Mocha Crunch Cupcakes

Mocha Cupcakes

1 cup flour

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar

1/3 cup plus 2 Tablespoons cocoa

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter. melted

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 Tablespoons instant coffee

1/2 cup hot coffee

Chocolate Sauce

2/3 cup dark chocolate

2 Tablespoons heavy cream

4 Tablespoons powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons water

Combine flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda and salt.

Combine eggs, butter and vanilla.

Add to dry ingredients and beat on medium speed for 1 minute.

Stir instant coffee into hot coffee. 

Pour into batter and stir until combined.

Scoop (or pour) batter into muffin cups.

Bake 18 minutes at 350.

Cool completely on wire racks.

Frost with chocolate buttercream.  Put in freezer for 10 minutes.

To make chocolate sauce:  Heat chocolate and whipping cream in the top of a double boiler, without stirring.

Stir melted chocolate.  Stir in powdered sugar.

Stir in enough water to make pouring consistency.

Chop whoppers, reserving 1 for the top of each cupcake.

Spoon chocolate sauce over frozen buttercream.  Sprinkle with chopped whoppers.

 Finish with another dollop of buttercream and a whopper.

Cooking Tips : 

Tips To Help You Start Cooking Like A Pro

Cooking is a necessity, but it can be a fun hobby too. Anyone can cook well if they have the right information and quality advice to help them learn. The article will provide some of that learning material to get you need to inspire the cook in you!

If you're trying to start making more food yourself, take a trip to a local library or bookstore where you can find many cookbooks with recipes you can enjoy making at home. Try different recipes and be patient as you come up with something that works for you.

Preparation is one of the most important things that you will have to do before you cook a meal for family or family. Gather all of your ingredients beforehand. This will allay some of your fears and anxiety levels.

Your spices should be stored in a cool place that is dark and cool. Your culinary preparations will be even more delicious if your spices are fresher.

You can also use it on other foods besides meat. Try using it to season roasted pumpkin seeds sprinkled with the seasoning for a tasty snack or mix it in your scrambled eggs. People will wonder on what the secret ingredient.

Garlic can transfer to your hands. Try rubbing your hands on stainless steel sink after you work with the garlic or other potent ingredients. This will help get rid of the scent off of you are handling.

Make enough so that you can freeze the excess and use it later. Good chicken stock that you make at home makes a great starter for soups, casseroles, casseroles and more.

This keeps them from burning up while the food is cooking process. Use two parallel skewers as opposed to a single skewer to avoid food intact.

If you are serving a salad with a meal where you have guests, keep the dressing on the side, allow your guests to put the dressing on themselves. Some people enjoy lots of dressing than others; let guests pour their own dressing. Make sure you have a wide selection of dressings to choose from.

Do not use wine when cooking a recipe that you have not tasted. There is wine available that are used just for cooking.

You can dry out your own dried tomatoes. You can use Roma tomatoes cut lengthwise, or by cutting Roma tomatoes in half lengthwise. Dried tomatoes may also be put in a jar with fresh herbs and olive oil. The jars can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Storing herbs and spices in a warm locations will lead them to lose their flavor.

Place unripe fruits in a plastic bag that is perforated right after you buy them. If you put them in a perforated plastic bag, and the gas will stay in, keeping the fruit fresh and tasty.

Follow the instructions carefully whenever you are making macaroni and cheese. The macaroni will be perfect and is to die for once the nice velvety cheese is melted over the noodles. Use a non-slotted spoon to serve to make sure you get plenty of cheese scooped up with the macaroni. Use pepper to add a little spice to your macaroni and cheese!

Save approximately 1/4 cup of this water. When you mix your pasta and sauce, add some of the saved water. The addition of the sauce via amalgamation.

The salt will keep the herbs on the cutting board and also adds some extra flavor as well. Do not add too much salt as you are cutting the herbs. The salt that is added to your herbs will provide enough flavor.

Good cutting utensils are an excellent investment for maximizing functionality in the kitchen. Dull blades are the cause of more accidents than sharp ones.

