Peanut Butter and Jam Cupcakes

My mom and sister visited us this past weekend, and my sister requested a recipe I hadn’t made in ages: peanut butter and jam cupcakes. 

A few things I love about this recipe:

• It instantly takes you back to childhood
•  It only makes 12 cupcakes (I despise throwing away food that doesn’t get eaten in time)
• The batter and cake is a beautiful color and taste

Vanilla Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoon of baking powder

¼ teaspoon of salt

¾ cup of sugar (I usually add just a touch more than this)

6 tablespoons of unsalted butter (I warmed in the microwave until just soft, not melted)

1 large egg

1 large egg white

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

½ cup of whole milk

DIRECTIONS

1.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.       Combine all of the ingredients above and mix together (note: the recipe in my book is slightly different than what I do, as I put everything into my KitchenAid mixer and mix on slow, then medium, then high speed—mix until no flour traces remain).

3.        Once mixed, divide the batter evenly among 12 muffin cups (or a greased muffin pan); fill each about three-fourths full.

4.       Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

5.       While the cupcakes are cooking, fill a pastry bag with the jam of your choice.

6.       Once the cupcakes come out, pipe the jam into the center of the cupcake while they are still warm (you will see the cupcake rise slightly as the jam fills the center).

7.       Frost with peanut butter frosting (see below).

My sister requested grape jam, which really made the cupcakes taste like childhood, as I cannot remember the last time I had grape jam!

Peanut Butter Frosting

INGREDIENTS

6 tablespoons of unsalted butter (again, I warmed in the microwave until just soft, not melted)

1 cup of confectioners’ sugar

¾ cup of peanut butter (I used a natural peanut butter, which you can see in the photos)

2 tablespoons of whole milk

DIRECTIONS

1.       Mix all ingredients together with an electric mixer (on medium-low speed). It will take about two minutes to mix.

2.       Use the frosting right away.

I put the frosting in a pastry bag and piped onto the cupcakes. I then swirled the top a bit to smooth out the texture.

Note: Frosting can be stored in an airtight container for up to four days; bring to room temperature before using.

These cupcakes are rich and go great with a glass of milk. 

Wrapping Birthday Gifts for Kids

We have been to a ton of birthday parties recently. I thought I would share with you some of the ways I have wrapped gifts for these birthday parties.

Alex loves this fire truck ribbon, which I got for his school’s touch-a-truck fund raiser. 

For the to/from tag, I just punched out a small square from the paper and wrote on it using the colors found in the ribbons. 

Orzotto with Green Asparagus

When we are in NY for the weekend, I try to plan out the week of dinners so that I don’t have to think about what to make when I get home at night. I find, if I don’t know what to make, I quickly go to the tried and true (not bad, except when you have it constantly), or worse, the pre-packaged.

In order to try and spice up my dinners, I got a Cooking Light subscription, which gives you great recipe ideas that do not feel so routine.  A few months ago, I tried this recipe (with a few tweaks) and it quickly became one of my new staples. 

  

INGREDIENTS

1 box of chicken broth

1 cup of water

8-9 strips of turkey bacon

2 tablespoons of olive oil

6 green onions, chopped

1 shallot, chopped

1 box of orzo pasta

2 lemons (you will use the rind and the juice)

Dash of salt

Dash of black pepper

Green asparagus (trimmed and cut into one-inch pieces)

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about ½ cup)

Parsley (dried)

DIRECTIONS

1.       Bring chicken broth and one cup of water to a simmer (do not boil). Keep warm.

2.       Heat a saucepan over medium-low heat and cook the turkey bacon until crisp (you do not want this too crispy though).Once cooked, remove and chop.

3.       In the same saucepan you cooked the turkey bacon (do not wash), add the tablespoons of olive oil and heat (medium-low heat). Add scallions and shallot and cook about five minutes, stirring occasionally.

4.       Add orzo, stir thoroughly, cook for two minutes. Grate both lemon rinds over the orzo/onion mixture and squeeze the juice of both lemons into the mix. Add the salt and pepper.

5.       Set aside 1 cup of chicken broth.

6.       Add ½ cup of warmed chicken broth to the mixture; cook until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring very frequently.

7.       Add remaining brother mixture, ½ cup at a time, stirring frequently until  ach portion of stock is absorbed before adding the next (about 13 minutes).

8.      Stir in remaining one cup of broth and asparagus. Cook for about 7 minutes, or until asparagus is tender.

9.       Stir in the chopped turkey bacon. Remove from heat.

10.   Stir in the cheese and parsley. Serve immediately.

NOTE: This heats up well as leftovers.

Train Cookies

Alex adores trains. So, for Alex’s school birthday celebration, I decided to make train cookies for the kids (and car cookies for the teachers). I used my basicsugar cookie recipe. As Alex’s school is a nut free zone, I couldn’t use my standard almond icing; therefore, I found a recipe from a blogger (recipe below).

I used four different kinds of colors: light red (not as dark as I had hoped it would be), blue, yellow and black. The icing was great and very easy to pipe onto the cookies.

Royal Icing

INGREDIENTS

3 egg whites

4 cups of powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS

1.       In a Kitchen Aid fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until almost frothy. 

2.       Add in the powdered sugar and whisk on slow until smooth (you may need to add more or less powdered sugar or water to achieve desired thickness).

