Hot Chocolate Marshmallow Cupcakes

Heaven. Pure bliss. Pretty much enough said.

These cupcakes, texturally a cross between a brownie and cake are incredible. Moist, chocolaty, and rich from the delicious dark chocolate, paired with the broiled marshmallow on top, these cupcakes are a hit. This is the perfect bite of indulgence to welcome in fall. Who needs a cup of hot chocolate when you can have one of these little delights? Seriously, these are so worth trying tonight.

Hot Chocolate Marshmallow Cupcakes from Cupcakes Galore by Gail Wagman

Makes 12 cupcakes

8 ounces dark chocolate

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

4 eggs

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup mini-chocolate chips or grated chocolate

Marshmallows for decoration

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler or microwave until JUST melted. Set aside until just warm.

Cream the eggs and sugar together until light and foamy. Add flour and salt and mix. Pour in the chocolate mixture and beat until batter is smooth.

Spoon batter into 12 cupcake papers. Sprinkle a scant teaspoon of mini-chocolate chips or grated chocolate over each cupcake and bake for 15 minutes. Remove cupcakes from oven. They will be very moist inside.

Place a marshmallow or several mini-marshmallows on each cupcake. Put cupcakes under broiler for a few seconds until marshmallows start to brown. This will take only a second so be very careful. Remove form oven and wait for about 5 minutes before eating since marshmallows will be very hot. These cupcakes are best eaten still warm.

Suggestion: I've made these cupcakes with no butter and with only 1 stick of butter (instead of the 2 sticks the recipe calls for). They are delicious either way, so feel free to use whatever amount of butter you're comfortable with.

Potato "Potatoe"

You say potato, I say delicious, warm, comforting, and beautiful! This side dish was served recently at a brunch and looked gorgeous on the plate. The sweet potatoes mixed with the russet potatoes were a perfect complement to each other and simply screamed fall with the sweet potatoes exquisite orange color. Packed with protein and fiber, sweet potatoes make me feel great and their sweet taste is surely a welcome surprise! Make this dish for your next brunch and I guarantee everyone's soul will be satisfied!

Potato Home fries

3 sweet potatoes

3 russet potatoes

1 medium onion

salt to taste

pepper to taste

olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the potatoes and onion into small bite-sized pieces to your liking. Mix 5 or 6 tablespoons of olive oil on the potatoes and onion. Add salt and pepper and toss until all potatoes are well coated. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until cooked through and a beautiful brown coat covers the potatoes.

Hint**Figure 1 potato per person and you'll have plenty!

Suggestion: There are so many different kinds of potatoes out there. Experiment with your favorites!

Puppy Chow/Muddy Buddies aka Heavennnn

This is one snack with many names. Some may argue about what it's truly called, but one thing everyone can agree on is that it is deliciously sinful. Simple, inexpensive, and decadent, this one is a hit. Just a warning, do be careful when you make this: it is addicting. My roommate begged me to take it out of the house for a week before I finally gave in. Regardless, this recipe is not only tasty, but fun to make too. A great project for kids and adults alike, get in the kitchen and give this one a try. I promise you won't be disappointed, maybe just a little bit too indulged. But then again, to each his own. :)

Puppy Chow/Muddy Buddies by Alice on Savory Sweet Life

Ingredients:
9 cups Chex cereal ( whatever you prefer)
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 1-gallon ziplock bags

Directions:
Place cereal in a large bowl and set aside. In a medium microwavable bowl, add chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter. Microwave on High for 1 minute and stir. Microwave 30 seconds longer and stir mixture until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour sauce over cereal and stir until evenly coated. Spoon half of the mixture in each 1-gallon resealable ziplock bag. Add 3/4 cup powdered sugar to each bag, and seal. Shake the bag until everything is coated. Spread on waxed/parchment paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Suggestion: Make this dish user friendly. Are you a fan of crunchy peanut butter? Add that instead of creamy. Try dark chocolate or white chocolate for a twist too. Have fun. Regardless, it'll definitely be tasty.

Caramel- ooh la la

I don't even know why, because I don't eat caramel, but for some reason I had this need to make it, to say that I conquered the caramel. So finally after putting it off for a few weeks, I decided to make it. That night however, I realized that I didn't have any cream. After a mini food-tantrum, I went to sleep and was pleasantly surprised the next day when my roommate presented me with a beautiful carton of cream, essentially the magic to caramel. Throughout the process of cooking this, I was squealing with delight. I felt like a chemist hard at work in the lab, as each ingredient helped to elevate the dish and change the texture, color, and ultimately taste. This is a fun one to try, and deliciously creamy too. Try it out so that you too can squeal with delight.

Caramel Sauce Recipe by Elise on Simply Recipes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup of sugar
• 6 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

METHOD

1 First, before you begin, make sure you have everything ready to go - the cream and the butter next to the pan, ready to put in. Making caramel is a fast process that cannot wait for hunting around for ingredients. If you don't work fast, the sugar will burn. Safety first - make sure there are no children under foot and you may want to wear oven mitts; the caramelized sugar will be much hotter than boiling water.

2 Heat sugar on moderately high heat in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart or 3-quart saucepan. As the sugar begins to melt, stir vigorously with a whisk or wooden spoon. As soon as the sugar comes to a boil, stop stirring. You can swirl the pan a bit if you want, from this point on. Note that this recipe works best if you are using a thick-bottomed pan. If you find that you end up burning some of the sugar before the rest of it is melted, the next time you attempt it, add a half cup of water to the sugar at the beginning of the process, this will help the sugar to cook more evenly, though it will take longer as the water will need to evaporate before the sugar will caramelize.

