Saturday Morning Snapshot
Photographed a ridiculously fun recipe today. Can’t wait to share it with you in a couple of weeks…
State of the Blog
Some Baking Mischief recipes were included in a few roundups around the web this week: 26 Hearty & Delicious Soups to Keep You Satisfied Through the Rest of Winter and The Great Cupcake Bake Sale: 31 Flavors To Choose From for Parade’s Community Table and 9 Seasonal Vegetables to Eat in March for Mode. There are some really great recipes by other bloggers in those posts!
This week on the blog, we had the first entry in our March Meatless Mondays series, a lightened up version of a restaurant favorite, and the second Girl Scout cookie inspired cupcake.
Next week I have a vegan dish planned, a perfect side to serve alongside it, and another Girl Scout cookie cupcake recipe.
Recipes/posts released this week were:
Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes With Broccoli and Cheese Sauce – Slow cooker baked potatoes piled high with broccoli and a glorious cheddar cheese sauce. Perfect for Meatless Mondays! Lightened Up Copycat Carmela’s Chicken – Chicken, mushrooms, and delicious caramelized onions cooked up in a wine and cream sauce and served over rigatoni. A lightened up version of the Macaroni Grill favorite. Do-si-do Cupcakes – Intensely peanut buttery cupcakes topped with peanut butter buttercream.
Pop-culture Corner
Any Game of Thrones fans here? What did you think of the trailer that was released this week? I was a little soured on the show after last season, but that trailer was pretty rousing. It’s also exciting as a fan of the novels to be almost completely off the book map this year.
The final Captain America: Civil War trailer dropped. Are you #TeamCap or #TeamIronMan? We’re #TeamCap around here.
I love this article on the perfectly practical reasons why every woman on television has the exact same hair.
We are getting into TV cancellation/renewal season. Are any of your favorites on the bubble? The CW mildly surprised everyone by renewing basically everything on its network. This is great news for the lovely Jane the Virgin and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (the latter has been killing it lately) and bad news for my sanity, because it looks like I will be watching new episodes of Supernatural until the end of time.
Meal Planning
Saturday: Hamburgers with Macaroni Salad Sunday: Pasta Primavera Monday: Broiled Steak With Mustard Sauce Tuesday: Light and Healthy BLT Salad Wednesday: Broccoli and Quinoa Casserole Thursday: Basil Chicken Friday: Easy and Comforting Ham and Potato Soup
These do-si-do cupcakes are intensely peanut buttery and topped with peanut butter buttercream.
How is everyone doing this fine Friday morning? Have any fun weekend plans? I have a ton of recipe testing to do so I will be up to my eyeballs in sugar. If you never hear from me again, it’s because I’ve slipped into a sugar coma and drifted away happily…
And speaking of sugar, today, we are moving on to Girl Scout cupcake recipe number 2. (To see the first cupcake in this series, check out my Tagalong Cupcakes post .) Today’s cupcake is inspired by my second-favorite Girl Scout cookies, Do-si-dos.
Do-si-dos are a great cookie because they’re all about the peanut butter, thin oatmeal cookies sandwiching a thick layer of sweet and creamy PB goodness, and what self-respecting peanut butter lover is going to turn that down?
My Do-si-do cupcakes are the least literal adaptation of the bunch. For one, I had a hard time adapting the oatmeal cookie into cupcake form, so since we’re all there for the peanut butter anyway, I went with a peanut butter base.
And visually, I thought about making cupcake sandwiches, but didn’t want the cupcake to have to be unwrapped to make the sandwich, and filling the center of the cupcakes with peanut butter was just unappealing looking, so I went with a straight up cupcake and rose-frosted top. I mean, it might as well be pretty, right?
Here’s the deal with these Do-si-do Cupcakes: just like with the cookies, peanut butter lovers only, need apply. Seriously, these things are so intensely peanutbuttery (that’s a word, right?) that if you don’t count peanut butter among the five essential food groups, just back away slowly.
Okay, now that it’s peanut butter lovers only here, guys, these are the best cupcakes ever!! They are soft and so dense. They’re almost like a the best homemade peanut butter cookie you ever ate, in cupcake form.
For the frosting, I adapted the peanut butter buttercream from the Tagalong cupcakes to make it a better fit. It’s whipped, making it a little lighter, because again, the cupcakes are so rich. I also substituted half brown sugar in the frosting to give it a slightly grittier mouth feel to replicate the crumbly texture of the cookies.
I dropped these off at my dad’s comic book shop to get rid of them (so I wouldn’t eat EVERY SINGLE ONE) and when he tasted one, he told me that I’d better hide because once the Girl Scouts knew I had their secret frosting recipe they were going to come after me. It’s such a dad thing to say, but also a pretty great endorsement of the cupcakes.
Stay tuned next week for the cupcake based off the second-best selling Girl Scout cookie, the one I’ve oft referred to as a crime against nature…
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- ▢ 1 cup ( 140 g) all-purpose flour
- ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 6 tablespoons ( 3oz ) unsalted butter room temperature
- ▢ 3/4 cup ( 190 g) smooth peanut butter
- ▢ 1 cup ( 200 g) packed brown sugar
- ▢ 1 large egg room temperature
- ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ▢ 1/2 cup buttermilk
Whipped Peanut Butter Buttercream
- ▢ 3 tablespoons ( 1.5oz ) butter room temperature
- ▢ 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- ▢ 1/3 cup ( 66g ) packed brown sugar*
- ▢ 1/3 cup ( 40g ) powdered sugar
- ▢ 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- ▢ 3 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Pre-heat your oven to 350°F and line cupcake pan with liners.
- Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together over a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, cream butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar until mixture is visibly lightened in color, 2-3 minutes.
- Scrape down sides and bottom and add the egg and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
- With the mixer on low, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by half the buttermilk. Repeat, and finish with the final 1/3 of the flour. (Flour, buttermilk, flour, buttermilk, flour). Mix until all ingredients are incorporated and the batter looks smooth.
- Scrape down the sides and bottom one final time to make sure everything is mixed.
- Fill cupcake tins about 4/5 of the way full. This should make exactly 12 cupcakes.
- Bake for 17-20 minutes, or until cupcake tops are firm to the touch (cupcake tops will appear craggy and almost cookie-like). Cool cupcakes in their pan for at least 10 minutes before transferring.
Peanut Butter Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, powdered sugar, vanilla, and heavy cream. Beat at medium-high speed for 5-8 minutes until very light and fluffy.
- Frost cooled cupcakes. I used a large open star tip and piped on roses, starting my circle from the center of the cupcake.
Notes
Nutritional Information Cupcakes Adapted From: Daisy’s World Peanut Butter Buttercream Adapted From: Food.com
Small-batch Instructions: If halving, you can use a single egg yolk if you don’t want to deal with halving an egg. Half of 3/4 cup is 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons. For the frosting, just remember that 1/2 of 1 tablespoon is equal to 1 1/2 teaspoons. No preparation changes are needed.
This vegan vegetable stew is made with potatoes, corn, carrots, and celery simmered in a slightly spicy, tangy tomato base. A flavor-packed, low-calorie dinner that just happens to be vegan.
Happy Monday, all! We are on week number two of March Meatless Monday Meals and today’s recipe is one that brings back so many busy-college-student memories. Remember last week in my Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes with Broccoli and Cheese Sauce post when I mentioned I was vegan for a while in college and survived on vegan hot dogs and oreos?
That’s not 100 percent true. I also had this Mexican Vegan Vegetable Stew.
I must have made this stew at least twice a month, and at the time, it was God sent. It’s the type of recipe that get’s better with age, so I could make a pot on a Sunday and happily eat it all the way through Friday with nary a complaint.
Seriously, by the time Friday rolled around, I would practically be licking the bowl after I finished the last spoonful because I was so sad to see it go.
The garlic, cumin, and chili powder give it an intense (but not insanely spicy) flavor, that deepens and matures the longer it sits and its tomato base is tangy, sharp, and perfectly offset by the mild vegetables.
This stew makes a fantastic dinner when served with warm tortillas or my Sweet Buttermilk Cornbread Muffins , or as a delicious and healthy lunch. It’s packed with vegetables, so it’s fantastically filling, but so low in calories, you won’t feel an ounce of guilt over indulging in dessert.
Mexican Vegan Vegetable Stew is one of the few vegan things that stuck after I went back to being an omnivore. Soy ice cream is a thing of the past, and I don’t eat veggie dogs or many oreos these days, but this soup is still a favorite in the rotation.
Looking for some more Meatless Monday Meals?
- My Homemade Margherita Pizza is a huge favorite around here.
- I dare you not to enjoy my Easy Fettuccine Alfredo with Broccoli .
- Crepes for Two make a great vegetarian Breakfast for Dinner.
- This Ginger Sweet Potato Carrot Soup from West via Midwest is another great vegan option!
- OR, you could always check out this post where I compiled a year’s worth of Meatless Monday Meal Ideas .
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ▢ 1 large onion diced
- ▢ 4 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- ▢ 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ▢ 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- ▢ 4 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
- ▢ 1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
- ▢ 5 small red potatoes cubed
- ▢ 2 carrots peeled and sliced 1-inch thick
- ▢ 2 stalks celery sliced 1-inch thick
- ▢ 1 15-ounce can corn drained
- ▢ 2 14-ounce cans diced tomatoes with green chilies
Instructions
- Over medium heat, heat oil in a large pot. Add onions and cook until nearly translucent. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook until garlic is lightly golden and the spices aromatic, about 30 seconds. The pot will be quite hot, so have your broth ready to pour in so your garlic doesn’t burn.
- Add broth, tomato paste, potatoes, carrots, and celery. Stir and bring to a boil. Cook at a low boil for 20 minutes.
- Add corn and tomatoes. Bring stew back up to a boil and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes until potatoes are fork tender.
- Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes, serve, and enjoy.
Nutritional Information for Mexican Vegan Vegetable Stew Recipe Adapted From: Allrecipes
Small-yield Instructions: For the oil and tomato paste, 1/2 of 1 tablespoon is 1 1/2 teaspoons. You can use two or three potatoes and an entire can of corn if you’d like. This stew is flexible. Everything thing else halves cleanly. No prep or cooking changes are necessary. Make-ahead Instructions: Carrots, celery, onions, and garlic can be cut up to two days in advance and stored in the refrigerator in airtight containers. Potatoes should be cut just before cooking to avoid browning. Freezer Notes: I prefer not to freeze this stew because of the potatoes, but it can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 4 months.
