A while back when we interviewed Bethenny Frankel, I got her book The Skinnygirl Dish. Sues and I have both made a couple of Bethenny’s recipes (here and here) and I’ve found her book to be a really great source for simple and practical recipes that won’t break the bank and are definitely healthier options that won’t leave you feeling like you weigh ten tons.

I recently made Bethenny’s Not-So-Red-Velvet Cupcakes which turned out to be an extremely moist and delicious cupcake. The recipe is filled with healthier alternatives to what we’re used to seeing in most baked goods. The cupcakes aren’t exactly red (hence the name) because Bethenny isn’t a fan of artificial coloring, and neither am I, so instead she uses beet juice as a coloring agent and to add some more nutrients. The thing is, the beet juice makes a really pretty pinkish batter but once you put them in the oven the color goes away.

Here’s what you need, for about 24 cupcakes (I purchased all of the specialty items at Whole Foods):

• 2 1/2 cups oat flour
• 1 1/2 cups raw sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons beet juice (from a can of beet juice)
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

Here’s what you do:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put liners in a cupcake or muffin pan. Make in batches if you don’t have enough pans for the full amount.

• In a large bowl sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder.

• In a different bowl, whisk the vegetable oil, buttermilk, eggs, beet juice, vinegar, and vanilla extract. The color of this was stunning! Too bad it didn’t stay!

• Mix the flour and oil mixtures and beat with an electric mixer until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour the batter into the cupcake liners and bake for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan after 10 minutes. The batter is pretty thin so be careful when you pour it in the liners!

• When the cupcakes cool completely, frost them with the Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe immediately following.

Cream Cheese Frosting (which is to die for, by the way! I licked it off the mixing paddle of my Kitchen-Aid so much that when I was cleaning up the kitchen I thought I had already washed it, eeeek! )

Here’s what you need:

• 8 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup nondairy butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (it’s worth buying if you don’t have it, just to make this frosting!)
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar

• Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes if frosting isn’t firm enough. Once I took it out of the refrigerator it was a bit too firm for such a delicate cupcake so I left it out at room temperature for a handful of minutes to get it to the right consistency.

Since the cupcakes don’t exactly come out red, I just sprinkled a few colored Jimmies on to give some color. Like I mentioned, these cupcakes are really delicate, I’m assuming because of the oat flour? Although I have no idea because I’m not a big baker. But I think it’s worth making and eating a dessert that’s so tasty but at the same time not horrible for the waistline. That’s definitely one of my favorite things about Bethenny’s book. All of the recipes swap out “regular” ingredients for more healthy ingredients without compromising the flavor at all.

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To completely change the subject! More feta! For dinner tonight, I made a lemon spinach couscous salad with diced cucumbers and tomatoes topped with a thin chicken breast that I stuffed with Athenos lemon oregano feta cheese. YUMMMM is all I have to say about this. Simple, quick, and flavorful dinner!

Now pardon me while I go devour two Not-So-Red Velvet cupcakes

[Chels]

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The Feta Friday Giveaway winner is: Katie who said: “I’m stealing this story from my husband: one time he ran out of cranberry juice for his famous BB sauce and used Mountain Dew instead. The ribs were unbelievable!” Congratulations, Katie! We’ll be in touch with you to get your information

The recipe has 3 separate parts, so I’m breaking them down for you in the order I did them. First you need the tart crust, then you want to make the pastry cream (so it can cool), and then assemble the tart. Ready? If it means a fruit tart at the end, you better be!

Pate Sucree (tart dough):

• 2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
• 3 T sugar
• 1 C (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/4 C ice water

Note: You can cut the above recipe in half to make enough dough for one fruit tart. I made the whole thing and put half the dough in the freezer for the future (it can stay in there a month). You never know when you’re going to want some pate sucree!

The more I make dough for crust, the better I get at it. I’m by no means a pro, but I have found Martha Stewart’s pie crust recipes to be the best and easiest to handle. Pate brisee for pie and pate sucree for this tart. I made this crust the night before since it needed to sit in the fridge for an hour and I wasn’t going to have enough time to wait the next day.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and sugar. Add the butter.

And process until mixture resembles coarse meal, 10-20 seconds.

