“Honey, those cupcakes were bangin’.” – Shawn

High praise never fails to make me smile all goofy and wide. Seriously, who doesn’t love to hear that something they made was just awesome?

These cupcakes are moist, but dense. The flavor is reminiscent of pumpkin pie, but it has notes of carrot cake too (no carrots though!). The frosting is creamy and, yes, totally dreamy. It has all the good parts of cream cheese, sweetened just right so that it counters the slightly sour note that it carries.

OMG, these are good. Just make them.

When I made these, it was Sunday morning. I woke up planning on pancakes, but decided to eat some muffins instead. Since we needed some dessert to bring to Sunday dinner, these cupcakes ended up being our Sunday baking experiment du jour.

Of course, the kids got to help too. They take turns pouring things into the bowl and then Will gets to sift it with a wire whisk. It’s a great technique, and he’s really good at it. Paige was really into the whole process, alternating between cheering Will on (literally) and trying to climb onto the table.

They could barely wait to try these. And as soon as the first one was frosted, Will did (Paige was sleeping). He couldn’t say enough about how much he liked them …

Sigh. Make these.

Pumpkin Cupcakes
yields 18 cupcakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 18 cupcake cups with cupcake liners (I use a 6-cup cupcake/muffin tin and a 12-cup cupcake/muffin tin).

Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and salt. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, beat together the eggs, brown sugar, butter, vanilla extract and pumpkin puree until smooth. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture a little at a time until fully incorporated.

Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake cups, filling them about 3/4 full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Allow to cool for five minutes and then transfer the cupcakes to a metal rack to cool completely. Then frost the cupcakes with Dreamy Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows).

Dreamy Cream Cheese Frosting
yields enough to frost 18 cupcakes

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup marshmallow fluff
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all ingredients and whip until combined and smooth. Transfer to a pastry bag and frost cupcakes (must be completely cooled).

Nope, I didn’t make this. Virtual Frolic made it as a special surprise for my birthday (which is later this week). The colors were so alluring and vibrant — it’s almost too pretty to eat! Flavored with lemon, it was both refreshing and satisfying. It made for a delish dessert after strawberry picking.

Mmm. Good cake.

(Want the recipe? Head over to Virtual Frolic’s blog and let her know! Hopefully she will post it soon.)

Strawberry season is inching its way closer and closer and I cannot tell you how excited that makes me. I loved heading out to the strawberry patch with my grandmother as a child. We would pick and pick and pick (and eat and eat and eat), red juices flowing down our fingers (okay, maybe it was just my fingers) and staining my checks and clothes. I am pretty sure that I ate more berries than we would walk away with (don’t all kids? Will has certainly tried).

These days, when I go strawberry picking, it’s with a purpose: to bring home lots of berries for the whole year. Some berries get transformed into jam, others are carefully frozen to last us all year and some are for eating right away and in freshly made dishes.

Now, don’t get me wrong: I could definitely eat all the berries plain, right up front. But those fresh berries are also so tasty in smoothies, breads, cakes … and in this delish Whipped Strawberry Cream. Make sure it’s good and cold and then dish it up. It goes so well with so many things.

Whipped Strawberry Cream
serves 6-8

This recipe makes a creamy topping that can be paired with cake, ice cream, French toast, waffles, fresh fruit or even could go into a parfait. It’s light on the sweetness though, relying more on the strawberry flavor then on the typical sweetness of whipped cream. You could add more confectioner’s sugar if you want this to be sweeter.

1 cup strawberries, hulled and quartered
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners sugar

Puree the strawberries and granulated sugar together and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the heavy cream and the confectioners sugar. Whip with a hand mixer or stand mixer until very stiff (go one step beyond smooth).

Fold the strawberry puree into the heavy cream mixture by hand, using as few strokes as possible to combine.

Chill until ready to serve.

The first time I hosted a holiday meal was about four and a half years ago. It was Thanksgiving and we had it at my house. When I think of that holiday, I think about how frantic I was all day and how it felt like I would never get everything done. I ran and rushed and was short with people … so not fun.

Man, have I come a long way. Holidays are no longer frantic here. I know how to plan and organize and it pays off in spades for my relaxation level. Making a meal isn’t just about choosing good dishes. It’s about choosing dishes that go well together and complement each other. Furthermore, it’s about planning the best method for cooking things and in what order.  These days, I not only make a menu for a holiday meal, but I also time out everything and make whatever I can in advance.

When I was planning the menu for Easter brunch, I wanted to keep the hands-on cooking on Easter to a minimum. The ham was a given and an easy frittata fit the bill as well. I enlisted my husband to make eggs over easy and two potato hash browns. … But I wanted something sweet and breakfast-y too. I considered making and reheating pancakes, but reheated pancakes are never that good.

