Chocolate Cream Filled Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Frosting
I have discovered the secret to world peace. Ok, maybe not world peace, but at least momentary joy and happiness. I have been toying with the idea of a chocolate filled vanilla cupcake for a while. As it happens I have a soft spot for cream filled cupcakes, considering one is now my logo, and it made sense that I try to make a reverse version. The results were far better than I could have hoped. The vanilla bean, aside from tasting...
Jalapeno, Bacon and Cheddar Cornbread
Growing up in Texas, cornbread was something we ate almost weekly. Mom would almost always make her cornbread in a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. That skillet gave the the cornbread a lovely crust on the bottom and I would always pick off the crusty bottom before eating the tender center. We never got fancy with the cornbread. We usually had regular cornbread, but on occasion we would have sweet. Now that I am making the meals I...
Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies
Before we get started with the Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies a couple of fun news items …. First, as many of you know I am participating in an event sponsored by Electrolux in New York City to help raise awareness for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. It is a fantastic organization and you can help by donating here. Part of the event is a cake decorating competition. We have been placed in groups and my group consists...
Southern Banana Pudding
Nothing is quite like homemade, from scratch, banana pudding. Sure, you can make a passable banana pudding with instant pudding mix, but if you really want to taste something special make your custard from scratch. Once you do you will never use a box of pudding again. Besides, taking about ten minutes to cook the custard and four hours to chill, it is so easy. Many traditional recipes for banana pudding use flour as a...
Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
I love old family recipes. I also love cookies. My mom makes some pretty fantastic oatmeal cookies. They are my grandmother’s recipe, handed down on a butter stained note card, and they are lovely. Crisp throughout with a hint of cinnamon and a lovely nubby texture makes them instantly craveable. They are mom’s go-to cookie and the most frequent dessert offering at her house. In fact, there is almost always a batch of...
Chocolate Swirl Pound Cake
When I was a child swirled pound cake was an utter mystery to me. I wondered how they were able to get the chocolate batter to make such intricate designs in the finished cake. Now that I am older I understand that the oven does nearly all the swirling because as the cake bakes the batter shifts and swirls naturally. Just like snow flakes, they are all unique. So, maybe the mystery is solved, but I must admit I still get a little...
