Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Brown Sugah Cream Cheese Frosting

I've been wanting a slice of juicy, spicy carrot cake with a rich, tangy cream cheese frosting for a minute. I keep putting it off because I would probably eat the entire cake. Not in one sitting mind you. But I am a sugar addict and I'm admitting it ( in my LHHNY's Mariah Lynne voice). LOL

So I was super thrilled when Gemma Stafford's video for Small Batch Cupcakes showed up in my YT feed. The vid included recipes for Carrot Cake, Vanilla and Chocolate Cupcakes. (Get the recipe: http://bit.ly/SpringCupcakesRecipe or www.biggerbolderbaking.com) 

Gemma showed how to make a batch of four big and bold cupcakes in either a toaster or traditional oven. Just enough for a small family or social gathering or, in my case, more than enough to indulge but not get tempted into sugar overload.

One of the ingredients listed for the Carrot Cake Cupcakes is two tablespoons of egg. Gemma suggests whisking the egg, then measure out. According to the Big, Bold Baker one large egg is roughly four tablespoons. But who am I kidding? I doubled the recipe and used a whole egg. Gemma says you can also replace the egg with an equal amount of applesauce or banana puree.

I omitted the raisins from the original recipe and added chopped nuts, ginger and finely diced pineapple. I also added a  little extra sugar to allow for the spicy ginger and cinnamon.

I came across a video clip from a Rachael Ray Show that featured Chef Curtis Stone and his  Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Frosting. I was intrigued because he used light brown sugar instead of traditional powdered sugar in his cream cheese frosting. According to Rachael, "It tastes like cream cheese frosting with caramel mixed in." Can you say "Yummo!"

As this deliciousness is produced in La's Brown Sugah Bake Shoppe named for my love of brown sugar, it was a no brainer for me too to use brown sugar in my frosting as well as my cupcakes.
I also got a chance to try out this inexpensive cake decorating kit that I got at Aldi's.
My final results were disappointing to say the least. First, my cupcakes got muffin tops and then sank. Then I frosted them the next day but didn't allow for the frosting to get room temp so I couldn't get the right amount of squeeze pressure to create the flower decoration I desired. So they are not the most photogenic but they taste so good.
Oh well, guess I'm forced to make those chocolate cake mix cupcakes soon. Stay tuned.....

Luv La,

Morning Glory Muffins La's Way

Super moist and flavorful, La's Morning Glory Muffins
go great with a pat of butter and cream cheese
fresh fruit and a cup of coffee or tea

     Some days, I just don’t feel like putting forth the effort needed to make a full on breakfast. On those lazy mornings, I love to have a fresh baked item like muffins, banana bread or coffee cake readily available that I can enjoy with a cup of hot coffee or tea, piece of fruit and maybe yogurt. The muffins are also great for on-the go.
     Years ago, I was introduced to Morning Glory Muffins at a local cafe. They were full of nuts, spices, grated carrot, shredded coconut, pineapple and apple bits. It was like carrot cake but more breakfast than dessert. The cafe would be my first stop before strolling to Starbucks or Dunkin for my favorite cup of coffee/tea. But after months of getting my Morning Glory fix, they stopped appearing on the menu. Bummer. And to my dismay, I have spent years searching out those elusive Morning Glory Muffins. They just are not on many cafe/bakery/coffee shop menus.
     And when you do find them, you almost want to ask for an ingredient breakdown because there are many variations on the theme _some don’t use brown sugar, or ginger, or pineapple, or nuts. Or they add bananas which sometimes overpower the other ingredients, resulting in a gussied up banana nut muffin.
     Don’t get me wrong. I love a good banana bread/muffin. In fact, they are so easy to whip up and bananas are available year round, making them my go-to muffin/quick bread. But they are very different from Morning Glories. And I’ve been yearning for a good old Morning Glory. So I made some…
     For this batch, basically I followed Glorious Treats’ recipe http://www.glorioustreats.com/2013/09/morning-glory-muffins.html. I halved her recipe and made a few tweaks as seen below.

