Side Dish: pics & posts #2

button_enHi. I’ve just added new photos and posts from “Side Dish” the cooking blog written by Luke during “Brothers & Sisters”. You can find the posts here and the photos in the Photo Gallery.
button_spHola. Acabo de añadir fotos y posts desde “Side Dish”, el blog escrito por Luke durante “Brothers & Sisters” (“Cinco Hermanos”). Puedes encontrar los posts aquí y las fotos en la Galería de Fotos (Photo Gallery).
button_itCiao. Ho appena inserito varie foto e posts da “Side Dish” il blog scritto da Luke durante “Brothers & Sisters”. Potete trovare i posts cliccando qui e le foto nella Galleria Fotografica (Photo Gallery).
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Photo Gallery > >Brothers & Sisters > Side Dish

Side Dish: pics & posts #1

button_enHi. I’ve just added several photos and posts from “Side Dish” the cooking blog written by Luke during  “Brothers & Sisters”. You can find the posts here and the photos in the Photo Gallery.
button_spHola. Acabo de añadir muchas fotos y posts desde “Side Dish”, el blog escrito por Luke durante “Brothers & Sisters” (“Cinco Hermanos”). Puedes encontrar los posts aquí y las fotos en la Galería de Fotos (Photo Gallery).
button_itCiao. Ho appena inserito varie foto e posts da “Side Dish” il blog scritto da Luke durante “Brothers & Sisters”. Potete trovare i posts cliccando qui e le foto nella Galleria Fotografica (Photo Gallery).
button_frSalut. Je viens d’ajouter diverses photos et posts de “Side Dish” le blog écrit par Luke lors de Brothers & Sisters. Vous pouvez trouver les messages ici et les photos dans la Galerie de photos (Photo Gallery).

Photo Gallery > >Brothers & Sisters > Side Dish

Side Dish: Oreo Cookies (April 12, 2010)

12/04/2010

Too much free time can make you do crazy things.

Now don’t worry, I haven’t been out robbing banks or anything like that. Instead, I’ve been using some of my extra free time to try and notice the little things in life. Like how little Kevin and I have in our savings account. When you have more time than money, sometimes you write letters to companies about their products.

And sometimes those letters get you free Oreos.

So here is an example of a letter I wrote recently to a big company about its product. Hopefully you’ll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. If nothing else, this proves that you can, indeed, have too much free time on your hands.

Today I purchased a bag of Oreos filled with delicious chocolate creme. I have enjoyed Oreo cookies for years and, wanting a quick and delicious snack, grabbed a bag of Oreos to eat as I ran (not literally!) to the podiatrist for an appointment I had to reschedule two times!

As I opened the bag, the familiar smell of chocolate and Thiamine Mononitrate greeted my weary nose. As I started enjoying the cookies, however, I came to realize there was something strangely different. It took me a few minutes until I realized that some of the cookie part of my little “sandwich cookie” were put on backwards. So I saw a flat cookie back rather than the traditional design I have come to love, know and–quite frankly–expect.

I was shocked!

In fact, this was NOT just one isolated cookie incorrectly constructed. Several of the chocolate sandwich cookies in my bag were improperly put together!!! Initially, I hesitated to bring this to your attention. In over twenty blissful years of enjoying what I consider to be America’s premier sandwich cookie, I realize the potential implications this brings. Trust me when I tell you that it pains me to bring this to your attention. However, I recognize it as my duty as an American consumer to at least bring these misconstructed cookies to your attention.

Thinking about the nation’s children being brought up on generic sandwich cookies rather than Oreos makes me cringe as well. I look forward to hearing back from you about this issue.

Scotty Wandell

Side Dish: Lost job (March 15, 2010)

15/03/2010

They say that when one door closes another opens. Well, I certainly hope so, because until that happens you can feel stuck in a room with no way out. As I’m sure many of you know by now, San Estephe closed its doors for good this week. Despite our best efforts at staying afloat, we went the way of so many other small restaurants in a down turned economy.

