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.

Insta-Sunshine

I don't have a lot to say...been playing with the blender. I came up with a Sunshine Shake in honor of my friend the fabulous Melissa.

 

Need a sunny pick-me-up? The orange flavor will burst open in your mouth and put a smile on your face. Orange sherbet makes this fruit-flavored milkshake a real taste treat. It's like drinking orange cream velvet on a beautiful sunshine day.

 

 
Sunshine Milkshake

• 1/2 quart orange juice
• 1 cup vanilla cream
• 1 cup orange sherbet

 

Directions

 

Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

 

 

 Double Chocolate Banana Cupcakes

 

Bananas and chocolate are a naturally great combination and here they get along particularly well. I call these double chocolate because not only are they topped with the BEST chocolate buttercream frosting ever, I've also sneaked a few chocolate chips into the cupcake batter. These are a great thought with Valentines day around the corner.

 

I should note that the recipe for this frosting makes quite a large batch. This is a good recipe to use up any leftover chocolate buttercream frosting or you could just make a half batch which should be good for a couple of dozen cupcakes.

 

Cupcake Recipe

• 1 cup white sugar
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Beat sugar and oil in a bowl. Add eggs and mashed bananas.

 

Sift together dry ingredients and fold into banana mixture alternately with orange juice.

 

Fold in chocolate chips.

 

Fill paper lined cupcake pans with the batter and bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack before forsting with chocolate buttercream frosting.

 

 

 

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

• 2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup water

 

Combine and bring to a boil. Continue to boil over medium heat without stirring until the mixture reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer.

• Meanwhile beat together to stiff peaks
• 6 egg whites at room temperature
• ¼ tsp cream of tartar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch salt

 

Slowly pour in the sugar syrup hitting the side of the bowl and not the beaters. Continue beating the frosting for 10-15 minutes until the meringue is completely cool. When completely cool, slowly begin to add, a few tablespoons at a time

• 2 cups softened unsalted butter
• Beat until smooth after each addition.
• Combine and melt in a double boiler:
• 1 pound chocolate, chopped in small pieces
• ½ cup butter

Add to the meringue mixture and beat well until frosting reaches a spreadable consistency. This may take 15 minutes or so and you may have to chill the frosting for several minutes before beating it again to get it to stiffen. Alternatively, you can place the frosting bowl in an ice bath while continuing to beat constantly until the icing stiffens sufficiently.