Chocolate-Pumpkin Cupcakes

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Yesterday my darling Bug was home from preschool and begging me to help her cook something.  I had found this awesome recipe for "pupcakes" (this is what she calls them and I refuse to correct her)
Anyway..get this..two ingredients.  You read that right...2.  Now THAT is my kind of baking!  So simple you could probably let your kid make it themselves (just help with the oven of course)

Lets just say that I was totally skeptical about how these would taste.  I read through many of the reviews and added a bit more pumpkin spice so the pumpkin flavor would stand out a bit.  Also, good luck finding apple cider here, so I had to use regular apple juice and it made the icing a bit sweeter than I think it was meant to be.  Nevertheless, these are moist delicious pupcakes!  Beyond simple to make and no added fat from oil or eggs.  

So, what are you waiting for??  Get baking already!  :)

Pineapple-Carrot Muffins

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Many of you know my feelings on baking... I love to bake, it hates to turn out right.  So, I tend to shy away from baked goods.  You'd think the control freak in me would love the preciseness of baking...yeah, not so much.  
Therefore, I must have been in a weird mood when I decided I just wanted to...bake something.  I've had a can of pineapple in my cupboard for the last 5 months...I figured it was time to put it to good use.  There are not very many healthy snacks to be found here for my kids and I'm desperate for something else to give them aside from granola bars.  I love muffins, all kinds, but I know they can be just has bad as eating a fist full of cookies.  
When I found a recipe claiming both pineapple and carrots, I figured, well, at least there's some veggies in these!  If I could find whole wheat flour, I would have used that too, but I'm stuck with good ol' AP flour.  The recipe was super simple, the girls helped me, and we turned out some pretty tasty muffins.  They are good at room temp, but I find them much tastier after 10 seconds in the microwave...and if you're feeling a little devilish, slide a bit of butter over the top...crap, I was trying to make something healthy wasn't I?  
These have mass potential to be tweaked...think of adding, raisins, oats, cranberries, or strawberries.  Try some slivered almonds on top!  I'd love to hear what you'd come up with!

I couldn't wait...had to take a bite!  ;)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup white sugar1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup cup canola oil1/3 cup applesauce
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (whole wheat would work well too...just cut the amount in half)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1 cup drained, canned crushed pineapple

Directions

1. Stir together sugar, oil, and applesauce.
2. Stir in the eggs until well combined.
3. Stir in vanilla.
4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
5. Stir into sugar mixture just until combined.
6. Stir in carrots and pineapple just until combined.
7. Spoon into well greased muffin tin, filling to top. (I used liners, but I think next time I'll try without...the liners pulled away a lot of the muffin)
8. Bake in a preheated 375F oven for 20 minutes or until done.
9. Cool in pan for 5-10 minutes, then remove to a rack to finish cooling.
   
   
   
   

Easter Egg Cake Pops

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Such a cute idea...wish I had the ingredients to make these here in Saudi.  :/  Ah well, I'll be in France for Easter anyway, I'll just buy something cute this time!  :)
(photos from Bakerella)


Easter Eggs Cake Pops from Bakerella

Recipe From Bakerella

Ingredients (for the cake pops)

1 box cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)

1 can frosting (16 oz.)

Wax paper

lollipop sticks

Instructions

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can frosting. (I use the back of a large spoon, but it may be easier to use fingers to mix together. But, be warned, it will get messy. Also, you may not need the entire can of frosting, so start out by using almost the entire can and add more if you need to.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50)

To decorate:

Pink Candy Melts
Yellow Candy Melts
White Candy Melts
Pastel Confetti Sprinkles
Sanding Sugars
Light Corn Syrup
Paper Lollipop Sticks
Styrofoam Block
Paramount Crystals
Small Paintbrush
Toothpicks

To decorate:

* Shape the cake balls into an egg shape.

Melt chocolate in the microwave per directions on package. (30 sec intervals, stirring in between.)

Dip the tip of your lollipop stick in a little of the melted candy coating and insert into the cake balls. (Insert a little less than halfway.)

Place them in the freezer for a little while to firm up.

* Dip in candy coating color of your choice holding the lollipop stick and rotating until covered. Once covered remove and softly tap and rotate until the excess chocolate falls off. Don't tap too hard or the cake ball will fall off, too. 

* Let sit in the Styrofoam block until dry.
* When dry, use a small paint brush to paint on a thin layer of corn syrup in a line around the egg. Do one line at a time. Right after you paint on the syrup, sprinkle on one of the sanding colors until all of the corn syrup is covered. Use a bowl sprinkle over.
* Repeat with varying designs and colors.
* You could probably also do this with the melted candy color, but this time I was experimenting and tried the corn syrup.
* For the confetti sprinkles, either dab a little bit of the candy color with your toothpick and glue on the sprinkle shapes or use a little bit of the corn syrup to act as the glue. The corn syrup will take a little longer to dry.
* Dry completely.

