April Fool's Day Cupcakes

Don't these cupcakes look delicious? I mean, check out that tasty swirl of smooth whipped frosting! I bet it will be soooo sweet and creamy.

That's what my coworkers thought too, until they bit into them and discovered they were:

Recipe # 22: Meatloaf cupcakes with cream potato frosting

Here they are straight out of the oven:

These cupcakes were created for our company potluck, which happened to fall on April Fool's Day. It was my way of getting back at my coworkers for the disaster of the first potluck. For the first potluck I made some tasty vanilla cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and berries (below), and NO ONE ELSE BROUGHT ANYTHING. I made three dozen cupcakes, and the others couldn't even manage to pick up a veggie tray or bag of chips. But, that didn't stop them from gobbling up my tasty treats.

Regardless, I got to play a nice trick on my officemates. Unfortunately, one of my favorite people in the office (who also happens to be one of the nicest ladies ever) was the first person to bite into my creation. I had told them they were carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. My coworker got a bite ready on her fork, and said, "I'm so excited for these! I love carrot cake, and you always do a good job baking." I felt guilty as she put the bite in her mouth, then proceeded to immediately spit it out in her hand.

The next person who fell for the trick is the guy in the office who will eat anything. He's sort of a human garbage disposal. He ate a bite, made a weird face, then ate the rest of the meatcake like it wasn't a big deal.

After the secret was out, people microwaved my treats and enjoyed them as mini-meatloafs. They were actually pretty tasty, and I might use the recipe for a full-sized meatloaf in the future.

Here is recipe #23, Moist Vanilla Cupcakes (I'm not going in order, obviously), the cupcakes from the first potluck.

I topped these bad boys with cream cheese frosting and berries. Ironically, my "moist" cupcakes came out a little dry, but the toppings made up for it. I am pretty sure this is my own fault though, because I overbaked them a bit. Since this recipe was so easy and I usually have all the ingredients on hand, I will probably try it again and see if it becomes my go-to cupcake recipe.

Homemade marinara sauce

Recipe #21: Homemade marinara sauce

I am ashamed to admit that I do not make my own red sauce. Even when I make lasagna, the sauce comes from a jar. But, I was happy to find that making my own sauce was not only very easy and tasty, but it was also cheaper than using the jarred crap, because I bought a case of canned tomatoes during a case-lot sale a while back.

I didn't have a bay leaf and I ended up adding some sugar and oregano, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. I garnished my pasta with chunks of fresh mozzarella, which got nice and melty (is that a word?) after a couple minutes. We ate it alongside some roasted broccoli for a semi-healthy meatless meal.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Recipe # 20: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

This is yet another recipe I made before I got sick--only about 4 more to post until I'm all caught up!

Do you love chocolate chip cookie dough, but don't like the idea of eating raw eggs? If so, this is the recipe for you. For the record, I am not afraid of eating raw eggs; I heard it's more likely to get salmonella from unwashed vegetables anyway. Plus, I'm hardcore.

These cupcakes were super sweet, so if I make them again I will leave out the filling. And, it's a pain to core the cupcakes. The frosting tastes exactly like cookie dough, and the cake tastes like a baked cookie. I fed them to my nieces, brother-in-law and sister-in-law, then took the rest to work. The consensus was that while they were very tasty, they were very sweet and rich.

Oreo Cheesecake

Recipe # 19: Oreo Cheesecake

This is a recipe I made a while ago, but forgot to post. Our friends invited us over for dinner a couple months ago, and I offered to bring a dessert. 

Cheesecakes are a specialty of mine (if I do say so myself), so I copied Caitlin and make an Oreo version of my favorite cheesecake recipe, Eagle Brand's Creamy Baked Cheesecake. I substituted Oreos for the graham crackers, and put 1/2 cup of Oreo crumbs in the batter.

I was really happy with how this came out. I baked it in a water bath, and it didn't crack at all on top. To do this, put your cheesecake on a jelly roll pan and put about 1/2 inch of water in the pan. This makes the oven nice and steamy, and your cake won't crack on top.

I decorated the top with whipped cream and mini-Oreos:

Chicken and White Bean Chili

Recipes #17: Chicken and White Bean Chili
Recipe #18: Jalapeno Cheddar Corn Muffins

I love green chiles, so when I saw this recipe for chili with chicken, cannellini beans, and green chiles, I had to make it immediately.

I made the chili exactly as the recipe stated, except I reserved about a tablespoon of the jalapenos for my corn muffins, and only used 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. I was glad I made those modifications, because the chili was super spicy (or maybe I am just a wuss).

I made some corn muffins to go along with the chili. I am not sure if this should count as one of my recipes, but I'm in charge and I'm behind in my posts, so I am counting it!

Jalapeno Cheddar Corn Muffins
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 TBSP diced jalapenos
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Bake at 350 for 15 min.

Breakfast Quinoa

Recipe #16: Breakfast Quinoa with Strawberries and Cream

Quinoa is a favorite in our house, but this is the first time I've made a sweet version. We usually have it mexican-style with black beans, green chilies, tomatoes, and avocados. I'll post that recipe as soon as I make it again and get a decent photo. I love the versatility of this grain, and the healthiness of it is an added bonus.

I was out of milk this morning, but had some cream on hand (a perk of being a coffee addict), so I made some improvisations. I omitted the milk and put about 1 cup of cream in, but otherwise followed this recipe. I thought it was still very creamy, and we topped it with fresh strawberries. It was a tasty breakfast, and a fun alternative to oatmeal or another hot cereal. If you like Cream of Wheat, I suggest giving it a try.

Chicken Taco Soup

Recipe #15:  Chicken Taco Soup

As I said in my last post, I have been sick the past 3 weeks, which has kept me from both cooking AND blogging (unless you want me to post my recipe for homemade grilled cheese and purchased soup from Paradise Bakery). But, I do have a stockpile of photos and recipes that I made before I caught the cold from hell (CFH). 

Since Matt caught the CFH before I did, I made him this tasty soup for him. I wanted to stray from the path of traditional chicken soup, and thought something with a little spice would help clear his sinuses. 

So, I made this Chicken Taco Soup that was recommended by my mom. I added some diced avocados on top, and I had forgotten to buy cilantro so I left it out. 

The soup was good, but it wasn't as spicy as I wanted so I added a 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper. I served this soup with some tortillas. If I haven't made a plug for uncooked flour tortillas yet, here it is: BUY THEM IMMEDIATELY! My grocery store sells them in the cheese section, and they take about one minute to cook in the pan (no oil, just put them in the pan for about 30 seconds then flip). They will change your life.