Margarita Cupcakes

***Blogger completely deleted this post from Thursday, So I've re-posted it***

These ended up tasting more like Key Lime Cupcakes. They were delicious and decadent!
I made these for Cinco De Mayo along with my mom's Carne Guisada with rice and beans. {recipes coming soon, I know I'm such a tease!} Remember, I live in Texas and any excuse to cook Mexican food, I'll take it!  I got this recipe from a new blog that I stumbled upon via Tasty Kitchen...Confections of a Foodie Bride
I did not use the buttercream recipe that was included with the recipe...I was in a hurry, and thought it was a simple buttercream, and realized it wasn't so I made a different one... 

A from-scratch cupcake and fun frosting inspired by our favorite cocktail.

Margarita Cupcakes

 

Ingredients 

For the Cupcakes

• 3 cups flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs, at room temp
• 3 limes, zested and juiced
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup tequila (or half tequila/half orange liqueur, optional)

Tequila-Lime Buttercream (my version)

• 2 sticks of butter same as 1 cup of butter, softened at room temp
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• the zest and juice of 1 lime combined

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325. Prepare muffin tins with paper liners or baking spray.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside. Cream butter and sugar on a high until pale, light, and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
3. Add eggs one at at time, mixing thoroughly before adding the next one.
4. Add lime zest and lime juice.
5. Turn mixer to the low. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk in two batches. Mix only until just incorporated.
6. Fill each muffin cup ~3/4 full. Bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer shows only moist crumbs attached, rotating the pans at the halfway point. Allow cupcakes to cool completely in the pans before removing.
7. (Optional) While the cupcakes are still warm, brush the tops with tequila or tequila/orange mixture.

Directions for Buttercream Frosting

1. Whip butter until creamy and fluffy.
   
2. {My buttercream rule: For every 1/2 cup of butter or 1 stick, I use about 2 cups of powdered sugar.}
   
3. Add the powdered sugar, a little at a time, I alternate with juice, I’m sorry I don’t measure, but it’s about 2 tablespoons. Beat well after each addition. Now you can add any color that you would like. I added a bit of yellow and green food coloring.

Yields: 24 Cupcakes

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride and Martha Stewart Living

Estimated time: 1 hour 

 

 

Recipe Reviews

It's no surprise that I enjoy eating, and I was having a conversation with one of my friends sister, who is 15. We were talking about how much we really love food. Not because of how it makes us feel {I wouldn't love food as much, or even eat, if I based it off of how I feel afterwards} But we love it because it tastes so DARN GOOD!!!

I love quality foods, the kind you can't get at a local restaurant or fast food drive thru.

I love to cook {and not clean the dishes} and I love how the combinations of flavors makes a party in your mouth, literally.

I'm known for dancing and humming when eating excellent food, {aka, party in my mouth} other people think its hilarious. That's how my mom knows she's made an outstanding meal. My mom thinks I should be a food critic/reviewer.

So I'd like to review here, because a few of you have given such sweet compliments about my recipes or the recipes I've posted about!                       que the button...

Ah, there it is!! Welcome to the new series I'm starting here... Recipe Review. Every 2 weeks, I will post recipes that I've tried, and I'll tell you my opinion of them.

{If you want me to review your recipe, post a link to it in the comments section, I'll give it a try, and I'll review it & feature you, and you can use my 'featured' button. Show me what you got, and show off your creations! I'm interested! No linky needed, unless things get chaotic. Just a fun little something extra, since wedding wednesdays aren't striking people's fancy}


So here are some amazing recipes I have tried lately and are all 5 star recipes in my recipe binder!

Bowtie Lasagna 
yum...so good...hubs-to-be scarfed it up in a jiffy, and I even made a second batch at the beginning of last week all for myself when he left for a job for the week. It's that good. Tasty Kitchen Obsession has officially begun {and I just submitted two recipes in my recipe box as well, that were posted here}

Caramelized Chicken with Mushroom Sauce 
this has always been a favorite meal of mine when I was growing up, but this has a more adult outlook on it...two of my favorite things, chicken and mushrooms. I could eat mushrooms every day, multiple times, their so yummy! my obsession of How Sweet It Is continues...to the next recipe...

Triple Layer Cookies & Cream Bars 
decadent chocolate, peanut butter, and crunchy oreos. I made her brownie recipe and followed it to a "T", somehow the brownies ended up not cooking on the inside at all. So I will just be using a normal boxed brownie mix for this recipe so that we don't have the same issue again. But these were ultimately one of my favorite brownies I've ever made! Try them...ahhhh, How Sweet It Is, literally!

