Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes

My October installment in the Martha Stewart Cupcake Club included these Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes. I greatly preferred the flavor and texture of September's Zucchini Spice Cupcakes, but I enjoyed the challenge of tackling my first ever decorative marzipan project.

With sources online, I studied the art of making little pumpkins from marzipan, which was much like playing with Play-Dough, only messier. I dug through the little boxes on the top shelf of my pantry until I found the stash of Wilton cake decorating supplies that had been hiding out since the mid-nineties, when I attended Wilton cake decorating classes.

My dear friend, Kristina, and I took the class together. A charming and beautiful wife of a minister, Kristina stands for everything classy and southern. She was a wedding planner who owned an event planning business.

After our first couple of Wilton lessons, the teacher started teaching about all the ways we could make money decorating cakes, which ones sold best, were the easiest to complete and most cost effective.

"First of all," she said, "you need to make sure you have grass tips. Those are great for making adult cakes."

Kristina and I, ever innocent, began to let our minds wander to 30th birthday cakes, Valentine's cakes, over-the-hill cakes, and such. Until then, we had focused mainly on achieving a nice smooth finish on our cakes and making flowers, so the thought of something more than roses and daisies excited us.

The instructor continued, "You know, boob cakes and things like that. Those are the biggest money makers."

*crickets chirping*

I'm sure the instructor noticed our "deer-caught-in-the-headlight" look, which she interpreted as a lack of understanding. To help it all make sense to us, she began to name every possible variations of the adult cake, which cake pans to use for each body part, and the array of functions for grass tips.

She spoke quickly and passionately, leaving little room for either of us to interject a statement about just wanting to make cakes for our church friends. Being a giggler who always laughs at the wrong moment, my whole body shook under the table as I tried to control my nervous laughter.

Only one mention of adult cakes would have been tolerable, but the discussion went on and on. And on into every lesson thereafter. Each week we were reminded about the versatility of grass tips, although we confidently assured her we were not interested in the adult cake industry. To this day, the mention of grass tips can send Kristina and me into uproarious laughter.

The moral of this story? Cake decorating is fun, especially when you share it with a friend! Just make sure you have those grass tips...

The recipe comes from Martha Stewart Cupcakes, and while we've been asked not to share the recipe on our blogs, if you're really desperate the recipe can be found elsewhere on the internet. Save yourself the hunt, though, and purchase one of these books for yourself. It is a little pot of gold for cupcake lovers.

Caramel Walnut Brownies

Are you sitting down? Because I am about to share THE most requested recipe I have ever made. Never, in the history of my time in the kitchen, have I found a recipe that elicits such an overwhelming response as these. To make the recipe even sweeter, it is extremely simple to make. I've made it so many times in the last 13 years that I can almost whip up a batch of these Caramel Walnut Brownies with my eyes closed.

There is a catch, though. One of the recipe ingredients can be downright impossible to find, but fortunately the internet makes finding most any ingredient possible.

The mystery ingredient?

I have unsuccessfully searched the aisles of grocery stores in 6 different states.

The past 6 years I have had to order it in bulk from amazon.com.

What is it?

Duncan Hines Caramel Cake Mix!!

Rarely do I use a cake mix because I enjoy the process of baking things from scratch, but on this recipe, nothing but a caramel cake mix will do. I have even tried making a homemade caramel cake, but it just fails to match up to the flavor and texture of the brownies when they are made with cake mix. Can you find this cake mix where you live?

Caramel Walnut Brownies

adapted from Southern Living

14-oz. bag caramels

5-oz can of evaporated milk, divided use

1 box Duncan Hines Caramel Cake Mix

1 tsp cinnamon

12 TBS butter, melted

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9X9-inch pan and set aside.

Place the caramels in a microwave-safe bowl and add 1/3 cup of the evaporated milk. Microwave for 1 minute on high and stir to combine. Continue microwaving on high at 30-second intervals, stirring each time, until the caramel and milk are melted, smooth, and combined. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, cinnamon, butter, vanilla, and remaining 1/3 cup evaporated milk. Stir just until combined. Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Don't worry about being exact when dividing the cake batter. Set the remaining cake batter aside. It will firm as it sits.

