Mini Batch Cupcakes: Fresh Strawberry on Chocolate

Listen, I know I JUST posted a dessert.  But I'm apparently not getting anywhere on this diet, because I went ahead and made another dessert.  To be fair, I made a mini mini batch of cupcakes.  Only three!  So I can't be tempted to eat a ton at once.  Progress.

Have you ever been to Sammy's?  There was one in Salt Lake for a half a second until it closed down.  I'd call it a tragedy, but since I only went there twice in the entire year or two it was here, I can't exactly act too disappointed.  There's still a Sammy's in Provo, as well as in Rexburg.  So attend one of those when you can!  It's worth an extra drive.

Sammy's makes a cupcake shake, using Sweet Tooth Fairy cupcakes.  And a craving struck big time tonight.  But since I'm no where near a Sammy's, and since I can make pretty dang good cupcakes if I say so myself, I figured I'd whip one of these up on my own.

Below you'll find the recipe for three cupcakes.  Just three!  That can in no way be considered indulgent.  Share one with a husband, roommate, friend, or child, and you barely have enough left for yourself!  I had planned on husband eating a shake with me, so I knew the cupcake had to be chocolate.  And we had some strawberries at the end of their life in the fridge.  I've been meaning to make fresh berry frosting for a while, so this was a perfect excuse.

Seriously, this is nearly as easy as that microwave mug cake, but a hundred times better tasting.

Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes (via)
Yield 3 or 4

1-2 Tbs. chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
1 Tbs. butter, room temperature
1/4 c. sugar
1 large egg (about 1 Tbs. white removed)
2 Tbs. oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbs. + 1 tsp. greek yogurt or sour cream
1/4 c. flour
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbs. cocoa powder
2 Tbs. room temp water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cupcake tin with 3 or 4 cupcake liners, or spray with cooking spray.

Melt chocolate chips in the microwave at short intervals, or in a pot on the stove top over medium low heat.  Set aside to cool slightly. In a small bowl, use a fork to blend the butter and sugar together.  Add cooled chocolate to butter mixture and blend well. Add egg to mix and combine.  Add oil, vanilla, and yogurt and again mix to combine.  Measure the flour, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder into the bowl, then use your fork to combine until no dry streaks remain.  Add the water, and mix til just incorporated.  Spoon the batter into your prepared cups, filling the cups just 2/3 of the way.

Bake for about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Remove the cupcakes onto a rack to cool (you can place them in the fridge at this point, for about 10 minutes, to quicken the cooling).

Small Batch Fresh Strawberry Frosting (via)
Yield about 1/2 cup

1/4 c. chopped strawberries
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. water
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs. butter, room temperature
1 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. heavy cream
pinch of salt

Combine strawberries, sugar, and water in a small saucepan, and place over medium heat.  Allow the strawberries to begin to soften, and use the back of a wooden spoon to smash strawberries as they cook.  This should only take two minutes or so.  Add the splash of balsamic vinegar, and continue to cook til the mixture thickens a bit, about two more minutes.  Remove from heat and set in a bowl to cool (it can still be slightly warm, but not much more above room temperature.)

Place 1 Tbs. strawberry mixture with the butter in a small bowl.  Use a fork to combine well.  Add powdered sugar, cream, and salt to the bowl, and use an electric mixer to whip to combine.  If mixture seems too runny, add additional powdered sugar.  If it seems too thick, add additional cream until the preferred consistency is reached.

And if you want a shake?  Just put 1/2 cup of milk, 1 cup of ice cream, and your frosted cupcake into a blender!  Done and done.

Sesame Ginger Blondies

So Husband left for the gym, and I've been stressing myself out over our upcoming home purchase.  Seriously, I'm shocked that I haven't just cried every day for the past two weeks trying to deal with this whole home thing. I don't know if it's because I'm overly anxious, or under-ly fond of our realtor, or because things have been more difficult than they really ought to be, or because money is running short, or, or, or... Yes, it's all of these things.

When I'm stressed, I bake.  And I also come up with super weird flavor combinations?  Husband, being the sweet man that he is, gifted me with the below pictured ginger preserves, and I wanted to do something fun with them.  I remembered this recipe for jam blondies, and the wheels began to turn.  And then I saw this recipe for sesame cookies.  Sesame and ginger are such perfect flavors together!  It was decided.

And then of course I did something even more weird, and added soy sauce to the batter.  It was a perfect decision.  As was the super light ginger soy glaze I added on top, just to infuse a bit more of those Asian flavors.

