Time for cupcake catch up!

So these two cupcakes I made quite awhile ago. I made Lavender Cupcakes with Honey Frosting for Mother's Day (see, so long ago!) and they were quite different but good. Some people thought the lavender was overpowering. Personally I thought they were really yummy! You can easily cut down on the lavender if you want a very subtle flavor. 

Makes about 12-18 cupcakes. Click the link for the recipe. Her's came out prettier than mine!

For the end of school, I made Chai Tea Latte Cupcakes. These were so delicious! They are light and tasty and would go great with coffee or tea. It's also a pretty easy recipe!

Makes about 2 dozen

Ingredients:

For cupcakes

* 1 box of French Vanilla cake mix (I used Betty Crocker.)

* Water, vegetable oil, and eggs called for on the box

* 3 Tbsp of chai latte mix. (There are so many kinds, pick your favorite and experiment!)

For the frosting

* 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature

* 8 oz of light cream cheese

* 4 cups powdered sugar

* 2 tsp vanilla extract

* 1 cup vanilla baking chips

* Cinnamon to be sprinkled on top

Directions:

~ Bake cupcakes according to box. 

~ Cool for 10 minutes.

~ For the frosting, in the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese together. Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing on low, until the frosting is smooth and creamy. Beat in the vanilla extract.

~ Melt chips and beat into frosting.

~ Frost cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with ground cinnamon. (I swirled it into the frosting.)

Life in Livermore

Well I guess it's been about a month since we made the move from SoCal to NorCal. Livermore is as far East Bay as you can get without going over the hills and being considered part of the Central Valley. It's what I like to call, a big-little town. It's got a small town feel but it's big enough that there's a Target, Trader Joe's, and In-N-Out.

Livermore has a population of about 90,000, which I believe is about the size of Huntington. It is part of the Tri-Valley region (Dublin and Pleasanton making up the other 2 cities) and is right off the 580 freeway. Livermore prides itself on being Wine Country. There are about 60 wineries here and most are relatively cheap if you want to go wine taste. There is a small downtown area that has recently been updated with new restaurants, the Bankhead theater, a movie theater, and free parking.

Livermore often has lots of local events i.e. the rodeo, the harvest wine festival, Sunday farmer's market, etc., but there are also a lot of things to do in the surrounding areas. BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) stops in Dublin/Pleasanton and goes directly to downtown San Francisco as well as the SFO and OAK airports. It's super convenient. Besides SF being about 46 minutes away, there is plenty of state parks in the vicinity. So far we have hiked part of Lake Del Valle, which is about 9 miles south, and Brushy Peak, which is about 5 miles northeast. Plus we are now much closer to Tahoe, Yosemite, and Monterey!

So far I really like Livermore. I still don't have a job, but I'm starting to get involved with guide dogs for the blind and the golden retriever rescue up here. I'm excited to actually experience seasons even though there have been exceptionally hot days this summer and I'm sure there will be exceptionally cold days in winter.

Come visit us, we'd love to see you and show you around our new city!

P.S. I have not been baking/cooking in awhile, but now that we are settled, I will start putting up creations again.

I'm still baking! I'm just behind in posting!

Ever since I found out we were moving, this blog went on the wayside. I have still been baking, but I haven't done as much cooking. Between finding a place to live, finishing up work, and my husband being on business trips, I haven't done as much as I was doing before.

This is how far I am behind: I made these Mexican Chocolate Snickerdoodles for Cinco de Mayo! They were a little bit sweet and a little bit spicy. Yes you read right, spicy. The little cayenne pepper offers a nice little kick at the end. They were perfect and festive for the party!

Mexican Chocolate Snickerdoodles


Ingredients:
* 2 1/2 cups flour
* 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
* 2 tsp cream of tartar
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1/2 tsp cinnamon
* 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 1 cup crisco
* 2 eggs
* 2 tsp vanilla
Separate bowl:
* 2 tbsp sugar
* 2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
~ Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or leave ungreased.
~ In a bowl, combine flour, cocoa, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne. Mix well and set aside.
~ Cream together crisco, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in eggs.
~ Slowly stir in flour mixture and mix well.
~ In a small, shallow bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon together. Make 1 inch balls and roll in the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Place on the cookie sheet.

~ Bake 5-7 minutes or until just done. (Slightly under cooked is better than overcooked.) Let cool for a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

SoCal to NorCal

I have lived in the same city my whole life. I love living by the beach and have always been a stone's throw away from the ocean. But that is about to change. My husband got an amazing job opportunity up in the Bay Area, and we are moving away from the only place we've ever lived. Right now I am full of mixed emotions, and until we find an area and place to live, I'm afraid my enthusiasm is not quite where it should be.

There are many things I am looking forward to, as well as many things I will miss when I'm gone. Let's start with the positives.

Things I am looking forward to:
~ Living and exploring a new area.
~ Meeting new people.
~ Drew enjoying his work.
~ Being that much closer to San Francisco, Tahoe, Yosemite, the Redwoods, wine country, etc.
~ Finding a new job in a different field.
~ Buying a home.
~ Possibly traveling to Germany for Drew's work.

Things I am going to miss:
~ Being close to family and friends.
~ My job with the school district.
~ That nice ocean breeze.
~ Being walking distance to Trader Joe's.
~ My daily run through the wetlands.
~ Volunteering with the goldens (though I'm sure I can find an equivalent up north).

Though I really will miss being so close to family on both sides, I am looking forward to this new stage of life. Soon we will drive up and hopefully find a place we would love to live. Once that happens, the reality of moving I'm sure will hit. Until then though, it all seems so surreal.

Knock-off Chipotle Vegetarian Bowl

Ever since Chipotle hit the scene, I've been a fan. Their burritos are so tasty. Since I can't be going to Chipotle all the time, I decided to make a Trader Joe version of my favorite item, the vegetarian burrito. It's super easy and you can get 3 bowls/burritos out of it. It doesn't look like much, but it sure hits the spot! You will not be disappointed by this dish.

Homemade Chipotle Vegetarian Bowl


Ingredients:
* 1 bag of Trader Joe's frozen fire-roasted peppers and onions
* 1 15 oz can black beans
* 1 bag of Trader Joe's already cooked brown rice
* 2 cubes of frozen cilantro
* Lime juice
* Garlic powder
* Olive oil
* Tortillas (if desired)

Garnish:
* Mexican lite shredded cheese blend
* Guacamole
* Corn-chili salsa
* Pico de gallo
* Your favorite Chipotle topping

Directions:
~ In a large skillet, heat a little olive oil. Add peppers and onions and saute for 10 minutes or until cooked through.
~ In one small pot, cook beans. Do not drain! Sprinkle with a generous amount of garlic powder. Slowly cook, stirring occasionally.
~ In another small pot, add cilantro cubes, rice, and a splash of lime juice. Slowly heat, stirring occasionally.
~ Once everything is done, leave out with toppings and have people add what they would like!

Note: Obviously you can easily add meat or any other toppings you would desire. Just like with Chipotle burritos, I feel like I can never finish them if I add meat. Plus Chipotle charges you $1.50 for guacamole unless you get in vegetarian. I'd rather have guacamole over meat any day! Win/win for me! Also while you are at Trader Joe's, pick up a six pack of Trader Jose Lite beer! It's only $4.49 and I think it's better than Corona!

Bloomin' Garlic Bread

Here is a new way to do garlic bread. It is delicious but be aware, you will devour the entire thing if you love bread even half as much as me. Luckily my husband was there to share in the indulgence otherwise I would have had to quadruple my workout for the week.

Bloomin' Garlic Bread

Ingredients:

* 1 small sourdough or Italian round loaf

* 1/2 stick of butter

* 2 tsp chopped garlic

* 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

* Italian spices

Directions:

~ Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Evenly cut bread vertically and horizontally to the bottom crust. Do not cut through the bottom.

~ Melt butter and then add in the garlic. Brush it down every nook and cranny and coat it well if you love butter and garlic. (And come on, who doesn't?)

~ Generously sprinkle cheese in the nooks and crannies as well and a little for the top. Also sprinkle the spices.

~ Bake for 10 minutes or until warm and bubbly. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes (if you can wait that long!).

Layers of chocolate and peanut butter. What could be better?

Though I usually make cookies, I'm trying to branch out and do other things. This was my first attempt at making cupcakes that didn't come from a box. They are Chocolate and Peanut Butter Layered Cupcakes. They were very good, but very dense! I also found that the chips need to be a layer and not a topping. And somehow I ended up with way more chocolate mixture than peanut butter mixture, but I easily solved that by making chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter chips.

(Made for a delicious, be it unhealthy, breakfast!)

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Layered Cupcakes

Yields: 16 cupcakes

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 cups flour

* 1/3 cup baking cocoa

* 1 cup brown sugar, packed

* 1 tsp baking soda

* 1/4 tsp salt

* 1/3 cup vegetable oil

* 1 cup water

* 1 tbsp white vinegar

* 2 tsp vanilla

* 1 egg

* 1 8oz package lite cream cheese, softened

* 1 cup JIF peanut butter 

* 1/3 cup sugar

* 1/3 cup powdered sugar

* 1/4 Reese's peanut butter chips

* 1/4 semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place paper baking cups in each regular size muffin cups.

~ For the chocolate layer: in a large bowl, mix flour, cocoa, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add oil, water, vinegar, and vanilla to flour mixture, stirring just until smooth. Do not over mix.

~ For the peanut butter layer: in your electric mixer's bowl, beat egg, cream cheese, peanut butter and granulated sugar on medium until smooth. Add powdered sugar and beat until creamy.

~ Spoon 1 tablespoon of the chocolate batter into each cup. Evenly spread 1 tablespoon peanut butter filling on top. Repeat the chocolate layer. Sprinkle a mixture of chocolate and peanut butter chips. Finish off with a layer of peanut butter mixture.

 ~ Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack and cool 10 more minutes.

 (These have the chips on top, but I had to scrape them off because they burned!)

Note: Adding the chips as a layer keeps them from burning. I don't know why the original had you sprinkle them on top. Also the peanut butter layer was very cream cheesy tasting, so I would add more peanut butter.