Hummingbird Cupcakes

   Lately I’ve heard a lot of talk about Hummingbird Cake. I’ve never in my life heard of a Hummingbird Cake let alone tasted one but the reviews have been nothing but positive. I asked for a recipe and got a few that were similar. After seeing what was in the cake I knew I’d have to make one sooner or later.


   We buy bananas a few times a month and usually when they start getting brown I make banana bread. This time, when I saw two of our bananas getting brown I went right to the local grocery store (Martin’s) and bought a can of pineapple and some pecans.

   I was initially planning on making the actual cake but the more I thought about it I decided cupcakes would be better because we could eat some and I could take some into work. I checked two of the recipes I printed out and made some adjustments to turn them into cupcakes. The batter looked and tasted good.

   I put them in the oven and the smell was heavenly. It was sugary with a hint of citrus and bananas. I couldn’t wait to get them out of the oven. They took a little longer to cook then I thought they would, but they came out looking wonderful. After cooling I put on the cream cheese frosting and a pecan on top.

   After the first bite Frank and I could not believe we had never had these before. They were amazing! The cupcakes were moist and sweet with a subtle taste of the bananas, pineapples, and pecan. There was also a hint of spice to them. They were perfect.

   Because it’s just the two of us in the house I only frosted a few cupcakes at a time and kept the remaining icing in the refrigerator since it has cream cheese in it. We learned the next morning that the unfrosted cupcakes make a great breakfast muffin! I can’t wait for our next dinner party or birthday to share these with all of our friends.
Hummingbird Cupcakes (adapted from Southern Living )

For the cake:

3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
½ t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 ½ c. sugar
1 t. ground cinnamon
3 large eggs, beaten
½ c. vegetable oil
½ c. cinnamon applesauce
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, with juice
1 c. chopped pecans
2 ripe bananas, chopped

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 (8 ounce) package of 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 pound powdered sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. vanilla
24 pecans for decoration
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin tin cups with paper liners.

2. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl.

3. In a small bowl beat the three eggs. Add to the dry ingredients along with the oil and applesauce. Stir until the mixture is just moist. (Do not use a mixer). Stir in the vanilla, pineapple (with juice), pecans, and bananas until just mixed in.

4. Pour the batter into prepared muffin tins filling each cup ¾ of the way full. Bake for 22-24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

5. Cool in the muffin tins for 5 minutes then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
For the frosting:

1. Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with a mixer. Add the powdered sugar 1 c. at a time until fully incorporated. Stir in vanilla and cinnamon.

2. Spread or pipe 1 ½ T. of icing on each cupcake. Top with a pecan. (Store extra icing in the refrigerator).

Frosted Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

     The last couple of days my husband has been craving cupcakes and chocolate. Every night after dinner he’s been telling me how much he’d like a cupcake or something with hot fudge sauce on it. I finally gave in last night and decided I’d make him some cupcakes. After looking in the pantry to see what type of ingredients we had, I decided to make him chocolate chip cupcakes with chocolate icing. This way I could have the cupcakes without the icing and not have too much chocolate.

     I looked through my recipes but couldn’t find any for chocolate chip cupcakes. I figured I’d just make a basic butter yellow cupcake batter and add in the chocolate chips. The results were a soft, moist cupcake that seemed to be a cross between a cookie and a cake. I had mine without icing. I iced my husband's with chocolate icing topped with nuts and a cherry to make it a sundae cupcake. He loved them!

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

1 stick of butter at room temperature
4 oz. cup of light applesauce
¾ c. light brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg white
1 ½ c. all-purpose flour
½ t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
¼ t. salt
½ c. milk
1 t. vanilla
¾ c. chocolate chips
1. Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners (12 cupcakes). In a bowl, mix the butter, applesauce, and brown sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and egg white beating well.

2. Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir well. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture on low speed. Add the milk and mix at medium speed. Stir in the rest of the flour mixture until just blended.

3. Add the vanilla and chocolate chips and stir with a spatula.

4. Divide the cupcake batter between 12 cupcake liners. Fill the cups about ¾ of the way full. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

5. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

6. After they are cooled, top with chocolate icing. Sprinkle with nuts and a cherry if desired.

Chocolate Frosting (adapted from Hershey’s)



1 stick of butter or margarine
1/2 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup 2% milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency.

2. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Chicken Tortellini Soup

    My darling husband and I haven’t been feeling well the past few days and all we’ve wanted is soup. I’ve made chicken soup, vegetable soup, and potato soup; all of my standards. I was looking for something that was healthy but substantial. I remembered that my next door neighbor had given me a homemade recipe book with all of her soup recipes. She’s a great cook so I knew that any of the recipes would be great.