I almost couldn’t bring myself to write a blog this week. Its hard to not feel like a failure when you pour your heart and soul into something only to see it not succeed in the ways you had hoped. But my Dad used to tell me, “You’re only responsible for the effort, not the outcome, kid.” I guess I will just hold onto the idea that everything happens for a reason. So as long as the reason this happened isn’t so the universe could get a good laugh at my expense. You know, sometimes you’re on top and you’re totally in control. Other times you’re on the bottom where all you can do is grit your teeth while you get slammed from all sides. At least Kevin can commiserate.

So what’s next for me in the long term? Who knows? I can always do some catering to make ends meet. Maybe I’ll get to open my own restaurant some day. A place that I’ve dreamt up all by myself. What’s next for me in the short term? A little bit of comfort food (see recipe below) and a few bottles of wine that were gifted to me from the bar at San Estephe.

Scotty’s Mac and Cheese

1 Box Large Pasta Shells
¼ cup butter for sauce and ¼ for top of casserole
¼ cup flour
2 cups whole milk
Salt, pepper, garlic salt, onion salt to taste
Splash Worcheshire sauce
1 8oz bar of sharp cheddar cheese cubed
1 8oz bar of extra sharp cheddar cheese cubed
2 cups Italian style bread crumbs

1.) Cook pasta as directed by box and set to the side
2.) In a medium saucepan melt butter mixing together with flour over medium heat.
3.) Gradually add milk while stirring. The sauce should get think.
4.) Add salt, pepper, onion and garlic to taste.
5.) Add Worcheshire sauce.
6.) Add sharp cheeses while stirring continuously.
7.) After all the cheese melts combine with pasta and pour into casserole dish.
8.) Sprinkle bread crumbs on top and dob butter on top.
9.) Cover and bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until bubbling.
10.) You can take the cover off for the last 5 mins if you want it crispy on top.
11.) Cool and serve.

Side Dish: Wines (March 1, 2010)

01/03/2010

Sometimes you just need an escape. And when you’re a Walker, escape is just a corkscrew twist away. While I have always enjoyed wine I did spend a long time intimidated by it as well: the elaborate tasting rituals, the talk of its “tannins” and “legs” and “nose.” I remember my first wine tasting vividly. As other students inhaled deeply, they described the aromas in evocative (and occasionally inedible) terms: “I smell ground white pepper” and “A very strong dark chocolate foreground with a hint of shoe leather in the back.” Meanwhile I inhaled deeply and (without thinking) said the first thing the smell invoked: “This smells like my grandfather.”

Needless to say, it was a while before I showed my face at a wine tasting again. But here’s the secret: people who love wine usually love sharing their enthusiasm for wine as well So while most of America gets their wine advice from Trader Joe (well, Charles Shaw, actually), I am lucky to have an Uncle Saul. And even though Saul is a Holden, he drinks like a Walker. That is to say, like a fish. The other night during a dinner at Nora’s house, Uncle Saul and I struck up a conversation about what he has learned from his many years enjoying the finest wines from across the globe. Obviously Walker Landing is a product Saul is passionate about, but he was just as comfortable telling me about a summer he spent working at a vineyard in Bordeaux or when he crushed grapes in a barrel at a tiny vineyard in Napa Valley. One of the first things Saul taught me is that finding a good wine doesn’t necessarily mean buying expensive wine and with that he started giving me his top wine picks from outside the US – all available for less than $20. (Not surprisingly, his top picks in the US were all from a little label called Walker Landing). I guess this week, we’re all lucky to have an Uncle Saul…

REDS
1) The Guigal Rhone is always a good choice and NEVER fails to please. The wines from the Rhone Valley are usually the Syrah grape. This can be had for under 10 bucks (whatever year is available is ok).
2) Guigal Gigondas (2005) — This is also Syrah but a much lovelier bottle of wine for around $20.
3) Chateau Cote Montpezat (2000) – A mixture of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and a little Cabernet Sauvignon. Around $19.
4) Arnoux Gigondas (2004) – A delicious choice for approximately $14.
5) Puig Parahy George (2007)
– This wine should cost around $10 and is a mixture of Carignan, Grenache and Syrah
6) Vinos Sin Ley Gra2 (2007) – This is from Rioja Baja and costs around $14. It’s 100% Graciano grape (which is usually a grape for blending, but in this case is quite nice by itself)
7) Vigna Vecchia Raddese (2001) – This wine should be under $20 and is 100% Sangiovese.

