Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Today I'm here to share with you my chocolate cupcake recipe that I created a few years ago.  This recipe is my dad and I's favorite cupcake; which says a lot considering we both are not huge cupcake fans.  Usually I find cupcakes are overly sugary, and they remind me of chemicals.  Although these cupcakes are super moist, and have a hint of chocolate without being overly sugary. These cupcakes also have a nice cream cheese frosting that adds more complex flavors besides just having a sugary frosting.  Overall these cupcakes are very delicious and I hope you give them a try.

Yields: 2 dozen cupcakes
Cook Time:15-17 min
Oven Temp:350°F

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tbsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp softened butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup of milk
• 2 eggs

Directions:
1.Taking a muffin tin  and line with cupcake liners.
2.In a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
2.In a separate bowl whisk the butter and sugar together.  Slowly beat in the eggs, vanilla extract, and milk, then mix until combined.
3. Taking the flour mixture slowly add into the butter mixture and stir together.
4. Over a double boiler melt the chocolate chips then take the melted chocolate and mix into the batter.  Once everything is mixed together let the batter sit for 30 minutes.
5. Heat the oven well the batter sits, then fill the cupcake liners 2/3-1/2 of the way with the batter depending on how big you want your cupcakes.
6.  Take the cupcakes and place into the oven for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean once inserted.  When the cupcakes are done take out and let cool.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
 Ingredients:

• 1 stick and 2 tbsp of butter
• 5 oz of cream cheese
• 1 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar 

To make the frosting beat together the ingredients in a medium to small bowl.  Once mixed place into a piping bag and pipe onto your cooled cupcakes.  Place the frosted cupcakes into the fridge for about 30min so everything can set.  Once ready eat and enjoy!


 -Megan

0

Thick and Fluffy Pizza Crust

Lately, I've been  trying to make new things from scratch.  So last Friday when my dad asked to order pizza I decided to instead make my own. In order to do this though, we needed to make our own pizza dough.  So I'm here to share with you my pizza crust recipe I used biased off of True Aims Easy Homemade Pizza Crust for directions. Overall my whole family really enjoyed the pizza and I am really glad we choose to make our own instead of ordering out.

This recipe makes a fluffy pizza crust that is great for making your vary own homemade pizzas.  For this recipe it takes about 55-60 min from start to finish.  When making this pizza I used a pizza stone, although I found I made a few mistakes along the way.  When using the pizza stone you must first make sure to place it into the oven before cooking so it can heat up all the way.  By doing this it will allow the pizza to cook thoroughly on the bottom.  If you do not do this it can cause your pizza to cook on the edges and on top, but cause the bottom to remain under cooked and doughy.  Although, we did not do this so we ended up having to transfer the pizza from the stone we used onto a wire sheet so we could get the bottom to cook.  This step worked pretty well, but I would recommend having a heated stone, as it will make your life much easier.

Time:50-60min
Yield: 2 thick crust pizzas or 3 thin crust pizzas

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 packet of instant rise yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp of your favorite spice mixture ( I used a Mickey & T's Italian spice mixture) 
• 2 tbsp olive oil + more for baking
• 1 3/4 cup hot water 
• extra flour for kneading

Directions:
1. Begin by pr-heating your oven to 170°F.
2. In a mixing bowl mix together the flours, yeast, salt, pepper, and spices.  Once combined start kneading your dough with a dough hook on a mixer, and slowly add in the hot water, then the olive oil.  Knead for about 3min or until everything is mixed together. 
3. Once everything is mixed together let let the dough sit for 10 minutes.  Once the dough has sat, place it onto a floured surface, and slowly mix in some extra flour until your dough isn't as sticky and has a smooth texture.  Then taking the dough place it into a sprayed oven safe bowl, cover with tin foil and place it into the oven.  Once the dough is in the oven turn off the oven, this will allow the yeast to activate faster without actually cooking the dough. Wait for about 30min or until dough has doubled in size.
4.  When the dough has doubled in size take out the dough turn your oven to 425°F and place the pizza stone in the oven.
5.  Taking the dough split it in two and place onto a well floured surface such as a flat baking sheet. With the dough on the sheet; roll it out until you have your desired pizza crust size and thickness.  Then taking your desired toppings place onto the pizza.  
6.  Taking your prepared pizza  slide it onto  the heated pizza stone.  Brush the crust with the extra oil so it stay soft  and doesn't burn.  Then take your prepared pizza

place into the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the dough is cooked and the cheese is brown and bubbly. 
7. Take it out of the oven when ready cut and enjoy!

Hope you  try making this dough at home and stay tuned to get the recipes for my chicken BBQ pizza, and my chicken pesto pizza.
   -Megan

0

Strawberry Cheescake Crepes

Crepes, a delicious treat that many don't get to enjoy, or have on a very rare occasion. They are super versatile as they can be made sweet or savory, and filled with any of your favorite toppings.  Today though I am going to share with you a sweet strawberry cheesecake crepe.  This recipe was inspired from a crepe that my family and I had when we went to Breckenridge Colorado for a ski trip. When we were walking through town we got a strawberry cheesecake crepe and we all instantly fell in love.  After tasting the deliciousness of that crepe, it then inspired me to go home and recreate it, so we could enjoy it any time we felt like it.

