Have a cupcake and drink it too!

Today is National Blueberry Popover Day!

In today's issue...

• Blueberry Popovers
• Vodka!

 Blueberry Popovers

In honor of today being national blueberry popover day!

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter, cut into 6 equal-sized pieces
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or you could use blueberry vodka!
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, or to taste
• 1 lemon, halved

Directions

1.     Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2.    Put a piece of butter into each of 6 large muffin cups.
3.      Put muffin tin in preheated oven until butter melts, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
4.      Beat milk, eggs, 1/4 cup sugar, and vanilla together in a large bowl. Whisk flour into the milk mixture until you have a batter. Divide batter between muffin cups. Drop even amounts of blueberries into each batter portion. Stir 1 tablespoon sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl; sprinkle evenly over the batter portions.
5.   Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and continue baking until popovers are no longer moist in the center, about 25 minutes. Dust tops of popovers with confectioners' sugar. Squeeze lemon juice over popovers. Serve warm.

 Yield: 6

I remember ages (and I do mean ages) ago when I turned 21 there was one type of vodka or one type I knew about...the plain old kind.   Then around 1999 Absolut came out with Mandrin and it just exploded from there. I wasn't much interested in flavored vodkas until I was introduced the the adult cherry Coke made with cherry flavored vodka or the delicious cotton candy vodka by Pinnacle.  

Cupcake Martini

Ingredients

• 1 1/2oz Cake Vodka
• 1 1/2oz Whipped Cream Vodka
• 1 1/2oz White Creme de Cacao
• 1/2oz Amaretto 
• 1/2oz White Chocolate Liqueur
• 1oz Heavy Whipping Cream
• Ice
• White Icing
• Sprinkles

Directions

1. Place ice in martini glasses to chill the glass.
   
2. Place sprinkles on a shallow plate that is a little larger than the mouth of your martini glass.
3. In another shallow plate, cover bottom with white icing.
4. Dump ice out of glass.
5. Dip the rim of the martini glass in icing.
6. Dip glass into sprinkles to rim the edges.
7. Combine remaining ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake for about 30 seconds.
8. Strain into martini glasses and drink!

Make ahead: For a big party, mix up a big batch of these and store in a large pitcher in the fridge. Shake a glass at a time over ice whenever ready to serve!

Adult Cherry Coke 

  Ingredients

• 1 1/2oz  Cherry Vodka
• 3 floz Cola
• 1/2oz Grenadine 
• Maraschino Cherries

Directions

1.   Fill glass with ice. 
2. Add Cherry Vodka, cola, and grenadine. 
3. Stir well. 
4. Garnish with cherry.

April Showers May Contain Cookies

So, I hit the Haw River wine trail last month and it was a great time.  I look forward to writing about it.  I am out of town and forgot to bring my notes with me. :-(  I will say, Starrlight Meadery is freaking awesome and a great find thanks to a nice gentleman at another winery.

As it is well known, this fat kid has a sweet tooth.  In my quest for cookies and being out of eggs I discovered a gem of a recipe.  I have doctored it three different ways and everyone has been great.  You could use soy milk and vegan butter and just as easily make these vegan friendly.

Eggless Sugar Cookies

Ingredients 

• 1/2 cup sugar (want chocolate chip cookies? ¼ cup sugar and ¼ brown sugar and add chocolate chips...I used mini ones) 
• 1/2 cup butter 
• 2 tablespoons milk 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 1 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 
• 1 pinch salt 
• 1/8 cup sugar 
• Optional: ½ cup coco powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Combine butter and sugar in a bowl, and mix until it gets lighter and fluffier. (Either microwave the butter for about 45 seconds or make sure it's soft enough to whisk).
3. Add vanilla and milk to butter/sugar mixture. (You can be flexible with the amount of vanilla you use.  I also subbed almond extract and amaretto liquor out for this in a different taste).
4. Combine salt, flour and baking powder in a separate bowl.

5. Combine the dry and wet ingredients, using either a spatula or your hands. (Dough should be a little bit sticky at this point).
6. Add extra flour as needed until dough becomes less sticky (I used about a half  cup more than the recipe calls for) You don't want dough to be too tough or sticky.

7. Form equal-sized balls (I used a 1 tablespoon scoop chilled the dough for about 20 minutes in the fridge too), flatten to about 1/2 - 2/3 inch in thickness. Coat one side with sugar. (I dunked the balls in the 1/8 Cup sugar before putting on the pan).
8. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until bottom is lightly golden.

The chocolate version and chocolate chip version were big hits here.  The plain ones I didn't sugar coat and iced them.  Don't sugar coat if you try chocolate chip either...I also made the chocolate chip as a bar cookie. I am also sure you could make this with Splenda products as well.

Until next time!