WHITES
1) Joseph Drouhin Chablis (2007) – They always make good wines and this particularly good one can be had for under $20
2) Christian Moreau Chablis (2007) – Should be around $18.
3) Lucien Crochet Sancerre — The La Croix du Roy is my favorite and should be about $23.
4) Mollet Florian Sancerre Roc de L’abbaye (2008) — This is the least expensive wine on this list and should be around $13.
5) Bzikot Bourgogne Blanc (2007) – Should be around $20 and worth every penny.

Side Dish: Valentine’s Day (February 22, 2010)

22/02/2010

Last week was Valentine’s Day and as some of you know I have what can best be described as a love-hate relationship with the holiday. Sure I met Kevin again (for the first time) on Valentine’s Day a few years ago, but for the most part, my Valentine’s Days have been a string of bad memories tracing all the way back to Second Grade and a certain girl named Bea.

That year my parents kept asking who my Valentine was going to be with a panicky and optimistic expression on their faces. It was as if they were desperately hoping that my intense interest in Barbie was just a phase. Since I didn’t think they’d want to hear that I had my eyes (and heart) set on Sean (the best whiffle ball player in my class!) I lied and named the most popular girl: Bea. My mom encouraged me to ask her to be my Valentine and so at lunch the day before Valentine’s Day, between bites of a dry turkey sandwich, I built up the courage and passed Bea the note you see above. She laughed, checked a box and sent it back.

Ouch. I collected myself, downed the rest of my chocolate milk and did what any aspiring chef would do to deal with my pain: put on my chef’s hat, apron and oven mitts and headed into the kitchen.

Since the next day was Valentine’s Day I decided to play it safe and just make my parents breakfast in bed right down to freshly made Belgian Waffles. Call me a perfectionist, but as I focused my efforts on getting the plate garnishes just right (after all, you eat first with your eyes), I completely forgot about the waffles and, well we had a Valentine’s Day date with a fireman.

OK the fire wasn’t that bad, but the waffles were. To their credit, though, my parents dutifully ate them. Although I don’t think anyone had seconds.

But 2010 was going to be different. Valentine’s Day this year was on a Sunday. Kevin and I coordinated our schedules so we could spend the whole day together starting with a breakfast in bed menu I had been planning all week (including a new waffle recipe). Nothing could get in our way except, of course, the Walker family.

As most of you have probably heard by now (and maybe some of you even saw on the news!) Kevin’s sister Kitty spent Valentine’s Day announcing her run for the US Senate. At first I was disappointed that our plans for the day changed so suddenly, but looking around during Kitty’s speech I realized that being part of this kind of familial love is exactly what Valentine’s Day is all about.

And although we spent the whole day with the Walkers, when Kevin and I got home that night I realized something equally important: who says breakfast in bed is only for the morning? So Kevin and I put on our pajamas and ended the day with breakfast. I even made waffles again, this time without bothering the local fire department.

Scotty’s Belgian Waffles

Ingredients:
1 package dry yeast
2 cups lukewarm milk
4 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups sifted flower
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup melted butter

Directions:
Sprinkle yeast over warm milk; stir to dissolve. Beat egg yolks and add to yeast mixture with vanilla. Sift together flower, salt and sugar; add to liquid ingredients. Stir in melted butter and combine thoroughly. Beat the egg whites until stiff; carefully fold into batter. Let mixture stand in a warm place about 45 minutes or until mixture doubles in bulk. Use -1 cup mix per waffle. Makes four Belgian waffles.
Top with strawberries in the shape of a heart for your special Valentine.

Side Dish: Farmer’s Market (February 1, 2010)

01/02/2010

What do the following things have in common?
– A parking lot full of hybrid cars.
– A homeless man holding a sign: “Will Work for Organic Food.”
– Ads for a locavore speed dating service.
– A t-shirt that says: “Shake the Hand that Feeds You.”

