Sweet Tooth Fairy-- Black and White Chocolate Cupcakes

Black and White Chocolate Cupcakes

By Megan Faulkner Brown (’02), Sweet Tooth Fairy Owner and Cupcake Wars Winner

http://www.thesweettoothfairy.com/

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup and 2 tablespoons dark chocolate cocoa

1½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup sour cream 

3 eggs

¾ cup ready-to-eat chocolate pudding 

½ cup butter, melted 

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake pan cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds until well combined.

Add wet ingredients and mix on medium speed for 1 minute. Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl and resume mixing on medium speed for an additional minute. Stop mixer and fold in chocolate chips.

Fill the prepared cupcake liners with batter 3/4 full. Bake about 15-18 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

White Chocolate Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, softened 

¼ cup butter, softened 

1 cup white chocolate chips or 6 ounces white chocolate, melted 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

2⅓ cups powdered sugar 

To make the frosting, beat cream cheese and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 1 minute. Add melted chocolate and vanilla; mix for an additional minute. Add powdered sugar gradually, beating until light and fluffy after each addition.

Spread the frosting on the chocolate cupcakes. Garnish with fresh raspberries, mini chocolate chips, or chocolate sprinkles.

Freezer meals

I have a request can you guys post your favorite freezer meal recipes? I am in a rut and looking for motivation!

Pasta Primavera with Italian Turkey Sausage

I was searching out recipes to use all the yellow squash and zucchini that I got in the last few bountiful baskets that I picked up. I came across this one, and while it isn't vegan, whole grain, etc... I still feel it is a pretty healthy dinner option because of all the veggies, the sausage is turkey & the little amount of cheese. 

I made this last night for dinner, and it was SO YUMMY!

(I followed the recipe exactly and the only thing I think I would change is use just a little less olive oil... but that is just my opinion)

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package uncooked farfalle pasta
• 1 pound hot Italian turkey sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
• 4 cloves garlic, diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 small zucchini, chopped
• 2 small yellow squash, chopped
• 6 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 20 leaves fresh basil
• 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place farfalle in pot and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente; drain.
2. Place sausage in a large skillet over medium heat and cook until evenly brown; set aside. Heat 1/4 cup oil in skillet. Stir in garlic and onion, and cook until tender. Mix in zucchini, squash, tomatoes, bell pepper and basil. Dissolve bouillon in the mixture. Season with red pepper. Stir in remaining oil. Continue cooking 10 minutes.
3. Mix pasta, sausage and cheese into skillet. Continue cooking 5 minutes, or until heated through.

Not your average Tuna Casserole

Green Smoothie

I know others have posted recipes for these but sometimes it's good to mix it up a little. Especially if you're making them daily. Also, my measurements aren't exact because I measure more by my blender and everybody likes their smoothies different thicknesses.

Green Smoothies


-1 1/2 c juice or tang
-1-2 Tbsp coconut oil
-1/4 c oat groats or steel cut oats
-sprinkling of true lime (a crystallized lime that comes in a spice bottle) or 1 lime, squeezed
-4-8 oz plain homemade yogurt or greek yogurt
-two handfuls of spinach

Blend together then add:
-1 banana
-a few handfuls of frozen fruit (I like the costco bag w/strawberries, pineapple, mango, and papaya)
-handful of frozen or fresh grapes
-1 cup ice.

Serves: 1 adult & 2 children

Brown Rice

This may seem a little obvious... but I have spent YEARS trying to make a perfect brown rice! I came across this method, and I will not EVER try to make it any other way again.

Ingredients:

brown rice (any amount)

water (use AT LEAST 4 c, per one c of rice)

Method:

Rinse rice in a strainer under cold running water for 30 seconds, swirling the rice around with your hand. Meanwhile bring water to a boil in a large pot over HIGH heat. When the water boils, add the rice, stir it once. Turn heat to MEDIUM and boil, UNCOVERED for 30 MINUTES, stirring occasionally. After 30 minutes, pour rice into a strainer over the sink. Let the rice drain for 10 seconds, then return to pot, OFF THE HEAT. Immediately cover the pot with TIGHT lid and set aside to allow the rice to steam. If your lid isn't extremely tight, cover lid with aluminum foil. After 20 minutes, uncover rice, fluff with fork, season to taste & serve!

