Gender Reveal Cupcakes

Are you familiar with 'Gender Reveal Parties'??  They are all the rage these days, and remind me never to say "all the rage" again because it makes me sound ancient.  Anyhoo (ancient-er), if you are not hip to the Gender Reveal (oh dear god), then let me give you the 411 (make it stop): it's a party where an expecting couple reveal the sex of their baby to friends and family (and many times themselves) in a fun manner, like cutting into a cake or biting into a cupcake that's pink or blue inside.  Well, I was not only recently invited to one for my dear friends, Beth and Brad, but they asked me to bake the cupcakes!  And in this instance, they didn't know the sex either.  Their doctor wrote it down, sealed it in an envelope and gave it to me!  Talk about your head exploding with knowledge that you can't share with anyone, oy.  In full disclosure, I told my four-year-old son, Jack.  And he probably told a couple of buddies at school.  And they were like, "meh."  

    But, I was able to keep the secret, and I didn't even play a prank and swap genders like Carson wanted me to.  I had never baked stuffed cupcakes before, and decided to go for a homemade Hostess Cupcake following this recipe.  Every part of it was perfect.  Super moist, chocolaty cake, a sweet and fluffy marshmallow cream center and topped with a rich, chocolate ganache.  My kind of dessert.  I used a paring knife to core out the cupcakes, which was time-consuming but very easy.  And I used a freezer bag with the end snipped off to fill the centers wiiiiith... BLUE icing : )   

The happy couple...

Congrats Beth and Brad!  I can't wait to meet this sweet baby boy.  

(All images by Katy at Chasing You Photo)

Halloween Marshmallow Pops

I still rip things out of magazines at doctor's offices.  And I still nervously look around me as I'm doing it, half expecting a police officer to jump out from behind a plant and arrest me.  This habit is very old school, because I could easily take a photo of whatever it is with my iPhone or go home and Google the same magazine and find the article in its entirety online.  Alas, ripping it out makes me feel dangerous and 82 years old at the same time.  So, I recently found this article stuffed in my purse about Marshmallow Pops, which looked so fun and easy to recreate at home.  And they were!  Perfect after-school activity with Jack...  

I used lollipop sticks I had on hand, melted white chocolate for the ghosts and candy melts for the Frankensteins and pumpkins.  (I didn't have orange candy melts so I combined yellow and red, which sort of came out coral but go with it.)  Simply dunk your skewered marshmallows and then let cool on parchment paper.  Melt some chocolate chips and dunk the tips of your green marshmallows for Frankenstein hair.  Place the rest of the melted chocolate in a piping bag (or plastic baggie with the end snipped) and use to make spooky faces!  You could make mummies or Dracula's too, and use other candies for decorating.  The possibilities are endless when you rip articles out of magazines!       

Monster Eyeball Cookies

My daughter has been waking up at 5am this week, which is fun, because then we can bond while I'm super grumpy.  She also knows what "Mama, Coffee, HOT" means, so there's that.  And I've had a chance to get my blog posts up on the early side.  Morning Celebration!  Anyways, remember these Mini Candy Corn Sugar Cookies?  I've been pretty obsessed with the recipe since discovering it.  The dough comes together in a matter of minutes (I usually double it), it's easy to work with, it freezes well, and the creative possibilities are endless (think every holiday).  This go around, I added a small amount of green food coloring to the dough before adding the flour, and then topped each baked cookie with eyeball sprinkles.  Jack and I wanted to make faces on a few of them, so we melted chocolate chips and used a plastic baggie with the end snipped off to create silly, scary monsters... 

Ok those aren't scary at all.  Can you believe Halloween is less than a week away?  Good thing my son has 3 costumes he can't decide between!  If you feel like getting festive and domestic this weekend, check out the homemade candy I've made in the past.  And don't forget these Butterfingers!

Weekend!  

Panache Pantry Chicken, Pasta + Giveaway

Have you ever heard of gourmet bread crumbs?  I had not, until the nice people of Panache Pantry sent me some samples.  Panache, a company founded by two at-home moms, have taken bread crumbs to a whole new level, whether it be their classic Sicilian line or their more modern products like Banana Nut Curry or Pumpkin Cajun (which I plan on sprinkling over ice cream as soon as I go buy ice cream).  It's such a brilliant, simple idea, and saves you the time of adding fresh herbs and spices to your boring old bread crumbs.  So far, I've sprinkled the Zucchini Rosemary crumbs over pasta...     

...and the Vintage Sicilian with chicken.  Take boneless, skinless chicken breasts, coat with mayo on both sides, sprinkle with bread crumbs on both sides, season with salt and pepper and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Trust me, if you don't like mayo, you will still love this.  It just makes for SUPER moist chicken.  And the Sicilian bread crumbs add such a depth of flavor.  Easiest dinner ever!