Spices will rapidly lose flavor if exposed to heat, light and humidity. This will only exposes the spices to elements that will make them lose their flavors.

Learn a little bit about any vegetables or fruits you haven't worked with before. You might be surprised how much you can do with that your research leads to many great new ways to use the food.

Use a stackable cooling rack that is stackable. Stackable cooling racks help you to use the available space most efficiently. Stacking in vertical layers opens up the space you have plenty of room.

Bouillon cubes can also work. This gives the food while adding more flavor.

Try ketchup as a secret batter ingredient for your fried foods. Ketchup isn't only a condiment to dunk your food in, but it can also be used to dip chicken or vegetables into before dipping in breadcrumbs.

Put the juiciest ingredients like tomatoes on the bottom, juicier ingredients like tomatoes on the bottom and lighter ingredients like lettuce and croutons on top.

Make sure you are using the correct potatoes in your recipes. Potatoes can be waxy, mealy or waxy. Russet potatoes are common kind of mealy potatoes. Waxy potatoes are good for steaming or boiling because they keep their shape well when heated. The most popular waxy potato varieties are red or regular white potatoes.

Certain fruits, including avocados, bananas, apples, quickly turn brown as their cut sides oxidize. Lemon or salt water can do an adequate job of staving off the browning process, but the best flavor to use to stop the browning is by dipping the fruit in pineapple juice. A small dip works well, so don't worry about leaving it to soak.

Learn to appreciate sturdy greens that appear in the colder months. Once the first first has occurred, certain winter greens, including kale, collards and kale, taste a lot sweeter. Wash greens thoroughly as they tend to accumulate lots of dirt. Submerge the greens in a bowl of cool water, shake them off, and then rinse until their water is clear.

Cooking isn't just about getting food to the table. It is not only fun to do, but it tastes good as well. You may have the occasional flop but with the help of the advice in this article, those flops are sure to occur less often. Use these tips in your kitchen to help you accomplish culinary success.

Super Advice For Becoming A Great Cook

Even casual cooks can learn new every now and then. Use these tips and make some great food in the kitchen.

Preparation is one of the most important prior to cooking a meal for your friends or family. Make sure you have all of the ingredients available. This will allay some of your fears and anxiety levels.

You do not want to deal with the stress by sticking to familiar recipes and food you have ever done before. This can lessen the stress you may feel.

Quickly cooking vegetables allows them crispier and more nutrient-filled.Vegetables which are cooked slowly can lose a lot of their taste and nutrition. These cooking techniques make the vegetables in general. Cooking better vegetables is all about cooking them for only a short amount of time is essential.

Use fresh ingredients whenever possible, as they bring out the flavor in a dish, and they may cost less over the long run.

They will act somewhat like sponges and absorb the water. Wipe the mushrooms off with a damp cloth that is damp.

This will stop the skewer from burning when they are cooking. Use two parallel skewers as opposed to a single skewer to keep food falling off.

You must read the food labels when you're purchasing ingredients for a recipe. Many common cooking supplies contain hidden ingredients. You want to ensure that anything you buy is not high in sugar or sodium.

Prepare some of your food the night before if you cannot handle doing everything in one night. Cut up vegetables and make the sauce the night before so you can save time. You will feel less stressed and a bit more eager to cook the next day.

Storing these items in warm locations will lead them to lose their flavor.

It is necessary for all cooks to have their cooking supplies. If your supplies are disorganized, you'll constantly be wasting time looking for what you need. Try to keep similar items in one area. For example, place parsley and basil in one cabinet, put them in the same cabinet.

Make sure you thoroughly clean your utensils are cleaned prior to cooking.Any residual food matter missed during washing can spoil the dish you plan on cooking next. This could cause a lot of very serious problems due to the spread harmful bacteria.

Use a generous amount of salt in your pasta water used to cook pasta.This will help season the salt to be absorbed by the pasta. Salting cooked pasta will not have the flavor.

One great cooking tips you can find is to use your imagination. You do not have to follow the recipe word for word. That is the mark of cooking finesse make a real chef!

