So I pretty much love chicken.

I really do. Chicken is amazing. As much as people can try to persuade me to be a vegetarian, I don't want to do it for the "sake of the animals." And as much as they tell me about the health benefits.. well.. I just can't give up my meat. I am able to have meals without meat. I do know there is such a thing. But to completely get rid of it and never have it again? I can't do that.

What is this rambling about? Well. I've been wandering through Yahoo! Answers lately, helping with stuff in the "Food & Drink" section. Which is how I came upon this recipe. Someone was curious if this dish would go well with fettuccine alfredo. Alfredo is a cheesy cream sauce, whereas this dish is a salty tomato based sauce. I told her to go ahead. It sounded great. You can have tomato cream sauces, so why not have it separated in the same meal? The chicken recipe kept staring at me. It sounded so good. Especially with fettuccine alfredo. So that's what I made for dinner last night.

I didn't follow the recipe completely, though. Through my years (ha, I sound like I'm some wise old grandmother when I'm simply some random eighteen-year-old girl) of cooking, I've learned to not blindly follow a recipe. Well. You can, yes. And a lot of times it does turn out well. But if you're looking at a recipe and it does not seem right at all, or it has something you don't want to use, change it, then. This recipe called for a bit of salt. One and a half teaspoons. No, it isn't -that- much. But. When you add in the fact it calls for capers and prosciutto and canned tomatoes as well. Hmm. Something isn't quite right.

And on the topic of "things you don't want to use." It called for both wine and fresh red and yellow peppers. Any time something calls for wine, I instead use chicken broth. I could have used my nifty turkey stock I made after Thanksgiving, but I still had a carton of open chicken broth in the fridge, so I used that. As for the fresh bell peppers, I'd gladly use fresh. However, where I live, one single yellow bell pepper costs $1.79 and a red one costs $1.49. That's not per pound. That's each pepper. Or they have jars of roasted red and yellow peppers in the canned vegetable aisle that contains one red and one yellow bell pepper for $1.99. I'm cheap. So I went that route.

The recipe also didn't seem like it had enough garlic to me, so I increased that, and added in some chopped onions and sliced mushrooms. Well. The mushrooms were made off to the side because I'm the only one in my family who will eat them. And while the recipe calls for four bone-in, skinless chicken breasts and two skinless, bone-in thighs, I knew that would be way too much chicken for us. The original recipe could have been made with smaller breasts. I don't know. But where I live, chicken breasts come in a pack of three and all three feed five of us. But I couldn't find bone-in breasts, skinless or not. So I just grabbed the biggest package of boneless skinless.

I also didn't use fresh herbs; I used dried. Nor did I measure my dried herbs. I just used enough until it tasted good to me, and I added basil. The parsley and capers called for in the end are entirely optional. I left the parsley out completely, but I did add capers, only to my plate. Capers are an odd little thing, simply the pickled flower bud of [insert plant name here]. To me, they look like they're supposed to be crunchy, yet they're soft. They also have quite a salty, vinegary flavour, but more salty. I think if they had more of a vinegar flavour I wouldn't be so taken with them. I don't like vinegar at all.

As for the salt I mentioned, what, twenty minutes of writing ago? I only used enough salt to sprinkle on the chicken breasts. That's it. I felt no need to add anymore salt after that. But use your sense if you do decide to make this. Just because I changed it to suit my needs doesn't mean you have to, too. That's my lesson today, kids. Just because a recipe tells you to do something doesn't mean you have to do it. That zucchini bread tell you to put in half a teaspoon of cinnamon, yet it has no flavour? Add more. Change it. Go with what works for -you-. Recipes are created by -one- person with what works for -their- palate. Just because I feel this tastes good my way doesn't mean it doesn't taste good any other way.

Oh. And my fettuccine? Yeah. I made it myself. I was so giddy about it. But I never got a picture. It was dark. And then it was eaten. Mmm.

Roman-Style Chicken. (By Giada de Laurentiis.)

