Confetti Cupcakes

Because Baking is my passion, here is my first baking post with many,many more to come. I made Confetti Cupcakes for my friend's twin grandchildren's 3rd birthday. The twins are so cute, and so are the cupcakes. I left some of the cupcakes unfrosted and let the kids decorate them. they had so much fun decorating them. The picture below is of cupcakes that I decorated. I modified Nealey Vanbuskirk's Valentine Day Cupcake recipe on Associated content.

Makes 24 cupcakes or 36 mini cupcakes.

• 3/4 c butter softened
• 3 eggs, room temp
• 2 1/2 c flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt (I omitted this)
• 1 3/4 c sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 3/4 c milk (I used soy milk)
• 2-3 Tbsp Rainbow Sprinkles or Jimmies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt,(if used) and set aside. In larger bowl beat butter with electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 sec. , until it's smooth. Gradually add the sugar, adding 1/4 c at a time. After all the sugar has been added, beat in eggs, one at a time. Then add vanilla. Alternately, add milk and dry ingredients to butter mixture. Beat on high speed 2 min. or so. Gently fold in 2-3 Tbsp of sprinkles. Fill cupcake liners and bake 20-25 min. until golden on top. Cool on rack and frost when completely cool.

Vanilla Confetti Frosting
This is the frosting recipe I used since I was a little girl.

• 3-4 c confectioners sugar
• 3/4 c butter, room temp
  
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 Tbsp milk ( add more to desired consistency)
• Rainbow sprinkles or Jimmies

Cream together sugar and butter until they are blended. Add vanilla and milk and continue to beat for another minute or so. Add more vanilla to taste, or more confectioners sugar to make it stiffer. If desired add food coloring for color and beat until desired color. Put sprinkles on top of
frosting and Enjoy!

Sunday Chicken Creole

My husband and I like to cook one pot meals on weekends. That way we have leftovers for lunches or a dinner. Chicken Creole is one of our favorites and it isn't even Fat Tuesday! We have modified the recipe using tomatoes with no salt and various spices for a deep, smoky flavor, as well as removing the skin from the chicken. The deep, smoky flavor smells wonderful, as it cooks.. Enjoy!
  

Sunday Chicken Creole

1 whole chicken, cut up, skin and fat removed

2 C. chopped onion

1 c. chopped green pepper

1 c. chopped celery

3 Tbsp. olive oil

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

½ c. white wine

2Tbsp. chill powder

2 28 oz. can whole tomatoes in puree, chopped. I use Dell’Alpe**

2Tbsp. Hungarian paprika

1/2Tbsp. smoky paprika

1/8 tsp black pepper

1. In large pot w/3Tbsp olive oil, sauté onions, green pepper, garlic and celery for

3 min. on medium heat.

2. Add chili powder and paprika, continue cooking for 3 more min.

3. Add wine, tomatoes, black pepper, and chicken. Reduce to a simmer.

Cover and cook for 35 min., until chicken is done.

4. Serve w/ rice.

** If you use tomatoes not in puree, drain liquid from tomatoes, and add

1 small can of tomato sauce.

Welcome to My World!

This blog evolved from being inspired by seeing Julie & Julia. I really wanted to do a food blog, but I was torn between a Cooking blog or a Baking blog. Baking has been my passion and therapy since I was a young girl. I can remember helping my Mom in the kitchen after school making pies, and then making little cinnamon rolls from the leftover scraps of dough, and the smell of cinnamon wafting from the kitchen. From then on I was hooked on baking, and the immediate satisfaction one gets from sharing all of the baked goods with others, baking with love. I have continued baking the rest of my life making countless cakes, cupcakes,cookies brownies, desserts, and many others to numerous to mention here. When you're feeling down, bake. When you're happy, bake. And when you feel Blah, bake, and you'll immediately feel better.

However, I also love to cook, but especially with my husband, who also loves to cook. When we both cook together, it's like a party in our kitchen. We drink a little wine, laugh, and cook, all at the same time. If my husband is the main chef, then I'm the sous chef and vice versa. We have made wonderful dishes, Coq au Vin, Shrimp Creole, Chicken with Mole, Chicken Enchiladas with ancho chile sauce, Scallops with lemon & basil. One was inspired by seeing Julie and Julia, Julia's Boeuf Bourguignon. Due to my husband's bypass several years ago, we try to cook with low sodium and low fat. We use many herbs and spices in place of salt.

Hence the name , Baking and Cooking, A Tale of two loves was born. In future posts I'll be posting cooking and baking creation and pics.