Peanut Butter Bourbon Mancakes

One of my favorite things about baking cupcakes is combining already incredible ingredients to create one, mind-blowing dessert experience. Enter, “The Mancake.” This savory concoction looks innocent but packs a powerful punch. It’s a vanilla bourbon cupcake with walnuts and chocolate chips, topped with peanut butter bourbon frosting, and candied bacon. I pooled the complete recipe from three different sources and came up with a cupcake that’s beyond delicious.

What prompted this batch was a trip to the first annual 4B Fest in New Haven, CT, featuring bacon, beer, bourbon, and BBQ. My friend had gifted me his ticket, refusing to accept proper payment, and I needed a way to thank him. He started drooling at the first mention of this savory dessert so I knew it’d be considered proper penance.

When he stopped by last night to pick them up, we issued a proper “Cheers,” bumped the cupcakes together, and exchanged a knowing glance. The random recipes I found, combined, and doctored just slightly, had resulted in one bad-ass cupcake. Super moist with layered flavors throughout the cake, fluffy peanut butter frosting with just a hint of bourbon lingering on the palette, and topped with crunchy piece of sweet and spicy candied bacon.

It paired perfectly with a side of Maker’s on the rocks. But you should use whichever bourbon you, or your man friend, prefer. For the next batch, I might add a chocolate Guinness drizzle… check back for updates. Happy baking!

Mancakes (Yields 18)

What You’ll Need

Cupcakes:
1½ cups cake flour
1/2teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 tablespoons bourbon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs, at room temperatureFor the Frosting:

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3 cup confectioners sugar
2 tablespoon milk
4 tablespoon bourbon

Bacon:
6 strips of bacon
2 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 teaspoon maple syrup

 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk in the salt, walnuts and chocolate chips; set aside.
3. In a measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk and bourbon; set aside.
4. Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, reduce the speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time, beating each until completely incorporated before adding the next, scraping down the bowl between additions.
5. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk mixture in two additions, mixing each step until just barely combined. Stop mixing after the last flour addition when there is still a little flour left in the batter. Finish mixing by hand using a rubber spatula.
6. Fill the cupcake liners about ¾ full and baked until light golden brown and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely. Turn oven to 400° to preheat for cooking bacon.
7. Make the Frosting: While cupcakes are baking, place the butter and peanut butter into a medium bowl, and beat with an electric mixer until smooth(using whisk attachment if available). Gradually mix in the sugar, and when it starts to get thick, alternate additions of milk and bourbon one tablespoon at a time, until all of the sugar is mixed in and the frosting is smooth and spreadable. Beat for at least 3 minutes for it to get good and fluffy. (Tip: If frosting is thick, add milk/water one tablespoon at a time, if too thin, add confectioners sugar one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.)
8. Make the Bacon: Remove six (6) pieces of bacon from package and rinse with cold water. Trim fat off the ends and place in shallow baking dish. Sprinkle brown sugar on bacon, flipping the bacon to evenly coat both sides. Move bacon to baking sheet and lay it flat, careful not to overlap pieces. Drizzle lightly with maple syrup. Bake at 400° for 17 minutes, or until crispy. Careful not to let it burn. Remove from oven and place on dish to cool.
9. Assemble the Mancakes: After allowing bacon and cupcakes to cool completely, you are ready for assembly. Prepare the bacon garnish by chopping it into 1/4 inch slivers and set aside. (You can also chop it for a more of a bacon bits effect.) Remove plastic from frosting and stir with spatula to loosen it up. Fill a pastry bag frosting and using gentle circular motions, apply frosting to tops of cupcakes. (Tip: If you don’t have a frosting bag, a Ziploc bag with the tip cut off will work the same.) Garnish with bacon pieces.
10. Invite friends over and enjoy! β

Related Articles

• Kentucky Derby Cupcakes recipe courtesy of the Brown Eyed Baker
• 4B Fest, New Haven, CT

Dino Diaper Cake.. Get Rrraarrdy!

Dino Diaper Cake

Remember I mentioned that friends have a habit of volunteering me for DIY duty?

In preparation for a joint baby shower gift, my conspirator emailed one day and posed three options. We could:

1. bundle a basket of remaining items from registry,
2. give a gift certificate,
3. or YOU could make a diaper cake! {See how she did that?}

Coming soon… how I got rallied into my first diaper cake and lived to tell about it. β

Jill Gets Married – DIY Invites

“Roomies”

Jill and I were placed as roommates at Westfield State in the fall of 2000. She’s been a staple, a rock really, in my life since that fateful moment. The day she called to tell me that her boyfriend Jeff had proposed, at the Cape no less, I couldn’t have been happier. My little Jillsy bear, my roomie, was getting married. Welp.

