Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes



I'm over HERE today, sharing the recipe for these YUMMY cupcakes!  Come over, drop by, and say HI!  Would love to see you @ the Giant Blog of Cooking, Crafting, and other fun activities!

Happy Cooking!

Teauna

Sunday, July 24, 2011

My Excuse!

Hey there!  I'm sorry I have been MIA for a while!  I've been cooking and baking up a storm, just haven't had the time to post anything on here!  I have been sooo busy baking and decorating cakes and cupcakes, catering a dutch oven dinner for 25 and LOVING EVERY SINGLE MINUTE OF IT!  I just thought I'd take a minute to share with you what I've been working on :) 


A Chocolate Birthday Cake for one of my favorite cowboys, Kyler! 

Just a close-up of the chocolate picture on the top of his cake... I loved this! 



A cake I just was playing with because I was bored.... But it turned out cute :)

A special order Birthday Cake for a cute little girl from my hometown!


A Wedding Cake for my beautiful friend, Tracy.... I was so pleased with how it turned out!


A half-sheet cake to serve at Tracy's reception! Complete with black drop flowers with pearl centers!
 
So, see?!  I'm really not totally slacking... Just on my posting!  But I'll make it up to you! I PROMISE!!

Happy Cooking,
Teauna

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Menu Board Monday Edition # 17: Chicken Alfredo & Barbeque Chicken Sandwiches

Hello everyone!  And happy Tuesday! I know, I know... it's almost Wednesday and I'm already late on posting Menu Board Monday... again!  This whole busy summer thing is killin' me!  I feel like it's been forever since I've posted on my blog, but the time has flown by and I haven't had the chance 'til now to get something on here!  Of course, as I'm baking or throwing a meal in the pot for dinner, I take pictures with great intentions, but then, I. Fall. Asleep.  For the last three nights, I have woke up half-way thru the night on the living room floor.  I'll sit down with the kids for a moment to relax and I'm OUT for the count!  So, there you have it... my excuse: SLEEP! I can't seem to get enough!
For those of you that keep up with my blog, you know that I make my significant other's meals for the time he goes to work.  Well, his shift changed a little while back and he is now gone for a week at a time.  So, that means, I make 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 7 dinners, & morning and night snacks for 7 days. Thursdays used to be the dreaded day. Now it's Mondays. They never have been my favorite day...but now... ICK! Don't get me wrong... it's not that I don't enjoy cooking and baking. It's just that 7 days worth all at once gets real tiring and REALLY HOT in the kitchen!
So this week, my brain is already baffled with the dinner to cater and the wedding cake to be made and delivered, so I didn't want to think too hard about meals.  So... as I was walking thru Sam's Club, I passed the Rotisserie Chickens.  Then I turned on my back-up beaper and returned to the Rotisserie Chickens.  You know, for $5, you can take home a perfectly-seasoned, slow roasted, large-for-a-chicken size chicken.  I bought TWO! I mean, seriously.... my time saved is well-worth that $5 spent on a chicken!  The wheels inside my head were turning and I came up with all sorts of ideas of how I could use them!
I decided to shred one and add barbeque sauce, sending a bag of rolls for shredded barbequed chicken sandwiches... and to make some alfredo sauce, adding some shredded chicken and pouring it over cooked pasta.  Of course, you can't forget the crispy, garlic bread! Oh how I LoVe garlic bread!  Anyhow... as most of you already know... I do make dinner. OFTEN, actually.  But I have this HUGE problem with just throwing things together.  My alfredo sauce is one of those things! I'll try to interpret the recipe to you.  Hope I don't confuse the hell out of ya!  If I do... I'm sorry!  I'll try to be better;)

Barbeque Chicken Sandwich
From Cupboard to Cupboard

1 Rotisserie chicken
1 bottle of Kraft Honey barbeque sauce
yummy rolls

Shred your chicken.  I shred it with my hands then use two forks to pull it apart.  Poor the barbeque sauce over it and stir well to combine.  Put on your roll and there you have dinner!  YUMMY!


Chicken Alfredo
From Cupboard to Cupboard

meat from 1/2 rotisserie chicken (I like the breast meat:) )
pasta of choice, cooked as directed on package

1 8 oz package cream cheese
1 cube butter
1 1/2 cups or so of chicken broth (or just use a can)
1 pint heavy cream
1/4-1/2 cup shredded parmesan
sprinkle of onion salt
sprinkle of garlic salt ( I use california style )

For the sauce: melt cream cheese and butter in medium pot over medium heat.  When completely melted, slowly whisk is chicken broth.  Whisk real well to combine.  Add remaining ingredients, turn to low and simmer.  It will thicken in about 5-10 minutes.  Cook and drain pasta. Shred chicken... add shredded chicken to sauce and pour over drained pasta.  Serve with garlic bread! :) Enjoy! 

* Sometimes I add about 2 oz of velveeta, cubed.. or shredded sharp cheddar cheese just for a stronger cheese flavor.  Change it up as you please! It's so good!


Happy Cooking!

Teauna

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

This morning when I woke up, my kids were standing over my motionless body, which of course, scared the HELL right out of me!  After I had a minute to gather my thoughts and breathe a few deep breaths to mellow down my heart rate and quit seeing stars {yes, they really did scare me... and I was seeing stars}, they oh-so-sweetly asked me if I would get up and start baking so they could sell some goodies to passers-by.  Lucky for them I was up half the night looking at recipes online.  And... I had to fill the cookie jar anyway.  So, I got myself up off my couch {where I fell asleep just a couple hours prior} and got to work making Carrot Cake Cupcakes. For some reason, I just can't get enough carrot cake lately! I found this recipe here.  They were really easy and really good.  I didn't add chopped nuts, however, because ya just never know who might be allergic and try to sue ya or something! :) Not going to chance that one!  So, I made 24 Carrot Cake Cupcakes and a huge batch of these chocolate chip cookies!  We threw some bottled water  in the freezer to chill them quickly and made some signs, laminating them so we wouldn't have to make more in the future.  {Oh the joys of having a laminator:)}  The kids did really well and it was fun to look out the window and see a line-up of cars... what was I thinking... I never took a picture.  They made out like bandits and made nearly $20.  This is going to be our "We're Outta Here" fund.  One day, we're just going to take off and do something spontaneous and fun!  But we're going to have to sell a bunch more, as $20 won't fill up 1/2 the gas tank:(  Gotta love summer and the fun memories we can make! 


this picture came from my cell phone... not the greatest quality, sorry :(

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
original recipe from Java Cupcake
adapted by From Cupboard to Cupboard
printable recipe

1 pound carrots, peeled and grated
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1/3 cup vanilla yogurt
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
**read notes below**

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line 24 muffin cups with liners.  In a medium bowl, combine: flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger & nutmeg and whisk until combined.  In mixing bowl, place carrots, eggs, sugar, oil, yogurt and vanilla. Mix until combined.  Add flour to carrot mixture and mix until combined.  Fill each liner 2/3- 3/4 full. (Mine overflowed a bit but they were just big cupcakes:) ) Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one cupcake comes out clean.  Let cool for 5 minutes, transfer to wire rack to cool completely. 

Cream Cheese Frosting
From Cupboard to Cupboard

3/4 cup butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese
1 pound powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Cream butter and cream cheese until smooth.  Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth and combined.  Pipe on cupcakes, or frost them however you choose....

Can refrigerate up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving! :)
** you can add 1 cup chopped nuts to cupcake batter**

Happy Cooking!

Teauna

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