NOTE:  For sugar cookies, you want the icing to be thin enough that it will fall back on itself and smooth itself out, but not too thin so it will run off of the cookie.

Alex showing off his cookie—I couldn’t actually be there for the school celebration, 
but his teacher sent me this photo. 

Adding Sparkle to a White Bag

My best friend turned 35 this year. She came up with her beautiful family for Alex’s birthday party, and, since that was the first time I had seen her since her birthday, I had her gift ready to go. 

I wanted to add a little sparkle to the bag, since she adds so much sparkle to everyone’s life. I used a kit from Martha Stewart crafts, and cut out a “Happy Birthday” along with two decorative decals.

I placed these in the center of the bag and added green glitter, then shook off the excess glitter.

I got her a candle from Anthropologie (one of my favorite places to get candles!), a bicycle charm (since she loves bikes and riding), and a lip gloss from Sephora. I wrapped up the bicycle charm in a small white bag, and secured with a green and white label. I added all items to the bag and then tied with a green ribbon. 

She is such a special person—she is my oldest friend (we have known each other for over 20 years), and I am so fortunate that she is still such a vital part of my life!

Another Candle on the Cake

My second birthday—it is so amazing to see this photo and then see photos of Alex’s second birthday. 

It is my birthday today. As with every passing year, I often use my birthday to think about where I have been, where I am and where I want to be. On this somewhat momentous birthday, I decided to reflect on the birthdays of years gone past and put forth wishes and hopes for the birthdays to come.

Birthdays of Yesteryear

I had a wonderful childhood—I was certainly loved as a child, and I knew it. My family never had a ton of money growing up, but I always felt like the richest kid on the block. My parents would save the few extra pennies they had and put it towards birthday parties for their three kids. One of my favorite birthday parties of all times was at a roller skating rink. I loved to skate (except the couples’ skate—I strongly disliked that portion). You can clearly see how happy I am in these photos—I loved my perm, my party and my cupcakes. Life couldn’t get much sweeter. 

Me with my cupcake and candles (that is my dad’s hand to the left). 

My brother checking out the gifts I received. I think I may have gotten a Rainbow Bright doll at this party!

My last single-digit birthday. This was, hands down, my favorite cake of all time. I loved it. I loved the colors, I loved the flowers, I didn’t want to cut into it. My mom made this cake for me herself, and I was so proud of it, and of her. 

You can see my sister to the left (she was jealous of my cake), and my brother to the right (sort of in a halo). 

Fast forward 20 years to a birthday in a New York, spent celebrating and dancing with good friends. This place doesn’t even exist anymore, but I rang in many a birthday at this spot, as I loved the casual dance atmosphere (I outgrew clubbing rather quickly). 

In 2010, we celebrated my birthday with friends and family at an old salon turned bar—the old hair dryers were still there and you could get a manicure with your drink (or, in my case, diet coke). 

18 days after giving birth, I celebrated another birthday. Here I am with my baby, just a few days old. We went out to dinner that night, and I think it was the first time I put on something other than athletic pants and/or pajamas since the birth. He was the best birthday present ever, although I didn’t really know it at the time. 

My birthday last year. Andy made me a strawberry cake and decorated it himself. It was delicious. 

Hopes for Birthdays to Come

In thinking about the birthdays from yesterday that stand out, they all have one thing in common: I was surrounded by people I loved and who loved me. So, I really only have one hope for the birthdays of tomorrow: to be able to spend them surrounded by people I love, and to have a chance to get to see my family and my baby grow. Birthdays used to depress me, but since having a child, I try to focus a little less on the fact that another year has passed, and a little more on the fact that I had a year to see Alex grow, to have another year with Andy, to spend another birthday celebrating with my mom and dad and brother and sister—the people who have been with me from my first birthday (except my amazing little sister).

Yes, I will probably, at some point today, get a little depressed about my age and where I am at professionally and personally; but, I hope that is fleeting. I hope that I can push that aside to take a look at the bigger picture—to see that birthdays really are about the important things: family, love, and laughter (with maybe a cupcake and a roller skate thrown in for fun). 

Raspberry Filled Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Five days after Alex turned two, Andy turned 35. Unfortunately, I got a horrible head cold the day after Alex’s birthday party, so was feeling really sick on Andy’s birthday. But, I didn’t want him to feel totally slighted, so I rallied and made some cupcakes.

I used a yellow cake mix (one of Andy’s favorites) and filled them with raspberry (and some with strawberry rhubarb jam). I filled them with jam immediately after they came out of the oven. 

My goal was to recreate our wedding cake, but in cupcakes. So, I used the same buttercream recipe I used for Alex’s cupcakes, but instead of milk, I used lemon juice. I then piped the frosting onto his cupcakes. 

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of unsalted butter (2 sticks or ½ pound), softened (but not melted!) Ideal texture should be like ice cream

3 to 4 cups of confectioners (powdered) sugar, SIFTED

¼ teaspoon of table salt

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

Up to 4 tablespoons of lemon juice (depending upon consistency)

DIRECTIONS

1.       Beat butter for a few minutes with a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed.

2.       Add 3 cups of powdered sugar and turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the sugar doesn’t blow everywhere) until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and beat for 3 minutes.

Andy said they were delicious. They were so easy to make—probably the only thing I was capable of doing.  As I write this, I am still suffering from a head cold (eights days in), and have promised him that, once better, I will make it up to him.