Friendly Little Dinner

Entertaining isn't something we do as frequently as we used to, probably because we are still making friends here and also because work and life in general is very busy. I remember a time when we had friends over for dinner at least once a week, sometimes for last-minute dinner parties but other times for overly-detailed celebrations. Now, we probably only host two or three times a year, so when we do, you know I pull out every stop; consider the use of every dish, plate, sherbet or goblet; and pour over every recipe that has been waiting in the wings.

When our friends Gab and Kristina came in from Boston, MA and Dallas, TX for a quick trip to Marfa and Fort Davis, I put a lot of thought into each of the six courses (yes, six), not just what I would serve, but also in what I would serve each culinary creation...food photos courtesy of Gab, one of our guests!

To start:
Mustard-marscarpone spread with toasts, sesame sticks, bread sticks, assorted olives and almonds served in the little black lotus bowls with the black tidbit plates.

First course:
Double-baked three-cheese soufflé served in individual cast iron skillets with a white, Rosenthal under plate.

Salad course:
Butter lettuce with a lemon-oregano vinaigrette on white, Rosenthal salad plates.

Main course:
Homemade bucatini with homemade tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese in the oddly shaped pasta bowls.

Intermezzo:
Basil gelato in the chartreuse Russel Wright sherbets.

Dessert:
Easy candy bar tart on the patterned, Rosenthal dessert plates.

If I say so myself, everything was delicious and we had a wonderful time talking and catching up over the course of the meal. The only thing I felt like need some tweaking was the salad dressing, which was a little on the sour side--but the citrus, red pepper and oregano were a great flavor combination and will probably become something else in the kitchen.  The gelato and pomodoro were of my own devising, so there are a couple of recipes for you to try.

Recipe: Basil Gelato
I use corn starch to thicken my gelato, although many recipes use eggs instead. This recipe is the perfect thing to bridge an Italian main course and dessert; its first taste is sweet, which is replaced with a strong herbaceous flavor and ends with the spicy note of basil. Affected? Yes, but effective.


2 cups basil leaves
3 cups milk
3 tbsp corn starch
¾ cup sugar
1 tbsp. lemon zest
¼ tsp. salt

Combine basil, 2 1/2 cups milk, sugar, zest and salt in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a two quart saucepan and heat gently until sugar dissolves.  In the meantime, combine the remaining milk with the cornstarch and whisk to form a slurry.  Continuing heating the basil-milk mixture until it begins to steam; stir in the slurry and continue to cook until the mixture has thickened.  Remove from heat and pour through a fine strainer; chill in the refrigerator for several hours, or for best performance with your ice cream maker, overnight.  Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Serve garnished with fresh basil leaves.

Makes about one quart of gelato.

Recipe: Pasta al Pomodoro
Everyone has a favorite red sauce and it may come from a jar--there are so many good-quality brands out there it is easy to find several you like. Lately, I've been trying to find my own perfect recipe and have tried every trick, idea or suggestion. My version combines slowly cooked onion, garlic, tomato sauce and great canned tomatoes to make a delicious sauce. My secret ingredient? Fennel pollen. My secret tool? Using the immersion blender for a smooth, delicious sauce.

For the sauce:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely minced
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes or whole tomatoes, use a very good brand
1 8-ounce can of tomato sauce
Pinch of fennel pollen
Kosher salt
3 large fresh basil sprigs

To assemble:
12 ounces bucatini or spaghetti
2 tablespoons cubed unsalted butter
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving.  You'll want more!

Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add minced onion and cook, stirring, until very soft, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for another 2-4 minutes. Add crushed red pepper flakes; cook for 1 minute more. Increase heat to medium, add tomatoes, sauce and season lightly with kosher salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens a little, about 30 minutes. Remove pan from heat, stir in basil sprigs, cover and set aside for 30 minutes to an hour.  Remove basil, purée with an immersion blender, or in batches in a blender, until very smooth.

