Puppies! Yah you hurd me.

One of life's greatest joys is when a dog sees you coming and wants to say hello. Their eyes light up with pure joy. The tail starts wagging. They make a big goofy smile. The love is unconditional- you didn't earn it- you didn't ask for it- but it is naturally there. Warms my soul every time because someone is as happy to see me, as I am to see them.

Pan is currently in the market for a Jack Russell, besides Jack. For educational purposes (and my own nutty joy), we took a trip to Roundtop, VA to visit a JR breeder (they are not for show). It was his idea... I just wanted to stalk puppies.

The ride up was... interesting. We saw a few general stores, really nice houses, ridiculous yards, horses, and even a few alpacas (whose fence shocked me when I got too close). Some of the towns were super quaint and others were very boojie. Thank you google maps for a beautiful and 'scenic route.' No paved roads were a nice touch. Oh well, at least the boy had fun pretending to be a rally driver.

After we managed to navigate over the river and through the woods... We pulled up to a large, isolated farm. A pang of nervousness struck- for some reason the middle of the country has that effect on me. It quickly melted when I heard a puppy bark somewhere in the distance. He walked ahead of me and got to the front porch. He turned, looked at me, and cheesed real big.

Tons of puppies. All over the front porch. There was a litter of 5 week olds and another of 6 week olds. Out of this huge group, only 8 were left for adoption. The breeder holds onto the puppies until they are at least 8 weeks old to make sure they're healthy, happy, and well socialized with other dogs. Most of them wiggled over to say hi, some were too lazy and slept right through the visit.

And of course...I somehow managed to find a 'favorite.' Her name was Janet and she loved my flip flop. The craters in my shoe are proof! I wouldn't let just anyone mess up my favorite pair of flip flops.

Alas, the puppy mission has to wait until next year. His current living situation does not permit a puppy easily but it was nice to learn more about the breed and what it takes to raise one. I cannot wait for the day he comes home with a Jack Russell pup! I plan on getting a dog at a shelter... they will rock and bandanna and be my side kick.

Sigh, one day... you'll come home with me puppy.

Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake

The game plan for this past weekend was to make chocolate cupcakes. That was completely derailed. when I saw America's Test Kitchen 'Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake.'

We both love pumpkin. Pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pie, pumpkin loaf. You can't go wrong with pumpkin! Be ready for plenty of pumpkin entries this fall!

This is the best cheesecake I've ever had. My brother concurred- this is in top 10 of things to come out of the oven.

My favorite trait was the texture. It was so smooth and soft! It was thick but not dense. All you needed was a few bites and to be content the rest of the evening. With a cup of chai or coffee? Heavenly! The pumpkin to cream cheese ratio was right on. It's like the super version of pumpkin pie- luscious and rich with all the spices. It's super easy to bake. In other words... MAKE THIS CHEESECAKE.

What makes this recipe interesting to me was the methodology. I've used water baths (baño maria) to cook flans- but never a cheesecake. Apparently this is a common practice because it helps keep the moisture in the oven. How do you make a water bath? Simple.

1. Boil some water (amount varies based on size of roasting pan)
2. Wrap the spring form pan in aluminum foil (some recipes do not require the foil like when I make flan)
3. Place springform pan in the middle of roasting pan
4. Pour in filling and place in oven- this way you don't awkwardly carry a roasting pan full of water around the kitchen
5. Carefully pour enough water so it reaches the halfway mark of the springform pan

Note: remember to heat the water before you pour it into the pan. If you don't- do not panic. It will turn out just fine, you may just need to give it a few extra minutes.

Crust

5 ounces graham crackers (9 whole crackers), broken into large pieces
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
6 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted

Filling

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar (10 1/3 ounces)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese , room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice from 1 lemon
5 large eggs , room temperature
1 cup heavy cream

For the crust... adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan evenly with nonstick cooking spray.

Pulse crackers, sugar, and spices in food processor until evenly and finely ground, about fifteen 2-second pulses. Transfer crumbs to medium bowl, drizzle melted butter over, and mix with rubber spatula until evenly moistened. Turn crumbs into prepared springform pan and, using hand, spread crumbs into even layer. Using flat-bottomed ramekin or drinking glass, press crumbs evenly into pan bottom, then use a soup spoon to press and smooth crumbs into edges of pan.

