Cupcake Extravaganza!!

Don't worry, snookums!  Momma didn't forget ya!!

It doesn't get much crazier than Christmas time.  Seriously, from Black Friday all the way to New Year's Day, we Americans are at our busiest and, presumably, most stressed out.

I'm hesitant to say 'most stressed' though because... well... finals week...  

You guys are laughing, but I guarantee you that most high school/college students can actually see some truth in this.

Anyway, every so often, you just need to unwind and decorate a cupcake.

SO I DID!!

We had some cake mix and various toppings to spare, so I went all out and did my best to make some aesthetically pleasing cuppy cakes.  After some extending experimentation, here's what I've concluded:

First thing's first, I'm the realest.  You can kill me for that one later.

 I hate using frosting.  Hate it.  So much.  I've always been terrible at using it to decorate.  Whipped cream, however, easily rose to the top as my favorite topper for cake and cupcakes!  It's lighter, fluffier, tastes better in my opinion, and it's SO MUCH EASIER TO USE.  I had no issues using the icing whatsoever.  Only conflict is that you'll want to use a whole lot more of it, to counter the heaviness of the cake underneath.

(However, drizzling the frosting comes close to second favorite.  As pictured above, I think it gives a sort of chic flair to baked delicacies!  A dash of cinnamon or cocoa powder would probably be an even nicer add-on.)

When in doubt, CANDY.    It's so hard to go wrong with candy on a baked good.  Seriously, think about it: what do M&M cookies, Cosmic brownies, and those little peanut butter-Hershey kiss things have in common?  They're all really cute and everyone loves them.

Also, if you don't have frosting tips (or, in my case, proper piping bags), or just don't want plain, smooth cupcakes, frosting spikes are extremely cool and look like you spent way longer on them than you actually did.  You just blob your icing (or cream) onto a cupcake; then, gently press the base of a spoon into the frosting and pull it up quickly.  You can make random little spikes all over a cupcake, or arrange a pattern!

If you literally just can't make your cupcakes look good at all, you have 2 options:

1.) Make 'em look intentionally messy!  Smear that icing on, spike it, pound it, go gung ho on that bad boy!  Splatter on food coloring or grenadine, drizzle on some syrup, or fleck it with a sweet spice.  Release your inner hipster on this not-so-mainstream canvas!

2.) If crazy isn't your thing, then consider smoothing it out and getting a little more systematic.  Sprinkle on toppings in stripes or polka dots (see above: pink cupcake with coconut).  As a wise man once said, frosting is merely a vessel for tastier things.

That wise man was me.  +1 for gender neutral narcissism 

 Favorite things to do with whipped cream:

1.) Spike it
2.) Frost in tufts to make a cloud
3.) Stuff in Reese's mini cups

Favorite things to do with frosting:

1.) Drizzle it hot
2.) Cover it with chips and coconut
3.) Cry in a corner while shoveling spoonfuls in my gullet

In conclusion, I have decided that making a pretty cupcake is not so unattainable a goal after all-permitting you have the right resources.  Or, at the very least, a proper piping bag.  Which I don't.

NEXT TIME, ON ANGSTY TEEN CHEFS--

What's your favorite way to decorate cupcakes?  Tell me in the comments!  And as always, don't forget to check out The Spartan's Kitchen's official Twitter and Facebook page!

Don't forget to #FeedYourInnerSpartan

ECHO out.

Most Delicious Thing On the Blog?? Double Breaded Chicken Parmesan Alfredo

I don't normally like to brag on my own food.  I like to think I bear a pretty humble mindset.

BUT GUYS, I'M TELLING YOU, THIS IS PROBABLY THE MOST DELICIOUS THING I'VE MADE SO FAR.

There are some days when things in the kitchen just go really poorly.  Like, really poorly.  Take yesterday, for example: my dad was here on a Thanksgiving weekend visit, we were all at my brother's house and hungry.  I decided to whip up some chicken fajitas, with tortillas from scratch (like a bawss).