A couple weeks later a tiny brown envelope arrived in the mail. Enclosed, an adorable brown card with silver text. “I don’t know when and I don’t know where, but I know I want you there,” the front of the card read. “Will you be my bridesmaid?” My turn to say, “Yes!”{As if we hadn’t been planning each other’s weddings for the last 10 years.} Let the celebrations begin!

There’s something that can be said about a person when you put their closest friends and family together, task them with hosting some of the most memorable days of their life, and it a) goes off without a hitch and b) everyone’s still smiling at the end. She has some amazing and hilarious people in her life. There were seven of us in the bridal party and we had a blast planning her shower and bachelorette. I thought nothing of the two-hour commute to meet them for strategy sessions and we started on the shower immediately.

Yellow flowers often signify friendship, appreciation, and many say, a promise of new beginnings.

While Jill usually gravitates towards beachy decor, she made it clear that starfish were not to be part of the program. We went with a bright, country-chic floral theme in pink and yellow. Gerbera daisies, mason jars, and oversized tissue pompoms for decor. The venue? The banquet room at a sports bar where her sister worked as a manager. We divided up the tasks: food and beverage, decorations, invitations, games, and a killer group gift.

Planning tip: Take advantage of friends and family discounts when available. It might sound tacky but saving in areas like a venue means you can further invest in personal touches. The newlyweds would be celebrating their honeymoon in Aruba so along with some remaining items from their registry, we chipped in for a stunning sunset dinner at the Flying Fishbone. Requesting a table for them, literally, in the Caribbean Sea. They were thrilled.

Since DIY‘ing is a both a hobby and obsession for Jill and I, I knew immediately I wanted to handle the custom invitations and thank-you cards. The challenge lay in creating a simple textured effect that could be easily replicated for the 75 invites required for the guest list. I gathered my supplies from JoAnn Fabric, Michael’s, a local stationary store, and set to work. I selected stamps in large flowers, the words “It’s a Shower,” and small accents. I hadn’t embossed stamps since I was kid and was elated to see it hadn’t changed much. More variety in the colors for sure, but the technique was essentially the same:

• Stamp in ink, then on paper (careful not to press too hard and catch the ink on the recessed parts of the rubber)
• Cover ink with embossing powder
• Shake off excess powder
• Heat until the finish is smooth and image is beveled
• Let cool

The front of the card was layered with scrap-booking paper, trimmed with a vertical ribbon, and accented with a bronze sticky tack. I adhered the paper layers with scrap-booking tape and used dabs of hot glue for the ribbon. Inside? The details printed on sheer paper. For a personal touch, a “handmade with love” stamp on the back, set in clear emboss. You could feel it but only kind of see it. We wanted to make things as easy for the bride as possible so creating coordinating thank-you cards and providing her with post-stamped envelopes for all guests was a no-brainer.

“Love is in bloom for Jill and Jeff. Please plant these seeds to commemorate their new beginning.”

When the day of the shower arrived, the mimosas were flowing, the food was hot and tasty, and the gift pile engulfed an entire wall. We hosted a couple games including “Jill & Jeff Trivia” and “Wedding Bingo” which listed items from their registry. There was, admittedly, a small hiccup with the slideshow we planned but eventually we got it working.

All-in-all? A huge success. It was time to turn our attention to the bachelorette. For that, I was put on cake duty. 😉 We won’t get into that here. β

Jill and husband, Jeff

Related articles

• Leah LaRiccia Photography Capturing the Big Day (leahlaricciaphotography.com/blog/jill-jeffs-rainy-day-wedding-at-the-warren-conference-center/)
• Thank You Notes in Lime Ricky (http://wp.me/p3BN1Q-3X)
• Westfield State University (westfield.ma.edu/)

Thank You Notes

Postcards in Lime Ricky

It’s amazing what a piece of twine, a little embossing powder, and scrapbook accent can do to a plain white postcard.

Start by stamping the large flowers in green ink (or color of choice), sprinkle with embossing powder, and heat until the powder starts to glisten. About 10 seconds. The tan rectangles with blue border were pre-cut pieces for scrap booking. Apply the same technique to the “thank you” stamps. Let cool for two minutes.

Measure out pieces of twine that are about half an inch wider than the width of the postcard. No more than a quarter inch should hang off each side. Tack with low-heat glue on the ends and gently press with a bone folder or similar object to set. (The twine I had comprised of three pieces. I gently peeled and unwound them so it wasn’t as bulky.) Attach the “thank you” accent using small dabs of hot glue as well.

Let cool and then start composing your note! Your thank you cards are ready for delivery. 

Stamping Tips

• Add a personal flair by stamping a small accent on the rear in clear ink and embossing powder. Use it on all your DIY cards as a signature for your work!
• Careful not to press too hard and catch the ink on the recessed parts of the rubber. If that happens and you press too hard on the surface you’re decorating, you’ll end up with ink in random areas that were not intended.
• Overheating will cause the embossing powder and ink to overheat and bubble. I recommend investing in an inexpensive heat gun if you’ll be making a hobby of stamping. Otherwise, a hair dryer on high will do the trick. β

Contact me to find out how you can get a customized set of these thank you notes for yourself!

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Hellll-ooo beautiful.

Hawaiian Yellow Hibiscus

Here’s a sneak peek at one of my newest garden guests. Sexy isn’t she? It was my mission to get my container gardens started this week and I noticed this hibiscus tucked in the corner of Stonehedge Nursery yesterday afternoon.

It’s about 2′ tall at the moment and loaded with buds. Great investment for $20. That’s right, investment. Before the frost, you can trim a hibiscus back and move it inside to store it during the winter. Just remember to keep it near a sunny window and water regularly. It will remain dormant  until the weather warms up. Then, move it back outside, fertilize, and wait for the blooms. It will take a couple years but this beauty should grow to about 4′ tall and 2.5′ wide.

Talk about bringing the islands to CT. Aloooooooha. β

Blackberry Lemonade Cupcakes

My mom’s birthday and Mother’s Day fall on/around the same time every year. Needless to say, it’s always a big celebration. She has a thing for lemony desserts and we have one rule when it comes to birthdays in our family. You get to choose what we eat at your party.

In recent years, I would order a cake from Chimirri’s Bakery & Pastry Shop in Wethersfield. They make a lemon cake with buttercream frosting that is so moist and refreshing, you feel like you’re sipping on a fresh glass of lemonade from the neighbor’s juice stand. This year though, I wanted to do something different.

After reviewing several recipes for lemon bars and cakes, I found one for lemon cupcakes with blackberry frosting. Hello sweet spring treat! They were super easy to make, tasted awesome, and best of all, my mother couldn’t stop raving about them. I doctored the recipe below by adding a hefty amount of lemon zest to the frosting. It was a bit TOO sweet for my taste and the tartness of the lemon helped balance it out. Check out the complete recipe below. Give ’em a try and let me know how they turn out.

TIP: I made a second batch of these a week later because they were so good and the recipe yielded only enough for all our guests to have one. Except the birthday girl of course. 🙂 In addition to the lemon zest, I added lemon juice to the frosting. It kicked up the tartness but the frosting got a little runny and the peaks ended up falling abit. Stick with zest. β 

Delightfully tart, refreshingly sweet, lemon cupcakes with blackberry lemonade frosting.

Blackberry Lemonade Cupcakes (Yields 18)

What you’ll need:

Cupcakes
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1 lemon, juice and zest

Frosting
1 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup seedless blackberry jam

{Add zest from one whole lemon. Careful to zest the yellow part only. The white pulp below is actually quite bitter. Add no more than 1/4 tsp. lemon juice.}

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Line muffin cups with paper liners.
• Cream sugar and 1/2 cup butter in the bowl of a stand mixer until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and mix 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract into mixture with the second egg.
• Beat in flour and baking powder until thoroughly combined; beat in milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest to make a smooth batter.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cupcake edges are slightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool cupcakes completely.
• Frosting: Beat 1 cup butter with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and salt until smooth and creamy. Beat in confectioners’ sugar, 1 cup at a time, to make a creamy frosting. Beat in blackberry jam. {Add lemon zest.} Spread frosting on cooled cupcakes. [Use pastry bag or plastic bag with the tip cut off for fluffy swirls.] Enjoy!

Courtesy of: Lemon Cupcake with Blackberry Buttercream (allrecipes.com/recipe/lemon-cupcake-with-blackberry-buttercream/)

Om in the Streets

An amazing event, Om in the Streets. West Hartford, CT

I tried yoga for the first time about 7 years ago. Even before my first sun salutation, I knew it would be something I loved. I grew up taking ballet classes and found solace stretching my legs at the barre, extending limbs in concentrated, controlled movement. It soothed, settled, and yet stimulated my spirit. A lot, I’ve found, like yoga.

You often hear people say, “I can’t do yoga. I’m not flexible.” It is so much more than stretching! It’s about strengthening your lungs with precise, mindful breathing. Concerted efforts to clear your mind of the day’s debris and embrace the moment in which you are living. Connecting with a group of people who are focused on the same calming experience.

As Americans, we have been conditioned to work hard and play hard,  with very little consideration for the tools that drive those efforts. Ahem, your mind and body. It’s important to make time and focus on creating positive, soothing energy in your muscles, your mind (which technically is a muscle), and the space that surrounds you. Yoga creates a balance of activity and restfulness. Always rewarding the body for it’s efforts and ending with savasana. A time for your breathing to return to it’s normal state, allowing the muscles to relax, and bringing your body to a natural calm.

From left, Meg and I at Om 2012.

If you’re into yoga, Om in the Streets is an incredible event in CT and takes place on July 20, at LaSalle Road in West Hartford. The street is closed down and yogites from various practices unite for 75 minutes of power vynassa exercises. With hundreds of people in attendance, it is probably one of the largest yoga-based events in CT. Om starts at 8am but I recommend arriving at 7:30 to secure to your spot.

Regardless of which yoga method you embrace, bikram, vynassa, gentle, the rewards will be the same. Your body will thank you. Your mind will find clarity.

Hope you see you next month! Namaste. β

Related articles

• Om Street: Yoga on LaSalle (westhartfordyoga.com/events.htm)
• Yoga, yoga everywhere (yogatrail.com/yoga-poses/contest/)
• How Yoga Calms the Mind and Body (yogamovement.com/resources/howyogacalms.html)

How does your garden grow?

A flowering mandevilla vine, hearty coleus, and some VIPs.

By this time last year, the sun was shining and we were enjoying mild temps in the mid-70’s. Mother Nature, however, has other plans for spring 2013. So while we wait for the temps to rise and floods to recede, let’s reflect on the container gardens planted last season.

We rent a condo. Like most condos, the outdoor living space is limited. 9′ x 12′ to be exact. To our right, one of the complex’s parking lots. And to the left? Our neighbors. Nice as they are, after being cooped up all winter you want to stretch you legs and breathe in the air with at least a hint of privacy.

We have a small, inexpensive patio set and portable gas grill that suits the need of two people perfectly. Other than those staples, the deck started as a blank canvas. {Check out some upcoming posts for yummy insight on the aforementioned frequently used item.} I began picking up pots and containers at various locations, as well as an outdoor rug to conceal the splintering paint. The thing to remember when you rent? Your landlords don’t want any indication that you lived there and you’ll probably want to take your stuff with you when you leave.

For this reason, I selected shepard’s hooks, window boxes, and tiki lamps that screw on rather than needing to be drilled and mounted. Homegoods, Ocean State, and some local garden centers were great resources for these items; anywhere I could find a bargain. I knew immediately that volume and height would be key in building my blooming privacy walls. For flowers, I shopped the  local nurseries. Painstakingly selecting sun/part-sun varieties that would handle the early morning sunshine and relish in evening shade.

To the right, I hung a mixed basket of white and purple morning bells under the small overhang and centered a large pot with trellis along the deck railings. It was flanked with wrought iron window boxes; loaded with 12″spikes and surrounded by taller flower varieties like salvia and alyssum. A touch of verbena draped over the edges. I selected a flowering mandevilla for the pot and wound it up a 4′ trellis. To the left, two more hanging baskets filled with purple morning bells and a trellis that became of a wall of tangled, morning-glory vines.

On the center wall? Our patio set and more hanging baskets. These were cone shaped and contained additional spikes and potato vines. In the end, most people thought they looked like pineapples! The floor pots, contained a medley of alyssum, angelonia, verbena, madeira, coleus, heliotropes, and one of my favorites flowers, lantana confetti. I was hoping to attract hummingbirds or butterflies and knew these plants had a certain level of tolerance. They would bounce back if I missed a watering session. (Although, not recommended.)

Lantana confetti flowers in full bloom.

In the end, I achieved my goal of solitude among the condo dwellers. The morning glories were nestled next to the grill and literally served as a wall between the hanging baskets. A dense mass of heart shaped leaves and eventually, purple blooms. The hanging baskets spanned the width of the deck by September. The window boxes erupted with spikes climbing 2′ high.

