Today, I turn 28.

This is the post where I’m supposed to talk about all of the good stuff that happened last year, all the good stuff I hope will happen this year, and all of the fun things I am doing today.

I’m tired. And I don’t feel like writing all of that. So, here’s what I’m going to do. These are all of the cupcake recipes that I want to try out this year. Because, you know. Birthdays. And cakes. And stuff.

And because I am waiting (impatiently) for Mark to get up so I can head down to the local bakery for some cupcakes for tonight. I am a bit obsessive, but they make the best cupcakes in town.

1. Pink lemonade cupcakes.
2. Ginger cupcakes with peach filling and blueberry frosting (I actually made these for Memorial Day last year, but they’re worth making again this year. Best cupcakes EVER!)
3. Mexican Hot Chocolate cupcakes (chocolate and chili flavor. Yum.)
4. Chubby Hubby cupcakes (Go look at these. I dare you not to want them.)
5. S’Mores Cupcakes (This one looks good, too!)
6. Root Beer Float cupcakes
7. Bananas Foster Cupcakes (Requires leftover bananas foster. Which might be hard to come by, unless I make a double batch when no one else is around.)
8. Hummingbird Cupcakes
9. Bomb Pop Cupcakes (Go look at how cute these are! I think they’ll be perfect for Memorial Day this year, or maybe even the 4th of July.)
10. Apple Crisp Cupcakes
11. Eggnog Latte Cupcakes
12. Turtle Brownie Cupcakes

That’s 12 recipes, and there are 12 months in a year? Coincidence? Nope. Although, when you count in baking for family get-togethers, ect., I’ll probably need to add on a few more flavors.

Now, off to find an extra cupcake pan and a cupcake carrier so I can be ready for all of the baking goodness.

(Diet? What diet?)

As I sit at the computer, I have approximately half a gallon of milk cooling on the stove. Today is yogurt day.

A little less than a year ago, I purchased a yogurt maker. They aren’t fancy or complicated; all it does is keep the yogurt mix warm until actual yogurt develops. You could do the same thing in a crock-pot. Follow an easy recipe, keep it warm for 8-12 hours, and then add flavor. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.

We are making yogurt today because a) I have been promising Becca that she could help me make some yogurt for the past month, and b) I have been eating more yogurt lately than just about anything else. We had a large container of vanilla yogurt that lasted about three days, to give you an idea. I’d take some fruit out of the freezer, let it thaw, and then mix it in with the yogurt, some walnuts and maybe some granola. Yum. And healthy, too.

To make yogurt, you need to first figure out how much milk your “yogurt maker” will hold (crock pot, thermos, other warm area). Then dump that amount of milk into a pot, and heat it to 185°F. Let the milk cool to 115°, and then add in your starter. We just use plain commercial greek yogurt (small cup- 6-8oz.), warmed to room temperature. Stir it all up, and then put the mix into whatever you’re making the yogurt in. Let it set for 8-12 hours.

At that point, you’ll have yogurt, but it will be pretty thin. Take cheesecloth, and drain the yogurt until it reaches the consistency you prefer. We leave it until it makes a thick Greek yogurt, which we then thin a bit with fruit or honey. Today, Becca has decided that she wants to make peach yogurt. I might throw some strawberries in with the peaches, just to change it up a bit.

Save some of the plain yogurt (about half a cup) to make more yogurt later on. Just store it in the fridge, and pull it out before you make your next batch. It’ll be good for a couple weeks if you keep it in a sealed container.

I’ve heard a lot of different ideas for where you can keep the yogurt mix warm. You can put it in an insulated cooler, with hot water bottles set beside it. You can put it in a jar, and then wrap the whole thing up in a towel or blanket. Evidently, you can also set it in the oven, with the pilot light on. Your goal temperature, regardless of what you’re using, is around 90° If you have a slow-cooker, I’d just use that. Leave it on the lowest setting, and then occasionally turn it off so the yogurt mix doesn’t get too warm.

When I first got our yogurt maker, I used it on a regular basis. It was great when I was tackling my weight loss goals. I need to get back into that habit. Yogurt is so healthy, once you remove all the excess sugar the commercial versions have. Seeing as I’m only about six weeks away from finding out how much weight I’ll actually have to worry about postpartum, I need to start worrying about quick and healthy snacks to keep around the house. And yogurt (along with my current collection of frozen fruit varieties) is a perfect solution.

