Butterfingers Cupcakes

Happy Wednesday Everyone!
I finally had the day off and to myself and enjoyed every minute of it. I wish I would have slept a little bit longer this morning because it felt like I was in a dream state all day. I was groggy and not quite with it. Oh, well. At least I was home all day.

I hope you have had a great week. I can't believe it is already November. Seems like yesterday it was January. I guess time flies when you get old. Anyway. Halloween is over and Thanksgiving is right around the corner. I can't wait for turkey and cranberry sauce. Yum!!! I also get to go home and see my family. That is an extra bonus. I am so happy about going home to Georgia.

As I mentioned earlier, I was able to stay home today and not do much of anything. I am considering this my recovery time from working so much lately. I am trying to get all the bills paid before we go on vacation so we can actually enjoy ourselves. I have been working a lot of extra hours. I did, however, get some time to play in the kitchen today. Yay! I am really trying to improve on my baking skills. One day my dream is to open my own bakery. One day.... Back to today. I came across another blogger's recipe for Butterfingers Cupcakes and thought to myself, I love cupcakes and Butterfingers, what a genius idea to combine the two. I found this recipe on the website So I did just that. Can I say ....yum! I found this recipe on Steph's Bite by Bite Blog. I am so happy I did. They are delicious. I made a few minor changes to the recipe but otherwise it is generally the same.

Butterfingers Cupcakes
adapted from Steph's Bite by Bite

Ingredients
2 c all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 c granulated sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
3 eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c buttermilk
1/2 c cream soda
3 snack sized Butterfingers bars crumbled up

Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
ingredients

4 oz cream cheese
4 oz butter at room temperature
2 c powder sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 T caramel sauce
3 snack sized Butterfingers bars crumbled

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Line cupcake liners and set aside. In a bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together and set aside. In stand mixer use the paddle attachment and beat butter for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add both sugars and mix for another 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until combined. Add vanilla and mix until combined. Scrape down the bowl. Next add 1/3 of the buttermilk, then 1/3 of cream soda, followed by 1/3 of flour. Make sure to mix each ingredient thoroughly. Repeat until all ingredients have been used. Next add the Butterfingers crumbles.

Evenly divide the batter among the cupcake liners. (I got about 18 cupcakes)

 Bake in the oven for about 15-17 minutes. (Mine took 17 minutes.) Pull out oven and let cook on rack.

For the frosting
Whip the cream cheese until fluffy. About 2 minutes and then add butter and whip that as well. Next add the vanilla and mix until combined. Add the caramel sauce and mix thoroughly. Add the sugar gradually and mix until combined. You may need to add a little more to make the icing a little thicker. Mine was a little runny. Frost the tops of the cupcakes and Enjoy!!!

I hope you give these a try.
I hope you have a great week!!!:)

Chicken Noodle Soup

Hello All!
Wasn't it a wonderful Wednesday? I just found out one of my good friend's is having a boy:) She and her hubby are excited but her daughter.. not so much. Lol! I am sure she will  get over it once she realizes she will have someone to boss around. Hee hee! Any hoo, I am very happy for them.

I have been spending a lot more time in the kitchen lately and because of it I have been much more relaxed. That's always a good thing. I have decided for my birthday and Christmas I want many new cookbooks and baking pans for the kitchen. Until I get some new books I have been surfing the web, watching cooking shows and looking at my fellow blogger's website. I have been trying many new recipes that have been bookmarked for a long time. I will share some with you later but today I want to share my homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Since it finally is starting to cool off, I have been in the mood for soup. I thought to start soup season I would make a classic. I like to use a whole chicken and boil it in chicken stock along with some vegetables. To top it off I use egg noodles. The final product is very comforting and like mom used to make. This soup is perfect for someone who is feeling ill or just want something filling and warm. I hope you give it a try.

Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients

1 whole chicken 4-5lbs
3 carrots diced
3 celery diced
1 onion diced 2 bay leaves
2 garlic cloves minced
3 T olive oil
48 oz of chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp celery salt
salt and pepper to taste
enough water to cover chicken
1 8oz bag of egg noodles

Directions
Warm stock pot  with olive oil over medium high heat. When oil is hot add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic.

 In the meantime clean the chicken and its cavity. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top the vegetables with the whole chicken and add the bay leaves.

Cover the whole chicken with the broth and top of with water until the chicken is covered. Boil on med heat for 1 hour. After the hour pull the chicken out and let cool. In the meantime cook the noodles in the chicken broth according to directions. Shred the chicken and add back to the pot. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

I hope you give this recipe a try. I enjoyed it. Now I am relaxing and waiting for my favorite show to start. American Horror Story here I come.

Pork Tacos

Hello everyone!
I hope you are having a great day or at least a good one. My day was uneventful. I went to work and came home. Nothing exciting but I did however make a delicious and simple dinner. I have been craving pork tacos for the past week and decided today would be the day I would sate that craving. I wanted the recipe to be no fuss since I had to work during the day so therefore I made the pork in the crock pot. I kind of just threw things in there that I thought would make the pork tasty. I am happy to say it was a success. Dinner was yummy and very easy to make. I definitely will be making this again.

Pork Tacos
Ingredients
4 pork chops - seasoned with salt and pepper
1 package of taco seasoning
1 onion sliced
1 Sm can of green chilies
2 c of chicken broth

Directions
Spray your crock pot with cooking spray so it will be easy to clean. Place the pork chops on the bottom of the pot. Top with sliced onions and green chilies. Mix the taco seasoning with the chicken broth and pour all over the top. Cook for about 8 hours on low.

Shred pork and place in your favorite taco shells. I used soft flour. Fill with your favorite toppings. I used shredded cheese, lettuce, onion, black beans and salsa. Enjoy!

These are delicious and so easy to make. I hope you give this recipe a try. It is very easy and good for a week night dinner. I hope you have a great day!

Chicken Parmesan casserole

Happy Friday Everyone!
The weekend is finally here if that means anything to anyone. Ha ha! It doesn't to me because I have to work all weekend but that's okay. I can always use the dollars. I hope everyone is planning to do at least one thing that is relaxing. It's not good to be on the go all the time.

The other day I was cruising the blogs looking for an easy weeknight dinner and I came across one that looked very interesting. It was on the blog Running with the Deviled Eggs and the dish is called Chicken Parmesan Casserole. I liked it. I changed up her recipe a little bit so I can't really call it Chicken Parm because I did not use Parmesan cheese and I used chicken breast instead of thighs and whole wheat flour instead of spelt but I think her recipe is creative and good. My hubby liked it and had two helpings. If you are looking for something different to make for dinner I would give this a try.

Chicken Parmesan Casserole
from Running with the Deviled Eggs
adapted by me

Ingredients
Base
1 1/2 c bread flour
1/2 c spelt flour (I used whole wheat)
2 packs of quick rise yeast
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 c warm water
3 T olive oil
2 cloves of chopped garlic

Toppings
4 chicken thighs (I used chicken breast)
2 T olive oil
1 1/2 T oregano (I used Italian Seasoning)
3 garlic cloves chopped
1 1/2 c spaghetti sauce (I used a jar of my favorite sauce)
1 roasted pepper (I did not have these)
1 c shredded cheese
1/4 c Parmesan cheese (I used 2 c of mozzarella cheese)

Directions
Put the chicken in a ziploc bag and mix with olive oil, oregano, and garlic and marinate for at least 30 minutes. Bake in preheated oven for 350F for about 20 - 30 minutes. Chop when cooled.
In the casserole dish spray it well or butter the sides well. Add all the base ingredients and stir. It will be sticky. (I used my food processor for this step and then spread it out with my fingers) make sure its even on the bottom.

Let it sit for about 5 - 10 minutes. I brushed it with olive oil. Meanwhile chop garlic and roasted pepper ( I used onion instead). Add the chicken to the base, top with onions,

then sauce, and finally with the cheese. Sprinkle with Italian Seasoning on top.

Bake for 35- 45 minutes. Let it rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!

I really liked this recipe and will make it again. It helped to liven up a favorite dish. I hope you have a great weekend!

Caramel Apple Tart

Hello everyone!
I hope today is a good day. It has been for me. I did not have to work and I was able to play around in the kitchen a bit. My favorite show comes on today. What is it? You ask. Well, if you haven't heard a show called American Horror Story on FX then you  are missing out. This is the 3rd episode and let me tell you. I am hooked. I love it! It is one of the best shows I have seen in a long time. I can't wait to see what happens tonight:)

Back to the cooking in the kitchen that occurred today. I saw on a fellow blogger's site a Caramel Apple Tart not too long ago. It looked so delicious I began to crave one for myself. The blogger, (I am sorry. I do not remember who's blog or I would give you credit) obtained the recipe from Bon Appetit. I changed it up just a little bit. I used different types of apples and did not make the caramel sauce from scratch but all in all it was good. It turned out to be really pretty and the ice cream with caramel sauce on top was a perfect touch. It was also easier than I thought it would be. My last pie effort did not turn out so well. Oh, well. It must mean I am getting a little better in the kitchen. Yay!! I probably will make this again during the holidays.

Caramel Apple Tart
from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

Caramel Sauce
1 1/2 c brown sugar packed
1 1/2 c of heavy whipping cream
6 T of unsalted butter

Crust
1 1/4 c all purpose flour
3/4 powder sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c chilled unsalted butter, diced
2 large egg yolks

Filling
2 T sugar (I also added brown sugar)
1 T all purpose flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon  ( I used ground cloves)
1/2 tsp cardamom
6 L McIntosh apples or golden apples (I used Fuji and jonagold)

Directions
Caramel Sauce
Bring sugar, cream, and butter to a boil in a heavy sauce pan over medium high heat. Whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves. Boil until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. This should take about 10 minutes.

Crust
Blend powder sugar, flour, and salt in processor. Add butter and blend until coarse meal forms. Add egg yolks. Pulse until moist clumps form. Gather dough into a ball. Flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour.

Filling
whisk the first 4 ingredients in a bowl to blend. Add apples and coat evenly.

Preheat the oven to 375. Roll out the dough into a 13inch diameter. Transfer to a 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom. Cut overhang off and press dough up 1/4 inch above sides of pan.

Place apples cut side down, in a circle around outer edge and fit them tightly.

Bake apple tart until tender, about an hour and 15 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with caramel sauce.

Let cool to room temp and then serve.

 I did not brush with caramel sauce but put it on the ice cream that I topped my piece with.

This tart was awesome. I recommend this recipe. I hope you are having a great day!