Lightly beat egg yolks and add ice water in a small bowl. I used my BEAUTIFUL bowl that Kyle gave me at HER wedding shower (yes, she gave US gifts at her shower). She chose words that represent what we mean to her and my word was “Inspiration.” The funny thing is, I would most definitely say Kyle has been completely inspiring to me throughout our entire friendship.

With the food processor running, add the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream through the feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky. Make sure you don’t process it for more than 20 seconds. (Sorry for my photos. It was dark and late and I was tired).

Divide the dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disk and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least one hour. I ran out of plastic wrap, so I used plastic Ziploc bags instead.

Here’s the part where I went to bed. But I got up the next morning, took my dough out of the fridge, and let it soften a bit. Then I floured the counter and rolled the dough out and put it into my dish. Sadly, I don’t have a tart pan (MUST get one!), so I used a pie plate instead.

As you can see, I didn’t do the prettiest job, but I knew I’d be filling it up anyway. AND later that day, my mom gave me an awesome tip. She said when I’m wrapping the dough in plastic before putting it in the fridge, I should flatten it more and have it pretty much rolled out. That way, it will be much easier for me to deal with after it’s chilled. Next time. Thanks, Mom!

After my dough was in the dish, I trimmed the edges flush with the dish. And popped it back into the fridge to chill for 30 more minutes.

Pastry Cream:

• 1 C whole milk
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split (I used 1 T vanilla extract instead)
• 5 T sugar
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 T cornstarch
• 1 T flour (preferably rice flour… But I used regular)
• 1 T unsalted butter

Now it’s time for the pastry cream!

Put the milk, vanilla bean (or vanilla extract), and 1/4 C sugar in a medium saucepan over high heat until almost boiling.

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks with remaining 1 T sugar until thickened. Sprinkle in cornstarch and flour and continue beating until well combined.

If you used vanilla bean, remove it from milk now. And while whisking constantly, slowly pour the heated-milk mixture into egg-yolk mixture.

Then pour the mixture through a fine sieve back into the saucepan.

And cook, whisking constantly, over medium-high heat until it thickens (like custard!) and registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 minutes.

Transfer to a large bowl and whisk in butter until melted. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure to press it directly on the surface of the pastry cream. And pop it in the fridge to cool.

The rest of the fruit tart:

• All-purpose flour, for work surface
• 1/2 C heavy cream
• 1 t sugar
• 1/4 C red currant jelly, seedless raspberry jam, quince jelly, or apricot jam
• 4 C mixed berries, preferably blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries

While the pastry cream was cooling, I heated my oven to 375 degrees. Then I pricked the bottom of my dough all over with a fork and covered it in parchment paper (leaving at least 1-inch of overhang). I didn’t have pie weights (again, need!), so I filled with lentils to hold the parchment down. And I put my dough in the oven for about 40 minutes (edges were starting to turn golden). Then I took the parchment paper off the dough and baked for another 10 minutes.

Then the crust needed to cool completely. You’re supposed to take it out of the pan and let it cool on a rack. But since I wasn’t using a tart pan, I just kept mine in the pie plate.

Once it was sufficiently cool, I got started on the rest of the recipe. I  took my 1/4 C seedless raspberry jam and put it in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until melted and smooth. And set it aside to cool a bit.

Then I put the heavy cream and sugar in a medium bowl and used my hand mixer to beat it until soft peaks formed.

Then I folded this whipped cream into the cooled pastry cream in batches.

I spooned the pastry cream mixture into my cooled tart shell and spread evenly.

Then I topped with berries and spread the jam glaze over the top.

I loved my nice little selection of berries! I would have used blueberries too, but after buying them 3/$5, I couldn’t justify this week’s 1/$4. I also bought kiwi, but then totally forgot about it. I think these berries worked perfectly, though.

After a wonderful dinner featuring a glorious cheese course (more on this later!), filet, onion rings, and panzanella salad, we dug into the fruit tart.

It turned out pretty much just how I wanted it to!! My crust wasn’t as pretty as it could have been, but this is definitely one of those things that takes practice (and patience).

