Chocolate Ganache-Filled Cupcakes and Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

The party honoree, Baby Jude

My brother and sister-in-law have been in country from Africa, where they are missionaries, for the past few months. They came for the arrival of my first nephew, who is as beautiful as a baby can be. Last night, my mom held a cookout at our family's farm to introduce the little guy to our extended family. My grandmother is one of ten brothers and sisters, so you can imagine the chaos that entails when we all get together! Several of her sisters came with their families, as well as one of her brothers. There were cousins stacked up on cousins, and above all lots of babies!

My grandmother has been a great-grandma for several years, since the birth of my cousin Jennifer's 6-year-old son Saxxon. But in the past nine months, three new babies have been born, bringing her great-grandchild count from one to four. Many babies were held and passed around, and many of these cupcakes were eaten.

For the occasion, I decided to make two special types of cupcakes: Chocolate Ganache-Filled and Strawberry Shortcake. The chocolate ones were tweaked from a recipe I found on the San Fransisco Food Wars website and blog. The strawberry ones were my own invention, but I used a buttercream frosting recipe I found at FoodandWine.com.


Chocolate Ganache-Filled Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

These are actually called Guinness Gasm cupcakes, but I omitted the Bailey's Irish Cream in the frosting to make them kid-friendly. I did use beer in the batter, but alcohol largely cooks out of things like batter, making them kid-friendly and unlikely to offend non-drinkers. Rather than Guinness, what I had in the refrigerator was Dogfish Head Chicory Stout, so that's what I used. I thought the coffee flavor would be delicious with the chocolate, and I believe I was correct!

Cupcakes:
1 cup dark beer
1 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the beer. Stir occasionally until completely melted. Remove from heat and whisk in cocoa powder. In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, & salt. In a third small bowl, beat together eggs and sour cream. Add the chocolate/butter/beer mixture to the eggs/sour cream mixture until well-mixed. Add liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients in the large bowl and stir until combined. Bake in cupcake liners for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool.


Ganache Filling:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used semisweet baking chips. You can use chips or chop up several chocolate bars. I happen to think chips are easier to melt!)
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons room-temperature, unsalted butter

In a small saucepan, heat the cream to simmering. Place chocolate in a small bowl and pour the cream over it, then stir until the chocolate is melted and completed mixed with the cream. Add the butter and stir until melted. Place in the fridge and take out every 10 minutes to stir until ganache is thick, but not stiff. When cupcakes have cooled, poke a hole in the center with a knife and pipe ganache into the center. (You can use a frosting piper, or you can just use a plastic baggie with a corner cut off -- that's what I do!)


Frosting:
3 to 4 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 cup room-temperature, unsalted butter3 to 4 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream (omit for kids & add a little bit of vanilla extract)

With an electric mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy. Slowly add confectioners sugar a little at a time until frosting is the right consistency. There's no way for me to tell you exactly how much -- humidity & elevation affect it, so you'll just have to do your best. If the frosting is too stiff (after adding a bit too much sugar), add heavy cream a dribble at a time & beat in. Add Baileys or vanilla and beat to combine. Frost with 1-2 tablespoons per cupcake. I chopped up some of my leftover chocolate (the ganache only takes 8 oz & most bags of chocolate chips are 10-11 oz), then sprinkled on top of the icing.

These are so yummy. The ganache inside is an unexpected treat!

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Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

I just sort of thought these up, as something different from chocolate. Strawberries are everywhere this time of year, so finding fresh, sweet ones shouldn't be a problem. Instead of doing a traditional yellow cupcake or shortcake, I used angel's food cake mix for the actual cupcakes. This made them light as a dessert (and fat free, too!).

Cupcakes:
Angel food cake boxed mix
Cold water
1/2 c Strawberry jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using directions on cake mix box, add the correct amount of water and beat as directed. Pour into cupcake tins lined with cupcake papers. Bake 15-20 minutes, checking to make sure the outside is golden brown but not burned. Bake until the tops of the cupcakes are not sticky to the touch. Allow to cool. Poke holes in cupcakes with a knife, then whip strawberry jam in a small bowl (I used a fork, just to break up the jam and make its consistency a bit more pourable.) Use a frosting piper or sandwich bag with the corner cut off to pipe strawberry jam into the center of the cupcakes.


Frosting:
6 T unsalted butter, room temperature
2-3 c confectioners sugar
1/2 t vanilla extract
2 T heavy cream1/4 c strawberry jam

With an electric mixer, beat butter to a whipped, light consistency. Slowly add 2 c of sugar & continue beating until smooth. Add vanilla and cream and beat until smooth again. Stir in strawberry jam with a large spoon. If frosting is too wet, beat in additional sugar (up to 1 cup) until it is an appropriate consistency for spreading. Frost cupcakes.


