So being (mostly) Irish (roughly 40%, which while less than half of my complete makeup, is more than the other nationalities by far), this holiday is kind of a big deal for me. It’s pretty awesome if you’re a New Yorker- our parade is one of the best (aside from a few over rowdy drunken assholes every year) and oldest (this year is the 249th year) there are in this country. People who aren’t even the least bit Irish get all dressed in green and celebrate. Some places serve green beer and bagel stores sell green bagels to add to the fun. Also great about this holiday, one of my favorite liqueurs, Bailey’s Irish Cream, happens to be from the Emerald Isle. For those of you unfamiliar with it, Bailey’s (or generic Irish cream) is typically Irish whiskey blended with cream, and sometimes honey. Although genuine Bailey’s doesn’t have honey, I believe Carolans and Molly’s does. They’re all equally delicious, and similar in taste. This website compares some of them by taste, etc and may be helpful if you aren’t familiar with Irish cream liqueur.

Irish cream is usually an after dinner drink, or a dessert drink. It’s sweet, and is delicious both alone over ice or in mixed drinks like a Bailey’s shake, or a Blind Russian. There are other ways of using Bailey’s or Irish cream, like a “Drainpipe.” Not sure about that one, but to each his own. I think it’s best on it’s own, personally.

I assume by now you’ve guessed that these cupcakes have Bailey’s in them- both cake and frosting. You can use any kind of Irish cream, and even the flavored Bailey’s if you like; caramel, mint or whatever other option available. Its all a matter of personal preference. These cupcakes are to die for, and just for an added kick, before frosting I dribbled a bit of the liqueur on top of each cake and let it absorb.

Poig mo thoin!

BAILEY’S IRISH CREAM CUPCAKES

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temp.
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temp
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups Bailey’s (or your favorite generic Irish cream; i.e. Carolans, Molly’s or St. Brendans)
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Insert 24 liners into a cupcake pan.
2. n large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes with a stand mixer. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the liqueur, water and milk. Mix well.
4. In third bowl, thoroughly combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
5. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, alternating with the liqueur mixture. Beat on medium speed for approximately 2 minutes.
6. Fill cupcake liners ¾ full and bake for about 25 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched.

BAILEY’S IRISH CREAM BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons (maybe more) Bailey’s Irish Cream

Directions:

1. Cream the butter on high speed for approximately 3 minutes.
2. Add the Bailey’s and mix thoroughly. Slowly add the powdered sugar until well blended.
3. If necessary, add more Bailey’s to thin or more sugar to thicken it to desired texture.

This was one of the smoothest, creamiest batters I’ve ever made. And the taste? Before it was even baked it was heavenly. They don’t rise as much as I expected them too, so maybe a little more than ¾ full would do better. The tops also crack a little- that’s fine. I halved this recipe,  got 15 cupcakes, and then I popped ‘em my spiffy new green cupcake liners from sweetestelle on Etsy and put some green sugar on top. Aren’t they cute?

If you’re looking for more St. Patrick’s Day baking inspiration, check my archives. Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh!

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Another Military Monday is here. If you’re unfamiliar with this phenomenon, please view this entry at my friend Yoyo’s website which explains it. And if you’d like to see past MM posts, here are the archives.

Bryan C. Luckey, 25, Army Sergeant, Jun 29, 2006 Tampa, Florida
James P. Muldoon, 23, Army Sergeant, Jun 29, 2006 Bells, Texas
Christopher D. Rose, 21, Army Corporal, Jun 29, 2006 San Francisco, California
Kyle Miller, 19, Army National Guard Specialist, Jun 29, 2006 Willmar, Minnesota
Carl Jerome Ware Jr., 22, Air Force Airman 1st Class, Jul 01, 2006 Glassboro, New Jersey
Collin T. Mason, 20, Army Private 1st Class, Jul 02, 2006 Staten Island, New York
Justin Noyes, 23, Marine Sergeant, Jul 02, 2006 Vinita, Oklahoma
Paul Pabla, 23, Army National Guard Staff Sergeant, Jul 03, 2006 Fort Wayne, Indiana
Omar Flores, 27, Army Staff Sergeant, Jul 08, 2006 Mission, Texas
Troy Carlin Linden, 22, Army Corporal, Jul 08, 2006 Detroit Lakes, Minnesota
Joseph P. Micks, 22, Army Corporal, Jul 08, 2006 Rapid River, Michigan
Damien M. Montoya, 21, Army Specialist, Jul 09, 2006 Holbrook, Arizona
Duane J. Dreasky, 31, Army National Guard Sergeant, Jul 10, 2006 Novi, Michigan
Irving Hernandez Jr., 28, Army Sergeant, Jul 12, 2006 New York, New York
Jerry A. Tharp, 44, Naval Reserve Petty Officer 1st Class, Jul 12, 2006 Aledo, Illinois
Al’Kaila Floyd, 23, Army Sergeant, Jul 13, 2006 Grand Rapids, Michigan
Thomas B. Turner Jr., 31, Army Sergeant, Jul 14, 2006 Cottonwood, California
Andres J. Contreras, 23, Army Sergeant, Jul 15, 2006 Huntington Park, California
Manuel J. Holguin, 21, Army Specialist, Jul 15, 2006 Woodlake, California
Jason M. Evey, 29, Army Staff Sergeant, Jul 16, 2006 Stockton, California
Nathaniel S. Baughman, 23, Army Corporal, Jul 17, 2006 Monticello, Indiana
Michael A Dickinson II, 26, Army Staff Sergeant, Jul 17, 2006 Battle Creek, Michigan
Kenneth I. Pugh, 39, Army Staff Sergeant, Jul 17, 2006 Houston, Texas
Scott R. Smith, 34, Army Sergeant 1st Class, Jul 17, 2006 Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania
Mark Richard Vecchione, 25, Army Sergeant, Jul 18, 2006 Tucson, Arizona
Geofrey R. Cayer, 20, Marine Lance Corporal, Jul 18, 2006 Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Derek J. Plowman, 20, Army National Guard Private 1st Class, Jul 20, 2006 Everton, Arkansas
Julian A. Ramon, 22, Marine Corporal, Jul 20, 2006 Flushing, New York
Matthew P. Wallace, 22, Army Corporal, Jul 21, 2006 Lexington Park, Maryland
Christopher T. Pate, 29, Marine Reserve Captain, Jul 21, 2006 Hampstead, North Carolina
Adam J. Fargo, 22, Army Corporal, Jul 22, 2006 Ruckersville, Virginia
Blake H. Russell, 35, Army Captain, Jul 22, 2006 Fort Worth, Texas
Christopher Swanson, 25, Army Staff Sergeant, Jul 22, 2006 Rose Haven, Maryland
Dennis K. Samson Jr., 24, Army Specialist, Jul 24, 2006 Hesperia, Michigan
Jason M. West, 28, Army Captain, Jul 24, 2006 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Stephen W. Castner, 27, Army National Guard Corporal, Jul 24, 2006 Cedarburg, Wisconsin
Joseph A. Graves, 21, Army Specialist, Jul 25, 2006 Discovery Bay, California
Edward A Koth, 30, Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class, Jul 26, 2006 Towson, Maryland
James W. Higgins, 22, Marine Lance Corporal, Jul 27, 2006 Frederick, Maryland
Adam R. Murray, 21, Marine Lance Corporal, Jul 27, 2006 Cordova, Tennessee
Timothy D. Roos, 21, Marine Corporal, Jul 27, 2006 Delhi, Ohio
Enrique Henry Sanchez, 21, Marine Private 1st Class, Jul 27, 2006 Garner, North Carolina
Phillip E. Baucus, 28, Marine Corporal, Jul 29, 2006 Wolf Creek, Montana
Anthony E. Butterfield, 19, Marine Lance Corporal, Jul 29, 2006 Clovis, California
Jason Hanson, 21, Marine Private 1st Class, Jul 29, 2006 Forks, Washington
Christian B. Williams, 27, Marine Sergeant, Jul 29, 2006 Winter Haven, Florida
Joshua Ford, 20, Army National Guard Sergeant, Jul 31, 2006 Wayne, Nebraska
Hai Ming Hsia, 37, Army Specialist, Aug 01, 2006 New York, New York
Ryan D. Jopek, 20, Army National Guard Sergeant, Aug 02, 2006 Merrill, Wisconsin
Dustin D. Laird, 23, Army National Guard Sergeant, Aug 02, 2006 Martin, Tennessee