My dad enjoyed it and we managed to finish off the entire plate (it wasn’t that big. And there were 6 of us). This is one dessert I’ll definitely be adding to my repertoire and I can see myself making it over and over again (probably for the rest of my life!), especially for the summer months.

There’s not much better than summer berries after a delicious meal.

Happy late Father’s Day again, Dad!

What’s your favorite non-chocolate dessert?

Sues

Don’t forget about our Tupperware giveaway!! You have until Wednesday to enter!!

I promise you I won’t inundate you with my ice cream recipes because I know it’s annoying to those of you without ice cream makers or attachments, but I have to share this one. And by the way, you really should try to get an ice cream maker (or KitchenAid attachment) because it’s most definitely one of the best investments I’ve made in a long time (I’ve used it every week since I got it!).

Lemon-Ginger Frozen Yogurt (makes 4-6 servings):

• 3/4 C water
• 3/4 C sugar
• 1/4 C light corn syrup
• 2 t fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated (I used a little bit more)
• 1 C plain nonfat yogurt
• 1 C low-fat buttermilk
• 1/4 C fresh lemon juice
• 1 t lemon peel, finely grated

OMG ginger!! I started to grate the ginger with my grater, but it wasn’t working at all (the ginger was too soft maybe?), so I just used my handy little Chef’N PalmPeeler (still waiting for that offer to make me Chef’N’s spokesgirl, ahem) and then chopped it some more with a knife. I used a bit more than 2 t because a lot of people who reviewed the recipe said it wasn’t gingery enough. And I wanted it to be gingery!

Bring the water, sugar, light corn syrup, and grated ginger to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Keep stirring until the sugar dissolves and let boil for about 2 minutes.

Strain into a medium bowl and chill until cool. I stuck it in the freezer for about 10 minutes and then moved it to the fridge.

Once the ginger mixture is cooled, whisk in yogurt, buttermilk, lemon juice, and lemon peel.

Now process it in your ice cream making according to instructions.

I let mine mix for about 30 minutes.

Then I moved it back into a bowl, covered it, and let it freeze. I gave it about 3 hours in the freezer.

A little while ago, I found this amazing crystallized ginger at Sur La Table and have been looking for the best recipe to use it in. For now, I decided to use some as a topping on my frozen yogurt!

I scooped te fro-yo out and sprinkled crystallized ginger on top. YUM! This makes me realize I need to start picking up some pretty colored bowls instead of just white. But I still think it looked beautiful

And it had an amazing flavor! It actually ended up having a consistency much more like a sorbet, which was just fine with me. But if I wanted more of a frozen yogurt (less icy), I’d probably use Greek yogurt next time.

This lemon-ginger frozen yogurt is most definitely my ideal summer treat!! I can just imagine sitting outside on a super hot day, eating a huge bowl of this. It’s nice and icy and so, so refreshing! Exactly what my ginger-obsessed self needed. And the crystallized ginger on top was the absolutely perfect touch!

This will definitely be made again… And most likely all summer long. As long as you have the tools, it’s super duper easy and requires almost no work at all. And if you’re as obsessed with ginger as I am, you absolutely need to try it. Even if you’re not the biggest ginger fan in the world, you’ll probably still enjoy it because the lemon cuts it so nicely.

I’m glad the next few days are going to be HOT here in Boston because I’m planning on finishing this up!

Do you have any favorite ginger recipes I must try?

[Sues]

When I saw the recipe for Mint Oreo Ice Cream on GrapeSugar’s blog, I decided to make it my first homemade ice cream. It is eggless, involves 7 ingredients, and sounded amazing. Then, right before I made it, I got the genius idea to videotape myself making it. Don’t laugh too hard; it was 90 bazillion degrees and I was just hanging out working before I randomly decided to do the video. Also, it was my first time editing a video… ever. I kind of feel like it’s going to be a new obsession. Anyway, watch and see how super easy making this ice cream was!!

Mint Oreo Ice Cream:

• 2 C heavy cream
• 2 C 1% milk (use 2% or whole if you want creamier ice cream)
• 1 C sugar
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 t peppermint extract (or mint)
• 4-6 drops green food coloring (if you want!)
• 1 C crushed Oreo (about 6-8 cookies)

I explain all the instructions in the video, but just briefly: Whisk togther the heavy cream, milk, sugar, vanilla, mint, and sal (and food coloring if you want it) t in a bowl (not the ice cream bowl… that should be in the freezer). Now pour the mixture into your ice cream bowl and follow your ice cream maker’s instructions.

