New Twist on an Old Favorite

Growing up Beef Stroganoff was my favorite. My mom always made it for me for my birthday or special occasions. Although I loved it and still do it always felt heavy and I would be uncomfortably stuffed after eating. So recently when I was craving my favorite comfort food I decided I wanted to try a different twist on it to see if I could make it a little lighter. What follows is the recipe I came up with.

Turkey Stroganoff

1 lb. ground turkey or ground chicken if you prefer
1 small onion diced
2 tbs margarine or butter (low fat versions are better)
1 10 3/4 oz can of your favorite cream soup (chicken or mushroom)
8 to 12 oz low fat or no fat sour cream
2 to 4 tbs milk (depending on how thin or thick you like your sauce)
1 pkg wide egg or homestyle noodles
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Put the water on to boil for your noodles according to the directions on the package.
2. Melt butter/margarine and add onion. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes just log enough to soften.
3. Add turkey and cook thoroughly on medium until there is no longer any pink.
4. Once the turkey is completely cooked through lower the heat and add the soup. Stir well to combine.
5. Stir in sour cream starting with just 8 oz. and 2 tbs of milk. If you prefer your sauce a little thinner add remaining ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe serves 6

Enjoy!

Cupcakes in a Jar?

For those of you who don't have the time to make a homemade treat there is this awesome company called Bangerang Bake Shop. You can find them at their website: http://bangerangbakeshop.mybisi.com/. These cupcakes are so delicious.

I have personally tried the Big Salty Carmella Fella. It's a rich dark chocolate cake layered with Dulce de Leche and topped with Dulce de Leche buttercream frosting and Fleur de Sel (french sea salt). I am a huge fan of chocolate covered sea salt caramels so this was a must try. It did not disappoint.

The other cupcake I have tried from Bangerang is the Vanilla Dream. I am one of those weird people that prefers a vanilla flavor to a chocolate. This cupcake had the best of both worlds. It's a vanilla bean cake made with vanilla sugar and real vanilla beans. Then they layer all this vanilla deliciousness with a rich dark chocolate buttercream made with Scharffen Berger chocolate.

You have to try these cupcakes! The best part is you can order online and have them delivered directly to you or the friend or family member of your choice. :)

For My Friend Brendan

Recently I signed up to do a cupcake fund raiser for a dear friend at work so I had been trying recipes out on my co-workers. The day I brought in the Vegan Coconut Lime cupcakes I had many brave souls timidly try them and then walk away smiling and saying yum all the way back to their desks. One particular co-worker and fellow foodie friend Brendan even came back and said he liked them better than "regular" cupcakes and would love to see a vegan version of Carrot Cake. Well, here you go Brendan! Enjoy!

For cupcakes:
2/3 cup all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup plain or vanilla soy yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup finely grated carrots
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup raisins (golden raisins work nicely)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin tin with paper liners.

1. In medium bowl, mix together sugar, vegetable oil, yogurt and vanilla. Sift in the dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices - mix until smooth.
2. Fold in carrots, walnuts and raisins.
3. Spray your cupcake liners with non-stick baking spray.
4. Fill the liners 2/3 full and bake for 26 to 28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Let cool completely before icing.

For vegan cream cheese icing:
1/4 cup nonhydrogenated margarine, softened
1/4 cup vegan cream cheese (such as Toffuti), softened
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla

1. Cream together margarine and cream cheese just until combined.
2. Use handheld mixer to whip while adding confectioners sugar in 1/2 cup incriments. Mix until smooth and creamy.
3. Mix in vanilla.
4. Tightly cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Note: You may use additional chopped walnuts and/or raisins to garnish.

Recipe makes 12 cupcakes

Happy baking!

Cupcake Liners, Toppers, and Glitter Oh My!

One of the most awesome places on the web to find everything you could possibly need for cupcakes is Layer Cake Shop Baking Supply. They can be found at http://www.layercakeshop.com/. They have everything from fun and funky cupcake liners to flavored oils and bakery boxes. I love their cupcake liners especially the polka dot and gingham. Their flavored oils come in practically every flavor imaginable. Cotton candy or butterscotch anyone? How about champagne or cheesecake? They have sugars in every color of the rainbow and then some. I guarantee you will not be disappointed. Check them out!

