Chocolate cupcakes with crystallized ginger

Frosting recipe from epicurious.com
Oven temp = 350

These cupcakes were inspired by the several bars of dark chocolate with crystallized ginger that a few of my friends gave me in an attempt to cheer me up.

Chocolate ginger cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup warm water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger (could add more....)

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Fill 18 cupcake cups 2/3 full. Bake 27 minutes at 350 until cupcakes spring back when lightly touched.

Ginger cream cheese frosting:
1 8oz package cream cheese
6 Tbs butter
3 cups powdered sugar
~5 Tbs ginger liquor
3-4 tbs grated fresh ginger

Cream cheese, butter, sugar, and ginger. Slowly add ginger liquor until frosting consistency is reached.

Ricotta muffins

Original recipe from: smittenkitchen
Oven temp = 350

Ricotta muffins
1/2 cup (2 ounces) walnuts or pecans
2 tsp fennel seeds
3 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbs plus 1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup (4 ounces) ricotta cheese
6 Tbs sour cream

Toast nuts on a baking sheet in oven for about 10 minutes. Chop when cooled. In a saute pan, toast fennel seeds for a few minutes until fragrant. Grind fennel seeds in a spice grinder.

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, ground fennel seeds, yogurt and oil. Pipe a small layer of the muffin batter into the bottom of the greased muffin/cupcake tins using either an icing piping bag or a plastic baggie with the corner cut off -- this should fill about 1/3 of each well.

Mix the ricotta cheese and sour cream together and spoon a heaping teaspoon into each 1/3 filled muffin well. Pipe another layer of muffin batter over the top of the ricotta filling, making sure to completely cover the filling with batter. These muffins will rise significantly, so avoid overfilling the muffin tins. Sprinkle the toasted and chopped nuts over the top of the muffins and bake at 350 degrees for about 28 minutes until lightly browned.

Caramel macchiato cupcakes

Original recipe from Food Mayhem
Oven temp = 350

Espresso cupcakes:
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup coffee, cooled
1/4 cup milk
1 Tbs Tia Maria (or Kaluha)
1 Tbs Godiva caramel chocolate liquor
12 tsp butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
6 egg yolks
1 tsp instant espresso powder

Cream butter and sugar, and add egg yolks one at a time. Alternate between adding dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) and wet ingredients (coffee, milk, and liquors) in three additions. Mix until well combined. Leave one half of the batter as is, and add the espresso powder to the second half of the batter. Layer the espresso batter on the bottom of the cupcake cups, then layer the non-espresso batter on top. Bake at 350 deg for 25 minutes.

Meringue icing:
2 egg whites
2/3 cup sugar
3 Tbs light corn syrup

Beat together egg whites, sugar, and corn syrup over a double boiler until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and beat until cooled, about 5 minutes. Spread over the cooled cupcakes. This icing will be very thick and difficult to spread!

Caramel drizzle:
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tbs butter, cut into pieces
2 Tbs heavy cream

In a small saucepan, heat sugar without stirring until it melts and begins to brown. Remove from heat and add butter. Stir to combine butter, then return to the heat and continue to stir until the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat once more to add the heavy cream, and stir until smooth. With each addition of butter or cream, the sugar will bubble violently -- be careful! Drizzle warm caramel over iced cupcakes.

Bourbon-spiced pumpkin cheesecake

Original recipe from this blog.
Oven temp: crust = 325, cake = 350

Pecan-spiced crust:
5 1/2 graham crackers
2 oz chopped pecans
4 Tbs melted butter
3 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves

In a food processor, combine graham crackers, pecans, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Process until graham crackers and pecans are well ground, and everything is well combined. Add melted butter. Press into one greased 9 inch spring-form pan or 24 greased cupcake cups. Bake 15 minutes at 325.

Bourbon-spiced pumpkin cheesecake:
3/4 cup, minus 1/2 Tbs, sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp salt
8 oz pumpkin puree (1/2 can)
12 oz cream cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1/6 cup bourbon
1/2 cup heavy cream

Mix together sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, and salt. Cream cream cheese and slowly add sugar and spice mixture. Add pumpkin puree and vanilla and mix until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well inbetween additions. Mix in bourbon and heavy cream. Pour into pan or cupcake cups. Bake in a water bath (baking dish filled with simmering water) in the oven at 350 for 1 hour, or until top of cheesecake is set.

Champagne cupcakes

Original recipe from gimme some oven!
Oven temp = 350

Champagne Cupcakes:
2 3/4 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2/3 cups butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup champagne
6 egg whites

Cream butter and sugar. Add flour, baking powder, salt, and champagne and mix will. In another clean bowl, beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Gently fold egg whites into the rest of the ingredients. Fill 24 cupcake cups and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Champagne Frosting:
3 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
4 Tbs champagne

Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla. Slowly add champagne, 1 Tbs at a time until the right consistency is reached.

Tomato sauce with butter and onion

Original recipe from smittenkitchen

Tomato sauce with butter and onions:
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 onion, peeled and halfed
5 oz butter
3 cloves garlic

Combine tomatoes, onion, butter, and garlic in a pot. Bring to a simmer and simmer on low for about 45 minutes, until it's done.

Parmesean meatballs

Recipe from Jenn Hardee, who found it in a cooking magazine somewhere.
Oven temp = 350

Meatballs:
2 lb ground beef
3 eggs
1.5 c dry bread crumbs
½ c milk
2/3 c parmesan
¼ c minced parsley
¼ c minced basil
1.5 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne

Roll into balls. Simmer in marinara sauce 1 hr or cook covered in oven
at 350.

I put a glob of goat cheese into the middle of each meatball. It was a little extra work, but a lot of extra delicious!

Basic egg pasta

Makes 1 1/4 lb pasta dough.
Original recipe from KitchenAid Pasta Roller set recipe book.

Basic egg pasta:
4 large eggs
1 Tbs water
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together until combined, then knead the dough for an additional 1-2 minutes. Roll out dough with pasta roller and then cut with spaghetti cutter. Place into boiling water and cook 2-3 minutes until pasta floats.

The best cupcakes ever - Chocolate cupcakes with cheesecake filling and white chocolate cream cheese frosting

Cupcake recipe from epicurious.com
Makes 18-20 cupcakes
Oven temp = 350

Cheesecake filling:
1 (8oz) package cream cheese
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Cream sugar and cream cheese, then add egg. Add chocolate chips and combine. Bake in a greased mini muffin tin for 15 minutes at 350 until cheesecakes are almost set but still soft in the middle.

Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup warm water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Grease 18 cupcake cups. Place 1 Tbs cupcake batter in the bottom of each cup, place cheesecake on top of batter and pour more batter over the cheesecake. Bake 27 minutes at 350 until cupcakes spring back when lightly touched.

White chocolate cream cheese frosting:
6 oz white chocolate chips, melted
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
4-5 Tbs milk

Cream cream cheese and powdered sugar. Add melted chocolate and combine. Slowly add milk until the frosting reaches the right consistency. Can add more milk or powdered sugar to adjust the consistency of the frosting.

Garnish cupcakes with mini chocolate chips or melted chocolate drizzle.