I let mine run for 20 minutes, then I put the Oreos (ahem, chocolate sandwich cremes) in and continued until they were blended. Then, put the mixture in a different bowl and stick it in the freezer for probably at least 6 hours (I left mine in overnight).

Watch for more!

Mint Oreo Ice Cream from Chels and Sues on Vimeo.

I hope you didn’t laugh at me too much. And I hope I didn’t ramble too much. Moral of the story is, if you have a KitchenAid stand mixer, you must buy the KitchenAid ice cream attachment and make this ice cream because it’s the easiest thing you’ll ever do. And when you sit there on your couch eating ice cream that you made yourself you’ll think “This is awesome, like I can’t even believe that this was so easy to make,” as I say so eloquently at the end of the video. You know, right before “Alright guys, we need to eat fast ‘cuz it’s melting.”

I took a couple photos of my final product, but not many because a) I’m really bad at multi-tasking and if I’m videotaping, I tend to forget the other camera, b) my sister and Adam were over for dinner and when I have guests, I’m really bad at taking photos of my food, and c) the ice cream was rapidly melting and there was no time for photos.

The ice cream was AMAZING. I could tell I used 1% milk (instead of something creamier) because it melted a bit fast in a watery way. But to be honest, the ice cream didn’t stick around quite long enough for that to matter. I just want to make pints of this at a time and eat one every night.

OK guys, now I need your ideas on what I should make next with my ice cream machine. Ice creams, sorbets, anything!! I have a feeling I’ll be using this at least once a week this summer!

[Sues]

Here’s what you need:

• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 1 1/4 cups of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 – 3 cups blueberries
• 2 tablespoons of sugar & 1 teaspoon cinnamon (for tops of muffins)

Here’s what you do:

• Preheat oven to 375.

• Cream butter and sugar.

• Add eggs (one at a time) beating after each egg. Add vanilla. Add milk and dry ingredients (adding alternately). Then beat well.

• Stir (not beat) blueberries in.

• Use your muffin cups in muffin pan.

• Fill until overflowing. Use an ice cream scoop for easy transfer… great tip from Sues’ mom! Hi Sharon!

• Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over the tops of the muffins.

• Bake for 25-30 minutes.

The second I took the first bites I knew exactly why I loved these. They’re soft, light, fluffy, and satisfyingly sweet in all the right ways. I’ve had many a blueberry muffin in my day and I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to feel like I just ate a rock. These muffins will leave your stomach happy. Plus, they’re the perfect little treat to make for company visiting this Summer! Because who doesn’t love waking up to a nicely buttered blueberry muffin waiting for them at the breakfast table?

[Chels]

Because, really? HOMEMADE POP TARTS? There is absolutely no way I can even think about saying no to attempting it.

Homemade Pop Tarts:

Pastry:

• 2 C all-purpose flour
• 1 T sugar
• 1 t salt
• 1 C (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into pats
• 1 large egg
• 2 T milk

Brown Sugar/Cinnamon Filling:

• 1/2 C brown sugar
• 1 to 1 1/2 t cinnamon
• 4 t all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg to brush on pastry before filling

See? There aren’t too many ingredients; how hard could they be, right? But for real right now? They actually were not that difficult!

First, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Then chop up all the butter (make sure it’s pretty cold) and work it in with your fingers, a pastry cutter, or a food processor.

I used my little pastry blender, but don’t worry because using your fingers is just fine! Do this until it’s blended, but pea-sized lumps of butter are still visible and the mixture holds together when you squeeze it.

Whisk one egg and the milk together in a separate small bowl. And then stir them into the dough, mixing just until everything is cohesive.

Flour a surface. Make sure you give yourself plenty of space and use tons of flour! It will be a huge pain if your dough starts sticking to the counter.

Divide the dough in half and shape each into a smooth rectangle, about 3×5 inches. Then roll the dough out (or if you want, you can wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for up to 2 days).

