Vanilla Cupcakes!

So one of the people I work with isn't a big fan of sweets, especially chocolate. I make a lot of chocolate desserts, so he never really cares for anything I bring in. I see this as a challenge. I wanted to bring him something he would actually truly enjoy. So knowing he likes vanilla and strawberries I decided to make vanilla cupcakes with vanilla and strawberry frosting! Perfect plan.

Have ya'll ever been to Sweetapolita's blog? If you haven't, please go now. Seriously, it's amazing. I used her cupcake recipe that are apparently the same cupcake recipe that Magnolia bakery uses up in New York! After tasting them I would believe it. They're the most delicious, light, soft, moist vanilla cupcakes you have ever tasted. And the buttercream frosting? Bliss.

Of course however the day I bring the cupcakes in the coworker I had made these for wasn't working, but everyone else sure enjoyed them!

Go check out the recipe here.

To make the frosting strawberry I just added a little strawberry jelly to it.

Shepherds Pie (Cottage Pie)

Even though it's still hot outside, when September rolls around I start thinking fall and holidays. I get antsy waiting for cooler weather and even more for the warming comfort food! Shepherds pie is one of those comfort foods.

It's simple to make and delicious! Meaty, cheesy, potatoey, and hey throw on some bread crumbs too and you've got all the best foods in one delicious pie!

Although it might not be too figure friendly, it'll definitely help warm you up in the winter!

This was my first time making shepherds pie and I must say it came out pretty damn good. I didn't really follow any specific recipe, just kinda threw in what looked good, and asked my mom to sort of guide me a little. She was hesitant knowing how I am in the kitchen. Prone to start yelling and breaking down at any mistake I make. BUT she helped! Thank you mom!

I don't measure really in my cooking so sorry for the lack of measuring, but here is the ingredient list!

Shepherd's Pie (Cottage Pie)

(Recipe by Sarah Eats Austin)

For the potatoes

Potatoes of choice

Garlic salt

Butter (Lots of it)

Sour Cream

Milk

Sharp Cheddar Cheese

For the Filling

Olive Oil

Ground Beef

1 Onion

Garlic Cloves

Garlic Salt

Worcestershire

Tomato Paste

Beef Stock

Parmesan

Flour

The potatoes are easiest, just boil your potatoes mash em' up with the rest of the ingredients.

The Filling isn't hard either. Pre-heat oven to350.  Pour some olive oil in a skillet and start caramelizing your onions. After they've cooked and are soft and translucent add in your garlic for a few minutes then add in the beef. completely cook the meat and then add some beef stock, not too much you don't want it to be runny, and the rest of your ingredients. Add the flour a tablespoon at a time until it's to your favored consistency. Not too runny, but still moist. Pour the filling into a pie or casserole dish, top with mashed potatoes, grate sharp cheddar on top and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Switch oven to broiler and broil until cheese gets brown and crispy.

Take out and enjoy!

The Noble Pig

Finally! I was so excited to try The Noble Pig last week. After hearing about it from a friend, food network, everywhere in Austin and from my brother about amazing this place is, i've been eagerly awaiting the time when I would finally try it....

And now I have.

Sometime's after hearing great reviews on something it tends to be a let down. I mean it has to be truly mind blowingly good if that's what I hear about it all the time. The Noble Pig was not a let down.

It's a very small deli several tables and usually a line out the door. When I went it was no exception. Me and my brother patiently waited in line in the Texas heat with everyone else trying to have a taste of one of, if not, THE best sandwhiches in Austin.

The menu varies from a familiar BLT to a Smoked Duck Pastrami sandwhich. The one that really caught my eye though was the Seared beef tongue sandwhich with smoked green onions, red pepper relish, and aioli. This sandwhich.... pure bliss. Served on whole wheat toasted bread, the simple combination of flavors worked perfectly together. And how they managed to get the bread from getting soggy I have no idea, but this sandwhich was a work of art.

It comes with a bag of seasoned potato chips, and of course who can pass up root beer in a bottle? A perfect lunch any day. Well worth the 8 bucks.

An over the top cake for an over the top mom

So a couple of days ago was my mom's birthday. My mom is my best friend. Seriously I don't know what I would do without her. I know, I know that's been said many times before but it's true. My mom is like supermom x10. Not only has she home schooled me and my two older brothers, but she's managed to cook us homemade food almost every night, helped us with anything we needed help with, helped my dad with anything he needed helped with, I mean the list of things she's done for us goes on and on.

She's the one person I can tell absolutely anything to. We never fight. She even puts up with my bad moods and breakdowns both in the kitchen and in real life.

So what do you make for someone on their birthday who's that amazing?

My original plan was to make her a pie, since I had bought her a new Le Creuset pie dish, but then I decided i'd make her something in that later, but for now I needed something big. Something over the top delicious and decadent. Then while I was sitting there the day before her birthday I decided... Chocolate Cheesecake Layer Cake with Guinness Chocolate Ganache. The most brilliant idea i've had in a long time.

My cakes never tend to come out the greatest looking, but i'll be damned if they're not delicious. If I do say so myself.

I always wondered how people managed to get the cheesecake filling in between the cake layers, but now I know. What I did was make the cheesecake layer the day before, but it in the freezer, then the next day make the cakes and while the cheesecake was still frozen set it on top. Brilliant.

I used several different recipes for the different elements of this cake. Ina's chocolate cake, Chantals cheesecake, and Gastronome Tart's guinness brownies frosting.

This cake was every bit of deliciousness you could imagine. Rich creamy cheesecake, fluffy moist chocolate cake, and dark decadent Guinness ganache.. Every slice is heaven...

Cheesecake Layer

• 4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch springform pan.
2. In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. Press onto bottom of springform pan.
3. In a large bowl, mix cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Blend in milk, and then mix in the eggs one at a time, mixing just enough to incorporate. Mix in sour cream, vanilla and flour until smooth. Pour filling into prepared crust.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven off, and let cake cool in oven with the door closed for 5 to 6 hours; this prevents cracking. Chill in refrigerator until serving.

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

• Butter, for greasing the pans
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cups good cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
• Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch x 2-inch roundcake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubberspatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

The frosting came from Gastronome Tart's blog. I highly recommend you check it out!