Carrot Cake Cupcakes

{and cream cheese frosting that will knock your socks off}
One thing I love about having family close by, is sometimes they pawn off cake mixes to me. I'll be honest, I haven't had much luck with making cakes from scratch. I see other people do it all the time, but mine seem to always have a flaw. I hear they are tricky to master, so I guess I'll have to keep practicing. But in the mean time, I'm welcoming any and all cake mixes that you have no need for. Oh, and don't judge me for not being perfect like everyone else who knows how to make a cake from scratch.

Ingredients:
1 Carrot Cake Mix (and the ingredients to make it... eggs, oil, milk)
1 8oz package of cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar (you may need a little extra for thickness)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 baby carrot, shredded for garnish (optional)

Directions:
Make cupcakes as per directions on box. Once cupcakes have cooled, begin making the frosting. In a large bowl, beat together butter and cream cheese until smooth. Then add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth and fluffy. You may need to add a little extra powdered sugar to make a tiny bit thicker. Top with shredded carrot pieces as garnish.

 

Apple & Pear Crisp

{tis the season, for apples}
It's come to my attention that many of you in the US are no where near experiencing fall like weather. Unfortunately, I am. I'm enjoying the scent of falling leaves and am being forced to finally shut my windows. I've also noticed the abundance of apples in the grocery stores. So, it only seemed necessary to bake something with apples. Thus, this beauty!

sorry it's kinda blurry

Ingredients:
2 Pears
3 Apples
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

For the topping:
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup old fashioned oatmeal
2 sticks of butter (yikes!)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Peel, core, and cut pears and apples into chunks. Mix in a large bowl the pears, apples, zests, juices, flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Once it's well combined, scoop the mixture into a 8x8 inch baking dish (if you want it a little thinner, you can use a large dish such as 9x13).

To make the topping, mix all the ingredients together with a fork until it's crumbly. Top to fruit, and bake for 45-50 minutes. Serve warm, preferably with vanilla ice cream. :)

Best. Chili. Ever

{simplicity truly is better} 
It's been raining all day long. A steady flow of nothing but drizzling ice cold droplets, sent from the Arctic itself. It's depressing, really. Ya know what's good during rainy days? Chili. And maybe some cornbread. Shoot, I didn't think about cornbread.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb ground beef, or turkey if that's your thing
1 8oz (284 ml) can of light Tomato Soup
1 8oz (284 ml) can of corn (optional)
1 16oz (540 ml) can of red kidney beans
1 16oz (540 ml) can of black beans
1 packet of Chili seasoning found in the gravy isle
1 cup of water
1/2 of an onion, chopped finely
1 16oz (540 ml) can of chopped tomatoes, or equal fresh
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
In crock pot or slow cooker, mix soup, Chili mix, and water. Drain beans, corn, and tomatoes and add to crock pot.

Stir together and set crock pot for 4 hours. Feel free to open up the lid here and there and stir it up- make your house smell good. During the last hour, brown your meat. Add the onion to the meat while it's cooking, and once the onions turn slightly opaque, remove from heat and add to crock pot. Garnish with cheddar cheese!

Double Chocolate Chunk Brownies

{chocolate; a love story}
Just make sure to bake yours all the way. I'm only human, I must admit. I open the oven door too much and thus my things usually need to be baked longer. Like these. They were good the second day after they set up more, still the best brownies I've ever had in my life- which is quite the compliment since this was my first time making them from scratch. They were pretty amazing, I have to say. Chocolaty like you wont believe, and a flaky top that only boxed mixes can achieve!

Ingredients:
1/2 half cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup all purpose flour (for more cake like brownies use cake flour, or self rising flour)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (separate from the rest)
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

 Directions:
Preheat oven to 325F. Spray 8x8 inch baking dish with cooking spray. In medium sauce pan, bring water, butter and sugar to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in 1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips. Stir until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla, stir to combine. Sift in flour and baking soda. Once the batter is cool, add in the other semisweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips, and mix. Pour batter into baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes or until brownies have set up (you can use the tooth pick trick, too). Enjoy!

 

Don't you worry!

I will be full of yummy food ideas when I get back to Canada. We are still vacationing- I've had so many great ideas pop into my head, I had to start writing them down. I'm anxious to try the Snickers Cupcakes from Annie's Eats- these look so good! Also, can't forget my new cookbook that I won from The Ungourmet- so excited to crack that bad boy open! Have a good weekend everyone! And thanks for reading my blog!

New look and a giveaway

Do you like my new header?! I LOVE it! My new friend, Kenzie from The Chic Shoppe Designs made it for me! She's amazing! Thanks again! She is also holding a giveaway for a free blog makeover, go to her blog {http://aboutkenzie.blogspot.com/2010/08/blog-design-giveaway.html} to enter to win!

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

{mmm... alfredo-y}
I've recently noticed how versatile cream cheese is. You can do so many things with it! So, if you've got extra cream cheese just sitting around, here is a great way to use it up!

Ingredients:
1 (8 oz.) package light cream cheese
2 cups of milk
2 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed
1/4 cup butter
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups Broccoli, cut up and seamed
1/2 cup grated Mozzarella cheese
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
dash of Nutmeg
dash of Oregano

Directions:
In a medium pot, melt butter on medium to low heat. Once it's melted, add your cream cheese. Mix to combine, until smooth and cream cheese is melted completely. Add milk a little bit at a time, keep whisking to keep it smooth. Add your cheeses in between milk. Once all your milk is incorporated, add your seasonings, chicken, and broccoli. Pour over your favorite pasta. If too thin, let it cook longer, if too thick, add more milk. Garnish with Parmesan, if you wish!

Tex Mex Mac and Cheese

{kid [and husband] friendly}
I've seen lots of variations on how to spice up Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, and some of the things people come up with are truly out of this world- and some, not all that appealing. I have heard lots of people rave about Tex Mex style though, so I 'Googled it on the Google machine' ($20 if you can name that movie reference) and thought to myself "hmm, that looks good, and easy, and cheap! 'By golly, I think I've got it'" (another $20 if you can name that movie reference). So I tried it, and of course adapted it to my own tastes- it's a hit with my husband, he seriously pulled a Napoleon Dynamite "yes!" with-fists-coming-down movement when I suggested this for dinner. 

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. of lean ground beef
1 box Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (and the ingredients to make it)
1 cup salsa
1/2 packet of Taco Seasoning (you can use the full packet if you want to add more hamburger)
Sour Cream to garnish
Grated Cheddar cheese, to garnish

Directions:
Prepare Macaroni and per the instructions on the box. While it's you're doing that (because you're supposed to be able to do two things at once, duh...) brown your ground beef in a medium pan. Once it's brown and cooked through, add taco seasoning and 1/2 cup water to the pan, stir and let simmer for 3-5 minutes. Then add 1/2 of the salsa to your taco meat, continue simmering for 3-5 minutes or until it's thickened up a bit. Then add your taco meat to your macaroni and cheese, mix well. Use the remaining salsa to top on top along with sour cream and grated cheese. Ole!