Halloween Cupcakes!!!

I just finished making a bunch of Halloween cupcakes for my girls' dance classes today.  I think they turned out super cute!  I thought I would put some pics on here just in case anyone is looking for some Halloween cupcake ideas :o)  Happy Halloween!

Easiest Caramel Corn EVER!!

I love caramel corn but I don't love having to cook it in the oven for an hour and having to remember to stir it every few minutes.  Total pain!!  That's why I don't do it anymore.  Here is a recipe for caramel corn that you make in a brown paper bag in the microwave that tastes as good as the traditional method but it takes a quarter of the time!  The cooking times given are what works for my microwave so you may need to do a trial run to see how it comes out with your microwave.  You can adjust the time if you like it chewier or crunchier too.  Just cook it for a minute shorter or a minute longer.  Simple!

Easiest Caramel Corn Ever:

Ingredients:
3 quarts popped popcorn (I prefer mine to be plain with no salt or butter)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted peanuts, optional
1/2 tsp baking soda

Directions:
Put popcorn in a brown paper bag you get from the grocery store; set aside.  Combine sugar, butter, corn syrup, salt, and nuts in a 2-quart microwave safe glass bowl.  Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes, stirring after each minutes, until it comes to a full boil.  Microwave 1-1/2 minutes more.  Stir in baking soda and pour into paper bag over the popcorn.  Close bag and shake well.  Microwave for 1 minute.  Shake well.  Microwave for 1 minute again and shake well, making sure the popcorn is evenly coated.  Pour onto foil sheets and spread out with a wooden spoon to cool.  Enjoy!

***By the way, if you want your caramel corn to taste like Cracker Jack you replace about 1/3 of the corn syrup with molasses.***

Hi Hat Cupcakes

I saw these on bakerella.com, who got them from marthastewart.com, who got them from the Cupcakes! book.  I thought they looked like a lot of fun so I wanted to give them a try.  Basically it's a chocolate cupcake with homemade marshmallow cream icing dipped in chocolate like a Dairy Queen ice cream cone.  YUM!  Does it get much more fattening than that???  They turned out okay for a first try but not as good as I would have liked so I will definitely be trying them again in the future to see if I can get them to come out better.  I had some problems with the icing part.  I mixed it for almost 20 minutes and it still wasn't forming stiff peaks but I was sick of beating it so I just gave it a shot as-is.  So they're not quite as tall as they should be because it was still a little soft but they still dipped fine and they taste the same so it wasn't a big deal.  These are so incredibly sweet and rich that I don't think I could handle more icing on them anyways!  Next time I might actually make little ones instead.

Hi Hat Cupcakes

Ingredients:

12 chocolate cupcakes

FOR THE ICING:
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract  (optional)   


FOR THE CHOCOLATE COATING:

2 cups chopped (about 12 ounces) semisweet chocolate 

3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

Directions:

  

1.  In a large heatproof bowl, combine sugar, 1/4 cup water, egg whites, and cream of tartar. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat on high speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Set bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Beat on high speed until frosting forms stiff peaks, about 12 minutes; frosting should register 160 degrees.on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and almond extracts, and beat for 2 minutes more until frosting thickens.

2.  Transfer frosting to a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain pastry tip. Leaving a 1/8-inch border on each cupcake, pipe a spiral of frosting into a 2-inch-high cone shape, using about 1/2 cup of frosting per cupcake. Transfer cupcakes to a baking sheet, and refrigerate while preparing the chocolate coating.  

3.  To prepare the chocolate coating: Combine chocolate and oil in a medium heat-proof bowl set over a medium saucepan of barely simmering water; stir until melted and smooth. Transfer to a small bowl, and let cool about 15 minutes.  

4.  Holding each cupcake by its bottom, dip cupcake in the chocolate to coat frosting, allowing excess to drip off. Transfer to a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack. Spoon more coating around edge of cupcake and any exposed frosting; none of the frosting should show. Let cupcakes stand at room temperature 15 minutes.  

