Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese frosting

 I love red velvet cake. It is not as good as chocolate cake but it is the second best.  I also love cheesecake. well who dose not. I wanted to kinda add them together. The first time I did this I made a red velvet cheesecake. That was really good but it took me a really long time. I admit if I eat cheesecake it is mostly never homemade. Of course this cupcake still has cheesecake but here is the difference.  If you try to make a whole cheesecake you have to whip and wait more.This cupcake has cheesecake but it is not over powerful to the red velvet cake.Now lets talk frosting.Frosting to me is the best part of the cupcake. When I eat a cupcake I lick off all the icing (and I mean all the icing). I know I know most people say that is weird but hey I don't.The best icing for red velvet cake is cream cheese without a doubt. They go really well together and its traditional so lets do it.  I love cupcakes,cream cheese frosting,red velvet cake,and cheesecake so this is awesome foe me and hopefully for you too.I have mead these twice and both times I loved them.Now I am really in the mood for one so I am probably going to make these later(you should do that too) Well I am going to end now and just put up the recipe so I can get started on these.My dad loves Red velvet cake and my mom loves cheesecake so this Valentines day  I am putting thwm together. Yo be honest This is super much better. Its easier and yummier!!!!!Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The red velvet with the cheesecake is amazing! I had cheesecake last night actually. It was pretty good but not the best. But I went to Toby's dinner theater on Friday and their cheesecake was a different story!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Red velvet and cream cheese are meant for each other. They found love. Since its Valentines day you need love so  that is why I am putting this on. These are as easy as anything to make to. You probably herd that cheesecake can be hard to make but not in here!  
Ingredients-
For the Red Velvet
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 oz. red food coloring
For the Cheesecake
2 packs cream cheese ,room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, room temperature
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions- 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with liners. This will make about 30 cupcakes. 
Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk. 
Whisk eggs in a medium bowl. Add remaining liquid ingredients and whisk until blended. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix on until completely combined. Place about 2 tablespoons of batter in each cupcake liner
Make the cheesecake- Mix cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and eggs with a hand mixer until smooth. Drop about 1-2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture on top of the cupcake batter. 
Bake about 15-18 minutes and let cool completely before frosting.
Make the frosting- Using a hand mixer, cream butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Slowly add in powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix until smooth. 
For the blue swirl effect, get your pastry bag ready . Take food coloring  and drip it down the bag at evenly spaced intervals, about 4 times. Add frosting  to bag and pipe onto cupcakes. 
Store in refrigerator before serving for at least one hour
Serve and enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!

Recipe adapted from-Crazy for crust

Valentine sandwich cookies

What is a Valentine sandwich cookie? Hold your horses I will tell you. It is 2 heart shaped cookies o top of each other. The first one has a jelly kind of filling type thing,. the second has a whole in it so you cam see the jelly and you can decorate it with frosting and sprinkles.. It sounds like a lot but its nothing.They taste great. So lets talk decoration. You can decorate these how ever you want. Thats part of the fun!!!!! So You can put the icing on, then you can put sprinkles of pipe designs. The possibilities are enless!These scream, dead out in your face, Valentines day. It is pink and its shaped like a heart. These rock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh guess what!!!!!!! Go on guess. You ready? I hope cause I don't feel like waiting. I made this really cute Valentines day saying. Want to hear it? Sure you do.

Lets put our Hearts together
Lets put our love in the middle
Lets put a Lets spread our love on top and sprinkle a kiss
Together lets make a Valentine sandwich cookie

               

Clever ha. I know what y'all are thinking, GO JAMIE,WE LOVE YOU, YOU ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!! Please hold the applause and no autographs. E-mail me if you want an autograph that bad! I totaly agree with you because I love me to!!!!!!!! Who dosen't love me? I made the poem then just got some clip art from goggle images. Do y'all get the poem. You probably do because it is "so creative" but I will explain it anyway. The cookies are shaped like hearts and there 2. Lets put "our hearts" together. Put the two cookies together. Then the love in the middle is the filling.Then the love on top is frosting and sprinkle a kiss is sprinkles. I am so creative ha.  I'm loving it!!!!! These are really good with hot chocolate. But to be fair, everything is good with hot chocolate. With some whipped cream,marshmallows,and chocolate chips it will make your day. Well I have a BIG recipe day tomorrow. So bye!!!!

Ingredients-

  1 cup butter

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar 

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1/2 teaspoon almond extract  

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

1 tsp baking soda 

1 teaspoon cream of tartar 

  Directions-

In a large bowl, cream together butter and confectioners' sugar. Beat in egg, vanilla and almond extract. Mix well. 

In a medium-large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar; blend into the butter mixture. Divide the dough into thirds and shape into balls. 