Then I remembered: Cate had posted about a make-ahead French toast recipe last summer that had me drooling. I inquired about the recipe and she forked it over (and might have cursed me a bit for making her mouth water at the thought too).

The name: Creme Brulee French Toast (though admittedly, that is a bit of a mis-nomer since you never actually brulee the French toast). It’s a delicious, sweet, crave-worthy dish that comes together really quickly and sits overnight before baking to an ooey-gooey, sweet and tender French toast. Absolutely divine. Above, you see only the browned side, but at the bottom of the pan is the caramel-y goodness that is the piece de resistance of this dish (sorry no pics of that — it was devoured too quickly).

This is a fantastic celebration, special occasion, happy day breakfast … I can’t thank Cate enough for this delightful, delectable, delicious recipe. It’s a family fav.

Creme Brulee French Toast
adapted slightly from All Recipes via Sweetnicks

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp corn syrup
12 1-inch slices of French bread (about 3/4 of a large loaf)
6 large eggs
1-1/2 cups fat-free half-and-half
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in brown sugar and corn syrup and continue stirring until the sugar dissolves and it becomes a smooth liquid. Pour into an ungreased 9×13 inch baking pan, tilting the pan so that it spreads out evenly in the bottom. It will get thick and unpliable quickly.

Arrange the bread slices in the baking dish, pressing into the butter mixture. You may need to cut some in half to fit them all.

Whisk the eggs, half and half, vanilla extract and salt together until fully combined. Pour the mixture evenly over the bread. It will look like a lot of egg, but don’t worry. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, remove the French toast from the fridge, remove the plastic and let sit for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and sprinkle the cinnamon evenly on the bread slices.

Bake, uncovered for 40-55 minutes, until it puffs up and is lightly browned. Serve immediately.

It all started with the beautiful marble cake that Shawn bought for me. It had this delicious creamy frosting and was decorated with a firm, rich buttercream that melted in my mouth. I loved it. Loved every part of it. It was so sensuously smooth that it made my tongue dance with glee . . . Except when I went to eat the last sliver of cake, something was missing: the scalloped buttercream edging from the bottom of the cake.

Yes, folks, my last bit of buttercream was stolen out from under me. Surely you can understand my devastation. It’s been all I could think about since then. I’ve been driving Shawn crazy with my musing about the delectable taste of that buttery buttercream . . . Like a jilted lover, it haunted me with conviction and certainty until he finally went and bought a little more for me to enjoy . . .

Oh, the sweet sensation of buttercream on tongue . . .

That’s why when I read this post on Smitten Kitchen about making Swiss buttercream, I just knew . . . I had to do it. I haven’t yet, but it’s coming . . . perhaps even for the birthday Will shares with his grandmother.

In the meantime, I did what any sensible person would do: I sent Shawn back to the store for a little more cake.

Do you have a favorite frosting?

These days, bringing peanut butter to school is akin to giving your kid a vodka tonic in his thermos. Seriously. (And don’t take that the wrong way, I know that the peanut allergies are very serious and can be deadly. But these allergies have appeared out of nowhere and my personal concern is mitigating the development in my kids. I certainly don’t want them growing up with that risk and fear. Fortunately, Will isn’t allergic and with any luck Paige won’t be either.)

But where have all these peanut allergies come from anyway? If you ask me, it’s a result of being too sterile. Back when I was a kid everything wasn’t super sanitized to the Nth degree (and yet, somehow we all turned out fine. Go figure.). And experts are noticing that the deadly allergy isn’t striking developing countries where houses aren’t completely germ-free like they are here … too many chemicals in the U.S., I tell you. That’s why I use natural cleaners that aren’t anti-microbial or anti-bacterial.

Anyway, this is about kiwi, not peanuts or peanut allergies.

One thing that is great about kiwi is that it’s really healthy food. Kiwi, or kiwifruit, is rich in vitamin C and also contains a good amount of fiber and potassium. As someone who is trying to lose weight by healthifying my diet and ensuring that I am getting adequate nutrients, having a kiwi a day really helps.

Kiwi is always in season somewhere, although it’s not grown here in the Northeast U.S. According to World’s Healthiest Foods, Californian kiwifruit is available from November until May. The fruit comes from New Zealand for the balance of the year.

So, about this recipe. This is a variation on the Strawberry Fool that I wrote about last year. The fool is a light and airy dessert that should be made and consumed on the same day. It’s only about 120 calories and is a great pacifier for a killer sweet tooth like mine.