I just bought the cutest little Martha Stewart mini rolling pin (which I cannot find anywhere online! But I got it at Macy’s).

Roll the dough into a rectangle about 1/8 inch thick, large enough that you can trim it to an even 9×12″.

The recipe says to cut the dough to form nine 3×4″ rectangles. But my dough was somehow already off when I rolled it out (I don’t think I divided it evenly enough, so when I tried to roll it out any more, it was getting too thin). So instead, I made six 3×5″ rectangles.

The moral is, you don’t have to follow the EXACT measurements; do what works best for you. I liked that my pop tarts were 3×5″ because it seemed more normal pop tart size.

Now, beat the additional egg and brush it over the dough. This is the inside of the pop tart and the egg will help “glue” the top layer of dough on.

I placed the dough rectangles on my parchment paper-lined

Make the filling! I used the brown sugar/cinnamon filling, but Smitten Kitchen has the recipes for a few other fantastic-sounding ones as well. I was going to try chocolate too, but I decided not to get too crazy for my first attempt.

For brown sugar, cinnamon, mix the sugar, cinnamon, and flour together.

Yum yum, I love anything cinnamon!

Place a heaping tablespoon of the filling onto the tart dough, making sure you leave a 1/2 inch perimeter around the dough. Next time I’m adding more filling and spreading it out a bit more because they definitely could have used more filling.

Then cur your second rectangle of dough the same way as the first one. Since this one was bigger than my first, I got some extra rectangles out of it.

Then place a second rectangle of dough on top of the first, making sure you press around the edges to seal. I had to trim some of my rectangles more since they weren’t the exact same sizes (I HATE measuring things slash math).

Use the tines of a fork to press all around the pop tart, creating the pressed edges. Then poke multiple holes on the top so the steam can escape from the tarts. I used a chopstick to poke the holes on the tops.

I also brushed my tarts with more egg wash and sprinkled some more cinnamon mixture on top. I’d say the egg was not necessary (the recipe didn’t call for it) as it turned my tarts a bit more golden than they maybe should have been,

Now, put the tarts in the oven for about 30 minutes, while your oven heats to 350 degrees.

Bake them for 20-24 minutes, until they’re a light golden brown.

Dig in! Or wrap in foil and put in a box. Not really, but don’t they look a lot like pop tarts? They tasted like them too, but MUCH better! Fresher and less dry and artificial.

My pop tarts were far from perfect. But now if I were to make them again, I’m convinced they would be a whole lot better! And frankly, I’m kind of impressed they came out as well as they did the first time around. Definitely one of the more successful baking experiments I’ve done.

I wasn’t really allowed to eat Pop Tarts as a kid and most especially not for breakfast. And honestly, I probably still wouldn’t eat these for breakfast, but as a treat for a fun snack or dessert, they’re are perfect. And Smitten also gives a whole wheat version, which would be even more nutritious. But everyone on Smitten’s post was talking about the crazy things you could do with these, like a savory version! Spinach and cheese? YUM!

So yes, make these. If mine came out this not-horrible on my first try, yours likely will come out 10 times better!

What are some of your favorite old school treats that you want homemade versions of?

Do you think it’s possible to make your own Gushers? If so, I totally need to try!

I’m up bright and early today sitting at the Richmond Airport. I spent the weekend in Virginia with Chris’s family and had a fabulous time. It’s a quick flight back to Boston, where I will begin my lovely Monday work day.

Happy Monday to everyone!

[Sues]

Hello?! How have a not heard of them? So, I replied and said “@MixBakery, Where are you guys located?? Are you new? Cupcakes look fabulous ” And then they responded and said they’re a new bakery called Mix Bakery in the South End that’s delivery-only right now. And would I like to have some cupcakes delivered to try out? Um, what kind of question is that? Have I ever said no to cupcakes? YES, I would like some cupcakes delivered.

So, on Monday morning, Kelly showed up at my apartment with a 6 cupcakes for Chels and I to indulge in. 2 vanilla/vanilla (my standard for rating cupcakes), 2 chocolate peanut butter and 2 s’mores. How sweet was it that she brought 2 of each so we could both try them?