Chicken was too frozen, had nowhere and no appliance large enough to thaw it properly.

Tortilla dough was too sticky, clumpy, hard to work with.  They wouldn't roll out or stretch like they were supposed to.

Then they wouldn't cook properly when I threw them on a griddle.  Probably because I only had a griddle, in place of a stove top.

I had a total of maybe four square feet of space to work on.

A good half hour into the process and all I had was frozen chicken breasts, sticky, melting clumps of dough, and one ripped, rectangular semi-solid attempt at a fried tortilla.

And no shredded cheese.

But sometimes, it all just pulls together.  Like tonight.  Meat thawed perfectly, cooked just right, vegetables were super tender, pasta was the epitome of al dente, sauce came out restaurant quality.  Everything timed PERFECTLY.

I also owe a lot of credit to this awesome alfredo recipe, which only needs sour cream, butter, and Parmesan really.  I planned on doubling it, however, and didn't want it to be too fattening, so I nixed half of the sour cream in place of chicken broth.

Turned out awesome.

Long story short, things went really well tonight and I concluded that this dish is more beautiful than I am.

Double Breaded Chicken Parmesan Alfredo

Yield: 3 servings (pictured above; one plate is plenty for one person)

Ingredients:

3 medium sized boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 eggs

4 cups dry pasta (any kind)

1 cup sour cream

1 cup chicken broth OR 1 cup hot water + 3/4 tbsp chicken broth base (that's what I used)

3 tbsp butter

Garlic salt

Italian seasoning

Up to 5 tbsp flour (optional)

2 cups broccoli

1/2 cup sliced or shredded peppers

Canola oil

Instructions:

1.) Preheat your oven to 420 degrees.

2.) In a large bowl, combine panko and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese well.  In another smaller bowl, beat the eggs well.

3.) Individually, coat each chicken breast in raw egg well.  Then transfer to bread crumb mixture and coat.  When well covered, return to egg mixture and coat again.  Apply a second coat of bread crumbs.  Set the breasts in a deep, lightly oiled baking dish (optional: dust the pan with garlic salt or Italian seasoning) and pop in the oven.  Set your timer for 10 minutes.

4.) Not much to do here, so take this opportunity to get everything out and ready if you haven't yet!  After ten minutes, turn the chicken breasts.  Set timer for 10 minutes.

5.) Get about 4 cups of water boiling for the pasta.  When the water begins bubbling, add the pasta and a capful of canola oil.  Keep covered.  After ten minutes, turn the breasts again.

6.) In a separate pot, get 2 cups of water and a tablespoon of butter boiling for the vegetables.  You can add a little chicken broth base should you fancy to do so.  Throw in the vegetables when the water begins to bubble.  Keep covered.

7.) When the timer goes off, turn the breasts again.  Set for one more ten-minute round.  The pasta should be finished up around this time.  Drain and set aside, covered.

8.) When the breasts finish, pull 'em out of the oven and cover.  Set aside (preferably out of the way if you're like me and prone to kitchen injuries... yes, I burned myself tonight.  3 times).

9.) Now for the sauce!  Throw your broth and the other 2 tablespoons of butter into a pot and simmer over a medium-high heat.  Don't boil it!  It just needs to be warm enough to melt the sour cream.

10.) Gradually add the sour cream, stirring constantly until melted and well combined.  Add the last of the Parmesan, still stirring, until thick.  If it's too runny, add flour a tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired thickness.

11.) When the sauce finishes, cover and set aside.  Finally, remove the vegetables from heat.  Don't drain--you'll use a slotted spoon or spatula to drain 'em and serve (I find it keeps them as moist as possible).

12.) Pile some pasta onto your plate, generously spoon on alfredo sauce.  Top with a chicken breast.  Using a slotted spoon, drain scoops of vegetables and add as you please.

Enjoy it while it's hot!

So tell me, fellow Spartans: what are some of the best moments you've ever had in the kitchen?  Some of the worst?  Share with us in the comments, Facebook, or Twitter!

ECHO out.