P.S.  I thought for a second that it would be funny to name these bars Harajuku Girls (get it, Asian blondies...?  Huh... Huh...?)  Buuuuut I figured that probably wasn't very politically correct.  I'm just saying, though.  If it starts to catch on, you heard it from me first!

P.P.S. I know not everyone will be gifted with a beautiful bottle of ginger preserves.  Mainly, let this blog post be a lesson to you that if you're craving something that is typically meant for dinner, try throwing it in your dessert!  You may just come up with something delightful!  And also, I have a feeling, if you don't have ginger preserves, that you could mix a good bit of ginger powder in with some honey and marble that into these beauties instead.

Sesame Ginger Blondies
inspired via Joy the Baker

1/2 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar, unpacked
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
pinch salt
1 1/4 tsp. sesame seeds, divided
2 Tbs. to 1/4 c. ginger preserves

Optional: Soy Ginger Glaze
1 tsp. ginger preserves
1/4 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. water
1/4 c. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8"x8" pan and line with parchment (if you have it.)

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Once completely melted, turn off heat and add brown sugar, stirring to combine.  Pour butter-sugar mixture into a bowl, and add the egg, vanilla, and soy sauce.  Mix with a fork til well combined.  Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Mix together until no white streaks remain.  Add 1 tsp. of the sesame seeds, and mix to incorporate.

Pour blondie batter into the prepared pan.  Dollop ginger preserves into batter, and run a knife or fork through the batter to marble the preserves in.  Sprinkle the top with remaining 1/4 tsp. sesame seeds.  Bake for 20-23 minutes until edges pull away from pan (try not top open the oven in the middle of baking or your middle will sink.)  Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes, then use edges of parchment to remove blondies to cool completely.

For optional soy ginger glaze, melt together the preserves, soy sauce, and water until liquidy and slightly syrupy.  Add powdered sugar and whisk with a fork til incorporated.  The glaze should coat a brush, but run off easily (you want it fairly runny).  Brush glaze over blondies while still hot from the oven.  You won't use all of the glaze; you just want a light coat with some parts of the blondie not saturated.

Chop in generous squares and serve.  These would be excellent with a honey ice cream or as a dessert following an asian meal (not authentic in the least, but great flavors to mirror the food!)

Friday Morning Q&A

>What did I spend more time on than I would have liked in order to please my mother this morning?
 Researching some kind of tapestry that my mom saw whilst at the Mexico Anthropology Museum that showed evidence of confirmation of Book of Mormon history (namely the Jaredites and/or the people of Lehi).  I found it by the way.  If you're interested, it's here.

>What song did I sing along to, loudly, on my commute to work this morning?
Miley Cyrus's The Climb.  No shame.  Guys, remember when she wasn't crazy, and just semi-annoying?  Now she is a bit crazy.  But... I do love Wrecking Ball. (Not the video. Just the song.)

>What thing am I most excited for in 2014?
The thing is, we're buying a house.  We're literally currently under contract and have deposited $1,500 in earnest money and have an inspection scheduled for Monday.  But it's not that.  I could not be more excited about the prospect of getting a dog, the exact second we're holding the keys to the house.  Maybe this sweet little guy or this cutie or this sweetheart or ohmygosh this guy or ack, this cutie or... can you tell the specific kind of dogs we like?  We're really into labs, australian shepherds, border collies, etc.  And I just can.not.wait. This will make my life.

>What did I have for breakfast?
A smoothie.  Because I'm trying to be fit and healthy.  It was actually quite delicious, even if it did have kale in it.  I used this recipe for a blueberry ginger smoothie, except, yeah, I definitely didn't go for "goats milk yogurt" or almond milk or a mint garnish.

>How are my nails currently painted?
This is exciting for me!  When I'm working at the bakery, I can't paint my nails.  You know, the idea of chipped nail polish ending up in someone's fresh raspberry tart is just unappealing. However, I was called and asked not to come in yesterday morning, so I painted my nails!  Woooot. Desert Haze by E.L.F., one of my favorite nude colors.

>What do I want to do tonight?
Maybe go on a groupon date.  Use our groupon for Pat's Barbecue, then our groupon for the Midway Ice Castles, and then our groupon (okay, our living social deal) for Leatherby's.  This is shooting high, so it probably won't happen.  Especially since husband spends every waking moment he has either at work or studying. But... the break could be nice.