Bake until fragrant and browned about the edges, about 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack while making filling.

For the filling... bring about 4 quarts water to simmer in stockpot.

Whisk sugar, spices, and salt in small bowl; set aside.

To dry pumpkin... line baking sheet with triple layer of paper towels. Spread pumpkin on paper towels in roughly even layer. Cover pumpkin with second triple layer of paper towels and press firmly until paper towels are saturated. Peel back top layer of towels and discard. Set down triple layer of paper towels and flip onto fresh sheets. Once more, cover with another triple layer of towels and press firmly until saturated. Leave it to the side.

In standing mixer fitted with flat beater, beat cream cheese at medium speed to break up and soften slightly, about 1 minute. Scrape beater and bottom and sides of bowl well with rubber spatula. Add about one third of sugar mixture and beat at medium-low speed until combined, about 1 minute; scrape bowl and add remaining sugar in two additions, scraping bowl after each addition. Add pumpkin, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat at medium speed until combined, about 45 seconds; scrape bowl. Add 3 eggs and beat at medium-low until incorporated, about 1 minute; scrape bowl. Add remaining 2 eggs and beat at medium-low until incorporated, about 45 seconds; scrape bowl. Add heavy cream and beat at low speed until combined, about 45 seconds. Using rubber spatula, scrape bottom and sides of bowl and give final stir by hand.

Set springform pan with cooled crust on 18-inch-square doubled layer heavy-duty foil and wrap bottom and sides with foil. In other words- wrap your spring form pan in tin foil! Set wrapped springform pan in roasting pan.

Pour filling into springform pan and smooth surface; set roasting pan in oven and pour enough boiling water to come about halfway up side of springform pan. Bake until center of cake is slightly wobbly when pan is shaken, and center of cake registers 145 to 150 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 1 1/2 hours.

Set roasting pan on wire rack and use paring knife to loosen cake from sides of pan. Cool until water is just warm, about 45 minutes. Remove springform pan from water bath, discard foil, and set on wire rack; continue to cool until barely warm, about 3 hours. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.

Slide thin metal spatula between crust and pan bottom to loosen, then slide cake onto serving platter. Let cheesecake stand at room temperature about 30 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.

Vanilla Buttermilk Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze

Good Morning Fall! If you're from the DMV area, it sure as heck doesn't feel like fall but I cannot wait for it to really start. There's a fine line between fall and winter that makes my heart skip a beat. We all know the drill- leaves change color, crisp air, hoodies, scarves, pumpkins, and chai! I can't wait! Maybe because it's so fleeting, it makes such an impression.

This morning started out with a cute omen. I had just begun to drive down my street to work when something caught my eye and I flinched. My assailant showed himself: a little lady bug. On my steering wheel! Now where on earth did you come from? Well. Whoever you are- good morning to you too!

This entry is a kiss farewell to summer with Vanilla Buttermilk Pound Cake by Cooking Light. This is a delicious recipe. One of the comments I actually received was it was too moist to be pound cake. Now, I'm no pro at pound cake- but I think it was just right. It was not too heavy and soft. Traditional pound cake is bland- it's meant to be a base served with fruits or whip cream. This one stands on its own.

The glaze is a home classic we use for pastries called cavacas. Confectioner's sugar mixed with lemon juice. That's it. You decide how strong you want it because I like it heavy on the lemon! You be the judge.

Note: the key to a good pound cake is having your ingredients at room temperature.

Vanilla Buttermilk Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze
from Cooking Light

Cake
13.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3 cups)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 1/3 cups low-fat buttermilk
Cooking spray

Glaze
2 cups sifted confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice... or 4... or 5....

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease/spray two (8 x 4–inch) loaf pans or one big budnt pan.

In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking bower, and salt.

Place sugar, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and buttermilk to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Spoon batter into loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 60 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack. Remove from pans. Cool completely on a wire rack.

For the glaze... sift the confectioners sugar and whisk in the lemon juice until there are no lumps. The rest is up to you! Do you want it thinner but don't want super lemon glaze? Add a few drops of water.

Or you can be like me... and wants super lemon glaze! : ) Drizzle away.

