Lemon Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

I'm having a jewelry party tomorrow at a friends house and I decided to bring some Lemon Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream frosting.  Is always fun to bake cupcakes and decorate them too.  I'm sure people are going to enjoy them.

Lemon Cupcake Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
4 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
lemon zest from two lemons
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract

1. Center a rack in the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare cupcake tins by using liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

3. Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.

4. Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter and, working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light.

5. Beat in the extracts, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.

6. Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.

7. Finally, give the batter a good 2-minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed. Place the batter into the cupcake tins.

8. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the cupcakes are well risen and springy to the touch -- a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Source: Cafe Mom

 Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup (one stick) of butter or margarine soften
1 tsp of vanilla extract (or any flavor you prefer)
4 cups of confectioners sugar
2 tbsp of water

In a large bowl beat the shortening and butter until nice and creamy.  Add the vanilla extract and beat. On  medium speed start adding the confectioners sugar, one cup at a time. It will appear dry, add the water..beat until creamy and fluffy scraping the sides of the bowl.  Add food coloring to the frosting.  Wilton Products offer a big selection of colors.  You can find all of their products at your local Michael's Craft store or Joan's Fabrics.
* Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.

To decorate your cupcakes really fancy, get a decorating tip and a frosting bag.

Lemon Cake Roll

This luscious Lemon Cake Roll was a hit.  Is super easy to make and takes no time.  It looks elegant on any table. You can always change the filling to something you like.

Southern Fried Chicken

Living in the south, you come across many restaurants that have Southern Fried Chicken on their menu.  I have been making this recipe for years and is everyone's favorite.  The chicken comes out juicy and the crust nice and crispy.

 

For this recipe I decided to use chicken breast.  You can make a chicken sandwich with lettuce and tomatoes, and a nice slice of cheese.  But, some mashed potatoes, and some corn bread would be much better. 

Ingredients:

6-8 pieces of chicken cleaned

2 cups all purpose flour

3 eggs beaten

oil for frying

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

salt to taste

Heat oil to 350 degrees, hot but not smoking. I prefer a cast iron skillet to fry the chicken, but if you don't have one then use a frying pan.

Make sure the chicken is dried after washing.  Season chicken with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.  Season the flour with the same ingredients.  You want this chicken nicely seasoned. Dip the chicken in the flour first, then in the eggs, then back to the flour.  The eggs will act as a glue.  Shake off any excess flour.  Fry the chicken for about 15-20 minutes for dark meat and 10-15 minutes for white meat. Make sure to flip the chicken to cook on both sides once it starts to brown. Don't cover the chicken because it might make the crust soft.  You want a nice and crispy crust.

I like to take one piece out and look at it to make sure is well done. Chicken is one of those meats you want to make sure is cooked all the way through. Enjoy!!

Trip to Puerto Rico

Last September my sister Gracie was having a birthday.  Since I had been to her Island of Dominican Republic the prior year, I told her why not celebrate her birthday in my Island of Puerto Rico.  Our other friend Sonja and her husband decided they wanted to go too, and so the planning for the trip began.

I wanted this trip to be the best trip ever, and so I started to do my research on what to do and where to go.  I had lived in Puerto Rico when I was a little girl, and I've been to the island a few times, but had never visited the historical places.   First, we booked the flights two months ahead.  Then we started searching for a great hotel at a reasonable price.  Since my husband and I had stayed at El Conquistador, I mentioned it to my sister and she fell in love with it.  El Conquistador is located on a cliff overlooking the ocean in Fajardo.

This hotel has so many thing to do..you really don't have to leave.  Our rooms were villas overlooking the ocean but we really didn't spent much time in the rooms. We had dinner at a couple of the restaurants at the hotel and did some shopping too.  We hung out at the bar a couple of times at night and made some new friends.  The employees there were great, they made us feel at home.

Coconut Macaroons

Macaroons were my dad's favorite.  I remember as a kid my mom would buy these and I would sneak and eat them.  Many of the recipes I've seen call for too much sugar, so I put together this recipe because I wanted a macaroon that was not extremely sweet.  I decided to dip a few in chocolate Ganache.  Chocolate makes everything good!

Sauteed Pork Chops and Brown Rice

I must admit this was the first time I had ever cooked brown rice.  I had always heard that brown rice is hard to cook, and how it never comes out fluffy.  Hearing and reading those comments made me a little intimidated about it.  Since I started back on eating healthier, I decided to cook the rice and see how it will turn out.  Well, the results are in and I must say the brown rice came out tasty and fluffy.  Even my husband loved it.

I made sauteed pork chops to go with the brown rice. These sauteed pork chops are juicy and tender.  Season them with your favorite seasoning and sauteed in olive oil and butter. Enjoy!!

Pork Chops Ingredients: 

4 pork chops

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

salt to taste

2 tbsp of olive oil

1 tbsp of butter (optional)

Season your pork chops with garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and salt.  Set aside for about 10 minutes.  Heat pan on medium heat add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and one tbsp of butter.  Sautee the pork chops until they are golden brown on both sides.

Brown Rice Ingredients:

2 cups of brown rice

1 1/2 cups of chicken broth

1 cup of water

1 tbsp of olive oil

salt to taste

In a saucepan on medium heat add the chicken broth, water, and olive oil.  When it starts to boil add the rice and salt.  Cover and let cook for about 5 minutes.  Set to simmer and cook for an additional 30-40 minutes. Stirring again after 15 minutes. After that, DO NOT uncover the pot until the rice has already been cooking for at least 30 minutes. Check on rice, if it's still a little hard cook a little longer.  Enjoy!!

