Babies Slideshow

At work we do "Fun Fridays," which is when we get together on a Friday during work hours to goof off. Our next Fun Friday event involves everyone scanning baby pictures of themselves so that we can guess who it is.

Me: "I'm pretty sure people will be able to pick out the one Asian baby in the slideshow."

Co-worker: "I will throw in some random Asian babies to throw them off the scent."

All I'm saying is if everyone picks the ugliest Asian baby in the slideshow, I am going to be pissed.

Bacon Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream

Since moving to Utah, I feel like I've gained extra hours in my day. I'm no longer spending 2 hours each day riding the subway. Nor am I working 12-hour days when I'm not running around to events/dinners/drinks only to come home and pass out on my bed, surrounded by a seriously neglected cat and a giant pile of dirty laundry.

As much fun as I had, rarely did I have time to myself and my growing list of personal projects-- crafts unfinished, books unread, skills unlearned. And I didn't realize how much I missed doing those things until I came to Salt Lake City. Don't get me wrong-- plenty of people make time for themselves in NYC. I just didn't prioritize it. Salt Lake City is forcing me to calm down, be present. And I consider that a good thing.

Of the many things I had on my To Do list, cooking more was one of them. I've always loved to cook, but found it easier to eat out in New York. After all, why learn how to make a falafel sandwich when you can buy one for $3 on the street?

But there's something awesome about being able to make something yourself. And that's exactly what I've been able to do. Everyday, a new recipe. Six months ago, I would have paid $5 for a bacon cupcake and not even blinked an eye. Now I'm making a dozen of them for the same price AND I get to say, "Hi there, want to try a bacon cupcake? Oh, I just whipped them up last night. No biggie."

I have to thank Vanilla Garlic for his wonderful Maple Bacon Cupcake recipe, which I adapted to the high altitude and my personal taste. It was light and fluffy, not too sweet, and with crunchy, salty bits throughout. The delicate frosting on top was a nice touch (though I reduced the sugar/syrup and doubled the recipe when it looked like there wouldn't be enough). Here's what I did. I hope you enjoy it!















BACON CUPCAKES WITH MAPLE BUTTERCREAM
Makes 12

Ingredients
4-1/2 Tbsp of butter, softened
6 strips of bacon
1 egg, room temperature
1 Tbs of brown sugar
4 Tbs of pure maple syrup
1-1/14 cup of unbleached flour
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/4 + 2 Tbs milk

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375. In large frying pan, cook bacon until crisp (make sure to drain the pan periodically to ensure bacon properly crisps). Reserve the bacon drippings and place it in the fridge. Finely chop 3-4 slices of cooked, drained bacon to make 1/4 cup of minced bacon; set aside. Slice remaining strips of bacon into 1-inch strips; set aside for topping.

Once bacon drippings solidify, scoop out 1/2 tablespoon of drippings and beat with butter until creamed. Beat in brown sugar and maple syrup. Add egg and beat until well combined.

Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.

Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Whisk in milk until smooth. Fold in bacon. You should have a thick, smooth, light brown batter, like this:















Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Like this:















Allow to cool. Frost with maple buttercream (recipe below). Top with 1-inch strips of bacon. Yums!


MAPLE BUTTERCREAM

Ingredients
8 Tbs of butter
3 Tbs of maple syrup
1-1/2 cup of powdered sugar

Beat ingredients on high until smooth and well-combined.

[Slowcooker] Bacon & Onion Brisket

My love affair with the slowcooker is official. It's been three weeks since I got mine and I'm still hopelessly in love with it. Every few days I toss some ingredients into the pot and hours later, something delicious miraculously emerges without my having to do much at all. It's my magic wand in the kitchen. I'm not even sure I can take credit for these dishes, since slowcooker did all the work!

All the things I've made in my Crockpot have been super easy to make (including pork loin with apple gravy, barbecued beef, garlic mashed potatoes and a chicken with stuffing dinner). I'll probably go through and share each of my favorite recipes, but I'll start with the brisket I made last night.

Slowcooker Bacon & Onion Brisket

3 lbs beef brisket
Salt and pepper to taste
6 slices bacon, sliced into 1/2-inch strips
2 medium onions, sliced
2 (14 oz) cans of beef broth
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 bay leaf

Rub brisket with salt and pepper (I used about 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper) and set aside. In large skillet, cook bacon slices until slightly brown (3-4 minutes). Remove bacon with slotted spoon and place into slowcooker**, reserving bacon grease in pan. In the hot skillet, place beef brisket and allow it to brown on all sides in the bacon grease. Remove and place into slowcooker on top of bacon. Cook onions in the skillet until softened (if there isn't enough bacon grease and beef fat in the pan, you can add some vegetable oil). Remove onions with slotted spoon and place over brisket in slowcooker. Mix balsamic vinegar into a can of beef broth and pour both cans of broth into the slowcooker. Add bay leaf. Make sure the bay leaf is in the broth and not perched on top of the onions. Cook on high for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender. One it's done, remove the brisket and let it sit for 10 minutes. Slice against the grain or shred with fork. Top with bacon, onions and au jus. Serve with starch of choice (we had it with Hawaiian sweet rolls).

TIP: You can reserve any extra au jus and make an easy French Dip using deli roast beef. I like mine with a little Swiss cheese.

ALSO: I promise I'll start remembering to take pictures. It's just that my camera is so crappy!

** I use a round 5-qt slowcooker