Save around 1/4 cup of water after cooking your pasta. When you mix your pasta and sauce, add this little amount of water to the mix. The pasta water's starch adds a "creaminess" to the sauce and make it creamier.

This way, you prevent yourself from using too much gas or heat when cooking, or save yourself danger when cooking.

If you're going to be barbecuing, the grill should be readied prior to the event so it is good to go when you are. The grill should be prepared 30 minutes before your coals are hot enough to start grilling.The coals should be at medium heat and covered in ash. This is the optimal temperature to begin grilling your food.

Purchase quality cutting utensils for your kitchen. You are less likely to harm yourself with old and dull one.

It is important to maintain a wooden cutting boards. A cutting board made from wood can crack and warp if it is exposed to excessive moisture, heat or dryness. Do not immerse the cutting board in water, instead, soapy water. You can find oil designed for this purpose.Make sure that the cutting board has completely dried before you use it.

There are different ways to correctly heat tortillas. One suggestion is to place tortillas on the oven rack after preheating it to 350 degrees and reach desired cripness. You can also heat the tortillas by placing them on a gas stove. These methods will give you a much tastier tortilla than microwaving.

Trussing refers to the method of tying a turkey with string. Trussing helps to keep the legs and wings to the bird closely. If you don't truss your bird, the tips of them could easily burn while the remainder of the bird does not cook.

Spices quickly lose their flavor when they are exposed to excessive light, humidity, or warm. This exposure will only exposes the spices to the elements which make them to lose flavor.

Add spices to your dishes once they've been cooked. Pepper, garlic powder, cayenne seasoning, and garlic are yummy additional seasonings you can add. Many people like different tastes when it comes to spice.Each person can then have their own special version of your meal that they will love.

You might be very stressed out about preparing for family meal. Instead of leaving everything until crunch time, try to have everything ready to go in advance. Set out your ingredients, utensils and spices the night before, and assemble ingredients.

Fruit is especially delicious cooked on the grill. Try taking slices of melon, nectarines, or melon and threading them on a skewer. Cook them on a cleaned grill until you see grill marks. Serve these grilled slices of fruit with some ice cream or a pound cake.

Shake things up if your family is tired of seeing the same old frozen sweet corn on the table at dinner each night. Add coconut flakes to the corn to provide a Thai-inspired taste.

If you have a desire to improve your cooking, you should pay attention to advice and suggestions that come your way. These tips will give you the knowledge and confidence necessary to make every meal a great one.

Owl Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 Box of Chocolate Cake Mix
• Eggs
• Oil
• Chocolate frosting
• Oreos – Split – Keep the side that has the frosting
• Reese’s Pieces – Brown and Yellow Pieces

Instructions

1. Bake cupcakes according to the cake box instructions ( this is when you will be using the egg and oil)
2. Let the cupcakes completely cool
3. Frost each cupcake – I dabbed the frosting with a knife to give it more texture)
4. Place 2 oreo sides on each cupcake — make sure the oreos are not touching
5. Frost one side of 2 brown reese’s pieces and place on each oreo
6. Place one yellow piece in the middle of the cupcake to be the owl’s beak
7. AND you are done!!! Sure simple and cute — my two favorite things 
8. Enjoy!

Cooking Tips : 

Tips And Helpful Hints For Aspiring Cooks

Cooking skills are a very valuable skill that can make your daily life more comfortable. Cooking at home not only saves money but ensure that you are eating delicious and is way cheaper.

Preparation is incredibly important prior to cooking a meal for your friends or family. Gather all the ingredients well in advance.This process will reduce your fears and anxiety when it is time to cook the meal.

Partially chill meat so it becomes easier to slice it into thin strips. This is best for meats to be used with Asian cuisine. Allow the meat to thaw prior to cooking though, so you can be sure that the strips all cook evenly.

To make your French fries crispier, try leaving the raw potatoes in some cold water for half an hour before you fry them.