When you're ready to serve, bring water to a boil in a large. Season with salt; add spaghetti or bucatini and cook, stirring occasionally, until not quite tender. Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water, then drain pasta.

Bring pasta back to a simmer, add pasta and some of the pasta water; cook, stirring, until sauce coats pasta and pasta is al dente, about 2 minutes, adding more pasta water if needed. Remove pan from heat; add butter and cheese; toss until cheese melts. Serve with more cheese, if desired.  It will be desired!

Serves fours.  The sauce can easily be doubled to serve a larger crowd or to have some to save for later.  I added chopped green and kalamata olives, four extra cloves of minced garlic and 1 tsp. of red pepper flakes to my leftovers for a spicy, easy 'puttanesca.' 

Peanut Butter Heaven

Your chocolate fell into my peanut butter!  Your peanut butter got on my chocolate!  I think I have started at least three other blogs posts with a similar refrain, but you know the drill: peanut butter and chocolate are a classic, delicious combination.  Consider its many iterations: Reese's, Buckeyes, Peanut Butter Oreos (and their Paul Newman knock offs) and the classic DQ Peanut Buster Parfait.  To name just a few.

But have you made peanut butter frosting?  If not, you're in for a wonderful surprise: it is even better than you could possibly imagine.  On top of your favorite chocolate cake?  Heaven.  Sandwiched between chocolate cookies?  Amazing.  Topping your favorite double chocolate chunk brownie recipe?  Against. The. Law.

I got it from Martha and only made a slight adjustment: vanilla, which complements everything.

Recipe: Peanut Butter Frosting


2/3 cup natural, creamy peanut butter
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

In a big yellow bowl, cream peanut butter and butter on high speed with hand blender until smooth and creamy. Switch to low speed and add sugar until combined, then add vanilla and mix on high until it is smooth.

Peanut Butter Gelato


It's summer, so time to break out the ice cream maker! Since it was a friend's birthday, I decided to inaugurate the season with a classic devil's food cake layered with peanut butter frosting and covered in a chocolate gaze. Not rich enough for you? How about a scoop of peanut butter gelato on the side? Said friend loves the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, so I tried to create the ultimate "your chocolate fell into my peanut butter, your peanut butter got on my chocolate" moment.

Recipe: Peanut Butter Gelato
2 cups of whole milk
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 cup sugar

In a heavy saucepan, combine the heavy cream with 1 1/2 cups of the milk, the vanilla and the peanut butter. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring with a whisk until the peanut butter melts and the mixture begins to steam. Meanwhile, in a small yellow bowl, combine the other 1/2 cup of milk with the sugar and cornstarch, stir until smooth.

Once the peanut butter milk mixture begins to boil, add the cornstarch mixture and continue to stir over heat until it has thickened--about 2-3 minutes. Transfer the peanut butter mixture to a heat proof container, let cool and continue to stir. Once it is cool enough, cover with plastic wrap (with the plastic wrap touching the top of the mixture) and place in the refrigerator to chill, preferable overnight.

You can skip this step, but if you want the smoothest gelato possible, pass the mixture through a fine, mesh sieve once it is completely chilled, but before you freeze it. Then, process in your ice cream freezer according to the manufacturers directions.

Terre Hautians Beware!

I popped into Baesler's this afternoon to pick up a couple of things and almost missed the sample table as I went in (because it was swarming with octogenarians)--where they were handing out BLUE BELL ICE CREAM!

If you know what Blue Bell Ice Cream is, you probably already stopped reading this and are on the way to Baesler's right now. I don't know what flavors they have or anything. I just know they were handing out samples.

If you don't know what Blue Bell Ice Cream is, then I hesitate to tell you. Honestly, you are just better off living in ignorance and enjoying your Edy's or whatever it is you buy and can probably find anywhere you go in the USA. Blue Bell was originally a Texas creamery and they have very limited distribution because they have very strong feeling about freshness, ingredients and how far they are willing to ship their delicious, creamy, amazing ice cream in so many wonderful flavors. It is only available in 19 (mostly Southern) states and you can't get it at every grocery store there. I had heard there were some stores in Southern Indiana that were stocking it, but now it has come to Terre Haute.

