Irish Car Bomb - triple shot cupcakes

What's better than a beer in one hand and a cupcake in the other?
A chocolate cupcake infused with beer!
In honour of St. Paddy's Day tomorrow, I made alcoholic cupcakes. And to take it a step further, it's IRISH alcohol!
I took a chocolate cake, infused it with espresso beer, filled it with whiskey ganache, and topped it with Irish cream icing!

Unfortunately I don't have any progress pictures for this, but really it's pretty straightforward work.

Here's what you need:
For the cake:
-One box Betty Crocker dark chocolate cake mix (yeah I cheated and used a box this time)
-1 & 1/4 cup stout beer (Guinness is a good one, I ended up using a local espresso brew because I thought the espresso would help bring out the chocolatey flavors)
-3 eggs
-1/2 cup oil

For the ganache:
-8 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate
-2/3 cup heavy cream
-2 Tbsp whiskey (Jameson or preferred brand)
-2 Tbsp room temperature butter or margarine

For the icing:
-one stick (4 oz) room temperature unsalted butter
-1/4 to 1/2 cup Irish cream (Bailey's or preferred brand)
-about one box (3 to 4 cups) powdered sugar

Let's begin!

Start by combining the cake mix, eggs, and oil in a large bowl. Slowly add in the beer, mix carefully because it is very bubbly and can be tricky.
Pour into prepared cupcake tins and bake according to directions on cake mix box.

Meanwhile, break up baking chocolate and place in heat proof bowl.
Pour heavy cream into a small pan and heat on low heat until simmering, constantly stirring so as not to burn.
Pour hot cream over chocolate and let sit for about a minute until chocolate begins to melt. Stir until smooth.
Add whisky and margarine and stir until combined.
Place in fridge until hardened.

For the icing, add unsalted butter to medium bowl and beat with electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Add just a few tablespoons of powdered sugar and mix.
Add Irish cream and mix until evenly combined.
Add more sugar, a little at a time, and combine until smooth to desired consistency.
I used about 3 cups, but started with less because I thought it was the consistency I wanted, until I went to ice the cupcakes and the icing dribbled off them.
If it is too thin, add more sugar; too thick, add a dash more cream.

Once the cupcakes are out of the oven, remove from pan and let cool.

When they are cooled, use a knife or apple corer and remove the center of each cupcake. (Set centers aside to make cake balls if desired, just add a bit of icing, stir, and form into balls. Dip in melted chocolate or candyquik for a coating.)
Once it's set, remove ganache from fridge and pipe into each cupcake.
Add icing and sprinkles and you're finished!

Happy St. Paddy's Day everyone!

Chocolate truffles!!!

It’s been awhile and I am itching to make chocolate truffles. BUT I really want to make some fun new flavors and I need inspiration.

In the past I’ve made nutella, wasabi, pumpkin pie, chili pepper, ginger, as well as various “normal” flavors like cinnamon, peanut butter, and of course plain chocolate.

But this time I really want to make something strange and new! 

If you guys want to see something specific let me know, I'm at least going to do a red wine truffle and a matcha one. Of course I'll post recipes if they turn out well.

I've been working on a list of flavors for a few days and OMG it's becoming pretty extensive. My current goal is adding to the list how to decorate each. Like if I were to make every single flavor here at once, how would I differentiate each one? Colored chocoalte drizzle, colored sprinkles, cookie crumbs, etc...

Anywho, here's my mighty list of what I've come up with so far.

Starbucks inspired:

• Matcha green tea
• White chocolate chai
• Dark chocoalte chai
• Mocha/expresso
• French vanilla
• Pumpkin spice
• Berry hibiscus

Fruity:

• Cherry/cranberry lime
• Key lime
• Strawberries and cream
• Orange creamsicle
• Raspberry cheesecake
• Apple cider/Apple pie
• Banana something fancy, like pie, foster, pudding, idek, split?! OMG banana split. It's decided. Banana vanilla flavored insides, chocolate and strawb flavor outside, topped with sprinkles.
• Pomegranate
• Ginger pear

Alcohol:

• Dark chocolate rum
• Whiskey sour
• Red wine
• Champagne
• Bailey’s
• Kahlua
• Absinthe (basically anise)
• Hot Toddy
• Beer. Probably stout.

