Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

My dear friend, Kari, was sweet enough to share this recipe with me. I made these delicious cupcakes for my coworker's birthday as well. They are very light and fluffy and taste so much like banana bread. I plan to make them again for Izzy's Sock Monkey birthday party since our little monkey loves bananas. However, I am going to make a brown glaze and make a monkey face out of Vanilla wafers. Thank you Kari for sharing your tasty recipe! Thankfully I only have to wait a few more weeks before I get to have them again. :)

Banana Cupcakes
Recipe from my dear friend Kari

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 nanners)

1 cup milk

1 egg

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

 

* Mix liquid ingredients first. Then add dry ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes

 

After they are cool, I add this to the top of them. You can add nuts if you want. I have added chocolate chips to them and they were delish!

 

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 (8oz) cream cheese

1 stick of butter

4 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

(1/3 cup nuts optional)

 

*Mix cream cheese and butter until creamy.  Add sugar and vanilla. (Use milk instead to create a creamier texture.)

Birthday Party Popcorn!

I made this delicious snack for a coworker's birthday. It was so easy to make and it was very tasty! It was the perfect combination of salty and sweet. It is the perfect birthday snack, I just might have to make this for Izzy's first birthday party too!

 

Birthday Cake Popcorn
1 bag of popcorn, popped
8 ounces of white chocolate candy coating, melted (I used Almond Bark)
4 heaping teaspoons of yellow cake mix
Assorted sprinkles

*Optional-Mini M&M's

Pop popcorn and spread out on a paper towel, removing any kernels or burnt pieces, and place in a large bowl.

Melt white chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Stir in cake mix until smooth, then stir in about 3 teaspoons of sprinkles. Immediately pour over popcorn. Using a wooden spoon, mix the popcorn until completely coated. 

Pour out onto wax paper or into a wax-paper lined jelly roll pan and spread into a single layer. Sprinkle with sprinkles until festive, then let cool and harden. Break into pieces and enjoy!

Greek Quinoa Salad

Yummy! Another great summer grilling side dish that you won't feel guilty about consuming!

Ingredients
1cquinoa2cwater3tbspolive oil3⁄4cfresh lemon juice1tspdried oregano1clvgarlic, minced or pressed in a garlic press1⁄4ckalamata olives1bnscallions, chopped1ptgrape tomatoes, halved7ozsheep's milk feta cheese, cubed1⁄4cdiced red onion Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Place quinoa in a strainer and rinse under cold running water. Add water and quinoa to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook 15 minutes until quinoa is almost translucent. Spread cooked quinoa on a large dinner plate and place in freezer for 15 minutes to chill. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, and garlic. Toss with quinoa. Add olives, scallions, grape tomatoes, cheese, and red onion; gently mix ingredients. Season with salt and pepper and serve. Tip for Feta Cheese
Feta cheese may be too salty for some. To lower the sodium count, soak it in water overnight.

Salted carmel shortbread

Wow! These were fantastic! The flavor was amazing, which makes sense if you consider how much butter is in these bad boys. The perfect dessert for a special occasion or to bring to a party. They were very easy to make too!


Salted Caramel Shortbread
Recipe adapted from What's Gaby Cooking

For the shortbread layer:
10 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg yolk
1-2/3 cups flour

For the caramel:
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tsp sea salt, plus more for sprinkling on top
4 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp heavy cream
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

- Line an 8x8" pan with parchment paper, leaving some hanging over the sides to make removal easier.
- In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, and salt with a pastry cutter or fork. Add the egg yolk and continue mixing.
- Add the flour and use your hands to combine the dough until coarse crumbs form. Transfer the dough into the prepared pan and press it down into one even layer.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 25 minutes, until slightly golden brown. Set aside to cool.
- For the caramel, combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, salt, sugar, and heavy cream. Bring to a boil and stir for about 5-10 minutes until caramel reaches the "soft ball stage" at around 230 degrees.
- Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla and pour caramel over the shortbread.
- Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, then sprinkle with sea salt and cut into squares. Store caramels in the fridge until you're ready to eat them.

Asparagus Orzo salad

Another yummy recipe from pinterest. This is the perfect summer salad, it was very refreshing.

Lemon Orzo Salad with Asparagus and Tomatoes
12 oz. orzo
1 bunch fresh asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 lemon, zested and juiced
4 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbs. fresh parsley, minced
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano*
Bring 2 large pots of water to boil. Add a big pinch of salt in each.
To one pot, add asparagus and blanch, about 2 to 3 minutes, depending on the thickness of your asparagus. Place blanched asparagus in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and keep them green.
To the second pot, add the orzo. Cook per package instructions. When tender, drain and place in a large bowl. Add blanched asparagus and tomato halves.
Mix olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Stir into orzo and vegetables. Stir in parsley and grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
This can be served warm, room temperature or cold.
*Note: If you want to keep this salad vegan, leave out the Parmigiano Reggiano.

Asparagus tart

I made this for Easter brunch today. It was very easy and tasty as well. Good old Martha Stewart always has go to recipes.

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Ingredients

Flour, for work surface
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
5 1/2 ounces (2 cups) Gruyere cheese, shredded
1 1/2 pounds medium or thick asparagus
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 16-by-10-inch rectangle. Trim uneven edges. Place pastry on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score pastry dough 1 inch in from the edges to mark a rectangle. Using a fork, pierce dough inside the markings at 1/2-inch intervals. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.
Remove pastry shell from oven, and sprinkle with Gruyere. Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears to fit crosswise inside the tart shell; arrange in a single layer over Gruyere, alternating ends and tips. Brush with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until spears are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
Cook's Note

Store-bought puff pastry works well in this savory tart; thaw it according to package instructions. Emmentaler or Fontina cheese can be substituted for the Gruyere.

Cinnamon roll cake!

The name says it all...YUM! This was so easy to make and was so tasty! It was our nanny's birthday today so we made these for her to start her morning off right. It was killing me not to eat some before she did, but I waited until after work. It was worth the wait, yum! Just like cinnamon rolls, but softer!

Cinnamon Roll Cake
www.jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com
Time: 15 minutes hands on + 40 minutes to bake
Yield: 12 generous slices
Recipe from Picky Palate

CAKE:
3 C flour
1/4 t salt
1 C sugar
4 t baking powder
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
1 1/2 C milk
1/2 C butter, melted

CINNAMON FILLING:
1 C butter, softened
1 C brown sugar
2 T flour
1 T cinnamon

GLAZE:
2 C powdered sugar
5 T milk
1 t vanilla

1. Into your stand mixer, or large mixing bowl put 3 C flour, 1/4 t salt, 1 C sugar, 4 t baking powder, 2 eggs
and 2 t vanilla. Pour the 1 1/2 C milk over the other ingredients and mix well.
2. While the mixer is still running slowly add the 1/2 C melted butter. Mix just until combined.
3. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and spread the batter out evenly in the pan.
4. To make the cinnamon filling use a small bowl and a wooden spoon to combine 1 C softened butter, 1 C brown sugar, 2 T flour and 1 T cinnamon.
5. Drop the cinnamon filling by spoonfulls onto the cake batter.
6. Take a butter knife and drag it through both the cinnamon and cake batter layers, making a pretty marble effect.
7. Bake this baby at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. In a small mixing bowl whisk together 2 C powdered sugar, 5 T milk and 1 t vanilla. Pour the glaze over the warm cinnamon cake. Serve warm, or at room temperature.