So I decided that since these really aren’t my actual St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes (I have a trick up me wee sleeve for that one *wink* and it’s something brand new) I’d do something I’ve done before, just in a different way. I made mint cupcakes; well they’re actually vanilla-mint, and frosted them with a cocoa Creme de Menthe frosting. But I dribbled a teeny bit of Creme de Menthe on top of each cupcake and let it soak in before I frosted them. Hey, if this isn’t a time of year for cupcakes made with alcohol, then I dunno what is. The shamrock toppers are actually drink stirrers, I just broke ‘em off and stuck ‘em in. The Creme de Menthe made the middles of the cakes green, as you can see in the bottom picture. Of course, these can be made sans-alcohol. Just use some more peppermint extract tinted green, or dye the whole cupcake green.

MINT CREME DE MENTHE MINI-CUPCAKES

Ingredients:

• ¾ stick of unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup of sugar + 6 tablespoons
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• 1 ¼ teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 ¼ cups of flour
• 1 1/8 cups milk
• Creme de Menthe

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Beat butter and sugar well, then add the egg. Mix until cmbined, then add extracts & milk.
3. Add the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix well.
4. Fill cups about ¾ full , and bake for 18-25 minutes.
5. Dribble ½ teaspoon Creme de Menthe over each. Let cool. When completely cool, frost.

I got 20 mini-cupcakes with this recipe. The frosting is a basic buttercream, made with peppermint extract, Creme de Menthe and cocoa powder. Some of the frosting has streaks of pale green going through it. Sadly, I don’t think it came out in the pictures.

They look like regular size cupcakes, I know, but maybe this will give you some perspective? Wilton 2A tip next to the liners.

Yum.

And there you have it. Be sure to check back here this week for my main St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes… and in the meantime…

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Remember our soldiers, not just on Military Monday, but every day.

Click here to view the archives.

Gary Rovinski, 44, Naval Reserve Petty Officer 1st Class, Jun 05, 2006 Roseville, Illinois
Andy D. Anderson, 24, Army Corporal, Jun 06, 2006 Falls Church, Virginia
Daniel Gionet, 23, Army Sergeant, Jun 06, 2006 Pelham, New Hampshire
Carlos E. Pernell, 25, Army Sergeant, Jun 06, 2006 Munford, Alabama
Ryan T. Sanders, 27, Army 1st Lieutenant, Jun 06, 2006 Richardson, Texas
Richard A. Blakley, 34, Army National Guard Staff Sergeant, Jun 06, 2006 Avon, Indiana
Mark T. Smykowski, 23, Marine Sergeant, Jun 06, 2006 Mentor, Ohio
David N. Crombie, 19, Army Private 1st Class, Jun 07, 2006 Winnemucca, Nevada
Scott M. Love, 32, Army 1st Lieutenant, Jun 07, 2006 Knoxville, Tennessee
John Shaw Vaughan, 23, Army 2nd Lieutenant, Jun 07, 2006 Edwards, Colorado
Clarence D. McSwain, 31, Army Sergeant 1st Class, Jun 08, 2006 Meridian, Kentucky
Luis D. Santos, 20, Army Specialist, Jun 08, 2006 Rialto, California
Daniel Crabtree, 31, Army National Guard Sergeant 1st Class, Jun 08, 2006 Canton, Ohio
Ben Slaven, 22, Army Reserve Private 1st Class, Jun 09, 2006 Plymouth, Nebraska
Jose M. Velez, 35, Army Reserve Sergeant, Jun 09, 2006 Bronx, New York
Salvador Guerrero, 21, Marine Lance Corporal, Jun 09, 2006 Los Angeles, California
Brent Zoucha, 19, Marine Lance Corporal, Jun 09, 2006 Clarks, Nebraska
Zachary M. Alday, 22, Navy Seaman, Jun 09, 2006 Donalsonville, Georgia
Michael A. Estrella, 20, Marine Corporal, Jun 14, 2006 Hemet, California
Jeremiah S. Santos, 21, Army Corporal, Jun 15, 2006 Minot, North Dakota
David J. Babineau, 25, Army Specialist, Jun 16, 2006 Springfield, Massachusetts
Kristian Menchaca, 23, Army Private, Jun 16, 2006 San Marcos, Texas
Thomas Lowell Tucker, 25, Army Private 1st Class, Jun 16, 2006 Madras, Oregon
Brent W. Koch, 22, Army National Guard Specialist, Jun 16, 2006 Morton, Minnesota
Robert L. Jones, 22, Army Specialist, Jun 17, 2006 Milwaukee, Oregon
Reyes Ramirez, 23, Army Sergeant, Jun 17, 2006 Willis, Texas
Christopher D. Leon, 20, Marine Corporal, Jun 20, 2006 Lancaster, California
Brandon J Webb, 20, Marine Lance Corporal, Jun 20, 2006 Swartz Creek, Michigan
Christopher N. White, 23, Marine Private 1st Class, Jun 20, 2006 Southport, North Carolina
Benjamin D. Williams, 30, Marine Staff Sergeant, Jun 20, 2006 Orange, Texas
Jason J. Buzzard, 31, Army Sergeant, Jun 21, 2006 Ukiah, California
Sirlou C. Cuaresma, 21, Army Sergeant, Jun 21, 2006 Chicago, Illinois
Nicholas J. Whyte, 21, Marine Lance Corporal, Jun 21, 2006 Brooklyn, New York
Riley E. Baker, 22, Marine Corporal, Jun 22, 2006 Pacific, Missouri
Paul A. Beyer, 21, Army Private 1st Class, Jun 23, 2006 Jamestown, North Dakota
Mario J. Bievre, 34, Army Staff Sergeant, Jun 23, 2006 Constantinople, Illinois
Ryan J. Buckley, 21, Army Corporal, Jun 23, 2006 Nokomis, Illinois
Devon J. Gibbons, 19, Army Private 1st Class, Jun 23, 2006 Port Orchard, Washington
Channing G. Singletary, 30, Army National Guard Specialist, Jun 23, 2006 Sylvester, Georgia
Benjamin J. Laymon, 22, Army Sergeant, Jun 24, 2006 Mount Vernon, Ohio
Justin Dean Norton, 21, Army Sergeant, Jun 24, 2006 Rainier, Washington
Virrueta A. Sanchez, 33, Army Staff Sergeant, Jun 24, 2006 Houston, Texas
Paul N. King, 23, Marine Reserve Corporal, Jun 25, 2006 Tyngsboro, Massachusetts
Terry Lisk, 26, Army Sergeant, Jun 26, 2006 Fox Lake, Illinois
Michael J. Potocki, 21, Army Private 1st Class, Jun 26, 2006 Baltimore, Maryland
Raymond J. Plouhar, 30, Marine Staff Sergeant, Jun 26, 2006 Lake Orion, Michigan
Jeremy Jones, 25, Army Corporal, Jun 27, 2006 Millard, Nebraska
Terry O.P. Wallace, 33, Army Sergeant 1st Class, Jun 27, 2006 Winnsboro, Louisiana
Jason W. Morrow, 27, Marine Corporal, Jun 27, 2006 Riverside, California
Rex A. Page, 21, Marine Private 1st Class, Jun 28, 2006 Kirksville, Missouri
Ryan. J. Clark, 19, Army Corporal, Jun 29, 2006 Lancaster, California

Image courtesy of Fairly Fairy Cakes

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Stay tuned at the end of the month for more on April’s charity, Let’s Bring ‘Em Home!