Football and Manly Men: Blue Moon Cupcakes

Are you ready for some football??? Me neither. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching American football. I just don't have a team. We weren't raised with apple pie and tossing the ol' pig skin. We were raised with paella and soccer.

Sports fanatics are cute and fun to observe. I love hearing all the trash talk and threats fly between friends. I learned that players that cannot dance, aggressively spike the football instead when they score a touch down. I still think it's a strange testosterone-favorite. For one... the uniforms entail tights. The players slap each others butts to say, 'good job tiger!" Maybe it's just me...

To show my appreciation and that I'm a cool girl, I watched the game this past Sunday. Hey- I'm just one of the guys! The guy that made Blue Moon Cupcakes. From scratch. In their pink apron. Shuddap! Ladies and gentlemen, I'm proud to say this is a Michele original.


The cupcakes are based on white cake- they're moist and soft. They're baked with a cup of Blue Moon in the batter then brushed over a 3 times with some more beer to make sure that flavor gets soaked in. Blue Moon is one of the less offensive beers out there. It's got a wheat- orange flavor to it. To bring this out, I added 1/4 cup Orange Juice.

The frosting is a smooth butter cream that's easy to decorate with and very flexible in flavor. Want that Blue Moon to sing? Use just Blue Moon. Want something more subtle? Orange juice or orange extract (go easy on OJ extract- it's potent). For me... I was happy with a mix of the two. You will lick the wrapper.

I hope you enjoy these as much as the boys did. As we were leaving, Jay's eyes lit up and he asked sweetly, 'can you leave me one more cupcake?'

Note: For a white cake with perfect, fine-grained texture, don't beat the egg whites prior to mixing (tip from America's Test Kitchen).

Cake

2 3/4 cups cake flour
1 cup blue moon, at room temperature
6 large egg whites (3/4 cup), at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup orange juice
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar (12 1/4 ounces)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool

Glaze

1/4 cup Blue Moon

Frosting

3 cups confections sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons Blue Moon (or orange juice)
1 teaspoon Orange Extract (or juice)
Blue food coloring (I did about 3 drops for a light blue)

Preheat oven to 350. Line 24 cupcake tins (yes, I found cute sporty liners). Set rack in middle position.

For the cake.... Pour beer, egg whites, orange juice, and extract into 2-cup glass measure, and mix with fork until blended.

Mix cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of electric mixer at slow speed. Add butter; continue beating at slow speed until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no powdery streaks remaining.

Add 1/2 cup of beer mixture to crumbs and beat at medium-high speed for 1 1/2 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup of beer mixture and beat 30 seconds more. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium (or high) speed and beat 20 seconds longer.

Note: If your mix looks grainy- don't panic! I don't have a scale so I use cups which is not the most accurate. Sprinkle in a little more flour and beat until smooth.

Fill tins until about 3/4's full. I love using the ice cream scoop for this. Bake until thin skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 17-19 minutes.

Let cakes rest in pans for 3 minutes. Loosen from sides of pans with a knife, if necessary, and invert onto wire racks. Let cool completely.

For the glaze... simply brush some blue moon onto the cupcake. I did three rounds of brushes. I think this was perfect because I wanted to keep the cupcake as fluffy as possible.

For 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 Blue Moon(or OJ) and whip it until combined. Add blue food coloring (optional).

Note, do not get tempted to add more then 5 tablespoons of booze/OJ. This will make the frosting too thin to pipe. If you don't care about using a tip and making them all fancy when you frost them- then keep adding!

Kitchen Karma & Home-Made Hostess Cupcakes

Karma in the kitchen. It's real- and it's cruel.

I wanted to make some home-made hostess cupcakes for my brother's BBQ but didn't want to spend an entire Friday night doing so. As I read the directions from Not So Humble Pie's version, I made note of the boxed Devil's Food cake... a carnal sin of 'foodies.' Oh well! Boxed cake isn't bad cake! Save myself some time to kick back on the ol' couch. Right?

The Gods of the Kitchen heard this whisper in my soul... and were angered. 'Foodies' don't use boxed cake. Foodies suffer and make the 'real deal.'

First, the grocery store told me they discontinued selling Marshmallow fluff... Say what now? Went to another store. No fluff either. Conspiracy? I decided to make some homemade fluff which I've never done before. When the time came, I learned it calls for buttermilk. Which I did not have. So I cheated with some emergency mix.

