Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Sausage Breakfast Burritos

Sometimes, there just nothing quite like breakfast for dinner.


Last week, we were very organized in taking either meats or prepared food out of the freezer and having delicious dinners throughout the week.  One of the dinners we decided on was Breakfast Burritos - to be made with some sausage that we had in the freezer.

The breakfast burrito ended up being a delicious mid-week treat, and I know my husband enjoyed them, since he went back for more!  This meal's "I tried something new" happen to work in our favor!!  My recipe is below, but this is really one of those things where you can make it however you want!

Sausage Breakfast Burritos
1 lb Sausage, taken out of the casings (I use Perri Sausage, 1/2 lb hot and 1/2 lb sweet)
5 eggs
Chopped onion
Chopped green bell pepper
Chopped red bell pepper
Salt & Pepper to taste
Soft Shell Tacos, or burritos
Shredded Mild Cheddar
Sour Cream
Chopped Tomatoes
Chopped Avocado

The Method

  • Saute the onion and peppers in some olive oil on the stove, until translucent.
  • Take the sausage out of the casings, and add the sausage into the onion and pepper mixture.  Break up the sausage as much as you want (I don't like huge chunks. so I tried to grind it up on the small side) and cook until everything is browned
  • Drain the mixture of any excess fat
  • Season with salt and pepper, not too much is needed as there are lots of seasonings in the sausage
  • Add the beaten eggs and cook well
  • Warm the burrito shells or taco shells in the oven so they are warm and pliable.

When the sausage and egg mixture is fully cooked, spoon the mixture into the shells, and top with whatever toppings you prefer!

I used a leftover package of soft shell tacos that came in a taco kit.  This only contains 6 shells, but there is plenty of stuffing for at least 10!  If you don't have enough shells, it's delicious on toasted bread, or even eaten plain!!

Enjoy!!

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Nonni's Blueberry Muffins

I'm pretty sure that blueberry muffins have always been my favorite type of muffin.  While I love all kinds of bread/muffins, nothing holds a candle to the deliciousness of a home baked blueberry muffin.  Even the deliciously UNHEALTHY coffee cake muffin at Dunkin Donuts can't hold a candle.

Maybe I'm just biased because I was fortunate enough to grow up with Nonni (my grandmother) making the most delicious muffins, ever!  And it's funny, because I don't even think this recipe for blueberry muffins is HER original recipe.  It's a friend of her's....But as I don't know all of the details, I suppose it's only right to give Nonni the credit for creating the most delicious muffin on the face of the planet.

After a long hiatus from blogging and baking, these muffins were my second adventure over 4th of July weekend.  They tasted so delicious, and since they're delicious warm or cold, they went FAST.  I suggest you make them.  And eat them.


Nonni's Blueberry Muffins
The Recipe
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
3 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbps Vanilla extract
3 cups blueberries
(Cranberries can be substituted, chopped, but add an extra 1/2 cup sugar!)

The Method
Cream together the butter and sugar.  Add the eggs, beating into the butter/sugar mixture one at a time.  Add the milk, flour, baking powder, and vanilla.  Once the mixture is well incorporated, fold in the blueberries.  Do not use the mixer here - make sure to fold everything together by hand, and be very careful not to smash the berries!

Scoop into paper-lined muffin tins (make sure you use papers here - if you don't use the papers, you will end up with a big mess!).  I used a large ice cream scoop and it filled the papers perfectly (about 20 muffins).

Bake at 375* for 20-25 minutes


Enjoy!!!


Monday, July 8, 2013

Spumoni Pound Cake

I didn't realize it had been so long since my last blog.  I guess we'll call it a 2013 Hiatus.  So many things have been happening in life, I feel like I don't know where to start.

We have continued on our Journey of the house.  We still have a ton more to do, but it's coming along.

I am getting over a particularly nasty bout with poison ivy (from the yard, again).  At least we think it's poison ivy.  Maybe it's something different.  In any case, I'm on prednisone again...

I haven't been baking a ton.  Until this weekend.  And I realized how much I really enjoy baking.

So let's talk Spumoni.

What is Spumoni?  Technically, it's an Italian Dessert of molded ice cream, typically cherry, pistachio, and either chocolate or vanilla.  It's delicious.  (Note:  National Spumoni Day in the US is August 21).

