Confectionery Canary

If you're looking for a fun way to decorate cupcakes in honor of spring, look no further! I saw this idea on Pinterest and had to give it a try for myself.  This is so much easier than it looks and a great way to get the kids involved in the kitchen!

What You'll Need:
- 16 to 20 whole mini marshmallows per cupcake
- Colored sugar sprinkles
- Baggies or small bowls (one for each color you use)
- Scissors

Directions:
Hold mini marshmallow, on its ends, between your fingers and cut horizontally. Repeat this process for all of the marshmallows. You should end up with 32 to 40 bits for each cupcake.  Place marshmallow halves into colored sugar and stir or shake, shake, shake!  The colored sugar will stick to the cut ends of the marshmallows.  Take a cupcake and spread on a layer of frosting, not too thick, the marshmallows make them pretty rich.  Arrange marshmallow halves on cupcakes starting from the outside and work your way around to the center.  For the center, add a half of a different color to give the flower more character.

Need a great Vanilla Cupcake recipe? Click HERE
Need a great Buttercream Frosting recipe?  Click HERE

Who doesn't love cupcakes?!  I've actually always had difficulty making homemade cupcakes, but with this recipe, I finally had success!  That and lowering my oven temperature and not improvising ingredients.  I made this fun batch of cupcakes for Easter but this basic recipe works great for any occasion!  This recipe will give you about 20 delicious little cupcakes!

What You'll Need:
- 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare cupcake pan(s).  In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar.  Add in eggs and vanilla.  Cream together until the mixture is smooth.  In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients together then add to the butter mixture, mixing on low.  Scrape down sides and bottom.  Slowly add in milk.  Mix everything until it's just combined.  You don't want to over mix or else your cupcakes will become dense.  Spoon batter into cupcakes liners, (two tablespoons worth per liner worked for me), about half full because they will rise.  Reduce oven temperature to 325 when you put your pan in the oven.  This technique effects how they rise.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool completely then frost with your favorite frosting or a delicious buttercream! (click the word "buttercream" for my recipe!


**Canary Curve Ball: Click HERE for a fun floral cupcake decorating idea, perfect for spring! >>>>>>>>

If you're looking for a tasty topper for your cakes or cupcakes, look no further!  A basic buttercream frosting is a classic that's always the right choice, unless you're making red velvet cake that is. ; )  I was tweaking a buttercream frosting recipe last night and here's what I ended up with!

What You'll Need:
- 1 1/2 sticks of butter or 3/4 cup (room temperature)
- 5 cups confectioner's sugar (sifted)
- 3 teaspoons of vanilla
- 2-4 teaspoons of cold milk or heavy cream

Directions:
Let your butter reach room temperature. (Do not try to quickly soften it in the microwave!!!!)  Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Whip on medium speed for five minutes, until the butter starts to turn a pale yellow color.  Slowly add sifted confectioner's sugar to the butter, mixing on low until all the sugar is incorporated.  Scrape down bowl occasionally.  Add vanilla and mix well.  Add in cold milk and food color if desired. Add more or less milk depending on the consistency you want. Once incorporated, whip on medium speed for another five minutes. You can use the frosting now or refrigerate for 30+ minutes for an even firmer consistency. (The five minute increments of whipping are very important to help make your frosting fluffy and thick.)

**Canary Curve ball:  Add only 1 tsp of vanilla and 1/2 cup of your favorite jam or preserves to the frosting mixture for a fruity decadent twist sure to impress any cupcake connoisseur!

You've got to give these tasty little treats a try!  I bought a ton of bananas the other day and couldn't think of enough ways to use them before they spoiled.  So I found a muffin recipe, made a few tweaks, and here's the result!

What You'll Need:
- 6 Tbs unsalted butter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- dash of salt
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt
- 2 large bananas, mashed

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a cupcake pan with liners or spray.  Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat.  Cook until the butter begins to brown and smell like caramel.  Remove from heat and let cool slightly.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, vanilla extract and yogurt.  Mix in mashed bananas.  In a very slowly stream, pour the melted butter into the egg mixture to temper it so the eggs don't curdle.  Pour mixture into dry ingredients, mix well but do not over mix, or else your muffins will be dense.  Spoon mixture into prepared cupcake pan, filling cups 3/4 full.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

*You can add so many things to these muffins!  Blueberries, strawberries, nuts, Nutella, peanut butter or simply enjoy them plain!  If you add peanut butter or Nutella, just fill your cups, take about 1/4 teaspoon of Nutella, dollop into the center of the muffin mixture and cover with mixture. Follow the same baking procedures.  Banana Nutella Muffins pictured below.