5. Place cupcakes on a serving platter, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to let coating set. Cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours more. Serve cold. Cupcakes can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Hi-Hat Cupcakes - Martha Stewart Recipes

  

 ***I used a bag of chocolate chips instead of chopped semisweet chocolate for the chocolate coating and I melted it in the microwave.  Also, make sure that the icing gets to the right temperature so the sugar will dissolve.  Otherwise it will be grainy but it will still taste good so don't freak out if it comes out grainy.  It happens all the time!***   Good luck!

Sweet Braided Bread

 
This recipe is similar to Challah (Jewish egg bread).  It is a deliciously sweet bread that is absolutely beautiful.  My kids like a little cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top before baking.  These loaves are great for gifts or to serve to company. 

Sweet Braided Bread

Ingredients:

1 pkg active dry yeast
1/4 c warm water
1 c milk
1/4 c honey
1/4 c sugar
1/3 c butter, softened
1 tsp salt
1/4 c water
3 eggs
5-1/2 to 6 cups flour

1 egg
1 tbsp sesame or poppy seeds, or cinnamon sugar (optional)

Directions:

1.  Combine yeast and warm water and let sit for a few minutes to proof. 
2.  Heat milk to almost boiling.  Combine milk, honey, sugar, butter, salt, and water.  Add eggs and mix well.
3.  Add yeast mixture and 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth.  Gradually add remaining flour.   
4.  Knead dough for 10 minutes by hand or 5 minutes with dough hook on electric mixer until dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour if dough is too sticky.
5.  Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place dough in bowl.  Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.  Punch dough down and turn over.  Let rise another 30 minutes. 
6.  Divide dough into 2 equal balls.  Divide each ball into 3 pieces and roll each piece into a rope about 15 inches long.  Lay 3 ropes side by side on greased cookie sheet and braid together.  Pinch the ends and turn under.  Repeat with the remaining 3 ropes. 
7.  Cover the loaves with a towel and let rise in a warm place about 30 minutes. 

8.  Beat remaining egg and brush over the loaves.  Sprinkle with seeds or cinnamon sugar, if desired.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown and it sounds hollow when you tap the top. 

Speedy Skillet Taco Rice!

I am always looking for new ways to use ground beef.  We use a lot of ground beef because my in-laws have a dairy farm and raise their own beef, which they then share with us.  This recipe is tasty, easy, and quite tasty!  It only takes about 30 minutes total to make this dinner for your family.


Speedy Skillet Taco Rice

 Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup of your favorite salsa
1 cup corn (canned or frozen)
1 1/2 cups uncooked instant rice
3/4 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or mexican-blend)
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 can sliced olives
Sour cream, if desired

Directions:

1.  In a 10-inch skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat until completely browned.  Drain.
2.  Stir in taco seasoning mix, water, salsa, and corn.  Heat to boiling and stir in rice.  Boil for 1 minute then remove from heat.  Cover and let stand 8 minutes.
3.  Fluff rice mixture with a fork.  Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top.  Cover and let stand 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Sprinkle lettuce around outside edge of skillet, sprinkle tomato inside the lettuce, and olives inside the tomato.  Serve with sour cream.

LEGO Birthday Cake

Just on a quick side note, I have been a little busy this last week getting things ready for my son's birthday party this weekend so I haven't done any fun recipes this week.  However, I did make him a LEGO cake for his birthday party that was really fairly easy to put together and he absolutely loved it!  I just made it out of a cake I baked an 11x15 pan.  I cut it into thirds and then cut a couple inches off the end and put all the pieces together to make the cake I wanted.  I used big marshmallows cut in half for the little bumpy things on top, which worked really well.  It was a lot of fun!  I also made a LEGO pinata out of a cardboard box and plastic cups, and LEGO-shaped candies too.  Everything turned out great!  If you want to do a LEGO party for your kiddo I'd be happy to share some ideas with you :o)