We have had a recipe in the family for as long as I can remember for Spumoni Pound Cake.  Obviously it's not ice cream, but it takes the key flavors of cherry and pistachio and puts it into cake form.  It's one of my favorites, and it seems to come out "different" every time I make it.  Different - yet delicious.

Spumoni Pound Cake
The Recipe

2 boxes yellow cake mix
1 box instant vanilla pudding
8 eggs
16-oz sour cream
1 cup oil
1 small jar maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
1 tsp vanilla
red food coloring
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp almond extract
green food coloring

The Method

Mix together the cake mix, pudding, eggs, sour cream, and oil.  
Separate the batter equally into 3 bowls.  In the first bowl, add the chopped cherries, red food coloring, and vanilla extract.  In the second bowl, add the chopped walnuts, green food coloring, and almond extract.  Leave the third bowl as is.

Grease and flour a long loaf pan (15"x4"x4").  Layer the batter, first the white, then the green, then the red.  DO NOT SWIRL!  
Bake at 375* for about 75 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Check after about 60 minutes, and cover with foil if getting too browned.

The best part about spumoni cake is cutting it....You never know what the inside will look like!!

Slice, eat, and ENJOY!!

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Super Simple Dinners: Frittata!

The best thing about frittata is that you can put whatever you want in it, and it almost always comes out delicious.

I mentioned before that my sister had the brilliancy to make a "menu" for the week....I did that this week, and "Frittata" was one of the meals on my list.  I decided to leave some wiggle room on the type of Frittata, and when I went to the market I bought a ham steak, asparagus, and goat cheese.  I L-O-V-E goat cheese, by the way.

So how did I make said Frittata?  It's so simple!!

The Ingredients
1 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 8-oz Ham Steak, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 bunch of Asparagus, chopped into about 1" segments
1 large Potato (or 2, however much you want), chopped
8 whole eggs
6 egg whites
salt and pepper, to taste
2-4 oz semi-soft Goat Cheese

The Method
  • Chop the onion and ham into small pieces and saute in olive oil in a large skillet (I used a 12-inch skillet).  Make sure whatever skillet you use is large enough to hold all the ingredients, and is oven-safe
  • Meanwhile, blanch the asparagus in water in another pan.  This helps so that you're not adding raw asparagus into the cooked onions/ham.
  • Chop the potato and add to the onions/ham (I actually used a baked potato that was left over from some take-out over the weekend.  It was baked, and refrigerated.  So I peeled the skin off, and chopped it up and threw it into the mix.  This made it super easy and quick, since all I needed to do was heat it through because it was already cooked!)
  • Add the cooked asparagus, and season with salt and pepper
  • In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, egg whites, and a splash of milk.  Add this into the ham/asparagus mix.  Mix everything together
  • Cut the goat cheese into small chunks and sprinkle on the top of the egg mixture.  I only put cheese on half of mine, because I wasn't sure if my husband would like it (which he did), so I only used 2 oz...
  • Bake at 350* for 20-25 minutes until the center is cooked and firm!
  • Cook for a few minutes, cook, and serve!!

Seriously!  It's the most delicious thing ever!!!




Enjoy!!

Monday, May 6, 2013

Super Simple Dinners: Chicken Caesar Salad

For the past two weeks, I've been in NJ for work.  Overall, it wasn't a fun trip, but did result in 2 visits to my sister's...Which was fun.  The first visit, it was just the two of us, and we had a lot of laughs over dinner and a bottle of wine.  The second visit, Timur (her husband) was home and the three of us had a great dinner and wine.

While I was on my 2nd visit, I helped my sister prepare dinner and noticed something on the refrigerator....Something that I decided I was going to adopt as a habit.  It was a weekly meal list.  The simple act of writing out what is for dinner each night of the week can really make life so simple.  Basically, they decide what they're going to have for dinner over the weekend, and then go to the market on Sunday to buy needed ingredients for the week.

It's the simplest thing - but it takes the guess work out of dinner time...It also takes care of the "I'd really like to make X but I'm missing 3 ingredients."  

So Stephanie...You're a genius.  Just don't let it go to your head.  :o)

So one of the meals on my sister's list was Chicken Caesar Salad.  I got so excited when I saw this because she made it for me once before and I fell in love with it.  She gave me the recipe, but I still haven't made it yet...But I WILL be making it this week!