Chels and I immediately went upstairs and got started on a cupcake lunch. The lunch of champions, right?

Like I said, I totally judge bakeries on what their vanilla/vanilla cupcake tastes like. Mix? They got it RIGHT! What we loved about it is that it truly tasted homemade. You could tell the ingredients were all totally fresh and there was nothing artificial about this cupcake. And that goes for both the cake and the frosting. Simplicity, beauty, and freshness.

S’mores was next. You can’t tell from the photo, but there was actually a layer of graham cracker on the bottom of this cupcake. And more graham cracker on top, of course. It really did taste like S’mores! And while the frosting was a tad bit sweet for us, we’re sure it would have most sweet-toothed people going crazy with joy. Mix took this innovative cupcake flavor and managed not to go overboard with it. It’s still simple and not artificial-tasting at all. Plus, it’s beautiful looking.

Now, onto the peanut butter and chocolate cupcake. I consider myself an expert on all things peanut butter (peanut butter + cupcakes= a little personal heaven of mine). Chels, on the other hand, is not a big peanut butter person. Let me tell you, we both LOVED this cupcake. Honestly, I was shocked to see Chels going back for more after eating a half of it. Again, I have to talk about the freshness of this cupcake. The chocolate cake was homemade tasting and not fake at all, and you could tell the peanut butter frosting was actually made with real peanut butter and not just some sort of flavoring. I loved that.

Don’t get me wrong, I love all kinds of cupcakes. And sometimes I get huge cravings for Party Favors’ artificial, who-the-heck-knows-what-the-ingredients-are cupcakes. But for the most part, I want something that tastes real and natural. And doesn’t feel so heavy. Mix is it.

Boston is in desperate need of a place like Mix. While the bakery only does deliveries right now, Kelly is hoping to open a storefront within the next year, probably in the South End area of Boston, closer to Back Bay. When Mix gets a store, I’m seriously hoping it has free WiFi and good coffee, so I can spend every day there. Oh, and Mix has more than just cupcakes; they have cookies, muffins, and more. And the delivery service is perfect if you’re having a party and don’t want to drive into Boston to pick up the baked goods (or can’t carry 48 cupcakes on the T)!

Chels and I destroyed the plate-full. And seriously, is there any better way to spend a Monday afternoon? OK, so I might have just sat on the couch in cupcake bliss for a while after Chels left, not getting much work done, but it was worth it.

It’s clear to see how passionate Kelly is about Mix Bakery and the cupcakes she makes. She’s been in love with baking for as long as she can remember and while she’s inspired by the classics, she loves to experiment and create new flavor combinations. Check out the flavor list Mix currently sells (I NEED to try banana!)… We can’t wait to see what else she comes up with.

Welcome to Boston, Mix! We’re thrilled to have you!

THE MIX BAKERY GIVEAWAY:

Now for the best part. Mix Bakery wants to do a giveaway for our local Boston readers! If you live anywhere within 25 miles of downtown Boston, you can enter the giveaway and Mix will deliver 1/2 dozen cupcakes to you (regular cupcakes with the simple topper of your choice)! All you have to do is leave a comment and tell us your favorite flavor of cupcake (if you could have anything in the world), by Sunday April 25, at 11:59 p.m.

Want extra entries? Send a tweet about this giveaway or write about it on your blog (make sure to leave another comment to let us know). I’m pretty sure there’s nothing better than having cupcakes delivered straight to your doorstep, and you could be the first on your block to try cupcakes from Mix!

In the meantime, head to their website, follow them on Twitter, and call 617-571-6525 for a delivery!

Good luck

[Sues]

For someone who is an absolute cupcake fanatic, it’s been quite a while since I made cupcakes. I got sad realizing I couldn’t remember the last time I baked cupcakes and decided that since my sister and Adam were coming over for a Sunday afternoon, I had a cupcake baking excuse. NOT that I needed one. But they do help, you know.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes (makes 18):

• 1 3/4 C all-purpose flour
• 3/4 T baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t baking soda
• 6 oz (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 1/3 C sugar
• 2/3 C creamy peanut butter
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 C sour cream
• 1/2 t pure vanilla extract

Frosting:

• 6 oz. cream cheese
• 1/3 C confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 C creamy peanut butter (not natural)
• 1/2 t pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 C heavy cream (ignore the light cream I accidentally photographed. You need heavy cream!)
• Strawberry jam for topping

The recipe suggested using natural peanut butter for the cupcakes and said not to use natural for the frosting. Pshhh. I used non-natural for all. And I just noticed from the photo that I actually used reduced fat peanut butter. They tasted delicious, but I might add less sugar if you’re using reduced fat, simply because reduced fat peanut butter has more sugar in it than natural. Not that there’s ever anything wrong with more sugar (oh, besides more calories, but whatever).

