Friday Finds & Faves

I'm starting a new series on the blog called "Friday Finds & Faves." I'll share with you any recipes I found over the week that caught my eye or that I'm dying to bake. I'll also talk about anything I'm currently obsessing over, loving, craving, dreaming, reading... I'd love to hear what you're favoring too! This should be fun. :)

I found some new banana muffins that I'd like to bake.

I also found a new banana bread! Looks like I need to buy some bananas this weekend.

I'm so over winter and ready for Spring. This lemon pound cake sounds like the perfect way to celebrate.

Nutella is a huge favorite in this house so I know these nutella cupcakes with nutella frosting would be perfect for us.

Birthday Cake Oreos. Need I say more?

Normally I'm not a huge fan of Easter. Easter candy, sure, but the colors, all those pastels...ick. That's why i was pleasantly surprised to love all the Easter decor I saw at World Market this week. I love having a seasonal centerpiece on our dining room table and I really wanted to pick up this cute one. There was also an adorable cookie jar (that I can't find online). It was pink and said "Let them eat cookies." Loooove.

Fellow TV junkies, how are you liking The Vampire Diaries? Last night's episode had me on the edge of my seat, or rather, couch! I won't give it away but emotionless Elena? This should be interesting.

I'm finally getting into Maggie Stiefvater's Ballad series. I loved her werewolf series so much and forgot what an amazing writer she is. What are you reading?

Share your finds and faves this week with me!
 

Creamy Baked Ziti

There's something comforting about digging into a a plateful of warm, cheesy pasta. We all love it, whether we'd like to admit it or not; pasta is a guilty pleasure. I, personally, can't get enough of it and if I could I'd eat it daily. If only the guilt that comes after didn't exist.

Baked ziti has always been a favorite of mine. I always have the ingredients on hand and whenever I'm in doubt of what to make for dinner, this is a great go-to meal.

It's an easy meal for a weeknight, perfect for busy families. You could even make it ahead of time and stick it in the fridge before it's time to bake it. I like to add sausage to mine, but you can also add ground beef. I also mix it up time to time by adding red or green bell peppers and cherry tomatoes. Using a jar of marinara sauce is best, although I have used a can of plain tomato sauce, simply adding some of my favorite seasonings to liven it up. You really can't go wrong!

Source: Kraft Foods

Ingredients 
4 cups penne pasta 
1 jar  (24 oz.) marinara sauce 
1 can  (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained 
6 oz. cream cheese 
3/4 cup  sour cream 
1 pkg. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup parmesan cheese

 

Directions

Heat oven to 350. Cook pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, omitting salt. Remove from pan; drain. Meanwhile, add marinara sauce, tomatoes and cream cheese to same pan; cook on medium heat 5 min. or until cream cheese is melted and mixture is well blended, stirring frequently. Return pasta to pan; mix well.

Layer half the pasta mixture in 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with layers of sour cream, 1 cup mozzarella and remaining pasta mixture. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
Bake 20 min. or until heated through.

Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes

This weekend one my very best friends came to visit. She is one of those rare people that I instantly clicked with from the very first conversation. We have so much in common; a desire for things sweet and savory, the ability to shop till we drop, and a TV lineup longer than we'd like to admit. I've only known her for a year and she already feels like family.

It was her birthday earlier in the week and since I couldn't be there to celebrate with her I thought I'd make her some belated cupcakes. It's been a while since I've baked after all, and a birthday is a perfect excuse to tie an apron around my waist.

The hubby got me a cupcake calendar for Christmas this year. It's adorable and every month has a new cupcake recipe glossing the pages. Instead of using the one for February, I skipped all the way to June, knowing they would be the perfect cupcakes for my friend.

I can't tell you how amazing this frosting was. It definitely stole the show and we devoured these cupcakes in a matter of 24 hours. Luckily, I saved the little that was left in the mixing bowl for those middle of the night cookie-slathered-with-frosting cravings.

Ingredients 
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk

For the frosting
3 tablespoons strawberries, fresh or frozen, pureed
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
A dash of salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in eggs one at a time and then stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed sugar and butter. Mix well. Stir in milk until batter is smooth. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan. Transfer cupcakes to wire rack and let cool completely.  Cupcakes must be completely cool before topping with icing.

For the frosting
Blend 1 cup butter and salt on medium high until fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add powdered sugar and blend well. Add vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons of strawberry puree. Blend well. Frost the cupcakes and top with sprinkles if desired.

So What Wednesday

So What...



-If I missed posting "So What Wednesday" for two weeks. Oops. Time flies when you have a baby!

-If I complained and whined about having to go to the dentist this week like a five year old. I HATE the dentist!

-If I've cursed this blasted cold weather 1,000 times already and it's only October. I'm DONE. Done with the cold. *crosses fingers for a residency in the South*

-If I'm so excited for Halloween this year. I can't WAIT to take her to the mall in her elephant costume. And eat her candy. :)

-If I'm trying to make it a point to put on some makeup every day even if I'm not going anywhere. It makes me feel better about staying in yoga bottoms and a tank top all day!

-If I'm ridiculously excited about Fall TV. The Vampire Diaries starts Thursday!

-If I'm already thinking about what dessert to make for Thanksgiving. This and this have already caught my eye.

What are you saying "So What" to this week?

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

The days are getting shorter. I can see the change happening gradually as the sun begins to set earlier and earlier every day. I'm craving pumpkin donuts and warm cozy blankets and embracing this fall as if it might be our last. Who knows where we'll end up for residency and if it's somewhere down south (finger crossed!) we might not have a fall again.

That's why I'm sharing my first pumpkin/fall recipe with you today. I couldn't wait any longer to break out the pumpkin! As we speak (or you read), there are five cans in my pantry just waiting for their debut.  

We had a birthday celebration recently for one of our friends and the prospect to bake something made me very excited! Oh to bake, to bake again. How I've missed my measuring cups and spoons. I searched through all my recent pins and dog-eared recipes (pinning is much easier than flipping through a magazine these days, who knew) and was overwhelmed with so many choices. Deprivation. I wanted to bake everything!

Then I remembered a day I was waiting in line to pay for groceries, flipping through Taste of Home's recent magazine of fall recipes. I wrote down the name of these cupcakes and suddenly I remembered them- light blub! I knew these would be perfect.

They are so moist and flavorful, practically melting in your mouth as you bite into one. And the frosting- I stuck my finger in the bowl as I was making it and felt my eyes go wide. The balance of spice and sweetness is spot on- delicious! Too bad it's not nutritious. :)

I tried to frost these with my fancy cupcake kit- piping bag and frosting tips, but it turns out baby girl isn't quite ready for me to devote entirely too much time in the kitchen. I had to settle for a plain old butter knife during one of her naps. Not that anyone cared. They were gone in minutes!

Source: Taste of Home
Servings: 2 dozen

3/4 cup butter, softened
2-1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup buttermilk

Frosting:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin. Combine the flour, pie spice, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and ginger; add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition.

2. Fill paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

3. For frosting, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and cinnamon; beat until smooth. Frost cupcakes. Refrigerate leftovers.