Topping:
Fresh strawberries
1/2 c heavy cream
1-2 T sugar

Wash and thinly slice strawberries after removing hull. (I used an egg slicer to make very thin, uniform slices of strawberry.) In a small metal or glass bowl (chilled, preferably), beat cream and sugar with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Place 2-3 slices of strawberry on top of frosted cupcakes, then top with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. (**Note: You can make the cupcakes and frost them a day or so ahead of time, but DO NOT put the strawberries and whipped cream on top until just ready to serve. You'll find a melted, runny mess if you do this too early!)

Easiest Popcorn Munch Snack Ever

My friend Jen had a girls-only party on Friday night. All my friends from middle school and high school were there, and we ate some really good food (of course!). One of the best items of the night was also by far the easiest (except for my cheese, crackers, & fruit -- which required only chopping & laying out). Jen made a popcorn snack for us to munch on post-dinner. After a few (okay, several) bites, we all nagged her until she told us what was in it. I couldn't have been more surprised! Two ingredients... Yep, that's right. Two. Make it and become the latest party maven. And don't tell anyone how you did it... Let them think you slaved for hours mixing the right concoction! Somehow the sweet mixed with salty/buttery really tastes like a much more complicated recipe. Feel free to double or triple the recipe, depending on your need (or want).


Popcorn Munch

1 package microwave butter popcorn
2 squares white candy bark

Pop the popcorn according to directions in the microwave. Spread popped popcorn on a baking sheet, which you have lined with aluminum foil or wax paper. In the microwave, melt the bark in a bowl according to melting directions on package. When melted completely, use a fork to drizzle the bark onto popcorn. Use a spoon to stir the popcorn and ensure a thin coating has covered most pieces. Allow to cool and dry for 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately or store in air-tight container for 1-2 days.

Hot Cocoa After a Cold, Snowy Day

We had so much fun playing in the snow today. I've been pretty much house-bound since Thursday afternoon. We were supposed to get a lot on Wednesday night, but when we woke the next morning, the ground hadn't a speck of white. By Thursday afternoon, though, the snow was slowly beginning to roll in. By Friday morning, I couldn't see any of the roads around the house. It continued to snow all day Friday and then again today. We got out in it this afternoon, finally, to make home videos, gather snow for snow cream, have a snowball fight, and make snow angels.

When we got inside, we peeled off outer layers of wet clothes and tried to get warm. What better way than to have a mug of real hot cocoa? I had the basics, but I needed a good recipe. I browsed around on the internet and found a website devoted to rediscovering true hot chocolate -- not the kind in the powder packet, but the kind made of actual chocolate and milk and sugar. There is a plethora of recipes on Linda Stradley's site What's Cooking America. I chose to make the hot chocolate reportedly served at the Angelina Cafe in Paris. I also found similar recipes on other sites, including Chowhound. I added sugar, because I wasn't sure it would be sweet enough for a kid (and for me!)

Angelina Café's Hot Chocolate

Hot Chocolate:
6 ounces fine-quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used some leftover Nestle chocolate bits that I chopped up a bit)
1/4 cup water, room temperature
3 tablespoons hot water
3 cups milk
1/4 c sugar

In double boiler over low heat, combine chocolate and 1/4 c water until melted, stirring until smooth. (You can also boil less than half a small saucepan full of water and fit a metal bowl over the pot, so that the bottom doesn't touch the water. Bring water to a boil. Melt the chocolate & 1/4 c water in bowl over boiling water in saucepan.)

Remove top of double boiler pan (or the metal bowl) from heat. Whisk in 3 tablespoons hot water.

Set chocolate aside and warm 3 c milk in a separate saucepan. Add 1/4 c sugar to milk as it heats and stir occasionally or until dissolved. When almost to simmering point, whisk in chocolate mixture. Leave over low heat while making whipped cream.

Whipped Cream:
1/2 c heavy whipping cream
1 T sugar

Add sugar to whipping cream. Beat with hand mixer until soft peaks form.

Serve hot chocolate/milk mixture in mugs and top with whipped cream.

Makes approximately 4 servings.

Muffin Love

Last night I made a dinner which is awesome, but requires no recipes -- garlic smashed cheesy potatoes, green beans, & mac 'n cheese. But I also threw a little homemade into it by making some jalapeno cheese muffins to go along with. I had seen a recipe for some fabulous looking Corn Muffins on Elena Brent Rosemond-Hoerr's Biscuits and Such southern food blog, but I couldn't get the page to load last night for some reason.