So here it is!!  (from www.myrecipes.com)

11 cup romaine lettuce 
1 cup red bell pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil 
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 
2 tsp Dijon mustard 
1/4 tsp sugar 
1/4 tsp table salt 
1/4 tsp black pepper 
1 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s) 
1 1/2 cup(s) plain croutons 
1/2 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese 
2 pound(s) roasted skinless chicken breast

Remove chicken from bones and shred with 2 forks to measure 3 cups meat. 

Combine chicken, lettuce, and bell pepper in a large bowl. 

For vinaigrette: combine oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. 

Pour over salad. Toss well, sprinkle with croutons and cheese, and toss gently to combine.

Enjoy!!

Friday, April 12, 2013

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love Nutella. I'm pretty sure the first time I tried it was when I was in Italy in the 10th grade on a high school trip. I think it was the first time a lot of us had tried it, and we were all completely taken in with it's deliciousness. I remember the guys on the trip stealing rolls from the hotel Continental Breakfast and indulging on bread and Nutella (they bought a monster bottle of it).

Since then, I usually have a bottle of it in the pantry. I don't eat it all the time, but when I do eat it, I remember WHY I love it so much. 

 Last night, I got an itch to bake. Work has been rough this week, and I wanted to do something that makes me happy. And baking makes me happy. In order to capitalize on as easy a recipe as possible, I decided to make chocolate chip cookies, but add in some Nutella, just for fun. I took my usual Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe and cut the butter in half, and used the Nutella in it's place. The result? Deliciousness.

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies
The Recipe
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup Nutella
1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
2 1/4 cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
1-12oz bag Milk Chocolate Chips

The Method
Cream together the butter and Nutella until well mixed.  Add in the Sugars and beat until fluffy.  Add the Vanilla and Eggs, and beat well.  Add the flour, soda, and salt, and mix well.  Add in the chocolate chips and make sure they're mixed in well (Basic Cookies, here).

Bake at 375* for 10-12 minutes.


And ENJOY!!!

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Cake Mix Cookies

Cookies can be some of the easiest desserts that can be made. I myself have made many different kinds of cookies, but I recently made the easiest cookie ever. And delicious.

Growing up, I don't think there was a single party that my mom's aunt came to without bringing a couple plates of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, or sprinkle cookies. Sprinkle cookies? I don't really know what to call them. Maybe 'Auntie Ginny cookies' would be a better description of what they are.

Yummy cake mix cookies with sprinkles, just like my Auntie Ginny used to make!

In any case, I made said cookies the other day, and as previously stated, they are not only delicious, but also ridiculously easy.

The ingredients, you ask? Cake mix, eggs, and oil.

I did some measuring, and there is about 3 cups of mix in a box of cake mix. For one box, you need just 2 eggs and 1/2 cup of oil. Mix everything together well, and drop the mix on a cookie sheet. I then used the bottom of a glass to flatten the cookies, and I put some colored jimmies (sprinkles?) on top.
   


Bake for 10 minutes at 350!


Enjoy!!

Monday, March 18, 2013

Happy Day!

Today is March 18. Yesterday was St Patrick's day tomorrow is St Joseph's day.

While I am not at all Irish but I am very Italian, I ironically found myself only baking/cooking for St Partick's day this year.

I made an amazing Boiled Dinner.  This was not only my first time making a corned beef dinner, but I also took it a step further and made it in the pressure cooker.  Once again, it came delicious.  Here's what I did:

  • In the pressure cooker, place the corned beef with the fattiest side facing up, pour in a bottle of Guinness, enough water to cover the top of the meat, and the seasoning packet (I used about a 2.5 lb piece of meat).
  • Secure on the lid, and place the pot on the stove on high-heat.
  • When the pop comes up to pressure, lower the heat to as low as it can go while maintaining the pressure.  Let the pot sit like this for 50 minutes.
  • At the end of the 50 minutes, let the pot depressurize naturally by removing it from the heat and waiting patiently for the pressure to come down (this takes about 15 minutes).
  • Once the pot is depressurized, remove the lid, and transfer the corned beef to a cutting board, wrap it in foil, and cover it with a towel to keep in the heat.  This allows the juices to redistribute through the meat.
  • Pour out about half of the liquid from the pot, and add in the vegetables (I used potatoes, carrots, onion, and cabbage).
  • Secure the lid back on, move it again to high heat, and as soon as it comes up to pressure, lower the heat again and maintain pressure for 6 minutes.  
  • Slice the meat against the grain, and place everything in your serving platter!
My first attempt at a Boiled Dinner - SUCCESS!!
SO easy!  And from start to finish (including any prep time), this only took 2 hours!  If I had cooked this in a regular pot, I would have been in the kitchen for probably closer to 4 hours.  (Note:  The package on the corned beef said to cook the meat for 50 minutes for each pound of meat.  This means that I would have had to boil my piece of meat for 125 minutes, never mind the time to get up to a boil, and then the cooking time of the vegetables, which would have probably been about 20 minutes).  Pressure Cookers are awesome!