*Bonus- you have a perfectly clean pot when done! No sticky rice mess to clean up :)

Chicken Bowtie salad

As requested, this is what I brought to Lindseys last week.
This is the recipe halved, hence a few odd amounts, so you can double it is you are feeding an army.

3 Chicken Breasts, cooked and cubed
12 oz. Package of Bow tie Pasta-When I double it I do one package of bow tie and one package of colored curly noodles
1/2 Can of pineapple tidbits-save the juice
1 1/2 Cubed Apples-soak in the pineapple juice for 5 minutes or so to keep them from turning brown
1 Cup Water Chestnuts- coarsely chopped
1 Cup grapes-this is my favorite part so I usually do more
4 oz. Cashews-walnuts, pecan or almonds would be good too
1 Cup Chopped Celery
2 Diced Green Onions
4 oz. Coleslaw Dressing
4 oz. Mayonnaise

Combine all the ingredients and stir. Make it the day before and refrigerate over night. Before serving, stir and add more dressing if needed. I always add more, maybe even the same amount that went in before, 1/2 cup of each.

Spaghetti & Meatballs

Ingredients

6 portions of lean ground turkey (about 1 1/2 lbs)
2 egg whites
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup water
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp ground black pepper
3 cups low-fat marinara pasta sauce
6 portions spaghetti (about 12 oz uncooked)
1/4 cup reduced fat parmesan cheese

Directions

preheat broiler
mix turkey, egg white, breadcrumbs, water, onion, garlic, parsley, basil and black pepper. mix thoroughly and then shape into 1 1/2 inch meatballs.
arrange on baking sheet and place under brouler for 10 to 12 minutes, turning occassionally until they are browned on all sides.
in a large saucepan, combine pasta sauce and cooked meatballs. Simmer over low heat until warmed thoroughly, about 20 minutes.
while the pasta sauce is simmering prepare spaghetti according to its package directions

This is a Body for Life recipe and actually the best spaghetti I've ever had. I usually use ground beef instead of the ground turkey. Also the longer you simmer the sauce the better it tastes. I try to simmer my spaghetti sauce for t least a couple hours. I buy my spaghetti sauce and my favorites are Safeway Select brand or Trader Giotto's Bolognese from Trader Joe's. Also I have found that if you eat wheat noodles, the thin spaghetti noodles are the best.

Carly this ones for you...

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce:
2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic (or 1 t. ready-to-use garlic)
1 onion, chopped (I only use 1/2 of a very small onion, I'm not much of a
chunky/onion-y person:)
1/2-1 lb ground beef (I only do 1/2 lb)
23 oz of tomato juice (so 1/2 of a large 46 oz can pictured)
2 cans of 6 oz tomato paste (or one 12 oz can--whatever is in your pantry:)
2 cans of 8 oz tomato sauce (or one 15 oz can)
1 t salt
1/2 t nutmeg
1 bay leaf
~3 dried chili peppers


Combine olive oil, garlic and chopped onion and brown in frying pan. Add ground beef and cook until gray in color (do not brown.) Pour off excess fat.It will look like this:

Then add tomato products, and seasonings. I put in bay leaf and peppers at the very end. Cover and let simmer for abt an hour, flavor improves with slow cooking.

**Keep in mind this is an old family recipe so you can change it however you'd like--add more meat, more peppers depending on how spicey etc. I would def. use Hunts paste and sauce, it seems to turn out better. Also, my mom would let it simmer all day long sometimes and it turned out good. I only use this on spaghetti--I tried it in lasagna once and didn't love it. It freezes very well so after feeding my family I usually pour the rest into 3 different containers so I can use it for 3 more meals!

Snowy Buddies

Have you guys had these? Oh my, they are good! You just take the good old Chex Muddy Buddies recipe and exchange the chocolate chips for white chocolate chips, I like this brand that you can find at Macey's:



9 cups rice Chex cereal
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 t. vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In a small microwavable bowl, zap chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter for 1 minute; stir until smooth. Microwave about 30 seconds longer if needed. Stir in vanilla.

Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2 gal resealable platic bag.

Add powdered sugar. Seal bag;shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in fridge.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

I thought this looked like a good recipe if you ever have to host a brunch or something...(click on link below)

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Pasta with tomato cream sauce

This one's for you Carly! I made this meal last week and everyone (including the baby) loved it!

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
4 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 cans (15 Ounce Each) Tomato Sauce Or Marinara Sauce
Salt And Pepper, to taste
Dash Of Sugar (more To Taste)
1 cup Heavy Cream
Grated Parmesan Or Romano Cheese, To Taste
Fresh Basil, Chopped
1-1/2 pound Fettuccine

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.

Heat butter and oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for a minute or so. Pour in tomato sauce and add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Stir and cook over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and stir in cream. Add cheese to taste, then check seasonings. Stir in pasta and chopped basil and serve immediately. (Thin with pasta water before adding basil if needed.)

by Pioneer Woman

Spaghetti

I have a favor to ask all of you. My husband has claimed to not like spaghetti our entire married life. This has been very distressing to me because spaghetti is a wonderful meal for so many reasons (easy, cheap, good food storage, etc). Just recently, he has said he might like it if I found a good recipe for the sauce. Would any of you mind sharing your favorite spaghetti sauce? Do you make it homemade or do you have a favorite brand? I would love to be able to add spaghetti to our list of go-to meals!

Thanks!

Whole Grain Flour

Okay, so I am SUPER excited to share this and I hope at least one of you love this as much as I do.

I ran across this girls website/blog a few years ago and have been following her ever since. I think she has some great ideas and ways of incorporating whole foods into your diet that don't seem super radical. But one of my favorite things she introduced me to was her white flour substitute. I have been trying to eliminate white flour from our diet over the last few year. But you can't make chocolate chip cookies with wheat flour, right? Anyways so far I've made pancakes, muffins and cookies with this whole grain flour and they've been delicious and you feel so much better knowing it's whole grain.

Here is the link to the video for the whole grain flour:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP_4i0ksNAs

Pretty much it's equal parts spelt, barley, and brown rice. Mix and put through the wheat grinder.

Here is a link to her website as well:

http://www.unconventionalkitchen.com/

Enjoy!

Hot Fudge

Hot fudge is a current weakness of mine....just add it to the growing list.

1 cup butter
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups white sugar
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract



Combine butter, cocoa, sugar and evaporated milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and boil for 7 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Carefully pour hot mixture into a blender and blend for 2 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately. Store in refrigerator.

Yogurt

A friend of mine introduced me to homemade yogurt. It's so easy and really good. I prefer it to store bought yogurt, but honestly it's pretty close. I tried to do the math to see how much it saves you, but it really depends on how much you pay for milk and powdered milk. I bought a gallon of milk for about $3 and a 10 cup container of powdered milk for about $10 and the total cost of the yogurt came to $0.04/oz. My favorite way to eat this is with Nichole's granola and fresh fruit.

Ingredients:

1 gallon whole* milk
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla
4 cups powdered milk
Small** container plain yogurt

Bring approx. half of the milk and all of the sugar to a boil. Take off heat. Mix together the other half of the milk, vanilla, powdered milk, and yogurt. Pour the hot milk mixture into the cold milk mixture and stir. Pour into jars (I use mason jars). Put lids on the jars, then wrap each jar in a dish towel like you were wrapping a present. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees, then turn off once it's heated. Put the towel-covered jars in the warm oven and leave overnight. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Makes 5 quarts.

*I've also used 2% milk before, it just makes the yogurt a little thinner.
**I just buy the smallest, cheapest container I can find. You can even use your own yogurt as a starter, I just always forget to save some!

Creamy Hot Chipotle Dip

Make this....you'll thank me. I had this at a party over Christmas, I don't have a picture, but I don't want to lose the recipe, so I'm putting it here.

