sweetheart! :-)
Friday, March 25, 2011
Dessert Highlight: Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes
Are you a Peanut Butter lover??? This one's for youuu!! :-D
As promised, here is the recipe of the cupcakes I made for my hubby to bring to work for this birthday. They were quite a hit, so enjoy!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients:
1 Box chocolate cake mix, prepared as directed on box -- optional: add 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels into batter to make cupcakes extra chocolatey! (makes 24 regular-sized cupcakes, 20-22 large cupcakes)
1-1.5 cups smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup shortening (i.e. Crisco)
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp water
5 Tbsp milk, more if needed for smoother frosting consistency
20-24 miniature Reese's peanut butter cups (optional)
Directions:
Prepare cake mix as directed on box instructions. As mentioned, you can add about 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate morsels into the batter to make it extra chocolatey. Bake cupcakes in cupcake pans lined with cupcake liners (about 1/4 cup of batter per cupcake). For the frosting, combine shortening, peanut butter, powdered sugar, salt, water, vanilla and milk in a bowl and mix using a mixer until the consistency is smooth and creamy. Frost cupcakes (I used a Ziplock bag and cut the tip) and top with a miniature Reese's peanut butter cup. Enjoy! :-d~~
As promised, here is the recipe of the cupcakes I made for my hubby to bring to work for this birthday. They were quite a hit, so enjoy!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients:
1 Box chocolate cake mix, prepared as directed on box -- optional: add 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels into batter to make cupcakes extra chocolatey! (makes 24 regular-sized cupcakes, 20-22 large cupcakes)
1-1.5 cups smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup shortening (i.e. Crisco)
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp water
5 Tbsp milk, more if needed for smoother frosting consistency
20-24 miniature Reese's peanut butter cups (optional)
Directions:
Prepare cake mix as directed on box instructions. As mentioned, you can add about 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate morsels into the batter to make it extra chocolatey. Bake cupcakes in cupcake pans lined with cupcake liners (about 1/4 cup of batter per cupcake). For the frosting, combine shortening, peanut butter, powdered sugar, salt, water, vanilla and milk in a bowl and mix using a mixer until the consistency is smooth and creamy. Frost cupcakes (I used a Ziplock bag and cut the tip) and top with a miniature Reese's peanut butter cup. Enjoy! :-d~~
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Happy Birthday to My Love!
Yes, it was my hubby's birthday this week! :-D
It truly is a birthday week for him. On Sunday, we celebrated with the family at Buca di Beppo. Boy, their food is awesomely deeeelicious. We had a coupon which made the experience even better! I have no pictures of the food (yes, we were that hungry), but we ordered their Antipasto Salad, Bruschetta (one of the best I've had), Chicken Parmigiana, Spaghetti with Meatballs, and Baked Ziti. For our dessert, my sister-in-law bought some cupcakes from Sweet! and they were oh so yummy! Needless to say, we had a goooood dinner! :-D
On the day of his birthday, I had made 2 dozen cupcakes for him to bring to work. They were Peanut Butter Chocolate and Funfetti Vanilla. Apparently, they were a big hit and now I can possibly be hired as the personal company baker. ;-P
Here are the pictures....drool away! ;-D
(recipe to come shortly)
(Yup! I garnished the PB choco cupcake with a mini-Reese's cup! yum yum yummmm)
The celebrations are not over for him! We have one more party for him this weekend with some friends, and of course, with some guava-filled Puerto Rican Cake! Later, everyone! :)
It truly is a birthday week for him. On Sunday, we celebrated with the family at Buca di Beppo. Boy, their food is awesomely deeeelicious. We had a coupon which made the experience even better! I have no pictures of the food (yes, we were that hungry), but we ordered their Antipasto Salad, Bruschetta (one of the best I've had), Chicken Parmigiana, Spaghetti with Meatballs, and Baked Ziti. For our dessert, my sister-in-law bought some cupcakes from Sweet! and they were oh so yummy! Needless to say, we had a goooood dinner! :-D
On the day of his birthday, I had made 2 dozen cupcakes for him to bring to work. They were Peanut Butter Chocolate and Funfetti Vanilla. Apparently, they were a big hit and now I can possibly be hired as the personal company baker. ;-P
Here are the pictures....drool away! ;-D
(recipe to come shortly)
(Yup! I garnished the PB choco cupcake with a mini-Reese's cup! yum yum yummmm)
The celebrations are not over for him! We have one more party for him this weekend with some friends, and of course, with some guava-filled Puerto Rican Cake! Later, everyone! :)
Friday, March 11, 2011
Side Highlight: New England Baked Beans...Crockpot Style!
Ohh yes...this idea came shortly after our Boston trip!
I actually made this side for our 2010 Christmas Day family lunch. I decided to make it for 2 reasons:
1. My husband did not get to taste the infamous Boston baked beans while we were in Boston...and he really did want to have some, but we did not get the chance...and..
2. I was looking through a crock-pot recipe box gifted to me by a dear friend, and voila! I found this delicious recipe. :-)
For those of you who have crock-pots (aka slow-cookers), you already know that this will be quite easy and simple to make. If you do not have a crock-pot, I highly recommend getting one! It is one of those cooking investments you will not regret...promise. ;-)
I owe a special thanks to my father-in-law who, probably due to my subtle noises in the kitchen, also woke up early on Christmas day and helped me put together this wonderful side. I hope y'all enjoy this recipe as much as we have!
