Adventures in Cupcaking

I have been on a cupcake kick lately! Maybe Camicakes has something to do with that? Anyway, I think a cupcake is the perfect amount of cake and icing. Not too much. Not too little. Even my husband who isn't a cake person, loves them. In my free time, I surf all over the internet looking for unique recipes and stumbled across this one from Ina Garten (aka The Barefoot Contessa). It's her Coconut Cupcakes recipe. All the reviewers claimed it was the best cupcake they'd ever had, so I thought I'd give it a whirl! They are not easy to make by any means, but well worth the time. They're also REALLY pretty cupcakes. I used a white liner, and a star tip to pipe the icing. I'd venture to say you could even add some pineapple, and make it a Pina Colada cupcake! When I finally finished the cupcakes, my husband sat down with a cupcake and a glass of milk. He got really quiet, so I didn't know if that meant he hated them or he was in complete ecstasy. When I couldn't stand the anticipation anymore, I said "So... how are they?". He said "Honey, this is the best thing you've ever made". "They're even better than Camicakes". WOW! I wouldn't go THAT far, but they are damn good! They sort of remind me of a Macaroon. The only thing I would have done different is reduce the cooking time just a tad. It says to cook from 25-35 minutes. I checked mine at 25 minutes, but they weren't done so I set for another 10 minutes. They turned out a little dryer than I would have liked. Next time I think I'll reduce it by 2-3 minutes and they'll be perfect! I'm already on the hunt for the next cupcake recipe. How does Banana Cupcakes with Honey-Cinnamon Icing sound? YUM!

    

Frozen Sangria

I've been looking for a good Sangria recipe for the upcoming Mexican Fiesta Dinner Party I'm hosting in a few weeks, and I think I'm going to give this one a try!  This makes about 24 servings without breaking the bank. Total cost is about $13.  Now all I need to do is hunt down one of those pretty glass drink dispensers!

Frozen Sangria from Let's Entertain

Prep: 10 min., Freeze: 24 hr.
Makes about 1 1/2 gal.

Ingredients

1 gal. sangría

1 (12-oz.) can frozen limeade, thawed

1 (2-liter) bottle lemon-lime soft drink

2 cups sliced oranges, lemons, and limes

1. Place 1 (2-gal.) zip-top plastic freezer bag inside another 2-gal. zip-top plastic freezer bag. Place bags in a large bowl. Combine sangría, limeade, and lemon-lime soft drink in the inside bag. Seal both bags, and freeze 24 hours. (Double bagging is a precaution to avoid spills.)

2. Remove mixture from freezer 1 hour before serving, squeezing occasionally until slushy. Transfer mixture to a 2-gal. container. Stir in fruit.

Kid-Friendly Frozen Sangría: Substitute cranberry juice for sangría. Proceed with recipe as directed.

Spring Mantel

So I got the new Pottery Barn catalog a few weeks ago, and when I was browsing throught it I saw this picture and was inspired!  I hadn't done anything with our fireplace mantel since Christmas and it was looking pretty blah.  I immediately went to the Michaels website and saw they were having a 50% off sale on Spring decorating items!  WOOHOO!  I headed over there at lunch one day and found just what I was looking for.  I also signed up for the Michaels email list and have been getting coupons quite frequently.  You can't use them on sale items, but there were some things I purchased that weren't on sale, so printing it out paid off.  I do love my coupons!  I got a beautiful Apothecary vase for $10!  Anyway, this is what I ended up with.  Beautiful little seafoam green ceramic birds perched atop glass candle holders (I already had the candle holders), a spring garland dotted with little gems, faux moss covered stones, a glass Apothecary jar with a mini orchid inside (which I paid 99 cents for!) and a glass vase filled with Japanese Cherry Blossoms, Dogwood Blooms and Orchids.  I am quite pleased with how it turned out!  Now I have to start planning the Summer mantel.  Hmm!

    

CamiCakes Cupcakes are to die for!

I just can't get enough of these sweet little pieces of heaven!  If you're from the South, then you know how good Red Velvet cake is.  If you're a fan, then you MUST try CamiCakes Red Velvet cupcakes.  They h ave locations in Jacksonville and now Atlanta.  They're to DIE for!  My husband just celebrated his 40th birthday, so as a surprise I decided to create a little cupcake tower for him.  Didn't it turn out cute?  It was a big hit!  I found the cupcake stand at Bed Bath and Beyond for $19.99 (or $14.99 with a $5.00 off coupon!).  It's made by Wilton and it holds 23 cupcakes.  I found the Oh No The Big 40 candles at Party City for $3.99.  Now I'm trying to figure out what other uses I can come up with for the stand.  Hmm..  more CamiCakes perhaps?! :)

 

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chiles

Several years ago I had these enchiladas at an office potluck.  One of my co-workers wives made them.  They were SO good, I went back for seconds and made my self sick!  I BEGGED him for the recipe, and a few days later his wife sent it to me.  I've been making these at home ever since!  I was never able to figure out where she got the recipe, but found it by accident on Kevin and Amanda's website.  Her recipe lists 1 can of Rotel tomatoes and green chilies (ehem..their chiles, not chilies!), however I'm a diehard green chile fan, so I would never consider using canned unless I was in a pinch.  There is no other taste in this world like a fresh green chile.  If you haven't tried them, what are you waiting for? Order some!  About once a year I order New Mexico frozen green chiles from Da Gift Basket.  Funny name, but their green chiles ROCK!  You won't be disappointed!  They have so many uses from soups, to enchiladas and one of my favorites things.. Chile Rellenos.  Don't even think about making a Chile Relleno using a Poblano Pepper.  It's a sin!  The only other variation we tried in the enchiladas was using corn tortillas.  They just don't hold up well.  You can't find a decent tortilla in Florida if your life depended on it!  I just recently switched back to flour tortillas, and not only do they hold up well, but when the cheese melts on them, they get a little crunchy on top.  It's YUMMO!  Enjoy!   

Ingredients
1 tbsp butter or margarine
1 can green chiles, drained (you can order fresh ones online!)
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, cut up and softened
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken breast (or cheat and buy a rotisserie chicken!)
6 - 8 (8″) flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 pint whipping cream

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9×13 baking dish with Pam. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add rotel and saute 1 min. Stir in cream cheese and chicken and cook, stirring constantly until cream cheese melts. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas and place seam side down in a lightly greased 9×13 baking dish.  Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese, and drizzle with whipping cream.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 min. Take off foil and cook for another 15 mins, or until top is golden brown.

Mexican Fiesta Party Inspirations

All I have to say is, how did I ever live without the Internet (it is how I met my husband afterall!)?!  I find a lot of my inspiration for my projects here. I take what I find and make it my own. These are just some things I ran across that I really like. I'm going for vibrant colors, and who doesn't love paper flowers? We all made them when we were kids! I'm gonna be a paper flower making fool! I watched a refresher video on YouTube and I've already been practicing!  I remember seeing these all over the place when we were shopping in the markets of Juarez and Nogales, Mexico when I was a teenager. The menu is set (Creamy Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chiles (straight from Hatch, New Mexico!), Slow Roasted Beef Soft Tacos (I'll leave that up to my husband!), Guacamole, either Sopaipillas or a French Tower Torte (I know it's not Mexican, but it's OMG good!) and Salsa Salsa Salsa! Now all I need to do is pull it all together! Pictures of the party to come in a few weeks!