Give up? They are all things I’ve seen at local farmers markets. I’m always struck by the amazing cross-section of people you’ll see strolling through farmer’s markets: yuppies next to hippies, the celebrated head chef next to the culinary weekend warrior. Take a minute and find the farmer’s market near you (www.localharvest.org is a good place to start) and taste the difference that fresh ingredients make.)

My favorite market is the colorful one held every Sunday in Hollywood where you get a free side of crazy with your persimmons. Last Sunday I met my good friend Kevin West (“the other Kevin” as my husband calls him) there. While we perused all the yummy freshness, we came across strawberries and rhubarb that were dying to be made into jam.

Now if you’ve never made jam I know what you’re thinking, but I promise making jam is no big deal. You’ll swear off Smuckers after just one spoonful. So in the words of the immortal Bob Marley: “We’re jammin’.” And I hope you like jammin’ too.

SCOTTY’S STRAWBERRY RHUBARB JAM

INGREDIENTS
2 lbs strawberries, the smaller the better
1 lb rhubarb — about 16-18 stalks
3 cups organic granulated sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 tablespoon lemon juice (approximately the juice from 1/2 lemon)
Optional: 1 tablespoon St. Germain elderflower liquor

TECHNIQUE
1 — Quickly rinse strawberries, cut away the stems and quarter each berry. Place in a large mixing bowl, cover with the sugar and set aside.

2 — Peel the rhubarb stalks, which have strings similar to celery. You can either use a vegetable peeler or run a very sharp knife just beneath the surface, or just grab the strings from one end of the stalk and zip them off, then repeat from the other end of the stalk. Cut the peeled rhubarb into 1/2″ cubes. Add to the mixing bowl with berries and sugar. Stir the mixture well, then set aside to macerate for at least an hour.

3 — After an hour’s rest, the sugar will have drawn copious juice from the fruit. Pour the fruit-sugar mixture into a wide kettle like a stew pot, something large enough that the fruit-sugar mixture is no more than a few inches deep. (Make sure the pot is scrupulously clean.) Toss in the vanilla bean and bring everything to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring vigorously all the while to break down the fruit.

4 — Once the mixture boils and begins to foam, reduce the heat to maintain a steady but manageable boil. Continue stirring and cook for 5-8 minutes as the syrup begins to reduce.

5 — When the syrup has noticeably thickened, add the St. Germain liquor if you’re using it. Cook about 5 minutes longer until your jam is thick and glossy. At this point, turn off the heat and test the consistency by dipping a chilled spoon into the mixture. Hold up the spoon and tilt it on its edge. The last few drops to fall away should cling thickly to the bottom edge of the spoon. You can also test for consistency by letting a single drop of syrup fall onto a plate you’ve chilled in the freezer. When your jam is ready, the drop will “bead” on the cold plate rather than flattening out. Or, finally, you can drop a teaspoon of jam on a cold plate and place it in the freezer for 90 seconds. If it comes out thick and with a slight “skin” on the surface, then you know you’re achieved a “jell set.” In other words, now you have jam.

6 — Finally, skim any foam from the surface of the hot jam and stir in the lemon juice. Taste! You can add another drop of lemon or liquor if you want, but you can’t add more sugar at this point. The finished jam will keep in a covered container in the fridge for 2 weeks (although it won’t last that long – it’s too good!).
7 — If you know how to can using the boiling-water bath process and want to “put up” your jam: ladle the hot jam into clean, hot half-pint mason jars (available at most hardware stores) and seal with the manufacturer’s lid. Process the sealed jars in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes, then promptly remove and place on a clean dishrag on the counter for 12 hours. If the lids seal properly (follow manufacturer’s instructions), the jam can be safely stored in the cupboard for up to one year.
The classic use for strawberry jam is of course on breakfast toast or a PB&J, but it’s also delicious over ice cream, stirred into unflavored yogurt or served with a dollop of creme fraiche and an almond cookie as a simple dessert.

 

Side Dish: Pig Candy (January 18, 2010)

18/01/2010

Last night I took my future Baby Mama Michelle (Barack and I have things in common, you know) out for a celebratory dinner at a fantastically unpretentious little restaurant tucked away in the corner of a strip mall. Their menu features a uniquely thoughtful wine list (no booze for Michelle though!) and dishes that have probably been described by adjective-loving food critics as New Southern, artisanal and sustainably-minded fare. Although here’s what I think: This place simply rocks! I’m not sure I want to tell you all the name of it for fear of losing my little gem, but for careful readers I promise to pepper this post with subtle hints.

