Watermelon Apple Cupcakes

So I decided to make Watermelon cupcakes because they looked FANTABULOUS!!!!! (Original recipe here)

I had to alter it because i didn't order enough watermelon oil (hence the watermelon apple cupcake name)

Watermelon & Apple Flavor oil I purchased from Jubilee Sweet Arts

Black Sugar Pearls i purchased from Michaels

FOR THE CUPCAKES

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened2 cups sugar3 eggs1 dram (1 teaspoon) watermelon flavoring oil3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon salt1 – 16 ounce container (about 2 cups) sour cream
Black Sugar PearlsRed Food coloring (optional)

FOR THE FROSTING
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 dram (1 teaspoon) Apple flavoring oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 tablespoons milk
5 to 6 cups confectioners’ sugar
Red Food coloring (optional)

To make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line to muffin pans with cupcake liners.

Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in s small bowl; set aside.

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition and scraping the bowl as needed. Stir in the watermelon flavoring. Add about a third of the flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just mixed. Add half of the sour cream, beating until just mixed. Repeat this process with the remaining flour mixture and sour cream. Add color as desired. 

NOTE: I poured the sugar pearls and mixed in the mixer DO NOT do that. the sugar balls will crush and you will loose the pink coloring as I did. I would put some in and then with a spatula fold it in so you don't loose the pink color.

Place two tablespoons batter into each cup of lined muffin pans and bake at for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with one or two crumbs clinging to it.

Allow to cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting:  In a large bowl, cream together the butter and about a third of the confectioners’ sugar. Stir in the milk and mix thoroughly before beating in another third of the confectioners’ sugar. Next stir in the lemon juice and the remaining sugar, beating until well mixed and light and fluffy. Add all of the watermelon flavoring. If the frosting is too soft, add more sugar, as needed. Add coloring as desired.

This is what I got!

Fringed Tank Top

so i started to make this for myself.. but since i am still a total "fat bast" after it was done i turned it into a play shirt for C.

original link

how mine came out

Cupcakes & Buttercream Frosting

So i have been trying to find a good recipe for vanilla cake and a nice butter cream frosting...


i need to tweak this but for the most part it was very yummy (when i tweak i will update and note the tweak)


CAKE

• 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
• 2 cups of sugar
• 4 eggs (room temperature)
• 1 1/2 cups self rising flour (if your like me you probably do NOT have self rising flour in the house, so i used this very simple recipe)
• 1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 cup of milk (divide in 4)
• 1 tsp of vanilla (divide in 4)

pre-heat oven to 350°

in a large bowl on medium speed cream the butter until smooth

add sugar gradually and beat until fluffy

add one egg at a time, beating well after each addition

combine the flours in another bowl and divide it into 4s

add one part flour, milk and vanilla and beat well, continue until all 4s are added

line 2 12 pack cupcake pans

use a spoon and spoon mixture (1/2-3/4) full

bake 20-23 minutes

insert toothpick to make sure cupcake is cooked.

*you can add food coloring for fun.

**if your making a cake, you need 3 9" greased round pans, and you bake for 20-25 min

FROSTING

I will be tweaking this as i go as well...

• 1 cup of unsalted butter (very soft)
• 8 cups of confectioners sugar (i used 6 1/2)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla

Cream butter

add in 4 cups of the confectioners sugar

add milk and vanilla and beat well

slowly add in more C sugar until the desired consistency is formed.

*i used 6 1/2 cups, i should have used a little more.

** you can add food coloring to the frosting for fun colors

This is what i got

Artichoke Crusted Chicken

the original recipe can be found here

really simple..

2 thick chicken cutlet breast slice in half

1/2 cup of mayo

1 can of artichokes

2/3 cup of cheddar cheese shredded

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

pre-heat oven 350

pour oil in pan

season chicken with salt and pepper

put in pan and brown both sides

then put in a pyrex dish

chop artichokes

mix mayo

mix cheese

take mixture and pour over chicken in the pyrex

put in oven for about 20 min or until cooked

then broil for 3 min (to get a crunchy top)

this is what you get

Avocado Fries - OMG YUMMMMM

The original recipe can be found here.. i didnt alter it much....




2 Avocados
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
Panko
Canola Oil
Parm cheese (optional)

slice avocados to desired size
heat oil in pan (deep fry deep)
1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 tsp of salt in one bowl and mix
beat 2 eggs in another bowl
pour panko in a 3rd bowl
take avocado and sprinkle the other 1/2 tsp of salt and dip in flour, shake off, dip in egg, cover in panko and drop in oil
sprinkle with cheese if you want after

thats it... see items on right of plate (no cheese on them though, actually kind of forgot about it)

the item to the right is Artichoke Crusted Chicken and that recipe can be found here...

Honey Banana Bread

I've been on a banana bread obsession lately...

Here is the original recipe

Here is what did

pre-heat oven at 350

4 bananas
2 cups of white flour
3/4 cup of honey
1/2 up of un-sweetend apple sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs

put all dry ingredients together and mix
in another bowl mix all the wet ingredients together then mash bananas

slowly mix in wet with dry.

I use a hand mixer and really get it good.

bake for about 1 hour 15 min or longer.  because of the extra banana, its usually more moist.  next time i am going to reduce the honey amount...

this is what i got

"Red Lobster" crab cakes

So i decided to make these "Red Lobster" crab cakes, considering i never ate a RLcc, i have NOTHING to compare it with.. here is the original recipe


now onto mine (i tend to change things as i go) and i am so bad at measuring

Ingredients:

3 cloves of garlic chopped

i slice of onion chopped

1 celery stalk diced

2 tbsp. mayonnaise

1 whole egg

dash or so of salt

dash or so of black pepper

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 pound lump crab meat

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven at 375 
2. Combine all ingredients except crab meat and bread crumbs.

3. Mix in crab meat, then add bread crumbs.

3. Spread a layer of plain bread crumbs on your work surface.

4. Form crab mixture into equal balls

5. Roll balls on bread crumbs Form cakes about one-half inch thick and three inches round. Refrigerate.

6. Cook for about 15 min on each side and....


The YUMMINESS is:

If you want to know what the yummy tarter sauce is, well, the yumminess will depend on your taste buds.

Tarter Sauce:

1. Mayo

2. Dill Relish

3. Lemon Juice

4. Dried Minced Onion

measure to taste.