    I decided to try the chicken tortellini soup. It has a chicken broth base but then adds in some vegetables and the tortellini to make it substantial. I was shocked by how easy and fast this soup in to make, and how wonderful it is! It’s the perfect soup to make when you aren’t feeling well because it’s hearty but easy to make.
Chicken Tortellini Soup

½ pound boneless, skinless chicken tenders
1 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 c. chicken broth
2 c. water
1 pound package of fresh or frozen tortellini
1 (10 oz) package fresh or frozen spinach
1 (16 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 t. pepper

1. In a skillet heat the olive oil.

2. Cut the chicken tenders into 1/2 inch pieces and add to skillet. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until you cannot see anymore pink on the outside of the chicken pieces. Remove from heat.

3. In a large stockpot melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook until browned and crunchy.

4. Add chicken broth and water to the stockpot and bring to a boil. Add the chicken and tortellini then reduce heat.

5. Simmer for 15 minutes on low heat. Slowly add the spinach and tomatoes (including the juice) and simmer for 10-15 more minutes.

6. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

Sizzling Sixteen-Stephanie Plum Series

    I’d like to begin by saying how much I love the Stephanie Plum series. I’ve read them all and am pleased that the movie is being filmed in my hometown of Pittsburgh. I’ve had a birthday card and a book for my wedding signed by Janet Evanovich.


    With that said, I was highly disappointed with the sixteenth installment of the Stephanie Plum series. The book is Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich. The book begins with Stephanie’s cousin Vinnie being kidnapped by his bookie because he is unable to pay his gambling debt. After hearing that Vinnie will be killed if his debts aren’t paid Stephanie, Lula, and Connie decide to find Vinnie and raise the money needed to pay his debt. After all, if Vinnie’s dead they are all out of work.

    Along the way they run into cows, men shooting at them, and even an alligator. The plot is very similar to many of the others in this series. Stephanie gets herself into trouble, Ranger comes to the rescue, and Morelli still takes home the girl. Oh, and Stephanie blows up yet another car.

    In the end the girls come up with the money, save Vinnie, and their jobs. While there were some tense, almost steamy scenes with Ranger, Stephanie still in unsure of which man in her life she will choose. Personally, I wish she would give Ranger a chance and then pick a man for good. I feel for Ranger who does nothing but feed, give cars to, and rescue Stephanie only to have her run back into Morelli’s arms at the end of the book.

    I’m giving this book 2 ½ out of 5 stars (and that’s only because I really enjoy the earlier books and hope the next one get better.)

Hot & Sour Soup

We love eating Chinese food. The problem is, when we go to a Chinese buffet we end up eating way too much. Whenever I try reproducing Chinese dishes at home, they never quite taste the way they do at the restaurant. However, I was looking through my Cooking Light magazine and found a recipe for Hot and Sour Soup. We are avid tofu lovers so I gave it a whirl.

It is absolutely delicious! I think this recipe may be even better then the hot and sour soup we get in the restaurant. It has that sourness to it that we love but the amount of mushrooms and tofu that go into the soup balance it nicely. We topped it with some crunchy Chinese noodles and had pork eggrolls on the side to make a complete meal.

Hot and Sour Soup

1 package of extra firm water-packed tofu
6 c. vegetable broth
2 c. water
1/3 c. white vinegar
3 T. low sodium soy sauce
1 T. finely chopped fresh ginger (or powdered if you don’t have fresh)
1 T. sugar
1 t. pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 oz. mushrooms, chopped
3 T. cornstarch
¾ c. canned sliced bamboo shoots
1 egg
½ c. sliced green onions
1 c. crunchy Chinese noodles (if desired)


1. Place tofu on several paper towels. Cover with several more paper towels; top with a heavy skillet for 10 minutes to drain tofu. Throw paper towels away and cut tofu into 1/2 inch pieces.

2. Bring chicken broth and 1 ½ c. of the water to a boil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Stir in vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, sugar, pepper, garlic, and mushrooms. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. In a small bowl combine cornstarch and remaining ½ c. water. Whisk until smooth. Slowly stir the cornstarch mixture into the soup. Add tofu and bamboo shoots and bring to a boil.

4. Cook for 5 minutes then remove from heat.

5. In a small bowl beat the egg. Slowly drizzle the egg into the soup (it will form ribbons of egg). Do not stir!

6. Return soup to low heat and cook 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with green onions and crunchy noodles.

