mangia mondays 34: pumpkin cupcakes with maple frosting

happy halloween, guys & ghouls!

welcome to another edition of

a spook-tacular food blog the wonderful

lisa from shine your light

& i co-host each week.

this week i'm sharing:

pumpkin cupcakes with maple frosting

for cupcakes:

1 C all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground allspice

pinch of nutmeg

1 C pumpkin puree

1 C sugar

1/2 C vegetable oil

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1. preheat oven to 350 f. line or grease a standard 12-cup muffin pan.

2. in a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice & nutmeg. in another bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, sugar, oil & eggs. add the flour mixture & whisk to combine completely.

3. divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 22-24 minutes. let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack & let cool completely, about 1 hour, before frosting.

for frosting:

1/2 C butter

1/4 C maple syrup

2 C powdered sugar

1. in a large bowl, beat syrup & butter until combined. add the sugar, a bit at a time, & whip until combined.

these cupcakes pretty much sum up fall to me.

i decorated them with some frosting i dyed purple...

& a couple of quickly made, cutesy spiders.

are you doing anything fun for halloween!?

i have class...

yay!

now it's your turn -

link up those recipes & food posts!

how mangia mondays work:

. add a link to your recipe or food post & visit some others who have linked up before you .

. link back to mangia mondays anywhere on your blog .

. thanks for not linking up to giveaways or items you're selling .

. help spread the word about mangia mondays by sharing this post with others .

click here to check out all of the amazing blogs i'm linking this post to!

until next time,

dowlings, out!

mangia mondays 33: butternut squash braid

howdy, ya'll!

welcome to another

in case you're not hip with mangia mondays,

it's a super-mega-awesome-neat-to-the-max foodie blog hop

that my dear, sweet bloggy bff

lisa from shine your light

& i co-host each week!

this week i'm sharing:

butternut squash braid

.25 oz active dry yeast

2 TBS warm water

1 C cooked, mashed squash

{i peeled & cut up one squash into large chunks, tossed it in canola oil & roasted it at 400 f for about 40 minutes, until tender then "mashed" with an electric beater}

1/3 C warm milk

1/4 C butter, softened

1 egg

3 TBS brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

3 C all purpose flour

glaze:

1 egg, beaten

1 TBS water

1. in a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water.

2. in a mixing bowl, combine squash, milk, butter, egg, brown sugar & salt; mix well. add yeast mixture & half the flour; mix well. add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. 

3. turn dough onto a floured surface & knead until smooth, about 6-8 minutes. place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. cover & let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

4. punch down dough. divide into thirds {or fourths, if you wanna get crazy with your braiding skills!}; roll each third into an 18 inch rope. place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. braid ropes together & pinch the ends. {you can kind of fold them under so you have nice looking ends} cover & let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes.

5. combine glaze ingredients & brush over the braid.

6. bake at 350 f for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. remove from pan & cool on a wire rack.

yummy in my tummy!

this bread is especially yummy with some honey...

& if you're lucky like me, your brothers-in-law have their own beehive

which means you have delicious raw honey on hand.

awesome.

i have my culinary lab midterm today...

& boy am i nervous!

cross your fingers & wish me luck!

now it's your turn -

link up those recipes & food posts!

how mangia mondays work:

. add a link to your recipe or food post & visit some others who have linked up before you .

. link back to mangia mondays anywhere on your blog .

. thanks for not linking up to giveaways or items you're selling .

. help spread the word about mangia mondays by sharing this post with others .

click here to check out all of the amazing blogs i'm linking this post to!

until next time,

dowlings, out!

mangia mondays 32: green chile cornmeal cupcakes

howdy, folks!

welcome to

a blog hop that the super-clever & talented

lisa from shine your light

& i co-host each week!

this week i'm sharing:

green chile cornmeal cupcakes

for frosting:

12 oz. white cheddar cheese, grated

1/4 C extra sharp cheddar, grated

8 oz. pimentos, drained & finely chopped

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

3/4 C mayo

1/2 TBS paprika

1 tsp onion powder

2 tsp sugar

4 scallions, chopped for garnish

4 strips bacon cooked & chopped for garnish

1. combine all ingredients, except for scallions & bacon, in a medium bowl & mix well. cover & refrigerate for 2 hours.

for cupcakes:

1 C cornmeal

1 C all-purpose flour

1 TBS baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 TBS sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/4 C sour cream

3 TBS melted butter + 1/4 TBS cold butter

1/2 C onion, finely chopped

1 tsp jalapeno, seeded & chopped

7 oz. green chiles, drained & chopped

salt & pepper, to taste

1. preheat oven to 375 f.

2. in a large bowl add the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, sugar, eggs, sour cream & the 3 TBS of melted butter. mix well to combine.

3. saute onions & jalapenos using 1/4 TBS butter, about 2 minutes. add salt, pepper, & green chiles. remove from heat, cool slightly & add to the batter.

