Chocolate Cupcakes with Mint Icing!

This week took a thankful turn for the better towards the end. Track was pretty good. Early release on Friday. Friends brighten everything up. Snow is beautiful. Food is tasty. Snoop is lazy. God is good. This next verse was especially true this week:

Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you. -Psalm 37:5

And for food: I made these lovely little things for my friends for Valentine's

Cupcakes

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package devils food cake mix
• 1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Set cupcake baking cups onto a cookie sheet.
   
3. Combine cake mix, pudding mix, oil, eggs, water, sour cream, and vanilla.
   
4. Beat until smooth.
   
5. Stir in chocolate chips.
   
6. Fill cupcake cups half-way/ three-quarters of the way full.
   
7. Bake for 35ish minutes.
8. Try not to eat them before the icing is done.

Icing

6 ounces white chocolate

8 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature

1 stick butter, at room temperature

1 1/4 teaspoons peppermint extract

4-5 cups powdered sugar (basically, until it tastes right)

1/8 teaspoon food coloring (I used green because it was the only color in the house)

1- Chop white chocolate coarsely.
2- Put chocolate into a bowl and microwave for 75 seconds.
3- Stir white chocolate until smooth and put aside to cool
4-Place the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl.
5- Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until well combined
6- Add the melted white chocolate and blend on low speed until just combined
7- Add the peppermint extract and food coloring
8-Blend powdered sugar (one cup at a time) in until it looks like and tastes like icing.

9- Put icing on cupcakes once they cool
10- Adorn with Hershey's Bliss Chocolates
Try not to stuff your face until after you know you have extras.

Roast Chicken Breasts with Garbanzos, Tomatoes and Paprika

Sometimes, life gets to be overwhelming. I don't know how well track is going to go this year. It's discouraging to hear that everything you do is wrong and that you're not strong enough, even when you're trying your hardest. There is too much due for school, and I'm trying to force myself to care about it.

I won't complain too much more. This blog isn't about me. It's about the food. At least that's one that is pretty constant: You follow a good recipe and get tasty food. That was my goal tonight: Something to cheer me up. Something not too difficult. Something tasty.

* 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 4 garlic cloves, pressed
* 1 tablespoon smoked paprika (sometimes called Pimentón Dulce)
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
* 1/2 cup plain yogurt or Greek yogurt
* 4 chicken breast halves with bones
* 2 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
* 1 12-ounce container cherry tomatoes
* 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided

1- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. (Yes, really.)
2- Mix oil, garlic, paprika, cumin and red pepper together in a medium bowl.
3- Get another bowl out and put your greek yogurt in it.
4- Whisk one teaspoon of this spiced oil into your Greek yogurt.
5- Line up your chicken breasts in a large rimmed baking sheet.
6- Rub 2 tablespoons of your spiced oil over the chicken
7- Add beans, tomatoes, and 1/2 cup cilantro the rest of the oil.
8- Toss around in the oil to coat it all.
9- Pour bean and tomato mixture around chicken.
10- Sprinkle salt and pepper generously on top.
11- Roast until chicken is cooked through (about 20 minutes.)
12- Make your plate pretty. Serve with the yogurt sauce that you put aside.
Stuff your face with tasty foods.

Guacamole!

First off: I have decided that avocados are one of God's masterpieces. They're so smooth and wonderful with a hint of fruity taste. Did you know the word 'avocado' comes from the Nahuatl word 'ahuacatl' which means testicle? I giggled a little too hard when I learned that.

A lesson in buying avocados. Pick them up and give them a feel. Is it a little bit squishy? Good. Buy that one. Don't buy rock hard ones unless you're planning on saving them. I learned this the hard way. I bought 8 of the little guys from Publix today, peeled them, chopped them into little pieces (thinking all the while that they just must be a different kind than I'm used to). Then, I eat one. BLEGH! Bitter and gross. Frustrated tears and an angry facebook status later: I'm off to Food lion. And another six to replace them!

Let the guacamole begin!

• 6 Haas avocados
• 2 limes
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  
• 1 1/2 medium onions, diced
• 2 tomatoes
• lots of chopped cilantro (I love it)

1- Chop your avocados in half (length-wise) and remove the seed.
2- Scoop the insides out into a bowl.
3- Squeeze one of your limes into the avocadoey goodness.
4- Toss until all of the pieces are covered in lime juice. (This keeps them from browning)







5- Mash with a potato masher.
6- Add your salt, cumin and cayenne pepper on top.
7- Mash some more.








8- Dice your tomatoes (Remove the seeds and wet part before dicing) and onions.
9- Toss on top of the mashed goodness along with cilantro.
10- Fold your diced goodies into the avocado using a wooden spoon.






11- Smooth it all out.
12- Add more cilantro and squeeze the another half of lime on top to make it pretty.
Stuff your face with guac-y tastiness. :D

First post!

I've always wanted to blog, but I've never could think of anything to blog about. My life isn't exciting enough to have a blog just about my days, so I gave up.

Until now! Lately I've been cooking a lot because, well, I just like to eat. I've also been taking pictures of what I've made since I'm trying to get into this whole photography thing. Today, it hit me: Why don't I share my recipes and food pictures online? If anything, it will help me keep up with all of the recipes I've liked or not liked.

And life? I guess you'll hear about some of that as well.

Let's go!