Originally published at Indulgences. You can comment here or there.

This weekend was one full of birthdays. I had so many parties to attend, and so many cupcakes to make! Chocolate and mint cupcakes seemed to be the only way to go!

I am going to be completely honest; while I love making cupcakes, I can not make frosting for the life of me. I don’t know what my problem is! I have tried many recipes, and while some turn out okay, they just aren’t right. This time I followed a recipe from my Joy of Cooking cookbook, and it turned out not very sweet and sort of gummy in texture, so I went to town adding powdered sugar and milk, and it became much better. If any of you dolls have a recipe for frosting that is wonderful (and not too difficult!), or any pointers about making frosting, I would really appreciate hearing them.

Despite that the frosting on these cupcakes wasn’t exactly how I had envisioned them being, they turned out fabulous. The flavor was just right. Though the frosting tasted extremely strong and minty by itself, it balanced perfectly when it was paired with the light and fluffy chocolate cupcake.

♥ 2 cups white sugar
♥ 3 cups all purpose flour
♥ 2 teaspoon baking soda
♥ 1/2 teaspoon salt
♥ 1/2 cup cocoa powder
♥ 2 cups water
♥ 1 cup canola oil
♥ 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
♥ 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. In a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Stir in water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
3. Pour into line muffin tins and fill 2/3 full. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out dry.

For the frosting:

1. Follow your favorite vanilla frosting recipe. Substitute mint extract for vanilla, and add 3-4 drops of green food coloring.

Originally published at Indulgences. You can comment here or there.

I made the most incredible cupcakes on Friday for Russ’ 27th birthday. Because of the boxed cake and pudding mixes, these cupcakes were incredibly easy to make. Don’t let the boxed mixes fool you, they were incredibly tasty and unlike any other cake I have made before.

I found a simple banana cupcakes recipe and decided to fill it with Nutella. The cupcakes turned out great, and the Nutella center was a nice little surprise. The only complaint I have is that the Nutella sunk down a bit because it was heavier than the batter. Next time I make them I will definitely put the Nutella closer to the top, with just a small layer of batter covering.

♥ 1 (18.25 oz.) box yellow cake mix
♥ 1 (3.4 oz.) box instant banana pudding
♥ 4 eggs
♥ 1 cup water
♥ 1/4 cup vegetable oil
♥ 3/4 cup mashed banana
♥ 1 jar Nutella (there will be a little left over)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with papers.
2. In a large bowl combine cake mix and pudding mix. Stir together and create a well in the center.
3. Add eggs, banana, water and oil to the center. Use a mixer to combine. Scrape sides down, and mix for about four minutes on medium speed.
4. Pour batter into muffin tin, until about half filled. Add about about a teaspoons worth of Nutella, then cover with batter.  Muffin papers should be about 2/3 filled with batter.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until tests done. Since there is Nutella in the center, you may need to stick the toothpick towards the edge to assure that they are finished.

Icing

♥ 4 cups powdered sugar
♥ 1/4 cup milk
♥ 1/2 cup softened butter
♥ 2 teaspoons vanilla

1. Mix all ingredients with a whisk. Put a small spoonful over cupcakes, and allow to drip down sides.

Originally published at Indulgences. You can comment here or there.

A while back a reader recommended that I try this drink. I looked it up in my bartending book, and knew right away that I would love it. Does anyone not love the combination of chocolate and mint together?

Well I finally picked up some green cream de menthe at the store this week, and got to making it! Since I gave up dairy a while back I made mine with soy milk. This drink is so tasty. It is slightly sweet, but not so much that your teeth hurt. Because it is made with liqueurs it doesn’t taste like you are drinking an alcoholic drink at all.

It is so gorgeous too, this cocktail and I had a lovely little photo shoot, while I admired it’s beautiful color. How fun this would be to serve at a cocktail party. A room full of people holding mint green beverages!

♥ 1 ounce green cream de menthe
♥ 1 ounce white cream de cacoa
♥ 1 ounce light cream or milk

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake, strain into martini glass.

Originally published at Indulgences. You can comment here or there.

