Thanksgiving 2011!

It's been about a week since Turkey Day has come and gone. I'm sad to see it go, but Christmas is going to be just as amazing. But here is my recap for Thanksgiving 2011!

I went to the supermarket just 2 days before and found out my dessert finalist was going to cost way more $$$ than I expected. Who knew pecans were that expensive? Dang it! Anyway I had to go with my backup plan, Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes (see previous post) and tiramisu. The Tiramisu recipe I used was from, "The Pastry Queen" By Rebecca Rather.

Instead of using the basic raw egg yolk mixture, the recipe called for a basic cream cheese mixture with the soaking syrup (Kahlua and rum) mixed together. I also used store bought lady fingers (big shock, I know), but its because I find them such a hassle to make especially since I never get any sleep the night before Thanksgiving.

In between the layers I added some shavings of bittersweet chocolate and raspberries to decorate on top. Bam, finished and ready to serve (of course, after a night in the refrigerator to let the flavors mingle a little :)

Here are my Turkey Day pictures! Hope you enjoy!

Thanks for reading! As always, stick around I'm bound to post more treats to celebrate the upcoming month. Happy December :)

Happy Thanksgayving! :)

Thanksgiving, my favorite day of the year is just less than a week away! A part of me wants to expect less from this great holiday so that I won't be disappointed, but in all honesty I'm never disappointed with Turkey Day. Okay, well maybe that it goes by way too fast!

Recently, I've been in "Thanksgiving Dessert Overload", which means I can't decide what the heck I'm going to make for Thanksgiving. Countless ideas of desserts (pumpkin! pumpkin! pumpkin!) are in my head, I've written on post-its with ideas and torn them up a day later, realizing that they weren't good enough. Boo.

Alas, this past week I've written a post-it for 3 dessert finalists. We shall see what happens next week!

In other news, I had a great opportunity to make cupcakes from one of my oldest friends. Her idea was to bring dessert (smart idea! I always do dessert for a potluck. Super easy :) : Cupcakes, spelling out the words, "Happy Thanksgayving" for her gay friends. How creative! Anywho, here are the pictures below:

Awesome, no? :) Have a wonderful Thanksgiving my readers! I'll see you back here after Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes!

I absolutely love the fact that living in LA gives me the opportunity to take weekend getaways to San Francisco or San Diego anytime I feel the need of a new change of scenery. It feels so refreshing and relaxing!

Before I left this weekend, I had the chance to bake something up in my kitchen. Lately, I've been struggling for a few weeks to find a fantastic recipe that is perfect for Fall. I flipped through all of my books and magazines, trying to find some sort of inspiration but came up short handed. Nothing was clicking until I found a recipe online that proved to be just what I was looking for! Just my luck :)

Of course it's a take after the Pumpkin Spice Latte drink at Starbucks, how awesome is that?

Here is the recipe below courtesy of, Annie's Eats. Thanks so much!

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes:

Makes about 2 dozen cupcakes.

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

2 and 2/3 cups of regular all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons of espresso powder (Can be found @Ralphs!)

2 teaspoons of baking soda

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon of grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon of ground cloves

1 teaspoon of salt

1 (15 ounce) can of pumpkin puree

1 cup of white granulated sugar

1 cup of brown sugar

1 cup of vegetable oil

4 large eggs at room temperature

For the Whipped Cream Frosting:

2 and 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream (chilled)

1/4 cup of confectioners sugar

To garnish:

Caramel Topping

Ground Cinnamon

To make the cupcakes: First preheat your oven to 350 Degrees F and line your cupcake/muffin tins.

In a bowl combine the first 8 ingredients and set aside. Using a electric mixer combine the wet ingredients: pumpkin puree (I used Libby's), white and brown sugar, and veggie oil. Add one egg at a time until each egg is fully incorporated into the mixture. Next, add your dry ingredients in two parts.

Fill your cupcake/muffin tins about 2/3rds full and bake for 18-20 minutes. Use a toothpick to test for doneness. Let the cupcakes cool in tins for about 10 minutes, then remove them from tins and put them on a cooling rack.

For the whipped cream frosting, use the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed, slowly increase to high speed when mixture gets frothy. Slowly add the confectioners sugar until stiff peaks form. You may use a pastry tip to frost the whipped cream or just dollop in on with a large spoon. Sprinkle your cinnamon and drizzle your caramel sauce with a spoon (in a zig zag motion). Cupcakes should be refrigerated overnight and brought out to room temperature before serving. 

Enjoy!

The cupcakes are moist, really easy to make, and a super crowd pleaser. This goes on my list for the Thanksgiving treats I am going to make!