WTF... Another Cupcake Blog?

Does the internet really need another cooking blog? Quite frankly, no.  A baking blog? Nope, those are covered too. Cupcake blog? That's already been done, over and over again.  The market is pretty saturated out there... but that's not the point.  The point of this blog isn't to put the others to shame (which will obviously happen in due time,  haha jk).  The point is for me to continue to learn, track my progress, and share beauties like this...  Hello, Lover.

So since I'm on this learning kick, I figure I'd take the opportunity to introduce myself so that you guys could learn a little bit about me.  You know, the person behind the keyboard who clearly has too much time on her hands? (not necessarily because I blog, moreso because I spend hours icing individual cookies which are eaten in a flash)  So, back to the topic at hand, who am I?  I'll tell you what I know.

Name: Jenn
Age: 25 (going on 60)
Career:  IT and Business Risk Consultant... aren't you jealous?
Background: American Canadian Asian (specifically of the Southern Chinese and Southeastern American variety... and yes, I am confused and yes, I love it... do the words 'melting pot' ring a bell?)
Current City: Alexandria, VA

I don't have too much else to add right now because the format which I chose to introduce myself just seems so... well... BORING. But I guess it gets the job done for now.  I hope that doesn't reflect poorly on my blogging or baking skills.  Blogging is new to me so I have no skills, but baking?  Baking gets the creative juices flowing.  Just wait and see... I'll show you!

The Return of Simplicity

Oh the beauty of simplicity.  I swear, nothing is simple anymore.  Everyone has at least two cell phones (work and personal), a home phone number, a work phone number, at least three different email addresses, hundreds of channels on the television... Geez! I'm beginning to feel worn out already and all I wanted to do was tell my sister that there is a new Grey's episode on TV tonight (yippee!!).  I think I have met 7 year olds with schedules packed full of more meetings, practices, events, dates, and lessons than the CEO of my company.  Life should be simple.  According to me, everyone should only have two goals each day.  First off, everyone should smile every day of the year.  Not those fake smiles that you plaster on your face when you walk through the halls of your office... but a real genuine smile.  The kind of smile that makes your eyes light up and say, my day would not have been the same had I not seen you.  The kind of smile that makes you human.  The kind of smile that makes you feel.  All I see everyday are smirks, pouts, and thin lipped expressions backed by multitudes of expletives... yikes!  That is no way to live.  The second goal is really in support of goal number one, but in my opinion the second thing everyone should do each and every day is give.  Give a hug, give your neighbor a pen, do your friend a favor, do something each day that helps someone else achieve goal number one.  Once you have achieved these two goals, you will have had a great day.

The recipe below takes all of these ideas and makes it into a dish that everybody loves using only the simplest of ingredients.  Good and simple because simple is good.

Roasted Asparagus and Peppers

1 lb asparagus spears
1 medium sized bell pepper, sliced into strips
1-2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 clove minced garlic, if desired

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Rinse and clean asparagus and pepper.  Slice off or break off tough ends of the asparagus.  Core the pepper and slice into strips approximately the same width as your asparagus.   Lay the asparagus and pepper strips on a flat baking sheet covered in aluminum foil.  Drizzle olive oil and toss the veggies to coat.  Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste and bake for 10-15 minutes.

My Love's Love...

Vampires are to blood as Joe is to garlic.  Joe (who I don't think I have mentioned yet on this blog, HI HONEY!!!) is my boyfriend who is, to put it lightly, a garlic fiend.   The kid can't get enough of the stuff... he puts garlic in everything and anything he can get his hands on.  According to Joe, when it comes to garlic the more the merrier and as such, one of his favorite dishes is chicken with 40 cloves of garlic.  I can't blame him, the dish holds a special place in our relationship as it was the first thing I made for him that was awesomely successful.  And I have a lot to be thankful for since after that day, Joe never questioned my cooking abilities :).  It never fails that after the dishes are put away and we settle in on the couch for a movie, both of us still smiling comfortably from the satisfying meal, Joe will nuzzle his nose in my hair and tell me that I smell wonderful... wonderfully garlicky.  I don't know whether to be flattered or disturbed... but at that moment things feel like everything is as they should be.  

Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic

Yield: 4 servings.

1 3- to 4-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces, at room temperature
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
About 40 large garlic cloves
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock or canned broth.

1. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Place a deep, nonreactive skillet or Dutch oven over high heat, and add oil and butter. When fats are hot but not smoking, add chicken pieces skin side down and cook until skin turns an even, golden brown, about 5 minutes. Work in batches, if necessary, and carefully regulate heat to avoid scorching skin. Turn pieces and brown them on other side for an additional 5 minutes.

2. Reduce heat to medium. Bury garlic cloves under chicken to make sure they settle in one layer at bottom of skillet. Saute, shaking or stirring pan frequently, until garlic is lightly browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add wine and stock, scraping bottom of pan.

3. Cover and continue cooking until juices run clear when a thigh is pricked, 10 to 15 minutes more. Serve chicken with garlic and pan juices and, if desired, rice or sauteed potatoes.

Happy Easter!

First Success of 2010!

Happy Easter!  I hosted my first brunch today!! Another item I can check off my list :) I know that our Easter brunch was technically a day early but everything was perfect.  We decided to eat on the patio since the weather was so beautiful, the food turned out great, and I even had enough time to capture some of our Easter goodies on film! 


Easter 2010 Brunch Menu:

• Honeybaked Ham
• Spinich and Bacon Quiche Cups
• Macaroni and Cheese (sprinkled with Bacon)
• French Toast Casserole
• Sesame Green Beans
• Mango, Strawberry, and Blackberry Fruit Salad

I will be sure to share the recipes later (especially since everything turned out so well) but for now the couch is calling my name!  

Boozing & Baking

So this is what it is like to blog... not so bad.  It seems like everyone and their mother keeps a blog these days.  Blogging about food, children, hobbies, fashion, you name it... I assure you there is somebody out there blogging about it.  I love the idea...  I love that I get a little glimpse into someone's life who is passionate about a certain topic, but I never thought that somebody would be me.  I guess we'll wait and see how this goes.  Check back in a week or two and see if I'm still here. (I like to start with low standards it keeps everybody happy)

I figured it was only appropriate to begin my blog with what really brought me into the food/baking world. CUPCAKES!! Well... that's not the entire truth, it was really a team effort between cakes, brownies, cookies, and cheesecake that sparked my interest.  I don't discriminate, I love them all.  I also love risotto, paella, seafood, steak... I could continue for days listing my love affairs with all things food.  But I'll try to stay focused today.  Cupcakes are on the menu and the cupcakes, my friend, are amazing.  As for the title of this post 'Boozing & Baking', I just want to clarify that I was not drunk when making these lovelies, nor do I usually operate large heated machinery while in an intoxicated state.  Safety First! My mother would be so proud. (Love you mom!) The Booze rather refers to what has been baked IN these beauties.  Three kinds of alcohol did you say? Impressive huh?  My thoughts exactly when I saw these on Smitten Kitten... three years ago.  But whatever, cupcakes I wanted and cupcakes I got, albeit slightly delayed. 

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Makes 20 to 24 cupcakes
For the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes
1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Ganache Filling
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 to 2 teaspoons Irish whiskey (optional)

Baileys Frosting (see Recipe Notes)
3 to 4 cups confections sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperatue
3 to 4 tablespoons Baileys (or milk, or heavy cream, or a combination thereof)
Special equipment: 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer and a piping bag (though a plastic bag with the corner snipped off will also work)

Make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.

Make the filling: Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains. 20 seconds in the microwave, watching carefully, will also work.) Add the butter and whiskey (if you’re using it) and stir until combined.

Fill the cupcakes: Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped (the fridge will speed this along but you must stir it every 10 minutes). Meanwhile, using your 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom — aim for 2/3 of the way. A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out. Those are your “tasters”. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

Make the frosting: Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.