Roasted Lemon Marinated Chicken

Taking the time to put together some ingredients to make a marinade is so worth it.  This marinade gives the chicken lots of flavor.  The lemon gives the chicken a wonderful taste and it acts as a tenderizer too.  Enjoy the chicken with some vegetables and perhaps some mashed potatoes or rice. Since I'm trying to eat healthier I will have mine with a Greek Salad.

Marinade Ingredients:

1 whole chicken cleaned

Juice of 2 lemons (keep 2 lemon halves)

1 tsp of onion powder

1 tsp of garlic powder

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 tsp of balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp of olive oil

1/2 tsp of dry oregano

1/2 tsp of dry rosemary

1/2 tsp of thyme

1/2 tsp of black pepper

1 1/2 tbsp of salt

Preheat oven at 350 Degrees F

Place the chicken on a roasting pan.  Mix all of the ingredients.  Rub the chicken inside and out with the marinade.  Insert the lemon halves inside the chicken.  Let the chicken rest for about 20 minutes before baking.  Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes covered and uncovered for the last 30 minutes.

Greek Salad

My husband got me hooked on Greek Salads.  This recipe can be eaten alone or with some grilled or baked chicken.  Hope you like it as much as I do.  Enjoy!!

Greek Salad Ingredients:

1 head Romaine Lettuce, Chopped

3 whole Ripe Tomatoes, Cut Into Six Wedges Each, Then Each Wedge Cut In Half

1 whole (large) Cucumber, Peeled, Cut Into Fourths Lengthwise, And Diced Into Large Chunks

1/2 whole Red Onion, Sliced Very Thin

30 whole Pitted Kalamata Olives, Cut In Half Lengthwise

6 ounces, weight Crumbled Feta Cheese

Fresh Parsley, Roughly Chopped

Dressing Ingredients:

1/4 cup Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar

1 teaspoon Sugar (more To Taste)

1 teaspoon of Dijon Mustard-Grey Poupon

1 clove Garlic, Minced

6 whole Kalamata Olives (extra), Chopped Fine

1/4 teaspoon Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1 whole Lemon, For Squeezing

Add chopped lettuce, tomato wedges, cucumber chunks, onion slices, halved Kalamata olives, half the feta, and parsley to a large bowl.

Combine olive oil, vinegar, sugar, mustard, garlic, salt, pepper, and chopped olives in a bowl. Whisk together until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings (I almost always add a little sugar.)

Pour dressing over salad ingredients, then add salt and pepper. Toss with tongs or clean hands. Just before serving, top with additional feta and squeeze a little lemon juice over the top.

Source: The Pioneer Woman

Grilled Steaks and Vegetables

Nothing can beat a perfectly done steak in your own grill. Rib-eyes are my favorite steaks, bone-in or boneless, it doesn't matter.  Since I'm trying to stay focus on eating healthier, today I decided instead of making some delicious, creamy mashed potatoes or some Au gratin potatoes to go as a side for the steaks, I'm going to grill some vegetables.  So fire up the grill and lets get cooking!!

Ingredients:

2 Bone-in or boneless Rib-eye steaks

1 tsp powder garlic

1 tsp powder onion

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

Mix all of the dry ingredients and rub into the steaks.  Drizzle the steaks with the olive oil and let steaks rest for about 20 minutes at room temperature.  I find that if the steaks are at room temperature when they hit the grill, they come out nice and tender and not rubbery.

Preheat grill on high heat. For medium to rare cook on each side for 3-4 minutes depending on the grill. For medium, cook for 1 minute on high then cook for extra 4-5 minutes on medium heat on each side.  I prefer my steaks well done..so I will cook them for about 10 minutes on medium heat on each side.

TIP:  When a rare steak is pressed, it will leave a mark of your finger on the surface; a medium steak will give way a little, while a well done steak is firm to the touch.

Vegetables:

Choose your favorite vegetables.  I love all kinds of vegetables, but some of my favorites

are asparagus, green beans, eggplant, zucchini, squash, baby carrots, broccoli and sweet peppers.

Cut your favorite veggies any way you want, and coat lightly with Italian dressing.

You can use a grill pan if you have one.  If you don't have a grill pan then use a piece of aluminum foil to cook the veggies. I try not to overcook the vegetables because I like them with a little crunch.  Some of the veggies will cook quicker than others.  Asparagus, squash and zucchini cook very quick so those veggies I will cook for about 6 minutes. Carrots, sweet peppers, eggplants and broccoli for an extra 5 minutes.  Just keep an eye on the vegetables and cook them to your preference. Enjoy!!

Today is National Rum Day: Passion Fruit Mojito

Did you know that today is National Rum Day? The best thing about today "National Rum Day" is that it's Friday!!!  Why not make yourself a nice stiff drink with a little bit of rum.  Today I made a Passion Fruit Mojito. Here is the recipe.

  

Ingredients:

2 oz Bacardi Rum

1 cup of passion fruit juice

6 mint leaves

1/2 lime juice

club soda

2 tsp of sugar

ice

Muddle the 6 mint leaves with sugar then add the passion fruit, lime and ice into a glass. Add the rum, stir well, top of with club soda.  Cheers!!!