Also, I decided to cut the recipe in half since there were only 4 of us and all. This proved to be way more difficult than expected since I’m pretty much the worst ever when it comes to math. Thank goodness my sister helped me figure it all out or I’d still be sitting there with a calculator wishing I paid more attention in high school. It was stupid to make half a recipe anyway because I could have given these to friends, family, neighbors (?), and had them love me a little bit more. I’m giving you the whole recipe (also because I failed to write the new measurements down and I am NOT figuring out those calculations again).

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed, until pale and fluffy. Then reduce speed to low and mix in peanut butter.

Add eggs one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Mix in vanilla.

Then gradually add in flour mixture and beat until just combined. Add in sour cream and crushed up peanuts.

Divide batter evenly among muffin tin with liners. Fill liners about 3/4 full.

Bake for about 19-22 minutes at 350 degrees. Rotate tins in oven, halfway through baking.

There’s nothing like baking with peanut butter because it makes the kitchen smell soooo good.

Now make the frosting. Beat cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar together on medium-speed, until light and fluffy. Add salt and peanut butter and beat to combine. Beat in vanilla.

In another bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk cream until medium-stiff peaks form. Basically you’re making whipped cream. Fold cream into peanut butter mixture. You can use right away or refrigerate, covered, for up to 2 days.

Frost the cupcakes! And leave a little well in the middle for some strawberry jelly. Really, you can use any kind of jelly, but the strawberry was fabulous.

Me being a huge dork in my cupcake shirt… Typical Sunday attire. No doubt I’m wearing yoga pants as well. Clearly I barely even brushed my hair that day.

I just want to let you know, if you’re a fan of peanut butter and jelly, you really absolutely need to make these cupcakes. Or if you hate jelly, make them anyway and cover the whole cupcake with peanut butter frosting. OR add a dollop of fluff instead of jelly!

The cupcake was deliciously moist and sweet. It probably would have been a bit less sweet if I had used natural peanut butter, but I obviously had no problem with the sweetness.

The frosting? It was to die for. It was basically like eating peanut butter right out of the jar. But peanut butter that was so much richer and full-flavored than anything you’ve ever had before. I mean, peanut butter with cream cheese and whipped cream mixed in? Who would ever do such a thing? YOU should. Trust me.

I wish this cupcake was an acceptable substitute for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich because then I wouldn’t feel so guilty about eating one for lunch every day. Maybe if I used whole wheat flour instead of white?

We legitimately ate a plate full of buffalo chicken dip and then had a cupcake later that evening. And some vodka sodas throughout the day. It felt like the Super Bowl or something. But it was just a normal Sunday afternoon. Now that my sister and Adam live right down the street from me, I have a feeling these Sundays are going to happen more and more often. And I’m perfectly OK with that.

Especially if it means more cupcakes.

[Sues]

First, we went to Savannah Sweets in Downtown St. Augustine to test them out. Nichole was right… they were delicious! Heaping amounts of chocolate and peanut butter with a lovely crunch from the salty Ritz cracker.

We, of course, had Will strike a pose with the box of chocolatey goodness from Savannah Sweets.

There was a house filled with people so we made a couple of trays. Here’s what we used:

• 1 bag of white chocolate morsels (if you want white chocolate covered crackers)
• 1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate morsels
• 1 jar peanut butter (we used Jif Creamy)
• Ritz Crackers
• Wax paper lined plates

Here’s what you do:

• Melt all chocolate. If you’re melting in the microwave, make sure you use a microwavable bowl that is deep. If you’re melting on the stovetop make sure you transfer the melted chocolate to a deep bowl. We realized this was important when it was time to dunk the crackers!

