Sweet & Salty Honey Peanut Cupcakes

I realized I forgot to post last week's cupcake.

I found this weeks recipe through her lovely pictures on Flickr which led me to the fabulous Cupcake Bakeshop by Chocklit. She does the most interesting flavors of cupcakes that I have ever seen. I'm going to send you there to get this week's cupcake recipe & just tell you my thoughts on making it.
I was really drawn to this one because I'm a big fan of sweet & salty. The recipe called for a very thick honey (the kind you have to heat to pour) & said it couldn't guarantee the texture of the cupcake & frosting wouldn't change with using a thinner honey. I found some thick honey at Lund's but after seeing the price I decided to go ahead & risk using the honey in the bear at home.

I'm not sure what the original textures should have been but this honey seemed to work just fine. The cupcake itself was a lot like a angel food cake with a very spongy texture. It was a little fussy to make but I think worth it. I plan on using this batter again & adding fruit to it, which I think will be wonderful.
The honey flavor was really the star of this cupcake & frosting. I liked its mellow sweetness. I do wish there had been a little more saltiness & peanut flavor. I used really salted peanuts but next time I would add more than the recipe calls for.
I loved the cream cheese & honey frosting!
I would say this is probably more of an adult cupcake & could be a fun end to a dinner party. Kids might not appreciate the saltiness or the fact its not overly sweet.

Weekly Menu 3/30 - 4/4/08

Its time again for Menu Planning Monday. Minnesota spring certainly makes it hard to plan a menu, 50 degrees one day, 6 inches of snow the next...I'm not sure whether to plan hearty soups or light spring dishes!

(Sunday's Roast Chicken & Vegetables, Matt knows how to spoil me!)

Asparagus & Shrimp Risotto - The asparagus has been beautiful in the stores lately & I have some frozen shrimp leftover from a curry so this sounded like just the thing. - RESULT - even better than I expect & a pretty dish too.

Lasagna Rolls - Sometimes I don't feel like making a whole lasagna for the two of us. I can make as many rolls as I want & get the same great taste. - RESULT - These turned out really good & came together very quickly.

Chicken Breasts in Mustard Cream Sauce with Broccoli & Rice - Just some real basic comfort food.

Turkey Burgers - Matt makes the most fabulous turkey burgers seasoned with sea salt & fresh thyme...the best!

Sausage & Baked Beans - We'll be eating more of our homemade Asian Sausage & Matt had a craving from baked beans.

This weeks cupcake is chocolate peanut butter, a flavor just for Matt.

As usual come back during the week for the recipes & results.

Stir Fried Rice & Pork

I had a taste for some stir fried rice & pork this week. This was always my favorite thing to order from the take-out place near my work. We haven't really discovered what is the good Chinese take-out since we've moved to Minneapolis. I always find it can be a little iffy to try so if anyone knows some good places in Southwest Minneapolis send the recommendations my way! Anyway, I decided to try my own version at home. This is not Chinese restaurant Pork Fried Rice but it was pretty darn good & smelled fantastic. I really liked the crunch of the pea pods & water chestnuts in it.


1/8 t pepper
1/8 t salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
2 t soy sauce
1 T vegetable oil
1 cup pork roast, diced (you can use leftover cooked pork if you have it too)
1/2 c green onions, sliced
1/2 c celery, diced
1 T garlic, minced
1 c snow peas or sugar snap peas
1 1/2 c cooked rice, cold
1/2 c canned water chestnuts, sliced

Mix egg, salt, pepper, red pepper and soy sauce together in a small bowl & set aside.
Heat the oil over high heat in a wok or large skillet. Add the pork & cook until browned & almost cooked. (If using leftover cooked pork skip this step & just add the pork with the vegetables to heat it up). Add green onions, celery, garlic & peas. Cook until the vegetables are tender crisp. Add rice & water chestnuts and stir. Stir in egg mixture. Cook 2 to 3 minutes until everything is heated through & serve.

Makes 2 servings

Spinach & Chicken Calzones

As a little change up from homemade pizza we decided to make calzones this week. The technique is pretty much the same as pizza though it does take quite a bit longer to cook. These were a nice size & easy to eat just with our hands. Matt thought it might have been better with a little red sauce, either inside or to dip it in. I really liked it the way it was. You can change this recipe to include any fillings you like & it is a great use for leftovers.


Pizza or Calzone Dough (from Wisebread)
This is our favorite pizza crust so far, you just need to remember to make it 2 hours ahead of time so it can rise.

1/2 t rapid-rise yeast
1 t kosher salt
3/4 c warm water (no hotter than 110 F)
1 T olive oil (plus 1/2 t for the bowl)
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour (more as needed)

Put yeast in a large mixing bowl. Add water and 1 T olive oil & stir. Add the flour & salt. Once you can't stir anymore, knead the dough. If the dough is sticky, knead in more flour a little at a time until you get a smooth dough ball. Pour the 1/2 t olive oil into the bowl & turn the dough in it until coated. Cover the bowl with a dishtowel & let it rise in a warm place until doubled, about 2 hours.

This make enough dough for one pizza or two calzones & can easily be doubled.

Spinach & Chicken Calzone Filling

5 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed with the liquid squeezed out
1 c cooked chopped chicken
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c part-skim ricotta
1/2 c grated mozzarella
1/2 c cherry tomatoes, halved
pinch of dried basil
pinch of dried oregano
pinch of ground nutmeg
salt & pepper
Olive oil

Sauté the onions & garlic until fragrant & translucent (you can skip this step & put them in raw but this gave them a nice mellow flavor). Mix everything together.

Preheat oven to 400. Roll the dough out into a circle. Cut the circle in half. Place half the topping on each half circle towards one side. Fold the other side over the topping. pinch the edges shut with your fingers or a fork. If they aren't staying closed use a little water. Brush the top with olive oil & poke a few holes in it with a fork. If you want a shiner crust use an egg wash) Place the calzone on a lightly greased baking sheet & bake for 30 - 45 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Let sit for about 15 minutes before eating.

Makes 2 calzones.

To use the dough for pizza. Roll it out & place it on a lightly greased baking sheet. Add toppings & cook at 450 for about 15 minutes. Time will vary based on the thickness you like your crust & how much toppings you used. We've also cooked this on a pizza stone & it came out beautifully.

Whole-Wheat Linguine with Green Beans, Ricotta & Lemon

We often watch Everyday Italian while eating lunch (if we've seen that day's episode of Cash in the Attic that is) & Matt thought this recipe sounded really good. He was right, it was really good & healthy too. We have doubled the amount of vegetables the original recipe called for, I think it would have been a little light on them otherwise. Don't skip on the lemon zest on this one, it really makes this dish shine. This will be a great summer dish when green beans are abundant at the farmers' market.


1 lb whole-wheat linguine
1/2 c part-skim ricotta
2 T olive oil
1 lb French green beans, trimmed & halved lengthwise (we just bought regular green beans as the French were $3.00 more)
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 t salt
1/2 t freshly ground pepper
2 c halved cherry tomatoes
1 lemon, zested

Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. Transfer the hot pasta to a large bowl and add the ricotta, tossing to combine.
Meanwhile heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the green beans, garlic, salt & pepper and sauté for 4 minutes. Add the reserved pasta cooking liquid and cook until tender, about 4 more minutes. Add the pasta & ricotta to the pan with the beans & toss to combine. Add the tomatoes & gently toss. Top with the lemon zest.

Serves 4