4 skinless chicken breast halves, with ribs (I used three big boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
2 skinless chicken thighs, with bones (I omitted.)
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1 teaspoon (I didn't measure; just sprinkled a little on each breast to season)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1 teaspoon (Again, didn't measure, but I did add some extra later, into the sauce.)
1/4 cup olive oil (Didn't measure, just coated the bottom of my pan in a thin layer.)
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced (I used jarred, roasted red and yellow peppers that I chopped and added with the tomatoes)
3 ounces prosciutto, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped (I used three, plus some garlic powder later on because I felt it needed more garlic.)
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes (I used petite-diced tomatoes that I drained)
1/2 cup white wine (I used low-sodium chicken broth)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (I used dried.)
1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves (I used dried.)
1/2 cup chicken stock (I used low-sodium broth.)
2 tablespoons capers (I just spooned some onto my portion)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (I omitted.)

Things I added: sauteed, sliced mushrooms half of a large onion, chopped

Directions

Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. (I didn't measure. Just sprinkled some on.) In a heavy, large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, cook the chicken until browned on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Keeping the same pan over medium heat, add the peppers (I added the chopped onions here, and if people would have eaten mushrooms, these would have gone in at this time, too.) and prosciutto and cook until the peppers (onions) have browned and the prosciutto is crisp (mine didn't crisp), about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, wine (broth), and herbs (and I added the chopped, roasted peppers at this point). Using a wooden spoon, scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan, add the stock (broth), and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes.

If serving immediately, add the capers and the parsley. Stir to combine and serve. If making ahead of time, transfer the chicken and sauce to a storage container, cool, and refrigerate. The next day, reheat the chicken to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the capers and the parsley and serve.

With my additions, I fancied this a lot. Without them.. I might have liked it, sure. But probably not as much.

Daring Bakers: Caramel Cake.

So. I have basically stopped posting recipes. I'm lazy. I get sidetracked a lot. I mean to post something, but I wind up doing something else, or making a new recipe, or something, and eventually the thing I made is so old that I don't see a point in posting it. Though I really should fix that.

Anyway. November's Daring Bakers' challenge was a caramel cake with caramelized butter frosting. We were allowed to make it any shape we wanted and pair it with any flavours. But we had to make the cake and the frosting. So I decided to make a two-layer cupcake with half caramel cake and half carrot cake, topped with the frosting because I had to make it.

I did not like this at all. Really. I hate the taste of caramelized butter and the taste of powdered sugar, so the frosting was the most disgusting thing about the cake. The caramel cake was rather dry, but that could have been just a difference in baking times between the carrot cake and it. The caramel cake also didn't have that bold of a caramel flavour. Maybe I didn't cook my caramel syrup long enough, but I did it three times, so.

I tried one cupcake with the frosting. I didn't like it at all. So the rest I left naked. My favourite part was the carrot cake, which had nothing to do with the challenge. I am glad, however, that I did not make the full recipe.

If you want to try it, go ahead. I don't recommend it, though, and I don't plan to ever make it again. The carrot cake didn't even do it that much for me, either. It was okay, but there weren't enough carrots or spice.

New Stuff I Have to Put In:

Recipe Origin: http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2006/12/24/caramel-cake-the-recipe/
Author: Shuna Fish Lydon
Hosts: http://culinarycuriosity.blogspot.com/
http://blondieandbrownie.blogspot.com/
http://forayintofood.blogspot.com/

Yep. And following is the original recipe for the cake and the scaled down recipes I did.

CARAMEL CAKE WITH CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING

1/2 cup (one stick) plus 2 T butter at room temperature
1 1/4 Cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 Cup Caramel Syrup (see recipe below)
2 each eggs, at room temperature
splash vanilla extract
2 Cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350º F

Butter one tall (2 – 2.5 inch deep) 9-inch cake pan.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and salt & cream until light and fluffy.

Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl. Scrape down bowl and increase speed. Add eggs/vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again, beat mixture until light and uniform.

Sift flour and baking powder.

Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the dry ingredients. When incorporated, add half of the milk, a little at a time. Add another third of the dry ingredients, then the other half of the milk and finish with the dry ingredients. {This is called the dry, wet, dry, wet, dry method in cake making. It is often employed when there is a high proportion of liquid in the batter.}

Take off mixer and by hand, use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure batter is uniform. Turn batter into prepared cake pan.

Place cake pan on cookie sheet or 1/2 sheet pan. Set first timer for 30 minutes, rotate pan and set timer for another 15-20 minutes. Your own oven will set the pace. Bake until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool cake completely before icing it.

Cake will keep for three days outside of the refrigerator.