>Where was I last night?
With Ariel, at the Edison Street Organ Loft watching Charlie Chaplin silent movies while a guy played the accompaniment on organ.  It was super super neat to watch.  (Though... silent movies definitely can be... slow.) The Chaplin movies are playing again tonight, as well as a second set playing at the end of Februrary, if you're interested!  Also, they have a Valentine's Day Sweetheart's Ball that sounds adorable, and I might talk husband into taking me.

>Why did it take me so long to write a blog post?
I've been too busy living maaaaaan.  Actually, mostly, I just don't know when you guys care to hear from me.  And then when I do want to blog... it seems like a daunting task.  And then also, I get to hang out a lot with all the people that read this blog anyway, so I'm like, they already know what's going on all up in my life.  If you want more blog posts, let me know.  Maybe I'll start setting up a weekly schedule to do it.

October 29th on the Hour

7a.m.

Early morning bakery time at Tulie

8 a.m.

Vanilla Tea Cake Making

9 a.m.

My fall sidewalk

10 a.m.

Just a little recipe development while I break from work

11 a.m.

My work is real excitin'

Noon

Money money money

1 p.m.

Oh, just vacuuming out the glass shards from a broken lamp bulb

2 p.m.

Beet Goat Cheese Pasta aka. "The pasta Ray wouldn't eat"

3 p.m.

Mail time!

4 p.m.

Stacks on Stacks of Statements

5 p.m.

Please please watch this hysterical video

6 p.m.

Little Sister time!  Ariel and I making a quick Winco stop.

7 p.m.

Mmmm, Moochies.

8 p.m.

I love this dragon so much.

BONUS: 8:30 p.m.

9 p.m.

It's real hard taking pictures inside of haunted houses

10 p.m.

Pumpkin Pie Cake baking.

11 p.m.

Glorious mounds of cinnamon whipped cream

Lists

Here's my thought process on blog posting over the course of four to five weeks:

"I should post on my blog."

"Oh, I actually have nothing interesting to say, never mind."

"Hmm, it's been a while, I should really update the blog."

"I guess I could post about so-and-so upcoming event."

"Nah, I'll wait until that gets a little closer."

"Well, that event has passed, but I don't have time right now because this is coming up this weekend."

"Crap, now I have three or four things to write about, and it's all too overwhelming, and I don't have the time right now!"

So, you're getting a review list with photos.  Before I get overwhelmed and decide to quit.

 

 //That time we went to the drive-ins to watch Despicable Me 2 and eat WAY too much candy//

 (Also, how great has it been to have friends with whom to have fun summer activities?  If not for married friends, I feel certain Ray and I would be absolute shut-ins.)

//That time I had my 27th birthday, and Ray spoiled me with a trip to Lagoon.  And also I made my own strawberry-lavender cake, and had so much fun with it.  People insisted I shouldn't make my own birthday cake, but I looooove doing it, and I should get to do things I love on my birthday, darn it!

Oh, and also we went birthday weekend camping and hiking.  And it was awesome.  I want to spend every day of my life in the mountains and camping.  It's special and magical, and makes me feel so rejuvenated.  City life makes me anxious.//

//That time when my sweet great grandma Brimhall passed away.  She is an amazing, strong, funny, feisty woman, and I'll truly miss her cute smile and her thrill for life.  I had the opportunity to choose the flowers on behalf of the great grandchildren, and it felt bittersweet to think of her and what she might like best.

I also got to spend last night helping my grandparents go through her house and sort things into DI piles.  While it was a little heartbreaking, it was also beautiful to remember her through all the little notes and music and books, clothing and dishware;  I even got to take quite a few items home to treasure and remember her by.  See you soon, Grandma!//

//That time we went to our every-other-annual family Mesquite trip.  It's my favorite trip of the year.  We go to the same condo and do the same thing, and even though we are changed people every other year, there's a feeling of home and nostalgia and sameness that gives me so much comfort.

But it's even better every year because the grandkids grow up and get to experience it in different ways, and Ray got to join us for the first year.  The family just keeps getting bigger.  And this condo in Mesquite will always be a special place for us to gather and remember the years and make new memories.  Love.//

//That time when we had our first anniversary.  We went up to stay at Blue Boar Inn and eat amazing food and stay in the Charles Dickens room and read poetry as we hung out in the beautiful room.  Ray spoiled me like crazy with gifts, and I only gave him the one (quite thoughtful) gift.  He's a good man.  Midway is one of my most favorite places.  It's like camping and Mesquite in that it's a place where I feel quiet and happy inside. Things are simple.  It was a perfect place for us to think about and celebrate our first year together.

