MIFS #182 - It is Thursday????

Welcome to the carnival! The Make it from Scratch carnival is your chance to share your projects. I hope you join us by linking up at the bottom of this post.

Apologies for the late carnival, and for my lack of contribution. This summer has taken a toll on me. Honestly, I did not even realize it was carnival day until about five minutes. So carry on with out me while I try to get it together here.


Stephanie is a mom, homeschooler, homesteader in the hills of West Virginia. Find more of her adventures at Adventures in the 100 Acre Wood.

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Carnival Guidelines:

Link up your recipes, crafts, garden projects, yarn creations, home improvement, or other d-i-y posts. Posts about making something, or helpful resources and tips for making things are what we are all about.


Please link directly to the post, not to home page of your blog. Kindly link back to the carnival with twitter, stumble and/or from your blog.

Devil's Food Cupcakes with Espresso Meringue

Serve these delicious little grownup cupcakes at your next dinner party.  They look beautiful on a buffet!

Use your mini-muffin tins.  You can find the little silver wrappers where cake decorating supplies are sold.

     Ingredients

CUPCAKES

    Vegetable oil spray

    4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

    1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, plus more for sprinkling

    1 1/4 cups boiling water

    1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

    1 teaspoon baking soda

    1/4 teaspoon salt

    2 sticks unsalted butter ( 1/2 pound), softened

    1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar

    3 large eggs

    1/2 cup buttermilk

    1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

     

ESPRESSO MERINGUE

    3 large egg white

    1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

    1 teaspoon instant espresso, plus more for sprinkling

     

directions

1.     MAKE THE CUPCAKES: Preheat the oven to 325°. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. Lightly spray the paper liners with vegetable oil spray. In a small bowl, mix the chocolate and 1/4 cup of cocoa. Add the boiling water and let melt, then whisk until smooth. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla, then slowly beat in the dry ingredients and the chocolate mixture in 3 alternating batches.

2.     Fill the muffin cups three-fourths full with the batter. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, shifting the pans halfway through, until the cupcakes are springy and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let the cupcakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then unmold them and transfer to a rack to cool completely.

3.     MEANWHILE, MAKE THE ESPRESSO MERINGUE: Mix the egg whites, confectioners’ sugar and 1 teaspoon of espresso in a medium stainless steel bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and heat the whites, whisking constantly, until hot to the touch (165°). Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a whisk and beat at high speed until the meringue is stiff and glossy, about 5 minutes; if using a handheld mixer, beat for about 8 minutes.

4.     Scoop half of the espresso meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a large (3/4-inch) plain tip and pipe the meringue onto half of the cupcakes. Repeat with the remaining espresso meringue and cupcakes. Lightly sprinkle the meringue with cocoa and espresso powder and serve.

MAKE AHEAD The frosted devil’s food cupcakes can be kept in an airtight container overnight.

Espresso Chocolate Jam Birthday Cupcakes

Hubby’s birthday was last week! Sadly he was on the road an unable to be here on his big day but we celebrated over the past weekend. Hubby loves peanut butter cups. Something about the combination of chocolate and peanut butter puts him in a heavenly place. For the past several years I’ve tried to incorporate his love of peanut butter and chocolate into his birthday cake. Last year’s attempt was very good but the cake was so heavy and rich. I had to swig down a whole glass of milk to cut the richness of just a small slice. Maybe it was a little too rich! This year I wanted a lighter airier version!

Time with hubby is precious since we only spend a few days together every two weeks so I cheated! I used a box mix and store bought frosting to jump start the baking process but I added my own twist. You can easily use a few of my tricks to add a little extra umph to your baked goodies regardless if you use store bought mix or if you make it from scratch!

• Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate cake mix
• Betty Crocker Whipped Cream Cheese frosting
• Strawberry jam or preserves

Prepare cupcakes per package directions EXCEPT substitute water for super concentrated brewed coffee (cooled) or simply dissolve 2 tablespoons of instant coffee into the water. All the cupcakes to cool completely!

Using a knife or small circular cookie cutter, cut a circle shape in the top of the cupcakes. Using a fork, gently insert into the side of a circle and pop out the middle section of the cupcake and set aside. Drop at least a teaspoon of jam or preserves in the middle of each cupcake replacing the the cupcake centers on top of the jam.

Pipe whipped cream cheese frosting on top allow to set and serve. You can also mix 1 part of creamy peanut butter with 2 or 3 parts whipped cream cheese frosting and pipe onto cupcakes. (Tip: I used a simple plastic sandwich bag with the corner snipped off to pipe the frosting.)

The coffee flavor offers a nice subtle complimentary flavor to the chocolate cake. Of course, if you wanted a stronger coffee taste to the cake, you can always make the coffee stronger before adding it to your cake mix. Ultimately, the cupcakes were a hit. I made several with jam filled centers, some with just plain cream cheese frosting, and others with a peanut butter cream cheese frosting. This is on the “definitely to repeat” list!

