Zesty Cook » cupcakes

Brick Oven and Masters Golf

zesty — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 11:39:34 +0000

This means that you are so full your belly hurts.

Why is it every time I visit my in laws – I feel like I gain 5lbs. Am I a pig or do I just love to eat? Let’s go for the latter as calling someone a pig may be a bit rude.

From opening pretzel snacks and jelly beans, to salsa, guacamole and nachos, followed up with brick oven pizza and chocolate cream cheese cupcakes… I mean seriously – you cannot eat that. That would be a damn shame!

Ok, so we did enjoy the masters. Great finish going into a playoff and one of my favorite tournaments to watch. Between you and me ( but don’t tell anyone) I would not care what was on TV as long as I get invited to the brick oven show!

I have been practicing on manual setting with my camera as of late so – not sure what you will think of the pictures today. I took a few from the festivities yesterday in hopes I could share them with you.

enjoy

A Little Salsa Heat

Fresh Made Guacamole.... YUM

Getting the Paddle ready for some dough. I am smiling even though you can't see me.

Sauce it up.... homemade to boot.

Would you like a little Mozzarella?

Freshly sliced mushrooms.. I like!

The Inlaw in action.... I am thinking hand model yet again!

The Finale.... tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and a little salami - All for me

Another shot... cause I love this

Chocolate Cream cheese Cupcakes make a return. Click the picture for all the details

That is the wrap up! As I sit here on Monday morning… I am still somewhat full. Yesterday’s food was fantastic. Company was fun and the golf enjoyable! A great Easter Sunday. I will talk to you on Wednesday with a little news of what’s to come with Zesty.

Take care

zesty

They're Back….Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes

zesty — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 12:00:37 +0000

Guess what’s back!! You guessed it. Another round of chocolate cream cheese cupcakes. You cannot go too many months without baking these again if you can even survive that long. It is a sun-filled day today so I thought I would share with you a baking recap from a few nights ago. I made these last year at the zesty in laws in the summer and they are always a huge hit.

Can you really beat chocolate, cream cheese and to top it all off in bite size cupcake form?

So before we begin with the amazing recipe and picture overload

Ingredients

Cream Cheese Topping

8 Oz. Cream Cheese
1 Egg
1/3 Cup Sugar
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1 Cup Chocolate Chips

Dry Batter

1 1/2 Cup Flour
1 Cup White Sugar
1/4 Cup Cocoa
1 Tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp. Salt

Liquid Items

1 Cup Water
1/3 Cup Canola Oil
1 Tsp. White Vinegar
1 Tsp. Vanilla

Method

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees and spray muffin tins with cooking spray.
Stir the cream cheese to a creamy, smooth consistency. Add egg, sugar and salt and stir (blend) (cream) to uniform smooth consistency.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, form a “well ” and set aside.

Combine liquid ingredients in another bowl.

Stir liquid ingredients into dry ingredients. Be sure not to over mix.

Spoon chocolate mixture into muffin tins until about 2/3 full.

Top each muffin with a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture (Do note the spoon technique).

Bake small muffin tins for 9 -11 minutes and regular muffin tins for 20-25 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool.

ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: If you need to take these special treats with you to a party, you can make 1.5 times the batter portion. You will have lots of cream cheese topping. Also note that these cupcakes freeze well and are good warm or cold.

So now after all this, I have to hear what you think about these cupcakes. When you pop one in your mouth you automatically step away from reality and fall in love with the texture and flavor. Lately I have been hooked on home juice with chocolate treats. I know it sounds crazy – but I have been trying out different juicer recipes for the last couple of weeks and I think I am addicted. Usually I am a milk and chocolate guy all the way.

Have a great Friday and be on the lookout for another great treat from our baking excursion the other night.

Take care

zesty

Mrs. Zesty Delivers Chocolate Skor Topped Cupcake

zesty — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 11:00:54 +0000

Yes! You read the title correctly. Mrs. Zesty made these delicious cupcakes for a wedding shower she was attending on Friday evening. It was a bit of a hectic Thursday night/Friday which meant that I was unable to help with the food preparation as much as I wanted too.

The results were fabulous! Mrs. Z has always been a great baker (along with her whole family). These little dream treats are super simple and super tasty. Nothing more than cake mix (without all the oil), some pre-made frosting, and crumbled Skor bar to kick it up a notch.

Feel free to follow below for the details.

Ingredients

Betty Crocker Chocolate Cake Mix
3 Eggs
1 1/3 Cup Water
1/2 Cup Oil ( used closer to 1/4 cup)
Vanilla Frosting
2 Skor Bars

Method

Preheat oven to 325 Degrees
Follow instructions o n the cake mix
Place liners in the muffin tins
Using a measuring spoon and fill the cup cakes tins until about 3/4 full
Bake for 17 -22 minutes
Remove cup cakes and place on wire rack; let cool
Once cool, spread frosting
Place Skor bars in ziploc bag and rush with rolling pin
Top cup cakes with Skor pieces
ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: To keep the mess under control, Mrs. Zesty uses a measuring spoon and liners in the muffin tins. This also eliminates some unwanted oil in the muffins.

So a couple of things about this little treat. I was very thankful that Mrs. Zesty pulled through to make these delicious cupcakes as I knew time would be tight for me. And secondly, they tasted great and were so easy to make. I really appreciate the reduction of oil in this recipe. The cupcakes were very light and fluffy, but the Skor pieces really gave them dimension and texture. Great Job J!

Hope you have a great Monday! I will forewarn you that yesterday we had a huge beach day which was followed by a killer BBQ/Dinner at the Sis In Laws. So stay tuned for some dishes that will make your tongue hang out.

Take care

zesty