Roll out dough into desired thickness on a flat floured surface. For each heart sandwich cookie, cut out 2 3-inch hearts. Cut out the center of ONE of the 3-inch hearts with the 1 1/2-inch cutter. 

Place each piece separately on an ungreased cookie sheet, 1 - 2 inches apart. Bake in a preheated, 350  oven until lightly browned. Cool completely on wire rack. Frost bottom cookie with Pink  Frosting and place an open centered cookie on top to form the sandwich. Also frost the small 1 1/2 inch hearts and serve as separate cookies.

Ingredients for frosting- 

4 cups confectioners' sugar 

1/2 cup shortening 

5 tablespoons milk 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Pink or red food coloring 

1 jar of valentines day sprinkles

 Directions-

In a medium  bowl, cream together the confectioners' sugar and shortening until smooth. Slowly  mix in the milk and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth and stiff, about 5 minutes. Color with red or pink food coloring and sprinkle with sprinkles

Recipe adapted from-Allrecipes(with a delightful delicious dinner twist)

                       


                       

Cream puffs with chocolate sauce

 OMG!!!!!!!!!! Help me! I don't think I have ever told you this but I have a LOVE for cream puffs.  Well I found my Valentines! A cream puff! I love cream puffs!OMG,OMG I feel the tears!I want to try because I love them so much. A lot of people, when they bake they make brownies,cake,cupcake,cookies. A lot of people never do pastries like cream puffs,eclairs, dough cups and filling. I will be honest, Same with me. When I have sweet Saturdays I usually make cake and cookies and brownies, stuff like that. But, this is Valentines day. What is so special if I make it like every Saturday anyway? Nothing right'. So these are extra special!! I'm loving it. If you watch food network and cooking channel and all the baking shows, they make these things look extremely hard. To make a cream puff is simple. Like a cake, they make it and they pipe it and use fondant and me, well, I just spread it and put sprinkles on. Well, sometimes a pipe because I love decorating cake.Anyway,the presentation just looks so unique and difficult when it is really not. Like for the the chocolate sauce, I just drizzled it on. A lot of people here the word pastry and get all freaked out. Well don't be for this. A 5 year old could make this.So a lot of you might ask, "what kind of filling". I know pretty much all cream puffs have the same filling but people do ask this. It is a whipped cream filling. Which goes amazing with the chocolate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I'm loving it! Not to get of subject but,

Isn't that sweet. I love that.I found it on googe images. It is simple but elegant. Its so sweet. I love how Valentines day is full of flowers,chocolate,wine,romance, hugs&kisses,and  just love. I'm loving it! These Cream puffs just make it that much better.

The dough sandwich outside part taste amazing. It isn't sweet but more floury. But it is NOT dry. The filling gives it that dessert sweet flavor.Then the chocolate gives it a chocolate rich dessert flavor. As a garnish I finished it off with powdered sugar!These words are like on the type of my tongue.You can't describe these, you have to make them to believe how good they are!! Well have a good Valentines day. G2G, I have no idea wht I'm doing for dinner and apparently my family is starving. Call  Chick-Fil-A!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just kidding. I'm gonna go make, well I don't know. BYE!

Prep- 15 minutes
Cook- 1 hour
Ready in 1 hour 15 minutes
Makes 12 medium cream puffs

Ingredients- 
1 pint heavy cream 
1 tablespoon white sugar 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips  
1 cup water 
1/2 cup butter 
1 cup sifted

1/4 teaspoon salt  

4 eggs

1 cup powdered sugar 

Directions- 

Preheat oven to 450 

In medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add butter and stir as it melts, then return to a boil. Add flour and salt all at once and stir vigorously until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat and add eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously after each until smooth. Drop by heaping tablespoons, 3 inches apart, on a cookie sheet. 

Bake 15 minutes in oven then lower heat to to 325 and bake 25 minutes more. Remove puffs from oven, split and the  remove soft dough from center.Replace puffs to dry in cooling oven, 20 minutes more. Cool completely on wire rack. 

In medium bowl, whip cream with electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Stir in vanilla and sugar. Fill puffs with whipped cream. Melt chocolate chips in microwave or slowly over low heat. Drizzle melted chocolate on cream puffs, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Serve and enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Recipe adapted from-ALLrecips, dessert Valentines day-section,