Thanksgiving is a big deal around here. We celebrate twice– once, the weekend before or after T-Day with my dad, siblings, step-family and grandmother, and once on actual Thanksgiving, with or without guests. We host both meals, and that means I get to do a lot of cooking in a little bit of time.

Somewhere along the way, I decided that, if you’re going to do Thanksgiving, you should do it right. I make all of my pies, cranberry sauce, breads, and stuffing from scratch, including the bread for the stuffing. Every year, I try a couple new recipes. If one turns out exceptionally well, it makes it’s way into my “regular” file– the recipes I use every year.

I’m several new recipes this year. Today is Thanksgiving with my Dad, ect., so I’ve already been able to try out a few. Here’s what I’m making this year:

Pumpkin Gingerbread– I altered this recipe, adding in 1/4 cup molasses, and more ginger. If you’re adding in the molasses, cut back a bit on the sugar.

Banana Bread– Best banana bread I’ve ever tasted. Yum. This never lasts long at our house.

Apple Pie– Add in the cinnamon and other spices to the apples, and leave it out of the caramel sauce.

Chocolate Truffle Pie– My sister always makes chocolate pie, using our Grandmother’s recipe. She can’r make it to today’s meal, so I found a version of my own. I haven’t tried the pie itself yet, but I was eating some of the filling last night, and it was delish. Don’t use the full 1/4 cup of powdered sugar- it’ll make it too sweet. That’s the only thing I’d change for next time.

Double Layer Chocolate Cheesecake– This is for actual Thanksgiving, as an alternative to more pumpkin pie. I love pumpkin pie, but I always end up getting sick of it before it’s all gone. Time to switch it up a bit.

Cranberry Sauce– I add some orange zest and finely chopped apple to mine.

Mushroom Stuffing– We’ve made this one for years. Don’t put stuffing inside the bird; you’re cooking it in raw turkey juice. Eww. And by the time you get it hot enough to kill the bacteria, your turkey is dry.

Our pumpkin pie is the Libby’s recipe; the turkey has a quartered onion in the cavity, butter slices slid under the skin and salt/pepper rubbed in on top. The butter trick is one I learned from my uncle– it helps to keep the turkey moist. Another secret for turkeys? Throw out the pop-up timer. Use a real thermometer. By the time the timer pops out, your turkey is already over-done. Cook your turkey until the “coldest” spot reads 160, then take it out, cover it in foil, and let it cook the rest of the way using the heat it already has. Once it hits 165, it’s done.

What are you making for Thanksgiving?

Two posts in one day…  Ha.

As part of my healthy living plan, I had to find some new recipes. One that I stumbled across online has become my absolute favorite treat, and it is so easy to make. And you also only need one ingredient– Bananas.

Soft-Serve Banana Ice Cream

Peel and slice ripe bananas. I plan on just over one banana per person when I make this. Place the slices on a sheet tray covered in wax or parchment paper. Place them into the freezer.

A few hours later, once the bananas are well frozen, take them out, place them into a food processor or blender, and process them until it resembles soft serve ice cream. You might need to add a tiny bit of milk to get the process started.

This is good just as it is, or you can add in a bit of chocolate sauce, peanut butter, frozen strawberries, or anything else that would go well with the bananas. By itself, there are no added sugars, it’s a great way to use up bananas, and I’ve never met anyone that doesn’t like it. It really does taste just like soft serve ice cream. Yum.

Enjoy!

Yesterday I promised the recipe for my new Taco Lasagna. It’s really easy to make, and tastes delicious. You can switch up the intensity of the spiciness if you’d like.

Ingredients:

• Lasagna Noodles
• Two batches of Mario Batali’s Pasta Sauce (without the thyme and basil- Use a pack of taco seasoning instead)
• Two packs of taco seasoning (one for the sauce)
• A pound of hamburg
• A cup and a half (or whatever looks good) of frozen corn
• Two bags of Mexican blend shredded cheese.

Make up the sauce, and let it sit for an hour so that the flavors can combine. Get your water boiling for your pasta and brown the hamburg. When the hamburg is done, drain it, and then mix in 2/3 cups of water and the other package of taco seasoning, just like making regular taco filling.

Layer the pasta, sauce, hamburg, frozen corn, and cheese. Cover the baking dish in foil, and bake it at 375° for 50 minutes. Once it gets heated all the way through, take the foil off, throw on more cheese, and put it back into the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Let it cool for a while, and enjoy!