Rainbow Shamrock Cookies

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These are just too cute!!  Had to share.  Check out the recipe by clicking the link below.  :)

photo from Bake at 350

Bake at 350: Double-decker Rainbow Shamrock Cookies: You didn't think you'd seen the last of the double-decker cookie , did you?!?  Oh no...I sense a double-decker cookie obsession coming on. ...

Chocolate-Rasberry Crescents

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There isn't much to do here in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia...so us ladies find ways to keep ourselves occupied.  One of those ways is to have a ladies get together once a month.  We all meet at a house just for us...nicknamed "the Little House" and have tea, coffee and snacks.  It's a lot of fun and we enjoy getting to visit.  Not to mention...the women here can COOK!  I mean, seriously, there are some amazing dishes each time.  (I'm never going to get in shape again at this rate!)  LOL
A few months back I signed up to get the Pillsbury daily email.  Usually its all kinds of pastry goodies that I know I shouldn't be making.  But, the other day they had some crescent rolls filled with fruit roll ups.  Man, did they look good.  Then I got depressed because I hadn't seen and refrigerated crescent rolls here.  (and there is no way I'm making those puppies from scratch...I'll leave that to my Greek friend here who is a killer baker).
Anyway, the other day the hubby had to run to the store and I asked him, in the off chance there might be some, to look for the crescent rolls.  He came home with two!!!  I was so happy.  I knew I was going to use them to make something for the ladies.
Now, I don't think I now a woman who doesn't like chocolate.  ;)  So I used some hazelnut spread and some chocolate with a creamy raspberry filling.  They turned out super yummy (or so I was told)  :)  I also made some with the hazelnut spread and peanut butter.  (hubby liked those better)  The only thing is that they didn't puff up and get super flaky.  I think the spread was a bit heavy.  Next time I may adjust the amount.  But all in all, they were a big hit. (and simple enough for my horrible baking skills to pull off!)  Now, here's the best part, you can really experiment and fill these with just about anything!  Plus...don't just think sweet...savory filling would be awesome too (I plan to try that next time I get my hands on more rolls).
Happy baking!  

Poppy Seed Rolls

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Christmas is a huge holiday for my family.  It's always been, well, just extra special.  Since we lived in Vegas and my mom's family was in Ohio, trips there for Christmas were something we cherished.  All the family, the fun, and the FOOD!  My grandmother would bake up more cookies and treats than her house had room for!  She used to store them in tins in the coat closet!  :) 

And these weren't just your run of the mill treats, oh no, these were only at Christmas goodies!  She would make apricot horns, snowflakes, nut horns, poppy seed rolls, nut rolls, the peanut butter ones with the Hershey kiss in the middle, and half a dozen more.  How we didn't gain 50lbs over the holiday is beyond me.

So, while I was staying with my grandma I asked her if she'd make one of my all time faves.  Poppy seed rolls.  (I saw the cans of poppy seed in her fridge...why there?  No idea, I don't question.)  She looked at me like I was crazy, but then I insisted that I just HAD to learn to make them, especially since I was in charge this Christmas (it's all up to me this year in Saudi!)  So, she caved. :)  Lucky me. 

These are actually very easy to make, you may just have trouble finding the cans of poppy seed.  Our rolls turned out huge...much bigger than she usually makes them, but oh, they tasted divine.  In our personal opinion, the best way to eat these is warmed just a bit in the microwave and have a nice cold glass of milk.  (it was my breakfast for 5 days straight)  :)  Happy Cooking!

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

Pin It Now! We were so excited to plant a garden this year.  My husband and his friend got the ground all ready with great soil and then we headed to the nursery to pick out veggies to grow.  Top on my list were tomatoes and I've gotten a few so far...think we planted them a little late.  We also planted cucumber, zucchini, artichoke and my hubby has half a dozen hot pepper plants.  LOL  We got a few cucumber and we have three little artichokes growing right now.  The zucchini; however, has taken over!!!!  I've already picked close to a dozen and there are at least half a dozen more with flowers still blossoming!  I never knew that little plant would get so big.  
So, with zucchini coming at me from all sides, I needed to do something with them!  I have never made zucchini bread (I've never made any bread for that matter).  But, I thought, why not give it a try.  (knowing my luck with baking I'll screw it up somehow)  Took me an hour to find my loaf pans.  LOL  
This is a Paula Dean recipe, so I have to believe its going to be good.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!  :)