Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

These really are as good as they sound….A yummy buttermilk cinnamon cupcake, topped with cinnamon buttercream frosting, and garnished with an adorable mini snickerdoodle. YUM!

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

-Alyssa Griffeth-

Yield: about 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups cake flour, sifted
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, at room temperature
1¾ cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1¼ cups buttermilk

For garnish:
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 c. sugar
1 small batch of mini snickerdoodles (see below)

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. Combine the flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl; whisk to combine. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat each addition just until incorporated.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each three-quarters full. Sprinkle cupcakes with 1/2 of cinnamon-sugar mixture, reserving remainder for garnish. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17-19 minutes. Allow to cool in the pans about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely

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Frosting:

1/3 c. butter
4 ½ c. powdered sugar
¼ c. milk
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Beat butter and cinnamon until fluffy. Gradually add sugar and liquids alternately. Beat until desired consistency.

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For the mini snickerdoodles:

1/4 c. shortening
1/4 c. butter
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 c. + 2 Tbs. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. sugar + 1 tsp. cinnamon

Beat butter, shortening, and sugar for 5 minutes, or until fluffy and creamed. Add eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Chill dough if desired. Form into 3/4 inch balls and roll in cinnamon and sugar.

Bake cookies for 5-6 minutes at 350 degrees (or until slightly under-done…They will continue to cook as they cool). You will know they are done when cookies spring back SLIGHTLY when touched, but they are still very soft in the middle. Let the cookies firm up on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

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Assembly:

Frost cooled cupcakes using a large piping tip. Top with a mini snickerdoodle and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Thanksgiving Sweet Potatoes

Maybe I'm biased, but I think these are, hands down, the best Thanksgiving sweet potatoes known to man. When I was growing up, I never understood why people hated the sweet potato part of Thanksgiving....That's because my mom ALWAYS made these! They are basically a dessert. "Have a few vegetables with your cup of sugar", RIGHT?! The nasty marshmallow kind doesn't even stand a chance against these babies!!

Thanksgiving Sweet Potatoes

-adapted from Jane O.-

-6 medium sweet potatoes

Peel yams with a vegetable peeler and cut into 2 inch cubes. Boil in salted water until fork-tender (approx. 20-25 minutes). Let cool slightly.

In a bowl, combine the following:

¼ tsp. salt
¼ c. butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ c. sugar
2 T. cream

Mash cooled sweet potatoes and add above ingredients. Beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add more sugar if needed. Place potatoes in a greased 9x13 pan. Top with the following mixture:
¼ c. softened butter (NOT margarine!)
3 T. flour
¾ c. brown sugar
¾ c. pecan pieces

Blend/mash topping ingredients together with a fork until flour and sugar is combined and butter is evenly distributed. Crumble mixture over potatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Brining and Roasting a Thanksgiving Turkey (the best you'll ever have!!)

There is nothing I hate more than a dry turkey. In fact, for YEARS I claimed that I didn't like Thanksgiving turkey. But then, when I was a teenager, my mom started brining her turkeys and I suddenly, our entire family fell in love. Now, I look forward to making this all year long. It's quite a process, but worth EVERY ounce of extra effort!! The sweet and salty brining process creates a chemical reaction causing the meat to tenderize and soak up tons of that wonderful flavor. Once you try this, you may never go back to making turkey the old way! And I can't think of anything else that will get you in the Thanksgiving spirit THREE DAYS early!! ;)

Thanksgiving Turkey Brine

-adapted from Melinda Lee-

**Note: This is enough brine for a 12-18 lb. turkey. I would increase the measurements for anything larger because you will have to use a larger brining bag.

2 1/4 c. kosher salt
2 c. brown sugar
15 whole cloves
4 1/2 teaspoons peppercorns
2 gallons apple juice or cider
peel of 2 large oranges (just cut off the skin instead of peeling it, to avoid getting too much of the bitter, white pith)
3 tsp. thyme
2 tsp. sage

**Note: If you're not planning to use a fresh turkey, be sure to start the turkey thawing process SEVERAL days before you start brining. This takes a few days...I usually put mine in the fridge 5 days before Thanksgiving (so on Saturday morning). This gives it 4 full days to thaw, and one day to brine. If you need to speed up the thawing process, fill the sink with cold water and let the turkey soak while still wrapped in packaging.