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This is my 37th week participating in Military Monday. If you’d like to know how/why I started doing this, please read this post, and check out the archives as well. I hate to be redundant and repeat myself every week, but if you or someone you know has a patriotic cake or cupcake you’d like to have featured on a future Military Monday post, then e·mail me and I’ll be more than happy to do so.

Patrick A. Tinnell, 25, Army Private 1st Class, Apr 19, 2006 Lake Havasu City, Arizona
Jason C. Ramseyer, 28, Marine Staff Sergeant, Apr 20, 2006 Lenoir, North Carolina
Jacob H. Allcott, 21, Army Private 1st Class, Apr 22, 2006 Caldwell, Idaho
Michael E. Bouthot, 19, Army Private, Apr 22, 2006 Fall River, Massachusetts
Kyle A. Colnot, 23, Army Sergeant, Apr 22, 2006 Arcadia, California
Eric D. King, 29, Army Specialist, Apr 22, 2006 Vancouver, Washington
Travis C. Zimmerman, 19, Army Private, Apr 22, 2006 New Berlinville, Pennsylvania
Ron Gebur, 23, Army Specialist, May 13, 2006 Delavan, Illinois
Richard Z. James, 20, Marine Lance Corporal, May 13, 2006 Seaford, Delaware
John W. Engeman, 45, Army Chief Warrant Officer 4, May 14, 2006 East North Port, New York
Jamie D. Weeks, 47, Army Chief Warrant Officer 5, May 14, 2006 Daleville, Alabama
Robert H. West, 37, Army Master Sergeant, May 14, 2006 Elyria, Ohio
Matthew W. Worrel, 34, Army Major, May 14, 2006 Lewisville, Texas
Shane Mahaffee, 36, Army Reserve Captain, May 14, 2006 Gurnee, Illinois
Jose S. Marin-Dominguez Jr., 22, Marine Lance Corporal, May 14, 2006 Liberal, Kansas
Hatak Yuka Keyu M. Yearby, 21, Marine Lance Corporal, May 14, 2006 Overbrook, Oklahoma
Grant Allen Dampier, 25, Army Private 1st Class, May 15, 2006 Merrill, Wisconsin
Marion Flint Jr., 29, Army Staff Sergeant, May 15, 2006 Baltimore, Maryland
Santiago M. Halsel, 32, Army Staff Sergeant, May 16, 2006 Bowling Green, Kentucky
Lee Hamilton Deal, 23, Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class, May 17, 2006 West Monroe, Louisiana
Lonnie Calvin Allen Jr., 26, Army Sergeant, May 18, 2006 Bellevue, Nebraska
Nicholas Cournoyer, 25, Army Private 1st Class, May 18, 2006 Gilmanton, New Hampshire
Daniel E. Holland, 43, Army Lieutenant Colonel, May 18, 2006 San Antonio, Texas
Robert Seidel III, 23, Army 1st Lieutenant, May 18, 2006 Emmitsburg, Maryland
William B. Fulks, 23, Marine Corporal, May 18, 2006 Culloden, West Virginia
Benito A. Ramirez, 22, Marine Lance Corporal, May 21, 2006 Edinburg, Texas
David Christoff Jr., 25, Marine Sergeant, May 22, 2006 Rossford, Ohio
William J. Leusink, 21, Marine Lance Corporal, May 22, 2006 Maurice, Iowa
Michael L. Hermanson, 21, Army National Guard Specialist, May 23, 2006 Fargo, North Dakota
Steven Freund, 20, Marine Private 1st Class, May 23, 2006 Pleasant Hills, Pennsylvania
Robert G. Posivio III, 22, Marine Lance Corporal, May 23, 2006 Sherburn, Minnesota
Robert E. Blair, 22, Army Specialist, May 25, 2006 Ocala, Florida
Douglas A. DiCenzo, 30, Army Captain, May 25, 2006 Plymouth, New Hampshire
Caleb A. Lufkin, 24, Army Private 1st Class, May 25, 2006 Knoxville, Illinois
Adam Lucas, 20, Marine Lance Corporal, May 26, 2006 Greensboro, North Carolina
J. Adan Garcia, 20, Army Corporal, May 27, 2006 Irving, Texas
Richard A. Bennett, 25, Marine Corporal, May 27, 2006 Girard, Kansas
Nathanael J. Doring, 31, Marine Captain, May 27, 2006 Apple Valley, Minnesota
James A. Funkhouser, 35, Army Captain, May 29, 2006 Katy, Texas
Jeremy M. Loveless, 25, Army Corporal, May 29, 2006 Estacada, Oregon
Brock L. Bucklin, 28, Army Specialist, May 30, 2006 Caledonia, Michigan
Bobby R. West, 23, Army Corporal, May 30, 2006 Beebe, Arkansas
Alexander J. Kolasa, 22, Army Corporal, May 31, 2006 White Lake, Michigan
Benjamin E. Mejia, 25, Army Sergeant, May 31, 2006 Salem, Massachusetts
Brett L. Tribble, 20, Army Private 1st Class, Jun 03, 2006 Lake Jackson, Texas
Darren Harmon, 44, Army Reserve Staff Sergeant, Jun 03, 2006 Newark, Delaware
Ryan J. Cummings, 22, Marine Corporal, Jun 03, 2006 Streamwood, Illinois
Michael D. Stover, 43, Marine Major, Jun 03, 2006 Mansfield, Ohio
Issac S. Lawson, 35, Army National Guard Specialist, Jun 05, 2006 Sacramento, California
Jamie Jaenke, 30, Naval Reserve Petty Officer 2nd Class, Jun 05, 2006 Bay City, Wisconsin

Every month in 2010 Yoyo is donating 100% of one days’ profits in her webstore to a different charity. January was the Villalobos Rescue Center, February was the Adelphi NY Statewide Breast Cancer Hotline & Support Program, and this month it’s Mollie’s Fund. Mollie’s fund is an organization that helps create awareness & provide education about skin cancer and melanoma. It’s named after Mollie Biggane who tragically died at twenty years of age after finding a mole on her thigh and undergoing surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. So what am I asking of you?

I’m asking you to buy something from TOPSTITCH on March 2nd. That’s this Tuesday. You have about two days to prepare, and then a whole 24 hours to make a purchase. It doesn’t have to be a big purchase… even a small $2.00 order can mean a lot to an organization that needs money to help it grow. So go scope out what TOPSTITCH has to offer and then on Tuesday, go back and buy something! I definitely have been making my contributions each month. So should you.

And don’t just shop at TOPSTITCH today, shop there everyday.

Winnie-the-Pooh, commonly shortened to Pooh Bear or simply Pooh, and once referred to as Edward Bear, is a fictional bear created by A. A. Milne. The first collection of stories about the character was the book Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), and this was followed by The House at Pooh Corner (1928). Milne also included a poem about the bear in the children’s verse book When We Were Very Young (1924) and many more in Now We Are Six (1927). All four volumes were illustrated by E. H. Shepard.

This past year for my birthday, I got a very cute card from someone special who knows me well & knows how much I like to bake… and it was a Winnie the Pooh card. With the old drawing of Pooh, and inside… it had a recipe! Yes, a recipe for honey cake. It was one of the cutest cards I’ve ever gotten, and I kept thinking of that honey cake randomly ever since. Of course, I misplaced the card (typical), but I remembered a few basic things that were in the recipe in the card, and I combined that with some other honey cake/honey cupcake recipes I found on the internet to make these. I frosted them with an orange-honey buttercream frosting made by just adding orange extract and a tablespoon of honey to a regular buttercream (if youcan’t figure that out and are in desperate need of the exact recipe, let me know and I’ll send it your way). Thank you to Couture Cupcakes for the inspiration too.

In case you’re unaware, Pooh loves his “hunny.” You’ll usually see him carrying a pot of it around, one paw drenched in honey.

Seeing as how there’s more snow on the way, and I’m longing for spring, I really needed these spring-y cupcakes tonight. Sadly, my camera died, so there’s only one picture. But they say a picture speaks a thousand words, right? I also overestimated how much confectioner’s sugar I had, so I couldn’t make the little orange blossoms on top that I so wanted to do. Oh well. You’ll have to imagine how cute it would have been! I wasn’t about to go out and get some in this weather.

