Comedy of errors cupcakes

This challenge was not a timed challenge but rather an 'I have never really made homemade cupcakes before nor have I ever tried filling cupcakes or piping the frosting challenge'. The latter was not so much of a challenge as I have piped frosting on cakes before but not to cover the whole thing like this.

The cupcakes are a combination of recipes and ideas from "Cupcake Wars" http://www.foodnetwork.com/search/delegate.do?fnSearchString=cupcake+wars&fnSearchType=site, the food network web site http://www.foodnetwork.com/ as well as ideas born out of my own mind.

I was excited to try this idea for a cupcake filled with a peanut butter cup and frosted with PB frosting. I decided a good test would be to take them to work and try them out on my co-workers. I had been planning all week to make them on Fri. night and take them to work on Sat. (smaller group). Well Fri. didn't really go as I had planned and to make a really long story short I was completely exhausted by the time I got to start working on them. However I was not to be derailed I really wanted to do this. I got out all my supplies and ingredients together only to find I had no half/half. I did have some heavy cream that I had gotten to make the frosting so I just mixed that with milk, first crises avoided.
The recipe makes 24 cupcakes; perfect, enough to take to work and still leave a few home for the fam. But wait where is my other 12 cup pan? hum ok so I guess this will take a bit longer because I will have to do 2 batches. That's ok. mini crises overcome.
I got my batter all mixed and filled the first 12 cups, turned around and saw the stick of butter sitting on the microwave...oops. Ok no big deal just scrape out all the cups back into the bowl (10 min or so) crises 2 fixed.
Check the recipe to see exactly how much butter I need, oh the butter was for the frosting not the cupcakes. Refill the 12 cups (new liners) first idiot move overcome.
Put the cupcakes in the oven. Uh Oh forgot to preheat the oven. REALLY!!! have I ever baked before? Ok no problem just find a few things to do while I wait................. ok now put them in. Idiot move 2 overcome.
Finally the frosting is done and the cupcakes are out of the oven. Time to start putting the PB cups in the center. Well what do you know the second batch is not quit done back in the oven for a few more minutes.

Now they are done, last hurdle cleared. That was fun. The finished product.

Chocolate Peanut Butter-Cup Cupcakes:

Approximately 24 of the small PB cups
Chocolate Cupcake
Peanut Butter Frosting

Chocolate Cupcake  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/chocolate-cupcakes-with-ganache-and-marshmallow-frosting-recipe/index.html
I used the cupcake portion of this recipe only.

Ingredients:

2cps granulated sugar
1 3/4 cp flour
3/4 cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup half-and-half or half a cup heavy cream and half a cup milk
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 TBL vanilla
1 cp boiling water

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 12 cup cupcake pans with cupcake liners. 
In a large bowl using an electric mixer on low speed, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the eggs, half-and-half, oil and vanilla and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in the boiling water until fully combined.
Fill the cupcake liners three-quarters full with batter and bake until the cupcakes spring back when touched with your finger, 10 - 15 min. Let cool in the pans for a few minutes.

While cupcakes are still slightly warm begin pressing small PB cups into the centers. Then pipe on PB frosting.

Peanut Butter Frosting: I was unable to find a recipe that was not part of another recipe. So from this site I used only the frosting recipe. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chocolate-cupcakes-and-peanut-butter-icing-recipe/index.html

1 cp confectioners sugar
1cp creamy peanut butter
5 TBL unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

Place all the above ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
Mix on medium speed until creamy, scraping down the sides and bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

I took my creations to work and received high praise. Everyone loved them and one guy said he thought they may be the best thing he ever ate. YAY.
I kind of thought they were a bit rich and maybe I should only have used half of the little PB cups. But hey everyond loved them and I had a great time making them inspite of all the errors.

A meal in time.

The time has come for another cooking challenge. I have decided to go with a challenge inspired by the show 'Chopped' on The Food Network. (http://www.foodnetwork.com/chopped/index.html?vty=/chopped). The girls (Laell and Andria) have decided what I will be making, an appetizer and main dish or main dish and dessert. They are also in charge of selecting some ingredients that I must use. At this time I have no idea what they have chosen.

I have to do this in an hour and forty five minutes. I know this is a bit longer then the allotted time given on the show but then again I am an amateur chief.
I will be ready to start soon and will post as I go.

They decided on an appetizer and main dish.

For the appetizer round I had 45 minutes and the following ingredients:
A jar of BBQ sauce
A jar of pickle spears
A bag of mini marshmallows
A box of Jiffy corn muffin mix

(can't you just hear Ted announcing those ingredients?)

