Cream Cheese Carrot Cake Muffins

So, I'm sure by now you've been acquainted with Pinterest. It's my new favorite time-suck and one of the reasons is because of all the mouthwatering recipes I find on there. I thought that this one was well worth sharing and it comes from kingarthurflour.com. Click on the title of this post to get re-directed there but, I've added the recipe below. Can't wait to try these!!!! Happy Baking!!!

Filling

• one 8-ounce package cream cheese or Neufchâtel cheese
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• a few drops of Fiori di Sicilia flavor, optional but very tasty

Muffins

• 2 1/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup grated carrots, lightly packed; about 2 medium-large carrots

Directions

see this recipe's blog »

1) Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a standard 12-well muffin pan. Or line the pan with paper muffin cups, and grease the cups.

2) To make the filling: Place the cream cheese in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat on low power for 40 seconds. Stir in the sugar and flavor. Set aside.

3) To make the muffin batter: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

4) In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, and oil.

5) Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

6) Fold in the grated carrots, stirring to combine.

7) Drop about 2 tablespoons of the batter (a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here) into each muffin cup, spreading it to cover the bottom.

8) Dollop on a heaping tablespoon of filling; a level tablespoon cookie scoop works well here.

9) Cover with enough batter to fill the muffin cups quite full. The batter will come to within about 1/4" to 3/8" of the top of each muffin cup. But don't try to use all the batter; unless you have particularly deep cups, you'll have abut 1/3 cup batter left over. Bake it in a separate custard cup, if desired.

10) Bake the muffins until a toothpick inserted into the cake part of one (not into the cream cheese filling) comes out clean, about 20 minutes. The tops of the muffins will feel firm to the touch.

11) Remove the muffins from the oven, and as soon as you're able to handle them, transfer them to a rack. If you serve the muffins warm, the filling will be molten. If you wait for them to cool, it'll firm up.

Yield: 12 filled muffins plus 1 unfilled muffin.

How to Make an Easy, Romantic Valentine's Day/Anniversary Dinner

I know it's not so popular to say that I'm not into Valentine's Day because I'd rather be given flowers or candy on a random Tuesday, not because Hallmark tells you to show me you love me. For more, I wrote a review of Valentine's Day. Little did I know it would cause such an uproar, and surprisingly enough, most of my naysayers were men. But, like I told them, I'm not super anti-VD, I just don't like to get caught up in the craziness of it. I usually reserve that for Christmas LOL. Unfortunately, I missed our 3 year anniversary on Feb. 4th, so we postponed it until this weekend which happens to be V Day weekend. Luckily for me, I can combine both celebrations into one dinner at home that I had wanted to impress him with anyhow and that I can share with you guys that don't want to get caught up in the craziness of it but, still want to show your special someone that they're...er...special.

So, let me know if I'm crazy but, I'm thinking Baked Chicken with Herb Skin and Roasted Garlic Cream Gravy with Oreo truffles for dessert. He love Oreos and chocolate, so there you go for dessert. The beauty of the Baked Chicken dish, thank you very much Rachel Ray, is that you will have three meals for the price of one- absolutely perfect for these economic hard times!

Baked Chicken with Herb Skin and Roasted Garlic Cream Gravy

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 boiling onions or 8 cipollini onions
• 2 large heads garlic
• Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for liberal drizzling
• 2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 roasting chicken
• 6 sprigs fresh tarragon
• 6 sprigs flat leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 6 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1/2 pound baby potatoes
• 1 cup purple carrots or baby carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup cream
• 4 cups baby spinach, packed, coarsely chopped

 PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.
2. Take out the gizzards and organs (I know, I said a huge OMGOMGOMG my first time I did this)
3. Prepare veggies and place in a roasting pan- I would quarter potatoes and cut the carrots into smaller pieces, so that they will roast easily. 
4. Cut the heads of garlic to expose all of the cloves. Drizzle EVOO over the exposed garlic, then press into the rosemary to coat. Wrap the garlic in foil and roast in the oven until tender, 45 minutes.
5.  Loosen the skin of the chicken that covers the chest and thighs and legs. Arrange the tarragon and parsley sprigs, bay leaves and thyme leaves under the skin, distributing evenly around the bird. Rub 4 tablespoons of softened butter all over the bird skin, then season liberally with salt and pepper. Settle the bird over top of the potatoes and vegetables. Roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes, then switch on the broiler to crisp the skin, 5-8 minutes.
6.  When the garlic is done, let cool until it's cool enough to handle. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of the skins and mash into a paste.
7.  In a saucepot, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat, then stir in the flour. Cook for 1 minute, then whisk in the stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and whisk in the mashed garlic. Let thicken for 5 minutes, then add the cream and reduce the heat to low.
8. Remove the chicken from oven and carve. Fold the spinach into the vegetables to wilt. Serve the vegetables and chicken with gravy on top.