Quickly cooking vegetables makes them to retain much of their nutritional value. Vegetables that are cooked slowly can lose their taste and valuable nutrients. These speed-cooking techniques usually produce vegetables more nutritious overall. Cooking better vegetables for only a short amount of time is essential.

Ice cube trays can be a great tool for freezing and storing leftover sauce. This makes it easier for you to make a quick meal by reheating the sauce using a saute pan. The sauce will be very edible after it is frozen.

Is it hard for you to know how long to grill your meat should stay on the grill? Use a good meat thermometer to tell when it is cooked properly.

This will ensure that the fruit stays fresh for long periods of time. You will also have the added benefit of having fruits out of season whenever you want them.

If the recipe calls for water, you could easily use chicken broth, beef broth, or juice when suitable. Instead of using milk, you can substitute yogurt, yogurt or buttermilk. Using different liquids can increase nutrition and give a standby dish a new flavor.

Always select fresh garlic to get the full flavor in your dishes. A good rule of thumb for garlic: Fresher means sweeter.Fresh garlic will have firm and lacks bruises.

Leave the bone in your roast when you are cooking and pressed for time. The bone helps distribute the cooking process by distributing the heat directly to the roast.

Prepare some of your food the day before to save time and headaches. Cut up veggies and make the sauce the night before going to bed at night. You will feel less stressed and more ready to cook when you wake up.

You should consider replacing your spices biannually and buy new ones.The flavor of spices fade just a few months after opening the container. If you do not think you will use all of the spice within six months, share some of it with a fellow cook.

Always clean your utensils that are spotlessly clean. Any residual food post-washing can spoil the dish you intend to cook. This could allow for bacteria to spread.

To avoid burning your food, it is of the utmost importance to stay organized. Having all your kitchen tools handy and organized cooking area will help you turn out a good meal. Being disorganized means having difficulty finding things and quite possibly ruining an entire dish, which makes you miss out on the goodies that you could be indulging in.

You should clean your dishes as you use them to cook.

If you are going to have a barbecue, it's a good idea to prepare your grill beforehand so that it's already ready for you when you need it. The grill should be prepared 30 minutes before your coals are hot enough to start grilling.The heat should have an ash covering and should emit medium heat. This is the right temperature to begin grilling.

You can also add bouillon cubes in the water that you are using. This gives the food while also adding another level to the taste profile.

Red potatoes have thin of a skin to hold a thicker filling.

You might be very stressed out about preparing a large meal for an important family meal. Instead of succumbing to panic, try to have everything ready to go in advance. Set out measurements, ingredients, and assemble ingredients.

Use cooking oil to help prevent sticky foods!Before you even measure, lightly coat the spoon with a cooking oil which has little flavor, like canola oil, and the substance being measured will slide off the spoon easily, which will reduce the waste and will make clean up easier. This works well for honey and peanut butter too.

Shake things up if your family is tired of the same old frozen corn on the table at dinner each night. Add coconut to sweet corn for a very exotic flavor.

Learn how to use color in your cooking. Colorful additions to your eyes and tend to be very healthy.Put your creativity and imagination to work when choosing colorful foods for your meals, and your dishes are sure to get eaten every time.

This allows the fat to congeal on the top. The fat can then be removed and discarded. This helps you to remove hundreds of calories per teaspoon that is removed.

Fresh fruits like avocados, bananas, avocados, bananas, peaches and pears are likely to turn brown when sliced and exposed to air. Lemon and salt water will stop the process, but it's better to use is pineapple juice.A quick dip will work just fine, so don't go dunking the fruit in the juice.

Learn to relish hardy greens that appear in the colder months. Once the first frost passes, certain winter greens taste sweeter, including broccoli rabe, collards and kale, taste a lot sweeter. Wash the greens tend to absorb dirt easily. Submerge your greens in a sink full of cold water, shake off, and shake off the excess water.

Following these tips can help you understand that cooking at home can be easy! Once you improve through practice, you can see how healthy and delicious food cooked at home can be, and how much it can save you. Homemade meals are a great way to be sure that everyone in your family is getting good, healthy nutrition every day. Learn to make wonderful meals for your family by following these tips.

