Oh good grief!  I'm up to my eyeballs in strawberries!  And you know me, I just can't let them go to waste!  I had an appearance on Carolina Kitchen where I used strawberries, then a photoshoot where I used strawberries and then I had an event I catered that wanted strawberry cupcakes and so...I have to get rid of these darned strawberries!!  ha!  So if I didn't before, I do now...

So, here are the muffin tops without making the muffins!  5 - 7 min prep and 8 min to bake.  That's some serious Iron Cheffin' I think!!

Side note:  If you don't have strawberries, then blueberries, blackberries, peaches, apricots - any fruit would be fine.  I just migh omit the cloves.  And if you use bananas, don't use that in your cream cheese because it will discolor and look ugly.  Always be sure the fruit is purreed, no matter which you use!

Strawberry Muffin Tops with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine all dry ingredients.
2. Combine all wet ingredients.
3. Mix wet and dry ingredients until well combined.
4. Drop 1 T. batter onto cookie sheet sprayed w/ nonstick spray and back 8-10 minutes (mine were fine in 8 min).

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 4 T. cream cheese, softened
• 1 tsp. purreed strawberries
• 1/3 c. powdered sugar

1. Combine all ingredients and whisk until well combined.
2. Top muffin tops when completely cool to the tough (best if cooled on a wire rack).
3. Enjoy!

Delicious Carrot Cake with Bourbon Cream Cheese Frosting

2 c. grated carrots
1/4 c. spiced rum
2 snack-size boxes of raisins
1 c. light brown sugar
4 eggs
1/2 c. applesauce
1 - 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple, drained
3 c. all purpose flour, sifted
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
4 T. Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 c. chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Bourbon Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 - 8 oz pkgs cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
1 1/3 c. 10 x powdered sugar
2 T. bourbon
1/2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Mix grated carrots and 1 c. brown sugar. Pour rum over raisins in a small bowl. Allow both to set for 1 hour (I soaked my raisins in the refridgerator overnight).
2. Beat 4 eggs together until they become light yellow in color.
3. Slowly add sugar and applesauce.
4. Stir in pineapple.
5. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.
6. Stir in flour mixture, just until dry ingredients are moistened.
7. Stir rum, raisins and carrot mixture together. Scoop out the raisins and carrots and add to cake batter. Do not add the liquid.
8. Fold in to batter.
9. Grease and flour 2 - 10" cake pans (DO NOT USE DARK CAKE PANS! THE EDGES WILL GET TOO CRISPY AND THEY COULD BURN!). I use non-stick spray with flour. You can find it in your "oil" aisle at the grocer.
10. Bake for 35-50 minutes (until cakes spring back to the touch or when toothpick comes out clean).
11. Cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto cooling racks and cool for an additional 10-20 minutes. Do not frost cakes until completely cool.

Frosting:

Prepare frosting while carrots and raisins are soaking and then put in fridge to thicken.

1. Cream together cream cheese and butter. Make sure they are WELL blended! No lumps!
2. Add powdered sugar, 1/3 c. at a time.
3. Add bourbon and pumpkin pie spice.
4. Mix until smooth and refridgerate until ready to use.
5. Frost cake with an off-set cake spatula (the shape makes it very fast and easy to do).
6. Place cake on top of 2 pieces of parchment paper or wax paper so that you don't make a mess of your plate.
7. Apply frosting to first layer and spread nearly to edges.
8. Add 2nd layer and frost the top.
9. Add frosting to edges of cake and quickly frost around the sides of cake as the frosting "drips" over the sides.
10. Carefully remove parchment paper (place cake spatula gently under cake and slowly lift, if necessary).
 Enjoy!

Last weekend, we celebrated 95 amazing years with my great-grandmother, Mom Buck.  I miss her like crazy already, but I am so grateful to have had her influence in my life. To celebrate her life and love of cooking, I thought I'd create a recipe combining 2 of her favorite things: Bacon and Butter Pecan Ice Cream.  You don't have to make the Butter Pecan Ice Cream from scratch, but man, I've never had ice cream so delicious (even if I did write the recipe!).  I hope you enjoy this as much as I've enjoyed writing it! 

To Mom Buck - I love you and I know that it probably tasted better in Heaven than it does here! 

I have entered this recipe in two contests.  One contest is the 2010 Ice Cream Cupcake Roundup sponsored by Cupcake Project and Scoopalicious. Wish me luck!

Topped with candied bacon bits

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup butter, softened

• 1 T. bacon drippings, cooled (brown 6 slices of thick bacon and chop for topping, reserve 1 T. for this and 1 T. drippings for frosting)

• 2/3 cup brown sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/3 cup plain yogurt

• 1/3 cup maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350F.

1. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners (if desired).

2. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

3. In another large mixing bowl, cream together butter, bacon drippings and brown sugar until light.

4. Beat in eggs, one at a time, followed by vanilla extract.

5. Stir in yogurt and maple syrup.

6. Gradually blend in the flour mixture, stirring only until batter is just combined.

7. Divide evenly into muffin cups.

8. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.

9. Cool completely before frosting.

Homemade Butter Pecan Ice Cream

• 1/3 cup chopped pecans

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 3/4 brown sugar

• 4 egg yolks, beaten

• 1 c. half-and-half

• 1 c. heavy cream

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

   

1. In a small skillet over medium heat, saute pecans in butter until lightly browned, stirring frequently.

2. Set aside.

3. Combine the creams in a saucepan and heat them until they simmer.

4. Combine yolks and sugar, mix well. Slowly add a cup of simmering liquid to the egg mixture to temper the eggs, then pour the warmed egg mixture into the saucepan and cook the mixture until it coats the back of a wooden spoon.

