Cupcakes: A Necessary and Worthwhile Splurge

So, sometimes you need to splurge in life...this definitely applies to food, perhaps even more than most other situations as well. I was once instructed by my best friend Jax (recent NYU graduate from the Nutrition and Dietetics program...nice little plug for her!) that "if you're intensely craving something quite specific for more than just a few days, you should probably give into it." It most likely means that you're experiencing a deficiency of some nutrient that is essential to normal nutritional functioning. Obviously, this does not mean that one should gorge on Doritoes or french fries! If you allow yourself a normal portion of whatever this craving is, you'll probably be more than satisfied, while concurrently curbing the craving (for at least until you crave it again :P....)

Anyway, recently I was craving the decadence of a Buttercup cupcake, but to my dismay, I was approximately 75 miles away from that particular Bake Shop in Manhattan. Now, I'm not going to give a whole spiel on the absolute brilliance that is Buttercup (because any self-respecting New Yorker surely knows this pure brilliance), but I will urgently advise you to check out one of their two locations at your leisure if you are not personally familiar with the majestic Buttercup experience!

Anyhow.....off track yet again!

So, to my dismay, I was not fortunate enough to hop on the subway and grab this bundle of decadence, but I COULD create them myself. I seemingly remembered hearing that I could mimic the recipe that I found online by the "sister" bakery (and originallly made famous by its stellar appearance on "Sex and the City"), Magnolia.

Obviously, re-creating something you've already tasted and hold so high on the "scrumptulescent" pedestal is never going to be easy, but when the recipe calls for the amount of butter and sugar that it unfortunately does, it's really hard to go wrong! So, check it out....the original Buttercup Cupcakes....

Buttercup Vanilla Cupcakes

CUPCAKES:
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.
In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.
In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing. At the bakery we ice the cupcakes with either Vanilla Buttercream or Chocolate Buttercream.

VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

DECADENCE is certainly the word that comes to mind after biting into one of these bad boys. I know I definitely "jumped" in level of relative difficulty on this blog but cravings like these tend to come out of nowhere as well, so the situation fits I suppose! Seriously though, if you follow the exact directions, the recipe proves to really only be time consuming (and leaves you with a shitload of useless confectioner's sugar, butter, and whole milk if you're me)...

These cupcakes were happily devoured by yours truly and any friend willing to take the bulk of the cupcakes that this recipe yields off of my hands. Like I mentioned before, indulge your cravings IN MODERATION...so if you make this LARGE and IN CHARGE batch of cupcakes, I suggest you give some out to friends. They'll love them!

I would also like to close this blog with a comment on the "cupcake experience" as it were. There is something about eating a cupcake that beautifully forces us to regress to childhood...and you're never too old to get down with your "juvenile" self and have a cupcake experience!

Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella: A Classic Fave

We meet again.....still on the theme of "cooking without cooking," I suppose, but with a little twist. I wanted to ease my way into some more challenging recipes/ideas on here because, let's get serious, you can't go from throwing a bunch of beans into a bowl to "flambe!" Anyhow, the dish I plan on sharing today is not only one of my favorites, but it really seems to be a crowd pleaser all around.

I decided to share with you guys a recipe which I create with a little "give and take" in my own kitchen. It is none other than the famous, Italian style "Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella." Now, there are many ways to create this dish, but I am partial to one of my favorite recipes extroadinarily prepared by the adorable, Aussie Take Home Chef, Curtis.

Before I display this de-lish recipe I must just comment on how hilarious the show Take Home Chef is. I don't know how many people are familiar with this particular show, but even if you are not incredibly into cooking, the show is worth viewing merely based on how adorable Curtis is. You gotta love how he (being the gorgeous and charming Oz that he is) goes into the most "hoity-toity" market in L.A., picks up the hottest "chick" he can find (who, mind you, usually has NO IDEA what she's doing in the kitchen...and is a complete 'gold-digger'), only to lividly piss off and scare the shit out of the tired, hard-working husband when he returns home from work to see his home full of a camera crew and his now decked out wife canoodling with adorable Curtis. Exhibit A:

....phew....I'd be raging if I were that husband, too! Well, I digress....now for the scrumptuous recipe:

Salad of Heirloom Tomatoes and Mozzarella
Serves 4

Ingredients:

6 ripe heirloom tomatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds/1.1 kg total), coarsely cubed

2 tablespoons/30 ml aged balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup/10 g torn fresh basil leaves

2 tablespoons/30 ml extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

12 ounces/350 g fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese

Fresh basil sprigs, for garnish

Method:Gently toss the tomatoes in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon/15 ml of vinegar. Add the torn basil leaves and 1 tablespoon/15 ml of extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss again.Mound the tomato mixture in the center of four plates, dividing equally. Tear the mozzarella cheese into small chunks and place them over the tomato mixture, dividing equally. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon/15 ml of extra virgin olive oil.Sprinkle the salads with salt and pepper. Garnish the salads with the basil sprigs. Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon/15 ml of vinegar around the salads and serve.