Chocolate Covered Strawberries with white chocolate drizzle

Most osf us have had them and we love them!!!!!!!!!!! When I was a kid I liked making my friends these gift bag for Valentines day. I would make different kinds of truffles,cake pops, cream puffs, and chocolate covered strawberries. Chocolate covered strawberries are one of the easiest dessert to make.Well, they are. But they are one of my favorites. I don't know how this got started but for a long time people have been making chocolate covered strawberries. But the got a lot better. I watch this show called Cake Boss. I saw a valentines day special and there chocolate covered strawberries were  nuts! They made them look this tuxedos and all these thing.They also stuck candy to the chocolate! Like a candy apple. Its really cool. But I like simple and elegant on  Valentines day. So I am doing a simple milk chocolate with a white chocolate drizzle. The original recipe didn't have white chocolate so I added some! I have realized in my years cooking and working with kids, they want to help. They will be busting your chops trying to help you. They mean good but it some cases it just turns out bad. But after you mix the milk chocolate and the shortning, you can find more about this in  the directions.  They can help put toothpicks in the strawberries or drizzle the white chocolate. This is super easy so you can find something for them to do. Actually, my next recipe will probably be cookies for them to decorate. Or a nice roasted lamb. Anyway talk about that later. I'm not gonna do a second paragraph because y'all probably know what a chocolate covered strawberry taste like. Plus I'm not in the mood. These will give some love to your kitchen. Or bring your love a kitchen. Nah, first ones better. Well y'all have a Valentines day full of love and enjoy these!

Prep-15 minutes
Ready in 15 minutes
Makes 3 cups

Ingredients- 
16 ounces milk chocolate chips 
2 tablespoons shortening 
 1 pound fresh strawberries with leaves
1 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Ingredients- 
In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and shortening, stirring occasionally until smooth. Holding the by the toothpicks, dip the strawberries into the chocolate mixture. 
Insert toothpooks onto the top of the strawberries
Melt white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl until soft, mix until smooth
Using a metal spoon, drizzle white chocolate on top of strawberries.
Turn the strawberries upside down and insert the toothpick into styrofoam for the chocolate to cool.
Serve and enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Vanilla cupcakes with white chocolate, raspberry with buttercream frosting

LOVE!!!!! Its Valentines day! Well almost. But I am starting to put up recipes now. I wanted to start on Tuesday but I got the WORSE cold you can ever imagine and some throat problems. But I'm better now. Any way, When I think of Valentines day I think of chocolate, flowers, and cupcakes. Really I think of cupcakes. So I wanted to make some for my family. My dad, like I have told you isn't the biggest rich chocolate kind of guy. We made triple chocolate muffins for breakfast and he wasn't all in to them. My dad likes light vanilla cake with fresh fruit. He is a big raspberry fan so I decided to make these. I love the mix chocolate and raspberry. Raspberries are good with any type of chocolate. But its the best with white chocolate. White chocolate is sweet and light and  the raspberry is juicy and amazing so it works perfectly. Hey, you know how Valentines day is about love? You better! Well lots of people find love on Valentines day too. I'm no match maker but I still found the perfect match, they are perfect together! You know who I'm talking about? Raspberries and white chocolate! Now, the Buttercream is like a  different story. All the white chocolate and raspberries are in the frosting. The frosting isn't hard to make but I used a box mix for the cake. I know, I knoe it is Valentines day but I had to make other things to so don't judge me. For a garnish I just put a fresh raspberry on you. It taste good and looks good. Plus it gives it another Valentines day look! I'm loving it! The frosting isn't over powering with sweetness. Oh yeh there is a filling! I know I know I'm amazing. The filling is a fresh raspberry filling and it can go on anything it is amazing!

The frosting like so delicate and yummy!!!!!!!! I have never had a type of cupcake like this but ever since I have tries these I make it a ton! I'm loving this! This is super good. The best part is, seeing your valentines all happy and then you share a cupcake and live happily ever after. Well I will leave you to that part. BYE!

Prep-minutes
cook- 25 minutes
Ready in-1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

1  package vanilla cake mix 

1 cup water 

1/3 cup vegetable oil 

3 eggs 

  8 ounces fresh raspberries 

1 tablespoon water 

3 tablespoons white sugar 

  1 tablespoon cornstarch 

1/4 cup water 

2 cups white chocolate chips 

1 cup butter 

5 cups confectioners' sugar 

2 tablespoons milk

  

Directions-

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
3. Mix together vanilla cake mix, 1 cup water, vegetable oil, and eggs in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until cake mix is moist. Put mixer speed to medium and beat until batter is smooth, 2 minutes.
4. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling them about 2/3 full.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until cupcakes are very lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 23 minutes.
6. Cool cupcakes in the pans for 5 minutes, put cupcakes to cooling rack to finish cooling.
7. Place raspberries, 1 tablespoon water, and white sugar in a blender and pulse several times to chop raspberries; blend until pureed, about 30 seconds.
8. Whisk cornstarch with 1/4 cup water until thoroughly combined,pour mixture into the raspberry mixture in the blender and blend until smooth.
9. Pour raspberry mixture into a saucepan and simmer over low heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. Let it cool.
10. Cut a hole out of each cupcake about 1 1/2 inches long
11. Spoon about 2 tsp of raspberry filling into each cupcake.
12. Place white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30-second or until chips begin to melt, about 1 minute. Stir and repeat, heating chips about 10 seconds at a time, until thoroughly melted. Stir until chocolate is smooth and no more lumps remain.
13. Beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed in a mixing bowl until fluffy. Beat in half the confectioners' sugar, melted white chocolate chips, and milk until mixture is smooth and creamy.
14. Slowly beat in the  remaining confectioners' sugar until smooth. Spread or pipe frosting on cupcakes,drizzle or pipe any remaining raspberry filling over cupcakes( if you want)
15. Serve and enjoy

