Red Velvet Love

red velvet w/ creamy vanilla frosting
@ New Moon DVD party 2010

My husband's favorite birthday cake... Red Velvet.

I love cupcakes and these are fabulous and festive for the holidays and say, a vampire themed party?! This recipe makes 2 dozen cupcakes and is from NYC's famed Magnolia Bakery. I found it on epicurious.com.



Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups cake flour

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
6 Tbsp red food coloring
3 Tbsp cocoa powder
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 cups buttermilk

1-1/2 tsp cider vinegar

1-1/2 tsp baking soda
 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line pans with muffin cups.

In a small bowl, sift the cake flour and set aside. In your mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time. In a small bowl, whisk together red food coloring, cocoa & vanilla. Add to the batter and mix well.

In a measuring cup, mix salt into the buttermilk. Add to the batter in 3 parts alternating with the flour. In a small bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda, a good science experiment. Stir into the batter. Using a rubber scraper, scrape the batter bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.

Divide the batter among the prepared cups. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and then move cupcakes to wire rack.

When cupcakes have cooled, they are ready to frost with your favorite frosting. I suggest Creamy Vanilla, Buttercream or Cream Cheese frosting.
Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Red-Velvet-Cupcakes-with-Creamy-Vanilla-Icing-241544#ixzz13Z9zK2Vi

Vegetarian "Meatballs"

This is my favorite go to dinner recipe. Sometimes you just have to have spaghetti & meatballs!  Best served with salad, crusty bread, and a glass of wine accompanied by a Diana Krall CD, which my kids now refer to as "pasta music". Vegetarians and Non-Vegetarians alike love these. Especially kids. I was hesitant at first to serve them to my daughter's friends - but they gobbled them up and wanted more!

                                                       

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Walnuts (finely chopped)

1 cup Breadcrumbs

2 Tbsp Minced Onion

1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

2 Eggs + 2 Egg Whites

Pinch of Garlic Salt

Black Pepper

1 jar of Tomato Sauce

Directions:

Pulse walnuts in food processor until finely chopped. Add walnuts, breadcrumbs, onion, cheese, eggs, salt & pepper to a bowl and stir until a loaf forms. Form into meatballs. This recipe makes about 16 meatballs. Saute in a pan coated with oil - until lightly browned. Pour in a jar of Tomato Sauce, cover and cook on low 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cook pasta!

My new friend

My newest kitchen gadget is a panini press! I love this idea for the family, everyone can pick their own sandwich concoction and have a yummy crispy delight. I chose Tomato Basil Mozzerella on Sourdough. YUM.

Ingredients:

Sourdough (or any sliced bread)

Tomato

Fresh Basil

Mozzerella

Pepper

Olive Oil

Directions:

Preheat panini press. Brush outside of both pieces of bread with olive oil. Place tomato slice, a few basil leaves and mozzerella inside. Add a dash of ground black pepper and top with reaming piece of bread. Cook until crisp, about 3 minutes. Serve with sweet potato fries!

My kids eat meat (occasionally) and like their paninis to be turkey & cheddar with honey mustard while my husband's favorite is hummus and veggies with jalapeno cheddar. Anything goes!