Serve with some mustard, and you've got yourself a feast!!
I also made an amazing (if I do say so myself) Irish Soda Bread.  I haven't made it in years, but I was pleasantly surprised with the results.  It's an incredibly easy recipe that my mom got from a friend of hers long ago, and I haven't made it any other way.
Irish Soda Bread, made from scratch, sliced, and ready to be eaten!!

So now that St. Patrick's day is over, and the non-Irish in me has celebrated, it's time to make some Zeppole and celebrate St. Joseph's Day!!!

Homemade Zeppole that I made a few years ago....It's time for another batch!!
Enjoy!!!

Monday, March 11, 2013

Oven Fried Fisn 'n Chips

That's right...oven fried! Or baked. But oven fried sounds so much more delicious.

Oven Fried Fish 'n Chips - delicious homemade french fries and fish sticks!

Being that its Lent, we always have some kind of seafood on Fridays, but lately, they've been lacking.  This past Friday, I really felt like I needed to spice up our Lenten feast. I feel like I don't realize how much meat (chicken, turkey, beef) I eat until Friday comes along and I 'can't' eat meat. One week we had shrimp, another we went out to eat. But this week, I wanted to make something at home. So I figured fish and chips - but my way.

When I was young, my grandfather was a fisherman, and he stocked our freezer with all kinds of fish, so we ate it at least once a week. After he passed away, I feel like fish got reduced down to just during Lent.

My experience with cooking fish is very limited, so I decided to make something I know, but also something new that I couldn't mess up too bad.  Hence:  Oven Friend Fish 'n Chips!

For the Fish:

1 lb cod
1 1/2 cup Panko
2 eggs
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Paprika

Slice the fish into 1/2" thick slices. Coat the fish in the egg, salt, and pepper, and then coat in the Panko, mixed with the spices.

Let the fish sit for about 20 minutes on a drying rack (like when breading chicken, the actual breading stays on the fish better if you let it rest before immediately transferring it to the baking sheet). Then transfer to a baking sheet that has been lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. Spray the fish with the cooking spray and bake for 12-15 minutes at 400* until browned and firm.

For the Chips:

Potatoes
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Paprika

Slice the peppers and transfer to a large zip-lock bag. Add a little bit of oil (about 1 tsp), and the seasonings and mix well to coat the potatoes. Then transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes at 400* (I put the potatoes in the oven for about 20 minutes, then put them on the bottom rack while the fish baked).

I then made a quick tartar sauce (mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, salt, and pepper) and we had a feast!!

The result: delicious. Scott said there was too much seasoning on the fish (he says he likes to taste the fish, but then covers it in tartar sauce / ketchup), but I enjoyed the flavor. Maybe I'll go a little lighter on the garlic powder and paprika. But for a first attempt, I'd say it was a success!! :o)
The fish is resting, the potatoes are ready for the oven!

This makes about 3 servings: 510 calories, 74 carbs, 5 fat, 40 protein, 6 fiber. 12 Points Plus.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Home-made Hummus

Hello beautiful!!

Hummus is such a delicious snack. But I hate buying it in the stores. I guess it's because I'm cheap. Oh well.

So I made my own.

I got a recipe from a friend, and then tweaked it a bit.

1 can chick peas, drained
1/4 cup sesame tahini
1/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt
1 clove garlic
Salt
Lemon juice
  • Put the drained chick peas in a pot, and add about a 1/2 cup water. Heat them through (as soon as they come to a boil, shut the heat off).
  • Put the chicken peas, and some of the water (as much as you want) into the blender/food processor.  I put just a bit of water, and then saved some to add in later, if needed.
  • Add the garlic, salt, and lemon juice (about a teaspoon of salt, and half a squeezed lemon) into the food processor and mix everything together.
  • Add the tahini and yogurt, and mix again.
  • Taste the mixture, and add salt or more lemon juice, to your liking.

