Vanilla Cupcakes (baked in ice cream cones)

I volunteered to bake cupcakes for my daughter’s class because it gave me a great excuse to try out a new recipe. Plus, I love baking for kids....they always appreciate it! When I was a kid my Mom used to use ice cream cones as the vessel for cupcakes and I always thought it was so neat. I used to love being able to eat the whole thing and now that I’m a Mom I appreciate how much less messy it is for children to eat this way.

Here’s my basic vanilla cake recipe. I think evaporated milk gives the cake a nice sweet and tangy flavor. This is perfectly fluffy and spongy but not too crumbly so it’s easy to ice. You can make about 16 ice cream cone cupcakes with this recipe.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 

1/4 teaspoon fine salt 

3 large eggs, at room temperature 

2/3 cup sugar 

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 

1/2 cup evaporated milk 

16 ice cream cake cones

frosting and decor of choice

Preheat oven to 350 and poke a small pin hole in the bottom of each ice cream cone using a skewer or toothpick (this will allow steam to escape the bottom so they don’t get soggy). The cake cones will stand up nicely in a mini muffin tin.

To make the batter begin by mixing first 3 ingredients in a bowl. In a separate mixing bowl beat the sugar and eggs until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Slowly incorporate the melted butter (make sure the butter is luke warm and not hot to the touch before adding). Now include the vanilla extract and add the flour mixture a little bit at a time. When all of the flour has been mixed in scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula and mix in the evaporated milk until it has just been mixed. Be sure not to over mix but just incorporate everything.

Fill the cones 3/4 full and bake about 18-25 minutes or until the batter has risen to the top of the cones and baked through. You should be able to insert a toothpick and pull it out clean or press gently on the top and your finger not sink into it.

Allow the cakes to cool completely before icing with your favorite buttercream icing.

My go to icing recipe is: 3 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 cup of salted butter, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1 tbsp of milk beaten together with an electric mixer. Beat together all ingredients until smooth.

Hot Honey Salmon

I went down to visit my parents and my sister at her farm for the past week. I let others do the cooking and we ordered lots of yummy takeout. It was a great time but its always good to be home. J stayed behind to work and care for the animals so I wanted to make him a really good dinner last night but also didn’t want to spend a whole lot of time cooking. Yesterday while hurriedly eating lunch I stirred together some honey and sriracha to dip (the kids’) leftover chicken fingers into and thought it would taste really good drizzled over salmon. I added some orange zest and juice to the mix and yes, I was right. This is really good drizzled over salmon.

What you need:

1 lb of salmon ( I don’t recommend sockeye for this recipe but mostly any other kind will do)

Honey

Orange Zest, orange juice

Sriracha Sauce

Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and pat salmon dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the top of the salmon. I used a 2:1 ratio of honey to sriracha but use less sriracha if you don’t like it too spicy. Use approximately the same amount of freshly squeezed orange juice as honey (for me this was 1/2 of an orange and 1/2 of the orange zest). Combine the orange juice and zest with the honey and sriracha (for this recipe I used 2 tbsp honey and 1 tbsp sriracha). This recipe is easy to double or triple depending on how much fish you are cooking. Stir together the sauce and drizzle over top of the fish. I like to bake on a parchment paper lined baking sheet so the skin doesn’t stick to the pan. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes or until the fish is just flaking apart when gently pressed with a fork. Obviously, a bigger piece of fish may take a minute or two longer but keep an eye on it because dry salmon just isn’t as good.

I served this salmon with a really easy salad fall salad of mixed greens, dried cranberries, mandarin oranges, sliced beets, apples, roasted almonds, and goat cheese. I made a quick dressing using the other half of the freshly squeezed orange juice, 1 tsp honey, 1 tbsp canola oil, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1/2 tsp of sriracha, and 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper. I just mixed the dressing up in the same bowl that I had mixed the sauce for the salmon. It was zesty and light. This is definitely going in the favorite weeknight meals category, the whole meal came together in about 15 minutes.

Pork Roast with Rosemary and Grapes

I love rosemary, the way it smells is so nostalgic for me because when the weather got chilly my Mom would always bring it indoors and its aroma would fill the kitchen. Cooking with it has a very familiar and comforting appeal. It’s also delicious. Combining rosemary with roasted grapes and caramelized onions is a perfect autumnal flavor combination. This pork roast comes together really easily in just a few steps and will be cooked to perfection in about 30 minutes. You could serve it easily alongside wild rice or roasted potatoes but we enjoyed it will a quick side of mushrooms, wilted arugla, and Gorgonzola cheese. I’ve included the recipes for both below.

2 lb pork roast, skin on

2 sprigs of rosemary, removed from stems and chopped

1 extra sprig of rosemary

3 sprigs of thyme, removed from stems

1 red onion, sliced

Salt and pepper

2 cups of red seedless grapes

1/2 cup of dry white wine (a dry Pinot Grigio works well)

3-4 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp butter

Prepare the pork roast by scoring the skin with a few long scores, be careful not to penetrate the meat and just slash the skin carefully. Coat with about 1 tbsp of olive oil and about 1 tsp each fresh ground salt and pepper. Rub the chopped rosemary and thyme all over the pork and set aside.

Place a cast iron pan (or oven proof pan or roasting dish) over medium-high heat and add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add 3/4 of the red onion and sprinkle with salt and pepper (I like to use a grinder and just add two solid grinds of each). When onions have started to glisten move to the outer edges of the pan and place the pork rest in the center. Let the pork sit approx 3-4 minutes to give it a hard sear and then flip it to the other side for a remaining 3-4 minutes. After the pork is nicely browned on all sides remove the pork to a plate and add about 1/4 cup of white wine to the pan to deglaze the onions. Scrape up all the brown bits and let it simmer for a minute. Place the pork back in the pan and arrange the grapes and onions around it, add in an extra sprig of rosemary and another dash of salt and pepper. Place in preheated oven (set to 350) for about 25 minutes or until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 145 degrees. Tent with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving, be sure to dress the pork slices with pan juices, grapes, and onions.

Mushrooms, Wilted Arugula, and Gorgonzola

1 lb of mushrooms (any type will work)

3-4 cups of fresh arugula

olive oil

butter

salt and pepper

1/2 cup of Gorgonzola cheese crumbles

*remaining 1/4 cup of red onion from above recipe

*remaining 1/4 cup of white wine from above

Pour 1 tbsp of olive oil and 2 tbsp of butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion, salt and pepper. Next add your mushrooms and brown. When the mushrooms are almost all the way cooked add white wine and chicken broth and simmer until reduced. When most of the liquid has evaporated add in your arugula and another dash of salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and stir arugula until it has just softened. Lastly, toss in your Gorgonzola cheese. Serve alongside your roasted pork and grapes.