5. Remove from heat and add vanilla and buttered pecans.

6. Cool in the refrigerator a few hours and then mix in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

• 1/2 c. butter, softened

• 1 T. bacon drippings

• 2 T. maple syrup

• 2-3 T. heavy cream

• 2-3 c. powdered sugar

• 2 T. bacon bits (reserve drippings for cupcakes and this frosting)

   

1. Combine butter, maple syrup and bacon drippings and mix until combined.

2. Add heavy cream and 2 cups confectioners sugar in a large bowl and beat at medium-high speed until smooth.

3. Add remaining sugar in gradually until frosting reaches desired thickness.

4. If the frosting gets too thick, add more milk and if too thin, add more sugar, gradually.

5. Stir in bacon bits and pipe onto cupcakes, on top of a scoop of butter pecan ice cream.

6. Serve immediately and enjoy!

   
   

Let me know if you try it!

36 Million Americans call apple pie their favorite pie flavor. And this award-winning recipe, with its flaky, buttery short-crust and chunky, caramelized apples, will make it your favorite, too.

FIRST PLACE WINNING RECIPE
As seen on Food Network and featured by The American Pie Council at  http://piecouncil.org/
recipe and photos courtesy of Chef Dawn Viola of www.dawnviola.com

Vanilla-Vanilla Bean Roasted Apple Pie

Ingredients:
For the crust:
2 1/2 cups Organic all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting/rolling
2 teaspoons Salt
1 tablespoon Vanilla powder
3 tablespoons Organic sugar
1 Vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
20 tablespoons (10 ounces) unsalted European style butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 tablespoon Apple cider vinegar, chilled
6 - 8 tablespoons Ice water (plus more if needed)


For the filling:
4 tablespoons European style butter
12 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced in large chunks
1 Vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
2 teaspoons Ground cinnamon
1 cup Organic sugar
4 tablespoons Organic all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
1/2 cup Apple cider
1 tablespoon heavy cream


For the egg wash:
1 egg
1 tablespoon of cream
Coarse sugar


Directions:
Measure out all ingredients and place in the freezer for 15 minutes. Place the food processor blade and bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Make the dough:
Place the food processor bowl back on the motor with the blade, as directed by the manufacturer. Combine flour, salt, vanilla powder, sugar and vanilla bean seeds in the food processor; pulse to mix.

Add butter cubes and pulse 10 times, or until the mixture begins to resemble coarse meal with varying sizes of fat-pea-sized + some larger and some smaller.

Add the vinegar and pulse to mix. Add one tablespoon of water at a time, pulsing to incorporate, until the mixture begins to clump together. Pinch some of the dough in your hand. If it sticks together, the dough is ready. If the dough does not stick to itself, add another tablespoon of water, pulse, and pinch the dough together again. Repeat until the dough holds together without being overly wet. Dough should be slightly crumbly, but hold together when pinched.

Remove dough from the food processor and transfer to a work surface. Divide the dough into two equal parts and gently shape into two flat round discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Prepare the apples:
Preheat the broiler. Add apples, vanilla bean seeds, cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of the sugar to a roasting pan; toss apples to coat. Broil until the tops of the apples begin to brown. Apples can burn easily under the broiler, so don’t walk too far away. Toss apples as soon as you notice browning. Once apples are caramelized (but not cooked through), remove from heat and add the remaining sugar, the flour, vanilla extract and salt.

Add the apple cider and cream, stir to incorporate. Taste for seasoning – add additional salt, sugar, vanilla or cinnamon to taste.


Finish the pie:
Place a 9” pie plate into the freezer. Remove one dough disc from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 5 - 10 minutes, or just long enough for it to become easy to roll, but still chilled. Lightly flour your work surface and roll dough out to a 12" circle, between 1/8 - 1/4" thick. Place in the bottom of the chilled 9” pie plate. Return to the refrigerator to chill. Remove after 5 minutes and add apples. Dot the top of the apples with remaining butter.

Remove second dough disc and roll out to a 12” circle on a lightly floured surface. Place on top of the apples and pinch the top and bottom dough edges together to enclose the apples. Add decorative edge if desired, and slice 1” air vents around the top of the pie.


Make the egg wash:
Beat the egg in a small dish and mix in cream. Lightly brush the egg wash over the top of the pie and along the edges. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.


Bake:Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Cover edges with aluminum foil if browning too quickly. Turn the pie in the oven, and continue to cook for another 15 minutes. Continue to cook in 7 minute intervals, as needed, until the crust is golden brown and flakey.

Cool:
Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least two hours before cutting and serving.

I hope everyone had a GREAT 4th of July!  LET FREEDOM RING! 

I am experiencing all kinds of freedom in my life and hope that you are, too.  Be well, be happy and BE KOOKY!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

   1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
   2.Grease an 8x8 inch baking pan.
   3.In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking soda.
   4. Mix well with a fork, then stir in oil, vinegar, and vanilla extract.
   5.When dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened, pour in cold water and stir until batter is smooth.
   6.Stir in chocolate chips and pour batter into prepared pan.
   7. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
   8.Cool on a rack.
   9.Frost with your favorite chocolate fudge frosting!

I am on a dessert kick lately.  Going to be blogging some great entrees coming up!