And I warn you, Hautian, stay away. What if Bob stops selling it? What will do then? What if you move somewhere it isn't available? You'll just pine for the Homemade Vanilla or any of the other wonderful flavors and seriously consider ordering it in the mail, which is not cheap--$119 for four half-gallons.

No, you just shouldn't have any. You should just keep enjoying what you're enjoying, living in ignorance. It's better that way.

Queen of Country Pies

Mildred in her early twenties. When she first showed me this photo, I remember
her telling me that her coat and hat were red, which was always her favorite color to wear.

Today was my Mam-ma's birthday--one week and a day before mine. She has been gone for almost five years, but I still like to recognize her birthday by baking something. I often make her hummingbird cake, which I always say was her 'best cake,' but it didn't sound right for some reason. I thought about making a Jewish pound cake she loved. I remember calling her for the recipe and writing it on the inside back cover of one of my cookbooks. But, I couldn't find the book and I imagine it's still in storage in a box, so perhaps I'll make that next year. Or sooner! So, after a little more thought I finally decided: pie! While Mam-ma could make a fantastic cake, it seems her baking ran more to sweet and delicious pies. Miles and miles of pies!

I remember holidays when the console record player would be covered in pies. Or, if it were an especially large family gathering, there might even be a special table set-up in the cold garage to store the pies and other desserts. Pecan pie (dad's favorite), pumpkin pie, apple pie and more pies. I always loved the pumpkin and she always remembered to make real whipped cream for me to put on top, which I preferred to the more ubiquitous Cool Whip. I was not a picky eater, just a particular one. Ask my mother about rice, if you doubt me.

And chess pie. What the heck is chess pie? It is a simple, country creation, a custard of the most basic proportions. My father gently mocks his younger cousins who remember the wonderful, chess pie their Grandmother Stevenson would make. He says, 'it's just poor people pie.' The pie you make when there is nothing else left in the larder: no fruit, no nuts and no nothing. You may not have anything to make a real good pie, but you certainly have eggs from the chickens that you are storing in a box under your bed. And of course you traded some of those for a little sugar and flour last week when you 'went to town.' The cow will probably give up enough milk for some butter. And if you don't have a tablespoon of corn meal, I'm sure you can probably send one of the kids up the road to borrow some from the neighbor.

That is what separates a chess pie from a regular custard pie. The nubbiness that the cornmeal gives to the custard elevates the filling from merely delicious to sublimely comforting. Of course, you can adorn a chess pie with fruit or whipped cream, but it is best in its simplicity. Why is it called chess pie? No one really know, but there are a million guesses. It has nothing to do with the game, that is for sure. The cutest explanation is when asked what was for dessert, a wife responded, 'jess (just) pie.' Interesting.

While mam-ma enjoyed chess pie, I don't think she liked it anymore than she liked any other pie. Until Bill Clinton became president. What does Bill Clinton have to do with chess pie? Well to start, Lora Mildred Marie Stevenson Whisenhunt Thomas (Mildred to everyone, but Mam-ma to her grandchildren and many other people) was a devout Democrat. Now, when I saw devout Democrat I mean the story is that on her father's deathbed she promised him she would never vote for a Republican. Seriously. Because of the Depression. Likewise, she was a devout Southern Baptist who was at church for a service, program or social more times a week than anyone could ever count. Church supper? She planned it. New Sunday school class? She organized it. Visitors on Sunday? She went by to visit them on Tuesday and invite them back for next week.

But the Lord Jesus help that Southern Baptist minister who ever started talking politics in the pulpit! You can believe she would be waiting for him at the back of the church to make sure he knew where she stood on the subject of mixing politics with the Bible. I imagine that when she arrived at the Pearly Gates, if St. Peter had said, 'Sorry, you'll have to leave your Democratic Party card at the door,' she would have definitely have stopped and thought about that for a moment. Believe it.