CARAMEL SYRUP

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup water (for "stopping" the caramelization process)

In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush. Turn on heat to highest flame. Cook until smoking slightly: dark amber.

When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about! It is very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and be prepared to step back.

Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers. {Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it.}

Note: For safety reasons, have ready a bowl of ice water to plunge your hands into if any caramel should land on your skin.

CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 pound confectioner’s sugar, sifted
4-6 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-4 tablespoons caramel syrup
Kosher or sea salt to taste

Cook butter until brown. Pour through a fine meshed sieve into a heatproof bowl, set aside to cool.

Pour cooled brown butter into mixer bowl.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, add confectioner's sugar a little at a time. When mixture looks too chunky to take any more, add a bit of cream and or caramel syrup. Repeat until mixture looks smooth and all confectioner's sugar has been incorporated. Add salt to taste.

Note: Caramelized butter frosting will keep in fridge for up to a month.
To smooth out from cold, microwave a bit, then mix with paddle attachment until smooth and light

(recipes above courtesy of Shuna Fish Lydon)


Carrot cake:

3 T butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 beaten egg
1/4 cup flour
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t cinnamon
1/8 t salt
1/8 t vanilla
3/8 cup grated carrots

Cream the butter with the sugar until light aand fluffy. Beat egg into mixture. In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix into egg/butter mixture. Fold in carrots and vanilla.

Caramel Cake:

2.5 T butter
1/4 cup plus 1 T sugar
1/8 t salt
1 T 1 t caramel syrup
1/2 beaten egg
1/8 t vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/8 t baking powder
1/4 cup milk

Cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and salt, and cream until light and fluffy. Beat in caramel syrup until thoroughly mixed. Beat in egg and vanilla. Mix flour and baking powder and add to butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with flour.

Have your oven pre-heated to 350º F

Line about 7-8 muffin papers in a muffin tin. Fill one third with caramel cake, then the top third with carrot cake and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 15-20 minutes.

Caramel Syrup

1/2 cup sugar
2 T water
1/4 cup water

In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush. Turn on heat to highest flame. Cook until smoking slightly: dark amber.

When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about! It is very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and be prepared to step back.

Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers. {Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it.}

Note: For safety reasons, have ready a bowl of ice water to plunge your hands into if any caramel should land on your skin.


Gross Frosting.

3 T butter
4 oz powdered sugar
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 - 1 T caramel syrup
salt

Cook butter until brown. Pour through a fine meshed sieve into a heatproof bowl, set aside to cool.

Pour cooled brown butter into mixer bowl.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, add confectioner's sugar a little at a time. When mixture looks too chunky to take any more, add a bit of cream and or caramel syrup. Repeat until mixture looks smooth and all confectioner's sugar has been incorporated. Add salt to taste.

Daring Bakers: Pizza Dough.

October for Daring Bakers was pizza dough. Seems simple enough, but I was excited. It menat I got to try a new dough recipe. The dough I use is just a random dough recipe I found on Food Network's website. And I've posted about it before. The one recipe barely gives me two incredibly thin pizza crusts. This recipe was said to give me six crusts. Hmm. Six -thin- crusts. I despise thin, crispy crust on pizza. I want a thick, chewy crust. I want something there. So. While the recipe says it makes six crusts... I decided to do the recipe a time and a half. And I got five thick and chewy crusts from it. And yes, they cooked completely through. I didn't have any dough bits. I also had my oven up to 550º F and I used my stoneware baking sheet. I don't have a pizza stone. But it's the same material. Essentially. I think.

Anyway. Yes. I made five pizzas. Everyone in my house prefers something different. So when we order pizza, we usually have to settle for the basic: a pepperoni one and a cheese one. I like everything. Nobody else does. One sister likes just cheese. The other likes just pepperoni. She'll be okay with sausage and such, but complains if we get it. I despise just pepperoni. I think it's gross. The things I like that my dad is okay with, my mom doesn't like. We never agree on pizza. And add in the fact that my perfect pizza was finally discovered at this local pizza chain in back in California. So I can only get it if I make it myself. So I did.


Pizza 1: Cheese. For Sister 1.
Pizza 2: Pepperoni. For Sister 2.
Pizza 3: Pepperoni and green bell pepper. For my dad.
Pizza 4: Pepperoni and pineapple. For my mom.
Pizza 5: Green bell pepper, white onion, mushrooms, and half with some pepperoni (because it was what was left in the bowl). With a roasted garlic cream sauce. For me. It's amazing. I love it.