Find The Cooking Help Anyone Can Use

Are you amazed by the meals that your loved ones are able to make?The helpful tips in this article can make anyone a great cook.

There are ways to fix your hard work and be able to use it instantly. Start with about two tablespoons and add more until you reach the desired consistency. Stir it into your sauce as it simmers and this will get thicker. The mixture should be added slowly so that it does not make the sauce too thick.

You should never attempt to cook new or extravagant recipes you enjoy. This will make cooking experience is stress-free.

To make your French fries crispier, try leaving the raw potatoes in some cold water for half an hour before you fry them.

Plan on preparing a big pot of stock in order to freeze and store it. Good chicken stock that you make at home makes a great starter for soups, stews, stews and other dishes.

Oil or butter both have fat that is often unnecessary. Try using nonstick cooking sprays that will help your food not contain anything unhealthy and keep it free from fats that contribute little to a healthy lifestyle.

If the recipe has called for water, switch it up by using a broth, juice, or cooking liquids. You can try out buttermilk, yogurt or sour cream in place of the milk.Using different liquids can add a bit of zest to a favorite recipe and improve their flavor.

Prepare some of your food the night before if you cannot handle doing everything in one night. Cut up vegetables and make marinades or sauces before so you can save time. You will feel less stressed and more ready to cook the next day.

Never trash the leftovers whenever you have cooked a turkey for Thanksgiving or another meal. Cut it up and put it away in airtight containers. The turkey can later be used for making sandwiches or as a salad ingredient.

Place unripened fruits in a plastic bags you have poked small holes into. If you put them in the bag with holds the air will go through the bag, the air can circulate and assure that the gas is retained, helping the fruits retain their wonderful taste.

Use a substantial amount of salt in your pasta water when you are cooking pasta. The seasonings in the water will infuse the pasta along with the water. Salting pasta after cooking will not have the same effect.

One great cooking tip is just be flexible and creative; do your imagination. You do not follow a recipe word for word. That is a creative cook!

Impress family and friends when you make a simple sandwich by placing the mayonnaise evenly across the entire slice of bread. An even spread will ensure that every single bite to bite.

Buy good-quality knives for food preparation. You are less likely to harm yourself with a sharp knife than a dull utensils.

Learn about any vegetables or fruits you haven't worked with before. You might be surprised of the possibilities you can do with that new food.

There are a wide variety of potatoes, and they are not all the same.

Set a timer in parallel with the oven timer.

Stacking cooling racks are a lifesaver in the kitchen. Stackable racks help you use the available space most efficiently. Stacking in vertical layers opens up the space you have plenty of room.

The very high temperature in a microwave will cause the oil to leave the food. Baking will keep all its parts cohesive.

This will prevent you from having to go to the store in the middle of your meal is burning. It is actually quicker to prepare everything in advance than to try to locate items while you lots of preparing a dish.

Use ketchup in your fried foods. Ketchup isn't only a condiment to dunk your food in, prior to covering it in breadcrumbs.

Dark green leafy vegetables are super nutritious, but they are very healthy. Removing the stems is laborious and tiresome. Make it easy by folding the leaf and then break out the stem.Use your knife to sever the stem from the folded leaf.

Those who enjoy cooking fish dishes should try taking DIY to the next level and do some fishing to get their raw ingredients.

Learn to use color as a guide to cooking.Colorful foods appeal to your meals will add both nutrition and tend to be very healthy. If you use color, they will be eaten very quickly.

Fresh fruits like avocados, bananas, avocados, peaches, and apples may turn brown if left exposed to air. Lemon or salt water can do an adequate job of staving off the browning process, but the best flavor to use to stop the browning is by dipping the fruit in pineapple juice. A brief submersion will be effective, so there is no need to soak the fruit.

One highly effective and simple way to cook some new tasting food is to change the spices you use on a regular basis. Something that people often forget about is shopping at ethnic food store for new spice ideas.

Follow the advice you find helpful and within your means. Everyone you know will be bothering you for cooking tips!