Savory:

• Maple bacon
• Wasabi
• Chili pepper
• Salt and pepper
• Lemon pepper
• Naga (sweet curry and coconut)
• Everything bagel?! (I just saw this on a truffle website) "sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried onion, dried garlic, sun-dried tomato, caraway seeds, and Utah sea salt." (Sounds interesting to say the least)

Cookies:

• Gingerbread
• Snickerdoodle
• Girl Scout Samoa (Caramel coconut)
• Thin mint
• Oreo

Random flavors I haven’t categorized:

• Peanut butter
• Nutella
• Cinnamon
• Ginger
• Plain chocoalte (of course)
• Salted caramel
• Earl Grey
• Amaretto
• Coconut
• S’mores
• Creme Brulee
• Lavender
• Butterfinger

1 minute Coffee Cake

So the other night I was watching the kids and D starts pulling out all sorts of baking ingredients; flour, brown sugar, butter, eggs. She's making a big mess and I just kind of ignored it because mentally I was done for the night.
But C comes up and asks her "what are you doing?"
All I heard her say was she was making coffee and I got very confused because these picky kids don't like anything, especially coffee.
But C gets really excited and ran over to the cabinet above the Keurig. Then stops. D laughs because he's gone to the wrong cabinet to grab a mug.
I am now very confused so I ask, "you're making coffee? You actually like coffee? You guys don't need coffee at this time of night!"
D corrects me. "Coffee CAKE! In a mug! Its really easy."

--

So I went home that night pondering coffee cake in a mug, is it really as good as they made it out to be? They're very picky eaters, maybe this is some really good cake!
I try to stay away from the microwave if at all possible, unless I'm heating up leftovers. I've tried other "minute mug" recipes in the past like chocolate cake and chocolate chip cookie, but they never turn out very good. Usually they're tough and chewy and not very flavorful. The chocolate chip cookie I made was more like a cake than a cookie.
But I decided if coffee cake was good enough for the kids, it's good enough for me.
The first time I did it, it fluffed up very nicely, perfect consistency, but it tasted a bit too eggy for my liking.
The second time around I used half an egg. It did not rise at all and was very dense, but tasted much less eggy.
I am determined to get it right, because it is a very yummy and quick breakfast.

Here's the original recipe, if you want to experiment along with me. I will update once I finally get the perfect result.

-1 tbsp butter
-2 tbsp sugar
-1 egg
-a few drops of vanilla
-1/4 cup flour
-1/8 tsp baking powder
-1 tbsp butter
-2 tbsp flour
-1 tbsp brown sugar
-1/4 tsp cinnamon

Add 1 tbsp butter to a mug and soften in the microwave about 5 seconds (try not to melt it.)
Add sugar and stir until blended.
Add egg and vanilla (you really only need a very little amount of vanilla). Stir.
Add flour and baking powder, stir until smooth.
In separate bowl, combine remaining butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Stir until it's a sandy, crumbly consistency.
Pour brown sugar mixture into mug. It looks like a lot but I promise it's not.
Microwave 50-80 seconds depending on your microwave. I've found that exactly a minute is perfect for me.

Homemade Sugar Lip Scrub

Get your lips soft and kissable for the holidays <3

With winter fast approaching, and the cold, dry air moving in, my lips have been getting super chapped.
I have a terrible habit of chewing on my lips once they get all dry and flaky. Then I peel off the skin and my lips are cracked and bloody and it hurts to smile and.... I guess you didn't need to know all that.
But anyway, this year I was determined to find a way to prevent all that mess. And no excess of chapstick was doing the trick.
This past year (maybe it was last year?) I was introduced to the wonderful store LUSH. They are a cosmetics store that make all their own, organic, animal friendly, products.
One of my favorite products of theirs is their Jumping Juniper shampoo bar. It's easy to use, lasts for what feels like forever, and is much nicer on your hair (less stripping) than regular liquid shampoo. But that's not why I'm writing this post.
LUSH has these super yummy lip scrubs. They exfoliate your lips and get rid of that dry, flaky skin so you don't peel it all off.
However the downside to organic, handmade things, is that they tend to fall on the slightly pricey side. One tiny container cost ten dollars for less than an ounce of lip scrub. So I set off to find a recipe of my own that would do the same trick as LUSH's fancy scrubs, but for a less costly result.
After searching Pinterest and Google and the rest of the internet, I got a general idea of what was needed, and then proceeded to ignore every recipe I read, and made my own.