Jenn is a stay at home southern mom raising her kids in Northwestern Minnesota with her trucker hubby. She loves to cook, craft and blog. Soon she’ll be going back to school for a new adventure in Graphic Design. You can find recipes, crafts, parenting strategies, budget tips, product reviews and fabulous giveaways on her blog, Frugal Front Porch.

MIFS #181 - -Who says you can't wipe your face on your shirt?

Welcome to the carnival! The Make it from Scratch carnival is your chance to share your projects. I hope you join us by linking up at the bottom of this post.

This a post originally appeared on my blog 12/09. 
We made the switch to cloth napkins some time ago. I found some nice napkins in a clearance aisle and bought those for our dining room napkins. For the kitchen we used old baby washcloths and cut up towels. I prefer cloth napkins to paper, and love not having to buy paper napkins all the time.

Those original kitchen napkins have gotten a lot of use. It was time for something different.

My husband had several dress shirts that had various stains or small rips making them unsuitable to wear to work. I had them in a pile, not quite sure what to do with them. Then it occurred to me that they would make good napkins. I broke out the scissors and the sewing machine and got to work.

The first step was to cut up the shirt. I wasn't worried about exact measurements for these napkins. I cut squares that are roughly 10x10 inches.

Next I ironed the squares, and folded the sides over about a 1/4 inch and ironed the fold. Then it was simply a matter of sewing the folds. I used a zigzag stitch to sew it all up.


With use, I have noticed some fraying. To prevent this, I should have made my zig zag right on the edge, or folded and sewn the edges over a second time. The fraying is minimal, and it really doesn't bother me that much for these everyday use napkins, though.




The final product. Sixteen napkins were made from two shirts in a couple of hours.

I enjoy using cloth napkins. They work better, and save us money. Making them from old shirts makes them practically free. It also is a source of great amusement for my kids sitting around the lunch table. They find it hilarious that they get to wipe their face on daddy's shirt.



Stephanie is a mom, homeschooler, homesteader in the hills of West Virginia. Find more of her adventures at Adventures in the 100 Acre Wood.

LINK UP YOUR PROJECTS!

Carnival Guidelines:

Link up your recipes, crafts, garden projects, yarn creations, home improvement, or other d-i-y posts. Posts about making something, or helpful resources and tips for making things are what we are all about.


Please link directly to the post, not to home page of your blog. Kindly link back to the carnival with twitter, stumble and/or from your blog.

Vanilla Sugar

This is a simple one but oh so good and frugal too!

Have you ever splurged and bought those expensive vanilla beans?  Sometimes your dessert is so special that it seems worth it.  Once you're done with that fancy dessert you're left with an expensive vanilla bean to throw in the trash.  It seems so wasteful but what else are you going to do with it?  That's easy, make vanilla sugar!

Make sure the vanilla bean is clean and dry.  Break it into several pieces of about 1" long.  Find a cute little container (or a small plastic bowl) and fill it with a cup or two of granulated sugar.  Insert the bits of vanilla beans, mix and put the lid on.  In two or three weeks open the lid and take a whiff.  If you like vanilla, you won't smell anything better!

Use your vanilla sugar to enhance the flavor of other foods.  Sprinkle it across sugar cookies or french toast or use it to make sugared nuts.  Have fun with it!  You'll feel better knowing that you extended the life of an expensive ingredient and created something delicious!

In a decorative jar the vanilla sugar makes a great gift!

Easy Apple Raisin Crisp

I’m going to be honest, I stole tried this recipe from Food Network’s Sunny Anderson when I had the four fellas here this summer. We had an abundance of apples and this made for a fantastically easy and fast dessert! Just about any firm apple works even though she recommends Fuji or McIntosh apples. The kids loved (LOVED) ‘em and i can’t believe it was so simple to make.

I wonder if it would be too indulgent to enjoy for breakfast one day???

Ingredients

• 2 apples (recommended: Fuji or McIntosh)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup strawberry jam, jelly or preserves
• 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons butter, cold and diced
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 cup oats, uncooked
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Pinch salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut each apple in half along its equator. Using a melon baller or spoon, cut out the core, creating a rounded hole. Rub apple with lemon juice to prevent browning. Place 1 tablespoon of jam into each hole and top with a few raisins.

Topping: in a small bowl mix together dry ingredients plus the cold butter. It’s faster and easier if you do this with your hands. Press the mixture on the top of each apple. Be careful not to press too hard or the jam will squirt out. Place in a baking dish filled with about a 1/4-inch of water. Bake until top is golden brown and apple is tender, about 35 to 40 minutes.

Here is a link to Sunny’s original baked apple recipe.

Jenn is a stay at home southern mom raising her kids in Northwestern Minnesota with her trucker hubby. You can find recipes, crafts, parenting strategies, budget tips, product reviews and fabulous giveaways on her blog, Frugal Front Porch.

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