All Quiet Throughout...

The BF had a family emergency and had to fly back to Michigan for a couple of days.  Since we moved out here, he hasn't had to go anywhere overnight without me.  I had a 2 night trip a couple of years ago.  He's only gonna be gone for 2 days, but it just feels weird.  I'm not used to it.  Even the animals are acting weird.  Last night, our dog Gypsy, sensed that he was leaving.  She started the night sleeping on top of the BF, which is not normal. 

But anyway, I have the place to myself for a bit. 

Here's some stuff from the week.

1.  I made mini pizzas.  I used Pillsbury Grands! Biscuits and lined a muffin cup (I halved the biscuit dough to make a thinner crust).  Cover with pizza sauce and top with whatever pizza toppings you want and cook.  I even used some mini pepperonis.  We ate every single one...

2.  I've been growing green onions for a couple of months now.  I love those little guys...

3.  For St. Patty's, I made a Guinness cupcake, filled with a Jameson whisky ganache and topped with a Bailey's icing.  Recipe follows.  They're delicious, and it's unfortunate that I made so many, because alot of them ended up in our bellies.  And I don't recommend these if you don't like the taste of liquor, because you can taste it :)

The recipe was adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

Chocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes
Makes 20 to 24 cupcakes

For the Guinness Cupcakes
1 cup Guinness
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
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 used semi-sweet chocolate chips)
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1-2 teaspoons Jameson Irish whiskey

Baileys Frosting
3-4 cups confections sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperatue
3-4 tablespoons Baileys

For the cupcakes:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring the Guinness and 1 cup butter to simmer in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
• Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add the Guinness mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add the flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using a 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.

For the filling:

• Chop the chocolate 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 until smooth.  Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined.

Fill the cupcakes:

• Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped.  Meanwhile, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom - aim for 2/3 of the way.  Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

Make the frosting:

• Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand 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 and whip it until combined.
• Ice and decorate the cupcakes.

Note: You can bake the cupcakes a week or two in advance and store them, well wrapped, in the freezer. You can also fill them before you freeze them.




Stay classy,

Heidi