Chocolate Cupcakes with Fluffy Peanut Butter Frosting & Chocolate Drizzle

Blog #23

Yesterday we surprised my aunt for her birthday with a night out at Seau's in Mission Valley.  Every Wednesday is Aloha Wednesday with live local Hawaiian bands and half price happy hour til closing.  This is like the 3rd time we have gone to Seau's since we moved here back in July 2010.  We surprised her there last year from her birthday too, but TJ was playing then.  TJ is another family member.  We really missed him last night since he wasn't playing.  Anyhow.  I was in charge of making the cake.  I opted for cupcakes instead so that we wouldn't have to cut anything and I really am not a big cake maker.  I kinda suck at it and my cupcakes always turn out way better.

So I looked in my pantry and found a box of Devil's Food cake mix.  Yum!  No, I didn't make my own cake batter.  But I did however make my own frosting and chocolate drizzle.  I did have one coconut pecan frosting container but I already knew that wasn't going to be enough.  While I was on Pinterest a few days ago, I found this cupcake with peanut butter frosting, chocolate ganache, and topped with a mini Reese's peanut butter cup.  I thought to myself "Damn, I need to make that!" So this is my twist on what I saw in the picture.

I decided that today was the day and why not? Who doesn't love peanut butter frosting and chocolate cupcakes?! I went to my favorite recipe website: allrecipes of course.  Did a search and found a couple of different recipes, all needing heavy cream.  Sorry, but I don't have that fully stocked in my fridge.  Only time it's ever been in my fridge is when I've made my own Alfredo sauce and then when I made my bff's recipe for cream puffs (super delicious).  So I began to read the comments that people posted.  One person I forget the name (sorry whoever you may be) put an entire new recipe in their comments because the other recipe didn't work for them. So I went with the comment person and followed their recipe and boy was I happy that I did.  I really didn't want to go to the store.

The chocolate drizzle I used from the cream puffs recipe my friend Cheryl gave me.  Then I used chocolate covered macadamia nut kisses that I got from my mom last week.  It all worked out great.  I even used my long tip from my Pampered Chef easy accent decorator to get some frosting inside the cupcake so it doubled as a filling too.

INGREDIENTS

1 box of Devil's Food Cake mix
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tbsp Crisco
24 Hersey chocolate covered macadamia nut kisses or mini Reese's peanut butter cups

DIRECTIONS

1.  Make cake mix as directed on the back of the box.  Makes 24 cupcakes.
2.  While cupcakes are baking, mix together butter and peanut butter using an electric mixer. 
3.  Add milk and powdered sugar and mix.
4.  Add in vanilla and mix until creamy.
5.  When cupcakes have cooled, stick the tip of your frosting bag all the way into the cupcake and push frosting out slowly, slowly moving the tip out of the cupcake creating a filling for your cupcake.
6.  Frost the top of your cupcake.  Let frosting harden for about 30 minutes - 1 hour in the fridge before adding chocolate drizzle.
7.  In a microwave-safe dish, microwave chocolate chips and Crisco in 30 second intervals and stirring after each interval until chocolate is melted.
8.  Using a fork, drizzle chocolate over cupcake.
9.  Place one candy on top of the cupcake. 
10.  Place in fridge until ready to serve.

Kalbi Tacos

Blog # 22

So today is the day.  I'm so excited.  I have made my Asian slaw and tried me a sample bowl.  The chili-soy vinaigrette I got from this website: www. inuyaki.com who got it from The New York Times.  They put in jalapenos and I used fresh chili paste.  It was very tasty.  I also made my cucumber kim chee salsa (wow! that's a mouthful).  I got the idea for this one from the same website and then added my own little spin on it.  So thanks to my aunt, it is now called Korean Salsa....if there is such a thing.  If not, we just made it up.  LOL!  All the flavors popped.  Everything was delicious.  Everyone has a full belly.  And I'm one happy chica!  A couple of different components to get this superb Korean-Mexican dish done.  But it is so worth it all.  I had a food orgasm....LMAO!  Here I go!

Kalbi

INGREDIENTS

1-2 packs of Korean style short ribs
1 jar of Hawaiian BBQ sauce (look at previous blog to see what kind I use).

DIRECTIONS
1.  Clean off ribs by rinsing them in water.
2.  Place in a resealable bag or into a dish.
3.  Put BBQ sauce on them.
4.  Let marinade for 30 minutes - overnight. (depending on how long you want to soak them for)
5.  Grill for about 5-7 minutes on each side on low- medium heat or until the short ribs are nice and crisp and caramelized.
6.  Remove all bones and chop up all the meat.