4. prepare a standard muffin tin by lining with paper liners or spraying with nonstick spray. fill the pans 3/4 full with the batter. bake 12-15 minutes until golden. let cool & "frost" with pimento cheese mixture. garnish with chopped bacon & scallions.

alright... i didn't even know what a pimento was,

but i was convinced i didn't like them.

turns out, it's just a super-delicious red pepper!

these "cupcakes" are SO good!

they're savory & delicious...

& who doesn't love something topped with bacon?!

now it's your turn -

link up those recipes & food posts!

how mangia mondays work:

. add a link to your recipe or food post & visit some others who have linked up before you .

. link back to mangia mondays anywhere on your blog .

. thanks for not linking up to giveaways or items you're selling .

. help spread the word about mangia mondays by sharing this post with others .

click here to check out all of the amazing blogs i'm linking this post to!

until next time,

dowlings, out!

mangia mondays 31: pumpkin ravioli

hiya, friends!

so glad you made it to another edition of

a food-centric blog hop i co-host each week with the amazing

lisa from shine your light.

this week i'm sharing

pumpkin ravioli filled with chorizo

for pasta:

20 oz. all purpose flour

3 eggs

1 C pumpkin puree

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp salt

1 TBS extra-virgin olive oil

1. combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. knead with a dough hook until smooth, 7-8 minutes. {you may need to add more flour or olive oil.}

2. remove dough from bowl & wrap in plastic wrap. let sit at room temperature for an hour if you plan to use it right away, if not, refrigerate. remove from refrigeration 1 hour before you're ready to use it.

3. divide dough into 4 equal pieces to start rolling out. with your pasta roller on the thickest setting, pass a piece of dough through it a few times, until it is a smooth sheet. adjust roller to the next setting, making your sheet a little thinner. repeat this process until you get to the fifth setting. for ravioli, you want your dough to be about 1/8" thick.

for filling:

chorizo, cooked

asiago cheese, grated

1. combine ingredients in a bowl.

2. scoop about a TBS of filling onto your sheets of pasta, leaving a couple inches of space between each scoop. cover with another sheet of pasta, making sure to seal around each scoop of filling very well. you can use a decorative cutting wheel or a round cookie cutter to make the ravioli.

3. boil for about 2 minutes; fresh pasta takes no time to cook!

for cream sauce:

1 batch of alfredo sauce

2 TBS chipotle sauce {found in the mexican food aisle}

1. combine chipotle sauce with alfredo sauce.

i don't think i can even begin to tell you how delicious this dish was!

if you've never made your own pasta,

it's definitely worth the extra effort!

now it's your turn -

link up those recipes & food posts!

how mangia mondays work:

. add a link to your recipe or food post & visit some others who have linked up before you .

. link back to mangia mondays anywhere on your blog .

. thanks for not linking up to giveaways or items you're selling .

. help spread the word about mangia mondays by sharing this post with others .

click here to check out all of the amazing blogs i'm linking this post to!

until next time,

dowlings, out!

mangia mondays 30: chai cupcakes

howdy, folks!

welcome to the 30th edition of

a blog hop that lovely

lisa from shine your light

& i have been co-hosting for the past thirty weeks!

can you believe it?!

this week, i'm sharing

chai cupcakes with vanilla cream cheese frosting

for cupcakes:

3 chai-spice tea bags

2/3 C boiling water

1 1/4 C all-purpose flour

3/4 C light brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 C honey

4 TBS unsalted butter, melted

1/4 C buttermilk

1 lg egg, at room temperature

1. position a rack in the middle of the oven & preheat to 350 f. line or grease a standard muffin pan.

2. in a small bowl, steep the tea bags in the boiling water for 5 minutes. discard the tea bags & let the tea cool to room temperature.

3. in a bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, & salt. in a large bowl, combine the honey, melted butter, buttermilk, & egg. add the flour mixture &, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat until just combined, about 2 minutes. add the cooled tea & beat until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

4. divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

5. let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack & let cool completely, about 1 hour.

for frosting:

12 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

6 TBS unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 C confectioners' sugar, sifted

{i used more sugar because i wanted a stiffer frosting}

1. in a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the cream cheese, butter, & vanilla together until light & fluffy, about 2 minutes. gradually beat in the sugar & mix until thoroughly combined; scraped down the sides of the bowl as needed.

i had a whole lot of fun making beautiful fondant flowers to decorate with!

i made close to 200... i have a problem!

would you guys like a basic fondant tutorial?

let me know!

now it's your turn -

link up those recipes & food posts!

how mangia mondays work:

. add a link to your recipe or food post & visit some others who have linked up before you .

. link back to mangia mondays anywhere on your blog .

. thanks for not linking up to giveaways or items you're selling .

. help spread the word about mangia mondays by sharing this post with others .

click here to check out all of the amazing blogs i'm linking this post to!

until next time,

dowlings, out!