I only managed to get a picture of my mom's and my pizzas. Everyone else had already devoured theirs.

This is the recipe as written. I did one and a half times the recipe to make five crusts about ten inches in diameter or so. It all depends on how thick or thin you want your crust. Plenty of people got six crusts from it, but like I said. I don't like thin crust.

4 1/2 cups unbleached high-gluten, bread, or all-purpose flour, chilled (I just used basic bleached all-purpose flour)
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1/4 cup olive oil (optional) (I used it)
1 3/4 cups water, ice cold
Semolina flour or cornmeal for dusting (I used both) Directions:

1. Stir together the flour, salt, and instant yeast in a 4-quart bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). With a large metal spoon, stir in the oil and the cold water until the flour is all absorbed (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment), If you are mixing by hand, repeatedly dip one of your hands or the metal spoon into cold water and use it, much like a dough hook, to work the dough vigorously into a smooth mass while rotating the bowl in a circular motion with the other hand. Reverse the circular motion a few times to develop the gluten further. Do this for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are evenly distributed. If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for 5 to 7 minutes, or as long as it takes to create a smooth, sticky dough. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet and doesn't come off the sides of the bowl, sprinkle in some more flour just until it clears the sides. If it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a tea- spoon or two of cold water. The finished dough will be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50 to 55F.

2. Sprinkle flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with baking parchment and misting the parchment with spray oil (or lightly oil the parchment). Using a metal dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or less, if you want thicker crusts as I did). You can dip the scraper into the water between cuts to keep the dough from sticking to it, Sprinkle flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Lift each piece and gently round it into a ball. If the dough sticks to your hands, dip your hands into the flour again. Transfer the dough balls to the sheet pan, Mist the dough generously with spray oil and slip the pan into a food-grade plastic bag.

3. Put the pan into the refrigerator overnight to rest the dough, or keep for up to 3 days. (Note: If you want to save some of the dough for future baking, you can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag. Dip each dough ball into a bowl that has a few tablespoons of oil in it, rolling the dough in the oil, and then put each ball into a separate bag. You can place the bags into the freezer for up to 3 months. Transfer them to the refrigerator the day before you plan to make pizza.)

4. On the day you plan to make the pizza, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator 2 hours before making the pizza. Dust the counter with flour, and then mist the counter with spray oil. Place the dough balls on top of the floured counter and sprinkle them with flour; dust your hands with flour. Gently press the dough into flat disks about 1/2 inch thick and 5 inches in diameter. Sprinkle the dough with flour, mist it again with spray oil, and cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap or a food-grade plastic bag. Let rest for 2 hours.

5. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone either on the floor of the oven (for gas ovens), or on a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven as hot as possible, up to 800F (most home ovens will go only to 500 to 550F, but some will go higher). If you do not have a baking stone, you can use the back of a sheet pan, but do not preheat the pan.

6. Generously dust a peel or the back of a sheet pan with semolina flour or cornmeal. Make the pizzas one at a time. Dip your hands, including the backs of your hands and knuckles, in flour and lift I piece of dough by getting under it with a pastry scraper. Very gently lay the dough across your fists and carefully stretch it by bouncing the dough in a circular motion on your hands, carefully giving it a little stretch with each bounce. If it begins to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and reflour your hands, then continue shaping it. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss as shown on page 208. If you have trouble tossing the dough, or if the dough keeps springing back, let it rest for 5 to 20 minutes so the gluten can relax, and try again. You can also resort to using a rolling pin, though this isn't as effective as the toss method.

7. When the dough is stretched out to your satisfaction (about 9 to 12 inches in diameter for a 6-ounce piece of dough), lay it on the peel or pan, making sure there is enough semolina flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide. Lightly top it with sauce and then with your other top- pings, remembering that the best pizzas are topped with a less-is-more philosophy. The American "kitchen sink" approach is counterproductive, as it makes the crust more difficult to bake. A few, usually no more than 3 or 4 toppings, including sauce and cheese is sufficient.

8. Slide the topped pizza onto the stone (or bake directly on the sheet pan) and close the door. Wait 2 minutes, then take a peek. If it needs to be rotated 180 degrees for even baking, do so. The pizza should take about 5 to 8 minutes to bake. If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone to a lower self before the next round. if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone for subsequent bakes.

