Christmas Preview

It really and truly is beginning to look at a lot like Christmas.

As much as I love fall, and as sad as I am to see the colorful leaves go, I am SO excited for the Christmas season. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because, though I love Christmas, it is right in the middle of the most joyful time of the year. The Christmas season is just getting started. Thanksgiving is like a kick-off party. Not to mention the fact that Thanksgiving is full of delicious food.

Now onto a controversial topic-- Black Friday. My mom, brother, and I have gone black Friday shopping together for the last five years or so. It has consistently been one of my FAVORITE memories. I just love everything it entails. Our Black Fridays begin around 4am when we wake up. We shop for a couple of hours, take a break to eat Chick Fil A for breakfast, and then continue to be the crazy people we are in the hustle and bustle of the Christmas shoppers. Post Chick Fil A and about an hour of more shopping, a Starbucks break is usually incredibly necessary. Especially since the minute we get home from shopping, the Christmas decorating begins. The hilarious thing about Black Friday is that we feel like we've shopped our LIFE away, yet it's only somewhere around 10am when we get home. This leaves plenty of time to put up the decorations :) My mom usually tries to convince me to wait until Saturday to decorate, but she never wins that argument. Tradition is tradition, ya know? And as far as I'm concerned, the sooner the decorations are up, the better. Anyway, the reason why I called this a controversial topic is because ALL OF THE STORES ARE OPENING ON THANKSGIVING NIGHT THIS YEAR. And I don't mean 11:59 or even 11:00. I mean 8:00. PM. On Thanksgiving. Some families haven't even eaten dinner at that time. Not only does this mess up our Black Friday tradition, but I'm sure it really puts a damper on the evenings of the workers who have to come in to the store the second they wake up from their afternoon nap (because we ALL take naps on Thanksgiving afternoon. Don't lie). To summarize, I don't like the change and would really appreciate it if the stores would return to opening at 4am. Please and thank you.

Anyway, now that you've heard my Black Friday rant, I can move on to showing you pictures of Christmas goodies! These were all made for an Open House at church tonight. Keep in mind that any of them can be ordered if your heart desires :)

If you haven't already done so, don't forget to check out www.kristens-cupcakery.com for prices, flavors, pictures, and more. There's my plug. Now for Christmas.

Recent Creations

What a beautiful Wednesday! 

I'll be honest. My mind is blanking, and I really have nothing of any importance to say right now, so I'm just going to go ahead and get to the point. Here are some of my recent creations-

Fall Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Tennis Cupcakes

Dog Cupcakes (thank you gift for a vet) 

Who doesn't love a good puppy cupcake?

In the next couple of weeks, be looking for a blog post about specials I'm offering for Christmas. From assortments of fudge, peanut clusters, and chocolate covered goodies to decorated cookies to delicious cupcakes, you will have a wide variety of choices! 

Top 5 Fall Recipes

How great is the weather today? It is 54 degrees right now. 54!! Although it would be nice if the sun would come out, the cooler temperatures are absolutely glorious. At least for now. I might get tired of it after a few days.

Anyway, with the weather being as fall-ish as it is,  I thought it would be appropriate to post (in order) my favorite fall recipes. So, here's the countdown, from number 5 to the number 1 BEST fall recipe. Enjoy!

5. Apple Coffee Crumb Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

4. Pumpkin Doughnuts

3. Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Pumpkin Spice Glaze

2. Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Spice Bars

1. Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread 

Though it was tough to put these in order, as they're all great, the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread ultimately wins my heart. This is a moist pumpkin bread with a cream cheese mixture in the middle. To top it all off, a cinnamon glaze is poured over the top of the loaf. SO GOOD. 

My advice to you- get in the kitchen and get this bad boy in the oven right now.

Happy baking! 

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

As the rain is falling outside, I'm sitting in a warm, cozy Daily Grind with friends drinking my Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea Latte. I think this is what they call a great day. 