But when William Jefferson 'Bill' Clinton became the 42nd President of the United States of America, I tell you that woman did die and go to heaven for the Inauguration Ball given by Mary Magdalene. She thought Bill Clinton was the greatest thing since canned biscuits! She and her best friend Evelyn Rutledge would talk on the phone for hours about what was happening in Washington and the White House. She loved it every moment of it.

And when she learned that Bill Clinton's favorite pie was a lemon chess pie that his mother made, you better believe that she loved him all the more. I think it gave her a sense of pride that her president was so down-to-earth and from such good country people that he even loved chess pie. And she began to make his recipe.

Now, you can Google 'Bill Clinton's lemon chess pie' and find the recipe on about 326 million sites, so I'm not going to reproduce it here. But, you should definitely make this pie. It is simple, delicious and the perfect end to just about any meal. The lemon, eggs, butter and milk undergo some sort of alchemic transformation, with the cornmeal as the catalyst. Perfection! Now my pie isn't going to win any awards at the State Fair for looks, but I promise you it will get a blue ribbon for flavor!

Enjoy!

Cupcakes Are So Last Year

Cupcake-shaped cookies are the new black! That's right, cupcake-shaped cookies. Or simply: cupcaked cookies. Yes, we took your favorite cookie and replaced it with one in the shape of a cupcake. Pleasantly surprised, weren't you?

Friday we ran some errands in Indy, knocking out most of the holiday shopping. At Crate and Barrel, I couldn't resist getting a little something for myself: a second miniature salt pig and this set of cupcake cookie cutters in two different sizes. So fun.

And since this week is Hadley's first birthday and he is going to Florida for a wedding (kids today!) , we decided to make him cupcake cookies for a surprise treat at dinner on Sunday night. And he loved them. His first cookie ever, apparently, so it was fun to watch him munch on it, throw it on the floor and have sprinkles all over his mouth. Adorable!

It's also the time of year for cutout cookies and there are lots of recipes out there. Most of my baking books are still in storage, and I couldn't find the Best Recipes recipe or the Dorie Greenspan one either. So, I went to the font of all kitchen knowledge: Martha Stewart. Her recipe is here and it couldn't be easier.

Couple of tips:
1. Add two tablespoons of corn starch to the dry mixture. This will make your dough especially toothsome.
2. Don't skip the freezing step after you cutout the cookies. Freezing the dough helps it retain its shape while baking and let's face it, it's all about the shape, right?
3. Icing is good, white chocolate is better. Yes, these babies are frosted in white chocolate that has been tinted, then sprinkled with multi-colored non-pareils. Yummy!

Even though I love the cupcake shaped cookies, I have to honestly say it doesn't mean I'm over the cupcake! This craze has no end in site and we even have a cupcakery in Terre Haute now--it opened on Friday. Stop into Caboodles Cupcakes for a very sweet treat.

Caboodles Cupcakes
3419 S. 7th Street
Terre Haute, IN, 47802
Phone:
812-232-5551

Mon - Fri:
11:00 am - 6:00 pm
Sat:
11:00 am - 5:00 pm

Recipe: Honey Gelato

Well, the weather in Indiana has turned cool and chilly, and my desserts thoughts have turned to warm and homey. Still, there was room for one for batch of frozen deliciousness before the snow starts to fall, so I created a honey gelato to accompany a Lebanese meal with friends last Sunday. The idea was baklava deconstructed: flaky, crispy cookies; slightly salty pistachios; and of course the honey gelato.

Recipe: Honey Gelato
3 1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup honey (use your favorite)
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a medium saucepan, combine 3 cups of the milk with the honey and whisk over medium heat until combined. Continue to heat and stir until the milk begins to steam and boil. In the meantime, whisk together the other 1/2 cup of milk with the cornstarch and salt. Once the milk has begun to boil, add the cornstarch mixture and continue to heat and stir until the mixture thickens--to the consistency of Remove from heat and strain, let cool and the chill until very cold. Process according to directions in your ice cream freezer.

