Margarita Cupcakes

 

Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

2 tablespoons oragne -flavored liquor, such as Triple Sec

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil, I used canola

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon lime oil or grated lime zest, I used zest

1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350*

Mix together flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together lime juice and liquor.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, eggs and lime oil, or zest, until smooth.

Alternately whisk in flour mixture and milk and liquor mixture. 

Keep beating until all is added and batter is just smooth.

Scoop batter into lined cupcake pan.

Bake in preheated 350* oven for 20 to 25 minutes. 

Tops should be lightly golden and should spring back when lightly touched.

Let cool on a rack for 5 minutes.

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Syrup:

3 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 tablespoons super fine granulated sugar, i used regular and it worked fine I just stirred to dissolve

1 tablespoon taquila

1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice.

Whisk together all ingredients. Whisk well to dissolve sugar if using regular.

Using a skewer, poke four or five holes in top of each cupcake. 

Drizzle syrup over the top of each cupcake.

Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on rack. 

Top cupcakes with buttercream frosting.

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Buttercream: 

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat butter, powdered sugar and salt with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. 

Add vanilla and beat until frosting is smooth. 

Tint frosting with food coloring, if desired.

Spread frosting with a spatula or pipe on with a pastry bag.

This is only 1/2 of the original recipe, and I felt is was plenty of frosting.

Doug gave me this cupcake cookbook for Christmas. He knows me well and knows how much I love to cook. One thing I really like it that many of the recipes only make 12 cupcakes. More than plenty for our family. I think next up will be Boston cream pie cupcakes! I'll let ya know how they turn out!

a few of my favorite girls....

Click on the picture for a closer look at all the fun!!!

Last week we had a fun girls get together and threw a "favorite things" party. Wow, it was fun. Not everyone could be there...missed you Amy. Kristen and Mindy were not in town and Sara was knee deep in kiddos! But never fear, we are planning another party for the summer.

Here's where we got the details...

Since I am without my mom and don't have any biological sisters (I do have one sister in law on my side and two really cute nieces who would love this party too!) , the girls in Doug's family are so good to me. I love 'em all and feel blessed to be journeying through life with them.

Chicken Pot Pie Biscuits

This is a spin off Pioneer Woman's Chicken Pot Pie due to 2 facts...I had some leftover frozen biscuits that needed to be used AND I make terrible pie crust!  Normally if I need pie crust, I just buy Pillsbury! Not as good as homemade, but better than what I make! Anyway, I made her recipe and we ladled it over hot, split biscuits. Filling and comforting, what more do you need? Everyone liked it!


3 stalks celery, diced
8-10 baby carrots, diced
1 large onion, diced
4 tablespoons butter
2 cups cooked, diced chicken
3/4 cup flour (original recipe calls for 1 cup, it made it a little too thick for topping biscuits)
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 chicken bouillon cube, or 1 teaspoon bouillon granules
1/2 cup white wine, if desire..I did!
1 cup heavy cream, thinking next time I will use something lighter
1 teaspoon ground thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt, more if needed to taste
black pepper to taste
hot biscuits ( I used the frozen Great Value brand, they are excellent)

Melt butter in a large skillet or dutch oven.

Add diced vegetables and cook till they begin to soften.

Add chicken and stir to combine.

Sprinkle flour evenly over all and allow to cook a couple minutes, stirring gently.

Pour in the chicken broth, stirring contatnly.

Stir in the bouillon and wine, if using.

the flour will combine with the chicken broth to create a delicious gravy.

Pour in the cream and stir.

Allow the mixture to cook over low heat, thickening gradually, about 4 minutes.

Season with thyme, salt, and pepper.

Remove from heat and taste. Adjust seasonings as needed.

(At this point you could pour into a pie pan or casserole dish and create pot pie)

Split hot biscuits and generously ladle on the chicken gravy....mmmm.

Seriously this gravy is so good you could eat it by itself...and I'm pretty sure it's calorie free...
 

While I got this recipe from the Pioneer Woman's cookbook, I did change it ever so slightly, for instance I left out those nasty little peas....