Asian Slaw

INGREDIENTS

1 (8 oz.) bag of 3 color deli Cole Slaw mix (green & red cabbage, & carrots)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. minced ginger
2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp.  fresh chili paste (look at previous blog entry to see the pic of which one I use)

DIRECTIONS
1.  Whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, sugar, & chili paste.
2.  About 10 minutes before eating, mix vinaigrette into slaw.

Korean Salsa

INGREDIENTS

1 cucumber, diced
3 green onions, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

3-5 tsp white sugar
1 pkg. NOH  brand Korean Kim Chee mix

DIRECTIONS
1.  Mix everything together.
2. Chill until serving.

Kalbi Taco


INGREDIENTS

Chopped Kalbi meat
Asian Slaw
Korean Salsa
corn tortillas

DIRECTIONS

1.  Heat corn tortilla.
2.  Place in order:  kalbi, Asian slaw, then Korean Salsa on top of corn tortilla.
3.  Enjoy!

Korean Kalbi (Short Ribs)Taco Idea

Blog # 21

So before I start out with this is my first blog in months....many months.  So sad...yes, I know.  I've been so busy with my life (traveling, FRG, Commissioning of Gary's ship, Fourth of July, a surprise party for Gary for making 20 years in the Navy, and especially the Homecoming of Gary's ship).  Now it's all over and done with, I can get back to my semi-normal life (what's that? HAHA!) now that I've rested up.  And now I'm all excited to get back to work with blogging about recipes.  I've actually looked through my recipe boxes (yes, boxes) and saw how many recipes I actually have.  I could and should make my own cookbook.  One day!  Anyhow....on to my spin on some kalbi tacos.

I'm sitting there on the couch watching Twilight and I get this idea about kalbi tacos.  I heard of them many months ago from my mom.  She was talking about some place in Washington D.C. that her and my older sister went to while she was visiting.  Told me that they were really good.  After hearing my mom rave about them, I always wanted to make them.  Just didn't have the right idea in my head how to go about making them.  Then today, out of nowhere this idea pops into my head on how I would like to make mine.

I've heard about people using different toppings, various sauces, relishes and salsas.  I've had a couple of different Korean-Mexican fusion tacos from this little hole in the wall place right down the road called "Tabe".  I had their spicy pork taco and their Korean beef taco. Both were alright and when I ate it, I thought I could do some much better.  I've also heard of this lunch wagon called "Kogi" up in LA somewhere.  I believe they also have a brand of Korean BBQ sauce out too.  I plan to eat there one day.  They are all over the Internet and they even have a little cooking/recipe video on YouTube.  Again, I wasn't impressed but I thought "Hey, if they can do then so can I." 

I have the best ever Korean BBQ sauce.  No, I don't make my own but this store bought sauce should be on every grocer's shelf.  It is definitely a money maker for sure.  Everyone that has my short ribs has not been disappointed in any way.  Just ask every single neighbor and friend I've ever had since mmm....2006, 2007.  Somewhere around there!

The sauce I use is called Bar-B-Que Sauce (Korean Style) and now you can find it labeled as Hawaiian Bar-B-Que Sauce.  I included a pictures below of it.  I was first introduced to this wonderful product by Tasanee's Aunt.  I fell in love with it since the first time I had kalbi with this sauce and have been using it ever since.  While in Great Lakes, my mom would send me boxes of this stuff.  And now that I'm in California, she is still sending me this stuff.  It makes your kalbi so juicy and tender.  All you want to do is eat more and more.  It also taste good with chicken, pork, and other types of beef. It's so easy too.  All you have to do is wash off your short ribs, then put them in a Ziploc bag and pour the marinate over it.  Stick it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes then grill them.  They get nice and crisp and caramelized.  It's so wonderfully delicious!

                                                                                                                                                          

Next thing I plan to do is make the topping/slaw and then the sauce/salsa/relish. Whatever you want to call it.  I found this recipe that someone online used for a cucumber relish using cucumbers, tomatoes, green onion, garlic, soy sauce, ginger, and rice vinegar.  My plan is to use it in the slaw using some green and purple cabbage and some carrots (like you can buy in the package at the grocery store), making it almost like a somen salad or saimin/ramen salad, similar to what that place Kogi does.  One thing with it is you still want that crunch from the cabbage so I plan on making it about 15 minutes before eating. 

And finally, I'm going to top it off with some cucumber kim chee relish using cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions and NOH brand Korean Kim Chee mix (picture below).  Of course I'll add my own little spin on it as well by adding some ginger, garlic, salt, pepper, sesame oil, and most likely some fresh chili paste (picture also below) to add some heat to it. 

Ok so recap....grilled Korean BBQ kalbi topped with an Asian slaw and cucumber kim chee relish....all on a corn tortilla.  I can't wait to put up the actual recipe for them and of course a picture of the finished product.  Need to make sure everything tastes and looks good first before I put my name on it. LOL!