To make a baklava sundae, combine three small scoops of the ice cream in a dish, add two crispy cookies such as Royal Dansk Luxury Wafers (vanilla) and top with chopped, salted pistachios.

Recipe: Kiwi Sorbet

I am always looking for a new frozen dessert to try and when I spied this kiwi sorbet in the latest issue of Gourmet, I was intrigued. The recipe was curious because it contained only two ingredient: kiwi and sugar. Most sorbets are a combination of fruits, water and sugar, but I guess the kiwifruit has enough liquid in it that additional isn't necessary. The results: everything you love about kiwi (a mixture of flavors and textures) all frozen and on a spoon. Honestly, it couldn't be any easier than this.

I made this for Francie one night when she was here and served it in little glass bowls with the tiny spoons used for salt cellars. She was intrigued by the spoons and had to have a photo of each of us holding the petite wonders.

Recipe: Kiwi Sorbet
The easiest way to prepare the kiwi is to slice the ends off and then run a spoon around the edge of the fruit to release it from the skin. Of course, the skin is entirely edible and also nutritious, but wouldn't make for a very attractive sorbet. David thought this might be good with some sliced strawberries. Likewise, a citrus flavored cookie would also be a nice accompaniment.

2 pounds tender ripe green kiwifruit (about twelve)
3/4 cup superfine granulated sugar

Peel kiwis, then pulse with sugar in a food processor until smooth. Chill until cold, about 1 hour.

Freeze in ice cream maker, then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to firm up, at least 1 hour.

Recipe: Strawberry Sorbet

The strawberry-fest continues! We crushed some of the freshly-picked berries from last week and stashed them in the freezer. Transforming those beautiful berries into a delicious sorbet couldn't be easier. There is very little added sugar, so it's basically like eating cold, amazing fruit on a spoon.

Recipe: Strawberry Sorbet

6 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons water
pinch of salt
3 cups of crushed strawberries
juice from half of a lemon

In a small saucepan, simmer the sugar, water and salt until it is completely dissolved and syrupy--two minutes or so. In a blender, combine the lemon juice, sugar syrup and strawberries. Blend until uniformly pureed. Chill for several hours then process in you ice cream maker according to the manufacturers directions. Best when consumer in the day or two after making.

Strawberry Fields For-evah

Saturday morning was beautiful and clear, so we drove out to Ditzler Orchard, north of town, for some u-pick strawberries with Jonah and Stephanie. The patch was huge and we got to choose a row and pick and pick until we had enough. I guess, presented with tons of fresh ripe berries, our eyes were larger than our stomachs. Mitchell and I picked about nine pounds of berries, got them home and then had to decide what to do with them. What would you do with nine pounds of fresh, ripe strawberries?

Here's my answer:

1. Jam.

We made a full batch of strawberry jam and a half batch of strawberry balsamic jam. That's twelve 8-ounce jars. I had never made jam by myself, but I had helped my grandmother make it when I was a kid and my family has always 'put up' food. Stephanie made some last year for the first time, so with her encouragement I sallied forth. It all seemed to turn out just perfect, but I guess we'll see for sure when we open a jar and begin to enjoy it. Note: for those who think my preserve selection too exotic, it is now well-stocked with homemade strawberry jam. Just like you like it.

2. Cheese cake Ice Cream with Strawberries

A double recipe of one of favorite ice creams, studded with red berries. Yum!

3. Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble with Walnuts

I held back enough fresh strawberries to make a crumble with rhubarb that was promised to me for Monday. Some people (Dad!) don't care for the tartness of rhubarb or the idea of adding all that sugar, but that sweet-tart mix is one of my favorite flavors. Oatmeal and walnuts on top? It's practically a health food!

4. Share the Harvest

Give some to friends! We had a delicious dinner on Saturday night with Jimmy, Ellie, Hadley and the menagerie, and took them some fresh berries to enjoy on Sunday morning.