So I went to the very talented Ree Drummond's Pioneer Woman Cooks site and found a similar recipe for Cheese Muffins. I simply added a whole jalapeno, seeded and minced at the end of the recipe so that I could get the heat that my boyfriend & I love. All in all, they turned out delicious... I think I skimped a bit on the cheese because I used all I had in the fridge & it may not have been 3 full cups. But I took them to work this morning (the recipe made twelve, and twelve muffins were not going to be eaten by 2 people) & they were gobbled up in under an hour. A success, I would say!

Photo courtesy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Jalapeno-Cheese Muffins (recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks except for the pepper)

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups shredded colby-jack cheese
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
1 jalapeno (seeds removed & discarded, then diced)

Whisk together dry ingredients, then stir in cheese. Add jalapeno & combine thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, whisk egg, milk, and butter together. Pour milk mixture into dry ingredients and stir with a spoon to combine.

Bake in greased 12-muffin tin at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Stuffed Green Peppers

For supper tonight, I made some stuffed green peppers. This was a staple at our house when I was growing up, but I've adjusted the recipe to my own taste. Usually, I throw in whatever I have in the cabinets or fridge, and tonight was no exception! I think this time I've hit upon the perfect recipe, so I'll start making it this way every time from now on:

Stuffed Green Peppers

2 large green bell peppers
Cooking spray (such as Pam)
1 box Rice-A-Roni Spanish Rice
2 c hot water
1 T butter (I use the real stuff -- no margarine for me!)
1 - 10oz can tomato soup (I use Campbell's condensed)
1 - 16oz (1lb) bag Frozen Beginnings 3 Pepper & Onion Recipe Starters (The one I use is Kroger brand, but you could use any frozen bell pepper/onion blend. I like this one because it has yellow, red, & green bell peppers.)
Red pepper flakes
1/2 - 1 c shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray the inside of a 8x8 or 9x9 square glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cut green bell peppers in half cross-wise, so that the bottom and top both form bases, with bowl-like sections facing up. Clean all membranes & seeds out of peppers. Arrange the four pepper "bowls" in the baking dish and set aside.

Saute rice with butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat until light brown. Add hot water, seasoning packet from rice box, and tomato soup. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Most of the liquid will have been absorbed towards the end of cooking.

As rice simmers, defrost frozen pepper/onion mixture in the microwave (in a microwave-safe bowl) and heat a nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Saute pepper/onion mixture in frying pan for 3-5 minutes, or until soft. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes (more if you like heat, less if you don't) during cooking. Set aside until rice is done.

When rice is done, add pepper/onion mixture to saucepan and stir together until well mixed. Add half shredded cheese and stir completely through. Spoon rice mixture evenly into bell pepper halves, heaping until rice has all been used. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Sprinkle stuffed peppers with the remaining cheese and place under broiler for 2-3 minutes until cheese has melted, keeping a close eye on the peppers so that cheese and rice do not burn.

Let stuffed peppers sit for 2-5 minutes, so that juices can be absorbed into rice and peppers. Serve immediately.

We often eat these by themselves for dinner, but they could also be a great side item to serve with tacos, enchiladas, or quesadillas.

Cream Cheese = Party Food

Usually Friday nights are not when I cook anything complicated, new or old. After a long week, the last thing I want to do is stand on my feet in the kitchen. But because it's been a holiday, I've been home for a few days. When that happens, I get a little stir-crazy. And when I get stir-crazy, I run to the kitchen...

Tonight I was craving some party food; I went out to dinner with some friends for New Year's Eve, so I didn't get any snack-y type of party food. So tonight, I made my own! One of my favorite snack foods of all time is Clam Dip. At some point in my childhood, I think you could buy clam dip in the grocery store, near the french onion dip. However, that's been many moons ago; I haven't seen any in ages. When I was in college, I went on a serious search for a recipe that closely matched the clam dip my parents used to enjoy. I don't recall where I got this recipe; I think it might be a conglomeration of several, which I put into one by picking out the best bits from them.(Note: It turns sort of a pinkish color, which should not be off-putting in any way, shape, or form. Rather, it's the result of the mixing mayo/cream cheese with the chili sauce and actually ends up blending in rather nicely with the clams.)