9. Remove the pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Wait 3 to 5 minutes before slicing and serving, to allow the cheese to set slightly.

Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce:

Sauce

olive oil
1 head of garlic, roasted
1 small shallot, sliced thinly, or diced. It's going to be pureed anyway.
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper, to taste
about 2 tablespoons butter
about 3 tablespoons flour


In a saucepan, add the wine, cream, and chopped shallot. Warm this up, then squeeze the cloves of garlic out of the papery coating into the saucepan.

Simmer this mixture for 15 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Puree this sauce in your blender. Set aside.

In your saucepan, melt about two tablespoons of butter. Mix in about three tablespoons flour. Cook for a minute or two, forming a roux. Stir in the garlic cream puree. Cook until thickened. Season as needed with more salt and pepper.

This made more than enough for one pizza. So with the leftovers, I made My Perfect Pizza by way of Pasta.

Pi Cubes.

So Blake Makes had this nifty giveaway a little while ago for Letter and Number baking and freezer trays. And I won. The first of these food blog giveaways I won. -Finally-. Haha. But anyway. I won a nifty number tray. And once I got it, I decided I wanted to do something, but I didn't know what I could do. So I went into the pantry and spotted a canister of Tang. Ah-ha! Tang cubes! But then... not -just- Tang cubes. I could make.. Tang Pi Cubes! Yep. I made pi. Because I'm that big of a nerd. This should be expected. I took AP Calculus my senior year as an elective. I didn't need the credit. I just needed a class to fill up space in my schedule. So I took Calculus because I figured it would be an easy A. (And it was for me.)


So yep. I want to make pi cakes, too. :] A friend told me to make pi pie. But I don't think it would work in these. Too small. XD

So. Cupcake Hero, huh?

We were given free reign last month and so I decided to do those pumpkin cupcakes. Even though a part of me kept saying not to do it. Just wait. Because I had a feeling that October would be something like pumpkin or squash. Just because I did pumpkin in September. And look! October's theme is squash. Damn. I couldn't very well do my pumpkin cupcake again. Well. I could. There's nothing in the rules that says I can't. But I felt weird doing anything pumpkin-related. So that was out. And I've done zucchini before. So that was out. I realised that cucumber is a squash. But I couldn't think of what I could do with it. Mainly because I didn't think too hard and I don't like cooked cucumber. I like it cold, raw, and sliced. Just as is. So I thought and thought. And I finally came up with an idea. Butternut squash cupcakes. Have I ever had butternut squash? No. Did I know what it looked like? Yes. Perfect!

So that was good. All I needed then was a recipe. So I wrote one out. Yep. I created my own recipe. Using stuff I'd never eaten before. Aren't I tricky? Anyway. I had my cake. Now all I needed was frosting. I wanted something with maple. I thought about it and came up with either maple cream cheese frosting or maple marshmallow frosting. I asked people their thoughts and I got an even split between cream cheese and marshmallow. So I did neither. I made a maple buttercream instead. Of which I forgot to put lemon juice in. (It helps the texture come together I realised. Because mine looked broken. Even though it was quite smooth and yummy.)

And then for garnish I decided I wanted to put a single pecan on. Toasted, I decided. I had never had toasted pecans. I had only had pecans once, ever. Which was two years ago when my great aunt mailed us a giant Ziploc bag filled with raw pecans from her trees. By the time they got here, they had started to mould. Did I eat them anyway? Yep. I would grab a handful, pick out the mouldy ones, and eat the ones that were fine. They tasted very maple-y to me. We got through about half the bag before the mould took over and we threw the rest out. But anyway. You can put some chopped pecans into the cake if you'd like. I don't, though, because my mom is allergic to them. And after much investigating through the store I discovered that it's cheaper to buy raw mammoth pecans from the bulk dispenser in the health food aisle than anywhere else. The bags in the baking aisle were the most expensive. Then there were bags in the produce section. Then the bulk area. I've taken quite a fancy to the bulk dispensers. I needed a few bay leaves for something I'm making later this week. I got probably five or so for seven cents. I don't need that much, but it works because it was only seven cents rather than getting a jar from the spice aisle for five bucks. Yay for being cheap. Forgive me. I ramble.

