BLOGHUNGRY

Orange Chiffon Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

After a night of Christian teen instructional videos and cupcakes, my birthday has come to a close. I would just like to give thanks to god and Netflix for a full night of moral creepiness. I would also like to thank the Cakemix Doctor for the recipes that make these cupcakes possible. The light orange cake and creamy frosting were very well received and have been characterized as both sophisticated and creamsicle-like.

Orange Chiffon Cupcakes

5 large egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 pkg yellow cake mix
3 large egg yolks
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup thawed frozen orange juice concentrate
1 tsp orange zest

Place rack in center of oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Place muffin liners in muffin pans. Place egg whites and cream of tartar in a medium mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form (2-3 minutes). Set bowl aside. Place the cake mix, orange juice, oil, orange juice concentrate and orange zest in a large mixing bowl, and with the same beaters used with the egg whites (no need to clean them) blend on low for 1 minute. Scrape the sides of bowl and continue to blend on medium speed for 2 minutes. Turn the beaten egg whites on top of the batter and fold them ito the batter with a rubber spatula until the mixture is light but well coimbined. Scoop even amounts into muffin cups and bake for 18-20 minutes or until cake springs back to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool. Frost with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

6 oz good white chocolate, coarsely chopped
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons of butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
zest of 1 orange (optional)

Place white chocolate in small sauce pan and melt over low heat for 4 minutes stirring constantly. Remove pan from heat and let cool. Place cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for 30 seconds or until well combined. Add melted white chocolate and blend on low for 30 seconds. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and blend on low for 30 seconds more. Increase the mixer speed to medium and blend for 1 minute or until fluffy. Frost cake sprinkle with orange zest (optional) and refrigerate until serving time.

Sourdough and Corn Pudding

I love a basic traditional stuffing for Thanksgiving. However, all the cooking shows and magazinesI I've been skimming through are trying to take basic stuffing to the nest level. So, this week I decided to experiment with Dave Lieberman's Sourdough and Corn Pudding recipe. After a Bloghungry focus group tasting and a few small tweaks (less corn and some sauteed carrots) it was decided that it does make a suitable replacement for Thanksgiving stuffing if you are iching for a change in menu. Note: it tastes better the longer it sits. It might be a good idea to make it early and reheat for dinner.

Sourdough and Corn Pudding

3 cups half-and-half
2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
25 grinds black pepper
1 lb sourdough bread (about 2 loaves)
1/2 stick butter
1 large onion, finely diced
1/3 cup carrots, thinly sliced
1 cup stalks celery, thinly sliced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock, low sodium, free range, warm or room temperature
5 (15-ounce) cans corn, drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In the largest bowl you have, whisk together half-and-half, eggs, sugar, salt and pepper. Tear up bread into small pieces. Soak bread in half-and-half mixture. Meanwhile, melt butter in large skillet. Sweat onions, carrots, and celery until soft, about 10 minutes, then stir in flour and cook until pasty, gradually whisk in chicken stock. Cook until thickened. Add corn and cook until corn is heated through. Toss corn mixture together with the soaked bread. Pour into greased 13 by 9-inch pan. Bake for 45 minutes.

Homemade Dressing

Earlier this week I went to a gay porn promotional event for Hot House's new release Justice to talk with Shane Rollins and Jordan Vaughn about their Thanksgiving foods. While there I spoke with famed director Chi Chi LaRue about her favorite Thanksgiving eats.

Chi Chi: I grew up in Minnesota, so there was always a lot of good homemade food for Thanksgiving.
BH: Did you have any stand out favorites?
Chi Chi: I guess it would have to be my mom's homemade dressing.

For those unfamiliar with down-home Thanksgiving food speak, dressing is stuffing that is cooked outside of the turkey. This is actually the best way to cook stuffing, because when cooked inside the bird it can add cooking time, dry out the bird, and harbor bacteria. In honor of Chi Chi LaRue's mother, here is a homemade dressing recipe that's sure to please any porn icons at your Thanksgiving table.

Basic Homemade Dressing

12 cups 1/2-inch cubes homemade style white or whole wheat bread (about 1 pound)
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
6 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoon rubbed sage
2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 3/4 cups chicken broth

In a preheated 400 degree F oven, toast bread cubes 5 to 7 minutes or until barely golden.
In a large skillet, melt butter and cook onion and celery over medium heat for 3 minutes or until softened. Transfer to a bowl and add bread cubes, herbs, salt, pepper, and chicken broth. Toss well and adjust seasoning. Transfer to baking dish and bake in Bake at 325 degrees F for 20 minutes until heated through and crust forms on top.

Light Pumpkin Mousse

This is an amazingly quick and easy dessert recipe my mom discovered last year from Weight Watchers. It’s a perfect seasonal dessert if you are in need of an easier and lighter alternative to the traditional homemade pies.