SO, Panache Pantry wants to give one of YOU some samples (any 2 crumbs from their 5 lines, your choice)!  Please "like" Panache Pantry on Facebook, comment below to win, and let me know how you would use these crumbs.  I will pick a winner Monday morning (10/28).  Good luck!    

Brown Butter Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Have I ever told you about how I hate Pumpkin Pie?  I hate it, really I do. 

I haven't even tried a piece since I was probably 9 years old, and I won't try it.  You probably think you can get me to eat a bite, but you're wrong.  I will run away from you and your bite, like a bat out of hell.  But the weird thing is... I like pumpkin bread, and pumpkin bars, and pumpkin ravioli, cheesecake, seeds, cookies, etc.  Just get away from me, Pumpkin Pie.  Get far, far away.

Back to me liking pumpkin other things, like cookies.  I decided to make up a recipe on Thursday and I think I did good.  All the autumn-y pumpkin flavor that I love, in the consistency of a cookie (not pie).  I brown butter all year long, but there's something extra special about the nuttiness the flavor offers in autumn time.  I added chocolate chips, because I do that to everything, but white chocolate chips would also be lovely.  If you only have all-purpose flour, that will be fine, but I love what the combination of bread flour and cake flour does for cookies.  They help to provide a chewy interior with a crackly exterior.  Be warned: this dough is sticky, so it's important to refrigerate it for as long as possible, preferably overnight.  But it will be worth the wait.  Happy Fall Without Pumpkin Pie, everyone!    

Brown Butter Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Makes approx. 2 dozen)

Printable Recipe

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups bread flour

3/4 cup cake flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp all spice

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips (or white)

In a small pot, brown butter over medium low heat.  This takes some time, but if you turn the heat too high the butter will burn.  Once it's foams, turns brown and starts to smell nutty - it's ready.  Remove from heat and let cool.  In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together both flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg and cloves.  Set aside.  In a large bowl, beat together with an electric mixer both sugars with browned butter.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing in between.  Add pumpkin and vanilla and mix until fully combined.  Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Cover and refrigerate overnight (or at least an hour).  When ready to bake, remove dough from fridge and preheat oven to 350.  Place rounded spoonfuls (I use an ice cream scooper) on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes.       

More Pumpkin on SD:

Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

Fried Pumpkin Ravioli

Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares

Pumpkin Seeds

Turkey Meatloaf with Chipotle Glaze

Sorry for the delay in posting.  Our internet was down, and I also had a million things on my to-do list to tend to.  I accomplished one of them, in case you were wondering, which was showering this morning.  Anyway,  I digress...

Another reason to purchase this book is for this recipe: Mini Turkey Meatloaf with Chipotle Glaze.  I've made many a meatloaf before, but none with such unique ingredients as this one.  Grated sweet potato and zucchini, sauteed with onions, add flavor, richness and nutrition!  Listen to me, I'm like a pocket of health.  Also, instead of the traditional addition of bread crumbs: oats.  Oats!  It made for one delicious meatloaf.  And I will eat any chipotle anything.  Anything.  I didn't take many pictures because I was eating too much.  Also not on my to-do list.  Oops.    

Spicy Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

It rained in LA yesterday, and on such a rare occasion, everyone gets on board.  Girls plan their entire outfit around Hunter boots, meteorologists pull out their STORM WATCH TWENTY THIRTEEN! voices, Barnes and Nobles sells umbrellas (for real), drivers slow down a good 15 mph and... I make soup.  Coincidentally, I had just come across this recipe for a tomato soup with... grilled cheese croutons???  I would eat dirt if you topped it with grilled cheese croutons.  And these did not disappoint.  I made a few changes to the recipe - omitting the red pepper flakes so my son would eat it (also I called it "red ninja soup" - yeah), using vegetable broth instead of water, adding some minced garlic with the onions, and swapping basil with thyme (which I threw in with the onions and garlic).  It was bright, and delicious, and did I already talk about the GRILLED CHEESE CROUTONS??  

Now it's a beautiful sunny day and I'm sad : (      

Pesto, White Bean and Broccoli Dip

I was sent a copy of The Truly Healthy Family Cookbook by Tina Ruggiero and after a brief page-through I knew it was a keeper.  You can usually tell when a healthy dish will end up stale and flavorless just by reading the recipe, and all of these sound delicious (yes, I read recipes for fun, what's it to you?).  Some of the meals on my to-do list: Risotto with Mushrooms, Butternut Squash and Kale, Mini Salmon Sliders and Turkey Meatloaf with Chipotle Glaze.  Yes, please, all of that.  

