Birthday Cupcakes

Posted by: Maggie

I used a boxed mix and canned frosting for these birthday cupcakes, but I wanted to post photos anyway to provide decorating ideas to anyone who happens upon the blog :)

Left to right: Reese's chunks (I froze regular sized Reese's cups and chopped into sixths), mini-chocolate chips, Cookies & Cream (I pulverized Oreo cookies in food processor, mixed with vanilla frosting, and topped with an Oreo half), Vanilla icing piped on with a star tip, topped with nonpareils.

Left to right: Mini-chocolate chips again (The missing cupcake was the result of the Heath bar chunks not working, and completely causing the icing to slide off), Chocolate frosting with nonpareils and M&M decoration, Multicolored nonpareils, Vanilla frosting with M&Ms (I would recommend using minis if you can find them - the regular sized were way too heavy and those cupcakes turned out a bit messy looking)

Some close ups:

Chocolate Cookies

Posted by: Maggie


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What you'll need:

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped (I used Baker's)
4 T unsalted butter
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 t vanilla extract
1 package (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat chopped chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second increments, stirring in between, until almost melted; do not overheat. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; beat in melted chocolate. Mix in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in chocolate chunks.

Chill dough for 1-2 hours.

Roll dough into walnut sized balls, and place on cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies are shiny and crackly yet soft in centers, about 10 minutes. Cool on sheets 10 minutes; with a thin metal spatula, transfer to racks to cool completely.

Chicken Parmesan

Posted by: Maggie

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What you'll need:

4 boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2" thickness
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
seasoned bread crumbs
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
8 slices mozzarella cheese, or more
1 16 oz jar marinara sauce
Parmesan cheese

Whisk together the egg and milk. Dip the chicken breasts in milk and egg mixture and then in bread crumbs. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken in the hot oil on both sides until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Set chicken in a baking dish. Slice 8 pieces of mozzarella cheese and put two on each chicken breast. Pour 1 jar of marinara sauce over all. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and a little more mozzarella and bake at 350° for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until bubbly. I served with garlic bread, salad, and linguine tossed with olive oil, oregano, and garlic.