Slide the pan into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. At this time, I also like to spread the walnuts onto a shallow pan and toast them while the cake is baking. Remove the walnuts from the oven when they are fragrant and golden brown.

Allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes. Pour melted caramel over the semi-baked batter and evenly sprinkle the toasted walnuts on top. Take large spoonfuls of the remaining batter, approximately 1/3 cup, which is now firm, and press it between the palms of your hands. Pat it as thinly as possible without breaking it apart. Lay the batter on top of the walnuts. Continue patting the batter and placing it on top of the walnuts. There might be some overlapping of the batter, and there might be several spots where the caramel barely peeks through. Precision is not necessary.

Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool in pan on a wire rack. It is helpful to refrigerate the brownies before cutting them into squares. These freeze well, and they make great treats to mail. In short, they are perfect Christmas goodies!

Black Bean Mole and Coconut Couscous

I pulled this recipe out of a Pillsbury Bake-Off cookbook years ago, and it has survived the test of time at our house. I love the crunch and unexpected taste of coconut in the couscous, and the ease of preparation makes this dish as fun to make as it is to eat. While this could easily stand alone as an entree, I usually serve it with grilled chicken seasoned with fajita seasoning.

Black Bean Mole and Coconut Couscous

for the couscous
1 cup uncooked couscous
1/2 cup coconut, toasted
1/2 tsp cinnamon

for the mole
1 TBS olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 (15-oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (16-oz) jar salsa
1 1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon

for the topping
4 oz (1 cup) shredded Colby-Monterrey Jack cheese
6 TBS sour cream
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped

Cook couscous according to package directions. Add toasted coconut and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Cover and set aside, keeping warm until ready to use.

Heat olive oil in saucepan over medium heat. Saute garlic in hot oil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add remaining mole ingredients to saucepan and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low, stirring occasionally until some of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes.

To serve, fluff couscous with a fork, and spoon the couscous onto a serving platter to make the foundation of the dish. Top with the black bean mixture and garnish with cheese, sour cream, green onions, and tomatoes. My photograph above shows an individual serving size.

Caramel Popcorn

A favorite family treat, Caramel Popcorn often finds its way into our hands on the weekends, especially if we plan to watch movies at home. When I make a batch, which is huge, I like to bag up a few gift bags for friends or teachers. I stow the bags of popcorn in my oversized purse and pull out little surprises to brighten someone's day.

Making the Caramel Popcorn is a cinch, but it does require a little time. First you must pop the corn and boil the sugar syrup. Then you bake the coated corn for an hour to achieve snacking nirvana! If you can make homemade Chex Mix, you are completely qualified for making Caramel Popcorn.

Caramel Popcorn
adapted from allrecipes.com

7 quarts popped popcorn (about 1 cup kernels)
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract

Divide the popped popcorn between two 13X9-inch greased pans and set aside.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, salt, and butter in a large saucepan and stir to combine. Over medium-high heat, bring mixture to a boil and boil for 5 minutes while stirring constantly.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the baking soda and vanilla. Mixture will bubble, but continue stirring until thoroughly combined. Quickly pour the sugar mixture over the popped popcorn, drizzling the mixture as evenly as possible. Carefully stir the popcorn to coat as much as much as possible, but don't worry if every piece of popcorn isn't coated.

Bake for one hour, stirring to coat every 15 minutes. Remove popcorn from oven and spoon out onto a piece of wax paper. Allow to cool completely, and break apart any big chunks. Store in an airtight container or resealable bag.

Split Level Pudding

I have a couple of friends who have "texture issues," whatever that means. Usually it keeps them from enjoying things with either too much texture or not enough texture, which seems like it seriously limits their list of foods to enjoy. It is a good thing they are such sweet ladies. Perhaps I can overlook our textural differences...

If I could try to convince these friends to enjoy only one type of food, it would be this wonderful Split Level Pudding which combines two different creamy textures in one dessert. The bottom layer of the dessert is a rich chocolate ganache, silky and velvety, while the top layer is a vanilla pudding boasting a nostalgic air. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. It is quite possibly one of my favorite desserts ever.

The only alteration I made to Dorie's original recipe was to double the ganache layer, a beautiful accident, one that I intend to continue making.