Right off the bat I made this Pesto, White Bean and Broccoli Dip because I'm trying to feed my daughter more iron.  Beans and Broccoli are great sources of iron!  Iron, iron, i-ron... that's a weird word.  Anyway.  This was simple to make, yielded a HUGE batch, and was great on pasta or crackers.  

Thanks for the book, Tina!  Recipe here.
  

Pearl Couscous with Roasted Veggies and Pumpkin Seeds

I hereby proclaim it Veggie Week here on Siriously Delicious!!!  (And you will find me use that term loosely, ahem, more on that later...)  After eating every carb and protein in sight in New York City for 2 full weeks, I've been feeling the need to lighten things up.  A bit.  Last night, Carson and I ate like plant-eating dinosaurs and it was a nice change.  This couscous dish accompanied with a simple salad of tomato, avocado and feta was the perfect dinner.  I've always had trouble finding pearl couscous but finally discovered they keep it in the ethnic food aisle.  Go look!  It's so delicious, and kids love it because it more closely resembles pasta.  By "kids" I mean Carson and I, by the way.  You can also find balsamic glaze at most grocery stores, and it is delicious on roasted fall vegetables.  

Please enjoy, like fancy restaurant people say.

Pearl Couscous with Roasted Veggies and Pumpkin Seeds

(Serves 4)

Printable Recipe

2 1/4 cup chicken broth (or water)

2 cups dry pearl couscous

2 cups chopped butternut squash

2 cups chopped brussel sprouts

2 cups chopped mushrooms (I use portobello)

Olive oil

Balsamic glaze 

Salt and pepper

Pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 450.  In a large baking dish, toss chopped vegetables with a generous amount of olive oil and a few drizzles of balsamic glaze.  Season with salt and pepper.  Roast in oven for 30-40 minutes, until vegetables are caramelized.

While vegetables are roasting, bring chicken broth to a boil in a medium pot.  Add couscous, cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes, until broth has absorbed.  Fluff couscous with a fork.

Add couscous to pan of roasted veggies and stir.  Drizzle with a small amount of olive oil, taste for seasoning and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.

Spunky Stork Giveaway Winner

So long for now New York, back to cooking next week.  And after MANY meals out, you can look forward to some lighter recipes.  How do people live in NY and not eat bagels, pizza, hot dogs and pasta ALL, THE, TIME?  I'm large.  Anyway, excited to get back in my kitchen : )

The winner of the Spunky Stork Giveaway is... Lauren Brewer!  Lauren, email me (contact info on top) with size and style preference (see web site).  Have a great weekend Internet Friends!   

One Hungry Yogi

You don't read words like "raw" or "vegan" or "gluten-free" on this blog very often because, well, I don't type those words very often.  It's not that I don't enjoy following a (somewhat) healthy lifestyle (moderation people) it's just that I really enjoy butter and bacon.  That said, I've had readers contact me, asking for vegan ideas or gluten-free ideas and while I do that from time to time, I want to point you in the direction of someone that does that ALL the time.  My future sister-in-law!  She just launched a blog called One Hungry Yogi that chronicles her experiences as a yoga instructor and lover of creating healthy food.  That ice cream above?  RAW.  Frozen banana, cocoa powder and coconut milk.  She even made a chocolate tart the other day out of avocado and sweet potato.  Genius!  Check out the site.

I am so excited for my brother to marry this woman : )  

Spunky Stork Giveaway

As a mother, I'm really excited about this giveaway.  The Spunky Stork, an online baby and toddler clothing boutique dedicated to eco-friendly materials (from organic fabrics to recycled packagings) is offering this adorable "Future Foodie" onesie or toddler T (your choice) to one lucky winner.  Um, can I win??  But you don't have to be a mama to enjoy this giveaway, you just have to know a kid who might like it, or perhaps you just enjoy super tiny T-shirts yourself, ahem... Adam Levine??   

Please visit Spunky Stork, look around, and comment below to win.  You must be an official follower of this blog to qualify, and a winner will be chosen at random on Friday, October 4th.

Good Luck!

p.s. I don't know who that kid is but he, is, CUTE.

Temptation Candy Giveaway Winner

The winner of the Temptation Candy Giveaway is Jamie Leigh Martin!  Thank you all for your comments, it was fun to read what everyone is going as.  My favorite was Niles and Frasier Crane because, my first job in Hollywood was a...

...Production Assistant for the final season of that show!  Oh we were fed well that season.  And I had very blond highlights in my hair.  

As you can see, I'm still out of town and not cooking but I will be offering a new giveaway shortly.  Free things!  I love you people!  (Jamie please email me, contact info up top.)