Overall these crepes I made were a huge success with my family, and I absolutely loved them.  They were so sweet and all the components between the strawberries, blueberries, cream cheese filling, graham crackers, and the crepe itself created a perfect blend of textures.  After taking one bite you'll be as in love with them as I was. Although the only downfall to making this is they may take a little bit of time, as you have to let the batter sit and you can only make the crepes one at a time. Even with the long cook time though I know I will definitely be making these again and hope you do as well so you can enjoy them as well.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Crepes:
Time: 1 hour
Servings: Makes 10 7-in" crepes

Ingredients:
Graham Cracker Crust:

• 2 crushed honey graham crackers
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tbsp butter

Toppings:

• strawberries sliced thinly
• blueberries

Cream Cheese filling:

• 1 1/2 tbsp vanilla Greek yogurt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 4 oz 1/3 less cream cheese

Crepes:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup lukewarm water
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
• pinch of salt

Directions:

To make these strawberry cream cheese crepes, begin by mixing together the crepe ingredients in a blender.  When everything is all together let it sit for 30 min or over night.  This will allow the batter to thicken and all the ingredients to absorb together. If you're waiting over night make sure to put into the refrigerator.

While waiting for the batter, start making the cream cheese filling, and graham cracker crust.  For the filling beat together all the ingredients until smooth.  Once mixed place into the fridge until ready for use.  For the graham cracker crust begin by placing the graham crackers into a plastic bag and crush them.  Then in a bowl melt the butter and sugar together in the microwave until combined, once they are a liquid stir in the graham crackers and set to the side.

Next, once your batter has sat for 30+ minutes it is time to cook them.  Taking a 7" saute or crepe pan heat on medium, then butter the pan lightly.  Taking 3-4tbsp of the batter place into the pan then swirl around so it form a thin flat circle.  Wait until the batter has set on-top and the bottom begins to stiffen then flip over.  Wait until the next side is cooked through, then place onto a plate with wax paper on it.  Place some more butter on the pan and cook the rest of the crepes until all the batter is gone.

Now for the assembly.  At this point you should have your crepes, the cream cheese filling, the graham cracker crust, and fresh strawberries and blueberries. Taking one crepe spread some of the filling onto the crepe, then sprinkle with some graham crackers, then for the finishing touch add in the fruit.  Once everything is inside the crepe roll it up with everything in the inside, and enjoy!

Let us know what your favorite crepe fillings are
-Megan

0

Asian Soy-Sesame Steak Bites

Tender, flavorful, and the perfect amount of sweet and salty; these Asian Soy-same steak bites are an easy yet delicious dinner.  With just a little bit of prep, and the right ingredients you can make this tasty recipe yourself. My mom and I especially enjoyed this recipe and how the meat cooked. This was especially important for our family because, my mom usually likes her meat cooked differently than the rest of us.  Typically, my sister, dad, and I all really enjoy to have a nice medium to medium-rare steak that was a great chew and a nice soft pink center.  Although as someone who dislikes the look of red meat my mom tends to dislike steak all together given, the chewiness the steak has when cooked without red on the inside.  When making this recipe though the steak cooked all the way through but didn't turn into a "shoe" as my dad likes to say.  Due to the flavors, and how the meat cooked my mom actually really enjoyed this dish and even went for seconds (Yeah!!!).  Overall I really enjoyed this recipe and hope all of  you try it sometime.

Ingredients:

• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp of brown sugar
• 1 tsp red chili flakes
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• salt + pepper
• 1lb of New York strip steak cut into bite size pieces
• sesame seeds
• green onions

Time:20min cook + 5 hours inactive
Serves:4-5 people

Directions:

To make these steak bites start by marinating the steak cubes in the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, red chili flakes, water, and cornstarch.  Once marinating, wait about 5 hours or more to let the meat absorb the flavors.  Once the meat had been marinated remove the meat from the sauce and cook over medium-high heat.   Taking the sauce place it in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil.  This will allow all of the germs from the raw meat to be killed.  Once the sauce has come to a boil, turn the heat to low and let thicken.  While the sauce is thickening stir the meet in the pan, so it evenly cooks.

 Once your meat is cooked through, take you thickened sauce and pour into the pan with the meat.  Taking some sesame seeds mix everything together so it begins to stick and forms a slight glaze. Top the meat with some green onions for garnish and enjoy!!

Let us know if you have anything you'd like to see next.
-Megan

0

No-Bake Fudge Birthday Cake

In honor of Megan and I's birthday last week, we decided to make a fun and easy no-bake "birthday cake." We were inspired by Sally's Baking Addiction. This cake has the texture of fudge, but the flavor of cake. It only takes about 10-15 minutes to prepare and about 2 hours to cool in the refrigerator. We cut and handed out this no-bake cake to our Language Arts class and got great reviews! Have fun and leave a comment if you tried it! 

Ingredients:

*2 cups of yellow or white cake mix

*2 cups of powdered sugar

*1 stick of butter

*1/4 cup of milk

*3/4 cups of rainbow sprinkles

Directions:

1. Start with combining the cake mix and powdered sugar in a large microwaveable bowl. Then, add in the butter and microwave until butter is fully melted.

2. Add in the milk and 1/2 cup of sprinkles, then mix everything together until your dough looks close to the picture below.

3. Spoon the dough into a greased pan (about 8x8) and refrigerate for about 2 hours before consuming.

***We added an extra 1/4 cup of sprinkles to the top of the dough before refrigerating and it really made the cake pop. Also we cut our fudge into cute little michigan shapes with a simple cookie cutter.***

         

0