So the end result was a spiced butternut squash cupcake (which reminds me of pumpkin), a buttery maple frosting, with a maple-y crunch from the pecan on top. And the cake was very light, too. Unlike most other spice cakes I have tried that are pretty dense.

Oh. And after further investigation, my cake appears to have more spice than I have seen other recipes have. This is because I have tried many recipes where they don't have very much spice, so it doesn't have very much flavour. So I decided to see what my cupcakes would be like with less spice. I baked up an incredibly scaled down recipe (three cupcakes) and tasted them. Without frosting, they were still pretty good. I didn't like them -as much-, but still flavourful. Then I put on the frosting. Yeah. Keep the spices as they were.

I also tried to make a variation on black bottom cupcakes, but with a butternut squash cheesecake filling and no cocoa powder in the cake and I added cinnamon. It was good. But they turned out more like pre-frosted cinnamon cupcakes than what I had hoped they would be. I still ate them. All three. Because I scaled that recipe down, too.

With the remaining butternut squash puree I had, I found a pumpkin pancake recipe and just substituted butternut squash puree for the pumpkin. And.. I used the leftover maple buttercream as my butter on them. They were pretty amazing.



So finally. The recipes.


Butternut Squash Puree. (In case you need help with this.)

1 butternut squash
oil

Pre-heat your oven to 350º F.

Cut the squash in half lengthmish from stem to.. whatever that circle thing is called. If you can manage to do it with a chef's knife or anything, great. I can't. I use the saw from our pumpkin carving kit. The one to cut the lid off. Yeah. It's the only surviving saw we have. Scoop out the seeds. You can either discard them, or rinse them off to roast later.

Brush some oil on a baking sheet. Lay the squash cut side down on the baking sheet. Bake for about an hour, or until tender. Turn the halves over, scoop out the flesh, and puree it in your food processor. Which is probably the easiest route. I don't have a food processor, though. So I put the flesh and a bunch of water into my blender to get it thoroughly pureed. Don't freak out about the water. After it's been pureed, line a colander with cheesecloth (read: paper towels) and set over a bowl. Pour the puree into the colander. Press some saran wrap onto the surface of the puree and put in the fridge to drain overnight. All the water that was added and extra moisture from the squash itself will drain leaving you with a thick puree. Ta-da!



Butternut Squash Cupcakes (makes 24; you can easily divide the recipe in half)

1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup (one and a half sticks) butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups butternut squash puree
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon baking soda (yes, that says tablespoon)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup vanilla yoghurt (it was supposed to be plain, but there was only one cup at the store that was all beat up)

Pre-heat the oven to 350º F. Line two muffin pans with cupcake papers.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Mix in the butternut squash and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Alternately mix in the dry mixture and yoghurt into the butternut mixture, starting and ending with flour.

Fill prepared tins two-thirds full. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.



Maple Buttercream

2 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (which I forgot to add)
1.5 sticks (3/4 cup) butter, cut into cubes and softened slightly
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Combine egg whites and salt in bowl of a standing electric mixer or other large bowl.

Stir together sugar and water in a small heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over moderately high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved and washing down side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. When syrup reaches a boil, start beating whites with electric mixer at medium-high speed. Once whites are frothy, add lemon juice and beat at medium speed until they just hold soft peaks. (Do not beat again until sugar syrup is ready—see below.)

Meanwhile, put thermometer into sugar syrup and continue boiling, without stirring, until it reaches soft-ball stage (238–242°F). Immediately remove from heat and slowly pour hot syrup in a thin stream down side of bowl into egg whites, beating constantly at high speed. Beat meringue, scraping down bowl with a rubber spatula, until meringue is cool to the touch, about 6 minutes. (It's important that meringue is fully cooled before proceeding.)

With mixer at medium speed, gradually add butter 1 piece at a time, beating well after each addition until incorporated. (If meringue is too warm and buttercream looks soupy after some butter is added, chill bottom of bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice and cold water for a few seconds before continuing to beat in remaining butter.) Continue beating until buttercream is smooth. (Mixture may look curdled before all butter is added, but will come back together before beating is finished.) Add maple syrup and beat 1 minute more.

Then frost cooled cupcakes and top with a pecan half (I think halve sounds better) if you desire.

Daring Bakers: Crackers.