3 As soon as all of the sugar crystals have melted (the liquid sugar should be dark amber in color), immediately add the butter to the pan. Whisk until the butter has melted.

4 Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat. Count to three, then slowly add the cream to the pan and continue to whisk to incorporate. Note than when you add the butter and the cream, the mixture will foam up considerably. This is why you must use a pan that is at least 2-quarts (preferably 3-quarts) big.

5 Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then pour into a glass mason jar and let sit to cool to room temperature. (Remember to use pot holders when handling the jar filled with hot caramel sauce.) Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Warm before serving.

Makes a little over one cup of sauce.

Suggestion: Caramel is so versatile. Try it on everything from cereal, graham crackers, pretzels, chips, even popcorn. The sky is the limit!

Garlic Green Beans

Need the perfect side for your next meal? Look no further. These green beans are sure to please. Light, flavorful, and refreshing, these green beans will be your new go-to side dish. Growing up, I don't really remember eating green beans. They seem to be overlooked, but they happen to be one of the cheapest vegetables out there. Always in a heap at the grocery store, it's easy to pick out exactly just how many you're going to need, whether it be 20 or 200. This recipe can be prepared in a flash and I guarantee will always be the star of the show whenever it's served at your table. So seriously, go to the store, buy those green beans, and eat up!

Garlic Green Beans

As many green beans as you think you can eat (I recommend 1 pound)

1-2 cloves of garlic per pound of green beans

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Remove the ends from the green beans (they should just snap off). Sauté the green beans in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil until tender, but not overcooked. This will take a little while because the green beans were raw when you began cooking. While the green beans are cooking, smash the garlic cloves and dice very finely. Add the garlic to the green beans when they are tender, and continue to cook until the garlic starts to brown. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Plate it up and enjoy!

Suggestion: This recipe shouldn't be exact. Love garlic, well then throw in a few more cloves. Cooking is all about taste and finding out what it is that you enjoy. Don't be scared, just go for it!

Pucker Up

This dessert is such a classic for me. Growing up, my mom baked it all the time, and while I must admit I wasn't such a fan when I was younger (I had a thing against lemons), it's now one of my favorites. The flaky buttery crust paired with the not too lemony, not too sweet combination is perfect. This is one of those desserts to make for a dinner party because you know that it will always be a hit. Add this to your repertoire and you'll be sure to WOW all of your friends. So go cut those lemons and Pucker Up!

Lemon Squares

1 cup butter/margarine
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 c. flour
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
6 T. lemon juice
1 T. flour
1/2 t. baking powder

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix butter, powdered sugar, and 2 cups flour. Press into a 10x14 inch pan (jelly roll pan). Bake 15 min. Beat eggs. Add 2 cups sugar, lemon juice, 1 T. flour, baking powder. Pour over pastry. Bake 40-50 minutes more. Dust with additional powdered sugar.

Suggestion: Taste the liquid batter before you pour it over the crust. Depending on the lemons you picked, they might be too sweet or not bitter enough. Adjust the recipe as needed by adding more lemon juice or sugar.

Tis' the season

I'm just going to say it like it is. I am in love with summer fruits, literally obsessed! Every year though, summer fades away and in marches fall. The only thing that keeps me from tearing up as I say goodbye to my beloved summer fruits is knowing that it's APPLE SEASON! That's right, that round, fleshy, totally adaptable fruit that can be used in dishes savory, sweet, and everything in between. Tis' the season for grilled cheese and apples, homemade applesauces and of course, apple cake. I have tasted many different apple cakes in my lifetime, but this one is definitely my favorite. Moist, not too sweet, and covered with delicious cinnamon apples, this cake is the perfect one to make as we salute the beginning of fall, aka apple season!

Savta's Apple Cake, adapted from Miri Rotkovtiz on about.com

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 55 minutes

Ingredients:

• For the Apples:
• 4 large or 6 small firm apples (try granny smith to balance out the sugar), peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• .
• For the Cake Batter:
• 3 cups unsifted flour
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup oil (such as expeller-pressed canola, grapeseed, or walnut)
• 4 unbeaten large eggs
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350° (If you are using a dark or nonstick pan, reduce the heat by 25° F). Grease and flour a tube pan with a removable bottom, making sure to tap out excess flour.

In a large bowl, combine the apple slices, cinnamon and sugar. Toss together gently, making sure the apples are well coated with the cinnamon and sugar, and set aside.

In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the oil, eggs, orange juice, and vanilla, and beat just until smooth. The batter will be very thick.

Pour about 1/3 of the batter into the prepared tube pan. If necessary, use a spatula to spread the batter so it covers the bottom of the pan. Layer about 1/3 of the apple slices over the batter. Repeat with another layer of batter, then apples, then batter.

Arrange the final layer of apples decoratively in concentric circles over the batter, overlapping the apple slices slightly (they will spread out as the cake bakes). Drizzle the cake with a bit of the remaining cinnamon sugar "syrup" from the apple bowl.

Place the cake on a cookie sheet or on top of a piece of foil to catch any drips, and bake in the center of the preheated oven for 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours, or until a tester comes out clean and the top of the cake has a golden "crust."

Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack. When cool, run a knife or spatula around the edge of the pan, and remove the outside of the cake pan. Gently run a knife or spatula between the cake and the pan bottom to loosen. Invert the cake over a plate and remove the pan bottom (the cake will be upside down on the plate.) Place a cake plate face down on the bottom side of the cake, and holding both plates, flip the cake, so it is right-side (apple-side) up. Enjoy!

Suggestion: Have some fun and play around with different kinds of apples. There are so many varieties out there, so peel and chop those apples to bits and then add them to your new favorite cake!