Dark Chocolate and Bacon (yes, bacon) Cupcakes

I have so many things that I have made and kept meaning to post.  You know like the perfect popsicle, or salad and then you get distracted by a play date by the pool, or a trip to the beach, or a lengthy vacation?  Well that’s exactly how my summer went. 

So better late then never here are some cupcakes that I made for Tony’s birthday by special request.  I won’t even tell you when his birthday was but I will tell you that he loved these things!  For me it was really the novelty of it and I really didn’t like the smokiness with the chocolate but truth be told I am not a huge smoky flavor lover.  Really none of that mattered anyway.  It was his birthday and these are what he wanted…

Dark Chocolate and Bacon Cupcakes (allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 12 slices bacon
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup cold, strong, brewed coffee
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, 3/4 cup cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the eggs, coffee, buttermilk and oil. Stir just until blended. Mix in 3/4 of the bacon, reserving the rest for garnish. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, dividing evenly.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the tops spring back when lightly pressed, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan set over a wire rack. When cool, arrange the cupcakes on a serving platter. Frost with your favorite chocolate frosting and sprinkle reserved bacon crumbles on top. Dust with additional cocoa powder.

Toronto…the finale

So I told you I had fun when I was away right?  But unless you follow me on Twitter or on Facebook (Judy Chiappini) you may not know what exactly I was up to…

It was a friend of mine’s birthday and he invited me to a party at his house…

We had some dips (roasted red pepper and egg plant)…

Some marinated and grilled shrimp…

Grilled Octopus…

Salads…

(Photo courtesy of Paula @ Dragon’s Kitchen)

(Photo courtesy of Paula @ Dragon’s Kitchen)

Grilled Pork Belly…


Homemade Chicken Gyro’s…

with homemade tzatziki, tomatoes, and onions…

And then came the cake…

You see how lucky I am???  Have you guessed who’s birthday it was yet?

Peter @ Kalofagas had a birthday!!!

and I got to meet Paula @ The Dragon’s Kitchen

And Jasmine @ Confessions of a Cardamom Addict
 
photo courtesy of Paula @ Dragon’s Kitchen

Can you believe how lucky I was to be invited to this Greek feast?  Peter single handedly prepared and served us all night long.  Paula did make the birthday cake and it is by far one of my all time faves…Lemon Meringue Cake!

We were able to meet up with Paula and Peter once again but just for a quick bite to eat after we went to the Science Center to see Harry Potter The Exhibition!  Still a little bit of time with 2 of my favorite bloggers and friends is better than no time at all…

photo courtesy of Paula @ Dragon’s Kitchen

Loved meeting Paula (xoxoxo) and Jasmine and seeing Peter again!!!  Thank you for making this a memorable trip for me and can’t wait to do it all again next year…lamb on a spit right????

Pennsylvania for the 4th of July!

Well we had a great time in DC but really wanted to be far away from the city by the 4th of July.  We were there on the 2nd and the city was already gearing up!

We headed to where Tony is from and spent 5 fun filled days with family.

We picked wild berries…

We played with cousins…

Took some time to smell the flowers…

We had mojitos…

Ran in fields under clear blue skies…

We ate, lots…

We went to the girl’s first drive in movie…

We swam…

We had birthday cake…

Made fire dogs and s’mores

Caught fire flies… 
Watched fireworks being shot into a clear night sky… 

From here Tony sadly headed home and I went on to Toronto with the girls…Much more to come!!!

You make your own birthday cake, right???

It was my birthday last weekend and I made a birthday cake for myself.  Never really thought about it but from the reaction I got from everyone who knew I was doing this, not everyone does it!  Control issues?  Maybe, but I know what I like and how to get it!  Do it myself.

My birthday always comes when strawberries are plentiful so naturally most of the cakes I have baked have strawberries involved.  This year they took center stage…along with some Limoncello of course!

I first made this cake almost 2 years ago, here, and absolutely fell in love with it.  It is a beautiful dense cake and the mascarpone whipped cream was the perfect compliment but I was not really keen on the sherry macerated berries so this year I decided to macerate the berries in Limoncello…good move too!

Mascarpone-Filled Cake with Limoncello Strawberries – adapted from Gourmet, July 2008

Ingredients:

For cake:
2 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon extract
2 large eggs
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk

For berries:
1/2 cup Limoncello
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups strawberries, quartered

For cream:
8 ounces mascarpone cheese (1 cup)
1 cup chilled heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar

Directions:

Make cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan (2 inches deep). Line bottom with a round of parchment paper, then butter parchment.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. With mixer at low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing after each addition until just combined.

Spread batter in cake pan, smoothing top. Rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles.

Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake to loosen, then invert onto a plate. Discard paper and reinvert cake onto rack to cool completely.

