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Every year – sometimes biannually – there is a much anticipated event at Chateau DeMatos … Meat Appreciation Day. Invitations for this event are highly coveted and hard to come by. The festivities are guided by, you guess it, meat. We dined this year on pulled pork sandwiches, chicken wrapped in bacon (recipe to come later), sausages and bratwurst wrapped in bacon, pepperoni bruschetta, bratwurst bites, and sub (as in a sub sandwich) dip. However, this is the first year that the meat was carried through to the dessert. We offered caramelized bacon, chocolate covered bacon and these babies – dark chocolate bacon cupcakes. This recipe looks innocent enough; at first it is simply 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 cups white sugar, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 2 eggs, 1 cup cold, strong, brewed coffee, 1 cup buttermilk, 1/2 cup vegetable oil – all mixed together.
There are certain foods that just bring a great big smile to your face. For me those foods are mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, brownies, pancakes and chicken pot pie. However, I have never had this feel-good dish homemade. Have you? No? Well, try it. It is not too hard. And it is worth every piece of effort.
As anyone in a relationship can attest to, there are many things that two people can not agree on i.e. what to watch on TV, how to organize the kitchen, if the toilet seat belongs up or down, etc. But then there are those times when a couple is in perfect agreement – like is this instance. My husband and I both a.) hate wasting food and b.) love banana as a flavor. Therefore, as bananas start to get a little too mushy for eating comfort, drop those babies in the freezer and save them to make banana bread … killing two birds with one yummy little stone.
Recently, I have been spending a lot of time with friends who work in the scientific fields – chemistry, biology, physics, etc. Thus the benefit of utilizing the scientific method in certain instances has begun to creep into my being and thinking. Let’s Discuss …
STEP 1: Ask a question – does bacon and cinnamon mesh well together? And more to the point, does bacon make everything better?
Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble …
I know, I know – my latest concoction does look a bit ominous. But believe me, it is harmless {and chocolate to boot}.
It’s autumn – my favorite time of year. And once autumn hits I crave pumpkin by the gallon. Pumpkin scones, coffee, pie, cookies, and cake … yum!
Sometimes, after an especially rough/terrific day I go into the food store and treat myself to a box of Entenmann’s Madeleines. And this may sound cheap, but I am always so aggravated to spend $5.99 for 1 box and thus thought ‘Hey, you can bake them yourself. I did a little google search, picked up a recipe here, put on my apron, and thought ‘viva la france!’ {However; before I go any further, I do want you to know – Madeleines are not an easy bake task. Do you hear me, not easy, friends.}