10 oz strawberries, hulled (I used unsweetened frozen ones, since they are out of season.)
1 kiwifruit, diced
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 1/4 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt (use a good quality yogurt – it’s worth it)
2 egg whites
strawberries and/or mint for garnish

Put the strawberries, kiwi and sugar in a food processor and blend until smooth – about 30 seconds.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, stir together strawberry mixture and yogurt.

In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites until they form stiff peaks (using a stand mixer or handheld speeds this process way up).

Fold egg whites into the strawberry/yogurt mixture. Stir until smooth (using a wire whisk can help).

Spoon into serving glasses and chill for at least one hour before serving.

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Psst! This is a great post for Sweetnicks‘ ARF/5-A-Day Tuesdays … check out Cate’s site later tonight for a great roundup of fruit, veggie and antioxidant rich posts.

Back to the biscotti – this is the second year that I have made this biscotti. It is super flavorful. Love it!

White Chocolate Ginger Biscotti
yields 24 biscotto
adapted from Cooking Light, March 1995

2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp minced crystallized ginger
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 egg white

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, ginger, baking soda, salt and white chocolate chips. In a smaller second bowl, whisk together the vanilla, eggs and egg white.

Pour liquid mixture into the dry mixture and stir well. The dough will be crumbly.

Flour a wooden cutting board or another surface and turn dough out. Knead dough for 1-2 minutes until it forms one ball.

Shape the dough into a 16 inch long cylinder and place on the prepared pan. Flatten the dough to one inch thick.

Place the pan in the preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes.

Remove the log from the oven and transfer to a wire rack. Cool for 10 minutes.

Slice the log on the diagonal into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place on the cookie sheet and cook for 10 minutes on each side at 325 degrees.

Place biscotti slices on the rack again and let cool. The cookies will harden upon cooling.

I spent Tuesday morning doing something I despise. Ironing. A sheet. It seems that despite the expensive price of this sheet set, the manufacturer couldn’t quite make something that would come out of the dryer without deeply embedded wrinkle lines. Ugh. So, section by section, I ironed, starched and ironed again until it was all done … about an hour later. Who has time for this??

While ironing, a funny thought popped into my head: I originally wanted to name my blog something along the lines of Sarah, The Domestic Goddess. What a joke that would have been! I love to cook and all, but I am a major failure at chores. I hate cleaning (but do it), hate ironing (and rarely do), hate laundry (which my husband kindly does) and don’t like dishes (but do them anyway). My former and current coworkers can attest that I am not the best at keeping a clean desk either. But, I always know where everything is and I made a solid effort (and it’s pretty successful) to keep a clean house too. Still, I hate it.

I’ve always said that someday I would have a cleaning woman to help handle all the chores. But when it came down to it recently, I realized I don’t really want one — at least not right now. Why not? Because in order to have someone come clean, I would have to dedicate more time to clearing clutter so that they could clean. And at this point in my life, I don’t have time to add that to the agenda. Maybe later. So, perhaps someday I will get to that point. Hopefully.

In the meantime, I am up to here (picture hand at nose level) in baking and cooking for Christmas gift baskets. My husband needs three for his coworkers and I need at least three, though I have been cautiously ignoring an actual count — the plan is to get the first four done (three for him, one for me) and then evaluate how many more need to be made.

The first order of business? Biscotti. For those who aren’t sure, biscotti is a traditional Italian cookie that is baked twice — once as one big piece and a second time as individual slices to dry them out. It is fantastic served with coffee. Apparently, biscotti means “twice baked” or something close to it in Italian. And it’s plural. A single piece of biscotti is a biscotto. Interesting stuff.

Anyway, my inaugural batch of biscotti was crafted last December when making gift baskets. I don’t know what possessed me to try it, but it turned out to be a super easy and impressive looking basket filler. It does take some time, at least cooking time, but it’s totally worth it.

First up for this year’s baskets: Chocolate Chip Biscotti, which I think will really appeal to Shawn’s coworkers. He already gave it his seal of approval (stealing several pieces . . . “But they were the ends!” he insisted).

Chocolate Chip Biscotti
yields 24 cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I prefer unbleached)
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 baking powder
1 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg white

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar and baking powder. Stir in chocolate chips. In a separate bowl, whisk together water, vanilla extract, egg and egg white. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Stir together until all the dry ingredients are moistened. The dough will be crumbly.

Carefully turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until a solid dough forms. Form the dough into a 16 inch log.

Place the log onto the baking sheet and flatten out to about one inch thick. Place into the preheated oven and cook for 25 minutes.

Transfer the biscotti loaf to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Slice on the diagonal into 1/2 inch pieces. Transfer back to the baking sheet, cut sides down. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and cook for 10 minutes on each side.

