Sunday, May 13, 2012

Fantastic Cupcakes

Well we can all say I'm a crappy blogger! Spending two months visiting family back home in Arkansas took up a lot of my time. Also having on and off sick kiddos didn't help much.
I've been back "home" now for almost two months. Although I miss our families its nice to be in our swing of things.
Ive been back in the kitchen experimenting. And for Mothers day this year I really wanted cheese cake. Looking throught the kitchen reailizing I had nothing to make a crust, and also not wanting to run to the store, I came up with the next best thing! Vanilla cupcakes with Raspberry cream cheese filling and Chocolate Fudge cream cheese fristing! Oh My Yumm!! They are so easy.

*Vanilla Cupcakes
Makes 12

Ingredient:
2/3 - cup butter, softened
3/4 - cup superfine sugar
1 1/2 - cups self-rising flour
3 - eggs
1 tsp - vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan or line with paper baking cups.
In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the eggs, one at a time, blending well after each one. Stir in the vanilla and flour just until mixed. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, dividing evenly.
Bake until the tops spring back when lightly pressed, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool.

Cream Cheese Frosting and Filling

Ingredients:
2 - 8oz packages cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup - butter, room temperature
Splash of milk
1 tsp - vanilla extract
approx 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 package Raspberry Jello mix (or your flavor choice)
1 package Chocolate Fudge pudding mix (or your flavor choice)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and beat at high speed until smooth, gradually adding the confectioners’ sugar until a thick and spreadable consistency is reached. Additional confectioners sugar may need to be added to thicken frosting.
Divide into two mixing bowls. Add a small about of Jello Mix at a time. Mixing it and tasting it as you go. Do the same with the other half using the Pudding Mix. (I wouldn't add all of it. Just till you get to a taste you want)
Transfer filling and frosting to a pastry bags or a large ziploc bags with a corner cut off before beginning to assemble cupcakes.

Take a cooled cupcake and, using a small pairing knife, cut a cone of cake (1-inch across by 1-inch deep) out of the top. Trim off the pointy end of the cone, leaving a flat circle of cake. Set aside and repeat this process for all the cupcakes.
Take the Raspberry cream cheese filling and squeeze a tablespoon or so into each cupcake, filling the hole up to the top. Top off with a flat circle of cake to plug the hole and keep the filling in place.
Take the Chocolate Fudge frosting and top each cupcake.
Enjoy!!

They were so moist and all around great!! I really hope you like these as much as we did!

I apologize the pictures are not the best.

Ashley
My One Crazy Life :)

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Tummy Yummy

Cooking + Me = Crazy
Tonight I became brave! I cooked dinner without a recipe to follow. All I used was my taste-buds! :)
Shockingly it turned out AMAZING!! If the 1yr old and 4yr old eat it up, then its a hit!
  My family loves soup, especially now that its getting colder here. So while having my daily talk over the phone with my Mom I realized that we were in a food rut. Having the same stuff every week. Although my family wasn't complaining I wanted to do more. Looking through the cabinets and fridge trying to come up with something. As I'm listing my food inventory to my Mom she says "You have everything to make a soup!"
*PERFECT* So with my Moms encouragement and guidance I brace myself to make this soup!!
  Chicken Vegetable Soup. It's SO easy. I am all for easy cooking! I have fallen in love with my crock pot (that I have had for 2 years and just now started using) so I try to find stuff that I can make in it. So tonight I made this soup in it. I HAVE to share this with everyone!

--Chicken Vegetable Soup--
Ingredients:
3-4 Chicken Beast
Frozen or Canned Corn, Peas and Green Beans
2 Handfuls baby Carrots
2-3 Sticks Celery
Half an Onion
1 Can Diced Tomatoes
1 Can Chicken Broth
Pasta ( your choice, I used what I had)
EVOO, Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Minced Garlic
Salt & Pepper
Onion Powder
Italian Seasoning
Parmesan Cheese

I took the half frozen chicken breasts and put them in the crock pot and enough water to cover the chicken. Added 1tsp Minced Garlic, salt and pepper. Set the crock pot on high and walked away. Checking on it often. About 1 1/2 hrs later the chicken was white and done. I took them out and trimmed the fat and then shredded the chicken. Replaced the shredded chicken and added the can of chicken broth. Chopped up the carrots, celery and onion with a cap full of EVOO (<3Rachel Ray)and sauteed them together. While sauteing the carrots, celery and onion I added the diced tomatoes, corn, peas and green beans. Adding the onion powder and Italian seasoning by eye and test. Also added more salt and pepper. When done sauteing I added the carrots, celery and onion. After about 5 hours in the crock pot it was all ready! I cooked the noodles separate (a tip from my Mom) Pour the soup over the noodles in your bowl and top with Parmesan cheese. Served us 4 plus there is left overs!!

Such a great dinner! Cant wait to get back in the kitchen and experiment again.
That's my One Crazy Life.

<3 Ash <3

Monday, January 2, 2012

Getting Started With a Look Back

New to the blogging world. Love to write so why not blog...right? And why not start in a new year.
So to start...
Happy New Year!! 

Looking back at 2011...
We went through a lot in 2011. My Husband still wasn't able to come home for good (due to a brain injury in the Army in August 2010) He did get to come home every now and then to visit. Our youngest daughter, Bug, was diagnosed with soy and dairy allergies. Packed the girls up and spent our spring break and one month during the summer in Texas with my youngest Aunt. Our oldest daughter, Lou, started taking dance and is a natural she did beautifully at her dance recital. Bug grew like a weed and turned 1!! Lou started Pre-K and turned 4. We finally moved to Ft. Benning, GA in November. Lou was diagnosed highly allergic to dust mites. Had our first Thanksgiving and Christmas just the four of us. And toasted in the New Year just the two of us!! It was a crazy year, but a good one.
As the new year starts I'm taking it on with open eyes. I'm not one for starting a new years resolution. But I am wanting to start this new year fresh. Learn how too cook better, and putting my cooking triumphs and failures on here. Also some great kids crafts and activities that have really helped me. :)
Hope my blabbing is useful! lol
Welcome to my One Crazy Life!!