Day 1:
(Tuesday night)

Combine ingredients in LARGE stock pot (my largest pot is 8 quarts, and it doesn't quite fit all of the apple juice. I just pour any leftover juice on top of my turkey once it's in the brining bag.). Bring to a boil and let simmer for 20 minutes, partly covered. Cool completely (I usually let it sit overnight in the fridge, or covered on my stovetop if fridge space is limited).

Day 2:
(Early Wednesday morning)

Rinse turkey inside and out. Place turkey in a large brining bag. I have tried several different versions and my favorite type is Ziplock's LARGE size heavy duty blue bags. I've found that the LARGE bags can fit up to a 17 lb. turkey (maybe slightly larger). They sell XL bags too, or you can buy a specific "brining bag" at Williams-Sonoma, Crate and Barrel, or Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I've just found that these are usually too large for my small-ish turkeys, but they are a great option for a large one.

Place bagged turkey in sink and pour brine over to cover. This is easiest if you have someone else helping you hold the bag open. I've wasted a LOT of brine down the drain by trying to do this myself! If you need slightly more brine to cover the turkey, just top it off with a little water or the extra apple juice. Seal bag (I like to double bag it) and place it in the refrigerator for 18-24 hours. Turn turkey 2-3 times throughout the process to ensure the most even distribution of flavor.

Day 3:
(Early Thanksgiving morning)

Remove the turkey from the bag and discard brine. Rinse turkey COMPLETELY (inside and out) to avoid overly salty meat and gravy...This is a very important step! The brine has already worked it's magic by now, so don't worry about washing away the flavor. Pat dry with paper towels and let turkey sit in the fridge UNCOVERED for a few hours ( or overnight if you prefer). Letting the turkey sit will ensure even distribution of the brine, making it extra tender. It will also help you have nice, crispy skin. Be sure to remove the turkey from the fridge TWO hours before roasting. This will promote even cooking since it will be at room temperature and not ice cold in the center.

Just before roasting, rub entire turkey (underneath skin and on top of skin) with 1/2 c. butter. I like to mix in some fresh herbs-- sage, thyme, and rosemary.) Cook turkey in roasting pan (or bag-- use your preferred method) according to turkey’s size. Keep in mind that brining DOES tend to shorten the turkey's cooking time!! Based on my oven, I usually start roasting 2 1/2- 3 1/2 hours before I plan to serve dinner (depending on the turkey's size). Here is my personal cooking method:

For a 12-14-pound turkey: Roast breast-side-DOWN at 350 degrees, for about 1 1/4 hours, then turn breast-side-up for remaining 30 to 45 minutes, basting frequently with melted butter. Roasting times are approximate (and are estimated for unstuffed turkeys-- stuffed will take a little longer). If the top skin seems to be getting too dark, cover it with a doubled piece of aluminum foil. Remove the foil 10 minutes before removing the finished turkey from the oven.

For larger turkeys: Simply estimate 10 minutes per pound, but begin checking the turkey with a thermometer after about 3/4 of that time. Follow same method as described above.

Unstuffed turkey is done when a meat thermometer, inserted in the thickest part of the thigh meat (without touching the bone) reads 160-165 degrees. Test the thigh meat in several places, to be sure. Stuffed turkey is done when the thermometer reads 160 degrees in the center of the stuffing.

After removing from the oven, cover with foil and allow the turkey to stand for at least 20 minutes before carving (or longer if necessary). This will re-distribute the juices ensuring an extra moist turkey.

Good luck!!!

Black Bean Avocado Salsa

This is one of my absolute favorite recipes! In the summer, I make a big bowl of it and we eat it for dinner while hanging out at the pool! It's so yummy!

Black Bean Avocado Salsa
-Erin L.-

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can sweet white corn, drained (or 1.5 cups of frozen white corn)
3 tomatoes, chopped
3 avocados, chopped-- I squeeze lime juice over them to prevent browning
1 head cilantro, chopped
10-12 drops Tabasco sauce
1/2 onion, diced
2 pkg. Good Seasons Italian dressing (mix per direcions with vinegar, oil, and water, but add TWO dressing packets instead of one)

Mix all but dressing. Follow directions for dressing, but add extra packet. Pour desired amount of dressing over dip. Serve with chips.

(**NOTE** You will probably have almost half of the dressing left over!)

Buttermilk Cinnamon (or orange) Rolls

I recently taught a cinnamon roll making class at my church and this was the recipe I demonstrated with. I still LOVE my old vanilla pudding cinnamon rolls, but these might just take the cake!!!! They are AMAZINGLY gooey and soft. You'll be sure to make lots of new friends after whipping up a batch of these babies.

Also, I LOOOOOVE that I can make these ahead of time, stick them in the freezer, and have them defrosting/rising all night long so we can have hot, fresh cinnamon rolls for breakfast (with almost no effort!!).

There's an orange roll variation too! Use the same exact dough, but just swap out the filling and the frosting. See below.

Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting
-Adapted from America's Test Kitchen-

*Make-Ahead: to make these rolls ahead of time, once the rolls are formed and placed on the baking sheet, immediately cover them with lightly greased plastic wrap and refrigerate them; do not let them rise. Refrigerate overnight, up to 16 hours. Let the rolls sit at room temperature, covered, until they have doubled in size about 3-4 hours and then uncover and bake as directed. The rolls can also be frozen at the same point as mentioned above (cover with a layer of greased plastic wrap and a top layer of tin foil). They will need to sit at room temperature for 9-11 hours to defrost and rise before baking.

Makes 12 rolls (but I usually double the recipe).

Dough:
¾ c. buttermilk, warmed (I pour the buttermilk in a glass liquid measuring cup and microwave for 1-2 minutes on 50% power)
6 Tbs. butter, melted and cooled
3 large eggs
4 ¼ c. flour
¼ c. sugar
2 ¼ tsp. instant yeast
1 ¼ tsp. salt

Filling:
1/2 c. butter, softened to room temperature
1 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese
½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
3 tablespoons milk

For the dough, whisk the warmed buttermilk and melted butter together in a large liquid measuring cup.

In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine 4 cups of flour, sugar, yeast and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and eggs and mix until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes. Increase the mixer to medium speed and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes (or knead for 15-18 minutes by hand). If after 5 minutes of kneading, the dough is still overly sticky, add 1/4 cup flour 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough clears the sides of the bowl but has a slight tacky feel when pressed between your fingertips.

Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover the top tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled, about 2 to 2 ½ hours (Alternatively, you can preheat your oven to 170 degrees, and then turn it off and place your covered bowl inside for faster rising.)

Meanwhile, lightly grease an 11X17-inch rimmed baking sheet (or use a non-stick mat like a silpat). In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together. Set aside.

When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a lightly floured counter (or roul’pat) and press/roll it into a 18x14 inch rectangle (if you have doubled the recipe, split the dough in half and roll out one half at a time). Gently spread the softened butter over the rectangle using a rubber spatula. Sprinkle on the brown sugar mixture, leaving a 1/2-inch border along the top and bottom edges. Lightly use the palms of your hands to press the brown sugar mixture into the butter, adhering it to the dough.

Lift the long edge closest to you and begin rolling the dough into a tight log. Pinch the seam closed and roll the log so it is seam side down. Gently stretch or compress the log until it is to be 18 inches in length with an even diameter all the way throughout. Pat the ends to even them up.

Using a serrated knife, slice the log into 12 evenly sized rolls (or cut into 8 slices for amazingly thick rolls...just bake them for a few extra minutes), starting in the center. Arrange the rolls on the prepared baking pan and cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and a light dish cloth. Let the rolls rise in a warm place until doubled, 1 to 1 ½ hours (or a slightly warm oven for 20-25 minutes).

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-14 minutes, until the rolls are lightly golden on top and cooked through but not overly browned. In my oven it only takes about 11-12 minutes for soft, gooey rolls. Otherwise they will dry out.

