Spring lemon cupcakes

Happy Easter/Passover weekend/spring! To celebrate the arrival of warmer weather (hopefully) and spring, I decided to make Lemon cupcakes with Lemon cream cheese frosting!  Something about lemon just screams spring, doesn't it?  This little pillows of sunshine were a welcome treat after this long, awful, winter.  Here's the recipe! 

Lemon Cupcakes:

Yields 2 dozen cupcakes 

3 cups cake flour*

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda 

1/2 tsp salt

8 oz (2 sticks) butter, room temp

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Zest of 1 lemon

1 cup milk

1.  Preheat oven to 350F degrees.  Line 2 cupcake pans with cupcake wrappers.

2.  Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl.

3.  In bowl of stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together for 5 minutes, with paddle attachment, until pale and fluffy.  

4.  On low, add eggs 1 at a time, mixing well in between each egg.

5.  Add vanilla and lemon zest.

6.  Add 1/3 of dry ingredients and mix on low, just until combined.

7.   Add 1/2 of milk, and mix gently.

8.  Add remaining ingredients, dry, wet, dry.  Don't over mix.

9.  Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full.

10.  Bake for 17-19 mins, or until toothpick inserted cones out clean.

For lemon cream cheese frosting:

16 oz cream cheese, softened

4 oz butter, room temp

2 lbs powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 lemon, juice and zest

Food coloring (optional) 

1. Using stand mixer with paddle, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. 

2.  Add vanilla, lemon zest, and juice and mix until combined.

3.  Gradually add powdered sugar, then mix until combined.  Add food coloring.  Scrape down sides of bowl.  Mix again. 

Purple!

Pink!

Yellow!

And blue! 

Final step:

Once cupcakes are cool, pipe frosting in whatever way you want!  Have some fun with it!

Tip:  

Put ziplock bag into a cup to fill, makes it so much easier and cleaner! 

*to make cake flour:  measure out the amount of flour you need in all purpose, then scoop out 2 Tablespoons for each cup and throw away/put back in bag.  Then add- however many tablespoons missing - of cornstarch and sift, sift, sift!

I split the frosting up and colored each portion a different color, which gave me an assortment of cupcakes!  These cupcakes were delicious, bright and citrusy!  

Have a good week everyone!

P.s.  I made an Instagram account for blog!  @thisliittlelifeofmine

Check it out!

Update

Hi! I'm so sorry it's been so long, I kind of forgot to post... And I have been very busy! I am in public school! Crazy, right? I'm really enjoying it, but I do miss homeschooling sometimes.  I haven't been cooking quite as much, but I'm still at it!  I wrote a post this summer that I never actually got around to publishing, so that will come very soon! I just have to edit/finish it.  Some exciting news, I got Invisilaign! It is a clear alternative to braces.  Unfortunately, my teeth are very sore, so eating has not been fun... For once! 😋 I'm currently on a winter break, and I hope to do some cooking soon!  Bye for now!

Vacation

This was written in August, I just never got around to posting it... Oh well! It can bring us back to summer for a little while! I know I miss the summertime! 

I just got back from a nice, relaxing, vacation at the beach!  Just in time, since school starts this week... That's right, I'm going to public school!  This will be a new endeavor for me, which is both exciting and nerve-wracking.  8th grade, here I come!  But back to my vacation (excuse my easily distractible brain).  It was a family vacation/reunion to celebrate my dad and grandma's birthdays!  Our family has some exceptional cooks, and each family made dinner for one night!  For the birthday party night, my uncle made one of the best meals I've ever eaten. It was Filet Mignon (aka beef tenderloin. aka the best piece of meat. EVER.) with a gorgonzola cream sauce (I didn't even know I liked gorgonzola!) and scalloped potatoes (cheesy, gooey, potatoey goodness, aka a heart attack on a plate)!  Absolutely phenomenal!  Some other cool food-related things we did/ate:

- We caught, picked, and ate some Blue Crab! we tried catching the crabs at various locations, with no success, but then we found the perfect spot!  I had never actually eaten crab before, but it was delicious! 

- We went to a seafood shack to look around, and guess what? Part of Forest Gump was filmed there! So cool!

-We had a Chopped competition with my aunt and uncle! Unfortunately, my dad and I didn't win... but it was still really fun!

-My dad took me to an old-school shrimp shack to get some fresh, South Carolina shrimp!  It was cool, but let me tell you, it reeked!

Favorite Kitchen tool of the Month- addition 2

Once again, a post I wrote a while ago, but I still use and love this knife!

This month's is...

 My Wusthof 4.5in utility knife! 

This knife is my go-to knife.  I use it for everything!  Examples:  To cut and trim chicken breasts, to cut fruit, chop veggies, and so much more!  It's the perfect size for my small hands, and for big hands too.  Professional chefs may use chef's knifes for everything, but I use this.  Another great part of this knife is, it was SUPER sharp when I first bought it, and stayed like that for a while!  Now I just do a couple of strokes on a sharpener (or whatever it is called) every once and a while to keep it razor sharp.  I also love the subtle curve of the blade, which make slicing and dicing much easier.  If you are looking for a go-to knife, I would definitely recommend this one!

My Favorite Kitchen Tool of the Month

For this blog post, I decided to do something different.  Instead of a recipe, I'm going to share my favorite kitchen tool of the past month.  So, without further ado, my favorite kitchen tool of the month is........

The Lodge 3.5 inch cast iron skillet!

This miniature skillet is amazing!  I love to make a miniature omelet on a bagel.  Eating one always makes me feel like I'm eating an egg sandwich at Dunkin' Donuts, or Breugger's Bagels!