Cinnamon Bun Ice Cream
this link goes to a few different Ice Cream recipes in one post this recipe in particular is further towards the bottom of this post- the best part, you don't have to use an ice cream maker. I used my new kitchen aid ice cream maker, and its so good, I'm sure its just as good without using a maker. I'll be making the other recipes on this post in the future, as well as concocting a few of my own! {next time I make this recipe, you can guarantee I'll be adding some caramel at the end when I put it into a container...talk about bliss} I just love Kevin & Amanda!



Again, If you want me to review your recipe, post a link to it in the comments section.}

Italian Stuffed Chicken with Lemon Butter Linguini {RECIPE}

I DID IT...I created a recipe, ALL BY MYSELF

I had some ideas of how to do it, I've tried stuffed chicken recipes and have found them to dry out the chicken, or be too bready

this recipe has NO bread or breadcrumbs in the stuffing, just cheese, prosciutto, and herbs

this recipe is now an ultimate favorite of mine. delicious, flavorful, and filling

hubs-to-be absolutely L.O.V.E.D. it. which means that its a keeper

since printing out recipes for my recipe binders, i've cooked recipes and have hubs-to-be tell me if they're keepers or toss-outs, so far only 1 toss out {thank goodness}


I hope ya'll enjoy this as much as we did...I gloated all night about this recipe. it was the first one I've ever made up all on my own. I'm sure its out there somewhere else, but for me, I didn't look it up, or stumble upon it. I just created

Mozzarella & Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, butterflied & cut
1 roll of prosciutto, mozzarella & basil
2 tablespoons of minced basil, dried
2 teaspoons of minced oregano, dried
2 teaspoons of paprika
4 tablespoons of olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt & pepper to taste
20 or more toothpicks

Directions
Preheat oven to 400. In a small glass pan or casserole dish, place 2 tbsps of olive oil in the pan. Set pan aside.
Take chicken breasts and cut them butterflied. Then cut the butterfly down the middle, making 2 pieces.
After this process you will have 4 pieces of chicken breast. Butterflying makes them thinner, instead of beating them to death.
Cut the mozzarella log into 12-14 slices, about 1/4 inch thick. Place 2 slices onto the middle each chicken breast piece. Set the other 4-6 slices aside.
Sprinkle 1 tbsp of basil, and 1 tsp oregano and paprika on top of the mozz slices on the chicken.
Roll chicken up keeping the mozz slices towards the bottom of the roll.
Close up chicken with toothpicks, about 5 per roll of chicken, use more if needed. Try to close the roll up completely leaving no gaps for the cheese to ooze out.
Place each chicken in the pan on top of the olive oil. Drizzle the rest of the olive oil over the chicken rolls.
Sprinkle the rest of the basil, oregano & paprika on top of the chicken rolls. Squeeze the 1/2 lemon over the chicken rolls, no seeds.
Cook for 20 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown on the sides.
Pull chicken out and turn your oven to broil
After the chicken is fully cooked, top with the remaining slices of mozz roll and put back in the oven.
Broil for 4-5 minutes, once the cheese is melted, you're done!

This chicken goes extremely well with my Lemon Butter Parmesan Linguini

Lemon Butter Linguini

1/2 package of Linguini noodles
juice from 1/2 of a lemon
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese (i used a parmesan romano combo)
1/2 stick of butter
1 tbsp basil
1 tbsp oregano

Cook Linguini according to package. Drain. Rinse with cold water.
Put back in the pot or into a bowl. Add butter, cheese, and lemon juice. Mix well.
Serve.


Here are some pictures of the process!

 this is the mozzarella, prosciutto & basil roll that I use the most often

 the prosciutto tends to tear when cut...hence the hack job on my slices, lol

chicken with the slices, herbs and spices

 rolled up in the pan {tip: DONT use colored toothpicks unless you want colored chicken, some of our chicken turned blueish-green after cooked in certain spots, lol...}

 rolled up with the oil, spices and herbs

 fresh out of the oven...yummy

 after the cheese roll has been broiled and melted

 lemon butter linguini

hubs-to-be after our dinner...stuffed

stay tuned for what we had for dessert that night...

