Grapefruit Cupcakes!

These cute little cupcakes have a tender, moist crumb and a fun grapefruit flavor. They would be perfect for a brunch or tea!

I had bowl full of delicious, juicy ruby red grapefruits from Trader Joe's. After taking one bite, I knew I had to bake something with them. I happened upon this cupcake recipe when I was blog surfing and had everything on hand, so I decided to whip some up. 

I tinted the batter pink to give it more of a ruby red appearance. Plus, my little girls love the color pink!

These cupcakes puff up with a nice even top, but not the typical dome shape you would expect for a cupcake. Which is fine for these, since they get glazed instead of frosted.

 I had some extra time, so I played around the cupcakes and grapefruit. He he.

 I'm a dork.

 They bake up super soft and fluffy. I loved the texture when biting into one of these.

These are simple looking, but also pretty and dainty. They would be cute in mini sizes too. Especially for brunch alongside a frittata and some fruit.

These tasted the best after the cupcake was completely cool and the glaze had time to set up. I tried one when it was slightly warm and I tossed some glaze on top just to taste it. I also had one about an hour later and that one was delicious. The grapefruit glaze really makes the flavor pop! 


If you have some ripe grapefruits sitting around, make some of these. You'll be pleasantly surprised!

Pink Grapefruit Cupcakes
Inspired by completelydelicious.com
Makes 8 cupcakes

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (115 grams) sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces) whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (124 grams) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons (4 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) salt
1 tablespoon grapefruit zest

For the icing:
1/2 cup (50 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon grapefruit zest
2 tablespoons grapefruit juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners or grease with non-stick cooking spray.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the egg and mix until incorporated. Add the milk and vanilla extract and mix until combined.

In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and grapefruit zest. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Batter will be thick.

Spoon into the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup about 2/3 full. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 12-14 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the icing, combine the powdered sugar, grapefruit zest, and grapefruit juice until smooth and there are no lumps. Add more juice if necessary to achieve desired consistency. Spoon onto the cooled cupcakes and let sit for a few minutes to firm up before serving.

Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Valentine's Breakfast

My family and I enjoyed a relaxing day in for valentine's. We started the morning off by cooking a healthy breakfast together. We put on classical music and whisked up some whole wheat, honey and oat pancakes and scrambled some eggs.

My husband happened upon this Kodiak Cakes Flapjack and Waffle Mix at the grocery store. My favorite part about the healthy mix is the simple ingredient list and the fact that you only have to add water to make them.

We thought some ground cinnamon, applesauce and a splash of vanilla would be a tasty addition to the mix and it was! This Santa Cruz applesauce is really good. 

These turned out amazing! Very fluffy, moist and a really great hearty flavor. The applesauce on top was an experiment, since we weren't using butter or syrup and it was really good, honest. 

These pancakes were healthy, tasty and better than any sugar laden ones fried in butter you would get at a restaurant. The topping of applesauce and fruit was a delicious substitute for butter and syrup. We bought two boxes of pancake mix and a package of applesauce and we will be making these again very soon.

Whole Wheat, Oat and Honey Pancakes

1 1/2 cups Kodiak Cakes flapjack and waffle mix

1 cup water

1 container applesauce

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

Whisk ingredients until just incorporated. Follow directions for cooking on back of flapjack mix package. Top with a dollop of warm applesauce and fresh fruit. Enjoy

Christmas Morning Quiche

This is the ultimate, foolproof spinach quiche recipe and it's so simple and delicious. The recipe comes from my lovely Aunt Susan. I remember every time time I would visit her when she lived in Baker's Field, CA. and Avondale, AZ. she would make this quiche at least once for breakfast. I always looked forward to this quiche on my trips.

The smell of this baking in the oven brings back many memories. My grandma, my mom and my uncle also make their own versions of this. My uncle likes to add chopped up ham to his. I'm sure any breakfast meat would be good, or cheese for that matter, as this recipe is very versatile.

A frozen pie crust makes this a breeze to throw together. But, I prefer to make a buttery pie crust from scratch.
A buttery, pastry shell is filled with a savory custard made of eggs, cream, spinach and cheese. A surprise ingredient provides the seasonings and flavor for this yummy quiche.

Susan's Spinach Quiche

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk (whole)

1 cup grated cheese (cheddar or mixed)

1 (10oz) pkg. frozen spinach (thawed, water squeezed out)

1 pkg. Knorr vegetable soup mix
1 9in. Unbaked Pie Shell

Preheat 375

Beat eggs together in a large bowl for one minute; then add milk and beat an additional minute. Stir in thawed spinach, cheese and soup packet. Mix until ingredients are incorporated. Pour mixture into an unbaked pie shell. Bake on middle rack for 50-60 minutes. Allow to rest for 15 minutes.

* The filling mixture may over flow crust, so if making crust from scratch, form high edges. If using a store bought crust, fill not quite to the top.

Veggie Flatbread with Pine nut Hummus

This is the appetizer I created for the super bowl party we attended. I wanted to make something healthy, but also tasty enough to hold it's own amongst the wings and party dips. I think this finger-friendly and figure-friendly appetizer did just that.

I made a concoction of olive oil, rosemary, minced garlic, salt and pepper. I briefly heated this in a small bowl in the microwave (I know that sounds strange, but a friend of ours from SD and her family never use butter when they eat bread. They always heat olive oil, garlic and salt in the microwave and then spread that on the bread. Sounded good to me). So, I brushed both sides of the pita with the garlic oil and baked it at 400 degrees directly on the racks for about 5 or 6 minutes. 