Pumpkin Mousse

1 can pressed pumpkin
1 package butterscotch pudding mix (dry)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 small containers of Cool Whip  (separated)

Mix 1 container of Cool Whip with pudding mix, pressed pumpkin, and cinnamon until well combined. Spoon mixture into wine or dessert glasses and refridgerate. Once cold, top with Cool Whip and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Serves about 4.

Bloghungry's Turkey and Gravy

So it's time to start posting Thanksgiving recipes again and I decided to start with my turkey. I posted this same recipe last year, but it was so moist and full of flavor that I decided to make it again this year. The brine can be a little frightening your first time, but it's actually very simple and is completely worth the process.

Bay and Lemon Brined Turkey

1 (12 to 15-pound) turkey

For the brine:
2 gallons water
1 cup sugar
1 cup kosher salt
2 lemons, sliced in 1/2
4 bay leaves
3 cinnamon sticks
Small handful cloves
Combine all brine ingredients in a container or pot large enough to hold the turkey. Make sure all the sugar and salt have been fully dissolved. Add the turkey and refrigerate about 6 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove turkey from brine and transfer to a roasting pan with a rack. Stuff turkey with the lemon halves, bay leaves, and cinnamon sticks used in the brine. Cook turkey for about 3 1/2 hours, basting every 40 minutes or so. If any part of the turkey gets too brown towards the end of cooking, shield with pieces of tin foil. When the turkey is done, juices should run clear from the breast and the legs should pull away from the bird easily. Remove from the heat and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving.

Easy Turkey Gravy

1 Tbsp. turkey drippings
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 cups turkey or chicken broth (boxed)
salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat the tablespoon of turkey fat in a saucepan. Using a wooden spoon, mix in flour, which will gather into a soft ball with the fat. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until mixture is fluffy and looks moist, about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in 1/4 cup broth/purée until mixture is smooth. Add remaining purée. Bring gravy to a boil, then immediately remove from heat. Season gravy with salt and pepper to taste. Pour gravy into a gravy boat.

Bloghungry Birthday Plans

My birthday is a little over a week away and plans are coming together for this year's celebration. This year centers around an Ethiopian restaurant, the Dixie Chicks Documentary, and an orange chiffon cupcake with white chocolate cream cheese frosting. To better allow readers to join in the celebration, I will post the cupcake recipe before the big day. To better allow fans of Bloghungry to shower me with gifts, I will post a Amazon wish list here.

Sprinkles

This week one of my clients gave me a box of six flavors of Sprinkles cupcakes. All I can say is WOW. I have eatten more than my share of cupcakes and feel pretty confident about my own homemade cupcakes, but nothing could have prepared me for the Sprinkles cupcakes. The cake was moist and dense with subtle and innovative flavors that played off of the creamy icing. In a word they were perfect. For more information, check out the Sprinkles website.

Sherry Roasted Tomatoes

I cooked these up as part of our bad movie night dinner presentation of Totally Awesome and Mission Impossible 3. The movies were disappointments all around, but I throughly enjoyed the tomatoes. They are a sweet and rich compliment to a hearty main course.

Sherry Roasted Tomatoes

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons sherry wine
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Preheat a skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and onions. Sweat them out 2 to 3 minutes then add cherry tomatoes. Turn tomatoes to coat in fat. Add sherry vinegar or sherry, sugar, pepper flakes and salt. Toss to coat tomatoes and roast for 18 to 20 minutes.

Skirtsteaks with Blue Cheese Butter

I'm deep into a food phase moment. I can't stop piling my dinner on top of itself. Last weekend I made a skirtsteak with blue cheese butter piled on a bed of sherry roasted tomatoes and polenta. There's really something to layering flavors and textures of foods. I'm a uniter not a divider. Here's the rundown on the beef.

Skirtsteaks with Blue Cheese Butter

1 1/2 to 2 pounds skirt steaks
Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
Steak seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Seasoning by McCormick)
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
2 tablespoons chopped chives

Heat a grill pan over high heat. Drizzle meat with oil and season with steak or grill seasoning blend. Grill meat 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove meat and let it rest 5 minutes to allow juices to redistribute. Mix butter with cheese and chives. Top hot steaks with butter and allow to melt.

Pumpkin Dump-it Cake

Nilblogette intoduced me to the exciting world of Dump-it cakes as part of our celebration last Halloween. A Dump it cake is a recipe that allows you to dump several prepackaged ingredients in a cassarole dish, cover it with a box of cake mix and  some butter and bake until cake-like. It's simple, delicious, and a very heavy. The consistancy is soft with a buttery crust on top. This is not for the faint of heart.You'll need some ice cream and possibly a big glass of milk.

Pumpkin Dump-it Cake

1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (18.25 ounce) package spice cake mix
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1/2 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin puree, eggs, brown sugar, white sugar and milk. Stir in cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt. Pour into pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over the pumpkin filling. Sprinkle pecans over the cake mix. Drizzle melted butter over all. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned.