A Spectrum of Color for Easter

Okay, so I’ll admit to you all right now: I realize that my “adventures in trying” are turning into my “adventures in trying cupcake recipes”. But my taste-testers aren’t complaining, so I’ll just continue right along this road. And thanks to my shiny new, candy apple red Kitchenaid Artisan mixer – they’ll only get better from here on out.

With Easter is just around the corner, I figured my co-workers deserved a colorful treat. I didn’t test any new recipes – but instead just had a fun experiment in decorating a classic yellow cake with buttercream icing. While they may take you about an hour longer than usual to make, I don’t think you’ll hear any complaints.

Rainbow Easter Cupcakes

Makes 24 cupcakes

For the rainbow cupcakes

1 c. butter, softened
2 c. white sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 3/4 c. milk
Fun-colored baking cups*
Gel icing coloring**

For the buttercream “grass” icing & decorations

1/2 c. solid vegetable shortening
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter or margarine softened
1 tsp. clear vanilla extract
4 c. sifted confectioners’ sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
2 tbsp. milk
Wilton Tip #233
Gel icing coloring**
Cadbury Mini-Eggs

Make the rainbow cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Mix well.

Split the batter between 4 small bowls (or however many colors you choose to make). Stir in a small amount of coloring into each bowl until blended. Add more as needed. I made pastels: yellow, green, pink and blue. Purple would have been a great 5th color to add.

Using an ice cream scoop (I use this one) or spoon, start with your first color (I chose yellow) and add a small amount of batter to the bottom of each cup. It won’t look like there’s much there, but that’s okay. One note: It wasn’t important to me that they were perfectly stacked layers. So I didn’t worry about smoothing each layer out. I let it settle how it wanted to. Next, move on to your color #2 and follow the same pattern until all colors are added. The cups should be about 3/4 full. Bake 15-20 minutes or until cupcakes test done in center using a toothpick. Cool completely.

Make the buttercream “grass” icing & decorate!

This is the Wilton Buttercream Icing recipe. You can find more details about modifying it here.

In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the green coloring during this time as well. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth and in the refrigerator until ready to use. Rewhip just before using.

Using the Wilton Tip #233, start either in the center or the outside edge of the cupcake, and begin adding grass bit-by-bit. Hold the piping bag straight above the cake, begin piping – hold at cake and then lift up and release pressure on icing – stop once the “grass” is at the desired height. Repeat until top of cake is full. Situate three Cadbury Mini-Eggs on the top of the grass of each cupcake, and serve!

Notes:

*I stumbled upon some adorable decorated egg baking cups at Jo-Ann’s. They were a real hit with everyone and I’ll highly recommend!

**I used Wilton gel icing colorings: Lemon Yellow, Kelly Green (also for icing), Pink, and Sky Blue

Orange Creamsicle Delight

I found this recipe via Pinterest (of course!) on one of my favorite blogs, My Baking Addiction. She calls them Chocolate Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting. But we were all convinced this frosting tasted just like a creamsicle, hence the name change-up. If you like light, moist cakes – this is one of the best I’ve had. Enjoy!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Orange Creamsicle Frosting

Makes 24 cupcakes

For the cupcakes

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder (I used regular Hershey’s cocoa powder and they tasted great)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee (I used extra dark/bold coffee)
24 dark colored or foil baking cups

For the Orange Creamsicle Frosting

Spiked Cupcakes for St. Patty’s Day

If you’re looking for a crowd pleasing treat for St. Patrick’s Day this weekend, look no further than these adult-friendly Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes. I’ll admit, they took awhile to make, but they were relatively simple considering the number of elements. Thanks goes to Quick Feets, Good Eats for posting this treat on Pinterest (recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen). Enjoy!

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Makes 24 cupcakes

SHOPPING LIST:

For the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes

•  1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
•  1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
•  3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process, although I did not use that)
•  2 cups all purpose flour
•  2 cups sugar
•  1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
•  3/4 teaspoon salt
•  2 large eggs
•  2/3 cup sour cream

Ganache Filling

•  8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I suggest Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips)
•  2/3 cup heavy cream
•  2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
•  2-3 teaspoons Irish whiskey (such as Jameson)(You can omit this)

Baileys Frosting

•  4-5 cups confections sugar
•  2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
•  6-7 tablespoons Baileys Irish Creme (ABC Liquor’s Michaels brand is cheaper and works great too)(or use milk)
• OPTIONAL: Green Gel Coloring (I used Wilton Leaf Green) and pearls for decorating (I used Betty Crocker cupcake gems)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Make the cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly (it will still be warm when you add to mix below).

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.

Make the filling:

Chop the chocolate (if whole) and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir quickly until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains. 20 seconds in the microwave, watching carefully, will also work.) Add the butter and whiskey (if you’re using it) and stir until combined.

Fill the cupcakes:

Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped (the fridge will speed this along but you must stir it every 10 minutes). Meanwhile, using a 1-inch round cookie cutter, an apple corer or just a paring knife (which I used), cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. NOTE: You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom — aim for 2/3 of the way. A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out. (And good news for you, these are perfect “tasters”.) Put the ganache into a piping bag or freezer zip lock bag (no tip needed) and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

Frosting Directions:

Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. SLOWLY add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.

When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys (or milk) and whip it until combined. If this has made the frosting too thin (it shouldn’t, but just in case) beat in another spoonful or two of powdered sugar. Add the food coloring until you reach a color you like.

I found that covering and refrigerating the frosting for about 10 minutes helped before moving on to frosting the cupcakes. Once you’re ready to frost, pick your favorite tip (I used #1M) and fill a pastry bag. After frosting, I topped the cupcakes with the pearls.

Paintball: Who would’ve thought I’d love this?

Well this adventure was definitely a first. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a good shoot ‘em up video game. But I’ve never played laser tag, let alone stepped onto a field where high-speed paint-filled pellets would be aimed directly at me.

Enter the plea from my friend, who was arranging a paintball outing for her boyfriend’s birthday. She was slightly terrified and wanted a just-as-scared partner in crime. I figured, why not? Add it to the blog.

Surprisingly, and despite the extreme pain of the one hit I did take, this was a downright awesome afternoon of fun with friends.

We chose Orlando Paintball, Florida’s largest paintball facility featuring 4 outdoor and 2 indoor fields. You can only imagine how mobbed a facility of this size would be on a Saturday afternoon. We arrived at 2pm and didn’t get on a field until close to 3pm. I’d suggest arriving at about 5pm and taking advantage of the cooler nighttime temperatures and absence of the younger kids.

We played until 8pm, growing from know-nothing sheep to strategic team leaders. The 7 of us (3 girls, 4 guys) managed to go through 4000 paintballs, plus extras that our “Rambo” teenage friend gave us. Some in the group were not as fortunate as me with just one hit. Painful as I thought mine was, I felt horrible for those with 3+ welts on their arms, legs and chest. The birthday boy even took a hit on the back of his head (an ‘assassination’ by an unknowing team member, most likely).

All in all, I highly recommend giving paintball a try. Yes, it hurts. But the fun you have for the remaining 99% of your day is well-worth those couple minutes of searing pain. I promise.

Need to Know

• Where: Orlando Paintball, 7215 Rose Avenue, Orlando (off north Orange Blossom Trail)
• Hours: 12pm to 12am daily, until 6am on Fri/Sat
• Price: Standard all-day package with gear, slice of pizza & 100 paintballs: $30.95
• Extras: Paintballs are available for $6 to $65 (depending on number)
• Uniforms: $4 (and oh-so-flattering)

Cookies & Creme Perfection

I made these cupcakes for a friend’s dad who LOVES cookies & creme. They were a huge hit! Although semi-homemade, they certainly don’t disappoint. The Oreo on the bottom is always a great little hidden treat, too. Enjoy!

Cookies & Creme Cupcakes

For the cake:

1 pkg Double Stuf Oreos
1 (18.25 oz) package Devil’s Food cake mix
1 (5.9 oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 c sour cream
1 c vegetable oil
4 eggs (beat the eggs before adding)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 c warm water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tin with paper liners. Place one half of Oreo (with frosting) on bottom of each liner, frosting side up. Keep the other frosting-free half for later.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs, vanilla and warm water.

3. Distribute the batter into muffin liners; about 2/3 full each.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick entered into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

6. Remove cupcakes from muffin tins and allow to fully cool on a wire rack. Once cupcakes are cool, prepare your frosting.

For the frosting & decoration:

3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 Tbsp clear vanilla extract
2 lbs confectioners’ sugar, sifted
4-6 Tbsp heavy cream or milk
1 tsp salt
Halves of Oreos remaining from cake above
Mini Oreos as decoration

1. In food processor, blend remaining Oreo halves (without frosting) until fully crushed. You’ll want to discard any large pieces so they don’t get stuck when frosting cupcakes.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter until fluffy. Slowly add in confectioner’s sugar, and continue creaming until well blended.

3. Add salt, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk. Blend on low speed until moistened.

4. Add crushed Oreos and blend on medium. Add an additional 1 to 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk until you reach the desired consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy.

5. Top each cupcake with frosting. I used Wilton Tip #1M. Then add a mini Oreo for decoration, if you like.

Put a Bird On It

A couple weeks ago, I stumbled across this video from the series, “Portlandia”. I don’t know if we’re just bored, but my co-workers and I are thoroughly amused by it. In fact, we’ve even “put a bird” on several items throughout the office. After all, everything is better with a bird on it. Even a boring office door. Or Justin Bieber.

Bar Hopping My Way Through Lower Manhattan

In honor of Lower Manhattan making it through Hurricane Irene this weekend, I’m taking you down memory lane for a recap of my first-ever bar hopping tour there just a week ago. A friend who lives in Jersey prepped a speedy bar hopping extravaganza for me, complete with trivia tidbits along the way. It was a fun night even though I was running on 4 hours of sleep.

Next time you’re in Manhattan, I recommend any and all of these bars. If I HAD to choose my top 2, I’d go with the first two stops. And a special thanks to Matt for listening to me drone on about my life for the latter half of the evening. ;)

ZUM SCHNEIDER

107 Avenue C @ 7th Street
(photo above)

Nothing beats starting the night with an authentic Bavarian indoor Biergarten. Opened in 2000 by a native of Bavaria and longtime Alphabet City resident, Zum Schneider features 12 German beers on tap – including 4 Hofbräuhaus Traunsteins available exclusively here. They also have an extensive Bavarian-German menu that gets great ratings from foodies in town. Plus, they serve the beer in authentic German glass steins. You can’t go wrong! Oh, and no credit cards accepted here, folks. Cash only.

Remember my beer tasting class adventure? Well I was thrilled to see my favorite brewer – Hofbräuhaus – was a tap here! So I quickly ordered a glass and soaked in the atmosphere. I would LOVE to return here for Oktoberfest. I can only imagine the chaos and absolute awesome time it must be.

Photo Credits (all): Zum Schneider

MCSORLEY’S OLD ALE HOUSE

15 East 7th Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues

McSorley’s Old Ale House has been a gathering place, a watering hole, the subject of art and literature and even a Supreme Court controversy. Established in 1854, McSorley’s can boast of being New York City’s oldest continuously operated saloon. Everyone from Abe Lincoln to John Lennon have passed through McSorley’s swinging doors. Woody Guthrie inspired the union movement from a table in the front – guitar in hand -, while civil rights attorneys Faith Seidenberg and Karen DeCrow had to take their case to the Supreme Court to gain access. Women were finally allowed access to McSorley’s in 1970! (That’s direct from McSorleysNewYork.com)

As a lover of small bars, I could not be more thrilled as we approached McSorley’s. There was barely space to move through to the bar, drunken groups spontaneously burst out in song, sawdust was strewn on the floors, and the walls were littered with random collections blanketed in years of dust. It was like a little slice of heaven.

When you order, you have two choices: dark or light beer. And cash only here too – there’s not even a real register, let alone a credit card machine. Beers are served in pairs, and new duos will find their way in front of you without even asking (a tricky little method I must admire – because you know you’ll drink it if its there). And take a good look at the walls, catching items dating back to the 1800s. One thing I found particularly interesting – the wishbones hanging from a lamp, from neighborhood patrons during one of the World Wars who never returned to retrieve their contribution.

Flickr Photo Credits (clockwise from top): LibraryGroover, chriki24, DoctorWho, Vincent Desjardins.

HORSESHOE BAR

108 Avenue B @ 7th Street

The exterior of this dive bar may look familiar – and with good reason. Its served as a movie set for both The Godfather II and Crocodile Dundee. Inside, wood paneling coats the walls and the horseshoe-shaped bar surrounds a towering array of liquors. There are also 31 beers on tap and an extensive selection of beers by the bottle. In the back, you can see a selection of pinball and video games – perfect for the notably younger crowd (though I’m guessing the daytime regulars are an older set).

This stop was pretty quick, more of a movie trivia stop, which I did appreciate. Had I of been in the mood for liquor (I stuck with beer the whole night), one of the several special shots listed in the blackboard surely would have been of interest. I wish I could’ve found the video clip from Crocodile Dundee to share – but no such luck. But remember the scene when Mick discovers the girl hitting on him is no sheila? Yep, this is the bar. (Followed by the street scene when they leave.)

Photo Credits (all): Shanna Ravindra, New York Magazine

HOGS & HEIFERS SALOON

859 Washington Street @ 13th Street

Most will know this hole-in-the-wall Meat Packing District bar as the inspiration for the movie Coyote Ugly (and all the subsequent spin off bars). It opened in 1992, and the dancing atop the bar actually began because when it opened, it was an unseasonably cold winter and the bar had no heat. Michelle Dell, now the bar’s sole proprietor, started dancing on the bar simply to keep warm. It became its trademark, along with women shedding their bras to add to the more than 11,000 now hanging. Underneath the thousands is even one from Julia Roberts, among other celebrities who have considered a dance on the bar a rite of passage.

While this was the only bar we visited that required a cover ($10 each), I think it was worth it just to see the shenanigans inside. It was just like the movie… Scantily clad female bartenders insulting patrons over a bull horn, while imposing bouncers looked on. The bartenders got up on the bar and did an impressive line dance (seriously, it was great), followed by drunken girls taking their stab at it as well – most wavering from one too many drinks. The amount of bras hanging was beyond what I could have imagined. And I’m sorry to disappoint you all, but I neither danced on the bar nor contributed my bra to the collection. (I know, completely went against my “Adventures in Trying” quest.)

Flickr Photo Credits (clockwise from left): mrtruffle, noricum, Stacey Huggins

Well Hello A&F Boys. Don’t Mind If I Do…

It’s Tuesday and already time for a much needed laugh. So here’s a funny little “first” for all the ladies to enjoy.

During my recent trip to Manhattan, we passed by the Abercrombie & Fitch store on Fifth Avenue. The first day, there were masses of tweens outside, vying for a photo with the two scantily clad hotties out front. We just laughed at the idiocy of it all (including the line that wrapped around the building).

And then came Day 3 of our visit, and while strolling about the city again, we encountered those same two boys. But the crowds were gone and my friend couldn’t resist a chance to put me in a funny situation.

So, she convinced me to pose with the two models for a photo to send to our co-workers locked away in our Orlando office. And yes, my “first” was making a “Mandi Sandwich” as my co-worker so proudly declared in her reply text.

Pottery Painting at All Fired Up

Last weekend, I had a double-take of using great coupons. Orlando Aerial Arts was my LivingSocial pick. But for Groupon, I went with a pottery painting credit at All Fired Up in Winter Park.

I grew up with holiday decorations my mom had painted. Everything from a Santa and reindeer, to a bunny dragging a barrel full of Easter eggs (including some with our names on them). So, needless to say, I’ve always had an interest in painting my own pottery. To be honest, I can’t believe it took me 30 years to get around to it.

All Fired Up is a great little studio shop, with brightly colored chairs, shelves full of pottery to choose from, and their own creations either hanging on the walls or scattered throughout. The choices of pottery change often, and I wanted something small and easy to decorate for my first time. I went with an adorable little gnome carrying a suitcase (about 5″ tall, priced at $16). All the prices already include the studio fees and all painting supplies. And if you have a big group, I suggest reserving a table ahead of time (they’ve been slammed lately with all the Groupon buyers – 2300 of them were purchased!)

After claiming our table, one of the studio assistants went over the supplies and how best to use the paints. There is one whole wall full of different colors, with square tiles showing what they’ll look like after fired in the kiln (with 3 gradients each). You could either paint on with a brush or use a sponge. But for the small details – or small items like my own – they suggest using the paint pens. I heeded their advice and used the paint pens for my entire gnome.

I have to say, choosing the colors was the most difficult part. I ended making his outfit UCF Knight colors. I also gave him a white beard with light grey streaks, and a brown suitcase and shoes. After painting the suitcase, though, it was just a little too blah. So I decided to add little travel stamps (Travelocity’s Roaming Gnome was obviously stuck in the mind).

Those stamps took a lot of patience! Unfortunately, they didn’t come out as great as I would have liked – but everyone else loved them. I’m just too much of a perfectionist I guess. But the designs include the Eiffel Tower, the Golden Gate Bridge, skyscrapers (NYC), a sailboat, a sunrise, and grapes (for wine country).

While we were there, we also saw others creating some great pieces. My partner in crime made a cute vase that was yellow with black polka dots. A couple others were painting coffee mugs or plates. But we were most impressed with a girl painting a small bowl with intricate flourishes. It reminded me of something you’d find at Anthropologie. (I was quick to make a note to do some of those in the future.)

Once you’re done painting (it took us about 3 hours), you have to wait a week to see the final product! Okay, so its not that long – but I know I was eager to see how mine turned out. And I think for my first paint-your-own-pottery experience, I did a dang good job. ;)

NYC Cupcake Showdown

So we all know that I have a minor obsession with cupcakes. I’m always looking for new recipes, or bakeries where I can taste test the concoctions of those much more experienced than I. On a recent trip to New York City, I decided it was time to pit two popular bakeries against one another: Magnolia Bakery and Crumbs Bake Shop.

In between other obligations, I managed to pop into the Midtown locations closest to my hotel. I only tried one cupcake at each, and didn’t really choose two that were similar in any way – but I’ve definitely chosen a favorite.

Location: Crumb’s Bake Shop, Broadway @ 53rd Street (near the Ed Sullivan Theatre)
Time of Day: Just after lunch, around 1 p.m.
Cupcake: Raspberry Swirl
Verdict: I’m not a huge fan of dense cupcakes and this was unfortunately just that. I didn’t love the cake itself – but the raspberry preserve filling was tasty. The frosting, on the other hand, was intriguing with vanilla cream cheese swirled with more raspberry preserve. Yum!

Location: Magnolia Bakery, 6th Avenue @ 49th Street (near Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall)
Time of Day: 9:30 a.m. (yeah, you read that right)
Cupcake: Vanilla Vanilla
Verdict: Even though it was entirely too early for this much sugar, I couldn’t resist eating every last drop of this cupcake. The vanilla cake itself was light and fluffy. The vanilla buttercream frosting was so amazing, that I immediately found the recipe online.

Had I of chosen a cupcake with buttercream frosting, I may have liked Crumbs Bake Shop more than I did this go-around. But for now, given this taste test, the winner is most definitely Magnolia Bakery. I guess next time I’m in NYC, I’ll have to give them each another go – you know… to be fair.