1 cup sour cream
1 8 oz. package cream cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
2 Tbsp. chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 tsp. chicken flavored bullion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp. lime juice
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 2 qt. baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Combine sour cream, cream cheese, 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, peppers and bullion. Bake 20 minutes. Stir in cilantro and line and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until melted, about 2 minutes.

Pretzel Jello Salad

This was my contribution to a few of the parties we went to this Christmas. Since it was a hit, I figured it was post worthy. It has been debated if it is a side dish or a dessert. To that I say, who cares, its just yummy.


Ingredients

2 cups crushed pretzels
3/4 cup melted butter
3 tablespoons sugar, plus 3/4 cup sugar
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 (8-ounce) container whipped topping
2 (3-ounce) packages strawberry or raspberry gelatin dessert mix
2 cups boiling water
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen strawberries or mixed berries
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple
Whipped topping or whipped cream, to garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

For the crust, mix the pretzels, butter, and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Press this mixture into a 9 by 13-inch pan and bake for 7 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and 3/4 cup of sugar. Fold in the whipped topping, and spread over the cooled crust. Refrigerate until well chilled.

In a small bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water, and allow to cool slightly. Add the strawberries and pineapple, and pour over the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate until serving time.

To serve, cut slices and serve with a dollop of whipped topping.

What are we all making for Christmas morning breakfast?

Easy and Fast Greek Gyros

I made this last night and it was delicious, healthy and easy.

Serves 4

Ingredients
FOR THE GYRO FILLING:
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
½ pounds Sliced Deli Roast Beef (cut in strips)
6 drops Worcestershire Sauce
4 dashes Lemon Pepper
2 dashes Paprika
2 teaspoons Garlic Powder, Divided
6 dashes Black Pepper
_____
FOR THE TZATZIKI SAUCE:
2 whole Cucumber, Divided Use *one was plenty
2 containers 8oz Greek Yogurt *12 oz was plenty
1 whole Red Onion, Divided Use *1/2 was plenty
4 dashes White Wine Vinegar
1 teaspoon Dill
1 teaspoon Salt
_____
FOR ASSEMBLY:
4 slices Naan Bread Or Any Flatbread
2 whole Tomato, Sliced
¼ pounds Feta Cheese, Diced
¾ pounds Canned Black Olives Sliced *didn't add
*I added spinach

Preparation Instructions
For gyro filling:
Heat olive oil in a skillet and add beef, worcestershire sauce, a dash of lemon pepper, paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, black pepper, and heat the beef. Let it sit on low heat while tzatziki sauce is prepared.
For Tzatziki sauce:
Finely dice half of the cucumber and combine with yogurt, 1/4 of the red onion finely diced, vinegar, and all remaining seasonings.
Spray your flatbread with cooking spray and put it under the broiler until it is soft and warmed through. Fill it with a generous amount of roast beef, followed by lots of tzatziki sauce, feta cheese, tomato, cucumber, and black olives.

Turkey & Quinoa Meatloaf

• 1/4 cup quinoa
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, chopped
• 1 (20 ounce) package ground turkey
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon water

1. Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute; remove from heat to cool.
4. Stir the turkey, cooked quinoa, onions, tomato paste, hot sauce, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire, egg, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until well combined. The mixture will be very moist. Shape into a loaf on a foil lined baking sheet. Combine the brown sugar, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire, and 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Rub the paste over the top of the meatloaf.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 50 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Let the meatloaf cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

weight watcher's zero point garden vegetable soup

6 cups broth Cooking spray
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
4 teaspoons garlic (from a jar or substitute four cloves minced garlic)
1/2 cabbage, chopped
1/2 pound frozen green beans
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large zucchini, diced

Spray a pot or dutch oven with cooking spray and heat on MEDIUM HIGH. Add the carrots, onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the zucchini and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to MEDIUM and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the beans are tender. Add the zucchini and cook until the zucchini are tender. Serve and enjoy!

NUTRITION ESTIMATE

Per Cup: 61 Cal (3% from Fat, 24% from Protein, 73% from Carb); 4 g Protein; 0 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 13 g Carb; 3 g Fiber; NetCarb10; NetCarb10; 52 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 701 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers ... hmmm ... 1 point