To me From me Cupcakes

Orange-Almond Cupcakes with a Raspberry Center and Orange Buttercream Frosting.

Ever heard of a to me from me gift? Well this year mine was cupcakes. I had a left over Duncan Hines Moist White Cake mix that I needed to use, so I decided since it was my birthday, to incorporate some of my favorite things.

I used Giada's cupcake recipe plus the zest of one orange and 1/4 cup or so of fresh orange juice. While baking, make the filling...

For the Raspberry Filling:
*2 cups of frozen raspberries
*1/2 cup or so of sugar (depending how sweet you want it
*3 Tbls of Cornstarch
*1 tsp of Orange juice

About 30min-1 hr before, place frozen raspberries and 1/4 cup of the sugar in a bowl. Allow raspberries to defrost with sugar on them a bit.

In a medium sauce pan, incorporate all ingredients. Cook over medium-medium high heat, continuously stirring. Slowly it will start to thicken and create a jelly-like substance. If it's too thick, add some water. If too runny, add more cornstarch. Place in bowl and remove from heat. Allow to cool completely. *Note: If you're not a fan of seeds, use a mesh strainer to separate.

While the cupcakes and filling are cooling, make the icing.
I'm not a fan of buttercream, but I needed something that didn't require refrigeration. Next time I would use Giada's whipped frosting recipe (found in above link) and just add orange instead of raspberries. But if you like buttercream, this is a great recipe.
Changes made: I added the zest of an orange, a squeeze of oj, and food coloring.

Adding the filling: 
I'm not a fancy pastry chef, and I don't have a cupcake filler, so I used a decent paring knife to cut holes in the centers. Using your writing hang, make a small cut in the cupcake, being sure to not hit the bottom of the cake. With the other hand, slowly turn the cupcake similar to a door knob, keeping your hand with the knife in the same spot. This will give you a perfect circle.

Using a teaspoon or pastry bag, fill holes 3/4 of the way full. It's okay if they don't look perfect, you'll be covering them with icing anyways.

Place an icing tip in a pastry bag or zip lock or just cut a small hole in the end and go to town.You can top with fresh berries, but I had some of the filling left over and decided to use that to garnish.

Finished product!!

Happy birthday to me! I'm thinking something apple-y or pumkin-y next. Any suggestions?!?

Experience Birthdays

Chalk Wall Menu. Always changing

Last Saturday (9/24) we celebrated my 25th birthday. Shawn doesn't like to give gifts for birthdays. He prefers to give experiences. Meaning, we go somewhere and do something. Last year we went to NYC and saw Mary Pops on Broadway, the year before that Niagara Falls, the year before that NYC for Spamalot (we also got engaged that time).

Soo, needless to say, this year was no different. We decided to stay local and go see Wicked at the Benedum in Pittsburgh, and then dinner at Salt of the Earth , found in humble Garfield. This trendy food spot is nothing less than an  eccentric food lover's dream. I'll let the pictures do the talking....

Communal Dinning 

Tomato Salad. Pine nut, watermelon, sunflower, corn, parmesan.

Soup. Squash, apple, chervil, argan.

Honeydew Egg Creme Soda

Nutmeg Egg Creme Soda

Shawn and his fork

Beef Short Ribs. Celeriac, beets, sweet potato, squash, blue cheese.

Pork Loin. Farro, mushroom, pear.

S'More. Chocolate, elderflower, golden graham.

Honeycrisp. Apple, bourbon, thyme, chestnut.

Super fresh ingredients. Incredible tasty food. We will definitely be back!