Sunnyside Up Bacon Cupcakes

If your cupcake looks like breakfast and tastes like breakfast, then it's perfectly acceptable to eat for breakfast, right?

These cupcakes resemble sunnyside up eggs, taste reminiscent of breakfast with bacon and maple flavorings and are quite cute as well. I followed the cupcake recipe but adapted the frosting somewhat from the Betty Crocker Big Book of Cupcakes.

Sunnyside Up Bacon Cupcakes
2 1/3 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
3/4 cup bacon, cooked crisply and crumbled
Frosting
2/3 cup butter
6 cups powdered sugar
2 vanilla beans
3 to 6 Tbsp. milk
Decoration
24 hard butterscotch candies

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line pans with 24 cupcake liners. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

In a large bowl, beat butter 30 seconds on medium speed. Gradually add sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating until well blended. Beat an additional 2 minutes after all sugar is added. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla and maple syrup, and then beat in bacon.

Alternately beat in flour mixture and milk on low, starting and ending with the flour mixture.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes in the pans and then completely on wire racks.

To make the frosting, beat butter until smooth. Split open vanilla beans lengthwise, and scrape seeds into the mixing bowl. Beat until blended with butter. Gradually add powdered sugar. When mixture gets thick, slowly incorporate milk one tablespoon at a time as needed to keep frosting spreadable.

Frost cupcakes, leaving the tops fairly smooth to mimic a sunnyside up egg. (The vanilla bean seeds will mimic finely ground pepper. You could substitute 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract and use black sugar to mimic pepper as well.) Unwrap the butterscotch candies, and top each cupcake with a candy. Makes 24 cupcakes.

Chop Block Bread

I borrowed this Breaking Bread with Father Dominic cookbook from either my mother or grandmother ... and really have no intentions of returning it anytime soon. It's a charming book with too many enticing recipes for me to part with until I've sampled them.

While flipping through the book recently, I came across the recipe for Chop Block Bread and happened to have all the ingredients on hand. (We don't eat a plethora of celery in our house, so it's not always a kitchen staple.) This bread, although good, doesn't have an overly strong flavor from the vegetables. For some, I suppose that's good. If I were to make it again, I think I'd add some dill for more vegetable (OK, herb) flair.

Chop Block Bread
2 cups warm water
2 tsp. yeast
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. wheat gluten
3 cups wheat flour
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt
3 1/2 cups bread flour
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped broccoli
1/4 cup chopped celery

Combine water and yeast in a large bowl, and stir to dissolve yeast. Add brown sugar, gluten and wheat flour. Beat well, and then let stand 10 minutes. Add oil and salt, and mix thoroughly. Add 2 cups of bread flour, and beat well. Knead in remaining bread flour to form a soft dough. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Knead in shredded cheese. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, approximately 1 hour.

Punch down dough, and knead in vegetables. Shape dough into two round loaves, about 2 inches high. Place loaves on silipat-lined baking sheets. Cover, and let rise until doubled, about 30 to 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350ºF. Bake bread 45 to 55 minutes or until top crust is firm and loaves sound hollow. Remove from pan, and let loaves cool on wire racks. Makes 2 large loaves.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes

Peanut butter and jelly conjures images of childhood for me and many others. It seems, though, that I enjoy my PB&J in a less traditional manner. I make my PB&J by pre-mixing the peanut butter and jelly before I slather the gooey goodness liberally onto my bread. It tastes better that way.

I didn't have any homemade bread on hand, so I grabbed the only loaf of storebought bread from our freezer. (It's quite rare that we have any at all.) As I made a PB&J for my husband's lunch, I decided to make myself one. And that's when I remembered how much I love PB&J and decided to create Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes.

Now, I realize many others have made PB&J cupcakes, but I chose to make my version somewhat original, using a cupcake base I've used in the past.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes
Cupcakes
2 1/3 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup milk
3/4 cup peanut butter
Filling
1 cup raspberry jam
Peanut Butter Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter (I used approximately 1/3 cup crunchy because I ran out of creamy)
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 Tbsp. milk (or as needed)
Raspberry Buttercream Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup raspberry jam
2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line pans with 24 cupcake liners. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, beat butter 30 seconds on medium speed. Gradually add sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating until well blended. Beat an additional 2 minutes after all sugar is added. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla and peanut butter.

Alternately beat in flour mixture and milk on low, starting and ending with the flour mixture.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. You can add a dollop of raspberry jam to each cupcake and swirl to mix prior to baking. Or, you can bake the cupcakes, then cut out a hole in the center and add the dollop of raspberry jam after baking. I tried both methods, and my flavor preference was the pre-swirled version, but my husband preferred the other version. My recommendation is to do half each way to find your favorite. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes in the pans and then completely on wire racks.

