I Like...PUMPKIN CUPCAKES!!!!!!

Ahh, cupcakes. A friend of mine made these and I stalked her until she gave me the recipe. I've made them approximately 3 (maybe 4?) times in the last 3 weeks, and received many comments such as "Oh man, these are better than (insert name of cute cupcakes and coffee shop here)," or "GIVE ME THE RECIPE NOW," or "Quit social work and bake," or "MMMhhmmahhhrghaekla." I'm not bragging, just saying this recipe is good. If you make them, you'll get these comments as well. Bonus: it lets you use cake mix!

1 box supermoist yellow cake mix - I used the Pillsbury Moist Supreme or whatever the name is because it has a cup of pudding in the mix!
1 cup canned pumpkin puree - go stock up on this because apparently we are in the midst of the Great Pumpkin Shortage of 2009, no lie.
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggsMake as directed on box (omitting the water).

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
This is the recipe my friend gave me, and I kind of worked off of it based on how much icing I needed because this made WAY too much. Literally, it got me through 2.5 batches of cupcakes.
1 quart heavy whipping cream
8 ounces cream cheese - I ended up using a little more than this so stood up a little better
2 cups confectioner's sugar2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Beat with electric mixer until stiff peaks form.

Voila!

A few cupcakes for a friend's birthday:

The enormous bowl of icing (AFTER I iced 12 cupcakes):

What some people look like when they taste the cupcakes:

Enjoy!

I Like...Movies About Food

I am loving Scott's family medicine rotation because it equals stress-free weeknights and totally free Saturdays, yay (HINT, HINT, HUSBAND). Just kidddiiiing. Friday night, we went out for our friend's "birthday slash going away to Dallas for two months party," hitting up the Cheesecake Factory for dinner and Rococo for drinks afterwards (their crab cakes are for a whole different post, I promise). We had lunch with my parents in Norman on Saturday, at which point we decided it was time for an afternoon movie. The 'rents loved Julie & Julia, and being the foodies that we are, we decided that nothing is better for a shape-up diet plan than going to see a movie about butter, cheese, and souffles. Mmmm...

If you haven't seen the previews, the plot centers around Julie, who finds herself feeling quite aimless and unaccomplished on the verge of her 30th birthday. To remedy this situation, the obvious solution is to cook her way through Julia Child's cookbook in one year and start a blog about it. While Julie is doing this, we also get to see how Julia Child became Julia Child the Celebrity Chef, starting with her new life in post-war Paris as the bored but hilariously spunky wife of a diplomat. Being that I am of a younger generation than Julia's original audience (Scott and I were most definitely the only people in the theater under the age of 45, but what else can one expect at a 4:30 matinee about Julia Child?), I am not extremely familiar with Julia's show, but from what I have seen, Meryl Streep's portrayal is spot-on. Her goofy, self-deprecating humor is beyond funny, and I haven't laughed that hard at a movie in a while (okay, maybe in the Hangover, but for different reasons).

If you like movies, laughing, or food, you must go see this. In the midst of "films" like 2012 and Sorority Row that look truly, truly, gut-wrenchingly awful (WHO on Earth would pay money to go see a movie about plane crashes and bombings and the end of the world right now? For serious, people!), this movie is exactly what movies are supposed to be: engaging, heart-warming, and able to take you to a place full of pies, Paris, and omelettes being tossed about. Warning: it will make you very, very hungry, and it will make you seriously consider a career change in favor of attending culinary school. Go get your $40 together or whatever it costs nowadays for a ticket and move your bum to the theater this second, because you'll love it.

Bon Appetit!

I Like...Food Parties

We had the perfect Saturday this weekend: sleeping until we felt like getting up, breakfast and coffee, bought Rock Band for $57, poured through cookbooks, did some leisurely grocery shopping, cooked, and had a fantastic outdoor dinner at the home of some great friends. We cooked up a trio of dips to go with grilled French bread and roasted garlic, and Scott made some of his delicious risotto to go with the pork tenderloin, grapefruit & avocado salad, and sangria that J-Lo made. It was fun to have a variety of apps to snack on, and I thought I'd pass along the recipes:

Lemony-Tarragon Crab Dip

This is an easy but elegant, tasty, and cool summer recipe. Definitely use fresh crab if possible or else the yummy dill, pepper, and cucumber overshadow it.