It's been an amazing first year, and our relationship has changed so much in so many good ways.  Love has grown, and I know Ray so well, and he knows me, too.  We still have so much to learn, though!  That can overwhelm me sometimes, but I'm also incredibly grateful for the opportunity to keep progressing in this relationship.  I'm so excited for the years to come!//

//That time we went to the Utah State Fair and ate polish corn dogs and saw the tiny adorable piglets and marveled over honey bees and giant vegetables and looked over the photo displays.  And ended the evening with Leatherby's because of course you do.  Again, thankful for fun friends and good times.//

And now, something different.

I know it's been quite a few weeks since my birthday, buuuut I make my birthday goal rules, so I don't mind too much.  I didn't make a birthday goals list last year because I was a little busy getting, you know, married.  But I missed having goals to accomplish, so here's the list this year!

1.  Daily short journaling

2.  Consistent morning prayers

3.  Monthly fast offering payments

4.  Read the monthly Ensign

5.  Go to the temple once per month

5.  Run a half marathon

6.  No sugar September (started Sept. 9)

7.  Get into the 140's

8.  Make granola bars

9.  Make croissants again

10.  Make a rack of ribs

11.  Make macarons

12.  Cook with anchovies

13.  Move into a new apartment

14.  Dust at least once a month

15.  Do a closet purge

16.  Sew something big

17.  Pay down our debt

18.  Go to Europe

19.  Get pregnant (eek...)

20.  Go to the Zoo Lights

21.  Read 12 books

Some of these things are rather scary and/or personal... so it's a good thing you guys are my friends!  I trust you to support me/not make fun/not be judgey/be excited!

The Dinner Process

A couple friends recently suggested that they'd love to just see what I'm making for dinner each night.  So I thought I'd give you a sneak peak into my dinner system.

I wish I was a better meal planner.  This post will reveal how poorly I plan these things out!  I read about people with weekly, even monthly, meal plans, and I marvel at it.  It takes the guess work out of cooking and shopping, and completely obliterates the question of "what should I make for dinner tonight?"  BUT I'm very much a cook-on-the-spot type.  I have to be in the mood for whatever I'm making!  So a meal plan sounds pretty unappealing to my bored-easy personality.  Instead, this is what I do.

I think about an ingredient or ingredients that I want or need to use in my fridge or pantry.  Nothing was in the process of going bad today, but I had just donated blood, and my iron count was pretty low.  So I decided on some red meat.  We had some ground beef in a ziploc in the freezer.  I pulled it out and put it into a bowl of warm-ish water.  My tried and (kinda) true method of thawing meats quickly.

Next up, I google!  I started off at a gallery of 23 ground beef dinners, and found an intriguing sounding tomato and beef casserole with a polenta crust.  I considered following that recipe, but a lot of the reviews suggested it was bland.  And also, I've tried to be a polenta fan, but I can't get behind the consistency of it.  Oh, and also also, I was almost out of cornmeal anyway.  So, rice it is!  I took inspiration from the idea of a cheese covered beef, tomato, and zucchini casserole, and worked from there.

I added flavors I love, and things I found in the fridge, as I went along.  There is a LOT of flavors going on in here, and it's because I taste as I go and think, I want a little of this!  Or, I see an ingredient and remember that I like it, and that it should work with the flavors going on.  Seriously, this is my process.  It's not perfect.

Anyway, after this whole process, here's the "recipe" I ended up with.  I add the quotation marks because this is a very loose recipe.  If you make this, feel free to omit or add what you want, or to raise or lower the proportions of ingredients.  Take your inspiration and work from there!

P.S.  I know this ingredient list is long.  Don't let that scare you!  The majority of it is spices that I just threw in for fun.  Play with the flavors however you want!

Summer Beef and Bean Rice Casserole

Serves 4-6

1 c. rice

1 1/2 c. water or chicken stock

1/2 tsp. seasoning

3/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided

3/4 lb. ground beef

1 carrot, diced

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 tsp minced fresh rosemary

1/2 zucchini, diced

1/2 jalapeno, diced small

1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c. black beans with some liquid

1/2 can diced tomatoes with some liquid

1/3 c. water

1 tsp. worchestershire sauce

1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. sriracha sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine rice, water, and seasoning in a saucepan with a lid.  Set over high heat until boiling (watch carefully), then immediately turn to low to simmer for 15 minutes. (Note:  I used jasmine rice and Old Bay and Redfish seasoning mixes.  Feel free to use whatever you have on hand, and follow your own rice cooking instructions--if it needs more time, more liquid, etc.)  Once rice is cooked through and water has been absorbed, sprinkle with a dash of salt.  Add 1/4 c. cheese in rice, and mix in.  Pour rice into an 8x8 dish, and pat in lightly.

