Sprinkles' Strawberry Cupcakes

I've been in the mood to make cupcakes lately and decided to try this delicious strawberry cupcake recipe. It certainly did not disappoint and I could totally eat the frosting with a spoon! They were a hit at work!

Cupcake:

2/3 cup whole fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. coarse salt

1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

2 large egg whites, room temperature

Frosting:

1/2 cup whole frozen strawberries, thawed

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, firm and slightly cold

pinch of coarse salt

3-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.

Place strawberries in a small food processor; process until pureed. You should have about 1/3 cup of puree, add a few more strawberries if necessary or save any extra puree for frosting; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, and strawberry puree; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended. With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk mixture; mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.

Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely in tin before icing.

For the frosting:

Place strawberries in the bowl of a small food processor; process until pureed. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer speed and slowly add confectioners' sugar; beat until well combined. Add vanilla and 3 tablespoons strawberry puree (save any remaining strawberry puree for another use); mix until just blended. Do not overmix or frosting will incorporate too much air. Frosting consistency should be dense and creamy, like ice cream.

Blueberry Cream Muffins with Streusel Topping

Jim loves blueberry muffins and since I was in the mood to bake the other day, I decided to pick up some fresh blueberries and make muffins. I found this lovely recipe that adds sour cream to the mix and had to try it! I made a few slight changes/additions so below is what I did. Enjoy!

4 eggs

1 cup white sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

zest of one lemon

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

2 cups sour cream

2 cups blueberries, divided

For streusel:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. white sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

4 tbsp. cold butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 24 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.

In a large bowl, beat eggs. Gradually add sugars while beating. Continue beating while slowly pouring in oil. Stir in vanilla and lemon zest. In a separate bowl, combine the flours, salt and baking soda.

Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture alternately with sour cream. Gently fold in 1-1/2 cups of the blueberries. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups. Place remaining blueberries on top of muffins and press them in slightly.

For the topping, combine the flour, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Cut in the butter with a fork or pastry blender until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. Sprinkle on top of muffins before baking.

Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.

Creamy Rice Pudding

For some reason, I have been thinking about making rice pudding for like the past month. So the other day, I finally made some. This recipe said to add raisins, but I left them out. For one, I'm not a HUGE fan of raisins and two, I didn't have any. I know most recipes say to serve it warm, but I actually prefer it cold. And don't forget the nutmeg on top...or cinnamon...or honey. Mmmm, rice pudding.

3/4 cup uncooked white rice
2 cups milk, divided
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, bring 1-1/2 cups water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

To the cooked rice, add 1-1/2 cups milk, the sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, 15-20 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup milk and beaten egg. Cook 2 more minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.

Classic German Potato Salad

Jim found this recipe in our local newspaper. I didn't think I liked German potato salad, but this was good stuff.

2 lbs. redskin potatoes, cooked, cooled and sliced
1 tbsp. canola oil
3/4 cup chopped onion
3 tbsp. cooked bacon bits
3/4 cup water
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cider vinegar
4 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
3/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground white pepper

In a large bowl, place the cooked, sliced potatoes.

In a small nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and bacon bits and saute until onion softens, about 4-5 minutes. Place onion-bacon mixture on top of potatoes and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the water and flour until dissolved. Add the vinegar, sugar, celery seed, dry mustard, salt and pepper and continue to whisk until combined. Pour the vinegar mixture into a saucepan and cook over medium heat until bubbly; boil and stir for one minute. Pour sauce over potato and onion-bacon mixture and gently stir to coat. Serve warm.