Greek salad with cranberries,feta cheese and toasted almonds

Salad!!!!!!!!!This is like a Greek salad and I am a ceaser type of gal! I know what y'all are thinking " wow, healthy for jamie" I know you are right! I am trying to eat healthier that is why every other Sunday I am having skinny Sunday with healthy recipes. This is like the easiest thing to make my neighbor can do it and she is three years old. She is the sweetest thing I can just eat her up. Just like I ma gonna eat this salad. The first time I ate this before the first bite I wouldn't put this in my mouth. I am not a salad fan. The exact opposite of my dad who eats salad like 3 times a day! But as soon as I got it in my mouth I couldn't get it out. I am dead serious y'all There is so many flavors in one bite with the crunch of the almond the saltiness of the feta cheese and the cranberries. This is a super healthy light dish that you can eat for lunch a light brunch or a side to a delightful delicious dinner. This is probably the best salad I have ever had and I had a lot of salads in my life.This has the best texture to. You get the salty crunch of the nuts and lettuce with chewy cranberries and creamy feta. The feta cheese. I DO NOT LIKE FETA CHEESE! Well, in this recipe I do because it is so yummy! I am loving it! I sware I never liked Feta cheese until I had this! I love this stuff!!!! My mouth loves this stuff! Everybody just likes this! It is a great way to get kids all there fruit,dairy,lettuce,and nutrients the need! Well I'm going food shopping so bye!

Prep -7 minutes
Ready in 7 minutes
Ingredients-
A bag of Bib or Romaine lettuce
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/2 a cup of dried cranberries
1/2 cup of sliced almonds
1 tsp of salt


Directions-
Wash lettuce and but in a bowl
Over a small pan over medium heat toast the almonds till lightly brown and put a tsp of salt on
But feta cheese and cranberries in the bowl with the lettuce and mix
Add the toasted almonds still very lightly warm
Mix everything together till well combined.
Serve and enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tomato basil eggplant Parmesaun

If you are a vegetarian or like vegetables you will love this. This burst with flavor in your mouth and will you will burst with excitement when you make it(I know I did) I love this dish it is super delicious and taste great at any time place or day. I love it how the great tomato and basil taste goes great with the Parmesan cheese flavor then the eggplant. I mean it is amazing. I love all the fresh flavors that gives you like,fresh bold taste that I wouldn't mind having all the time. This is a show stopper delightful delicious dinner and you will stop the show  as soon as you eat the fresh bold delicious flavors in this amazing dish.  I love having a great dinner with my family that dose not take long and is easy to make and this is just that.I actually got this from a family friend that my mom works with. She is Italian so I knew this would be super delicious but no way was I expecting this! OMG it was like my life flashed before my eyes. I love this so much! I don't know if this is my dinner cooking in the oven upstairs in my kitchen or if I'm really smelling this.Hold on a second. OMG that is so this dish. It is so good I can smell it from Italy! I am not a big veggie eater. I like meat, I'm a carnivore. So I was the most happy person about trying this but once I started I couldn't stop! It was so good and I was shocked with all th textures in this. Folks, I have seen thousands of pictures of Italy. Sure its beautiful but I'm sure your home is too and if you serve this, Well you are pretty much in Italy Oh, wait, Okay now I smell my dinner. I should probably go check on it hold on............................... Okay I'm back Sorry couldn't talk much but its dinner time! So g2g bye!!!!!!!!!ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Never herd but shes a wild one,oh oh thats how to do it! Y'all know that song? Its kinda old but I juat thought of it so... Okay now I really need to eat dinner bye!

Ingredients-
1 large eggplant peeled and sliced
1 TBL of olive oil
14 1/2 oz of tomato bisque (about a cam)
1/2 lb of fresh mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup of grated  Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup of  basil pesto

Directions-
Preheat an oven to 300
Place sliced eggplant on a backing sheet in a single layer
Drizzle olive oil on the eggplant and bake till dried and lightly soft (10-14 minutes)
Layer a bottom of a loaf pan with the tomato bisque add a layer of eggplant
Repeat  layers so there are more then 4 layers
Put any remaining soup on top
Top with sliced mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan 
Bake in the oven at 350 35-40 minutes until cheese is bubbly and top is lightly browned
Let cool then put basil pesto on top.Serve and enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!