Sister Knows Best . . .

My little sister Katie is vegan and shared some wonderful vegan cupcake recipes with me. The recipe to follow is originally from "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World". Now before you say "yuck" take a look. There is nothing scary in these cupcakes just no dairy products. They are a wonderful substitute to your traditional cupcake. My favorite recipe so far is the Coconut Lime. The icing is AMAZING! Check it out!
For cupcakes:
1/3 cup coconut oil (this can be substituted with 1/3 cup of plain, lime or coconut soy yogurt)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup soy milk (if you are really scared and don't want to make these vegan you can substitute with 1 egg)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp coconut extract
1 tbs fresh lime zest
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup unsweetened coconut (or sweetened if you like them sweeter)

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Line your cupcake pan with liners.

1. Melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan over very low heat. Once melted, turn off the heat under the pan but leave it in the pan on the stove so that it does not solidify. Note: if using soy yogurt as a substitute skip this step.
2. In a bowl mix together the melted coconut oil (or yogurt) and sugar. Add the coconut milk, soy milk, vanilla and coconut extracts and lime zest. Mix to combine ingredients.
3. To the mixture add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until smooth and then add the coconut and mix to incorporate.
4. Fill cupcake liner about 3/4 of the way full.
5. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes until the cupcake top springs back when touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. DO NOT PEEK!
6. Cool completely before icing.

Lime Butercream Icing:
1/2 cup nonhydrogenated shortening
1/2 cup nonhydrogenated margarine like Earth Balance
3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp lime oil (this can be left out but is a delicious compliment)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tsp fresh lime zest

1. Beat the shortening and margarine together until combined well and it's fluffy.
2. Add the sugar and beat for about 3 minutes.
3. Add the vanilla, lime oil, and lime juice and beat for another 5 to 7 minutes until fluffy.
4. Add the lime zest amd mix to incorporate.
5. Chill until ready to use.

Note: At least 3 limes will be needed depending on size. You may also use additional coconut and thin lime slices as garnish. I have also used lime green dusting sugar to add color.

Recipe makes 12 cupcakes

Happy baking!

Who Doesn't Love Nutella?

Here is a cupcake recipe I tried recently and absolutely loved! Nutella has always been a favorite of mine since I was a little girl. Enjoy!

Vanilla-Nutella Swirl Cupcakes

For cupcakes:
10 tbsp butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups sifted flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
12 tsp Nutella, softened

For Nutella buttercream:
1 stick (1/2 cup) of unsalted butter, softened
4 cups confectioners sugar (or more to taste)
1/4 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup of Nutella (or more to taste), softened

Preheat oven to 325F.
Prepare cupcake pan with liners.

To make cupcakes—Cream together butter and sugar until light, about 2 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time, until fully incorporated. The batter may not look smooth, this is fine. Add vanilla. Stir in flour, salt, and baking powder until batter is smooth and all flour is blended. Using an ice cream scoop, fill each muffin liner with batter. Cups should be 3/4 full if you’re not using a scoop. Top each cake with about 1 tsp of the softened (about 15 seconds in the microwave) Nutella. Swirl Nutella in with a toothpick, folding a little batter up and over the Nutella as well. Bake for 20 minutes - no peeking. Remove to wire rack and allow to cool before frosting.

To make buttercream—In your stand mixer with flat beater, cream butter. Add 3 cups of the confectioners sugar, then milk and vanilla and beat until the mixture is smooth, about 3-4 minutes.Add the remaining confectioners sugar, beating about 1-2 minutes. (You can add more sugar to get a thicker consistency if you want.)In a microwave safe bowl, soften the Nutella until it has a spreadable consistency, about 15-20 secs.Add the softened Nutella to your buttercream and fold into the frosting until well blended. This icing works very well in a piping bag!

Recipe makes 24 cupcakes

Happy baking!

Bakers Unite

So I was thinking to myself, "Self - you aren't the only person out there who likes to bake so why not share the wealth!". So here I am. Although my blog is called "Who You Callin' Cupcake" I will share more than just great cupcake recipes and cool ideas/products. I love to cook in general so I will happily share some of my favorite recipes (some passed down from my German Grandmother). I hope you enjoy them as much as I do and happy cooking!