• Sandwich a generous scoop of peanut butter between 2 Ritz crackers. Sidenote… I’m very indecisive which is why I have 2 shades of nail polish on. Kinda think I’m gonna do this all Summer because it is FUN and rather fashionable, if I do say so myself

• DUNK each sandwich into the melted chocolate and place on wax paper lined plate. We even tried to do a little experimentation and add some jam into the sandwiches and marked them with white chocolate. We realized the jam wasn’t sticking as well as it did with just peanut butter… every time we went to dunk the sandwiches in chocolate, jam would leak out all of over the place. We tried!

• After all of the crackers are covered and on the wax paper lined plate, place in the refrigerator until the chocolate has hardened and chilled. We let them chill for about 2 hours.

Not only were these so much fun to make but, not to brag, they tasted pretty much the same as Savannah Sweets!

After all of our sandwiches were made we realized we had some extra melted chocolate leftover. Why would we want that to go to waste?! So we raided the kitchen to find anything and everything we could cover in chocolate! We even joked that Melis’ mom would walk in the house and we’d all be dunked in chocolate

We dipped some Pringles, slices of banana, crackers, peanuts, and pineapples in chocolate and let them chill in the refrigerator. I highly recommend the chocolate covered pineapples… it was quite refreshing!

With the help of Melis’ brother Sam, we decided to name these Ritz Peanut Butter Delights… because they are simply delightful. And also a fun and easy little activity to do with friends and family!

[Chels]

Because I’m not a big white rice person, I wanted to try a recipe with brown rice. Yes, it’s healthier, but I just think brown rice tastes SO much better than white rice… I’m that way with bread too. Why would you want to eat white bread when you could have delicious grains and so much more “body” to your bread? But maybe that’s just me.

Cinnamon Raisin Brown Rice Pudding (4-5 servings… 2.5 if you’re me):

• 1 Qt. milk
• 1/2 C uncooked brown rice
• 1/4 C honey, maple syrup, agave nectar (I used 1/8 C honey and 1/8 C maple syrup)
• 1/4 T sea salt
• 1/2 C raisins
• 1/4 T cinnamon

In my infinite quest to pretend I’m a lot healthier than I am, I used 2% milk instead of whole. About 1/2 way through the process, I started to think I majorly screwed up by pretending to be healthy. But I kept with it and in the end, I was soo happy I used the 2%. And I probably consumed double the amount because I figured it was a tad bit healthier. Oops.

Combine milk, rice, sweetener, and sea salt in a large saucepan. Like I said, I used half honey and half maple syrup, which I thought was delicious, but do whatever you choose.

Now, the recipe told me to bring this to a simmer and cook, partially covered on a low flame, for about an hour. I did this and my rice totally was not thickening. So I freaked out, panicked, cried a little. And then gave it another 30 minutes. So, I’d say just keep your eye on it, stir it every now and then and it’s ready when it starts to thicken. And don’t freak out if you see all that skin on top of your milk; just stir it and ignore (or scoop it out if you can’t handle it).

The recipe also told me to add more milk if it got too thick, but I didn’t even come close to having that problem (but you may, so there you go).

Now, stir in the raisins and cinnamon. And continue to cook for another 20 minutes until it’s thick and the rice is soft.

And that is all you have to do!!! Seriously, easiest recipe in the world.

I totally had a huge bowl of it because the more rice pudding I eat, the more comfortable I am, yes?

This. was. awesome. If it didn’t have a quart of fattening milk in it and a ton of carbs, I would probably eat a giant bowl of this every night. is there a rice pudding diet out there?

Don’t like raisins? Hate cinnamon? You can pretty much do whatever you want with rice pudding. Or leave it totally plain jane if you want. I would personally like to try a peanut butter rice pudding. Or perhaps one of the s’mores variety?

Now that I have this amazing rice pudding recipe in my hands and I know the power of it, I feel like I can conquer the world. Feeling down? I’ll make you rice pudding! Need some comfort? Rice pudding! Don’t live close enough to Rice to Riches? I’ll make you rice pudding!

What kind of rice pudding are your dreams made of?

[Sues]