Everyone Loves Cupcakes~ Especially Cream Filled Ones~

Cupcakes are fun to make and to eat, especially since they are a crowd favorite. I love to bring cupcakes to work or serve them for a delicious and perfectly portioned dessert for a dinner party. Over the holiday break, I took some time to experiment in the kitchen with cupcakes. I have always wanted to make filled cupcakes (since an old vice of mine was to consume those terrible little Hostess chocolate cupcakes as a freshman in college), but haven’t had the time nor patience to figure it out.

So, the closest to a cream filled cupcake I have made were these Devil’s Food chocolate cupcakes with a tangy, sweet cream cheese icing, topped with mini snow caps or non-perils.

Instead of scooping out the bottom with a mellonball, I sliced them down the middle (horizontally) and smeared icing in the middle. It’s like a cupcake sandwich! If you’re not used to making your own batter from scratch, any Devil’s Food box mix will do. You can top your cupcakes with sprinkles or other small candies~ I just adored the look of the snow caps especially for a holiday gathering.

Cream Cheese Icing:

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened @ room temp
• 1/2 cup butter, softened @ room temp
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon of fresh orange zest

Perfect Potato Leek Soup

Potato leek soup is one of those, thick, creamy, hearty soups that most everyone loves. The great thing about this soup is that you can prepare it for a vegetarian or meat eaters and everyone will be pleased. Subbing in a vegetable broth for a chicken stock doesn’t always mean that you will lose out on flavor: choose a low-sodium vegetable stock and be sure to season your soup well with pepper, garlic and fresh herbs.

I’ve made a few batches of this soup using vegetable broth and and it has always come out delightful. Twice I have used half and half to thicken up the soup which can be omitted if you have a dairy free diet.

Leeks are interesting vegetables. A man in the grocery store line in front of me questioned me about leeks- how they tasted and what I use them for. They have a very mild, almost sweet onion taste. Don’t be scared by the big green stalks- save those for making stocks. Do not put the tough, green stems into your soup- they don’t taste amazing. Also, be sure to rinse your leeks very well because like spinach, they have a lot of sand and dirt hidden in their folds.

I use Yukon Gold potatoes. It’s a rich buttery taste and I prefer those over your regular Idaho baking potatoes. I suppose fingerling or red potatoes might be interesting too and yes, I keep the skins on.

You will need:

4-5 yukon gold potatoes

3 leeks

2-3 cloves fresh garlic

1 carton of Vegetable broth

teaspoon fresh herbs (thyme, parsely)

1/2 cup of cream or half/half

Sautee the leeks in butter with a little salt and sweat them out for about 10 min. Add your garlic and fresh herbs.  Dice your potatoes and add them in with skins. Add in broth and bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer on low for about 20 min. or until potatoes are soft. Use a stick blender to blend your soup together. Let simmer for 15-20 min more. Salt/Pepper to taste. Add cream or half/half and serve hot with toasty french bread. Chives make a great garnish!