Out of the oven, I spread a thin layer of pine nut hummus on one side and topped it with caramelized red onions. I started the onions first, so they would be ready when the pita came out of the oven.

Next, I layered on all the yummy ingredients that sounded good to me. Marinated artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, feta and parmesan cheese. Then I drizzled it with balsamic vinegar and sprinkled a pinch of flaked sea salt on top. 

This went back into the oven for a few more minutes until the cheeses started to melt and all the veggies and herbs warmed up and were nice and fragrant.

My 10 month old was just finishing a nap, so I sent the appetizer with my husband while I got her up and ready. I made three veggie flatbreads and when I got to the party, they were gone. Everyone loved them and asked for the recipe. Play around with the toppings and add anything you want. On one of the flatbreads I left off the cheese, but with all the flavors it wasn't missed!

Sour Cream Crumb Cake

This recipe was inspired by a desire to get back to the basics and whip up something sweet and tasty without having to pull out all the heavy kitchen equipment.

This recipe is very simple and versatile. You can add fresh or frozen berries or fruit to the batter and spices to the streusel.

I split the batter into thirds and added cranberries, blueberries and pears to each portion.

For my topping, I added oats for texture and cinnamon, nutmeg and all-spice for a more warm flavor.

Right from the oven, the cake puffed up beautifully and was golden brown.

I coarsely chopped and macerated the cranberries in sugar and a pinch of cinnamon for 15 minutes before adding them to the batter. All three versions turned out fluffy and moist. I had my mom over to try a taste of each straight from the oven and we both liked all three. A pear/cranberry or blueberry/pear crumb cake would be delicious also.
Pear Crumb Cake: Once baked the pears have a subtle flavor. They would be good mixed with another berry.
And lastly, blueberry with a few pears scattered in. Yum.

Each cake turned out buttery and moist. The crumb topping added a nice sweet crunch. These would be excellent for breakfast or brunch. I enjoyed mine with a cup of tea. Make them your own and try adding spices or your favorite fruit to the batter and nuts or spices to the streusel. My additions are in purple.

Sour Cream Crumb Cake

The Splendid Table Newsletter, Jan. 14th 09'

Make 15 Bars
Cake:
2-1/2 cups cake flour (I made my own with AP flour and cornstarch*)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, soft
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
(I added Blueberries, Cranberries and Pears)

Streusel:
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, soft
1/3 cup oats
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter and flour a 13" x 9" baking pan. For the cake, in a small bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2to 3 minutes. One at a time, beat in the eggs and then the vanilla extract. Beat in the flour mixture and sour cream alternately until just combined, ending with the flour. Spread the batter evenly in the pan.

For the streusel, in a small bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and salt. Using your fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture until mixture begins to clump. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the batter. Bake the cake in the center of the oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan set on a wire rack for 15 to 20 minutes. Cut into squares and serve while still warm.

Update: I had a piece of cranberry crumb cake for breakfast and it was still so moist and the topping was buttery and crisp. I heated it up in the microwave for 12 seconds and it was sooo good. I will be putting this recipe in my favorites file!

Egg Frittatas

Mini egg frittatas are very versatile and quick to whip up any old morning. These particular ones were filled with salami, herbs, and a yummy blend of cheeses. Warm out of the oven, these fluffy, cheesy breakfast bites are hard to stop popping in your mouth.

cooking spray
8 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 ounces thinly sliced ham, chopped (any meat works fine, or try a veggie like cooked broccoli)
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/3 cup 5-cheese blend shredded cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Spray 2 mini muffin tins with nonstick spray. Whisk the eggs, milk, pepper, and salt in a large bowl to blend well. Stir in the ham, cheese, and parsley. Fill prepared muffin cups almost to the top with the egg mixture. Bake until the egg mixture puffs and is just set in the center, about 8 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Coconut Macaroon Cups

These coconut cups are a yummy treat to serve for breakfast or brunch or as a sweet appetizer. A simple cream cheese pastry is filled with a gooey, coconut mixture.

The dough comes together really quickly and then must be chilled for an hour until it's easy to roll into balls. The balls are then pressed into mini muffin cups, filled with the coconut goo and baked until golden brown.

These are best warm, out of the oven. They are pretty tasty the next morning with coffee too!

When I locate the source of the recipe, I will post it. Until then, you'll just have to enjoy the pictures and pretend you're eating one.

Source: Eaglebrand.com

Cocoa Macaroon Cups
Servings: Makes 3 to 4 dozen cups

Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutesTotal Time: 0

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
2 (3-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1 (14-ounce) can EAGLE BRAND Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
1/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
Instructions
In large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy; stir in flour. Cover; chill 1 hour.
Divide dough into quarters. On lightly floured surface, shape quarter into a smooth ball. Divide into 12 balls.
Place each ball in a 1 3/4-inch muffin cup; press evenly on bottom and up side of each cup. Repeat with remaining dough; set aside.
In large bowl, beat eggs; add EAGLE BRAND®, cocoa, and extracts; mix well. Stir in coconut. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake in preheated 375ºF oven 18 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned.Cool in pans; remove. Store tightly covered at room temperature.
Notes: TIP: Can be made ahead, tightly covered and frozen.

*Omit the cocoa for plain macaroon cups as pictured.