HONEY CUPCAKES (OR POOH’S HUNNY CAKES)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• zest and juice of one orange
• ¼ tsp orange extract
• ¼ cup sour cream
• ¼ cup milk
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ cup butter, softened
• ½ cup honey
• 2 eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt; set aside. In a small bowl, combine orange zest and juice, extract, sour cream and milk; set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, cream butter until fluffy. Add honey and sugar; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time.
4. Add half of the reserved dry ingredients to the butter mixture; mix on low until just combined. With mixer running on low, slowly add the orange mixture.
5. Add remaining dry ingredients until just combined.
6. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool before frosting.

I got exactly 12 of these. I have to say, they were mighty delicious. Light and airy with a different kind of sweetness, not too overpowering. I’m not a big honey person, I don’t care for by itself, in cake or cookies it’s usually okay. But I really liked how these were sweet without being artificially sweet, and you can really taste the honey. And the orange adds an extra sweet/tartness. This would make a sweet cake too, or even just a loaf with no frosting. Speaking of sweet things… Brianne, a.k.a. Iron Chef Mommy’s brand new dot com is officially open! Featuring some wonderfully amazing (if I do say so myself) logo design by none other than me. I’ve been doing loads of blog logo work lately, two out of three are up and running now. There’s one more to go *cough*Jeanine*cough*!

Those liners are from sweet estelle’s baking supply on Etsy.

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Another Military Monday comes around. I was so inspired by the previous vintage war posters I used a few weeks ago for Military Monday that I decided to use some more. Thanks to Eat Local Challenge, which is where I found the image.

Every week here on Cupcake Rehab I do a tribute to our soldiers and a memorial to those who’ve died in the line of duty. I think it’s OUR duty to not forget that we’re in two wars, and not let our silly little daily problems allow us for one second to forget these men & women fighting in our country’s armed forces. Here are the archives if you’d like to check them out.

Israel Devora Garcia, 23, Army Sergeant, Apr 01, 2006 Clint, Texas
Michael L. Hartwick, 37, Army Chief Warrant Officer (CW3), Apr 01, 2006 Orrick, Missouri
Timothy J. Moshier, 25, Army Captain, Apr 01, 2006 Delmar/Albany, New York
Jeremy W. Ehle, 19, Army Private 1st Class, Apr 02, 2006 Richmond, Virginia
Andres Aguilar Jr., 21, Marine Corporal, Apr 02, 2006 Victoria, Texas
David A. Bass, 20, Marine Corporal, Apr 02, 2006 Nashville, Tennessee
Patrick J. Gallagher, 27, Marine Lance Corporal, Apr 02, 2006 Jacksonville, Florida
Kun Y. Kim, 20, Marine Lance Corporal, Apr 02, 2006 Atlanta, Georgia
Eric A. McIntosh, 29, Marine Staff Sergeant, Apr 02, 2006 Trafford, Pennsylvania
Eric A. Palmisano, 27, Marine Lance Corporal, Apr 02, 2006 Florence, Wisconsin
Scott J. Procopio, 20, Marine Corporal, Apr 02, 2006 Saugus, Massachusetts
Felipe D. Sandoval-Flores, 20, Marine Lance Corporal, Apr 02, 2006 Los Angeles, California
Brian R. St. Germain, 22, Marine Corporal, Apr 02, 2006 West Warwick, Rhode Island
Abraham G. Twitchell, 28, Marine Staff Sergeant, Apr 02, 2006 Yelm, Washington
Marcques J. Nettles, 22, Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class, Apr 02, 2006 Beaverton, Oregon
Geovani Padilla Aleman, 20, Navy Hospitalman, Apr 02, 2006 South Gate, California
Ty J. Johnson, 28, Army Corporal, Apr 04, 2006 Elk Grove, California
Dustin J. Harris, 21, Army Specialist, Apr 06, 2006 Bangor, Maine
Daniel L. Sesker, 22, Army National Guard Sergeant, Apr 06, 2006 Ogden, Iowa
Chase A. Edwards, 19, Marine Private 1st Class, Apr 06, 2006 Lake Charles, Louisiana
Bryan N. Taylor, 20, Marine Lance Corporal, Apr 06, 2006 Milford, Ohio
Richard P. Waller, 22, Marine Corporal, Apr 07, 2006 Fort Worth, Texas
Shawn R. Creighton, 21, Army Corporal, Apr 08, 2006 Windsor, North Carolina
Jody W. Missildine, 19, Army Private, Apr 08, 2006 Plant City, Florida
Philip John Martini, 24, Marine Lance Corporal, Apr 08, 2006 Lansing, Illinois
Juana NavarroArellano, 24, Marine Lance Corporal, Apr 08, 2006 Ceres, California
David S. Collins, 24, Army Sergeant, Apr 09, 2006 Jasper, Georgia
Joseph I. Love-Fowler, 22, Army Private 1st Class, Apr 09, 2006 North Pole, Alaska
Gregory S. Rogers, 42, Army Sergeant 1st Class, Apr 09, 2006 Cincinnati, Ohio
James W. “Will” Gardner, 22, Army Specialist, Apr 10, 2006 Glasgow, Kentucky
Randall L. Lamberson, 36, Army Sergeant 1st Class, Apr 10, 2006 Springfield, Missouri
Joseph A. Blanco, 25, Army Corporal, Apr 11, 2006 Bloomington, California
James F. Costello III, 27, Army Private 1st Class, Apr 11, 2006 St. Louis, Missouri
Kenneth D. Hess, 26, Army Sergeant, Apr 11, 2006 Asheville, North Carolina
George R. Roehl Jr., 21, Army Private 1st Class, Apr 11, 2006 Manchester, New Hampshire
Scott M. Bandhold, 37, Army Corporal, Apr 12, 2006 North Merrick, New York
Roland E. Calderon-Ascencio, 21, Army Private 1st Class, Apr 12, 2006 Miami, Florida
Marcus S. Glimpse, 22, Marine Lance Corporal, Apr 12, 2006 Huntington Beach, California
Andrew K. Waits, 23, Army Specialist, Apr 13, 2006 Waterford, Michigan
Salem Bachar, 20, Marine Corporal, Apr 13, 2006 Chula Vista, California
Stephen Joseph Perez, 22, Marine Lance Corporal, Apr 13, 2006 San Antonio, Texas
Darin T. Settle, 23, Marine Lance Corporal, Apr 14, 2006 Henley, Missouri
Mark W. Melcher, 34, Army National Guard Specialist, Apr 15, 2006 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Derrick J. Cothran, 21, Marine Lance Corporal, Apr 15, 2006 Avondale, Louisiana
Pablo V. Mayorga, 33, Marine Corporal, Apr 15, 2006 Margate, Florida
Justin D. Sims, 22, Marine Lance Corporal, Apr 15, 2006 Covington, Kentucky
Ryan G. Winslow, 19, Marine Private 1st Class, Apr 15, 2006 Jefferson, Alabama
Clinton W. Cubert, 38, Army National Guard Master Sergeant, Apr 16, 2006 Lawrenceburg, Kentucky
Ian P. Weikel, 31, Army Captain, Apr 18, 2006 Colorado Springs, Colorado
Robert J. Settle, 25, Army Private 1st Class, Apr 19, 2006 Owensboro, Kentucky

I am not single by any means. And Jay is very good to me. But that doesn’t mean I can’t treat myself, either. So this doesn’t have anything to do with cupcakes, per se (there are cupcakes in this post though, I promise, and if jewelry doesn’t interest you feel free to scroll on down to the baked goods)… but thanks to Sarah at LuShae Jewelry I got the opportunity to treat myself to this beautiful ring, and I wanted to thank her!

