cinnamon mocha cupcakes

I make no secret of the fact that I am a fan of cupcakes. Well, really, baked goods in general. But I really, really like cupcakes. They appeal to my designer self, they appeal to my kid self, they're simply appealing in general for the multitude of options they offer.

I thank Denise for the reminder that cupcakes can be baked in ice cream cones (they're even callllllled cake cones) to take these from tasty to quite joyous.

The original recipe lies here but I've modified as per usual. I plan to ice these with peppermint buttercream icing, or a basic chocolate icing. They're pretty awesome without icing, too, if that's your thing.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar plus a couple of spillovers so it's not quite 2/3 but more than 1/2
  
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 14 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup baking cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon: Next time I may add even more
  
• 1/4 cup brewed espresso: I use one of these Bialetti stovetop espresso makers
  
• 3 tablespoons buttermilk

Directions

1. In a small mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, baking powder and cinnamon; add to creamed mixture alternately with coffee and buttermilk.
2. Put cake cones one each in a muffin tin to keep them steady, then fill them to just shy of the top. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

EBChiladas

Ok, Jason loved these so much he calls them EBChiladas now. I'll take it ;-) Super easy, and can be meaty or vegetarian. Sorry, no picture. It's just not the prettiest. But things that taste awesome often aren't. It's not really low-fat, but it's not designed to be. Use your brain to make modifications to cut fat/calories. And hey, go for a smaller serving size.

I used the Easy Chicken Enchiladas recipe from Allrecipes (my usual M.O.) with some modifications (my other usual M.O.):

Core Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese or American Neufchâtel cheese: lower fat! but don't go fat free! doesn't melt right! And don't do the French version of Neufchâtel...very different product
  
• 1 cup salsa: think about what's going to taste best "flavour wise" since there are so many salsa choices these days; I used Pace "3 Peppers" salsa found on the clearance rack at Target; a chipotle salsa would be amazing with this.
  
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast meat or tofu: I used Adobo, dried parsley, chili powder, and olive oil to cook it on the stove top.
  
• 1 (15.5 ounce) can pinto beans, drained: I used half red beans and half black beans
  
• 6 (6 inch) corn tortillas: corn tortillas have lower calories; I used more like 8-10. DO NOT buy the TraderJoe's corn tortillas. Big disaster. Get the "cheap Mexican" ones at the grocery store.
  
• 2 cups shredded "Mexican blend" cheese (Monterey jack, cheddar, asadero, & quesadilla cheeses)

Topping

• One small can black olives, sliced
• One small can sliced green chiles (or slice them yourself)
• One more cup of salsa; I used Muir Glen organic cilantro salsa for this part
  
• Shredded lettuce, sour cream
  

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream cheese and 1 cup salsa. Cook, stirring until melted and well blended. Stir in chicken/tofu and beans. Fill tortillas with the mixture, roll and place into the prepared baking dish. Spread cilantro salsa then cheese over top. Top with black olives and green chiles. Cover with aluminum foil.
3. Bake for 30 minutes, or until heated through. Garnish with your favorite toppings such as lettuce and tomatoes, or sour cream. 
4. Prepare to moan. No, seriously. 
   

southern biscuits from scratch

I make no secret of the fact that I am a huge fan of AllRecipes.com and found this particular goodie there as well. They turned out well, though nothing will ever be as good as Bojangles :-)

JP's Big Daddy Biscuits

INGREDIENTS
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon white sugar
* 1/3 cup shortening*
* 1 cup milk (see note in direx)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually stir in milk until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl---only add as much milk as you need, you may not always need the whole cup!
3. Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead 15 to 20 times. Pat or roll dough out to 1 inch thick. Cut biscuits with a large cutter or juice glass dipped in flour. Repeat until all dough is used. Brush off the excess flour, and place biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet.
4. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges begin to brown.

* Whole Foods has a *great* non-hydrogenated, organic shortening option in their baking section. Don't go Crisco!