- 8 oz. fresh crabmeat, well-drained

- 1/4 cup cream cheese @ room temperature

- 2 tbsp mayonnaise

- 3 tbsp chopped red onion

- 3/4 tsp dried tarragon

- 2 tsp chopped, fresh dill

- 1/4 cup chopped cucumber

- 1 tbsp plus 1 and 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice

- 1/2 tsp lemon zest

Combine cream cheese, red onion, mayonnaise, lemon juice and zest, and chopped herbs in a bowl. Stir in the crab and cucumber. Season with kosher salt, pepper, and additional lemon juice to taste. Note: I added quite a bit of pepper and some extra dill and cucumber to make it extra delish. Chill, and serve later with bread, bagel bites, or salt and vinegar potato chips.

Recipe courtesy of one of my very favorite cookbooks.

Charbroiled Eggplant Dip

Kind of like baba ganoush, but not. A little more summery, especially with the peppery, blackened flavor you get from grilling the eggplant beforehand.

-1 tsp cumin

-2 tbsp olive oil

-1 large eggplant

-1/2 cup plain yogurt (we used Greek yogurt and it was delish)

-juice of one lemon

-2 scallions

Slice the eggplant and coat both sides with cumin and olive oil mixed together, along with salt and pepper on both sides. Grill eggplant until blackened/charred but not burned (duh). This can also be done in the oven/broiler, but the smokey flavor from grilling is yummmyyyy. Mix eggplant (works best if it has cooled down a bit), scallions, lemon juice, and yogurt together, add any extra seasoning you need, and serve on toasted pita.

Recipe from Easy Appetizers.

Artichoke and Green Onion Dip

A yummy twist on traditional artichoke dip...I added extra onions and lots of Parmesan to make it even more flavorful.

-2 cans (14 oz each) water-packed artichoke hearts, well drained, chopped

-1 and 1/2 cups mayonnaise

-1 and 1/2 cups finely grated high quality Parmesan cheese

-1/3 cup, plus 2 tbsp sliced green onions

-2 tsp minced garlic

-1 and 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme, or 3/4 tsp dried thyme

-1/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste

-1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine artichoke hearts, mayo, 1 cup of parm, green onions, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Adjust the seasonings if necessary. Transfer the mixture to an 8-inch square glass baking dish or a ceramic dish similar in size. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Cover and bake until heated through, 10-15 minutes. Increase heat to broil and cook until top is bubbly and golden brown, 2-3 minutes more. Garnish with green onions.

This recipe also courtesy of one of my very favorite cookbooks.

Eat with yummy bread or other carb and ENJOY!

I Like...Arabic Rice

I was in charge of the main dish for our small group last week, and I've been wanting to embrace my Egyptianness and start learning how to make some of my favorite recipes that my mom and Teta (grandmother) make. I thought about making Moussaka, my all-time favorite, delicious Teta meal, but given that I am still working on my cooking skills (especially with meat) and that Teta's recipes usually go something like, "Put in some eggplant, the right amount of all spice, some more tomatoes, enough nutmeg, etc.," I was scared to subject my poor friends to an entirely new recipe. Sooo, I decided to make the much easier - but still delicious - Arabic rice, and it turned out wonderful! So dear readers, I decided to post this recipe in case anyone is feeling adventurous in cooking and wants to try something new. I used lean (93/7) ground beef, so it really is pretty healthy, too. The flavors are definitely different, and I love that Egyptian food often uses spices that we typically relegate to cookies and coffee cakes. Delish!

1.5 lbs ground beef
3 tbsp garlic powder (yes, 3 tbsp is correct!)
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp ground all spice
2 cups of long grain rice
4 cups beef broth (~3 cans)
¼ cup toasted slivered almonds
2 chopped green onions
Rice Wine Vinegar or Lemons

Combine first four ingredients in large skillet. Cook over medium heat til meat is browned, stirring til it crumbles. Stir in rice, beef broth. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and cook 25 minutes or until rice is tender/liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and green onions and serve with lemon wedges. Note: I lovvve tons of lemon on mine, it's a great contrast with the toastiness of the almonds and all of the spices.

Happy eating!