100th Post! And a Treat for You, Dear Reader

Okay, before I start talking about cupcakes, I just want to say...

HUZZAH! IT'S MY 100TH POST!

Now on to other topics.  I am not someone who generally enjoys cooking, and I only somewhat enjoy baking.  I like the concept of both, and I like the finished product.  And (if you'd read any of my A&A Thursdays you would know) I love to eat good food.  Heading off to Cambridge will be an adventure in food.  I will no one to cook for me but myself (and perhaps some good friends).  I've collected recipes and know the basics.  But living by myself in Cambridge will certainly be a test of my culinary skills.

But this blog post is not about me cooking myself a meal.  Actually, it's about these delicious cupcakes I baked.  If there's one thing I'm pretty good at, it's cupcakes.  Okay, I'm just following a recipe (except frosting...I always use my own recipe), but I do make everything from scratch.  And these cupcakes turned out pretty delicious.  So, for you, dear reader, I leave this recipe.

Deanie's Scrumptious Chocolate Banana Cupcakes

Makes 16

1 5/8 flour

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 ripe bananas

8 tbsp butter

1/2 cup butter

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

4 tbsp sour cream

1 cup powdered sugar

4 tbsp butter

Nestles Baking Chocolate packet

splash of milk

splash of vanilla (Do you like how technical I am?)

chocolate chips

Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Sift together flour, baking powder/soda.  Peel bananas and mask with fork.

3. Put butter, sugar, and vanilla in bowl and beat together until light and fluffy.  Gradually add eggs.  Stir in bananas and sour cream.  Fold in dry ingredients.

4. Fill cupcake cases about 3/4 of the way.  Bake for approx. 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting

1. Blend butter until creamy.

2. Add powdered sugar and mix with wooden spoon.

3. Add chocolate packet, vanilla, and milk.  Mix well.

4. Add more powdered sugar if necessary to get proper consistency.

Garnish

1. Chop chocolate chips with large knife.  This resulted in a mix of larger chunks and shaved pieces.

2. After frosting cupcakes, sprinkle chocolate garnish.

Enjoy!

Goin' Up Nort'

I love love love going up north.  It's a very typical Wisconsin vacation, goin' up nort'.  Most people think that this usually entails staying at a cabin, (ice) fishing or hunting, drinking a lot of beer, etc. etc.  Perhaps for some people it does.  I wouldn't doubt it.  But for me, going up north means staying at my aunt and uncle's gorgeous house in the middle of their fifty acre mini-natural-paradise.  It's my go-to place for total relaxation, my escape from the world.  We spent the week reading (I finished Veniss Underground for the second time and continued on my trek through The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle), watching movies and television (The Orphanage, The Shadow, The IT Crowd), eating amazing food, playing cribbage and rummy, shopping, walking through the garden, and, the highlight of the trip, lounging in a swimming pool drinking red wine.  Am I a Real Housewife of Wisconsin or what?


We also got to take a day trip to Stillwater, MN where we shopped at awesome little shops and massive antique stores.  Then we went to Hudson, WI for dinner at an absolutely fabulous restaurant, San Pedro.  We had mojitos with rock candy sticks in them (yum!).  My aunt got a linguini pasta with shrimp, my mother got cranberry BBQ ribs (to die for, by the way), and I got a jerk-rubbed chicken sandwich with asiago, pico de gallo, fresh spinach, and a tangy herb mayo.  It was served with a delightfully light and delicious salad with mango vinaigrette.  Be jealous.  Be very jealous.

The weather wasn't much different up north, which meant we had to deal with horribly humid and sticky days.  Thankfully, though, that meant dinners consisted of huge, delectable salads.  One I had at my aunt's friend's house consisted of: mixed greens, mango, blueberries, feta, pumpkin seeds, and chicken, slathered in a balsamic vinaigrette and served with homemade pesto bread. *drools*  This one below is the one my aunt, mom, and I made.  I've included the recipe for your enjoyment.  It's based off of the superbly delicious Apple Orchard salad from Sheridan's, a must-visit restaurant in Cudahy. 

Deanie's Apple Orchard Salad

Start with your preferred amount of salad greens; we used about 2/3 spinach and 1/3 mixed greens.  Add the following as desired: sliced hard-boiled eggs, chopped bacon, thinly sliced Granny Smith apples, roasted (or unroasted) almonds, shaved asiago cheese, sliced chicken.

To make the vinaigrette: 1 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette, 1/2 cup red wine vinegar, 1/2 cup dijon mustard, salt and pepper to taste.  This dressing is just a guesstimate, so add or subtract ingredients to taste.  Drizzle on the vinaigrette and...

Enjoy!

Oh: PS: I have one more crazy story to share.  When we were driving home on the freeway, we noticed this massive bird flying crazily right above some cars in the distance.  My aunt thought it was a raven, but it was clearly too big.  As we got closer, I spotted the white tail and head.  "It's a bald eagle!" the entire car shouted at once.  It indeed was one.  It was flying and flipping like a stunt pilot, extremely close to the cars on the highway.  It was the closest I've ever been to a wild eagle outside of the Audubon.  Then all of a sudden it flew straight at the side of the road and reached down to grab something with its talons.  I didn't see what it got, but I'm guessing it was going for roadkill.  Bald eagles are fish eagles, so they usually don't go for prey that lives outside of water, but they are known to congregate by roadkill.  I just hope that bird didn't become roadkill itself.  Bald eagles get hit by cars surprisingly often.  One of our old eagles at the Audubon was there because she was hit by a car.  So, eagles and drivers beware!