Open the oven to find- the cake is not rising. This is boxed cake! Doesn't it come with an anti-f*ck up guarantee? The liner that NotSoHumble recommends stuck to the bottom. It was a pain to pop out. They fell apart in the process and I got burned. Then a pan full of water fell on the floor by the sink thanks to my cat.

Dumped the cake. Cleaned the dishes. Snatched a recipe from David Lebowitz. Prayed I had enough cocoa for the cake. Made ganache. Stared at the 5 cups of Marshmallow fluff I had created when I only needed one. Oh well...

Lesson learned. They're called short cuts for a reason... cuz they'll cut you.

The home-made Devil's Food cake was perfectly rich and moist. What separates this chocolate cake from the rest is the use of cocoa instead of melted chocolate, hot water, and coffee. It's similar to angel food cake, but not as firm. Don't want this texture for your Hostess cupcake? Use your favorite chocolate cake recipe, like this one!

This Hostess cupcake schools the one you'll find at the grocery store. The ganache is thick. The cake fluffy. The filling is smooth. Plus- you get to decorate it however you please! Get creative : )

Cake

9 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ cups cake flour (not self-rising)
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup strong coffee (or water)
½ cup whole or low-fat milk

Fluff

3 tablespoons butter at room temperature
7 oz jar marshmallow creme

Ganache

6 oz semi sweet chocolate finely chopped
1 tablespoon corn syrup
3/4 cup heavy cream

Decor

3 ounces white chocolate, plus #2 tip

Adjust the oven rack to the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 24 cupcake tins or jumbo muffin tins- depending on how big you want these. I did a mix because it was a BBQ and I wanted to make sure everyone got some.

For the cake.... Sift together the cocoa powder, cake flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl.

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, or by hand, beat together the butter and sugar about 5 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Scrap down the sides as you go! Make it even.

Mix together the coffee and milk. Stir half of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, the add the coffee and milk. Finally stir in the other half of the dry ingredients.

Divide the batter into the cupcake tins, filling 3/4s full, and bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

For the filling... beat together fluff and mutter. Set in fridge to chill. Using a biscuit cutter (for the jumbo muffins) or an apple corer (regular cupcakes), remove the middle of the cake. Fill with the marshmallow mix.

For the ganache... set the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl on the side. In a small sauce pan, bring the heavy cream and corn syrup to a simmer. Pour over the chocolate- mix till smooth. This takes awhile to cool, be patient. It thickens up rather nicely and is super easy to frost. Cheat cheat- set the bowl of ganache on top of a bowl of ice.

For the decor... Melt the white chocolate in the microwave, heating in increments and stirring often. It can scorch easily!

Using a piping bag with #2 tip, pipe away to your heart's content. Or go crazy with sprinkles.

DC Food Bloggers Anniversary

September 1st marked the one year anniversary of the group, DC Food Bloggers (DCFBHH). I would be entirely out of the loop if it was not for my friend Marie. She always knows what's going on in the DMV- thank goodness she's in my life! I really did not know what to expect, I've never been to a happy hour to actually meet new people. I was in for a delightful surprise.

The happy hour was held at Poste, located in Washington, D.C. They roped off a small corner of their outdoor seating for the foodies. Everyone signed in and sported name tags. It was neat to put a face with the blog. The special was the house white and red wine, as well as truffle fries. I didn't have dinner yet so this was more of an appetizer. The truffles varied per serving- some had a subtle earthy taste, others were more faint.

I chatted the majority of the night with Angela from iFlipForFood and the author of DeepThroat. Lemme tell ya- Angela is freaking hilarious! This lil pinay had me giggling with tales of the fryer she won't use because it's from an ex and dating sketchy bartenders in Georgetown. She made the comment that the best blogs are written by Asians. I raised my hand to disagree and said one name: Smitten. A hush came over the group as everyone nodded in reverence. Angela then said, 'oh well she's jewish- close enough to asian!' Crazy girl!

And forgive me for having a 'girl' moment, but I got to wear my new j.crew dress I got on sale. I've never worn j.crew in my life- blame the bf. I was coming from a meeting in Falls Church so for once, I was dressed up. It's super cute and has a little bow in the back. Kinda vintage looking. So don't make fun of me!!