Macerate berries:

Pour the limoncello and the sugar over the berries and toss gently ( allow to satnd for about 30 minutes mixing periodically - or you can do it the real way and bring Limoncello and sugar to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Put berries in a bowl and pour hot syrup over them, gently tossing to coat. Let stand 15 minutes. make cream and assemble cake.

Beat mascarpone and cream with sugar in a large bowl using cleaned beaters until mixture just holds stiff peaks.

Halve cake horizontally with a long serrated knife. Carefully remove top half and reserve. Put bottom half on a plate, then spread evenly with half of the cream and replace top half. Use the rest of the cream on the top and serve with berries.

Cooks notes:
•Cake, without cream, can be baked 1 day ahead. Wrap in plastic wrap once cool and keep at room temperature.
•Berries can macerate at room temperature up to 2 hours.

Cinnamon Rolls from the Bread Baker’s Apprentice

This week was a week I was totally looking forward to.  Not only from the BBA perspective – we were baking cinnamon rolls but also from a personal perspective.  My oldest daughter is a 4th of July baby so the 4th is one of those holidays that is near and dear to my heart.  To add the icing to the cake I was going to make Cinnamon Rolls for her birthday breakfast!!!

About the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Group: Nicole of Pinch my Salt sent out a twitter message saying “I need a challenge. Am thinking of baking my way through every single recipe in The Bread Baker's Apprentice. Anyone want to join me?” Well I jumped right in. Both feet, no thought at all. I think I was one of the first 5 that joined…did I even have the book? Nope but I ordered it that night!!!

The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread

We are now over 200 strong with members everywhere on the globe. It’s an incredibly enthusiastic group that wants to share like no group I have ever belonged to before. Awesome!

Our goal is to bake our way through Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread. An intimidating book at anytime but to think that you are going to be baking one of these recipes a week is slightly overwhelming to say the least. But I love a challenge and feel a real need to get out of my comfort zone. Oh yah, I bake all of our bread but I never seem to have the time or the desire to try something new and different. This will change all that!!!

Cinnamon Rolls

I LOVE cinnamon and these rolls were incredible.  I loved the dough and how it came together and felt. 

Peter Reinhart gives us several different options when making these.  We could also make cinnamon rolls or sticky buns.  I opted for the cinnamon rolls but will be trying the sticky buns in the near future! I decided to use buttermilk and lemon extract instead of whole milk and zest.  Also in the fondant icing I decided to use vanilla extract instead of the lemon that was called for.

This is after they have been pulled from the fridge and rested for about 3 or 4 hrs.  See how nice and puffy they look?

Seeing as I wanted to make them for breakfast and not a late brunch I made them the night before.  Shaped them and placed them on the baking sheet and then popped them into the fridge overnight to rest.  This is not a step called for and these wonderful rolls can be made in one day!!!  I pulled them out of the fridge at about 4:00 AM and then preheated the oven about 7:30.  Baked them and iced them and watched them get eaten up.

 Fresh out of the oven and iced!

Will I be making these again?  Oh yes I will!!!  They turned out wonderfully and I will be making these again and again!!!

Check out the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Blogroll to see some other really nice Cinnamon Rolls or Sticky Buns!

Want to Bake Along With Us?

There are several ways for you to join in the fun! First of all, you need a copy of Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice. Then just start baking! Even if you are starting late, just begin with the first recipe and start working your way through. There are several ways to communicate with the group as you begin your journey:

Flickr: We have set up a BBA Challenge Flickr Group where you can upload photos, see photos from other members, and even post questions and comments in the group forum. It’s a private group, so you will need to click on the link that says ‘join this group’ if you want to be able to post photos. As long as you are willing to bake bread all of the bread from the book, you are welcome to join the Flickr group!

Twitter: If you use twitter, you can follow what the group is doing by searching for #BBA or #bba using Twitter’s search box. You can join in on the conversation by adding the #bba or #BBA tag to the end of your tweets when you are talking about anything related to the BBA Challenge. For me, following what people are doing on twitter has been the most fun!

Facebook: If you’re on Facebook, you can join the BBA Challenge Group there and share photos, ask questions, and talk about your bread baking experiences with other BBA members on Facebook.

Next up…Raisin Walnut Cinnamon Bread!!!!

I am submitting this to BYOB (Bake Your Own Bread) hosted by Sandy of At the Baker's Bench. This is a great challenge to get you baking more of your own baked goods. Better for you and cheaper in the process!

As Always…

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

My Birthday and lots of crab…

Last weekend was my birthday and one of our great traditions is that the birthday person gets to choose what they want for a meal on the night of their birthday. I’m pretty lucky. T. is an incredible cook. Way better than I am so my birthday is always pretty exciting. This year I wanted something pretty decadent and that I would never order if we went to a restaurant but I also wanted something that the girls would eat too.

My choice this year was Shrimp and Crab Alfred. This was so delicious. Sadly though because I didn't make it I have no idea as to the recipe. Here is the picture though!

