candy corn cupcakes with perfect cupcake frosting

Recipe courtesy of Our Best Bites

1 18.25-oz white cake mix
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup canola oil
3 large eggs
1 tsp. almond extract
Yellow and orange Wilton food gel (about a heaping 1/2 tsp. of each)
A double batch of Perfect Cupcake Frosting and Filling

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 24-cup muffin tins with white paper liners. Combine all ingredients except for food coloring in a large bowl and beat on low speed for 1 min. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then beat on medium for 2 additional minutes. Divide batter equally into 2 bowls: about 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups of batter in each bowl. Mix about 1/2 heaping tsp. of yellow coloring into one bowl of batter and 1/2 heaping tsp. of orange coloring into the other bowl.

Divide the yellow batter evenly among the muffin tins, about 1 tbsp. Bang the tin a few times on the counter to level out the batter. Repeat the process with the orange batter. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes in the pan and then allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.

These "doctored up" cake mix cupcakes are sooo delish! And the frosting! It is divine. Definitely a little more challenging than a regular buttercream but worth it. So yummy!

Perfect Cupcake Frosting and Filling
recipe by ourbestbites.com

3 tbsp. flour
1/2 cup milk (whole milk is best, I used a combination of 1% and heavy cream and it worked great - the recipe writer said they have used skim before to good results)
1/2 cup real butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Whisk together the flour and the milk. Heat in a small sauce pan on medium heat. Whisk continuously until it starts to thicken. Let it cook, while stirring, until it looks like pudding (you should be able to see the bottom on the pan when you stir it). Even though it's thick, you can still push it through a mesh strainer (whisk in the strainer to push the thick stuff through) and then let it cool completely to room temperature. If it doesn't cool completely, it will melt the butter in the frosting.

In an electric stand mixer, beat the butter and the sugar for a minute or two until well combined and fluffy. Use the whisk attachment. Then while beating add in the thickened milk mixture and the vanilla. Beat on the highest speed possible without making a mess for 7 minutes, maybe even 8 or 9. It will look like a weird goopy mess and then towards the end it gets amazing.

Frost cupcakes and garnish with a candy corn.

Can store at room temperature in a sealed container.

Happy Halloween!!

erica's blender pancakes

Erica made these for my family when we were visiting her this summer and they are not only delicious, but so easy for a from-scratch pancake. We love their texture and how they are a thinner pancake, not a big, fat cakey thing.

Erica's Blender Pancakes

1 1/4 cup milk

1 egg

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. sugar

1 cup flour

2 tsp. baking powder

Dump everything into the blender and blend until smooth. The batter will be really thin. Just pour it onto a heated griddle straight out of the blender. Cook them as you would any pancake, just keep a close eye on them because they brown up fast. I like to make the entire batch at once and just cover them to keep them warm until ready to serve.

key lime tarts

Easiest and cutest dessert ever!!



Key Lime Tarts
from Our Best Bites

10 mini graham cracker crusts
5 egg yolks
1 14-oz. cann sweetened condensed milk
Around 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (take the time to juice them yourself, makes all the difference!)
2 drops green food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine egg yolks, milk and lime juice. Distribute evenly among crusts. Place full crusts on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven for 10-11 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature, then chill in the fridge until ready to serve. Before serving, add a dollop of sweetened whipped cream and maybe a fresh raspberry.

*You can bake this as a single large pie using a standard 9" graham cracker crust. Bake for 15 minutes.

paige's tuscan meatball yumminess

A little while back I had a cooking class at my house for Relief Society. Everyone was supposed to bring a recipe to exchange but the only one who brought one was Paigers. I am so glad she did because I love this recipe! I have made it a few times now and not only is it a hit for my family, but easy and healthy.

Paige's Tuscan Meatballs
1/2 package frozen chopped spinach
1 lb. ground turkey
1 egg
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs (I used 1/2 cup seasoned; 1/2 panko bread crumbs for extra crunch)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 handfuls shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 to 2 tbsp. olive oil
12 ounces spaghetti (I used Barilla thin spaghetti)
1 packet dry pesto mix or jarred, prepared pesto (this is what I used)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Squeeze water out of spinach. Mix spinach, turkey, egg, bread crumbs, Parmesan, mozzarella and garlic salt in a bowl. Shape mixture into meatballs. Heat oil in a pan over med-high heat. Brown meatballs, about 2-3 minutes each side. Once browned transfer to a baking sheet and bake in oven for about 20 minutes.

Cook spaghetti and prepare pesto sauce, if using packet. Add pesto sauce to pasta top with meatballs.