Easy Peach Cobbler {recipe}

  This is the easiest peach cobbler i have ever made... wait, its the only peach cobbler i've ever made, lol I recently learned about this recipe from a friend of a friend. Heather, gave this recipe to my bestie Lesley,I tried it Wednesday night and LOVED it so simple, I know ya'll will love it too {if you haven't already, enter my giveaway for a $25 hobby lobby giftcardclick the giveaway icon on my sidebar to go to it & enter} 

 

Easy Peach Cobbler

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

2 cups Bisquick

2 cups sugar

2 cups milk

1 stick of butter

1 LARGE can of sliced peaches in heavy syrup {290z}

dash of cinnamon

2 tbsps of vanilla, seperated

Directions

Preheat oven to 350

Melt butter and pour into a baking dish.

In a large mixing bowl, mix milk, sugar, 1 tbsp vanilla & Bisquick together with an electric mixer.

Pour the mix on top of the butter in the pan. Butter will start to rise to the top, DO NOT MIX.

Add 1 tbsp of vanilla to peaches in the can. Mix well.

Spoon peaches on top of the mixture without mixing.

Bake for an hour, or until golden and bubbly. The cobbler may still jiggle when shaken, but thats ok.

Let cool on baking rack for 15-20 minutes, letting the mixture set.

Once cooled enough, serve in a bowl with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

{hubby-to-be is one who loves the crunchy peach cobbler...this one is ooey gooey buttery, which I LOVE, but he needs some crunch apparently...I suggest topping it with 1/2 bisquick and 1/2 cup brown sugar mixture...it might add that crunchy crust that he is looking for}

  

Bruschetta {recipe}

This is by far the most requested recipe from my best friend and maid of honor, Lesley. Also, several other people have asked me to make this too, but Les, never lets me down when we get together {unless its P.F. Changs}  This is a versatile dish that we as a family {mom, dad, hubbs-to-be, brother, aunts, uncles, you get the point} L.O.V.E.   

Bruschetta

1/2 loaf of day old sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch slices {french, italian, foccacia, ciabatta, will do too} 

1/2 to 1 cup olive oil

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped (in the produce section of grocery stores)
~1 tsp rice wine vinegar{optional}~
~2 tbsp sugar{optional)~
*1 log fresh mozzarella cheese {we like it sliced, but 1 cup shredded mozzarella works too}

*1 cup cooked pancetta, sliced or chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400.

Mix chopped tomatoes, basil, parmesan cheese, 2 tbsp olive oil, rice wine vinegar, sugar and garlic in a bowl. {the sugar and vinegar give it so much more flavor, sweet and tanginess, but not too much}

Arrange bread slices on a large baking sheet. Brush each slice with olive oil. Bake in oven for 7-10 minutes until the bottom slices are toasted. Pull the pan out, flip the pieces so the toasted side is up.

{You can choose to either have your tomato mixture hot or cold. You decide. I like it cold so that the bread doesn't get minorly soggy when cooking, however, most people like theirs toasted. Try them both, and then you decide}

If you want it cold, simply lay a slice of mozzarella on the toasted side of the bread. Bake again for 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Pull out of the oven and top with tomato mixture, and cooked pancetta.

If you want it hot. Top with a spoonful of the tomato and garlic mixture. Add a sprinkling of mozzarella cheese/ slice of cheese, and then cooked pancetta on the top.

Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes, or until bread has toasted. Watch carefully!

Once removed from oven let cool & serve.

*If you're wondering what the heck some of this stuff is, and where the heck do you get the ingredients? here are some answers...

You can often find mozzarella logs in your local grocery stores. Mine carries them in the specialty section near the meats and cheeses. Often by the italian produce as well. The pancetta is also located here.

If your local deli does not have pancetta. You can find it in a plastic package near the mozzarella or specialty items. Usually it is pre-chopped.

To cook pancetta once its chopped/sliced, simply put 1-2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet, adding pancetta to it. It will brown and start to look alot like bacon. {pancetta is an italian meat that is a salt cured pork belly, that usually has peppercorns in them. it tastes extremely similar to bacon, but saltier}

{raw pancetta comes in a roll like this from the deli}

{once chopped and cooked, it looks identical to bacon, but tastes so much better}

here are some pictures of our process...

 

{tomato & basil mixture...just not mixed yet}

{our sourdough loaf leftover from our Carraba's outing for moms birthday}

{once toasted on the first side}

{we chose the hot route, so we topped it with the tomato mixture}

{gorgeous huh?}

{then topped with a slice of mozzarella and chopped pancetta}

{then once we pulled them out of the oven...ooey gooey, yumminess}

  

Italian Ice {recipe}

Mom has used this recipe several times in the past. We absolutely LOVE this! This is her recipe that she developed out of several different recipes online.

It's so yummy! It's super easy, and sweet! Perfect for summertime!

Italian Ice

Add raspberries, lemon juice, sugar and water to a small pot.