Clam Dip

1 - 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1/2 c mayonnaise (you may use light mayo -- I always use Hellman's)
4 T chili sauce (you may use cocktail sauce instead and less of the horseradish below)
2 t prepared horseradish
2 t onion juice
2 t Worcestershire sauce
1.5 t lemon juice
2 - 6.5oz cans minced clams (drain well -- I always use Doxsee/Snow's)

Allow cream cheese to soften to room temperature. (Alternatively, soften in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl on low power for 1-3 minutes, stopping after each 30 seconds - minute to check temperature and ensure cream cheese is not becoming too hot and melted.) Use hand mixer to beat cream cheese with mayonnaise. When well blended, add all other ingredients except clams. Mix well with hand mixer until smooth and creamy. Add drained minced clams and stir into the cream cheese mixture until thoroughly mixed. Cover and refrigerate until slightly firm (approximately two hours). Serve with plain Wavy Lays potato chips. Try not to eat it all yourself (unless you used Miracle Whip and fat-free cream cheese.... then it's fine)!

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The other thing I made tonight (with cream cheese, also!) is a Cheese Pie that has been in my family for years. I don't remember who originally made it or where the recipe came from, but it's been a favorite for more than a decade. We call it Cheese Pie because it's sort of a cross between a cheesecake and, well, a pie. It actually bakes up into its own crust with a cheesecake-like center and a sour cream topping. Not overly sweet, like cheesecake can sometimes be, it's perfect.

Cheese Pie

Pie:
2 - 8oz packages of cream cheese (softened -- again, let it sit outside refrigerator or use the method above to soften it in the microwave)
3/4 c sugar
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter glass pie pan and set aside. Beat cream cheese with hand mixer until smooth with a whipped texture. Add eggs and sugar. Mix well, until creamy and pourable. Pour into a buttered pie pan and bake for 50 minutes. Take out and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Leave the oven on, as you'll be returning the pie to the oven soon. In the meantime, mix up the topping.

Topping:
8 oz sour cream
1/4 c sugar
1 t vanilla extract

Mix all three together until smooth. When pie has cooled for 20 minutes, pour topping into the center that's been created as the pie cooled. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Take pie out and allow to cool completely. Refrigerate for a minimum of 2-3 hours, or longer if necessary, until serving.

Weekend Mornings

To some, making breakfast wouldn't be such a big deal. However, I have only recently become a breakfast eater, so cooking in the morning is a huge change for me!

My boyfriend and I are creatures of habit. We go through periods of time when we like to eat the same things. Over and over. Therefore, I am currently working on perfecting a simply, yet delicious breakfast meal. I'm talking ve-e-e-ery simple. For the past few weeks, I have been focusing on bacon, eggs, and toast. Sounds simple -- and it is -- yet I have really worked to try to make it as good as it can be.

As silly as it sounds (yes, I know there are people out there who cook breakfast every single day and made a science out of it years ago), this can sometimes be challenging. We've eaten soft chewy (yuck!) bacon, rather than crispy... Scrambled eggs have also been a challenge. Since neither of us has previously been a big egg eater (you know, except for the bits in fried rice or the ones that are in brownie batter), we had to find a way to cook eggs that we really liked. Enough to want to eat. Scrambled seems to be the only way thus far. Maybe one day we'll branch out, but not so far...

On my first day adding cheese to the eggs, my boyfriend declined to eat them. When he did add some to his plate a few days later, he said, "Now I'm mad that I didn't eat them the other day!" Well, yeah. I could have told him adding cheese was not going to make them taste bad...

So what we've really come down to is this: a list of likes & dislikes. For example, we like thick-cut hardwood smoked bacon -- brand really isn't an issue. You can eyeball a cut of bacon in the grocery store and usually find one that tastes good based on color and ratio of meat to fat. Not such a huge fan of the thin-sliced bacon. We wouldn't turn it down, though. Just seems pointless to cook it when bacon takes a while. With thin-sliced pieces, bacon disappears around my house like it's made of smoke. The thick-sliced bacon seems to last a bit longer, as it has some more meat to it.

For eggs, we want them scrambled with cheese, salt, and lots of pepper. I have used just mozzarella, but a shredded cheese mix works well (like a mix with two or more of mozzarella, cheddar, colby, monterrey jack, asiago, or parmesan). I cook mine until they've just lost their wet look; my boyfriend likes his cooked until there is a little bit of browning on the bottom of some of the egg nibbles.

Toast we haven't done that much with. What exactly is there to do? I toast some wheat slices and spread whipped butter on top while they're hot. I usually spread some fruit preserves on one of my slices. I like the sweet fruit as a foil to the smoky bacon.

Yum. Maybe we'll have breakfast for dinner tonight...