So the thing that hooked me on this place and made me want to write about it here in the first place — was a little something they call Pig Candy. If you’ve never heard of it (and I hadn’t), Pig Candy is thick strips of smoky bacon covered in brown sugar and broken into bits.

That sounds strange I know, but believe me: this stuff is better than a backstage stage pass to Wicked. (Don’t tell Kevin I said that, he would divorce me immediately.) As I enjoyed the Pig Candy with Kevin and Michelle, it started me thinking about all of the other unexpected food combinations I’ve tried over the years. Some popular, some not so much. Have you ever tried:

– Pumpkin pie filling seasoned with bay leaves
– Watermelon and feta cheese
– Tomato and peanut butter
– Melon and Prosciutto (Of course! Yummmmm.)
– Cantaloupe with chili powder
– Oysters and Raisins
– Apple pie cooked with duck meat
– Strawberries and Balsamic Vinegar
– Nectarines and Basil
– And Justin’s favorite: French Fries dipped in a vanilla milkshake

As Kevin and Michelle raced to see who could eat more of the Pig Candy (Michelle won) I couldn’t help but thinking that our lives are full of these seemingly random pairings. Who would have thought a handsome lawyer would end up marrying an unemployed and homeless cater waiter? Or that the biggest party girl I knew would end up not just as our surrogate, but laughing and joking with my husband. My own grandparents probably would have never thought they would see the day when guys could have a kid.

SCOTTY’S PIG CANDY
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, 8 slices

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Mix brown sugar, cayenne, and black pepper together in a medium bowl. Add bacon and toss. Line a baking sheet with a wire rack and lay bacon on the rack. Pat any remanding spice mixture on the bacon. Put the baking sheet on the top rack of the oven and bake until crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven to a serving dish and let cool slightly before serving.

If using thick cut peppered bacon, omit the pepper in this recipe.

Side Dish: When life hands you lemons, make lemonade (January 11, 2010)

11/01/2010

“When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” We have all heard that old proverb, but in my case life has recently handed me a truckload of lemons.
Let me just apologize upfront for what historians will probably call the Great Lemon Shortage of 2010. If you live anywhere in the Western Half of the US and have gone to your neighborhood grocery store in the last week, you may have noticed there are no more lemons. It’s a mystery that has had farmers scratching their heads. Of course, there is no mystery. There is just Kevin Walker.
You see if you’re married to Kevin Walker, when he hands you lemons you DO make lemonade, but then you are faced with a new problem. After you’ve made more lemonade than you could possibly drink or give away in two lifetimes and you still have lemons lying around, what do you do then?

After gallons of lemonade you can graduate to acres of lemon squares before moving on to other things: Lemon Cheesecake, Limoncello, Lemon Garlic Tilapia, Lemon Sorbet, Lemon and Herb Risotto Cake, Lemon Meringue Pie, Lemon Curd, Lemon-Berry Trifle, Lemon Drop Martinis, Lemon Zucchini Drops, Blueberry Lemon Cakewell, you get the idea. I’m starting to sound like Bubba talking about shrimp on Forrest Gump!

But did you know you can use lemons for other things around the house too?

* Use lemon juice to get the smell of garlic or fish off of your hands.
* Run lemon halves through the garbage disposal to make it smell great.
* Add a teaspoon of lemon juice to dishwashing soap to increase its grease-cutting power.
* Squeeze lemon juice onto a stained cutting board, rub and let stand for 20 minutes to get rid of stains.

Lemon juice also can be used to clean grout, brighten whites when doing laundry and bleach stains from things like tomato soup on dishwasher-safe plastic food containers.
So lets not disregard the wisdom of the”when life hands you lemons” proverb, but lets also expand on its meaning until our laundry is bright white, our grout is clean and our garbage disposal has never smelled better. Because lemonade is always just the beginning.

SCOTTY’S SIMPLE LEMONADE
This is more a guide than a recipe. It’s always a 1:1:1 ratio of sugar to water to lemon juice.