I don’t want to sound like I’m doing a sales pitch on the Home Shopping Network, but if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t like wearing your real diamonds everyday on the subway, if you like the look of expensive jewelry & your budget doesn’t allow it, or if you’re into costume jewelry, then check out their website. Or, if you don’t like wearing diamonds because of the political and social issues involved (remember Blood Diamond?) this is another option for you. I wrote about fake stuff the other day… and while I still stand by all that, the only fakes that are acceptable in my eyes are costume jewelry pieces. At this website, they have really lovely rings and earrings and some amazing pendants as well. I happen to be very hard on jewelry. Like Paula Deen, I bake and cook with ALL of my jewelry on, and I never take it off to shower, I wear them while gardening, etc. Mainly because I just don’t remember to take ‘em off, I  jump in to everything without thinking about “my jewels” (haha… yeah, my jewels… like I’m Queen Elizabeth!). So because it takes a beating, I prefer costume jewelry for the most part, but I need it to be well-made, strong and also affordable, in case it needs to be replaced. That’s the main reason I wear men’s watches too, they’re chunkier and usually take a beating better (plus, the styles are usually cleaner & less “dainty” than women’s watches). Aside from that, I’m not the “super bling” type of girl, so I rarely go for diamonds or anything like that. But this was such a pretty ring, I just knew I had to have it. So go treat yourself to a piece of jewelry… and then, like me, treat yourself to some of these.

So like I said in the spirit of treating oneself… I made these cupcakes for me, they’re everything I like; they’re vanilla- I baked the Magnolia Bakery recipe (my favorite… and if you’re going to be treating yourself, make a real recipe… no Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker mixes, although I happen to stand by the fact that one should never consider a mix to be “baking”, I’ve long ago grown out of that pre-fab food phase), put some nice, thick, creamy pink-striped vanilla buttercream, and they’re in pink zebra print liners (thanks to sweet estelle’s baking supply and Yoyo who bought them for me!). Let me say that again. Pink zebra liners!

How ADORABLE are they!? If I was Heather Armstrong of Dooce.com I’d be yelling PINK ZEBRA LINERS!! (instead of her versions, WAFFLE FRIES! or SHINGLES!) and doing jazz hands in a video right about now (yeah if you don’t read Dooce, you’re definitely not going to get that reference). I sprinkled some pearl nonpareils on top of the frosting, because what goes better with treating yourself to some jewelry than pearls? They’re really girly looking, and would be perfect for a Bachelorette party or bridal shower, or birthday. Or if you’re me, a Friday night watching Olympic ice dancing.

I know.. it’s the cutest thing ever.

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I think that presentation is one of the most important things when it comes to anything creative- art, design, baking, cooking, etc. So the liners you choose and the toppings you put on your cupcakes can make a HUGE difference. Also, the way you apply your frosting makes a big difference too. Always make sure your cupcakes are 100% cool before frosting, otherwise the frosting will melt, and your sweet little cakes will turn into a mess. Even if they feel cool to the touch, the internal temperature may still be hot. Also, make sure your frosting is the right consistency for piping (or even spreading). Too thin and it won’t look right, too thick and it may not pipe properly. A trick I use is that after they cool in the pan for awhile, I take them out and let them cool out of the pan the same amount of time. If I’m rushed, I stick them in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes. Not long enough to freeze, mind you. Just long enough to bring the temperature down to a cooler one so I can frost them and not worry about the frosting I put on them getting “deflated.”

I don’t think I’m all that wonderful at it, but I’ve been told quite a few times, both in comments here on the site and “in real life” that I should do a piping/frosting tutorial, and I’m seriously considering it.  Considering it as in I’m actually planning it mentally. It seems people have a lot of trouble with it, and I’d like to give them a hand. Because it’s really not that hard, once you get your technique down. I’m no professional pastry chef, but I will say that in addition to making sure your frosting is the right consistency and your cupcakes are the right temperature, the supplies you work with make a huge difference too…

Here’s a list of basics I suggest you invest in:

• 16″ pastry bag – I recommend this size because it holds enough frosting for at least 24 cupcakes without having to refill
• disposable pastry bags – definitely needed if you’re using colored frostings, they’ll dye your polyester reusable bags something fierce
• large coupler – this is what you use to attach the tips to the bags.. duh… although when using disposable bags, this isn’t needed
• offset spatula – important for frosting cupcakes that you don’t want to pipe, or for creating smooth tops on them, like this
• 1A tip (large round) – this tip makes the frosting look like these examples: one – two – three (also it’s good for piping on frosting before you spread it out with an offset spatula, like this)
• 1M tip / #2110 (large star) – this tip makes the frosting look like these examples: one – two – three

As I’ve said before, I have this kit, and it’s a lifesaver. But I realize that many people won’t use the majority of things included in it, and it’s almost $150.00. So you’ll do just as well (and save some money) buying things separately and as you need them. I also suggest that you practice, practice, practice. Buy some premade Wilton buttercream and just practice with the tips on top of either cupcakes you made or even just on a piece of wax paper. Wasteful, maybe, but if you need the practice, you need the practice… so invest in some good supplies (like I said, I use everything Wilton- so I totally recommend them), start practicing, and we’ll meet back here sometime soon for my piping tutorial!

Now let me just say right here that I do not condone people trying to make this dish, or any other dish, “fat free.” I like my food real, with real butter, real milk, and 100% whole milk cheese. If it comes down to eating fat-free macaroni & cheese or a white cheddar rice cake, I’d honestly rather have the rice cake. There are tons of recipes floating around, and it pisses me off. I get the Food Network magazine, and open it, and there’s a recipe for macaroni & cheese with cauliflower in it to lower the calories and still keep it thick, etc, etc. That’s a bunch of crap. Give me CHEESE in my macaroni & cheese, not a vegetable that pretends to be cheese!  If there’s a vegetable in my macaroni & cheese, it better be broccoli and it better not be pureed. I am 120% against fake things: fake friends, fake people. Which is why I hate copycats. They’re like a bad attempt at the original, and it’s usually very transparent, and never works out. That’s probably my #1 pet peeve, actually. And in the same vein, I am 1,000% against fake food. Except for Coke Zero, which my feelings for are similar to how a crack addict feels about crack. But when it comes to food- seriously, use the real shit or don’t make it. The exception to the rule: vegans. You guys get a free pass *wink* But really, sometimes you have to admit, stuff like Smart Balance is the worst thing to ever happen to mankind. It’s like rubber- you can’t even spread it! You will never, ever catch me using that stuff. *shivers* And fat-free cheese is completely vomitous. It doesn’t melt properly and tastes like, well, fat-free cheese. The real thing is always better. Check out this NPR transcript, I have a feeling this guy would agree.

Of course… there are people with health problems. They have high cholesterol, diabetes, etc. My uncle has diabetes, and I know for a fact that while he’s super strict about his diet (and always has been), he’s snuck something here and there that wasn’t an “approved” food, and he’s still here.  And I know tons of people with high cholesterol. And the majority of those people eat foods like this in extreme moderation. Smaller portions, and not as frequently. And it works. You are not supposed to eat macaroni & cheese everyday any more than you’re supposed to eat Hershey’s chocolate. Same concept for weight loss. I lost 50 pounds & got back down to a size 6 (and ultimately a 4) in less than a year by eating LESS (and exercising). Not by restricting myself and being miserable eating nothing but rabbit food & low-fat meals. I enjoy everything I eat 100% or I don’t bother eating it. If you like macaroni & cheese- make it. And eat it. And ENJOY it. Just don’t make it everyday and eat the entire pan. Enjoy your food, food is one of the few real pleasures we have in life. Be real and eat real.

Okay so here we go… back to the goods. I made a few changes to the recipe, but nothing major. For one, I didn’t use a garlic oil, perse, instead I have a large jar of minced garlic in olive oil in my fridge, and I simply measured out some of the oil and used that. I guess that is garlic oil, really, but it’s not the kind the recipe suggests. I also used a bit more than called for, maybe a teaspoon more. I used twice the amount of cheese- that’s 4 cups- and I used Wisconsin sharp cheddar because I didn’t want to be bothered going to buy Cabot. But Cabot is awesome cheese. I omitted the cheese powder completely. Nor did I use the mustard powder. Not a big fan of Mean Mr. Mustard.