5. Sorbet

I froze a few of them to use in a strawberry sorbet at some future date.

THAT is what you do with a flat of fresh-picked strawberries that I thought would never end...next week: the TH farmer's market opens and I have been studying up on preserves, pickles and other treats. Stay tuned.

(More) Frosting

Frosting Cupcakes in Belmont Shores is super cute, with a fun mural of a dancing cupcake that strikes a vintage vibe. Since I am about to go into sugar shock, I showed restraint and only had a bite of M's chocolate peanut butter. Mmmmmmm...

We popped into Babette's Feast, with its well-stocked pastry case (including the elusive chocolate filled eclair) with the promise of 'one of the best' chocolate chip cookies. I couldn't stand it and had to delay the intake of more sugar for a later moment. Despite how fantastic everything looked....soon they will all BE MINE.

See, too much sugar.


Mexi-CAN



We had great Mexican last night, with amazing salsa and guacamole at Super Mex.

Then we went by Pinkberry to find out what all the culty business is about. I had original flavor with blueberries, so felt a little healthy but still satisfied. I took a photo, even though you aren't supposed to. The interior was very cool, but a little loud...so we didn't linger.



After, we popped into a great little candy store with all kinds of treats: Mike & Ike (my favorite!) in vintage-y boxes; salt water taffy in all kinds of flavors; all your favorite old fashioned candy; and Marie Antoinette lollipops! It was a good thing I was already stuffed full of burritos, enchiladas and yogurt, or I would have bought a huge bag of goodies...


Mini-cupcakes!

We had dessert at Miss Priss Cupcakes, close to John's office. Sugar rush!

The have bittles--bite size cupakes in every flavor they make. I was glad, because that meant I got to try a wider range. John says it's the best red velvet he has ever had--and he may be right!

I had:
Vanilla Cookies & Cream
Lemon
Red Velvet
Chocolate Peanut Butter
Chocolate Cream
Death by Chocolate (a divine way to go!)

All of then amazing, moist and perfect.

Recipes: Cupcake Battle

It was a battle against myself, I guess. My challenge: bake and decorate 102 cupcakes for my friend Melissa's exhibition, Soft Power, at Halcyon Contemporary Art. Many of the works included present flags, ideas of nationalism and the struggle with identity. Melissa created little flags that would top the cupcakes, echoing some of the images in the work.She also served bomb pops, which were actually a media used in some of the work. Melissa is crazy brilliant and I was happy to contribute my baking talent to her opening. But, 102 cupcakes? An undertaking.

Here are the recipes I used, some you've seen before and others are new. Although the NYTimes proclaimed that the whoopie pie is actually the new cupcake, I don't see the popularity of these little wonders declining anytime soon: Martha Stewart will publish a cookbook devoted to cupcakes in June; my friend Dave wrote that a cupcake bakery is opening in Madison, WI; and Sprinkles, cupcakery to the stars, continues to expand nationwide. I think cupcakes are popular because they remind us of birthday parties at school, youthful innocence and personal treats. Like all individual desserts, they connote a specialness that a slice or piece of something cannot: this was made just for you.

One batch of these recipes will not yield 102 cupcakes, but multiple batches and combinations will. It's a story problem from the math classes of our youth: Brian made 102 cupcakes using four different recipes. The My Favorite Chocolate Cake recipe yields 12 cupcakes; the Mildred Thomas' Hummingbird Cupcake recipes yields 24 cupcakes; the Lemon Drop Cupcake recipe yields 12 cupcakes; and the Coconut Cupcake recipe yields 18. How many batches of each must Brian bake to yield 102 cupcakes?

Recipe: Hummingbird Cupcakes
Although I've made my Mam-ma's Hummingbird Cake in a number of iterations, I've never baked it as cupcakes before. I'm sure she would be pleased as the little guys are perfection in a foil wrapper.