That's it!

I cut out any extra Olive Oil, and by adding the Greek yogurt in place of half of the tahini, I was able to cut a little bit of fat, and add a little protein.  Not too shabby!!  The recipe makes about a cup and a half of hummus, so for 2 Tbsp per serving, you have the following:

Calories: 69, Fat: 3g, Carbohydrates: 7g, Fiber: 2g, Protein: 3g.  2 Points Plus!



Enjoy!

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

I am the Queen of Carbs

I've been trying to eat a higher protein diet, with less carbohydrates.  As the self-appointed "Queen of Carbs," this is SUPER difficult.  But I'm determined to continue...carbs are my downfall.  And it's time I take matters into my own hands.

I'm making this very difficult for myself.  Not only am I continuing to track in Weight Watchers (I want to ensure that I'm staying within the set guidelines for my weight), I'm also tracking in My Fitness Pal.  Why, you ask?  Well, WW calculates points, but I can set up MFP to help me track how much protien, carbs, and fat I'm actually consuming.  If WW has a way of doing this, I don't know how to set it up.

I attempted to liken the number of points to number of calories, in order to make things as equivalent as possible.  I figured about 50 calories per point (this is difficult since points are calculated on fat, fiber, carbohydrates, and protein) and I was able to put a "calorie goal" into MFP.  Then, I was able to determine how many grams of Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fat I wanted on a daily basis by logging in a percentage for each one.  I am currently following the P90X fitness and nutrition regimen, so the "Phase 1" part of P90X states that you eat 50% Protein, 30% Carbohydrates, 20% Fat.

THIS IS REALLY HARD!!

I'm finding it really difficult to find low fat high protein food that actually tastes good.  

Here is Tuesday's final food log:


So you can see my problem.  I still don't get enough protein, but go over in fat.  I understand that it's a very rigorous plan (50% protein is a lot), but I'm hoping to improve

I picked up a few things at the market which will hopefully help:
0% Fage Plain Yogurt instead of 2%
1% Lowfat Cottage Cheese
Ingredients to make homemade Hummus
Almonds and Pistachios (which may not work out - they're high in fat)

I need to find a better (good tasting) salad dressing that doesn't have so much fat.  I also need to start making breakfast with egg whites instead of whole eggs.  I know that will help with reducing the fat.  I also need to look for protein bars/shakes that are relatively low in fat/carbs, but can help with protein consumption.

However!  I'm happy with how my body feels, and will update soon!

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I have to admit, I am not a huge fan of Valentine's Day.  To me, it's just a Hallmark holiday that makes single people feel bad.  While I haven't been "single" in 5 1/2 years, I still feel pressure about Valentine's Day.

This year, we didn't make plans.  At the last minute, Scott tried to make dinner reservations, but because of the required social convention of going out to dinner on Valentine's Day, the only time we could eat would be at either 5 or 9, neither of which was interesting to either of us.  So we quickly changed the plans and decided to have dinner at home.  

I made a very (stress very) simple dinner of Margherita Pizza, White Pizza, and Molten Lava Chocolate Cake.  Scott brought an amazing bottle of our favorite wine (Chianti Ruffino).  The pizza was delicious, and the Chocolate Lava Cake didn't have much Lava, but we thoroughly enjoyed our Valentine's Night in!!





Happy Valentine's Day!!!  <3 <3 <3

Friday, February 1, 2013

Homemade Egg Sandwiches

I love eggs.  Growing up, my mom used to make me poached eggs, and I loved dipping the toast in the yolk.  I love eggs over easy, fried eggs, and also love eggs fried into a hole cut in bread.  I love hard boiled eggs.  And while I can't put scrambled eggs into the "love" category, I can put them into the "like quite a bit" category.

I guess my love of fried eggs and poached eggs naturally led into my love of egg sandwiches.  There is a problem with egg sandwiches, though.  A)  I never have the time during the week to make them before work.  B)  You can buy them at Dunkin Donuts or McDonalds, but they're loaded with extra fat and calories (And Points Plus), and just aren't worth it in the end, and C)  They get expensive!!


A delicious egg sandwich, made at home!
I saw something on Pinterest about baking eggs in Muffin Tins.  GENIUS!  I mean, seriously, genius!!!  Why didn't I think of that??

So that's what I did.  I baked my eggs in jumbo muffin tins, and I made homemade egg sandwiches!!