Speaking of pumpkin, I have a pumpkin recipe today that you will NOT want to pass up. I made these last Friday morning, and they turned out exactly as I had hoped. Here. You. Go.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Pumpkin Spice Glaze

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Pumpkin Spice Glaze 

Buns: 

2 1/4 teaspoons of dry active yeast

1/4 cup warm water (not hot or boiling) 

3 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup milk 

1/4 c butter, melted

1 tablespoon granulated sugar 

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Cooking spray 

3 tablespoon of granulated sugar

3 tablespoon of brown sugar

2 tablespoon of all-purpose flour

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 tablespoon chilled butter 

Glaze: 

3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar

1.5 tablespoon hot water 

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice

Preparation:

To prepare the buns, dissolve yeast in warm water in your stand mixer or large bowl. Let this proof for 5 minutes. If the yeast doesn't get foamy, throw out and start over. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Add 2 cups flour, pumpkin, and next 5 ingredients (pumpkin through nutmeg); beat with your mixer, paddle attached at medium speed until smooth. Then change the paddle for your dough hook and add the additional cup of flour. Knead until smooth and elastic. This dough will be sticky, be forewarned. (If you don't have a stand mixer, you can knead the dough on a flat surface adding the additional flour slowly.) 

Place the dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place free from drafts, for 45 minutes. After the 45 minutes has passed, press a finger into the dough, if it bounces back, it's ready. 

Combine 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or use two knives to cut it in. 

Punch dough down and roll it into a 12 x 10-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Sprinkle with brown sugar mixture to cover. Make sure you reach each end, not leaving any surface without the mixture. Roll up the rectangle tightly, starting with a long edge, pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets; pinch seam and ends to seal. Cut roll into 1-inch slices. Place slices in a baking dish that has been coated with cooking spray. At this point you can refrigerate overnight or bake right away.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake the rolls for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 15 minutes in a pan on a wire rack.

To prepare the glaze, combine the powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon water, vanilla extract, and pumpkin spice mix in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Drizzle glaze over buns. Serve warm. 

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of this rainy Monday! 

Mangio Italiano!

Ciao!

Today, I have a couple of delicious Italian recipes for you. Well, technically, it's one Italian recipe and one bread recipe. But they're BOTH wonderful. Also, please excuse my Italian post title if it's incorrect. I took two semesters of it at Georgia last year, and I've already forgotten most of it. Isn't it so sad how that happens? If ya don't use it, ya lose it.

Now for the recipes. First up is a pasta recipe. Then, some of the TASTIEST bread you'll ever eat. For those of you who automatically run at the word "yeast", don't fear! It's not as hard as it sounds, and when you subtract the time it takes to rise, the prep time is super short. So I challenge you...try it out with your next Italian dish! Maybe some Tuscan Pasta with Tomato Basil Cream Sauce? :)

Tuscan Pasta with Tomato Basil Cream Sauce 

Tuscan Pasta with Tomato Basil Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

1 (20 oz) package refrigerated four-cheese ravioli

1 (16 oz) jar sun-dried tomato Alfredo sauce

2 tablespoons white wine

2 medium-size fresh tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Garnish; fresh basil strips

Directions: 

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, pour Alfredo sauce into medium saucepan. Pour wine into sauce jar; cover tightly, and shake well. Stir wine mixture into saucepan. Stir in chopped tomatoes and 1/2 cup chopped basil, and cook over medium-low heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Toss with pasta, and top evenly with 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Garnish, if desired. 

Copycat Macaroni Grill Bread 

Copycat Macaroni Grill Bread 

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup warm water

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons rosemary

2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

1. Place yeast, sugar, and water in large bowl or food processor and allow mixture to become bubbly.

2. Mix in 1 T butter, salt, and 2 cups of flour. 

3. Add 1 tablespoon of the fresh chopped rosemary.

4. Knead for about 10 minutes by hand or in food processor about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.

5. Add more flour if necessary.

6. Oil a bowl, put dough in it, and cover with a towel.

7. Let dough rise in a warm place for one hour until doubled.

8. Punch down dough and divide in half.

9. Let dough rest about 5 minutes.

10. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon of rosemary over the loaves and press lightly into the surface.

11. Let loaves rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes.

12. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

13. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned.

14. Carefully remove from oven, brush with remaining butter (and salt if desired).