Red Velvet cupcakes seem to be popping up everywhere, so I just had to make a batch. And…I humbly confess, they’re darn good!
Below is the recipe I used, however, I think I should have made fewer cupcakes as mine did not rise to the top. Did I overbeat or was there not enough batter for 30 cupcakes??? Who knows. I also used less food coloring, just because the entire bottle seemed like overkill.
Continue reading Holiday Baking with the In Crowd–Red Velvet Cupcakes
I’ve written about Florida’s Key Lime pie and Massachusett’s Boston Cream pie, both declared their official state’s dessert, but New Mexico was the first to have a state cookie: the bizcochito (bees-ko-CHEE-toh). In 1989, New Mexico lawmakers passed House Bill 406. They didn’t the battle over the adoption, but how to spell the cookie’s name. Several lawmakers of the House floor desired an “s” others a “z” and eventually the stalemate resulted in the cookie’s press credentials as “bizcochito”.
According to my limited research, the first Christmas celebration in Mexico took place back in 1538, when a Fransican Monk, Fray Pedro de Gante invited the native tribe surrounding the mission to celebrate Christ’s birth. Over the years many pueblo people were converted to Christianity and began to incorporate the holiday customs into their culture.
Continue reading Bizcochitos and Posadas for Christmas
Traditionally, Christmas morning at our house meant breakfast in the midst of opening packages. We’d eat pull-apart cake, sometimes called Monkey Bread, with juice and coffee.
The night before the kids would shake pieces of biscuit dough in a brown paper bag filled with a mixture of brown and white cinnamon sugar and chopped nuts. Did this put visions of sugarplums in their heads. No. They simply piled the pieces into a tube pan and I added melted butter.
In the morning, the dish was placed in a pre-heated oven and when baked, inverted onto a serving plate. The golden sticky cinnamon bun-like breakfast bread was torn apart by little fingers. Looked pretty and was caramelly luscious, but rather messy.
Toward the end of the gift giving extravaganza, I would sneak into the kitchen and bake a quiche or sausage strata, also prepared the night before,and serve with fresh fruit salad and Mimosas.
Continue reading Breakfast Fritatta