I used extra large muffin tins (the bottoms are a little bit wider and therefore you get an egg that is a little bit closer to the diameter of the english muffin.  The regular sized muffin tins would make the eggs thicker, but they would also be smaller).  I toasted my "light" english muffins, and I used Ultra Thin slices of Cheddar cheese (which I folded up to not overhang the egg too much).


This is a delicious breakfast, but it's also perfect during the week.  I wrapped all of the sandwiches in foil, and was able to pop one in the toaster this morning to heat up while my coffee was brewing.  So EASY and Delicious!

So what to do?

Ingredients
6 eggs
6 Light English Muffins (I used Stop & Shop Brand)
6 slices of cheese (I used Ultra Thin Sargento Mild Cheddar Slices)

The Method Crack eggs into Pam-sprayed muffin tins (or jumbo muffin tins, like I did, or even whoopie pie tins!) and bake them at 350* for 8-10 minutes.  I baked mine for 8 minutes, checked, and decided that they were still too soft, and baked for another 2 minutes.  Don't over-bake, or they'll get rubbery!!


Eggs, all baked in jumbo muffin tins
While the eggs are baking, toast up your english muffins!

Then, assemble!!!  Use whatever cheese you want!!

 
My eggs on the toasted english muffins, then with a slice of cheese on top!!

Make your sandwiches, wrap them up, and enjoy!!

Note:  I left mine in the refrigerator and stuck one in the toaster this morning.  I just put it on the toast setting like I would for regular bread and it was perfectly heated through this morning!  If you freeze your sandwiches, make sure you heat them up long enough!! :o)


These come in at 6 Points Plus (if you add everything separately, you get 5 points, but putting everything into the Recipe Builder makes it 6 points.  Dunkin Egg & Cheese on English Muffin:  9 Points Plus.  McDonalds Egg McMuffin:  8 Points Plus)  And a whole lot cheaper!!!

Enjoy!!

Monday, January 28, 2013

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes!

Once upon a time, not too far from here, we used to be allowed to bring cupcakes to school on our birthday.  This was the most exciting time of year for me.  An excuse to eat cupcakes in the middle of the school day, and show off my mom's cupcake making abilities to the rest of the class.  I remember instead of regular old cupcakes, my mom would make cupcakes baked in Ice Cream Cones!!  How exciting is THAT?

I decided to recreate the Ice Cream Cone Cupcake this weekend.  We had a few friends over to celebrate Scott's new job, and to show off our house!  While I made a TON of food (and have TONS of leftovers), the most exciting thing I made for our company were these cupcakes. 


I have to admit, I did do these a little different than my mom used to.  In those days, we didn't get super fancy with the frosting - we just frosted the top with a knife....But I figured I would try and make these look like real soft serve ice cream, and I think it was a success!!

So here's what I did:

Ingredients
1 box of cake mix (I used Funfetti) and the required ingredients
24 flat bottomed wafer Ice Cream Cones
Buttercream Frosting (see recipe below)
Jimmies (or Sprinkles, whatever you call them!)

Buttercream frosting (from the King Arthur Flour Cookbook)
5 1/2 Tbsp Butter
1/3 cup Shortening
1/8 tsp Salt
4 - 5 cups confectioners sugar (I used 4 cups)
2 tsps Vanilla Extract
1/4 - 1/3 cup milk (I used 1/4 cup, plus a splash more)

Beat together the butter, shortening, and salt until fluffy.  Add 2 cups of the confectioners sugar and beat slowly until well blended.  Add the vanilla and half of the milk, and beat until fluffy.

Continue mixing in the sugar and milk alternately until everything is completely incorporated, and beat until light and fluffy

The Method
Mix the cake mix according to the box directions
Pour the cake mix into a pour-able measuring cup (it makes things a bit easier)

  
The cake batter, poured into a measuring cup, and all of the ice cream cones, ready to be filled!

Fill the ice cream cones about 2/3 of the way full with the cake mix (you don't want to over fill.  Overfilling won't cause the cake mix to bake upwards - it will just make a mess!)

Bake the cones by placing them into muffin tins at 350* for about 15-20 minutes (don't let them get too browned!)

 

Remove from the oven and cool

When cooled, frost and decorate!  I frosted my cupcakes by loading the frosting into a piping bag and swirling on top.  But you are the chef and this is your project, so have fun!!