Cook on medium heat on stovetop. Let it cook for 7-10 minutes.

Stir after turning off the heat, making sure you stir the bottom (some sugar may be stuck, simply stir to let it dissolve).

Set up a wire strainer on top of a bowl or large measuring cup for the next step.

Ladel spoonfulls of mixture into the strainer over the bowl, until all the liquid has gone into the measuring cup/bowl. With a spoon scrape all of the liquid out of the mixture. Only raspberry seeds, lemon seeds, and raspberry pulp will be left in the strainer.

Ladel or pour into a freezer safe tuppleware. Freeze for at least 5 hours.

To serve simply scrape the ice with a spoon. {it's best to eat right out of the tuppelware...mom and I make several tuppelwares of this so we can eat straight out of them}

Italian Ice
adapted from Giada De Laurentiis' Italian Ice Pops
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Freeze time: 5-10 hrs
Ingredients
2 cups fresh raspberries, or defrosted frozen raspberries
juice from 2 lemons
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Directions
Add raspberries, lemon juice, sugar and water to a small pot.
Cook on medium heat on stovetop. Let it cook for 7-10 minutes.
Stir after turning off the heat, making sure you stir the bottom (some sugar may be stuck, simply stir to let it dissolve).
Set up a wire strainer on top of a bowl or large measuring cup for the next step.
Ladel spoonfulls of mixture into the strainer over the bowl, until all the liquid has gone into the measuring cup/bowl. With a spoon scrape all of the liquid out of the mixture. Only raspberry seeds, lemon seeds, and raspberry pulp will be left in the strainer.
Ladel or pour into a freezer safe tuppleware. Freeze for at least 5 hours.
To serve simply scrape the ice with a spoon. {it's best to eat right out of the tuppelware...mom and I make several tuppelwares of this so we can eat straight out of them}



 Try it out, leave your comments below!  

Chicken Tettrazini {recipe}

{I've officially created a Facebook page for this blog. You can get updates, etc. on the page. Simply click my facebook icon under my blog header, and click on 'Like'. Next week is my official 100th post, THERE WILL BE A GIVEAWAY! So exclusive updates about the giveaway will be posted on the FB page!}

This was one of the recipes my mom and I made on March 1. It was really good, and made ALOT...

If you're making this for 4, I suggest cutting this in half. This recipe made two 9x13 pans. Yes 2 entire pans. We cooked half that night, and froze the other half in a ziploc bag.

Guess who gets to take it home with them? yep, you guessed it ME. That's one less dish I have to worry about prepping. I'll simply put it in a buttered dish, top it with the breadcrumbs, cheese and butter and bake!

We wished we would have added a few more spices to make it a bit more flavorful, so I added them to the recipe. We also used lima beans instead of peas, and added cream cheese to the mix...we aren't really pea people, but we love our cream cheese! You could pretty much add anything to this mix, some suggestions, broccoli, bell peppers, asparagus, spinach, etc. I would suggest that if you like really cheesey mixes like we do, add more cheese.

I'll be adding a few things when I bake the frozen batch. LOTS of mozzarella and provolone!

Serve alongside a caesar salad with homemade caesar dressing and croutons!

Stay tuned for more delish Italian recipes this week!

Chicken Tettrazini

adapted from Giade De Laurentiis' Chicken Tettrazini with some modifications

Ingredients

9 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 pound white mushrooms, sliced

1 large onion, finely chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups whole milk, room temperature

1 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature

1/2 cup cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup chicken broth

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

12 ounces linguine

3/4 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

2 tsp dried basil

2 tsp dried oregano

1 cup grated Parmesan

1/4 cup dried Italian-style breadcrumbs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Spread 1 tablespoon of butter over a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Melt 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil in a deep large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the hot pan and cook until pale golden and just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool slightly. Coarsely shred the chicken into bite-size pieces and into a large bowl.

Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil to the same pan. Add the mushrooms and saute over medium-high heat until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates and the mushrooms become pale golden, about 12 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme, and saute until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it evaporates, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mushroom mixture to the bowl with the chicken.

Melt 3 more tablespoons butter in the same pan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, cream, broth, cream cheesse, nutmeg, remaining 1 3/4 teaspoons salt, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Increase the heat to high. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes. Drain. Add the linguine, sauce, peas, and parsley to the chicken mixture. Toss until the sauce coats the pasta and the mixture is well blended.

Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish. Stir the cheese and breadcrumbs in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the pasta. Dot with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top and the sauce bubbles, about 25 minutes.

Leave your comments about this recipe below!



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