Ingredients
1 cup sugar (can reduce)
1 cup water
1 cup lemon juice

3-4 cups of cold water to dilute

Method 1. Make a “simple syrup” by heating the sugar and water together in a saucepan until the sugar completely dissolved.
2. Extract the juice from 4-6 lemons. You want one cup of juice.
3. Combine the juice and simple syrup in a large pitcher. Add 3-4 cups of cold water, depending on the strength you’re looking for.
4. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before enjoying. If it’s too sweet, adjust the flavor with more straight lemon juice and/or water.

Serves 6.

Side Dish: Red Velvet Cupcakes (November 30, 2009)

 30/11/2009

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I see gourmet cupcake shops everywhere these days and feel like I’m always hearing from one friend or another about some insanely good cupcake they’ve just eaten. It seems that the cake in its classic sliced form has been demoted; the cupcake is the confection of our time.

Cake is more stuffy, formal and reserved for “functions.” Unencumbered by the fork and plate, the cupcake is really another expression of our freedom. It is the desert of the masses, offering something for all occasions and people. Today, you’re as likely to find the ubiquitous treat at a wedding as you are at a child’s birthday party, as the energy-boosting study group snack or the forbidden sweet that derails a diet, eaten in secret behind the boiler in the basement.

And flavors? Vanilla and chocolate are so 1983. How about a cupcake that tastes like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup? Why drink a Pina Colada when you can eat a pineapple cupcake with a rum/coconut cream cheese frosting? I even saw a $4 cupcake meant to look and taste like a Hostess cupcake. This is what we’ve come to: Cupcake-flavored cupcakes. How meta.

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Don’t get me wrong. I love eating cupcakes almost as much as I love making them. And as some of you know, I bake a mean cupcake. Back when I had that toucan hairdo, I even toyed with the idea of opening an overpriced (I mean “gourmet”) cupcake shop of my very own. When I first met Kevin, his sister invited me to a party at their house and did I bring flowers or wine? No. I brought the one thing that I knew would win him over if my charm and good looks failed: red velvet cupcakes. They were both rich and sweet. I, on the other hand, was just sweet.

Sure when I first bit into a Creamsicle Cupcake or a Grape Bubble Gum Cupcake or even a Chipotle Chocolate Cupcake with Maple Glazed Bacon I knew I was tasting something special. But (and I never say this about things with bacon in them) I couldn’t help but feel like something was missing. It’s hard to believe that a cupcake the size of a softball could be missing anything, but after the initial excitement faded and my blood sugar levels returned to normal I was left feeling like they were all show and no substance. The Paris Hilton of desserts.

I’ll take one of my mom’s cupcakes – which she made from a box – any day. I envy pastry chefs’ patience and their eye towards precision and perfection, but when my mom made cupcakes she had to find the time in her busy day to do it. She did it out of love. So maybe that’s what’s missing. Maybe that’s why I made red velvet cupcakes for Kevin rather than buying a dozen at Crumbs. My cupcake might, at first glance, have seemed like one I could get at a store; they both would have had the same colors, textures and taste. Maybe the difference, as corny as it sounds, is love. I guess you could say I was looking for love at first bite.

Red Velvet Cupcakes Recipe

Cupcakes
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons red food coloring*
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
1 cup buttermilk**
* You can also substitute beet juice or beet puree to achieve the red color and retain some moisture.
**If you don’t have buttermilk you can add a tablespoon of distilled white vinegar to milk and let it stand for 10-12 minutes.

Cream-Cheese Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese (one bar)
1/2 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
(Optional) Cupcake toppers or colored sugar

Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 325° F. Line muffin tins with wrappers. Mix all dry ingredients together. Mix all the wet ingredients together. Combine the wet and dry mixtures together thoroughly. Fill each wrapper about two-thirds full will batter. Bake 15 to 20 minutes. Let them cool completely. (This is hard for Kevin!)

Frosting
Mix all the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Slowly add confectioner’s sugar, mixing as you go. Next, add the vanilla extract. Frost cupcakes the cupcakes and sprinkle with colored sugar or cupcake toppers.

Makes about 24.