The basic formula goes as follows:

• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil - this moisturizes your lips and makes them nice and soft
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons brown or castor sugar - this is the magical exfoliant

You could stop with just the oil and sugar, but why not add a little flavoring?

• 1/2 teaspoon flavoring - any liquid flavoring like essential oils or extracts
• 1 teaspoon dry flavoring - crushed or powdered stuff like herbs, spices, kool aid (yep!)

Here's what I've concocted:

Vanilla Lavender and Chocolate Mint sugar lip scrubs

Vanilla Lavender lip scrub:

• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons white sugar (not powdered)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon dried lavender flowers

Chocolate Mint lip scrub:

• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder

They are both super yummy and smell fantastic! The chocolate mint is a bit coarser because of the brown sugar, but they both do their job.

How do you use it though!?

Apply it to your lips like you would lip balm. Dab a little on your finger, and rub into your lips. Once you are content, lick the rest off - it is edible after all. Apply a little chapstick afterwards to seal in the moisture and protect your new baby soft lips.

I want to experiment and make all sorts of new flavors like cinnamon sugar, orange clove, pumpkin, and a copycat recipe of LUSH's Popcorn (oh, yes, I have already figured out how to do it! But I'm not sharing that recipe... YET!).

For now, I really should use the stuff I've made before making more... but it's just SO TEMPTING!

Although...

I went out to the dollar store and bought a bunch of little jars to fill. I don't know how long the scrub lasts though, otherwise I'd fill them all and stock up. They'll make good stocking stuffers though.

So fight those dry winter lips with a homemade lip scrub and go get your kisser kissable!

FOOD: PBBPC Sandwich

There is this little restaurant called PB and U and it specializes in peanut butter based foods; smoothies, pizza, fondue, and sandwiches.
But they aren't just ANY peanut butter sandwiches... PB and U makes their own peanut butter and you can choose from a variety of toppings to put on your sandwich including: apples, carrots, cream cheese, bananas, and pretzels. If you can't decide what might go well together; they have recommended combinations to try.
When I first visited I chose to stick with something I knew I was sure to like - PB, nutella, marshmallow fluff, and strawberries. My friends all got something different but the favorite combination of the entire group of friends was the peanut butter, bacon, pickles, and cheddar sandwich.
Now at first it kind of sounds disgusting, but really it's like a bacon cheeseburger, but instead of a burger, it's peanut butter...? Hey, the King of Rock and Roll loved peanut butter and bacon sandwiches. It must not be that bad.
Everyone at the table insisted it was delicious, and I believed them, but being a vegetarian I just HAD to find an alternative to their choice.

So I made a PBBPC sandwich with veggie bacon instead.

Here's what you need:

• Bread
• Natural peanut butter (The natural stuff is what PB and U uses since they make their own, and it tastes much more "authentic" and delicious!)
• Bacon (I used Morning Star veggie bacon)
• Pickles 
• Cheddar cheese

Now the important part; the order of each layer. See, you don't want it to be too dry on one side and too moist on the other, or too crunchy and too soft. Trust me, this is something I worked on for about three sandwiches. It's best when you spread only one slice of the toast with the peanut butter; pickles on top, two layers of bacon (because the more bacon, the better), then the slice of toast with melted cheese. Bread, PB, pickles, bacon, cheese, bread.