GARLIC & HERB “WHITE” MACARONI ‘N’ CHEESE

Ingredients:

• 1 pound pasta (I always use cavatappi/celentani)
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 ¾ cups milk
• 2 ounces Vermont cheese powder, optional
• 2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground mustard powder, optional
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt, to taste
• 2 ounces butter
• 2 teaspoons garlic oil, optional
• 2 teaspoons pizza seasoning or rosemary and thyme
• 2 ½ ounces Japanese panko (coarse bread crumbs)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease four 1 ½ to 2-cup ramekins, or one 2-quart baking dish.
2. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente (slightly firmer than you would normally eat it). Drain, & set aside.
3. In a large saucepan set over medium heat, whisk together the flour, milk, and cheese powder. Bring to a boil.
4. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese and seasonings. Stir occasionally, until cheese is completely melted.
5. Stir the pasta into the cheese sauce. Spoon it into the baking dish(es).
6. Melt the butter and garlic oil together, then stir in the pizza seasoning and panko bread crumbs. Sprinkle a thick layer over the pasta and cheese.
7. Bake the casserole for 25 to 35 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned. Remove from the oven, and serve hot.

You can use any kind of tubular pasta for this- I always use cavatappi, it’s my favorite. But rigatoni, ziti or shells would be awesome too. I try and stay away from elbows, just because it reminds me of my grammar school hot-lunch macaroni & cheese (which was pretty good actually, but I don’t really want to be reminded of it now when eating my dinner). I think it’s fun to try different kinds of pasta for things, you’d be surprised at how it can change your entire perception of the dish.

If you’ve never used panko before, I highly suggest it. I find them to have a fantastic crunch when used for frying, as opposed to the way regular breadcrumbs seem to just absorb moisture, and on the top of this it retained it’s crunch despite not being completely browned. The garlic & herb in the topping was something I never would’ve thought of, but damn…

How was it?

]]> http://cupcakerehab.com/2010/02/herb-garlic-white-macaroni-n-cheese/feed/ 2 http://cupcakerehab.com/2010/02/mardi-gras-kings-cupcakes/ http://cupcakerehab.com/2010/02/mardi-gras-kings-cupcakes/#comments Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:31:26 +0000 cupcake rehab http://cupcakerehab.com/?p=3850 Okay, time to school ya’ll a bit now. Today, in case you weren’t aware, is Mardi Gras.

The terms “Mardi Gras” (mâr′·dē grâ), “Mardi Gras season“, and “Carnival season“,^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]} in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after the Epiphany and ending on the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday” (in ethnic English tradition, Shrove Tuesday), referring to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, which started on Ash Wednesday. Related popular practices were associated with celebrations before the fasting and religious obligations associated with the penitential season of Lent. Popular practices included wearing masks and costumes, overturning social conventions, dancing, sports competitions, parades, etc. Similar expressions to Mardi Gras appear in other European languages sharing the Christian tradition. In English, the day is called Shrove Tuesday, associated with the religious requirement for confession before Lent begins.

It’s traditional on Fat Tuesday to eat pancakes and King’s cake.

In southern U.S.A., the tradition was brought to the area by colonists from France and Spain. King cake parties in New Orleans are documented back to the eighteenth century.

The king cake of the New Orleans Mardi Gras tradition comes in a number of styles. The most simple, said to be the most traditional, is a ring of twisted bread similar to that used in brioche topped with icing or sugar, usually colored purple, green, and gold (the traditional Carnival colors) with food coloring. There are many variants, some with a filling, the most common being cream cheese and praline.

It has become customary in the New Orleans culture that whoever finds the trinket must provide the next king cake.

King’s cake is usually flavored with nutmeg and lemon zest/lemon flavoring. I’ve adored New Orleans culture ever since I read my first Anne Rice book at age 11, so, despite not being a  religious person, or having any personal ties to Louisiana or the Creole people, I decided to make these King’s cupcakes (courtesy of King Arthur Flour) topped with cream cheese frosting (the traditional filling for New Orleans King’s cake) and purple, yellow and green sugar. Plus- the Saints won the Superbowl… and despite me hating football with every fiber of my being, I agree the people of Nola needed that boost. I made my own colored sugar (mixing 2 drops of food coloring with 1 cup sugar for each color). But you can also buy them in any and every color. I just don’t use colored sugar that often, and this way I can make as much as I need at any given time. I used some  green and purple liners too. The colors purple, yellow and green are traditional Mardi Gras colors. I just sprinkled the sugar on top sort of haphazardly. That’s just the way I am… I’m a wild card. You could use sprinkles in those colors too, instead of colored sugar.

KING’S CUPCAKES

Ingredients:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons soft butter
• 2/3 cup milk, at room temperature
• ¼ teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia; OR 1 teaspoon vanilla + 1/8 teaspoon lemon oil
• 2 large eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour a muffin tin. You can also line the muffin tins with papers, and spray the insides of the papers.
2. To make the cupcakes: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt.
3. Add the butter and beat with an electric mixer at low speed, until the mixture looks sandy.
4. Combine the milk and vanilla + lemon oil (or Fiori di Sicilia) and add, all at once. Mix at low speed for 30 seconds, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 30 seconds. Scrape the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl.
5. With the mixer running at low speed, add 1 egg. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 30 seconds. Add the second egg, again beating for 30 seconds.
6. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and beat briefly, just till smooth.
7. Scoop the batter by heaping ¼-cupfuls into the prepared muffin tin. A muffin scoop works well here.
8. Bake the cupcakes for 23 to 25 minutes, until they’ve domed, and are a light golden brown around the edges. They’ll spring back when pressed gently on top, and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.
9. Remove the cupcakes from the oven, and place on a rack to cool completely before icing.

CREAM CHEESE LEMON FROSTING

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup cream cheese (about 4 ounces), at room temperature
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon lemon oil
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• ½ to 1 ounce milk, enough to make a spreadable icing
• colored sugars, preferably purple, yellow, and green

Directions:

1. Combine the butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and lemon oil in a medium-sized bowl, and beat them together until light and fluffy.
2. Add the sugar gradually, beating well.
3. Beat in the milk a little at a time, until the frosting is a spreadable consistency.
4. Spread each cake with icing, and immediately dip in gold, purple, and green sparkling sugars, covering about 1/3 of the cupcake with each color sugar.
5. Store at room temperature for several days. For longer storage, wrap well and freeze.

Yield: 12 cupcakes.

Despite the way it looks in the pictures, I used Wilton violet food coloring for the purple, and purple liners too- not blue!

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Okay I got 14 not 12, so who knows. I didn’t use a  quarter cup in each because I tried it with the first one, and it was way too much for my muffin tins. That one consequently kind of overflowed in a weird mushroom shape. So I say just fill them three quarters of the way up. These were very yummy, I’m not much of a fan of cream cheese frosting, so the added lemon flavor makes it better in my opinion. I loved the flavor of the cake itself. If you don’t have (or don’t want to buy) the Fiori di Sicilia, you can use lemon extract/lemon oil. This isn’t just a cake for Mardi Gras. The flavor would work well as a spring cupcake or even in the winter or fall. Probably it’s the nutmeg that gives it warmth and depth for wintery cakes, but yet the lemon makes it perfect for warmer weather.

Another option, if you prefer cake to cupcakes, is to make this in a bundt. Then frost just the top with the frosting, and sprinkle the sugar on top in three batches; purple, green then gold. That would resemble the circular King’s cake fairly closely.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

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Military Monday is here again. MM is my weekly tribute to our troops, and memorial to those who’ve lost their lives. Thank you to Yoyo for asking me to participate in this with her. I think whether or not we agree with the war, we can all agree to support our armed forces.

For more information on MM, then please take a peek at the archives.

