Recipes

As pictured below I did some cooking this weekend.

Among the highlights were-
homemade chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting (oh so healthy), homemade lo mein, coconut shrimp wontons and pumpkin seeds

Let's start with the cupcakes. I do not bake often, mostly because I would be double the size if I did. But my son has been begging me to make cupcakes, so I figured Halloween was a good excuse to bake them. There is nothing like from scratch cake..so much better than the box.

Chocolate cupcakes:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.
3. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Frost with your favorite frosting when cool.

This made about 18 cupcakes

Cream Cheese Frosting
2-8 ounce packages softened cream cheese
1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 tspn pure vanilla extract
2 cups confection sugar, sifted

Beat together butter and frosting until smooth
add in vanilla
slowly beat in sifted sugar until smooth

*Note: this is not super sweet..it is more on the cream cheesy side and soo fabulous with chocolate cake if you ask me. We added in food coloring for festive, orange cupcakes. This makes enough for 18 generously frosted cupcakes

Homemade Lomein
2-3 bonelss pork chops sliced into thin pieces
2 stalks brocolli chopped up and including sliced stems
1/4 cabbage slices
2 medium carrots julliened
3 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons seasame oil
House of Tsangs Classic Stir fry sauce (to taste and found in most asian food sections)
1 package Soba noodle cooked slightly less than directions call for (I cook the Annie Chung noodles for 3 minutes)

Heat oil in wok or large stir fry pan
add in pork strips and cook about half way: 3-4 minute
Add in all veggies except green onions
Stir fry until cooked as you like and pork is totally done (3-4 minutes)
Add in a few squirts of sauce
Add in cooked noodles and toss
Continue to add sauce until it tastes how you like, I'd guess that I used 1/8 of a cup
Turn off heat and add green onions and toss
Better than restaurant lomein with less crap in it.

I really wish I could take credit for the delicious Coconut shrimp wontons, but one of my favorite bloggers at Peas and Crayons: http://www.peasandcrayons.com/, posted this recipe the other day and I had been thinking of it ever since. I was so psyched to try it today. You can find it here. YUMMY!!! I made them almost excatly as she did, excpet I didn't use the parmesan chhese, because I forgot to buy it and I used wheat panko breadcrumbs. In my opinion, the sweet chili sipping sauce was key.

And last but not least

Pumpkin Seeds
Set oven to 325
Remove all the seeds you can from your pumpkin and blace in bowl
Rinse the seeds in cold water and seperate any goo
Lay out on paper towl and pat dry

Put parchment paper on cookie sheet
Lay out seeds onto paper
Spray seeds with olive or vegetable oil (I prefer olive)
Then sprinkle with ground sea salt, garlis salt, and if you like a little spice, cayenne pepper
bake for approx 20 minutes, checking frequently..I also reach in and shake them around a bit a few times