Split Level Pudding
adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

For the Chocolate Layer
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/3 cup heavy cream
*to make a happy accident, like I did, double these ingredients to make extra ganache


For the Vanilla Layer
2 1/4 cups whole milk, divided
6 TBS sugar, divided
3 TBS cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

3 large egg yolks

2 TBS unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, at room temperature

2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

chocolate shavings for garnish, optional

To make the chocolate layer: Place the chopped chocolate into a small glass measuring cup. Bring cream to a boil and pour over the chopped chocolate. Allow to rest for a minute, and carefully stir to blend. Evenly divide the chocolate among six ramekins or pudding cups.

To make the vanilla layer: Bring 2 cups milk and 3 TBS of the sugar to a boil in a medium-sized, heavy saucepan. Process the cornstarch and salt in a food processor until well blended. Pour onto a piece of wax paper. Put remaining sugar and egg yolks into the processor and blend for a minute. Add remaining 1/4 cup milk, pulsing just until mixed. Add the dry ingredients and pulse a few times.

Pour the hot milk mixture into the machine, while it is running, in a very small stream. Return the entire mixture back to the saucepan and whisk over medium heat until pudding thickens, about 2 minutes.

Pour pudding back into processor and pulse several times. Add butter and vanilla and blend until everything is thoroughly combined.

Pour the vanilla pudding into the ramekins, topping the ganache layer. Cover the puddings with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap against the surface of the pudding. Refrigerate the puddings at least 4 hours and garnish with chocolate shavings, if desired.

Oven Ham Sammies

Lately, this has been a go-to meal for our Sunday lunch. I prepare the sandwiches the night before and store them in the fridge until we get home from church. Then I slide them into the oven until they are nice and hot, oozing with melted cheese.

Oven Ham Sammies

adapted from Dine and Dish

12 count package King's Hawaiian Rolls

7 TBS butter, melted

1/2 tsp ground mustard

1 tsp poppy seeds

1 tsp onion flakes

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

1 package swiss cheese slices

16 oz. thinly sliced ham

Slice rolls in half horizontally and place the bottom halves in a baking dish. Arrange the ham and cheese on top of the rolls. Place top halves of rolls over the ham and cheese. Combine melted butter, mustard, poppy seeds, onion flakes, and worcestershire sauce. Evenly spoon the butter mixture over the tops of the rolls. Cover the rolls and refrigerate overnight or for several hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the rolls for 30 minutes, uncovering after 15 minutes of baking. Serve immediately.

Blondies

This past weekend I gathered with some friends for tailgating and an Arkansas Razorback's football game. While the whole event was exciting, I was most excited about the tailgating food. I skimmed and scoured my recipe files, my cookbooks, and my favorite food blogs for quintessential tailgating grub, and then I put together a tasty menu for the event which included my new favorite sweet treat, these atypically delicious blondies. I liked them so well, in fact, that I have already made another batch to share.

What makes these distinctive from the boring blondie? It is a combination of several things like golden toasted pecans and a notable presence of brown sugar. The blondies almost taste caramel-esque, even though no caramel is listed in the ingredients. As for texture, the blondies are super chewy, as opposed to their dry, cake-like counterpart. To make the texture even more magnanimous, a thin, crispy layer forms on top while the blondie bakes. Mmmm...this is Hall of Fame stuff.

Blondies
adapted from Erin Cooks, who adapted from Cooks Illustrated

1 cup pecans or walnuts (4 ounces)
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (7 1/2 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar (10 1/2 ounces)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 ounces white chocolate chips (1 cup) or chopped bar, or 3 ounces each white chocolate and semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Watch the nuts carefully to avoid burning. Coarsely chop the nuts and allow to cool completely.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

Combine melted butter and brown sugar in a medium bowl, whisking until thoroughly combined. Add eggs and vanilla and continue whisking until incorporated. Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture and combine with a spatula, gently folding the mixture just until all the dry mixture is incorporated; do not overmix. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Spread mixture into a greased 13X9-inch pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

Bake until golden brown and the crust is shiny and cracked, about 22 to 25 minutes. Be careful not to overbake, or blondies will be dry. Allow to cool thoroughly before cutting into squares.