To make the peanut butter frosting, beat butter and peanut butter together until well mixed. Gradually add powdered sugar. When mixture gets thick, slowly incorporate milk one tablespoon at a time as needed to keep frosting spreadable. Beat at least three minutes to make frosting fluffy.

To make the raspberry buttercream, beat butter and jam together until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, adding more sugar and/or jam to reach desired consistency and flavor. Beat until fluffy.

Fill a piping bag first with several spoonfuls of peanut butter frosting on one side of the bag, and then add several spoonfuls of raspberry buttercream on the opposite side. Use a large tip to pipe frosting onto the cupcakes, and you should end up with a mixture of peanut butter and raspberry frosting swirled together. Makes 24 cupcakes that will be enjoyed by kids and adults alike!

I won't judge how you use the leftover frosting. Graham cracker PB & J sandwiches, anyone?

St. Patty's Day Potato Petit Fours

I'd never made sponge cake, and I'd never used marzipan or almond paste. I decided to conquer (or at least make a brave attempt) both at the same time, making Sprinkle Bakes Potato Petit Fours for St. Patty's Day. Unfortunately, mine turned out remarkably potato-like in appearance but rather dismal in taste.

Potato Petit Fours
Sponge Batter
3 egg yolks
4 egg whites
1/4 cup fine granulated sugar, divided
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 Tbsp. flour
Filling
1 1/2 cups buttercream
-or-
1 1/2 cups your choice fruit jam
Coating
1 1/2 lbs. marzipan or almond paste
Cocoa powder for dusting

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place egg yolks in a bowl and beat in 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Mix until frothy and lightened, and set aside. Beat egg whites in a separate large bowl. Gradually add remaining sugar and beat until meringue is stiff and dry.

Sift corn starch over meringues and fold in with a rubber spatula. Add beaten yolks and fold again, being very careful to not deflate the batter. Finally, fold in the flour.

Spoon mixture into a pastry bag  fitted with a large plain tip and pipe 1 1/2-inch mounds spaced well apart onto the baking sheet. Bake for 6-10 minutes with the oven door slightly cracked. (You can use a spoon to prop the oven door open slightly, but remember the spoon will be hot!) When lightly brown, remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Pipe buttercream between two same-sized sponge rounds. If using jam, use a sharp knife to make a small hollow in the bottoms of the cakes. Spoon in the jam and sandwich sponge rounds together.

Roll out marzipan or almond paste to 1/8-inch thickness -use a little confectioners' sugar to flour the work surface and rolling pin if paste sticks. Cut into squares and use to cover the potatoes. If paste doesn't stick to the cake, brush a little melted jelly over the surface. Make a few indentations to represent "eyes." Use a fork tine to further pock-mark the potato.

Roll the cakes in cocoa powder.  Shake off excess and place in paper liners, brown paper bags or wrap in foil to mimic a baked potato.

Celtic Knot Cookies

With St. Patty's Day approaching, the possibilities of paying tribute to the Irish  through tasty treats are nearly endless. I stumbled across these Celtic Knot Cookies on Sprinkle Bakes and wanted to recreate them. Her original knots turned out much prettier than my attempt, but mine are still tasty and bear enough resemblance to identify them as Celtic knots.

Celtic Knot Cookies
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups graham flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. graham cracker crumbs (2 sheets)
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Sift together flours, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Stir in graham cracker crumbs.Using electric mixer, beat butter in another large bowl at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add brown sugar, and beat 1 minute. Add molasses, and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, and beat until well blended, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to low, and beat in vanilla.

Add flour mixture and graham cracker crumbs; beat on low speed just to blend. Gather dough into ball, and wrap in plastic. Chill until firm, at least 4 hours and preferably overnight.

Working with small portions of the dough at a time, shape about 2 Tbsp. dough into a long rope and then twist into a Celtic knot. (See the original Sprinkle Bakes posting for step-by-step instructions with photos.) You'll want to make your knots fairly large out of a skinny rope to help define the knot shape rather than having a cookie sans holes.

Position rack in center of oven, and preheat to 350°F. Bake for 8-12 minutes until cookies are lightly browned on the edges. Cool 5 minutes on cookie sheets, and then transfer carefully to wire racks to cool completely. The amount of cookies this recipe yields depends on how large your knots are and whether you enclose them with circles. Makes between 1 to 2 dozen cookies would be the average if I had to guess.

