Cinnamon Sugar Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream

I am still pinching myself to remind myself, this is not a dream. I actually a Kitchen Aid owner.

Every time I walk downstairs I see it sitting on the counter in all its glory and I die a little bit of happiness. Obviously we're keeping it on display on the counter, we cleared off room for the baby it is our pride and joy.

Usually we plan out what we're going to make,but today we were scrambling to find somethiiiing to make. We decided cupcakes because my mom got us these cute little Valentine's Day cupcake holders so we decided why not.

Let me just say the mixer is a God. We put hard butter in there with the sugar and BAM it creamed with the sugar like it was nothing. We sat there in awe. It's the simplest things in life, let me tell you. Even though this isn't simple by any means. I just wish there was a video camera to record what happened when I opened the door this afternoon.

Cinnamon Sugar Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream
adapted from: The Pastry Affair

Ingredients:

Cinnamon Sugar Cake
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F Grease two muffin pans.
2. In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in sour cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract.
Gradually add in cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until smooth. Batter will be very thick.
3. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and spread out batter until level. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
4. Cool in pans for at least 10 minutes before removing cake and allowing to cool completely on a cooling rack.


Ingredients:
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons heavy cream (or buttermilk)
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Beat in the ground cinnamon. Beat in the powdered sugar slowly, adding the cream gradually. If frosting is too thick, add a small amount of cream until desired consistency is achieved. If frosting is not thick enough, add powdered sugar until desired consistency is achieved.

BEST DAY EVER.

I have the best parents. In the entire land.

Sooo this afternoon Mariah and I were peacefully in our rooms eating lunch, watching TV when there was a knock at the door. I peak out and say was that our door? She said I think so. We don't get many knocks, usually it's the girls next door. So I prance downstairs thinking nothing of it and it's the UPS man with one very large package. I take it from him and see Kitchen Aid on the side of the box and immediately starting screaming. Mariah comes running down to see what the commotion is and asks if that's what is really inside. That would have been a cruel, cruel joke if it wasn't. So we tear it open and what do you know, inside is a KITCHEN AID MIXER. The kitchen tool we have been pining over for forever. We both scream and literally tears of joy is going on. Teresa comes running over because of all the noise. I am in shock. Still. This is not real life. So I call my parents, freak out some more with them and now we are searching the internet for our first recipe. It must contain the words "in the bowl of a standing mixer..." BECAUSE WE FINALLY HAVE ONE!!!!

This was the best surprise of my entire life. I had absolutely NO IDEA that they were planning this.

Thank you so very much momma and daddy you two are the best. I can't wait to play with my new toy and make delicious things! You guys are amazing in more ways than I can count and always know how to make me feel like the most special daughter in the entire land. I love you both so much!!

Buffalo Chicken Popovers with Avocado Blue Cheese Dip

I may have found my new favorite buffalo chicken recipe.

Maybe.

At first I was a little skeptical. I am solely a blue cheese as my only condiment with my buffalo chicken kind of girl. Nothing but blue cheese. Especially not ranch. I think I ate that too much as a kid. But when I came across this recipe I decided it only had 3 teaspoons of ranch I could live. And it had cream cheese which I'm not really a fan of either. So why the heck did I even try them? Because they looked so good. And thank goodness I ignored my reservations and made them anyway. Holy moly.

We had quite the spread at our Superbowl gathering: Taco Dip, Ranch Potato Skins, Artichoke Bread, Brownie Batter Dip, Cookie Dough Dip and Buffalo Chicken Poppers


Buffalo Chicken Poppers with Avocado Blue Cheese Dip
source: Iowa Girl Eats


Ingredients:
4oz cream cheese, softened
3 teaspoons ranch dip mix, divided
1 large chicken breast, cut into small pieces
3-4 Tablespoons buffalo wing sauce
1, 8-count tube crescent rolls
Avocado Blue Cheese Dip
1 avocado
1/3 cup blue cheese dressing

Directions:
1. Preheat oven according to crescent roll package directions. Mix together cream cheese and 2 teaspoons ranch dip mix in a small bowl. Season chicken with remaining teaspoon ranch dip mix, and cook in a non-stick sprayed skillet. Toss with buffalo wing sauce, and set aside to cool.
2. Lay crescent rolls out flat, and cut each triangle in half with a pizza cutter. Gently flatten each triangle, and place 1 teaspoon cream cheese mix in the center. Top with a spoonful of chicken. Bring all three sides of the crescent roll triangle to the top, then pinch all three seams to seal. Place on a baking sheet, and bake according to crescent roll package directions.
3. While the poppers are baking, mash avocado until smooth. Stir in blue cheese dressing, and serve with poppers.

Also, fun fact we learned....you can lick someone's elbow (without them knowing) and they won't even feel it. T came across it on Twitter during the game and we tested it out and it was true. It was also quite the site and has become a game for us now. It'll be a great way to meet friends don't ya think?