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Meatless Mondays

Chicken with Spinach Tomato Ragout

I love chicken. I would eat chicken at least 3 times a week if my husband would let me. Lately we’ve been having the same old chicken dishes and he was quickly tiring of them. I found a recipe here for chicken with a spinach tomato ragout. It sounded fantastic! I made a few subtle changes to the recipe and made it the next day. It turned out really well and had a ton of flavor. I think next time I’ll serve it over top of noodles and make it a pasta dish from it.

Chicken with Spinach Tomato Ragout

2 T. olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken tenders
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1 T. smoked paprika
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
½ c. mushrooms, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
2 handfuls of fresh spinach, roughly chopped
¾ c. chicken broth

1. Heat olive oil in a pan.

2. Season the chicken tenders with salt, pepper, and paprika. Add to pan. Cook 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown.

3. Add the onions and garlic to the pan. Cook 2 minutes.

4. Add mushrooms to pan and cook for 3-4 minutes.

5. Put tomatoes in pan and sauté for an addition 2 minutes.

6. Add spinach to the pan and toss ingredients.

7. Add chicken broth and simmer for about 5-7 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 170 on the chicken tenders. Serve over spaghetti if desired.

Moloka'i

     Moloka'i, a novel of historical fiction, was written by Alan Brennert. We are introduced to seven-year-old Rachel Kalama, the youngest in her family. She is surrounded by a loving family who begin to greive when her Uncle Pono is found to have leprous sores. He is sent to the Kahili hospital in Oahu and then goes on to the Kalaupapa leper colony on Molokai. Not long after he leaves, young Rachel discovers a sore on her own leg. During a fight with her older sister at school her sister reveals that Rachel is a leper. Rachel is immediately removed from her home and sent to Molokai.

     What could be a horrific experience turns into a story of happiness, love, caring, and growth. Rachel has an uncle who lives nearby and visits her. She becomes friends with a nun who cares for her at the girls’ home. Even her father makes the expensive, treacherous trip to Molokai several times to visit her. While many of her friends become sick and die, Rachel’s symptoms remain mild throughout her childhood.
     As an adult, Rachel is able to maintain her own home in the Kalaupapa settlement and eventually meets Kenji, a fellow victim of leprosy. The two quickly fall in love and marry. Soon after their marriage they have a beautiful, healthy baby girl. Unfortunately their joy quickly turns to sorrow when they realize they must give her up for adoption so that she may have a life outside of the leprosy colony.
     Years later Kenji gets into a fight that ends his life. Rachel grieves for him daily until she receives news she never thought would come: she’s cured; she may leave Molokai. She leaves Molokai in search of the family who never contacted her once she left for the leprosy colony. While hesitant, she also searches for the daughter she gave up over 30 years ago.

     This story is a journey of Rachel’s life with leprosy. It’s a glimpse into the life of many lepers in Hawaii in the early 1900’s. There are many times when Rachel and the others begin to feel sorry for themselves and their fellow friends at Molokai, but there are just as many happy times. It’s a beautiful story of a little girl who overcomes her disease to make it back to the family she left 60 years before. The story is inspirational and uplifting. This book is one that I won’t soon forget.
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Baked Zucchini Sticks

My parents have a wonderful vegetable garden at their house and are always growing more then they can eat. Unfortunately, we live two and a half hours away and don’t get to see them more then once a month. We got to see them this past weekend and when we came home it was with a grocery bag filled with cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, and green beans.


I easily used up the cucumbers to make my husband’s favorite cucumber onion salad. The tomatoes I use to make marinara sauce. I was looking for something easy but tasty to make out of the zucchini. My husband suggested fried zucchini. I remembered seeing a recipe for baked zucchini sticks HERE and decided to make them.

I tried baking the zucchini and they were much bette then expected! The zucchini came out crisp and golden brown. The red pepper adds a nice kick to the traditional fried zucchini. I ate mine with marinara sauce and hubby had his with ranch dressing. My husband enjoyed the baked zucchini sticks so much that he asked me to make them again the next day!
Baked Parmesan Zucchini Sticks

½ c. flour
½ t. salt
½ t. garlic powder
½ t. fresh ground black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
½ c. Italian breadcrumbs
½ c. grated Parmesan cheese
½ t. red pepper
1 large zucchini (or 2 small) cut into ½ inch sticks
1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

2. In a shallow dish combine flour, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper.

3. In a second shallow dish beat 2 eggs.

4. In a third dish combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and red pepper.

5. Dip each zucchini stick into the flour, shaking off the excess. Dip into the egg mixture, letting excess egg run off. Roll in the breadcrumb mixture, coating the entire stick.

6. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Spray all the zucchini sticks with cooking spray and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and tender.

7. Serve with a side of marinara sauce or ranch dressing.

Spicy Citrus Pork with Fresh Herb Dressing

It was way too hot and humid to cook in the house today so I knew we needed something that could go on the grill. I decided on pork but didn’t have a premade marinade on hand. One of my favorite marinades on pork is a spicy citrus marinade so I decided to recreate it the best I could.

Besides the grilled pork chops I wanted a sauce or dressing to go with it. I was thinking of something creamy and fresh to combat the spiciness of the pork marinade. We have an herb garden in our back yard so I went to work trying to make a fresh herb dressing for the pork. It turned out light, creamy, and the perfect compliment to our grilled pork!

Spicy Citrus Pork with Fresh Herb Dressing


Marinade:

2 T. oil
2 T. red wine vinegar
3 T. water
2 t. red pepper
1 t. salt
1 t. fresh ground black pepper
1 t. smoked paprika
1 T. orange juice
1 T. fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ t. fresh thyme
6 boneless pork chops

1. Mix all the marinade ingredients in a zipper lock freezer bag.

2. Put in all 6 pork chops and make sure the marinade covers them. If not, add additional water.

3. Place the marinated pork chops in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Fresh Herb Dressing:

1 T. light mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
2 T. light sour cream
1 T. low fat milk
1 t. cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
2 T. chopped green onions
3 T. of chopped fresh herbs (I used parsley, thyme, and sage)
1 garlic clove, minced
1. Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, and vinegar in a small bowl.

2. Add in the onions, herbs, and garlic. Mix well.

3. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Pork Chops:

1. Marinated Pork Chops
2. Heat outdoor grill.

3. Remove pork chops from marinade and lay on the grill. Cook 5 minutes on one side, flip and cook 5 minutes on the other side or until pork reaches temperature.

4. Place 2 pork chops on a plate and serve with the fresh herb dressing.

Promise Me

I picked up the book Promise Me by Harlan Coben at my library last week. It’s part of the Myron Bolitar mystery series, currently one of my favorite series to read. Myron has been on a hiatus for the past six years so I couldn’t wait to start reading the newest novel in this series. Once I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down. It’s another fast paced novel filled with some of my favorite characters.

It starts out with a phone call in the middle of the night. A drowsy Myron answers the call to find Aimee, the 18 year old daughter of one of his friends, on the line. She asks him to come to New York City and pick her up. He takes her to a dark house in a New Jersey suburb, and leaves her there against his better judgment.

Fast forward to the next day and Aimee never made it home. Driven by the guilt that he was the last one to see her, Myron decides to enlist the help of his best friend Win and join in the search. It’s a race against time with twists and roadblocks at every turn.

The book appears to end four or five chapters before it really does. Everything is tied up neatly and the cops seem to have the right people in custody. Only Myron thinks there are some serious holes in the story. The book concludes in a twist that no one could see coming.

This book is one of the best in this series. It’s suspenseful, fast paced, with are many plot twists. It was easy to read and held me in my chair. If you’ve ever read a book in the Myron Bolitar series, this is one to continue on with.

I give this book 4 ½ stars out of 5.

Banana Bread

I buy bananas at the grocery store every other week. I like bananas; they make for a healthy snack, a quick breakfast on the go, and they prevent leg cramps. I also like the fact that if we don’t eat all the bananas I buy then I get to make banana bread. I think my husband likes this also, as I notice no one usually eats the last 2 or 3 bananas.

Like so many other weeks, I have 3 bananas left and they are starting to go bad. The key is to good banana bread is to make sure the bananas are overly ripe. Lucky for us the weather cooled off again today so I decided to make the banana bread as an afternoon treat.   It turned out light and buttery with a perfect golden brown crust.

Banana Bread

1 ¾ c. flour
2 ¾ t. baking powder
½ t. salt
3 T. butter
4 oz. applesauce
2/3 c. sugar
1 egg + 1 egg white
3 ripe bananas

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Butter a loaf pan.

3. Stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.

4. In a medium bowl beat the butter, applesauce, and eggs together. Add the sugar and stir well.

5. Mash the bananas and add them to the butter mixture.

6. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Beat until well blended.

7. Turn into a loaf pan and bake for 1 hour.