Gregson G. Gourley, 38, Army Staff Sergeant, Feb 22, 2006 Salt Lake City, Utah
Curtis T. Howard II, 32, Army Staff Sergeant, Feb 22, 2006 Ann Arbor, Michigan
Rickey E. Jones, 21, Army Sergeant, Feb 22, 2006 Kokomo, Indiana
Christopher L. Marion, 20, Army Private 1st Class, Feb 22, 2006 Pineville, Missouri
Gordon F. Misner II, 23, Army Sergeant, Feb 22, 2006 Sparks, Nevada
Allan A. Morr, 21, Army Private 1st Class, Feb 22, 2006 Shiawassee County, Michigan
Thomas J. Wilwerth, 21, Army Specialist, Feb 22, 2006 Mastic, New York
Dimitri Muscat, 21, Army Sergeant, Feb 24, 2006 Aurora, Colorado
Joshua Francis Powers, 21, Army Private, Feb 24, 2006 Skiatook, Oklahoma
Benjamin C. Schuster, 21, Army National Guard Private 1st Class, Feb 25, 2006 Williamsville, New York
John Joshua Thornton, 22, Marine Lance Corporal, Feb 25, 2006 Phoenix, Arizona
Adam J. VanAlstine, 21, Marine Lance Corporal, Feb 25, 2006 Superior, Wisconsin
Clay P. Farr, 21, Army Specialist, Feb 26, 2006 Bakersfield, California
Joshua U. Humble, 21, Army Specialist, Feb 26, 2006 Appleton, Maine
Joshua M. Pearce, 21, Army Specialist, Feb 26, 2006 Guymon, Oklahoma
Christopher J. Schornak, 28, Army Staff Sergeant, Feb 26, 2006 Hoover, Alabama
Dwayne Peter R. Lewis, 26, Army Staff Sergeant, Feb 27, 2006 New York, New York
Tina M. Priest, 20, Army Private 1st Class, Mar 01, 2006 Austin, Texas
Christopher S. Merchant, 32, Army National Guard Specialist, Mar 01, 2006 Hardwick, Vermont
Joshua V. Youmans, 26, Army National Guard Sergeant, Mar 01, 2006 Flushing, Michigan
Matthew A. Snyder, 20, Marine Lance Corporal, Mar 03, 2006 Finksburg, Maryland
Kevin P. Jessen, 28, Army Staff Sergeant, Mar 05, 2006 Paragould, Arkansas
Adam O. Zanutto, 26, Marine Corporal, Mar 06, 2006 Caliente, California
Ricky Salas Jr., 22, Army Private 1st Class, Mar 07, 2006 Roswell, New Mexico
Justin R. Martone, 31, Marine Gunnery Sergeant, Mar 07, 2006 Bedford, Virginia
John D. Fry, 28, Marine Gunnery Sergeant, Mar 08, 2006 Lorena, Texas
Bunny Long, 22, Marine Lance Corporal, Mar 10, 2006 Modesto, California
Amy A. Duerksen, 19, Army Private 1st Class, Mar 11, 2006 Temple, Texas
Kristen K. Marino (Figueroa), 20, Marine Lance Corporal, Mar 12, 2006 Honolulu, Hawaii
Corey A. Dan, 22, Army Sergeant, Mar 13, 2006 Norway, Maine
Bryan A. Lewis, 32, Army Staff Sergeant, Mar 13, 2006 Bunkie, Louisiana
Marco A. Silva, 27, Army Staff Sergeant, Mar 13, 2006 Alva, Florida
Angelo A. Zawaydeh, 19, Army Private 1st Class, Mar 15, 2006 San Bruno, California
Carlos M. Gonzalez, 22, Army Corporal, Mar 16, 2006 Middletown, New York
Amanda N. Pinson, 21, Army Sergeant, Mar 16, 2006 St. Louis, Missouri
Nyle Yates III, 22, Army Corporal, Mar 16, 2006 Lake Odessa, Michigan
Ricardo Barraza, 24, Army Staff Sergeant, Mar 18, 2006 Shafter, California
Dale G. Brehm, 23, Army Sergeant, Mar 18, 2006 Turlock, California
Antoine J. McKinzie, 25, Army Corporal, Mar 21, 2006 Indianapolis, Indiana
Brock A. Beery, 30, Army National Guard Staff Sergeant, Mar 23, 2006 White House, Tennessee
Randy D. McCaulley, 44, Army National Guard Sergeant 1st Class, Mar 23, 2006 Indiana, Pennsylvania
Frederick A. Carlson, 25, Army National Guard Specialist, Mar 25, 2006 Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Michael D. Rowe, 23, Army Sergeant, Mar 28, 2006 New Port Richey, Florida
Sean D. Tharp, 21, Army Private 1st Class, Mar 28, 2006 Orlando, Florida
Robert Hernandez, 47, Army Reserve Staff Sergeant, Mar 28, 2006 Silver Spring, Maryland
Walter M. Moss Jr., 37, Air Force Technical Sergeant, Mar 30, 2006 Houston, Texas
Joseph J. Duenas, 23, Army Private 1st Class, Mar 30, 2006 Mesa, Arizona
Jacob Walter Beisel, 21, Marine Lance Corporal, Mar 31, 2006 Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania
Darrell P. Clay, 34, Army Staff Sergeant, Apr 01, 2006 Fayetteville, North Carolina

I’ve got some new news for you all before I start talking about frosting & such. For one, my darling friend Cece (I call her Chichi- but you cannot) has opened her blog, and whaddaya know? The artwork at the top was done by yours truly. Yes, the cute little “bakeasaurus” at the top was drawn by moi. Second of all, I insist everyone bookmark bakeasaurus.com and make it part of your blogroll. Thirdly, my friend Brianne from Iron Chef Mommy just bought her very own domain and will be entering the world of independent blogging very shortly. So congratulations to her on becoming a .com owner! I did some logo work for her as well so I’m excited to see it in action. My fourth item of business is that you all keep track of that blog as well, because you’re in for some delicious recipes plus pictures of the adorable Maddie, Brianne’s 2-year-old daughter. The fifth thing (I know, bear with me…) is that my other friend Jeanine is going back to being a vegan, and she’s starting her own vegan blog: vegannourishment.com. So I want everyone to keep an eye on that blog too, ’cause Jeanine is becoming quite the awesome cook/baker lately, and I can’t wait to see what she has up her sleeve for it. And the last thing is that I designed & drew a new logo for Cupcake Rehab that very well may become a part of this layout eventually… but seeing has how I just changed it a few weeks ago, it wouldn’t be for a while. It debuted itself on the Cupcake Rehab Facebook page a few days ago. If you’re interested in me doing some graphic design/illustration work for you, e·mail me & we’ll talk.

click to view full size

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I’m going to post this a day early so anyone who’s lacking inspiration can maybe get an idea for a sweet Valentine’s dessert. Valentine’s Day rocks. I dig it. I always have, even when I was in my super-punk, “I hate everything” phase, I still loved Valentine’s Day. I love antique-y and vintage-y postcards and ephemera so I suppose that’s part of it, since Valentine’s Day is all about the lacy valentine cards and old-fashioned images. And I love lingerie too, I have a slight problem with it, really. I have two overflowing drawers filled with lingerie of every style and shape in color order. And Valentine’s Day is all about that stuff. And  it’s all about the the color pink. I love the color pink- my KitchenAid mixer (Lola!) is pink, my camera is pink, and my laptop (a.k.a. June Carter) is pink, this website is pink… you get the point. So when thinking about what kind of cupcakes to make for Valentine’s Day this year, I opted for some pink frosted confections, courtesy of a strawberry swiss meringue buttercream I got from How To Eat A Cupcake. I haven’t made any pink desserts in quite some time, and my favorite Valentine’s day cupcakes were the ones I made 2 years ago, and they were pink. Also, because I haven’t baked much lately, I decided to make something chocolate as well. I’m not going to give you the recipes for the vanilla buttercream, because it’s already on the site here somewhere (and the chocolate cupcake recipe can be found on my other cooking website,  Cooking the Books). But because I am a nice person.. I will link to a bunch of related recipes at the end of the post for you lazy people, including every other vanilla cupcake recipe I have so you have an assortment to choose from. Lazies! IDLE HANDS ARE THE DEVIL’S TOOLS, PEOPLE.