Oreo Truffles: Makes: 3 1/2 dozen  Takes: 1 1/2 hours

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, divided
• 1 (8 ounce) package PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
• 2 (8 ounce) packages BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, melted

 

 

Directions

1. Crush 9 of the cookies to fine crumbs in food processor; reserve for later use. (Cookies can also be finely crushed in a resealable plastic bag using a rolling pin.) Crush remaining 36 cookies to fine crumbs; place in medium bowl. Add cream cheese; mix until well blended. Roll cookie mixture into 42 balls, about 1-inch in diameter.
2. Dip balls in chocolate; place on wax paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover chocolate can be stored at room temperature for another use.) Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs.
3. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Store leftover truffles, covered, in refrigerator.

Footnotes

• How to How to Easily Dip Truffles 
• Place truffle ball in melted chocolate to coat; roll if necessary. Lift truffle from chocolate using 2 forks (this will allow excess chocolate to run off) before placing on wax paper. 

• 
  
  
  
  
   The Baked Chicken recipe comes via Rachel Ray. The Oreo Truffles is the genius of Bakers fudge.

So, what do you guys think? I'll have to let you know how it turned out and how F liked it!

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How To DIY Vinyl Record Bowl!

Hey guys! Thought I'd share a couple of pictures of our homemade wedding fund bowl...actually, I have two. One's a vase for pennies and the other is the bowl for all other coins.

The bowl is a Bobby Gentry and Glen Campbell vinyl record that my friend got at a thrift store for 50 cents but, I've bought vinyl for as low as a nickel. This is her creation- thanks Jill! She was kind enough to give me the how-to, so I can share it with all of you! There are two methods, so whichever works for you- go for it!

1) The fun part! Shopping for vinyl!!!! Go to your local thrift store or garage sales or second-hand record stores and buy a cheap record that reflects your musical taste.
2) Preheat your oven to 200-250 degrees Fahrenheit (100-150 Celsius)
3) Place your record on the center of an upside down, oven-safe bowl on top of a baking sheet.
4) Place in oven and KEEP A CLOSE WATCH.
5) Each oven is different but, the record takes around 4-8 minutes to "droop" or melt around the bowl.
6) Wearing oven mitts (duh!), take out your creation and place it around another bowl.
7) Either mold it around the bowl or you can hand mold it to your liking. If you like what it looks like after you take it out of the oven, ignore this step.
8) Let cool for 10-15 minutes.
9) Flip it over and you're done!

 

View from bottom of the bowl

"Edges Up Method" (I think this is the easier version!)

1)Find an oven-safe glass bowl that's slightly smaller than the record.

2) Preheat oven to 200-250 F or 100-150 C.

3) Put the record, centered, over the top of the glass bowl.

4) Put the record and bowl into the oven, place a can (canned food) on top of the record.

5) Again, WATCH THE BOWL CAREFULLY!  If the sides of the record start to fold over the glass bowl, then your can may not be heavy enough, or you might need a larger bowl. If you don't want to start over, or if you simply want a deeper vinyl bowl, try pushing the can down carefully.

6) When you like what you see, take the bowl out of the oven.

7) Cool for 10-15 minutes, flip and enjoy!

View from the side

These bowls are really cute, you can infuse your musical taste throughout the house and they also make great, inexpensive gifts. I just made it into the wedding fund, with my so obvious DIY sign, because it's cute, convenient and very "us".

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Be The Change You Wish To See In The World...

I know we are all caught up in our own issues and hardships. Every once in a while, an unfortunate disaster happens in some place that you don't quite give too much thought to, and it reminds us how lucky we are to be alive- to be at the right place at the right time, even if it doesn't always feel like it. When things like that happen, we often feel overwhelmed with the desire to help but, have no clue where to start. I've made it easy for you. I've listed 3 different aid agencies below that are assisting in Haiti relief.

Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, the citizens live on under $1 a day and half of them are under 21 years of age. The Archbishop is reported killed, the embassies are destroyed, the National Penitentiary has collapsed with reports of inmates escaping, bodies are being stacked on top of each other "block after block after block" reports CNN Pentagon Correspondant. So, yes, there will be a lot of aid needed and I'm sending this plea: Instead of your morning coffee, donate that amount to one of the agencies listed below. You can go without coffee for a couple of days or you can make it at home (because I will tell you that I can't survive without my coffee but, I can make due with just regular, cheap, and homemade) and it'll help tremendously.

I hope this finds you well and if you have family or friends in Haiti, may you find them healthy and well. Here's the toll-free number for you to locate information on your family/friends: 1-888-407-4747. My thoughts are with Haiti at this devastating time. We do not have to be overwhelmed, we do have the power to help.

• Text "Yele" to 501501 to donate $5 to Wyclef Jean's Haiti relief efforts, the maximum number of texts is 6; however, you can go to www.yele.org and donate as much as you want. 100% of funds go to relief efforts.
• Red Cross relief is "incredibly overwhelmed" and water is of the utmost importance. To donate to Red Cross efforts, You can also text "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10 to American Red Cross relief efforts for Haiti. The amount will be added to your cell phone credit card bill. OR you can donate the International Relief Fund.
• UNICEF: Here is the link to the donation form to help Haiti's children.
• Here's a link to my full list of 5 aid agencies (good news: you don't always have to spend money...you can drop off much needed items!).
 

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'Tis the Season For Baking....

So, it's the holidaze and I've been baking up a storm! My three favorite crowd-pleasers for this season are fudge, Neiman Marcus' cookies (I'll tell you a funny story about that later) and an apple pie recipe that I got from Real Simple that wowed my family at Thanksgiving. If you're like me and want to save some money this holiday season, baking your neighbors, co-workers, and friends some treats, (as a potluck addition, X-mas presents or as a thank-you-for-having-me-over) is a nice, inexpensive and delcious way to say that you appreciate them. Without further ado, here are the recipes all in one place to make it easy for you!

Fudge: Makes 48 servings or 3 lbs. Total time: 2 1/2 hours, includes cooling

1 7oz. jar of marshmallow creme
1 1/2 cups of sugar (you can cut this down a little if you like your fudge less sweet, my FI complained it was a little too sweet for his taste and he LOVES chocolate)
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup of BUTTER (don't sub margarine in for butter, it has much more water and will affect the fudge)
1/4 tsp. of salt
2 cups milk chocolate chips (one 12oz bag)
1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. of vanilla extract

1) Line a 8x8 pan with aluminum foil, so that the foil goes over the side. (I put mine in a 9x9 because I didn't have a 8x8 and it turned out well and if you double the recipe- put it in a 13x9 pan.)
2) In a large saucepan, heat on low to start: marshmallow creme, sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt. Make sure that you have your ingredients measured out before putting them in the saucepan to keep from burning- start it on low and slowly increase to boil to cook for 5-7mins, constantly stirring. Keep an eye to make sure it doesn't burn.
3) Remove from heat and pour in the chocolate chips, stir until melted and the mixture is smooth.
4) Stir in vanilla.
5) Pour into pan and chill the fridge for 2 hours or until firm.

Neiman Marcus' Cookies: Makes 120 cookies Total time: 1 hour, includes bake time

OK, before I give you the recipe, I owe you a story. I'm not sure if this is true or some sort of publicity stunt, I tend to think it's true. A woman, some friend of a friend of my mom's, was shopping at Neiman Marcus and had stopped by their bakery/cafe to have a shopping snack. She had decided to try their cookies and thought that they were to die for, the best things she's EVER tasted. So, she asked the salesman if he had the recipe and if she could have it. He said, "Sure it's 250." So, she (I guess having forgot she was at NM) said, "OK, put it on my bill", thinking he meant $2.50. She got her NM bill and lo and behold, $250 for this recipe. She was so upset that she decided to post the recipe everywhere so that NM wouldn't make another penny on it. I thought I'd try it out before pimping out the recipe and I have to say, they're pretty damn good. So, here you are- for free. Happy Holidaze!
2 cups butter
24oz chocolate chips
4 cups flour
2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups sugar
1 8oz. Hershey chocolate bar, grated
5 cups blended oatmeal
4 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups chopped nuts