Oh no what have I gotten myself into

I chose to make deep fried BBQ pickles and marshmallow apple salad

Recipes:

Deep Fried BBQ Pickles

• Four pickle spears cut in half
• Half a bottle of BBQ sauce
• Box of JIFFY corn muffin mix

 Marshmallow Apple Salad

• 2 1/2 cups of mini marshmallows
• 1 diced Granny Smith apple
• Approx. 1TBL each dried cherries and slivered almonds

I started by putting 2 cups of marshmallows in a medium sauce pan with a little water.

I chopped up a Granny Smith apple and began to caramelize them with the marshmallows. While these were cooking I began work on the pickles. I dipped the sliced pickle spears in the BBQ sauce, dredged them in the muffin mix, then deep fried them.

I had a problem with the muffin mix sticking to the pickles during the frying process and my grease was too hot and my first couple of pickles burned. While attempting to work this out I over cooked the apple mixture a bit. I took the mixture off the fire and cooled it in the freezer for about 10 minutes. After it cooled I scooped a serving onto each of two plates and then sprinkled it with more marshmallow's, dried cherries, and slivered almonds. I placed one pickle on each plate then served them to the judges (the girls).

I finished with 4 minutes to spare.

The finished plates

My daughters and their husbands, my grandson and my husband all ate some. Everyone said that both dishes were really good and they ate all that I prepared. The critiques for the pickles were, "Can't really taste the BBQ sauce", "They taste really good" "Use a batter for the pickles to make it stick better". The critiques for the salad were "Peal the apples". "Too much marshmallow in the salad", "Maybe don't cook the apples so they can maintain there crunch and tartness", The caramelized marshmallow was really good" "The almonds added a nice crunch". Hmm they didn't even mention the over cooked items; nice.

Now for the main dish, be back soon.

A little over an hour later......

For the main dish, I had an hour and the following ingredients

Steak

Granny Smith Applesauce
Pumpkin Bread Mix
Diced Tomatoes

I went with a steak and diced tomato stir-fry adding sliced carrots and cabbage. 

I also made pumpkin, applesauce biscuits. 

Recipes:

Steak and Diced Tomato Stir-Fry

• 2 1/2 pounds of round steak
• 1 TB. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 TB. soy sauce
• 15oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 cups chopped cabbage
• 2 cups frozen slice carrots
• 1 TB red curry powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Pumpkin Applesauce Biscuits

• 1 box Pillsbury pumpkin quick bread mix
• 2 individual containers (the kind you use for lunch boxes, not in the jar) Mott's granny smith applesauce
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup milk (I used rice milk for allergy reasons)

I didn't get pictures of these completed dishes unfortunately.

I made a marinade out of the Worcestershire and soy sauce and began marinating the meat. While that was marinating I began prepping the food for the stir-fry by chopping the cabbage, measuring out the carrots, draining the tomatoes, and heating olive oil in the skillet. 

While the meat was marinating and the oil was heating I combined all the ingredients for the pumpkin biscuit recipe into a biscuit like dough consistency.

I then used the dough as a drop biscuit dough and placed the batter on a cookie sheet.  I put them in the oven on 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

I then placed the cabbage and the carrots in the skillet.

 I took the meat out of the marinade and began cutting it into 1 to 1 1/2 inch slices.

 I put the meat in with the vegetables, and started boiling water for rice.  I continued to stir the stir-fry until the meat was almost done, then I added the diced tomatos. I put the rice into the water, and took the biscuits out of the oven.  As soon as the rice was done, I plated three plates one for each of the girls and one for my son-in-law. 

I finished with 9 minutes to spare.

 Everybody who tried the appetizer also tried the main dish.  Everyone liked it and said it was good. The critiques for the stir-fry were, "Was not seasoned enough", "Was good but would have been better if had a little sweetness", "Vegetables prepared nicely", "Meat cooked nicely".  Critiques for Pumpkin Applesauce Biscuits, "Yummy Yummy Yummy", "I really like the biscuits."  "REALLY good but cannot taste the applesauce", "Could vaguely taste the applesauce as an aftertaste".

That was a lot of fun.

I really enjoyed doing this challenge.  I liked it better than the appetizer challenge because I had to be more creative, and come up with recipes on my own.  I made some mistakes but learned from them.  Everybody had a nice meal and I really look forward to my next Challenge.

 If you have any Challenge ideas for me, leave a comment about a Challenge you would like to see.