Cream Cheese Frosting (with Red Velvet Cupcakes)

One thing that you should know about me is that I'm a hoarder. Yep, my pantry and fridge and freezer are stocked full at all times. I dislike throwing away food, so I'll refrigerate or freeze food as long as I can. Hoarding isn't as great as it sound... When it comes around to spring cleaning, I always end up throwing away lots of freezer-burned mystery meat or expired cans.

One hoarded item was a box of red velvet cupcake mix. I probably should have made the cupcakes when I first received the mix (as a birthday gift) a few years back... But I wanted to save it for a "special" occasion; when the opportunity and the time never coincided, the mix got shoved to the back of my pantry. I found this a few weeks back, aaaand, well, cake mix can't really go bad, right? I finally made these Sprinkles (think it's a famous cupcake shop?) Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting, and they still tasted pretty darn good. Bomb-dot-com good!

The cincher was the cream cheese frosting. The instructions for cream cheese frosting that came along with the mix is a definite keeper. Not too sweet with enough cream cheese flavor that shines through. One problem I had was that my frosting was too runny even after adding the required amount of powdered sugar. The solution? More powder sugar! I added 1/4 cup more powder sugar at a time, beating well after each addition. Also, I tasted the frosting (yummy!) after each addition, in order to avoid overly sweet frosting. I was trying achieve the perfect nirvana in terms of frosting: a stiffer frosting that also isn't sickeningly sweet. The original recipe is below, add more powder sugar at your pleasure!


Cream Cheese Frosting

8oz cold cream cheese
1 stick unsalted butter, firm but not cold
1/8 tsp. salt
3 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, and salt on medium-low speed until smooth and creamy (about 2 to 3 minutes).
2. Reduce speed to low, and gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until incorporated. Add vanillla.
3. If frosting is too thick: add milk 1 tsp. at a time until frosting is at a spreadable consistency.
4. If frosting is too thin: add additional powder sugar 1/4 cup at a time until frosting is at spreadable consistency.

Diuretic Muffins?!

Mini Muffins

Full-Size

These no-butter and high-fiber muffins are so delicious! I was skeptical that anything this healthy could taste good, but I was definitely proven wrong. This is a pastry you can feel good eating in the morning (without that guilty dessert-for-breakfast mindset)! The truly high fiber content made me nickname these "diuretic muffins," as I passed them out to my pharmacy school classmates!

I always add more banana to my banana breads, so the banana content in the recipe is bumped up from the original "1 cup mashed banana" to 1 1/2 cups. Also, you can replace the vegetable oil with applesauce for even more wholesome-ness. 

The recipe says it makes 12 large muffins; however, I managed to get 12 large muffins and 12 mini muffins out of this recipe. Make sure you grease the muffin tins if you're not using paper baking cups! You don't want to have your muffins stuck in the pans.

I also learned the difference between "rolled oats" and "quick oats" after a little bit of Googling. Apparently, the two are interchangeable in most recipes. Rolled oats, or old-fashioned oats, are oat grains rolled flat and dried. Quick oats are a bit more processed, since they are rolled thinner than old-fashioned oats. In terms of cooking or baking, rolled oats give a more chewy texture, while the quick oats, since they absorb water more quickly, provide a smoother texture. There are also "instant oats" and "steel-cut oats". These CANNOT be substituted for the first two (rolled oats and quick oats). Steel-cut oats are the least processed and retain the oat shape, giving a chewier, nuttier taste. Instant oats are the thinnest rolled oats and give a mushy texture. 

Banana Oat Muffins

modified from Allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup rolled oats (I substituted with quick oats with great results)

1/2 cup white sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil (or applesauce)

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup mashed bananas

Almond slices, garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl.
3. In a large bowl, beat egg lightly. Stir in milk, oil, and vanilla. Add the mashed bananas, and combine thoroughly. Stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture until just combined. (Note: over-stirring creates a chewy rather than light muffin texture.) 
4. Line muffin tins with paper bake cups or grease muffin tins. Fill batter almost to the brim of the muffin tins. Sprinkle almond slices on top of batter, if using. 
5. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. 

Green Bean Soup

For Chinese New Year's, I celebrated with hot pot and traditional green bean soup. "Soup" is a bit of a misnomer, since it's actually a sweet, dessert dish. The color of the soup may also surprise you, since it's more yellow than green (depends on type of bean used). This is a delicious soup that satisfies whether served hot or chilled.

When I asked my mom for the "recipe," what I got was basically this:

1. Boil the mung bean and tapioca separately, then combine in a large pot.
2. Add sugar (brown, white, or cane- it's really all up to you) to taste.

