Sunday Dinna

I spent all day yesterday snuggled up on the couch various watching Lifetime movies and only left to do my laundry downstairs. NYC was fah-reezing cold and wet and was the complete opposite of Saturday's picture perfect weather. I welcomed the rain with open arms because it forced me to stay in and recharge. And with that always comes experimenting in the kitchen. This was the easiest chicken to make, just slice a sliver or I called it a "flap" on top, stuff with your favorite goat cheese (I used feta), and chopped peppers, a bit of garlic and parsley then drizzle with olive oil and put in a baking dish with oil and bake in the oven for about an hour. Squeeze a bit of lemon on the chicken when it comes out of the oven, and serve with jasmine rice. Voila!

Gray Skies

It was a gray day in NYC when I took these photos at Central Park, but I felt compelled to share. My photography class "homework" assignment was to take pictures of my neighborhood, and while I wish I lived in the first brownstone bordering the park in the first image, I stretched the neighborhood boundary for these photos. I consider Central Park to be everyone's "neighborhood" park in NYC. I think they actually came out to be a really great portrayal of the park on a lazy Sunday. Tomorrow, I plan to hit the streets and get some sunny day photos (praying for no rain!)

Easter Weekend: Part 1

This past weekend I decided to try baking cupcakes from scratch since I had a suburban sized kitchen at my disposal.  I thought vanilla cupcakes would be a guaranteed crowd pleaser for Easter Sunday. The vanilla cake recipe is from allrecipes (below) and the buttercream frosting was thanks to Martha Stewart. I slightly overcooked the cupcakes by putting them in for 20 minutes, so I would suggest setting the timer for 15 and checking with a toothpick. I must say her frosting exceeded my expectations and I don't think I will ever buy frosting from a jar again. I added two drops of color to a cup of frosting to get the pastel effect. They were almost too pretty to eat!

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 pinch salt
• 5 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
•  1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a standard muffin tin with 12 paper cupcake liners. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
2. Heat the butter and milk in a small saucepan over low heat until the butter has melted. Beat the sugar, eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla with an electric mixer in a large bowl until it has thickened slightly and is lighter in color. Gradually beat in the flour mixture on low speed until just incorporated. Slowly pour in the hot milk, beating until just combined. 
3.  Divide batter evenly between cupcake liners. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan for 10 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Cook's Note If you want to double this recipe just use 5 whole eggs instead of 4 eggs plus 2 egg yolks to make your life easier.

Basic Buttercream

• Yield Makes about 4 cups

Ingredients

• 12 ounces (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Beat butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes.
2. Reduce speed to medium. Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition, about 5 minutes. (After every 2 additions, increase speed to high, and beat for 10 seconds, then reduce speed to medium-high). Add vanilla, and beat until buttercream is smooth. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. (Bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth before using.)