This evening Russ and I went over to my dad’s house to celebrate his birthday with him. I found a great recipe on AllRecipes.com called Chocolate Lover’s Favorite Cake this morning, and decided to try it. It was so simple to do, seeing that you used boxed cake mix, but it turned out beautiful!

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package devil’s food cake mix
• 1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1 cup melted butter
• 5 eggs
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 10 inch Bundt pan.
2. In a large bowl, stir together cake mix and pudding mix. Make a well in the center and pour in sour cream, melted butter, eggs and almond extract. Beat on low speed until blended. Scrape bowl, and beat 4 minutes on medium speed. Blend in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

The cake was magnificent. It was so incredibly rich, and very moist. The strawberries were nice alongside it to balance out all the rich chocolate flavor. I used vanilla extract instead of almond, and instead of just greasing the pan before hand, I lightly dusted it with flour, to ensure that it came out easily. It turned out perfect!! For a glaze I melted 3/4 cup chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons butter, and 1 tablespoon corn syrup. Definately try this recipe, it is delicious and easy!

Originally published at Indulgences. You can comment here or there.

Today could possibly be renamed from New Years Day to Hangover Day. Unfortunately along with the fun of ringing in the New Year comes the consequences, a throbbing head, achy eyes, and a shaky body. The only real cure to a hangover is time, but following the tips below will help you get through the day.

♥ Lots and lots of water. I can’t stress this one enough. The reason you are feeling so bad is because of dehydration

♥ Eat a banana. The potassium in bananas will help revitalize your system.

♥ Avoid coffee and other caffeinated beverages. These will only dehydrate you further, and extend the length of your hangover.

♥ Exercise. As unappealing as that may sound when you are suffering from cold sweats, a short walk around the block will help rid your body of toxins, and increase the blood and oxygen to your brain.

♥ A Bloody Mary works wonders for me….but not too many, or you will be in the same boat tomorrow!!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 ounces vodka
• 4 ounces Clamato (I much prefer this over regular tomato juice, it really adds to the flavor)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon horseradish
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker, and shake.
2. Pour over ice, serve with celery, olives, or your choice of garnish.

Tips for avoiding hangovers in the future
♥ Drink at least two glasses of water after a night of drinking, right before falling asleep.

♥ Take two Advils (or other pill made with ibuprofen) before falling asleep. Don’t take Tylenol with alcohol, as it will further destroy your liver, and the combo has been known to be fatal.

Originally published at Indulgences. You can comment here or there.

I have always heard that when throwing a fondue party you only want to have one pot of fondue a night, either cheese or chocolate. Not both, or it is considered tacky, and fondue overload.

I disagree.

Unless you and your friends are genuine food snobs, I say the more fondue the better. When I throw fondue parties I usually make three different types of fondues. Fondue is such a fabulously kitsch style of dining, that allows your inner kid to come out and play with your food. What better way to get your guests talking and laughing while at the same time developing their “keep the food on the fork” skills.

Foods to dip
♥ Steamed or boiled broccoli, carrots, baby potatoes, and cauliflower are great for dipping. Make sure not to cook the broccoli or cauliflower for too long, they should still be slightly firm so they don’t fall apart in the pot.

♥ A French bread baguette is a classic accompaniment to fondue. When cutting French bread for fondue, cut about one inch pieces. Make sure each piece has some of the crust, so the fork can hold on to the bread easier.

♥ Meats such as chicken grilled on little wooden skewers, frozen meatballs or little smokies are great meat options for dipping. If you want to get more creative, you could wrap little smokies in bacon, and secure with a toothpick.

♥ Strawberries, donut holes, marshmallows, sliced apples, and tiny baked goods such as bites sized brownies are excellent for dipping in dessert fondues.

Other Tips
♥ When serving chocolate or cheese fondues use a ceramic fondue pot as apposed to the metal ones. You can even find metal ones with a ceramic insert (you put water in the metal part, to act like a double boiler). The metal fondue pots are for broth based fondues, and will burn the chocolate and cheese fondue. Believe me, that is quite a task to clean up if it happens.