Follow the directions for the recipe here, but divide between 24 paper-lined cupcake tins. Bake for 20-23 minutes. Cool in pan, then on wire rack, before topping with cream cheese frosting (below). Top with candy sprinkles; chopped or halved pecans; dried pineapple slices; or dried banana slices.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Recipe: My Favorite Chocolate Cupcakes
As I've said before, this recipe can do no wrong. I've used it in numerous ways (sheet cake, layer cake, topped with mouse, in a trifle, etc.) and it is always delicious. But, I should caution this isn't the chocolate cupcake of your youth: these little guys are light, but dense, and lack the sweetness of a devil's food recipe. The cream cheese frosting is the perfect foil.

Follow the directions of the recipe here, divide batter amongst 12 paper-lined cupcake tins. Bake for 20-23 minutes. Cool in pan, then on wire rack, before topping with cream cheese frosting (below). Top with candy sprinkles; chocolate curls; chocolate jimmies; or anything your hearth desires and your mind thinks goes well with chocolate.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Recipe: Mildred's Cream Cheese Frosting
Use this recipe for either the Hummingbird Cupcakes or My Favorite Chocolate Cupcakes.

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup butter (1 stick), room temperature
16 oz box or bag of powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

In a big yellow bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the butter and cream cheese. Slowly add the powdered sugar and work in into the butter mixture. Add the vanilla and blend until combined.

Recipe: Lemon Drop Cupcakes
My search for the perfect lemon cupcake yielded a variety of choices, none of which seemed quite right to me. So, I developed my own which yielded a delicious, light cake with a supreme lemon taste. The secret? Lemon juice, lemon zest AND lemon extract. For everyone who loves lemon.

3/4 cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
Large pinch of salt
2 large eggs
1 ¼ cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tsp lemon extract

Preheat oven to 350°F and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. In a big yellow bowl, beat the butter, 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, and 3 teaspoons lemon peel until light and fluffy and pale yellow. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend after each addition. Beat in half of flour. Add buttermilk and 2 tablespoons lemon juice and extract; beat to blend. Beat in remaining flour.

Divide batter equally among 12 paper-lined cupcake tins.

Bake cupcakes until tester inserted halfway into centers comes out clean, about 20-23 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan on rack.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Recipe: Lemon Frosting
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 pound (3 2/3 cups) powdered sugar
3 tsp. lemon extract
3 tsp. lemon peel
1 to 2 tablespoons milk (optional)

In a big yellow bowl, cream butter until smooth. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar; beat until smooth. Add lemon extract and peel, beat to combine. If too thick to spread, beat in 1 to 2 tablespoons milk.

Recipe: Coconut Cupcakes
I'm not a fan of coconut. It's the one food I really don't care for. In actuality, I love coconut flavor and coconut milk, but the texture of the dried coconut drives me insane. When I was a child, every year my grandmother made the Easter cake and it was, of course, covered in coconut. Perhaps there was some internal trauma caused by the giant knife being slipped into the coconut covered bunny? Who know, but Melissa requested coconut cupcakes and I was not going to disappoint. This recipe is based on one from Martha Stewart. I think it's different than the coconut cupcakes of my youth in that it uses coconut milk in the batter. Without the flakes, I'm sure it would be divine, but with them I'm sure a fan of coconut would be in absolute heaven.

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup packed sweetened shredded coconut
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Extra coconut for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl with the coconut. In a big yellow bowl, cream together butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Reduce speed to low. Add half of dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix until combined. Add coconut milk, mix until combined, then other half of flour mixture. Divide between 18 paper-line cupcake tins. Bake for 20-23 minutes. Cool in the pan, then on a wire rack. Top with white icing and additional coconut.

Makes 18 cupcakes.

Recipe: White Icing
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 pound (3 2/3 cups) powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk (optional)

In a big yellow bowl, cream butter until smooth. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar; beat until smooth. If too thick to spread, beat in 1 to 2 tablespoons milk.



Mangez!