I absolutely love this little pan, but then again, I love anything little.  I'm going to let you in on a secret; I have a slight (okay, maybe not that slight) obsession with anything and everything small!  I just love having miniature everything!  It makes me happy! :)   Having a egg that fits neatly on a bagel helps if you are eating it on the go; there is much less mess than with scrambled eggs or a folded omelet.  This little pan is super cute!

Nutella-Marscapone Crepes!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!  I hope you are having a day full of love!  Now, to the food.  Exactly a year ago, I went out to brunch, and got a Nutella-Mascarpone Crepe with Raspberry sauce.  It was ridiculously amazing!  Unfortunately, it was a special just for Valentines day, so I've been severely deprived... :)  I've been wanting to recreate it ever since I sank my teeth in it, and I finally did a couple of weeks ago!  The results turned out great!  Don't be intimidated by the idea of making crepes, it really isn't that hard.  Just know, the first couple might turn out a little funny looking (mine were quite misshaped), but they taste just fine, so don't beat yourself up about it!  Crepes are a perfect vehicle for all sorts of filling, and the basic crepe recipe could be used for a sweet or savory crepe.  Oh, the possibilities!
 
A few key points about making crepes-

• Make sure to use a nonstick pan
• Use enough batter so they are big enough and get swirled into the right shape
•  Do not leave the pan while a crepe is cooking, they cook very quickly, and you don't want to burn them
• Have fun, and eat a lot! :)

      Crepes
      Makes 4 crepes
      Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted 
• Marscapone cheese*
• Nutella (or other chocolate hazelnut spread)
• Raspberries, halved 

      Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and egg (I know it sounds weird, but it works!  Just trust me!).  Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine.  Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly oiled nonstick pan over medium high heat.  Pour or scoop the batter onto the pan, using approx. 1/4 cup for each crepe.  Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.  
3. Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown,  Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side.  
4. Put on a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm (or stick in a VERY low heat oven) while you make the rest.  
5. Mix mascarpone cheese with Nutella (Just eyeball the proportions), taste and adjust to your liking. 
6. Spread the mascarpone-nutella mixture in the center of a crepe, add raspberries, and fold.
7. Enjoy!

*If you don't have mascarpone cheese, just use this substitute:

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 Tbsp cream
• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp sour cream 

Beat in a bowl until smooth.

These crepes are so yummy and easy, and whoever you serve this to will think you spent a bunch of time and effort on them!  But that can be our little secret. :)   I hope you have a great weekend!

7 ingredient, super simple Chocolate-Marshmallow cupcakes (And homemade pizza)!

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR!  I hope your holidays were great!  Now, to business. :)  Today I made Chocolate-Marshmallow cupcakes, and homemade pizza!  Let's start with the cupcakes...  My friend sent me this recipe to make, and when I looked at the ingredients to start making a grocery list, I realized that I had all the ingredients, and they are all items that people typically have on hand!  It was the icing on the cupcake (pun intended!) :)  These cupcakes are absolutely DELICIOUS, and really easy to make!  Definitely going to become a go-to dessert!  I'm planning on trying variations; Nutella, caramels, Rolos, etc **.  We'll see how it goes!   I think mini marshmallows would work better than the regular sized ones, because I had to cut my marshmallows in smaller pieces to fit.  But these cupcakes are amazing, trust me!

**Update on different insides:  I made another batch a few days later, this time half with Nutella, and half with a caramel inside and sea salt on top.  It was amazing!  But for the caramels, make sure to either eat them all warm out of the oven, or pop it in the microwave.  The caramel hardens as the cupcake cools.  I must say, I liked the variations better than the original!

Melt the chocolate and butter (it's okay if it looks a little weird, don't worry!)

Finished!  The recipe made six, but they got eaten before I remembered to take the picture!

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate)
• 1/4 cup (1/8 lb.) butter
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar (since my chocolate was sweeter, I did a skimpy 1/3 cup)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• mini marshmallows

Preparation

1.  In a small saucepan over very low heat, stir chocolate chips and butter until melted and smooth. Pour into a bowl and whisk in granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla until well blended. Stir in flour.
2.  Spray ramekins with nonstick cooking spray (or butter and flour them).  Fill six ramekins (1/2-cup capacity*) about halfway. Press a couple marshmallows into the center of the batter in each ramekin. Spoon remaining batter equally over marshmallows, completely covering.
3.  Bake in the center of a 350° regular or 325° convection oven until tops are puffed up and crackly, 13 to 17 minutes. Let cool about 10 minutes, then run a knife along inside of ramekins and invert to release cakes. Place right side up on plates.

* If you don't have ramekins, you can use muffin pans (about 1/2-cup capacity, but mine were about 1/3 cup capacity, so I just poured less in, and it turned out fine!!).

These were supposed to be Molten, but my marshmallow dissolved.  I could still taste it a little, and it gave it a great, moist texture!  Either way, I LOVED these!  Hope you do too!


 Next was the pizza!  I decided to make my own pizza dough, using our bread machine!  It did take a while, but it was delicious!  Since I love my meat, I made a BBQ chicken and bacon pizza!

Before the oven...

Perfection!!

Homemade Pizza Dough, Bread Machine (I got the recipe from Allrecipes)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup water
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp white sugar
• 1 Tbsp dry milk powder
• 2 1/4 cups bread flour
• 1 tsp dry active yeast

Directions

1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough cycle; press Start.
2. Remove dough from pan after rise cycle and use for your favorite pizza recipe.

 My dough took about 2 1/2 hours in the bread machine, but the machines differ.  The recipe made 1 big pizza, and it had a thick crust!  My pizza took about 10-15 minutes to cook, at 400* F.

Hope you are having a great year so far!  Keep cooking!