Brown Sugar Cupcakes with Browned Butter Frosting

My quest to make a different cupcake for work each week is providing me the opportunity to try frosting variations for the first time. This week's cupcake from Betty Crocker The Big Book of Cupcakes took me into the realm of browned butter frosting, which was rich and delicious. It's amazing to me how much you can alter the flavor of your frosting by using browned butter. The cupcake itself didn't knock my socks off, but it paired nicely with the frosting.

Brown Sugar Cupcakes with Browned Butter Frosting
Cupcakes
2 1/3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup milk
Frosting
1/2 cup butter
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
6 to 8 Tbsp. milk


Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line pans with 24 cupcake liners. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, beat butter 30 seconds on medium speed. Gradually add sugars, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating until well blended. Beat an additional 2 minutes after all sugar is added. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla.

Alternately beat in flour mixture and milk on low, starting and ending with the flour mixture.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full, and bake 18 to 24 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes in the pans and then completely on wire racks.

To make frosting, melt butter of medium heat, stirring constantly, until butter is golden brown. Remove from heat, and cool completely. Beat together butter, sugar and 4 Tbsp. milk until blended. Beat in additional milk, 1 tsp. at a time, until frosting is desired consistency.

Frost cupcakes. Makes 24 cupcakes.

Venison Pot Roast

While flipping through an outdoors magazine, I came across a recipe for Venison Pot Roast. Since we have potatoes growing in our basement (oops) and venison in our freezer, it seemed like the perfect recipe to use a few ingredients.

This is simple to prepare and quite tasty. A bonus is it makes the house smell wonderful the entire time it's cooking.

Venison Pot Roast
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup seasoned flour (I seasoned with salt, pepper and paprika)
1 venison roast (2-3 lbs.)
1 large onion, sliced
1/2 bunch celery, chopped
1 1/4 cups beef broth
2 Tbsp. rosemary
6 carrots, quartered
4 potatoes, quartered

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Heat dutch oven to medium-high, and add oil. Dredge venison roast in seasoned flour, coating all sides. Brown roast in oil, searing all sides. Transfer to a plate.

Saute onions and celery in skillet drippings. Add broth to scrape up browned bits. Place the roast on top of onions and celery. Sprinkle roast with rosemary. Cover the dutch oven, and bake for 2 hours. Add carrots and potatoes, and bake an additional 1 hour.

Serves 4.

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Lately I've been sifting through food blogs, as if I don't already have enough recipes that are tempting me. I came across a peanut butter sandwich cookie recipe on Two Peas and Their Pod that looked particularly enticing.

I debated making only half a batch because my husband and I don't need a full batch of cookies. Then I seriously considered making a half batch of the cookies and a full batch of the filling. I figured I'd liberally fill the sandwich cookies and enjoy the rest of the filling as a mid-afternoon snack. Ultimately, though, I made a full batch. I've already eaten two (sandwich cookies, which would mean four cookies total, but it's only two cookies).

Perhaps I should change my strategy: eat half the batch, and pretend I only made a half batch. Hmm ....

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Cookies
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup salted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup quick-cooking oats
Filling
3 Tbsp. salted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
3 Tbsp. milk

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, peanut butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix until combined. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Finally, add the oats and mix until just combined.

Take about 1 Tbsp. of dough and roll into a cookie ball. Place on prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between the cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are slightly golden and the edges are set. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cookies are cooling, make the filling. Combine the butter, peanut butter and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until smooth. Add the heavy cream and beat until light and fluffy. Using a knife, spread peanut butter filling onto the flat side of a cookie. Find a cookie the same size and sandwich the cookies together, pressing the filling to the edges.

Lamb Burgers

We bought ground lamb at the farmer's market, and it's been sitting in our freezer patiently waiting for me to be inspired. (Mind you, we bought the lamb because I wanted to try something new.) I finally pulled a pound out of the freezer and scoured the Internet for inspiration. I liked the idea of lamb burgers, so I used some of the online recipes as a starting point. The end result was delicious lamb burgers, so I'm posting the recipe for the next time I have ground lamb.

Lamb Burgers
1 lb. ground lamb
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. Penzey's  Fox Point seasoning
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Combine all ingredients together, and let the flavors meld in the refrigerator for a couple hours. Shape meat into four patties, and broil on high heat until done, about 8 to 12 minutes. (I had mine on the third rack from the top, so they weren't right by the broiler.) Serve on crusty bread, topped with cheese if desired. Serves 4.