Fry up the veggie bacon in a skillet over low to medium heat. Be careful not to overcook them. When I used to eat "normal" bacon, I loved it extra crispy. However, I've found that trying to cook veggie bacon extra crispy is not the best way to do it.
Cook each strip so that they become a light brown color on both sides - after that, they start to burn. You want to avoid that...

Cut up enough cheese to cover one slice of bread.
Place the cheese on one slice of bread. The sandwich is so much better with melted cheese so make sure it gets nice and gooey. I use a toaster oven, but you can toast the bread in a toaster and pop it into the microwave for 30 seconds or throw the bread in a skillet and melt the cheese like a grilled cheese.

Toast the other piece of bread and add your peanut butter. I couldn't tell you how much to put on, as it is a matter of preference; however, (to give you an idea) I like my PB&J's loaded with peanut butter and jelly, but I do not like my PBBPC's loaded with as much.

Now ASSEMBLE!
Place the bacon on top of your cheese toast.
Place the pickles on top of the bacon.
Place the pb toast on top of the pickles. (I'm sure you could have figured that out on your own!)

Cut however you'd prefer (diagonal triangles anyone?), and eat while it's still warm. I'm told it goes great with a glass of milk.

31 Days of Halloween

ABC Family has this thing they do during December where they play 25 Christmas movies leading up to the holiday. But in October they only play 13 Halloween movies!!

I want 31 movies since Halloween is on the 31st, just like Christmas is on the 25th therefore it gets 25 movies. See!?

Thirteen is JUST NOT ENOUGH.

So in protest of ABC Family (as well as not having TV...) I'm making my own list!  It might end up to be more than 31, but why would that be a bad thing?

Here's where I'm at so far:

1. Evil Dead (2013)
2. Absentia
3. Nightmare Before Christmas
4. House at the End of the Street
5. Thirteen Ghosts
6. Slither
7. Pet Semetary
8. The Shining
9. Donnie Darko
10. Coraline
11. Trick R Treat
12. The Cabin in the Woods
13. House on Haunted Hill
14. Tucker and Dale vs. Evil
15. Carrie
16. Frankenweenie
17. Evil Dead 2
18. Possession
19. Paranormal Activity 4 (why we chose to watch this in the first place... idek...)
20. Hocus Pocus
21. Zombie eXs (YAY!)
22. Freddy vs. Jason
23. The Alphabet Killer
24. Practical Magic
25. Devil

Any suggestions are much appreciated!! :)

FOOD: Taco Soup? Corn and Black Bean Chili!!

As Summer began to come to a close, I quickly felt Fall approaching. And then all my Fall needs and wants began to kick in...

The past few weeks I've really been in the mood for soup. All sorts of flavorful, hearty, soups! I even have a special board on Pinterest dedicated to soups only.

Yesterday I finally decided which soup I was going to make first. Taco Soup! Taco soup is just what the name says, a taco in soup form. It's a tomato based soup, with various beans, corn, ground beef, and taco seasoning (of course!)

I really wanted to cook this in my mini crock pot while Matt and I were at work, that way it'd be all ready to go when we got home. So I put everything together, and when I came home, the crock pot had just about overflowed! So I learned that I cannot fill my crockpot up so full when cooking something that will release juices. AND this experiment ended up being more like a chili anyway, not a very liquidy soup. Next time I'm sure I'll figure it out...

Here's what you need:

• 1/2 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn
• 1/2 (15 oz) can black beans
• 1/2 (15 oz) can pinto beans (or other bean of your choosing)
• 1 small can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with habanero peppers (you may choose "green chillies" for a more mild flavor)
• 1 1/2 tsp. taco seasoning
• 1/2 package Lightlife "Smart Ground" soy crumbles
• Shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)
• Tortilla chips (optional)

Here's the easy part!

Combine all ingredients except cheese and chips into the crock pot. Stir well.

Cover and heat on high for at least an hour. Return to low and let sit until ready to eat.

Top with shredded cheese for garnish and either garnish with chips, or use them as spoons (because who doesn't enjoy eating with their hands!?)

**My recipe is adapted to a 1.5 qt crock pot, it was just enough chili for 4 servings. Doubling it may require extra cooking time to warm up all parts of the chili**