1) Preheat oven to 375.
2) Measure the oatmeal and blend in blender until it's a fine powder.
3) Cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar.
3) Add: eggs and vanilla.
4) Mix with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, baking soda. Add: chocolate chips, grated Hershey bar, and nuts.
5) Roll into balls and place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet.
6) Bake at 375 for 10 minutes (though I've cooked these at 25 minutes and they turned out perfectly)

Gingery Apple Crumb Pie (via Real Simple's November '09 Issue): Serves: 8 Total time: 3 hours, includes cooling
1 piecrust, store-bought or homemade, fitted into a 9-inch pie plate
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour. spooned and leveled
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 pounds of apples (about 4 apples like Granny Smith, Braeburn, or Empire), peeled and thinly sliced- when I did this for Thanksgiving I had extra slices, so you'd probably be safe with 3 apples instead of 4.
1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. kosher salt (I've substituted regular salt for this and it's fine, if you don't have any kosher in your kitchen)

1) Set an oven rack in the lowest position and heat oven to 375F.
2) In a food processor/blender, pulse the butter, 3/4 cup of the flour, and 1/4 cup of sugar until large clumps form. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
3) In a large bowl, toss the apples, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and tbsp of flour.
4) Transfer the apple mixture to the crust, sprinkle with the crumb topping, and bake until the top is golden and the apples are tender, 55 to 60 minutes. Serve warm at room temperature. (Vanilla ice cream optional but, HIGHLY recommended ;p)

I hope these recipes bring you, your family and your loved ones much joy this holiday season. Enjoy!
Happy Holidays- Team Bride.

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The Engagement Story

Fernando had decided to take me on a romantic getaway because our schedules are so different and it feels as if we never see each other. I also had had one of those crazy weeks, my best friend’s bachelorette party was really becoming something unbelievable with a bunch of selfish you-know-whats making the party about their needs and making my best bud MISERABLE, to say the least. To top it off, I had made quite a few mistakes at work which seemed to occur all at once, you know when you keep making stupid mistakes on top of each other and it never ends? SO, we left Hermosa Beach and headed to Santa Barbara…here’s the Ventura Freeway along the coast:

That Saturday night, Aug. 22nd, after we arrived in Santa Barbara, we decided to go to dinner. Well, ladies, you know that he didn’t make reservations for a restaurant…I love him but, he is a man in the planning category LOL. So, we decided on Cava in Montecito- a wonderful Spanish restaurant. As we drove along the ocean on our way to the restaurant, we saw a courtyard with Renaissance arches lit up and fell in love. “That is where we should have our reception,” we both said. Let me explain about how I knew he was going to propose soon….he had asked my parents' permission two months ahead of time when we were visiting with my mom up in the Redwoods of Northern California.
So, we went to Cava- where I had the most delicious paella with a couple of Pisco Sours and Fernando had a chicken dish with a Mojito. Here we are in front of the beautiful mosaic fountain:

At dinner, Fernando was like, “Hey, let’s go back to that courtyard and take a stroll around. That looked like a really cool place.” ”OK, no problem and I want to check it out up close!” So, we finished our wonderful dinner and headed back along the ocean to Fess Parker’s Double Tree Resort. We got out of the car and as we walked up, it was breathtaking. I mean…LOOK AT IT! Well, it’s a little blurry because I was getting used to my new camera LOL….

So, we decided to climb some winding stairs to the upstairs Rotunda which overlooked the moon on the sea, gave you unobstructed views of the clear and starry night sky and gave me a bird’s eye view of the courtyard and it took my breath away.

Isn’t that the most perfect place to have a reception? It doesn’t have a ceiling so you can dine/dance under the stars. So, after I took this photo, I turned around and there was Fernando on his knee with the 3-carat diamond ring that was my great-grand aunt's wedding ring from 1902 and he asked me to marry him. Obviously, I said yes! Here’s us after he popped the question and as we embark on this new journey together:

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