So. Daring Bakers this month. I wasn't too thrilled. Crackers. They said we had free reign. Okay. But it had to be vegan. And we had to have a dip. That was vegan. And gluten free. Well. I don't think much about dips. Dips aren't that intriguing to me. And I'm not invited to any parties that require me to bring a dip. So that was a problem. I had never had spinach artichoke dip, though. But it sounded good to me. So I made that. Along with a carmelised onion relish. Woot. I also un-veganised half my crackers. I sprinkled shredded parmesan cheese on them. I liked those ones. I also cheated with rolling and just passed them through my pasta roller. I achieved even crackers that way. They weren't bad. Nobody touched the simply salted crackers, though. They all liked the cheese ones. And I made the mistake of taking some of the crackers with me to my high school to visit my old teachers. The Culinary Arts students aren't cooking yet. So they had nothing to cook and eat. I took out my crackers.. and they were gone in about a minute. Lydia ate some, then Landon had some. Shane got a couple, then Landon devoured the rest. I want to go back. Maybe I'll teach them how to make the crackers.

Posh Pumpkin Cupcakes.

These are basically my pride and joy. I am in love with these cupcakes. The recipe made ten. I ate five. That is how much I love them.

Cupcake Hero this month was Baker's Choice. The choice of picking at least two of the previous challenges and put into a cupcake. My first thought was chocolate and mint. It was brilliant. A chocolate cupcake with a layer of home made mint 'n' chip ice cream, and a mint marshmallow frosting. Yeah. I liked them. They weren't what I had hoped for. But. I decided they just wouldn't do. So I completely forgot about that idea and came up with a new one.

I had had a craving for something pumpkin. I thought about cheesecake, and then decided to make cupcakes. Cranberry pumpkin cupcakes. Hmm. With a cream cheese frosting. I also wanted to make dulce de leche. So I made a dulce de leche cream filling. Which was a marshmallow frosting with dulce de leche mixed in. And -then- I decided that with the leftover pumpkin I would have from the frosting I would use to make a pumpkin mousse. It was perfect. And it covered three themes. Cranberry, Clove, and Marshmallow.


They were utterly amazing. You had four different textures in one bite. I'm tempted to make it again. In layer cake form. Mmm... Just look at that ooey, gooey-ness of that filling. Who could turn that down? Fluffy, spiced pumpkin mousse. Creamy spiced cream cheese frosting. Spiced pumpkin cake studded with moist cranberries. Caramel-y, cool cream filling. Michael turned it down. He hates pumpkin. And cream cheese. I told him I'd make him some caramel cream filling, then. Just need to find a way to get out there. Anyway.

These cupcakes were rather time-consuming. Well. In the way that I spanned the cupcake-making over three days. I made these last week starting Monday to be assembled on Wednesday to have as dessert for our Thanksgiving dinner in September. Why Thanksgiving? Because I was making up the grocery list and nobody could come up with meals, so I decided I was making Thanksgiving dinner. 'Twas very yummy. My dad had such doubts about my doing a turkey breast because it's usually so dry. It was so juicy. I was quite proud of myself.

Now. Let it be known that you can easily use store-bought caramel sauce or dulce de leche if you'd like. I just wanted to try making it. It wasn't difficult. Just took a while.



Day 1: Dulce de Leche.

Dulce de Leche (adapted from Alton Brown)

2 cups whole milk
6 ounces sugar (by weight)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
5/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Combine the milk and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Once it has dissolved, stir in the baking soda and continue to stir the mixture occasionally for about an hour and a half. In the last twenty minutes, don't leave the stove and stir constantly to prevent the bottom from scorching. You can turn the heat down as well if you'd like. It should be a nice dark caramel colour. Strain if you wish. I did. Because I didn't stick around the last twenty minutes and it scorched a bit. It had some bits in it that I didn't want. Stir in the vanilla extract.



Day 2: Cranberry Pumpkin Cake and Pumpkin Mousse.

Cranberry Pumpkin Cupcakes

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup buttermilk

Pre-heat oven to 350º F. Line a standard cupcake pan with ten liners. (Or twelve if you manage to stretch it that far, but I only got ten.)

Beat together butter and brown sugar thoroughly. Add in egg, mixing until completely combined. Then beat in the pumpkin and vanilla extract.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cranberries.

In three additions, beat the flour mixture in alternately with the buttermilk, starting and ending with flour.

Fill each cup about two-thirds full and bake for about twenty minutes. Cool completely.