While the rolls are baking, make the frosting. Combine butter and cream cheese and mix till fluffy and light. Combine milk and vanilla in a glass measuring cup. Alternately, add powdered sugar and wet ingredients to cream cheese mixture, beating until desired consistency. Add more milk (1 teaspoon at a time) to thin if needed.

Spread frosting on warm rolls and serve.


**ORANGE ROLL VARIATION**

Use buttermilk dough, but swap out the butter/cinnamon mixture and cream cheese glaze for the following.

Orange Filling:
1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
Grated orange rind/zest from two large oranges (reserving 1/2 teaspoon grated rind for the glaze below)

Orange Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice from about 1 orange
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind/zest reserved from the filling above

Better-Than-Your-Average Sloppy Joes

I have never been a fan of Sloppy Joes. I don't think I've ever eaten Manwich, but just the commercials from my childhood ruined me for life. That is, until I tried this version. They are sweet and tangy, and taste amazing on homemade buns or french bread rolls. The filling also freezes beautifully, so you can double it or save half for another day. Just thaw and reheat in a saucepan.

Better-Than-Your-Average Sloppy Joes
-Adapted from The Sisters Cafe-

1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 onion, diced
3/4 c. ketchup
2 T. brown sugar
1.5 T. mustard
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 T. Worcestershire sauce

In a large frying pan, saute onion till translucent. Add ground beef and brown. Drain grease and add remaining ingredients. Simmer 5-10 minutes until sauce has thickened slightly.

Serve on warm rolls or hamburger buns. THESE are our favorite buns.

BBQ Ranch Quesadillas

This is such a quick and easy meal that feeds a crowd very inexpensively! They are so flavorful and addicting....I guarantee your family will be asking for seconds!

I like to make my quesadillas in the oven so I don't have to stand over a hot stove (especially in the summertime) cooking them one by one. This way, everyone gets to eat at the same time! And a quick trick that will take your quesadillas from good to AMAZING is to butter and salt one side of the tortilla before filling them. MMMmmm....

I should also note that these measurements do not have to be exact at all. This is one of those "recipes" that is more like "dump-what-looks-good-in-the-bowl-and-no-one-will-know-the-difference." Feel free to add or remove any ingredients that you're not a fan of.

BBQ Ranch Quesadillas
-Alyssa Griffeth-

1/2 c. white rice, cooked (I try to use leftover rice, but I also keep little cups of "Minute Rice" on hand for this- One little cup is the perfect size.)
1/2 c. black beans
1 c. chicken, cooked and shredded
3/4 c. frozen sweet white corn
1 diced tomato
1/4 c. diced green or red onion
1/4 c. minced cilantro
2 c. shredded cheese (I like colby jack)
1/3 c. - 1/2 c. BBQ sauce (I like to use this amazingly easy homemade BBQ sauce, or Sweet Baby Ray's if I'm in a pinch)
10-12 flour tortillas (any kind will work, but Costco's uncooked "Tortilla Land" ones are the best!)
butter
kosher salt
1/2 c. bbq sauce
1/2 c. good ranch dressing (I like Lighthouse brand-- the refrigerated kind in the produce section)

Cook raw tortillas in a dry frying pan. Remove and cool while preparing the chicken mixture.

In a large bowl, combine rice, beans, chicken, corn, tomato, onion, cilantro, and cheese. Fold in bbq sauce and mix until evenly distributed. Add more bbq sauce if needed. The mixture shouldn't be drenched, but should be fairly well-coated.

Butter one side of tortillas. Place about 1/3 c. of chicken mixture on half of the tortilla and fold over. Place on a baking sheet. Sprinkle tops of quesadillas with kosher salt. (If you're trying to keep the recipe healthier, you can spray the stuffed tortillas with olive oil cooking spray to get the same crispy exterior.)

Bake at 375 degrees for 10-14 minutes, or until light brown and slightly crispy. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine desired amount of ranch and bbq sauce for dipping.

Cut each quesadilla in half and serve with bbq ranch dipping sauce.

**Note: The chicken mixture can easily be assembled and stored a day in advance. We also cook the tortillas ahead of time and store them in a large ziplock, so the assembling only takes a few minutes. We always have leftovers of these, so I just assemble what my family will eat, and make fresh ones the following day.