Coconut Cupcakes

So it's official- I am not longer a 'buggy driver'. Well granted, I probably can still own anybody going down that hill- pikes would not be happy with me. at all.

The real world makes you fat- we know that. But does the real world really make you gain a pound in only ONE day?!?!

I went to the office gym on Monday and weighed myself and did the same thing Tuesday evening and saw that I gained a pound! How did that happen, you ask?? I blame cupcakes, and Ina Garten- the Barefoot Contessa (I legit hate her and her Jeffrey references btw). But boy are her recipes delicious!!!

Monday night, I decided to make Ina Garten's Coconut Cupcakes. I've made them before and they were a big hit and I thought I'd make some for a big meeting I had at the office! The recipe follows:

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For the batter:
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut
For the frosting:
1 pound cream cheese at room temperature
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar, sifted

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth. Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.

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And there you have it! These cupcakes are SO good- everyone at the office loved them! Lots of moaning and groaning noises at that meeting, I'll tell ya. :)

Of course, being me, something always has to go wrong. The night before, I made sure to check that I had all the ingredients- and of course it seemed like I did. When going about making the cupcakes, it turns out that my bottle of almond extract was empty. Oh gosh. So I had to omit the almond extract and just stick to pure vanilla- but thankfully the cupcakes still turned out ok. I do like it with a bit of almond extract- but if you're like my mom (who hates the aroma of almond flavored anything) you now know that you can just stick with vanilla!

The frosting is creamy and delicious- after making this simple frosting you wonder why you ever used frosting from a can. The cake is soft and moist and huge, might I add. What a great recipe and it's perfect for the upcoming holiday (hopefully snowy) season!!

This is a great recipe- although very fattening- is still something you should try to make at least once! You'll be a hit during the holidays with this recipe- try it out! :)

Warning: You will instantly gain weight once this touches your mouth.

Difficulty: Intermediate

Time: 1 hour

Taste: 9.5

Don't be a cheapo

Ok, I have suffered way too much from trying to cut costs and cutting back on certain things. This past weekend, instead of flying to Pittsburgh with the rest of my friends, I decided to take the Megabus for $35 and in the end, paid just as much as I would have for a flight (damn you 30 Street station parking). Not only was I miserable about the wasted money, the bus ride was unbearable.

I called my dad and he said "this is what you get for being a cheapo". And I thought to myself, he's right, I need to stop being a cheapo on some things, because in the end they just end up biting me back in the butt. You figure I would have learned my lesson after this past weekend- but apparently I didn't. I, Melissa Lee, am a cheapo- and have learned that the hard way.

This week, I thought I would return to my trustworthy Eatingwell.com for some new recipes. I found a new and simple recipe for a Crab Salad Melt, the recipe follows:

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3 asparagus spears or 12 snow peas, trimmed and thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)
8 ounces crabmeat, any shells or cartilage removed
1/3 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 scallion, finely chopped
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon low-fat mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
2-5 dashes hot sauce
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 whole-wheat English muffins, split and toasted
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Place rack in the upper third of the oven; preheat broiler. Place asparagus (or snow peas) in a medium microwave-safe bowl with 1 teaspoon water. Cover and microwave until tender, about 30 seconds. Add crab, celery, bell pepper, scallion, lemon juice, mayonnaise, Old Bay seasoning, hot sauce to taste and pepper; stir to combine. Place English muffin halves, cut-side up, on a large baking sheet. Spread a generous 1/4 cup of the crab salad on each muffin half and sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted, 3 to 6 minutes.

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Alright, so pretty simple recipe- and it was actually pretty good.... now why am I a cheapo you ask? Well, naturally, I go to the market on Monday and go to the seafood section for some crabmeat. To my surprise, it was around $16 for some crabmeat and I quickly decided that it wasn't worth it and I would just make something else for the week. Walking around the store, trying to figure out the best thing to make, I see on the shelves near the canned tuna fish, CANNED crabmeat- for $1.99! Of course, I quickly grab two cans and rush to get the rest of my ingredients, thinking that I have just found a loophole!

I get home and make the dish according to the recipe and was very happy by the taste. Tangy from the lemon juice and sweet from the crabmeat, I was really excited that I was able to make this dish with such cost savings skills! Well, I soon find out that 25% of this canned crabmeat is cartlidge and the crunch I was getting, was not from the asparagus, but really from bits and pieces of shell and cartlidge.

What a bummer. I quickly spit out my (otherwise yummy) melt and threw the entire thing away. I was so sure that I had found a cheaper way to make this dish! But readers be warned- don't get canned crabmeat! If you really want to enjoy your dish, just buy the real (good) stuff, I had to learn that the hard way.

Anyway, the dish was good (at least thats what I thought from the few bites I had) but I would say to cut back a little on the lemon juice- it was a bit too tangy for me. I omitted the bell peppers and celery because, well, I hate them and it tasted just fine (minus the shells and cartlidge of course)

Lesson of the day? Don't be a cheapo and get real ingredients and not things from a can.

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 15 minutes

Taste: 7.5

Honey-Soy Broiled Salmon

Ah, back from Pittsburgh and boy do I need to catch up on my posts.

Thanks to the awfulness that is the Megabus, I did not get home until late last night (well technically this morning) so I haven't uploaded any pictures from my meals I've had in Pittsburgh just yet.

Although, looking through my pictures from this past weekend on my camera, I realized that I forgot to make a post on the recipe I tried out last week. The pictures of my Honey Soy Broiled Salmon didn't come out too good (I am in desperate need of a new camera) but boy did it taste good! Thank you Eatingwell.com- again!

I've been trying my best to avoid carbs and to have more of a variety of foods in my diet. I realized that fish is something I haven't had in a while and so I thought it would be a great time to incorporate some fish into my meal for the week! The recipe for the salmon follows:

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1 scallion, minced
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 pound center-cut salmon fillet, skinned and cut into 4 portions
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Whisk scallion, soy sauce vinegar, honey and ginger in a medium bowl until the honey is dissolved. Place salmon in a sealable plastic bag, add 3 tablespoons of the sauce and refrigerate; let marinate for 15 minutes. Reserve the remaining sauce. Preheat broiler. Line a small baking pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Transfer the salmon to the pan, skinned-side down. (Discard the marinade.) Broil the salmon 4 to 6 inches from the heat source until cooked through, 6 to 10 minutes. Drizzle with the reserved sauce and garnish with sesame seeds.

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Voila! This recipe is great and very simple. I have to admit that I got completely grossed out from skinning the salmon, so I highly suggest that you buy your salmon already skinned to avoid the traumatic experience. I omitted the sesame seeds (because I was lazy) and it tasted fine. This recipe was very convenient and quick and had a ton of flavor. I ate it with some steamed cauliflower and brown rice on the side and it turned out to be a delicious and healthy meal. Quick and easy, this is a great recipe for those looking for a fulfilling meal that doesn't take long to make! Yum!

Difficulty: Easy
Time: 20 minutes
Taste: 8.5