Pumpkin Mousse

1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks and set aside in the fridge while you get everything else ready.

Place the egg yolks in a glass or metal bowl. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Heat until the sugar is dissolved. Start whisking the egg yolks and slowly stream the hot sugar syrup into them. Place the bowl over pot of boiling water, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water. Whisk the mixture constantly for at least ten minutes. The egg yolk mixture should thicken and lighten in colour. It may take a few minutes more. Just keep whisking. If you want, you could use a handmixer I guess. But it really doesn't take too much strain to whisk that long. It just might get boring. I played music while I did it.

After it has thickened, remove the bowl from the heat, scrape it into the bowl of your stand mixer, attach the whisk attachment and turn it on to medium, medium-high speed. Let it go until the bottom of the bowl feels cool. The mixture should have thickened by then.

Meanwhile, once you've put the egg yolks in the mixer, mix the pumpkin with the cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Put it in the microwave for about thirty seconds to a minute. I did this to help release some of the flavour from the spices into the pumpkin.

Once the egg yolk mixture has cooled, switch from your whisk to paddle attachment. Beat in the pumpkin mixture until combined.

Fold a third of the whipped cream into the mixture to help lighten in, then fold in the rest. Refrigerate until set.



Day 3: Frosting, Filling, and Assembling.

Cream Cheese Frosting

4 ounces cream cheese, softened (I used Neufchatel; cream cheese with a 1/3 less fat)
2 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, to taste, optional

In your mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter until combined.

Beat in powdered sugar until smooth. Mix in vanilla extract.

I then transferred it to a small bowl and at the last minute chose to throw in some spices. I didn't want to go searching for my measuring spoons, though. I just made sure I sprinkled in more cinnamon than cloves and more cloves than nutmeg. Tasted, then adjusted.



Dulce De Leche Cream Filling

1/4 cup egg whites (about two)
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons dulce de leche (I warmed it to make it more fluid)

Combine the egg whites and cream of tartar in your mixer bowl and whisk on high to stiff peaks.

Meanwhile, combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. Then attach a candy thermometer and allow to boil without stirring until the syrup reaches 242º F.

With the mixer down to about medium high, slowly pour the hot syrup into the egg whites and whip until completely cool to the touch and the frosting is nice and thick.

Measure out the two tablespoons dulce de leche, scraping it into the mixture with your finger. Or you can use another spoon. Or just eyeball it. But.. I wanted to lick it off my finger after. You can add more dulce de leche if you'd like. Mix until completely incorporated.


Posh Pumpkin Cupcakes

Cranberry Pumpkin Cupcakes
Dulce de Leche Cream Filling, as needed
Spiced Cream Cheese, as needed
Pumpkin Mousse, as needed

The trickiest part is how to fill the cupcakes. You could always put the filling in a pastry bag fitted with a long, narrow tip and pipe it in. If that works for you. But I don't have one. And when I tried with the tip I had, it didn't work.

So instead, you can do what I did (if you so choose). I simply cut a conical "plug" out of the top of each cupcake. I inserted a steak knife into the cupcake at an angle about two-thirds of the way into the cupcake, with about a quarter inch border. Then I cut in a circle and lifted it up. Ta-da! Cone plug, hollow cupcake. Then I cut off most of the plug, leaving a little lid. I likened it to carving pumpkins. Except I was carving pumpkin cupcakes. Ha. I thought it was nifty...

Anyway. Once I'd cut out a plug in all the cupcakes and disposed of the centres.. into my stomach.. I began filling. I just used a small spoon from the silverware drawer and scooped a bit of the dulce de leche filling into each cupcake.

Once the cupcakes are filled, replace the lids. (Oh. I should have mentioned. It helps to remove each lid as you go, then replace, so you don't have multiple lids and you're not sure which one goes where. Yes, that is probably an unnecessary tip, but just in case.)

You can then pipe on some cream cheese frosting if you want, but I just plopped a spoonful onto each and spread it with the back of my spoon.

Finally.. the mousse. I had originally planned to just plop a big dollop of mousse onto each cupcake. And you can if you'd like. I figured I would go for a nicer presentation and I took out my #40 disher and placed a scoop on top of each.


Yeah, I only have Christmas cupcake papers. My grandmother gave them to me for my birthday (which is in June) so I'm using those until I need to buy more.