Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

Okay, so after being sick and cooped up in the apartment for days on end, I decided to bake some cupcakes...for breakfast. Terrible, I know, but the boy doesn't seem to mind one bit. (Seeing as he has had about ten already!)

I did cheat, and used a boxed cake mix (Like I said, not feeling 100% just yet) but the frosting is all mine. The frosting can be used on (mini) cupcakes (as are pictured here) cakes, cinnamon rolls or anything your naughty little sweet tooth craves. Enjoy!




Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

8 oz cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Place all ingredients in a stand mixer and beat with a balloon whisk and beat until stiff peaks form. Add more powdered sugar if needed.

Pho the win

After watching far too many episodes of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, one begins to crave pho or a similar bowl of soupy-goodness all too often.

Having tired a few recipes and creating some on my own, I think this batch is by far the best. Using different noodles, vegetables and meats, I find that the simpler the ingredients the better. You can really dress up your bowl with different toppings, making this recipe versatile and easy. Give it a try and I promise, cup-o-noodles just wont cut it any more.


1 red bell pepper
1 carrot
5 oz jar bamboo shoots
1 zucchini
6-8 button mushrooms
2 tsp + 1 tbs sesame oil (divided)
1 lb meat of your choice (a leaner, thinner cut of meet works best)
4 cups broth of your choice
3 cups water
1/8 cup soy sauce
1 tsp sriracha (adjust to your desired heat)
3 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
8 oz box rice or soba noodles
garlic powder, ginger and black pepper (enough to lightly coat your cut of meat)


Start by sprinkling each side of the meat with the garlic, ginger and black pepper. Sear the outsides of the meat in a pan set on medium/high heat in 1 tbs sesame oil. There will be quite a bit of red in the middle, but that will disappear when it finishes cooking in the broth. Slice the meat into 3-4 inch strips as thin as your knife will allow and set aside.

Slice your zucchini, mushrooms, bell pepper and carrot as desired. I take the easy route and slice each veggie thinly and keep them in whole circles.

Heat 2 tsp sesame oil in the bottom of a large stock pot. Saute the veggies for 3 minutes, then add the minced garlic cloves, spices, broth, water, soy sauce and sriracha. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

Cook and drain the package of noodles as directed.

Place a serving of noodles in a bowl and top with a few slices of the meat. Ladle some broth and vegetables on top as soon as the soup is done simmering. (This will ensure the meat cooks through)

Top with sesame seeds, more sriracha, cilantro or anything you like.

Veggie Lasagna Roll-ups

 
First and foremost, we gained a few inches of snow this morning! It is gloriously white and chilly, but thankfully we are doing absolutely nothing on this lazy Sunday.

To compliment the weather I decided to make my veggie lasagna, which I have been making for years. I also decided to switch things up and make lasagna rolls instead of the traditional layered style. No reason as to why, really, I just thought it would be fun. And oh-so-tasty!


Filling:
15 oz container ricotta cheese (Part skim! Whole makes it too wet and skimmed makes it far too dry)
2-3 large garlic cloves (Depending on how much you like garlic. We looove it!)
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
4 oz frozen spinach
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp pepper

Other stuffs:
12 lasagna noodles
16 oz jar pasta sauce (Get the good stuff, no Prego or Ragu here!)
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese

Start by boiling the noodles until they are a bit underdone as they will continue to cook in the oven. (You will only need 10 noddles, but I make 2 extras just in case some tear.)  Drain the noodles and lay out flat on a piece of parchment paper or cutting board. 

Next take a 9x13 baking dish and spread a small amount of sauce over the bottom and set aside.

 

Grate the zucchini and yellow squash into a medium sized bowl. Defrost, drain and chop the spinach and add to the bowl. Mix the veggies thoroughly with the ricotta cheese, garlic, spices and 1/2 cup mozzarella.

Begin spooning the filling onto each noodle and spreading it out into a thin layer. Also spread a small amount of sauce on top of the cheese and veggie mixture. (If you have homemade sauce, go for it! Unfortunately we used the last of our frozen homemade stash last week. But a jar of Calssico or Newman's Own would be acceptable.)

 

Roll up each noodle lightly using just the tips of your fingers to push it forward. We don't want to squeeze out any of that delicious filling!

Place the rolls seam side down in the baking dish. You can arrange the rolls as you like, but I found that two long rows of five seemed to work out best. Spoon sauce over each roll, then sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.

Cover the dish with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for approximately 15 more minutes, or until the cheese starts to brown.