New England Baked Beans
Ingredients:
4 slices uncooked bacon, chopped
3 cans (about 15 oz. each) Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup water
1 small onion, chopped
1/3 cup canned diced tomatoes, well drained
3 Tbsp. packed light brown sugar
3 Tbsp. maple syrup (I used pancake maple syrup :-P)
3 Tbsp. molasses
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 small bay leaf
1 Tbsp. cornstarch (optional)
Directions:
Cook bacon in skillet until almost cooked, not crispy. Drain and set aside. Combine bacon and all remaining ingredients in the crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until mixture has thickened. If the mixture is not as thick as you'd like (which is what happened in my case), get some of the liquid from the baked beans (about 4-5 Tbsp) and add cornstarch to this liquid. Mix well and add liquid mixture back into the baked beans. Cook uncovered on low for another 15-20 minutes. Remove bay leaf before serving. Enjoy! :-)
I actually made this side for our 2010 Christmas Day family lunch. I decided to make it for 2 reasons:
1. My husband did not get to taste the infamous Boston baked beans while we were in Boston...and he really did want to have some, but we did not get the chance...and..
2. I was looking through a crock-pot recipe box gifted to me by a dear friend, and voila! I found this delicious recipe. :-)
For those of you who have crock-pots (aka slow-cookers), you already know that this will be quite easy and simple to make. If you do not have a crock-pot, I highly recommend getting one! It is one of those cooking investments you will not regret...promise. ;-)
I owe a special thanks to my father-in-law who, probably due to my subtle noises in the kitchen, also woke up early on Christmas day and helped me put together this wonderful side. I hope y'all enjoy this recipe as much as we have!
New England Baked Beans
Ingredients:
4 slices uncooked bacon, chopped
3 cans (about 15 oz. each) Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup water
1 small onion, chopped
1/3 cup canned diced tomatoes, well drained
3 Tbsp. packed light brown sugar
3 Tbsp. maple syrup (I used pancake maple syrup :-P)
3 Tbsp. molasses
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 small bay leaf
1 Tbsp. cornstarch (optional)
Directions:
Cook bacon in skillet until almost cooked, not crispy. Drain and set aside. Combine bacon and all remaining ingredients in the crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until mixture has thickened. If the mixture is not as thick as you'd like (which is what happened in my case), get some of the liquid from the baked beans (about 4-5 Tbsp) and add cornstarch to this liquid. Mix well and add liquid mixture back into the baked beans. Cook uncovered on low for another 15-20 minutes. Remove bay leaf before serving. Enjoy! :-)
Friday, March 4, 2011
Dinner Highlight: Beef Chili Soup
Need a hearty soup recipe? This is it! :-D
.....And yes, I am on a soup frenzy!! :-P
While we were spending a weekend with my in-laws, my momma-in-law shared a recipe book with me entitled, "The Soup Bible." It was literally filled with hundreds of soup recipes from all over the world. Of course, I took advantage of this moment and wrote down a few recipes that I was sure were going to be great additions to my repertoire. When I saw this recipe, I immediately thought of my hubby. He absolutely enjoys delicious soups, especially those that are as hearty and as meat-filled as this. Not only was this a hot at home, but it was surprisingly enjoyed by my church family as well at a fellowship lunch. I hope y'all enjoy this as much as we have! :-)
Beef Chili Soup
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. oil
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. ground beef
1 packet Sazon seasoning (found in your local grocery store at the Ethnic/Hispanic foods sections)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 + 1/8 cup all purpose flour
14-oz can diced petite cut tomatoes with zesty jalapenos
3 cups beef stock
1 can (15 oz.) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
salt and pepper
Directions:
Heat oil and brown beef and onion in a pot. Add Sazon seasoning and mix in with meat mixture. Add garlic, pepper flakes and flour. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and pour in stock. Bring to boil. Stir in beans and salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes. add parsley. Served great with some crushed tortilla chips as a topping and biscuits and salad on the side. Enjoy! :-)
.....And yes, I am on a soup frenzy!! :-P
While we were spending a weekend with my in-laws, my momma-in-law shared a recipe book with me entitled, "The Soup Bible." It was literally filled with hundreds of soup recipes from all over the world. Of course, I took advantage of this moment and wrote down a few recipes that I was sure were going to be great additions to my repertoire. When I saw this recipe, I immediately thought of my hubby. He absolutely enjoys delicious soups, especially those that are as hearty and as meat-filled as this. Not only was this a hot at home, but it was surprisingly enjoyed by my church family as well at a fellowship lunch. I hope y'all enjoy this as much as we have! :-)
Beef Chili Soup
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. oil
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. ground beef
1 packet Sazon seasoning (found in your local grocery store at the Ethnic/Hispanic foods sections)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 + 1/8 cup all purpose flour
14-oz can diced petite cut tomatoes with zesty jalapenos
3 cups beef stock
1 can (15 oz.) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
salt and pepper
Directions:
Heat oil and brown beef and onion in a pot. Add Sazon seasoning and mix in with meat mixture. Add garlic, pepper flakes and flour. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and pour in stock. Bring to boil. Stir in beans and salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes. add parsley. Served great with some crushed tortilla chips as a topping and biscuits and salad on the side. Enjoy! :-)
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