Foodie Cravings & Holiday Baking

  We’ve established I’m a Foodie, right?!  Cooking, sharing and eating food just makes me happy!!!!!  Guess it’s fitting then, that my most popular boards on Pinterest are 4 little Fergusons Food & Proud to be a Foodie. 

Come see me: http://pinterest.com/4littleferguson/

  So, here are my latest Foodie Cravings: 

(And no, I am NOT pregnant, when you are a Foodie you have cravings pregnant or not.)   🙂

Manchego Cheese:

  At $8 a package, this craving will have to be far and few between, but thanks to the generosity of Dale’s momma, I have a whole block to enjoy and savor.  This cheese is salty, a bit dry and tastes amazing on crackers or shredded over a salad. YUMMMMMMM!

Blue Bell Ice Cream:

Christmas Cookie

Hello beautiful

Tiramisu

  This is Dale’s bucket, but it sure is good.  Tastes JUST like the dessert!I have to be careful with this one though, because I don’t do well with caffeine.  Like bounce off the walls, jitter all night kind of problems. 

Which brings me to THIS, may latest Foodie Favorite:

My friend Lori swears up and down she doesn’t like to cook. You’ve met Lori recently in THIS photo session with her sweet twin boys and hubby. She is ALSO the Lori that shared the “Can’t Leave ‘Em Alone Bars” with us. For not liking to cook, she sure comes up with some amazing recipes to bring to our Sunday school functions!

Cheddar Bacon Dip a.k.a “Crack Dip”

Ingredients

• 16 ounces, weight Sour Cream
• 1 packet (1 Oz.) Ranch Dip & Dressing Mix
• 3 ounces, weight Real Bacon Bits
• 1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate 24 hours. Serve with chips and PREPARE TO BE AMAZED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  So we are starting our Holiday baking this week and will continue into next week, getting ready to give out Goodie Platters to friends and teachers. The kids LOVE to help!  We make things after school, or when daddy is home & supper is in the oven.  This year we are making:

Christmas Kisses

Milk Chocolate Florentine Cookies-maybe

Spritz Christmas Tree Cookies

White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge

Spiced Crackers (Dale’s favorite, so we do these every year)

AND last but not least……………………..

a batch of Coyote Poo! 

  And man, was it DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELICIOUS!

 This last one wasn’t necessarily for our Christmas goodie platters, but I HAD to try this recipe I found from Mama Bennie……

Now, if any are left by next week, they WILL be gracing our Goodie Platters, because they are THAT good!  Savory and sweet, crazy and will be the unique pop, or poop, I guess, on the platter.  Poo poo platter.  tee-hee  🙂  That’s so gross.

I will be posting this recipe soon, as well as the others, IF they get the stamp of approval!

Hugs & Happy Snacking!

~T

Tiramisu Stuffed Cupcakes

   I am doing a second post today for those who have no interest in reading today’s first post about “Mommy Stuff”.  The deliciousness I am about to present to you, should at VERY LEAST, redeem me for mentioning female organs in the other post! 

Ok?

Good.

I’m glad we had this talk.

——————————————————————————————-

  Oh my stinkin’ word are these Cupcakes ever GoOoOoD!  So good I was up all night thinking about them. 

  Oh wait, that MAY have been from the caffeine-induced buzz I got from eating one of these too late at night. 

Oops. 

Guess its been a while since I’ve had any caffeine.  You know being pregnant and nursing, pregnant and nursing, pregnant…you get the idea.

  I thought these were delicious, and I don’t even like coffee.  My hubby loves Tiramisu, and he thought they were killer.  I think you’ll agree.  This recipe has a quite a few steps, but don’t let that overwhelm you, it comes together quite easily and the end results?  Worth the time!

Tiramisu Stuffed Cupcakes from Eat, Live, Run on Tasty Kitchen

• FOR THE CUPCAKES:
• 1-½ cup Flour
• ¾ teaspoons Baking Powder
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• 6 Tablespoons Butter, Softened
• ¾ cups Sugar
• 2 whole Eggs
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• ½ cups Milk
• _____
• FOR THE FILLING:
• 8 ounces, weight Marscapone Cheese
• OR if you are like me and can’t find it: do 8 oz cream cheese, whipped with 2 T. butter and 1 T. milk then add…..
• 1-½ cup Confectioner’s Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Instant Coffee Granules
• _____
• FOR THE FROSTING:
• 1 stick Butter, Softened
• 2 cups Confectioner’s Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Milk
• 1 teaspoon Instant Coffee Granules
• Cocoa Powder, For Dusting

Preparation Instructions

First, make the cupcakes.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar and then add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla.

Alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk, starting and ending with the milk. Scoop batter into greased cupcake molds and fill 3/4 full, I was able to do 11 cupcakes. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden.

While the cupcakes are baking, make the filling. Beat together the marscapone cheese or substitutes listed above, powdered sugar and instant coffee until smooth. Scoop into a small plastic bag and cut off the tip for easy piping. (I used my Easy Accent Decorator from Pampered Chef)

Once cupcakes are baked and cooled, take a small spoon and press down into the center of each cupcake, twisting to create a hole in each of the centers. Brush out any crumbs. Pipe filling into each hole. You will have leftovers, dig in.

For the buttercream, cream together the butter with the powdered sugar. Once smooth, add the milk and coffee granules. Beat until light and fluffy.

  Frost cupcakes, swirling extra overflowed filling from your cupcakes centers into your frosting as you go.  Dust with cocoa powder before serving.

Happy Baking!  And thanks for still clicking over to read this second post even after I said Uterus in the first one. 

Oops. 

  There’s that word again, sorry!

~T  🙂

This recipe linked to Made It on Monday.