Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

I wanted to post the chocolate buttercream frosting recipe but since we've had so many requests for the cupcake recipe, I decided to include them both. These are just the best chocolate cupcakes ever, I love family recipes!
Ingredients:

1/4 c butter (room temperature)

1/4 c coconut oil (room temperature)

2 cups white sugar

6 T cocoa

2/3 c sour milk (add 1 T white vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk)

2 tsp baking soda (add it to the milk)

4 eggs

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup boiling water

Mix butter and coconut oil with sugar. Then add ingredients as listed until you get to the water. Beat ingredients on medium for about 1 minute the add the boiling water. Turn down your mixer speed or hot water will be splashing everywhere, trust me on this! The batter will be runny but don't panic! Preheat your oven to 350F. I used paper cupcake liners in my muffin pan. The regular size cupcakes will take about 20-25 minutes to bake. Press slightly on the tops with your finger, if they bounce back they're done.
Cool in pan for 2-5 minutes. If you are using mini muffin tins, bake for 15-18 minutes. I made 106 minis from this recipe. Place the cupcakes on a cooling rack until they have cooled enough to frost them or freeze them in an airtight container until you are ready to frost them.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup room temperature butter
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup melted chocolate (I used Ghirardelli chocolate chips)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4-1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Whisk the dry ingredients together, then beat in the butter and heavy whipping cream. Once this is mixed add your melted chocolate. When smooth, add the vanilla extract. You might need to add more cream if your frosting is too thick. My sister frosted these using a large tip and pastry bag, so we wanted a little thicker consistency. Enjoy your cupcakes - these are the best!
Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

Grandma's Bread Pudding and Caramel Sauce

I was trying to think of something for dessert last night and homemade bread pudding was my choice. Our Dad was not a dessert lover but bread pudding was one of his favorites. Our grandma made the best bread pudding, hope you like it! Ingredients : 5 cups slightly dried out bread, any kind. I used Italian bread. 1/4 cup raisins (optional) 2 cups milk 1/4 cup butter 1/2 cup white sugar 2 eggs 1 T vanilla 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/2 tsp cinnamon Caramel Sauce Ingredients 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 tsp vanilla Directions : Cut the bread in cubes. I cut some of the crust off (on about half of the bread). Place bread into a greased casserole dish or an 11x9 inch pan. Add raisins. Microwave milk and butter about 4 minutes on 60% power or heat in a saucepan over medium heat on the stove. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon. Slowly add the mixture to the egg and milk an...

Grilled Orange Roughy

My favorite food choices are often related to family memories, so I wanted to share one of our favorite grilled fish recipes. Our Dad used to take us fishing and we grew up eating the fish we caught ourselves. Then came the time when we had to start buying fish, I searched for types of fish that didn't taste too "fishy". It's hard to accomplish that in the Midwest, we don't always have many choices. We were introduced to orange roughy during a trip to San Diego where my great-uncle treated us to some of the most wonderful seafood we had ever eaten at an establishment called Anthony's. It was the first time we had eaten orange roughy and it was white, flaky and not too fishy tasting. After a few experiments, this is my favorite method to prepare it at home. Serves 4 or 2 with leftovers! Ingredients: 4 orange roughy fillets 1/4 c fresh cilantro, I use a small handful * if you are not a cilantro fan use fresh dill, about 1/4 c chopped 2 tsp garlic powder o...

Homemade Goulash

Last weekend I made meals for the freezer. It takes a few hours but this will save you time during the week (in case you have nights like I do when you don't feel like cooking) and your family will love it! I adapted this recipe from Paula Deen (it's called Bobby's Goulash). I used organic ingredients but use the products of your choice. I would have liked to use fresh tomatoes from the garden but my tomatoes weren't quite ready. You can also make it gluten-free by using gluten-free elbow macaroni. It's so tasty - my family loved it! Ingredients : 1 pound ground turkey 1 pound lean ground beef 1 -2 small onions, diced ( I used red onions) 1 (28 ounce) can tomato sauce 2 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice 3 cups water 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 T Italian seasoning 3 bay leaves 3 T soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce 1 T seasoning salt course ground pepper to taste 2 cups elbow macaroni (uncooked) Putting it together: Brown meat and onions in a lar...

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