Heat a large deep skillet or wide pot over medium heat, adding a glug or two of olive oil.  Add the ground beef, letting the meat sit evenly on the bottom of the pan without being moved for about a minute to get some color.  Add the carrots, onion, and rosemary, salt and pepper it well, and saute until the beef is cooked through and the onions are getting soft, about 4-5 minutes.  Add in the zucchini, jalapeno, and garlic, and saute for another minute.  Add in the beans (you can use a full can if you like; I cooked my beans from scratch using this crock pot method) and the tomatoes, and mix all together.

Here's where you get to have fun!  Add in any spices you like.  I added the worcestershire, balsamic, sriracha, chili powder, oregano, red pepper flakes, and more salt and pepper.  You want to have a good amount of cooking liquid in your meat and veggies (maybe 1/2 c.) to keep the rice moist. You may have enough from the beans, tomatoes, balsamic, etc.  If you don't have enough liquid, add a bit of water (or chicken stock).  Allow the whole mixture to simmer, covered, for a few minutes, to get veggies soft.

Pour the beef mixture over the rice and spread out evenly over the top.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 c. cheese (use less if you like, as low as 1/4 c.) over the top of the beef and veggie mixture.  Put the dish in the oven for about 15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and the veggies are just getting browned.

Serve with some garlic toast or a fresh salad.  Add a dollop of sour cream on top, if that's something you like.

Money Saving

I kind of forgot what it was like to budget money.  Not that I'm out buying clothes every day, and eating at posh restaurants every evening.  I've always been relatively good at not over-spending, and I really truly love saving money in a savings account.

But for the past six years, I've had a very stable job, and very few bills.  This means that I had a rather decent amount of expendable income.  I could buy any groceries I wanted, and eat out at restaurants pretty much any time, and buy a new pair of shoes if the desire arose.  In that six years, there were still important budgeting issues, like paying off a car and paying for tuition those couple of semesters that I went to school.  But for the most part, my income was rather comfortable.

Lately, with the husband in school and paying for tuition, a lot of bills are crawling out of the wood work (handling rent without three other roommates to share, paying the FULL gas and power bills instead of splitting with people, what?)  We're pretty fine, still, money-wise.  But we're also hoping to go to Europe next year.  And with trying to save and plan for that, I have to re-learn about budgeting.

(Picture break for no reason)

It's been a bit of a battle.  Last night, I bought a $7 block of gruyere cheese.  It was delicious on our croque madame sandwiches, but eating from home shouldn't be costing us that much per meal, right?  On the mornings where I work at Tulie Bakery  (which is so awesome, by the way!), I don't have time to go home and grab a breakfast.  At least, that's what I tell myself, and then I stop in at a fast food drive-thru on my way into work.  Not only is that unhealthy, but it can add up.  And I don't even really like the food that much!

All this to say, I've really got to write up some budget goals.  And stick to them.  Here are some that I'm going to implement:

1. Only eat out at a fast food place once a week TOPS (hopefully not at all)
     a. Make healthy grab-and-go breakfast and lunch snacks so I don't get the temptation to stop somewhere

2. Keep grocery lists simple--sometimes you don't have to be fancy and get gruyere cheese when plain old $2 cheddar will do the trick!

3. Put at least 13% of each paycheck into savings (both as a good rule, and because Europe is caaaaaaalling our names)

4. Stop taking shortcuts when another (longer) way will save money--like buying canned beans.  Beans are cheap as pennies, but canned ones cost soooo much more.  And seriously, with the amount of random, and rather unnecessary, baking I do, I'm sure I could substitute in some bean-soaking time instead.  Also, I spent $6 on a car wash yesterday. Probably that could have been done with a hose and some elbow grease.

5. The $1, $2 justification is no longer allowed!  Buying a $2 or $3 treat instead of going out to lunch still adds up!

(Also doing more free activities like campfire nights.  Fun!)

Guys, I need your help!  What are your favorite money-saving tips and tricks?  Any help in changing these habits would be much appreciated!