To make the night sweeter, Marie won the surprise raffle! They picked a name at random from the guest list. She got a kick ass box of cookies from Northside Social in Arlington. Being the sweetheart she is, she went around and passed them out to all the other foodies.

As the festivities came to a close, we decided to hit up a local dim-sum restaurant near the metro called Ping Pong. It is absolutely fantastic. The decor is clean and modern, I loved the cherry wood tables. The ambiance was fun and it was bumpin even on a Wednesday night (so pick when you go carefully). The food? Dear Lord.... delicious. Every bite. The menu is huge and the portions are perfect. We ordered 3 items and struggled to finish. If you're ever in the Chinatown area- you must go to this restaurant! Peep Marie's review.

It was so nice just to go out, have a glass of wine, meet new people, enjoy nom noms, and kick back with a girlfriend.

I am happy to be a DC Food Blogger! : )

OBX & Marble Cupcakes with Mocha Sour Cream Glaze

This is my third attempt to write about Marble Cupcakes. Usually blogging is my break from tedium but I can't focus. My mind and body are rebelling. This is the after-shock of vacation over Labor Day weekend in the Outer Banks, NC.

Last year, I went to OBX for the first time and fell in love with the area. A friends in-laws retired here so it's one of their favorite vacation spots. This year, werented an adorable yellow house and filled it with wonderful friends.

We played miniature golf, Wii, walked the beach, got rocked by the ocean (thank you Hurricane Earl), shot pool, had a bonfire with smores, and relaxed. The weather was on point. The house even had a little hot tub on the porch. I wanted to stare at the ocean all day.

There was some cooking thanks to Pro and Reuben. I'm going to bug Pro for his white wine rice and pork chops sauted in peppered cherry saute recipe. Yes, it was as delicious as it sounds. I made peach shortbread which is as only as good as the peaches you use. There was monkey bread and brown sugar cookies which were yummy. The cookies didn't rise properly because I didn't put enough baking powder. I can't wait to make them again! I could taste the amazingness. We lovingly called them 'sugar biscuits.'

Now it's back to work. The office is stagnant because none of the windows open, the air is thick and musty. It's always cold. My room has no view of the outdoors. It's 4 egg shell white walls that I have done my best to breath some life into. Ahh!!!

I want to go for a walk and breath in the crisp Virginia autumn air.

I want to lay on the soft sandy beaches of the Outer Banks and watch the sky change colors.

I want a cupcake.

These cupcakes are beautiful. They're sooo fluffy, moist, and perfectly balanced. The key is not to over-mix the chocolate and vanilla or it will turn into milk chocolate. I love making designs with the chocolate in Marble Cake, so next time I'm going to stick to a sheet cake or bunt. I truly love this cupcake!


As for the frosting. Ummm.... one word: sour cream. Yes yes yes... I know I whine about the stuff. But this time even my coworkers said something. It's just too much sour cream, it really comes through. If the sour cream was tweaked down just a smidge- I think it would have been perfect. It was smooth and delectable, but there was this little after taste that screamed- CHEESE! I WILL be making this frosting again, just with some minor adjustments.

Cake recipe from baking bites and combined it with the glaze of Joy the Baker.

Cake

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3 tbsp water, hot
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream (regular or low fat)
1 cup milk (whole or low fat)

Preheat oven to 350F and grease 12 cupcake tins.

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar, cocoa powder, hot water and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Whisk to combine and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light. Beat in eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla and sour cream. Working in two or three additions, alternate adding flour mixture and milk to butter mixture (ending with addition of flour), mixing until no streaks of flour remain.

Scoop out 1 cup of cake batter and stir into cocoa mixture.

Spread white batter into prepared pan. Top with chocolate batter and drag a knife through to create a swirling pattern.

Bake for 14 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when lightly pressed. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Mocha Sour Cream Glaze

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup brewed coffee, at room temperature

Melt chocolate pieces in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until completely melted. Remove bowl from the double boiler situation.

Stir sour cream into the melted chocolate. Add corn syrup and vanilla and continue to stir.

Slowly add the brewed coffee bit by bit, stirring to incorporate.

This will be a thick glaze. If you would like it much thinner, you can always add more corn syrup and coffee. This glaze will thicken slightly as it cools.