It was colorful, sunny, and inviting in the afternoons. And at night, it served as a lush tiki-lit nook to lounge within, sip on some wine, and catch up with friends. I’m looking forward to spending a lot more time out there this year and have already started some herbs. A new addition to the garden! Cilantro, basil, and rosemary. Mint will definitely be added shortly. (Mojitos!)

To anyone who’s starting out with container gardening, I give these three tips. 

1. Pay attention to your plant’s care instructions. There’s nothing worse than getting home, planting a flower in the shade, and realizing it was a full-sun variety. Or vise versa.
2. When creating volume, think up as well as down. Mix a variety of upright stalks with trailing vines or flowers that drape over the edge of your containers. It creates tons of visual interest.
3. Water, water, WATER! If you’re going on vacation and expect those container plants to survive on the grace of Buddha alone, you’re fooling yourself. Water regularly (daily). Fertilize regularly (monthly). And your plants will flourish in your care. β

Related articles

• Verbena Plant Care Guide and Varieties (auntiedogmasgardenspot.wordpress.com)
• Big Ideas for Gardening in Small Spaces (pajamawarmer.wordpress.com)
• The Gardener’s Eden (thegardenerseden.com)

Operation Office Overhaul

The day my boss called our team into the conference room and announced we were relocating was pretty exciting. The day he called me into his office and assigned me as interior decorator of the new space was pure ecstasy. I couldn’t have been more flattered. We set a budget and began vetting locations immediately.

After touring a handful of facilities, one office stood out among the rest. A main area for our sales and marketing team with a hallway of offices down the back that afforded the editing teams peace and quiet when they needed it. At the time, it was filled with rows of cubicles and yellowed lighting. Which was, on a good day, exactly what we were moving from. The potential was easy to see though. Large windows that catch a flash of eastern sun in the morning. And in the afternoon, a stunning sunset view of Hartford from across the river. If we couldn’t be downtown, this was the next best thing.

Once the location was locked in, I set to work on creating the ideal office space. Jan Olson of Olson Backman Interior Design was a phenomenal resource in this effort. We literally designed the space from floor to ceiling, upgrading the lighting to parabolic troffer fixtures as we went. I knew immediately that the style should reflect the sleek, yet colorful space that I experienced while visiting company headquarters in the Netherlands. A restored castle, complete with moats and courtyard, that came alive as you toured it’s offices. Vibrant colors stimulated the engineers tinkering away with their soldering irons. It felt professional, regal, and whimsical all at once.

So Jan and I flipped through furniture catalogs, revisited photos I had taken on my trip, and began assembling our mood boards. The plan? Open, uncluttered space, with  lots of concealed storage, and quality, modular work stations that would grow with the company. She was patient as I poured over details like desk legs.. tapered or round? Outlets and cable lines… add here, patch that. Oh, the pressure! In parallel, I organized the contractors, assisted with moving arrangements, and painstakingly inspected every element as it was delivered, assembled, installed, or painted. It went quickly, surprisingly efficiently, and before we knew it, the office was ready for staff to arrive!

My paint selections, admittedly, raised a few eyebrows at first. Thankfully my boss trusted the vision. Upon completion of the project, he toured the space while I lagged a pace behind. Barely breathing. And then he did what he always does before proclaiming something major. He cleared his throat, looked me dead in the eye and said, “Nice job. REALLY. Well done.”  Then he patted me on the back and asked if I had remembered to get the champagne. My work here? Bitter-sweetly complete.

The painting on the bottom right, hangs in the Publisher’s office. It feature headquarters, aka “the castle.” Courtesy of Creative Evolution.

As I reflect, one of the things I enjoyed most about this project, other than what I believe is a gorgeous outcome, were the people involved. Can you say, “six degrees of separation?” We purchased the furniture through Suburban Stationers, family owned and operated for as long as I can remember. Coincidentally, I grew up with the Shulman and the Bourret families who own Suburban. The artwork? Commissioned by the talented Pat Ganino of Creative Evolution. Another family friend. The custom conference room table? From United Cabinets. A quick, three-minute drive from my house. The management team at the new office building was, and still is, amazing. Everyone who contributed to this project blew my mind and exceeded any expectation I had set forth. The moral of this story? Keep it local kids. And have faith in your neighbors.

It’s going on seven months in the new location and the staff has settled in nicely. I’m a little sad the project has ended but am certainly enjoying the benefits of all the hard work. I’ve been known to say things like, “I just want it to look pretty!” In this instance, I achieved function and style.

What more could a girl ask for? β