After this though we had some leftover crab that I did not want to go to waste. I decided that a quiche would be a great way to use it up. Add in some zucchini that was in my fridge and you have a great looking and easy meal. I was able to make this during the day and T. heated it up as I was at the kick off for the NoFood4You campaign!

Crab and Zucchini Quiche

Ingredients:

• 1 pastry shell (9 inch), partially baked
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons onions, minced
• 1 zucchini grated and squeezed dry
• 1 cup crabmeat
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 1/2 cups Swiss cheese, shredded/divided and tossed with 1 T flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup half and half
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• dash white pepper or hot pepper sauce
• dash nutmeg

Directions:

• Have a 9-inch pastry shell partially baked.
• Sauté onions and zucchini until tender, about 4 minutes; mix with crabmeat and flour; set aside.
• Sprinkle 3/4 cup the cheese in the pie shell, then spread with crab mixture.
• Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup of cheese.
• Beat eggs, cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and parsley until mixed. Pour into shell. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until set and knife comes out clean at 350 degrees.

As Always…

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

A bit of a reflective mood today...

Youngest daughter blowing out her 6 year candle on the cake she decorated!!!
Happy Birthday Love!

So today is my youngest daughter's 6th birthday and I am just baffled by this. When did all of those years pass and where did they go? Yah, I have a bunch of memories but not my little baby girl! She was one of those little ones that just fit perfect...right up until now. I find that I have to move my head to hold her comfortably where as just a few minutes ago she just snuggled right in.

I always bake the girls a cake for their birthday celebration with us and their big treat is to be able to decorate it however they want to. This year my youngest one wanted a layer cake with strawberries and white icing. I ended up using a box cake (yep...with everything that I have going on it was easiest also she wanted a confetti cake). I did make the icing twice. The first one was the 7 minute frosting. Note to self-do not attempt egg white frosting in Florida in the summer time! Ended up with a powdered sugar icing that worked just fine.

We decided to have her birthday party last night with just us. We have orientation for the girls at school tonight and it would have been to rushed. What does a 6 year old care as long as she has cake and presents!!! For her special dinner she wanted steamed clams. Pretty cool huh? So we had a 100 clams (I swear she ate 50 herself), steak, potatoes, and salad...oh yah and cake too!

Anyway another thing that has made me reflective, and I feel so sick when I really think of this, but I need to put it out there, 4 years ago today we returned to our home after evacuating during Hurricane Charley to find our home destroyed.

We lost our roof which in turn means that you have lost everything inside. I lost photos, keepsakes, furnitures and all sense of security in my home. It was such a sad time for us. We had to move out of our house for 6 months while the whole interior was gutted and rebuilt. I'd like to tell you that it is better and stronger than ever but I will never trust this house again. 4 years later I still have not wavered from that! Oh sure the house looks way better than it did. Who gets the opportunity to totally remodel your house from top to bottom??? I guess what I realized was that a house is just sticks and stones it's what's inside that is important!

We evacuate for every threat. Pack up the car with our emergency bag that is packed from the beginning of hurricane season, load up the dogs and head away from the threatened area. Is this hard? Oh yah, but not as hard as staying. People lost there lives during that storm. 29 deaths can be attributed to Charley. I know what can happen first hand but at least we were safe. It scares me to think how lucky we were.

As Always...

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Happy Birthday Love...and Happy 4th of July to All!

Today is wonderful day for us. Not only is it one of the nations biggest holidays it is alsomy oldest daughters birthday. She turns 8 today and I have no idea where the years have gone!!!

We are currently on vacation and will be spending her birthday in PA where T's family is. She is going to get tobexperience a northern 4th of July for the first time. No mosquitos,90 degree heat, thunderstorm delays... You get the picture!!

I am posting this from my iPhone and can't figure out how to get pics on here!!!

Have a great day everyone and stay safe on thus long holiday weekend!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
http://www.nofearentertaining.com

Happy Birthday to me!!!

It looks even better this time around!

Yep, that dreaded day that happens once a year is here again. You know the one where you are made painfully aware by each phone call or email that you get telling you that you are a whole year older in just one day! Honestly I had a great morning though...my oldest daughter wrote me an "autobiography" on my life and my youngest one wrote me a song and sang it and everything. What more could a Mom want...well maybe not getting this at 6:00 in the morning. But regardless it has been wonderful. I have opted for a quiet night at home with a nice grilled fresh fish and salad and some really great birthday cake!

Remember the cake that my dog ate? Dorie's Perfect Party Cake that I made for the Daring Bakers' challenge? I made it again. I was just so devastated that I really couldn't get a good taste of it that I had to try again! I also added some lemon curd to the layers so now each layer has butter cream, sliced strawberries and lemon curd...I can't wait for dinner!!! It has turned out great but the real test will be to see if it lasts until after dinner or will the dog win again????

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com