Morning Glory Muffins La’s Way

Yield: 10-12 standard sized muffins

Ingredients:

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1 ¼ cup all purpose flour

1/2 Tbsp cinnamon (I like cinnamon, adjust to your liking)

¼ tsp ginger

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp clove

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

¼ - ½  cup shredded, sweetened coconut

¼ - ½  cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts

2 eggs

¼ + 1/8 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 apple, peeled and grated*
1 cup grated carrots (shredding your own tastes best)

1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray muffin tin with baking spray before lining with paper liners.**

In a bowl, whisk together the sugars, flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Add the coconut and nuts, and stir to combine.

In a separate (large) bowl, lightly whisk eggs.

Add oil and vanilla. STIR
Add grated apple, carrots and crushed pineapple. Mix until combined.

Fold in dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in thirds until fully incorporated. DO NOT OVERMIX!

Fill muffin cups***. Using an ice cream scoop made it easier.

Let muffins rest for 10 or so minutes before baking.

Bake 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

*I will dice apple instead of grate and might use pineapple tidbits instead of crushed pineapple next batch
**Beware: I used cutesy spring themed cupcake liners but they came out very greasy due to spraying pan before baking. So much so I didn't even focus on liners for pic.
*** Muffins vary in size because I varied the amount in each cup _smaller muffins are 2/3rds full whereas larger muffin was filled to top

Luv,  La

Quick n Easy Chicken Fajita Quesadillas

I love spicy Mexican food. I like Tex-Mex, Cali-Mex, Baja, even Gringo- Mex (you are hard pressed to find a ground beef taco in most authentic West Coast Mexican restaurants). I love carne asada, ground beef, chicken, shrimp, guacamole, spanish rice, Mexican street corn, tacos, burritos, taquitos, empanadas, enchiladas, chimichangas and quesadillas. I love auga fresca, horchata, pina colada, Kahlua, Mexican Hot Chocolate, reposado tequila and most of all Rocky Cadillac or Golden Margaritas (on ice, not frozen).

So when Buzzfeed's Easy Chicken Fajita Quesadilla video popped up, I had to try it. I'm transitioning into a plant-based lifestyle so the extra veggies were right up my alley. They are so quick, easy, affordable and tasty. These quesadillas have been in heavy rotation on my weekly menu.

You can jump over to the Buzzfeed website for full recipe, ingredients and a step by step video (www.buzzfeed.com)

Here's how Chef La a/k/a me did it using one skillet.

Since I was going all out for date night, I whipped up a quick guacamole earlier that evening. I mixed finely chopped red onion, minced garlic and a diced avocado with a fork. Then I added to taste kosher salt, ground black pepper, cumin and a couple of tablespoons of chunky salsa. Squirted with a wedge of lime and covered with plastic wrap patted directly on top of guacamole so it wouldn't turn brown. Let sit in fridge at least 30 minutes to give flavors time to marry.

For the Quesadillas:  I julienned some Spanish onions, red, green and yellow bell peppers and minced two garlic cloves. Set aside.

Then I diced a few chicken tenderloins and covered with a homemade taco seasoning (blend chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes and a little sugar to taste).
I also shredded some extra sharp Wisconsin cheddar.

I got all my ingredients together first because this goes real fast. Ready? Let's go!

-Heat skillet to medium high. Sear chicken for about a minute. Then cook chicken, constantly stirring, until white and firm to touch. I think the diced chicken cooks faster than the strips which were used in original recipe. I almost charred my chicken cause ain't nobody got time for salmonella. Once cooked, about five minutes, remove from skillet.

-Add a few tablespoons of oil to hot skillet. Cook onions for about four or five minutes until brown and soft. Then add peppers. Sautee another three or four minutes until tender. I then return chicken to skillet and add minced garlic. Squirt lime juice over mixture.

Now, you can either use another skillet or transfer chicken veggie mixture to a plate and wipe skillet clean.

-Add a pat of butter to hot skillet. Place flour tortilla in skillet. Allow to soften. About 15-20 seconds. Turn over, cover with shredded cheese. Let cook about 25 seconds then add chicken mixture and more cheese. Cover with another tortilla. Let sit about 30 or so seconds. Flip and let other side get brown and toasty.  Cut into four wedges.

Add a generous dollop of guacamole, sour cream and salsa. You can also serve with refried beans and rice on the side.

Bae brought over some Bud Light Lemonaderitas and it was on.

Luv
Chef La