♥ Because the dinner and dessert is already so colorful and fun, you really don’t need more than a few bottles of wine and some beer to serve your guests. Choose your wine according to the cheese you use for your fondue.

♥ Count on having about four to six people per fondue pot. There are forks for more, but you don’t want your guests to be scraping the sides of the pot to get the little bits of cheese. Not including the fondue expect each guest to eat about 1 1/2 pounds of food throughout the evening. Plan accordingly.

♥ Set the fondue pot in the middle of a small table so guests can gather around it. I like to have the dipping food on a different table, and have small plates, so they can fill up and return to the fondue pot. To make it even more intimate, sometimes I put my fondue pot in the middle of my coffee table, and we all dine cross legged in our stockinged feet.

♥ If you use wine in your cheese fondue plan on serving the same kind of wine to drink.

Fondue Etiquette
♥ Never touch your mouth to the fork and absolutely NO double dipping!

♥ According to tradition; if you lose your food in the pot, you owe the group a round of drink!

Recipes
Swiss Cheese Fondue
Ingredients:

• 1 Clove of garlic halved
• 1 Teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup Emmenthaler cheese, grated
• 1 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 tablespoon flour

Directions:

1. In a medium sized pot, rub the halved garlic along the sides.
2. Add wine, lemon juice and flour, stirring to break up any clumps that may be in the flour. Add cheese, stirring. Place pot over low heat.
3. Stir every few minutes, until cheese is melted and a good consistency for dunking. Transfer to a fondue pot.
4. Serve with cooked chicken or beef chunks and vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and baby potatoes, cooked not too soft, so they don’t fall apart in the fondue pot.

Chocolate Fondue
Ingredients:

• 1 small bag milk chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon Frangelico
• 1/3 cup half and half

Directions:

1. In a double boiler (or like I used a metal bowl, with a towel in my hand over a slightly smaller pot), bring water up to a boil.
2. In the bowl combine all ingredients, stirring frequently, until melted.
3. Transfer to a fondue pot.

For lots more fondue recipes go to Go Fondue or Fondue Bits.

Originally published at Indulgences. You can comment here or there.

It seems to be that time of year again. Time for the sniffly nose, sinus headaches, tummy aches, and sore throats. At least here in the Northern hemisphere. I, along with many others have fallen victim of this horrible cold going around. However, with a few little changes hopefully we can all be up and kicking for all the New Years festivities.

♥ For a sore throat mix 1 tablespoons honey and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Drink slowly, and allow to coat throat. repeat two or three times throughout the day.

♥ Drink lots of hot herbal teas. Loose leaf is always better than the bagged teas, because it is less processed, and you get more of the nutritional benefits of the leaf.

♥ Get plenty of rest, more than you would on an average day. If you don’t have to work spend the day resting, and doing only light activity.

♥ Get lots of vitamin C, drink lots of orange and grapefruit juice, or better yet, eat the fruit.

♥ Make sure to drink lots of water. During times of illness it is really easy to get dehydrated. Make sure to drink at least one glass of water an hour.

♥ According to the hubby a shot of Jameson and a greyhound cures even the worst of colds…. I’m not sure if I buy that though.

♥ Garlic is one of the best cold fighting foods there is. It has antibacterial qualities, that can aid you in getting over your cold. Most of us cringe at eating a whole clove of garlic, but if you cook a lot of garlic rich foods, that is the next best thing.

♥ Chicken Noodle Soup! Not only is the salty broth of this soup southing on your sinuses, but the vegetables are packed with important vitamins to help repair your body. Below is the recipe to my chicken noodle soup, which is bubbling away on my stove right now!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of cooked chicken, cubed or shredded (About one large chicken breast)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 stalks of celery chopped
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 onion
• 12 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 teaspoon marjoram
• 1 bay leave
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• pepper to taste
• 6 ounces egg noodles

Directions:

1. In a large pot add oil, celery, carrots, and onion. Cook until tender. (I usually put the lid on for about five minutes, to speed up the process)
2. Add water, bouillon, marjoram, parsley, salt, pepper, chicken, and bay leaf. Simmer for about twenty minutes.
3. Add egg noodles, and cook for about ten minutes, or until tender.