Below is the process I used and pictures of the ingredients I used. The mung bean and tapioca is easily obtained at any Asian store (such as Ranch 99). Be warned- as with many Chinese recipes, there are no hard and fast rules. The recipe is based on what worked for me. The measurements for amount of water, sugar, dried mung bean and tapioca are all estimates. Watch the tapioca while cooking it! I burnt it the first time, because I wasn't paying attention to the pot and it was cooking on high heat. Cleaning that mess was a pain!

Peeled Split Mung Bean

Mini Tapioca Pearls

Sugar

Green Bean Soup
(serves 12)

7 ounces of dried peeled split mung bean (about half the bag)
1 1/2 sticks brown sugar cane (all I had on hand)
White sugar, to taste

3/4 cup tapioca

Directions:

1. Rinse and drain mung bean in cold water several times. Place mung bean in a large 5 quart pot with about 16 cups water. Cover and cook at medium heat until boiling. Decrease heat, and continue simmering for 15 additional minutes. Periodically, remove bubble residue at surface of soup. Add brown sugar cane. Remove from heat. 
2. Place tapioca and enough water to cover tapioca in small saucepan. Cook on low heat while stirring periodically to prevent burning. When tapioca is no longer opaque, remove from heat. Add the cooked tapioca pearls to green bean soup. 
3. Add white sugar to taste. 

Autumn Cheesecake

This is an "evolved" cheesecake, a cheesecake with sophistication and all the bells and whistles, perfect when you want something different from the classic cheesecake. I love the apple topping! It lulls me into thinking, "Perhaps this is a fruit?" How can anything with apple be anything less than healthy and fresh? :)

A few tips from other reviews on this cheesecake include making a crumb topping over the cheesecake with handful of brown sugar, handful of flour, and cutting in butter chunks. Also, bake the cheesecake in a water bath to allow for even cooking and cool the cheesecake in the oven with the oven door open for 45 minutes to an hour to prevent cracking.

Autumn Cheesecake
modified from Allrecipes.com

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3 tbsp. white sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
4 cups thinly sliced apples
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup chopped pecans, 3 tbsp. sugar, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, and melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
2. In large bowl, beat cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar on medium speed until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in vanilla. Pour mixture onto prepared crust.
3. Microwave apple slices for a 2 minutes until softened. Stir together 1/3 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, then toss mixture with apples to coat. Layer apple slices over cream cheese filling. Sprinkle 1/4 cup chopped pecans over cheesecake.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 60-70 minutes. With a knife, loosen cake from rim of pan. Let cool before removing the rim of pan. Chill cake in refrigerator before serving.

Homemade Apple Sauce

I had two bags of dying apples (Granny Smiths and Fujis) in my fridge. Perfect medium for a first attempt at homemade applesauce. Did some hunting on the Internet and found an easy (one step!) recipe on Allrecipes.com. After an hour of peeling and slicing and dicing, the apples were ready to be boiled in sugar, water, and dash of cinnamon.

The first batch came out great, tangy with the rich undertones of autumn. However, as I brainstormed on how to add a "kick" to the basic applesauce recipe, Ben suggested... whiskey?! He was quite convincing on the attributes of whiskey- rounds out the taste, fuller and deeper flavor. So the next batch included a shot of Johnnie Walker Green Label. After cooking off the alcohol (you'll know when...), the result is a blend between perks of adulthood and a childhood favorite. 

Applesauce 

--modified from Allrecipes.com--

3 1/2 cups chopped apples

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup white sugar

Dash of cinnamon

Shot of whiskey

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, combine apples, water, sugar, cinnamon, and whiskey. Cover and cook over medium heat for 20-30 minutes until apples are soft and whiskey has evaporated. Allow to cool, then mash with fork or potato masher.

Clinging

::Learning to cling to my Lord, because He is completely reliable::

::Realizing that my true best friend isn't ever limited by time, distance, or a busy schedule::

::Reminded that Jesus is never too busy, too tired, or too important to extend His presence in my life::

People may disappoint me, but my God never will. Even as I sit at home alone and bored, wondering if everyone else is hanging out without me, feeling unimportant and forgotten- I desperately turn to the Lord. Why do I feel so lonely? Perhaps the Lord is using these months of living by myself, away from my built-in safety net of parents and brother, to allow me opportunities to practice depending on Him as my joy, my satisfaction, my contentment.   

Lord, I want to choose you right now. Choose you over human friendships or worldly entertainment (i.e. Hulu). Because I have Your assurance that when I place You first in my life, you will remember my choice and bless me with your promises. I want to take the first step in absolutely surrendering my life, and all that it entails, to You. 

In Christ Alone

This song and melody has been on repeat in my head all week long. Praise the Lord, He has been the source of my strength as I gruel through yet another finals week. This quarter has been all about learning that when I put the Lord first, He blesses me abundantly and in better ways than I had hoped or planned.

Also, this song fits so perfectly with our Bible study last week on John 16. "In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33b) Isn't this verse refreshing every time you read it?

In Christ alone, my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease.
My comforter, my all in all,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.