Place biscotti on the wire rack and let cool – they will harden as they cool.

Apples, apples, apples. My apple supply from my recent picking binge is finally dwindling. PHEW! I am hoping to get a bit more out of it this week and then all the apple cooking in my house will be over for the winter.

Ever wonder what apples are good for specific purposes? Here’s a primer:

Sauces (like applesauce):

• Braeburn
• Cortland
• Empire
• Granny Smith
• Gravenstein
• Greening
• Ida Red
• Jersey Rose
• Jonagold
• Jonathan
• Rome Beauty
• Staymen

Pie:

• Cortland
• Gravenstein
• Greening
• Ida Red
• Jonagold
• Macoun
• Melrose
• Matsu
• Paula Red
• Rome Beauty
• Staymen

Other Baking:

• Cortland
• Granny Smith
• Greening
• Ida Red
• Jonagold
• Niagara
• Rome Beauty
• Wine Sap

Juice/Cider:

• Granny Smith
• Gala
• Gravenstein
• Jonathan

As I have mentioned before, apples are also very good for you. They have good amounts of vitamin C and calcium . . . so it certainly doesn’t hurt to munch on one unadulterated onces in a while.

These apples are good for eating:

• Braeburn
• Burgundy
• Cortland
• Empire
• Gala
• Ida Red
• Jonagold
• Macoun
• Macintosh
• Matsu
• Niagara
• Paula Red
• Red Delicious

There are many more varieties than this, of course, so these aren’t all-inclusive lists.

For this pie, I used a mix of Ida Red, Jonagold, and Staymen (with perhaps an Empire or two thrown in). I like to mix up the flavors when I am baking and tend to prefer a higher sweet to tart ratio. But that’s just me.

I have to admit, although this is my recipe, I was a bit surprised that I called for eight cups of sliced apples for one pie. It certainly sounds like a lot. But, fortunately, when I doubled the recipe and made two pies, it was the perfect amount. Just FYI – be sure to use a deep dish pie crust like Oronoque Orchards.

1 good quality pie crust (I like Oronoque Orchards)
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
dash of salt
8 cups peeled and sliced apples (about 1/4 inch thick)
1/2 tbsp vanilla

Crumb topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup firm butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in apples.

Pour apple combination into the pie crust, making them slightly higher in the center than on the sides. Sprinkle vanilla over the top of the pie.

Place pie in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour and brown sugar for the crumb topping. Cut in the butter and mix until crumbly.

Remove pie from the oven and sprinkle crumb topping over the apples. Place pie back in the oven and cook for an additional 30-35 minutes.

Let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm…with vanilla bean ice cream.
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This in-season post is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging, an event started by Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen. WHB is turning 2! this month and Kalyn is celebrating. This week’s WHB is being hosted by Haalo at Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once. Check Haalo’s site tomorrow for a roundup of great recipes.

Fall has descended on us here in the northeast. One minute we were lamenting our summer-like days and the next we were digging through closets for sweaters. It’s such a relief to not have the hum of air conditioners be the soundtrack for my life anymore. In fact, with any luck, the air conditioners will have been removed and stored for the winter by the time I get home from work today (thank you Shawn!).

Meanwhile, I think I bought WAY more apples than I thought I did. I have made a batch of applesauce that’s canned and stored until we want it. Another batch, that has just a touch of honey and cinnamon was made last night for enjoying this week. I’ve also made two apple cakes — one is already in the freezer, awaiting its trip to the FoodSaver. And my countertop still overflows with apples. Tonight I will whip up two apple pies – one to eat and one to store. And I think Shawn might transform some of the apples into fresh apple juice today. Mmmm. But I am not sure that will even put a dent in the pounds and pounds and pounds of apples that I lugged back from the orchard this weekend.

So what else should I do with these apples? Suggestions please!

Did you know that the old adage “An apple a day will keep the doctor away,” isn’t just a saying? Apples are low in calories but contain good amounts of calcium and vitamin C – be sure to eat the skin though, as that’s were most of the nutrition lies.

Anyway, apple cake. This recipe is a cinch to double (just use two cake pans and bake for about 30-35 minutes, until cake tester — you know, a toothpick or a knife — comes out clean). A note on the batter: it’s going to be thick so you’ll probably have to spoon it into the pan(s). And be sure to grease well.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups sliced and peeled apples

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease an 8″ round cake pan.

Stir together flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until well combined. Add egg and continue to beat. Slowly mix in dry ingrediant mix, followed by vanilla. Finally, stir in apple slices.

Pour into greased cake pan and level gently. Place in the oven and cook for 25-30 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Remove cake from pan and cool on a rack

TO SERVE: drizzle with caramel or top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.