Textbook fucking cupcake there, people. Take note.

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So I put this on a plain vanilla cupcake (my favorite) and topped them with a sliced strawberry that resembles a heart. Aww. For the chocolate, I went with the traditional buttercream frosting and topped them with some heart-shaped chocolates & Red Hot candies. I’m normally not much into strawberry, but this was really good.  I used all natural Seriously Strawberry jam by Peanut Butter & Co. I recommend them- they make delicious stuff, and 100% of their packaging is recyclable and they start with recycled materials whenever possible. You can also fill the cupcakes with some jam too, just carve out a hole, fill it, cover it and then frost.. or fill a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip with jam, poke it into the cupcake and squeeze a bit. If you wanna make this and don’t have access to strawberries or strawberry jam, try my Kool-Aid buttercream recipe, just use strawberry flavored Kool-Aid. I actually made the frosting a bit more pink using food coloring. Is it obvious? *wink*

I finally used the Amy Sedaris vanilla cupcake recipe again. This time my results were much better than the last time, when it was quite cornbread-y and dry. Of course, that was quite a few years ago (before I even had a blog) and although I can’t rule out doing something wrong, I did make it three times with the same result. Who knows what I did this time to make it come out different. But it was. So I no longer will talk shit about this recipe. It has redeemed itself! Which is cool, because I love Amy Sedaris.

AMY SEDARIS’ VANILLA CUPCAKES

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ sticks of unsalted butter
• 1 ¾ cups of sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 2 ½ teaspoons of baking powder
• 2 ½ cups of flour
• 1 ¼ cups of milk

Directions:

1. Beat butter and sugar well, then add the rest of the ingredients.
2. Fill cups, and bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes. You should get 24. I get 18, ’cause I’m doing something wrong.

STRAWBERRY SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

Ingredients:

• 4 large egg whites
• 1 ¼ cups sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks), softened, cut into tablespoons
• 1/3 cup strawberry jam

Directions:

1. Put egg whites and sugar into the top of a double boiler over a pan of simmering water. Whisking constantly, cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm (about 160 degrees).
2. Pour heated egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg white mixture on high speed until it forms stiff (but not dry) peaks. Continue beating until fluffy and cooled, about 7 minutes.
3. Switch to the paddle attachment. With mixer on medium-low, add butter two tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. Increase speed to medium-high; continue beating until frosting appears thick, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low; add strawberry jam and continue beating 2 minutes to eliminate air bubbles.

Do you love my sparkly pink heart plate? Yes, you do.

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For the people who want to see the chocolates, here they are (& the recipe is here):

Psst.. the cupcakes in the background? They’re made of cloth, handmade and hand-painted, and were a gift from my mother. If you’d like to know where to buy similar creations, shoot me an e·mail or ask me on Twitter!

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And for those of you who hate this holiday, have no fear. I have a recipe for you too. Click here and you will be taken into the depths of the world of Anti-Valentine’s Day cupcakes… where everyone wears black, cuts the buds off roses, and hates life. No, wait, that’s just my idea of a fun Saturday night. Nevermind. Anyway, just keep in mind that my piping technique has considerably improved since then. What a difference two years makes, eh?

Okay lazies here you go, here are ALL the vanilla cupcake recipes I have on here:  Magnolia Bakery vanilla cupcake recipe, Billy’s Bakery vanilla cupcake recipe, Martha Stewart’s white cupcake recipe. And here’s a vegan cupcake recipe for those of you who refuse to be like me and ingest things like eggs, milk and butter. And here is a recipe for red velvet cupcake & cream cheese frosting, just in case you want to make something red.

Now go forth and make cupcakes! And have a great Valentine’s Day!

I’ve said many times before, I LOVE RISOTTO. It’s one of my favorite dishes to make at home. I have about five recipes for it on this website alone. In restaurants, I find myself being very picky and somewhat snobbish about it. I’ve only encountered one risotto that was satisfactory to my taste and expectations on L.I.- at Wall’s Wharf in Bayville, the mushroom risotto. Other than that, it’s always been either too dry, too rubbery, too much like regular rice, or too mushy. So I usually just stick to making it myself and choosing other dishes when dining out.

Okay so, me and mushrooms have a troubled history. I don’t love them. I tolerate them in certain dishes, but I’m not really what you would call a mushroom lover. However, while doing my grocery shopping the other day I thought, “Why don’t I buy these beauteous baby bella mushrooms and do something with them?” I don’t know if I had accidentally ingested acid earlier in the day, or if indeed I’m beginning to *gasp* actually like mushrooms. I’ll go with ‘a’  just to save my reputation.

A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name “mushroom” is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus, hence the word mushroom is most often applied to those fungi (Basidiomycota, Agaricomycetes) that have a stem (stipe), a cap (pileus), and gills (lamellae, sing. lamella) on the underside of the cap, just as do store-bought white mushrooms.

The word “mushroom” can also be used for a wide variety of gilled fungi, with or without stems, and the term is used even more generally, to describe both the fleshy fruiting bodies of some Ascomycota and the woody or leathery fruiting bodies of some Basidiomycota, depending upon the context of the word.

Forms deviating from the standard morphology usually have more specific names, such as “puffball“, “stinkhorn“, and “morel“, and gilled mushrooms themselves are often called “agarics” in reference to their similarity to Agaricus or their placement in the order Agaricales. By extension, the term “mushroom” can also designate the entire fungus when in culture or the thallus (called a mycelium) of species forming the fruiting bodies called mushrooms, or the species itself.

I’ve always found it odd that mushrooms are even a part of our human diet- considering they’re a fungus. It’s like eating bleu cheese, sorta, because you’re essentially eating mold (bleu cheese is one of my favorite cheeses, by the way). But nevertheless, there they are, in all their glory, with their little caps and stems looking like something out of Alice In Wonderland. And we buy ‘em and stuff them and saute them and put them on pizza and in risotto and some people even use them as the “burger” in a faux-hamburger! Oh, mushrooms, you so crazy. Isn’t it funny that a society that has so many germophobic tendencies, and obsessions with cleanliness and getting rid of dirt and mold and fungus, actually enjoy eating those very things?

So here’s a dee-rish-us recipe from Tyler Florence. I will tell you here that I only used baby bella mushrooms, an 8 oz package, and it was plenty as far as I’m concerned. If you’re a big mushroom fan, do as you like. I also didn’t use truffle oil, just regular olive oil. I didn’t garnish with parsley either. Rebel, rebel.

MUSHROOM RISOTTO

Ingredients:

• 8 cups chicken broth, low sodium
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 onion, diced, divided
• 2 garlic cloves, minced, divided
• 1 pound fresh portobello and crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon truffle oil
• 1-ounce dried porcini mushrooms, wiped of grit
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• ½ cup dry white wine
• ½ cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
• Fresh Italian parsley, for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat the chicken broth in a medium saucepan and keep warm over low heat.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ½ onion and 1 clove garlic, cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms, herbs and butter. Saute for 3 to 5 minutes until lightly browned, season with salt and pepper. Drizzle in truffle oil then add the dried porcini mushrooms which were reconstituted in1 cup of warm chicken broth. Season again with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Saute 1 minute then remove from heat and set aside.
3. Coat a saucepan with remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Saute the remaining ½ onion and garlic clove. Add the rice and stir quickly until it is well-coated and opaque, 1 minute. This step cooks the starchy coating and prevents the grains from sticking. Stir in wine and cook until it is nearly all evaporated.
4. Now, with a ladle, add 1 cup of the warm broth and cook, stirring, until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Add the remaining broth, 1 cup at a time. Continue to cook and stir, allowing the rice to absorb each addition of broth before adding more. The risotto should be slightly firm and creamy, not mushy. Transfer the mushrooms to the rice mixture. Stir in Parmesan cheese, cook briefly until melted. Top with a drizzle of truffle oil and chopped parsley before serving.