Monday, May 30, 2011

Roasted Banana Cupcakes


Roasted Banana Cupcakes
From Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

  • 3 ripe bananas, plus 1-2 more for garnish
  • 2 cups cake flour (no self-rising), sifted
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 strick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3 large eggs, separated
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Honey Cinnamon Frosting (recipe follows)
  1. Preheat oven to 400*F.  Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.  Place 3 whole unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and roast 15 minutes (the peels will darken).  Meanwhile, sift together cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Remove bananas from oven and let cool before peeling.  Reduce oven temperature to 350*F.
  2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.  Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.  Add roasted bananas, and beat to combine.  Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of sour cream, and beating until just combined after each.  Beat in vanilla.
  3. In another mixing bowl, with electric mixer on medium speed, whisk egg whites to soft peaks; fold one-third whites into batter to lighten.  Gently fold in remaining whites in two batches.
  4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full.  Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers come out clean, about 20 minutes.  Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely.  Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.
  5. To finish, fill a pastry bag fitted with a medium French-star tip (Ateco #863 or Wilton #363) with frosting.  Pipe seven scallops around perimeter of cupcake, and pipe a large starburst in the center. Just before serving, thinly slice remaining bananas, and place 2 pieces on top of each cupcake.
Honey-Cinnamon Frosting
  • 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat all ingredients until smooth.  Use immediately, or refrigerate up to 5 days in an airtight container; before using, bring to room temperature and beat until smooth.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Photo Booth Fun

Lovin the photo booth, as you well know.
My most recent creation:


So work has been crazy and busy...
This week is Jayne Wayne Day!
You better bet I'm going to have photos from that.
Also coming, photos from our hike yesterday...
Which was beautiful and strenuous.
(I'm going to be sore tomorrow!)
I hope you all have a great sunday!

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Spring Cleaning

Today I have cleaned house which included
vacuuming, tidying, throwing away all kinds of stuff...
Our day outside was awesome...Even felt warm.
Jesse washed the car and did a ton of stuff outside.
It wasn't supposed to be nice outside, just overcast, but it ended up being mostly sunny.
Jesse & I ate our lunch outside,
went to Barnes and Noble,
(I bought Eating Well -with a good article on being a vegetarian- and Clean Eating which has an amazing recipe for crab cakes).
Jesse is at a Sounders game right now,
I enjoyed an awesome salmon filet with strawberry salsa
(view recipe on my blog)
with Israeli couscous, spinach, and some french bread.
Now I'm watching myself some NCIS (Season 7) and spending some much needed R&R with my adorable pooch.
Our sunshine turned to rain....
I love it when a beautiful day turns to an awesome spring rain,
the smell is great.
I know it sounds strange but spring & fall rains have a specific smell.

After a few episodes of NCIS
(and maybe vino)
Starbucks Ice Cream:  Carmel Macchiato.

Yeah, I feel like I'm obsessed with food too.
Mmmm....Food.

Anyway, I hope you have a great day...
Weekend...
Saturday night.

Oh and check out my other blog!

Friday, May 13, 2011

Tulip Festival 2011

I thought I would share photos of lots & lots of flowers here in the Pacific Northwest!









If you ever have a chance to go....You should do so!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Cupcakes!

Yay for Cupcakes!!

These are banana with a honey vanilla frosting:

 These are a strawberry with strawberry frosting:

These are devil's food with a dark chocolate frosting:

So if you're wondering why in the world I wait so long between blog posts, it's probably because I'm making cupcakes.

I am Marissa and I am a Bakeaholic.

Anyway, last weekend was fun-filled and crazy.
Friday we went up to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival,
(see last year's photos here)
Visited Jesse's mom and brought her lunch.
Then we went out with friends...
Saturday we slept in, went and saw the movie
(I love you Emily Giffin but the book is better!)
Saw Jay Leno do a concert for the troops,
and baked the lovely chocolate cupcakes that you see above
(they were good too).
Sunday we met up with my family, had breakfast in Seattle,
then enjoyed some cupcakes.
More time with family.

Worked. Worked. FRG Meeting.  Work some more.

And here we are!

I hope you all have a lovely week this week,
happy hump day,
tomorrow is thursday!

Goodnight.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

America.

I know that it has been awhile, my friends, but I have to say it.

Osama Bin Laden is dead.

A friend of mine on Facebook posted this, and I think it sums it up what people are thinking:


Thank YOU to our troops for everything that you do.

"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." -Thomas Jefferson

Have a great night.


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