M & M Bars

Today I got my hair cut. For the first time since summer. I have this thing about getting hair cuts. That thing is..hair cuts are bad. I cannot part with my locks if my life depended on it. It's a problem. So today when I went in I braced myself for the fact that two inches of dead ends might just have to come off, but then I was relieved when she only had to take an inch off. Whew, all that worrying for no reason. I got so excited and texted my mom saying I finally got a hair cut! And when I told her only an inch she replied that's not a hair cut, that's a trim. No, no, no that's a cut in my book.

After my hair cut I zipped into Wegmans because every time I drive by I feel the need to go in. And I wanted sushi for lunch. And I'm nearing the end of my Crystal Light stash. Well. They were all out of Peach Mango Crystal Light. WHAT THE HECK. But I did pick up some Valentine's M & M's and whipped up some cookie bars. In one bowl. Magnificent. Because I hate dishes.


M & M Bars
adapted from: Butter


Ingredients:
1 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Cup  Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup White Sugar
2 Eggs
2 1/2 Cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
1 cup  M &M's


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 and spray a 9 x13 pan.
2. Mix together oil and sugars in a large bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well.
3. Gradually add the flour, baking soda and salt until combined.
4. Add in about 3/4 cup of M & Ms or as many as you desire.
5. Spread the dough into the prepared pan and press the remaining M & M's on top.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes and let cool before cutting.

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

Three, make that four, real life not sugary sweet treat posts in a row? Who am I.

Don't worry we've still been busy in the kitchen. Mainly Mariah. As in a loaf of pumpkin bread and a loaf of homemade wheat bread busy.

Me? I made a batch of boxed brownies tonight. In 12 minutes. Brownies take 25-30 last time I checked. Sometimes it pays to have the worst oven in the world. Other times, your sweet potato fries burn.

It's officially my weekend and I did all my homework. Go me.

Dinner tonight literally took 10 minutes tops. This is the easiest recipe in the world and perfect for nights I have class until 6:20 and I'm starving.


I whipped up some guac real quick when I got home (I even used my cool new tool I got for Christmas that takes the pit out and slices it for you, it's magic!) and heated some corn and we called it a night.


Crockpot Chicken Tacos
source: Chocolate Therapy


Ingredients:
1 envelope Taco Seasoning
4 Boneless Chicken Breasts
1 Jar of Salsa


Directions:
1. Pour in the salsa and taco seasoning and mix together.
2. Throw the chicken in and mix it all around.
3. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or low for 6-8.
4. The chicken should shred nicely when done!

(It's a bit blurry, I was hungry!)

Kale Chips

This is what happened when I went on a search for kale for our pizza..

 

We didn't even put a dent in it on Tuesday so I decided to make Kale Chips because I've been seeing them everywhere and needed to see what they were all about. We never eat chips here, in fact the only time I eat chips are when I'm home and I could probably eat the whole bag because I haven't had them in so long and I remember just how good they are. 

The first time I made these I went a little crazy on the salt, but try two was better.

Kale Chips 

source: Dine and Dish

Ingredients:

Kale (cleaned and cut)

Olive Oil

Salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Put kale on a baking sheet, drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

3. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until crisp!

These aren't exactly the most photogenic things.. but their tasty!

Slow-Cooker Spicy Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

I have an odd obsession with anything buffalo chicken. My favorite being Pontillo's Buffalo Chicken Pizza. Oh my, heaven. Brings me back to senior year in high school when it'd be the lucky day we went to Ponts for lunch. The slices were as big as my head and we gobbled every bite up dipped in blue cheese. A close second is buffalo chicken wraps from Wegmans, blue cheese only none of that other stuff. The simplest things.


We get the Martha Stewart's Everyday Food at home and I always love the days when it comes in the mail and pouring over its contents. This gem of a recipe caught my eye because it had the words buffalo chicken in it, clearly I was hooked. This isn't your typical buffalo chicken though, it only has 1 tablespoon of hot sauce!! Don't get me wrong, it still has a bite to it but it's not your typical buffalo chicken.

One Saturday morning I found myself wide awake at 8 am. And I went to bed at 2:30. Yet I was wide awake so I headed down to the kitchen and got cooking, quietly of course. We had  T squared over for dinner and watch the basketball game..the fateful game we lost (we all know what I'm talking about since we only have one loss, yay Go 'Cuse!!). But we drowned our sorrows out that night, not to worry.


Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
Adapted from: Everyday Food


Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and ground pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/2 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced small
1 can (14.5 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1/8 cup hot-pepper sauce, such as Frank's
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoons yellow mustard
1/2 tablespoon unsulfured molasses
6 hamburger buns

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add chicken breasts, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring once, until meat is golden brown, 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a slow cooker, leaving as much oil behind as possible.
2. To skillet, add onion, garlic, and bell pepper and cook over medium, stirring constantly, until onion is translucent, 6 minutes. Add 1/8 cup water and cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits (the goodness) from skillet, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to slow cooker.
3. To slow cooker, add crushed tomatoes, hot-pepper sauce, Worcestershire, mustard, and molasses; stir to combine. Cover and cook on high until chicken is very tender, 4 hours. Shred chicken and season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Preheat oven to broiler. Spread butter on both sides of the rolls and toast under the broiler until golden brown. Pile the chicken high and enjoy!