As I mentioned before, this recipe has plenty of "lee-way" in regards to following exact measurements and/or adding more of what you love. How can you go wrong with fresh mozzarella, anyway???

The only drawback to the dish is that you really want all of the ingredients to be FRESH (especially those tomatoes and mozzarella which can either make or break the "freshness" quality of this dish). In turn, it can be kind of costly for a mere "side." However, it's well worth the money and it is a healthier alternative to, let's say, a fried side dish or heavy potatoes.

I say, do it up! Anddddd, ENJOY! Let me know how it goes if you decide on whipping this one up....it's super easy...lot's of chopping, that's all....DE-LISHHHHH!

Mangia!

Cooking Without Cooking---Bean Salad Fun!

Well, hello again! I figured I'd share with you guys one of my very first (and 'scrumptulescent') recipes and attempts at "cooking." I use the term "cooking" quite loosely in that I'm not entirely sure throwing a bunch of beans and herbs into a bowl can be regarded as such but we'll roll with it!

One of the great things about putting food together into a "dish" is that, as I have already insinuated, you don't even need to boil water or use heat to create and/or make something taste phenomenal. Though it sounds ridiculously trite, you just need to use a little imagination in regards to a realistic start. With that said, I introduce you to what I refer to as a splendidly versatile "Summer Bean Salad." The recipe and instructions are as follows:

Robin's Summer Bean Salad

1 red onion
2 stalks green scallions
2 cloves garlic
3 Tablsp. fresh parsley
2 teasp. fresh thyme
2 teasp. fresh oregano
1 can Butter beans
1 can black beans
1 can lentils
1 can chick peas
1 can corn
(all canned products should be 'in water' not 'in oil')
1/2 cup Large Spanish olives
extra virgin olive oil (to taste- a drizzle to coat salad)
red wine vinegar (to taste- a drizzle so as not to saturate the salad)
1 lemon (freshly squeezed juice---No PITS!)
1/2 Tablsp. Kosher salt
Pepper (freshly ground---as much as you like)

***In a large bowl, chop the onions, scallions, garlic, parsley, thyme, and oregano finely. Drain all of the beans, lentils, and corn well and add to chopped mixture. Quarter the olives after draining well and add to salad mixture as well. Drizzle the oil and red wine vinegar just enough to add a glistening sheen to the beans (you don't want to be drinking oil after you've served yourself a bowl). Halve the lemon and gently pit the lemon with a sharp knife- squeeze the juice on top of the mixture. Lastly, add salt and pepper. When in doubt, use more pepper than salt to taste. Enjoy!!!!

This recipe is quite easy to prepare and typically not terribly time consuming. It's a crowd pleaser minus the fact that you probably won't want to be hanging out with anyone who HASN'T been eating this divine delicacy. Garlic breath is a killer!

The greatest thing about this recipe is the versatility in switching it up in respect to beans you like, don't like, etc. Use your imaginations! If you don't like Butter beans, use kidney beans. If you don't like Spanish olives, try Kalamata olives. If you don't like beans altogether, well then you're shit out of luck! However, you get my point--it's trial and error but it's truly hard to not please the masses with this one...good source of protein for all, as well. Enjoy!

Enclosed is a photo of my very own "Summer Bean Salad," created this summer...

Hello, my name is....

...ROBIN!!!!

In an attempt to consciously diverge from my habitual cynicism, I have created this thrilling blog about all things food! As human beings, I believe that although we come from many culturally diverse backgrounds, one thing is for sure, we like to eat!! With that said, I would like to share some information about myself which has ultimately prompted me to solidify the theme of this project:

In the past 6 months of my life, I have made some "lifestyle" changes which have quite effectively and certainly altered my health for the better. I use to the term "lifestyle" quite specifically because my initial attempts at simply consuming, preparing, to actually "cooking" healthier meals/snacks has led me to become a much healthier and aware being altogether. I began this unconscious journey, if you will, with little to no kitchen skills which leads me to believe that anyone can create healthy food for themselves no matter how far the steak knife is up one's ass.

I plan on pseudo-documenting my lifestyle/food attempts beginning from mastery in "PB&J construction" to "move over Emeril, I'll show you 'bam!'" As already eagerly anticipated I'm sure, my recipes for various concoctions will be posted along with certain photographic documentation (yes, I AM that much of a LOSER and snap quickies of my creations) and "splurge alternatives" when lentils and rice cakes just don't cut it.

I, ultimately, hope to open people's hungry minds up to how easy and exciting (and yes, I'm cheezy from time to time) food can be! If nothing else, I hope you go out and have a few drinks for me if your attempts in the kitchen flop!

...and to allude the wise words of a baseball film-favorite, "If you cook it, people will come!"


Food for thought, I'd say.