Here's a simple weeknight recipe I threw together the other night when we were in the mood for tacos but something different. Keep in mind this recipe will feed 3 to 4 people tops. Just double the ingredients for a bigger family.

What you'll need:
-1 box Kraft macaroni & cheese
    (or homemade)
-1/3 cup milk
-1 teaspoon butter
-1/4 cup salsa
-1/2 lb ground beef
-1/2 packet taco seasoning
-1/4 cup water
-Tortilla chips or crushed taco shells
-1/2 cup Mexican cheese

Directions:
Boil macaroni noodles until tender. In a medium skillet brown ground beef, add taco seasoning and water. Mix well and let simmer. Drain pasta, add milk, butter, cheese and salsa. Salt and pepper to taste.  Mix well.  Pour macaroni into pan, layer on taco meat, chips or crushed taco shells and cheese.  Bake for 10 minutes and enjoy!  (I used a loaf pan, any smaller sized pan will work for this amount) You can top with more salsa, sour cream, or leave out the chips/shells and serve over tortilla chips and lettuce.

Mmmm! White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake similar to the one served at Olive Garden but better! ; )  Before we get too far into this, just to let you know, making this may take half of your day and dirty every dish in your kitchen...twice. You'll need to have this cheesecake baked about 8 hours before you need it to ensure that it fully sets up.  Despite these inconveniences, it's so worth it!  Better than restaurant quality cheesecake from your own kitchen! Yum!

What You'll Need:
Cheesecake:
-3 8oz. packages of cream cheese (room temperature)
-1/2 cup white sugar
-2 eggs
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-2 cups Baker's white chocolate
-1/2 cup half & half cream
Crust:
-2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
-3 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 cup butter (melted)
Sauce:
-1 12oz. bag frozen raspberries
-2 tablespoons white sugar
-2 teaspoons cornstartch
-1/2 cup water

Directions:
Chop white chocolate into small pieces (do not use white chocolate chips!! They will not melt correctly!). Place white chocolate bits into a double boiler with half & half cream, over medium heat. Stir occasionally until melted.  Once melted, remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm. While chocolate is melting, place a saucepan over medium heat.

Combine frozen raspberries, sugar, cornstarch and water in pan. Bring to a boil. Continue until sauce is thick and there are no berries left. Push sauce through a mesh strainer to remove the raspberry seeds (there will be lots of seeds!).  While chocolate is melting and berries are boiling, mix cookie crumbs, sugar and melted butter.  Wrap springform pan with aluminum foil half way up the sides.  Evenly press crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9" springform pan.  

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Mix in eggs one at a time.  Scrape down bowl and continue mixing.  Add vanilla and melted white chocolate.  Mix well.  Pour half of cheesecake mixture over crust. Spoon a few tablespoons of raspberry sauce into mixture, swirl.  Pour in remaining cheesecake mixture, add a few more spoonfuls of raspberry sauce onto the top.  Swirl into a pretty design.  

Taking a large pan, place springform pan into it.  Fill large pan with water until it reaches a fourth of the way up the side of the aluminum foil on the sprngform pan. This is known as a water bath, it helps the cheesecake to not dry out and crack down the center as it bakes.  Bake for an hour to an hour and a half. It will still be just a little jiggly in the center.  If you let the top get brown, you've baked it for too long.  Allow to cool for about an hour, then place into refrigerator for about 8 hours before removing the pan. Slice and serve with raspberry sauce drizzled over the top!  Whew!

One of our favorite pizza restaurants serves a Buffalo Chicken pizza so I decided to try to make my own version at home.  My hubby and I eat lots of spicy food so we have a pretty high tolerance for heat, but this was a bit nuclear, tasty nonetheless though! I'll include some tips on how to cool it down. If you enjoy spicy food, this is for you!