Diet Coke Days: Diet Coke Cupcakes

The only thing surprising about this recipe for diet coke cupcakes is that we haven't tried it sooner- diet coke cupcakes? Are you kidding me?

Even better, you can use any kind of diet soda and any kind of boxed cake mix, so the possibilities are endless.


Here's all you need to make these guys:

And then just make them according to the box:

We made Red Velvet ones with Cream Cheese Frosting....


And because it's a Weight Watchers recipe, they're practically guilt-free!

(we took them to Adam L's birthday party, because we thought they'd be the perfect counter-part to the Pabst Blue Ribbon cupcakes)

Have you tried these before? What kind of soda cupcakes sound good to you??

Cinco de Mayo or Cinco de Mango? Part 2 Mango Salsa

Ok it's time for part 2 of Cinco de Mango  Mayo: Mango Salsa...yum-um.

Ready for this?

(We used the receipe from here, minus the cilantro, plus some garlic salt)

Here's what you need:

1 mango - peeled, seeded and chopped

1/4 c finely chopped red bell pepper

1 green onion, chopped

2 T chopped cilantro

1 fresh jalapeno chile pepper, finely chopped

2 T lime juice

1 T lemon juice

Here's how to do it:

Chop all the ingredients

Mix them together in the bowl

Sprinkle the garlic salt on top

Let sit for a bit to get the flavors to blend together.

It's delish!

It does have a bit of a kick to it, but nothing you can't handle (trust me I'm a whimp)

Pair it with yesterday's Mango Margarita,

 and you'll have quite the little spread for your Cinco de Mayo party!

Buen provecho!

Bites: Spiked Banana Bread

Today's post is a recipe. But not for a drink. I did use whipped cream vodka in the making of the recipe, though, so I figured it still counts. Plus, it is yu-ummy. Like bananas foster in a bread. Yummy.

It all started when I ran out of sour cream. My go-to banana bread recipe has sour cream in it. And I didn't really want to run to the store. So I searched my favorite food blogs- smitten kitchen and how sweet it is. This triple fudge banana bread looked lovely, but I am also out of chocolate chips (who doesn't have chocolate chips on hand? Seriously.). I settled on this jacked-up banana bread recipe.

Since the theme of the post is "But-I-Didn't-Have-Any," of course, I mixed up the bananas, butter, egg, sugar, and vanilla and found that we don't have any bourbon. Are you kidding me? But sitting in the liquor cabinet, right where the bourbon should've been was Pinacle Whipped Cream Vodka. Since I was already committed to the banana bread at this point, why not, right?

And, the result? Sheer loveliness. Foster-y, banana-y glory.

Oh, and here's the recipe (but, like I said, it's adapted from the recipe at Smitten Kitchen)

4 overripe bananas, mashed

1/3 cup melted butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 t vanilla

1 T whipped cream vodka

1 t baking soda

pinch salt

1 t cinnamon

pinch nutmeg

1 1/2 cups flour

Mash the bananas, pour the butter over them. Add the brown sugar, egg, vanilla and vodka. Mix well. Add the baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix well. Add the flour. Mix. Add batter to a greased bread pan. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.

DELICIOUS. Like making-me-hungry-just-looking-at-these delicious. Try it.

Mocha Cupcakes made with Starbucks Via

I wish I could claim this genius idea as my own, but I cannot. Jordan (our sister/sister-in-law), added Starbucks VIA to her cupcake batter and icing a couple of years ago to make the Best. Mocha. Cupcakes on earth. 

And even though it's not my idea, I will sleep better at night once I pass this tip along. Because if you like coffee and chocolate (and cupcakes), you haven't really lived until you've tried one of these.

The whole mocha cupcake recipe is here, but the jist is that you add three packets of VIA to the cupcake batter and two packets of VIA to the frosting. You could use homemade frosting, but the Betty Crocker Buttercream is great in a pinch.

And then, you should probably pack up a platter or two and take them to various coffee-loving friends. If not, you might look at the plate a couple hours later and realize that you've eaten eight cupcakes. Not that that's happened around here or anything.

ps- We served these at the Denver Blogger Meetup and they were quite the hit!

BITES with TheAdams: Buffalo Chicken Dip

So this is the BEST thing you will ever put in your mouth....yep....I'll say it again. THE BEST! It's healthy too! (that part's not true) If there was only one "dip" I was allowed to eat for the rest of my life this would hands down be it. It might even make my top 5 food list. There's no more to say.

Here's the recipe and instructions:

1 12 oz can of chicken

8 oz cream cheese

1 cup of franks red hot (or to taste)

1 cup of blue cheese or ranch dressing (I use blue cheese)

2 cups of shredded cheddar (or whatever you prefer)

In a large skillet on low/medium heat, add the chicken and pull it apart with a couple forks.
(you don't want any big chunks)

Once it is all pretty shredded, put in the softened cream cheese and mix it into the chicken.
(this should take a couple minutes to get all the cream cheese to melt down and mix with the chicken)

Add in theFranks Red Hot and mix it in thouroughly.
(I've tried other hot sauces but I think Franks is the best)

Once the Franks is mixed in, add the blue cheese dressing and mix it in.

Once the dressing is in, I turn up the heat to medium and add the shredded cheese. (sometimes I put a bit more then two cups in) Fold the cheese in until it is all pretty melted.

From here there are two options. I like to put the mixture into a small crockpot to keep it warm. If you decide to do this make sure you stir the dip about every 30 minutes or so, otherwise sometimes the bottom burns.

The other option is to simply put it in a bowl or shallow dish. Take it to a friends and microwave it for about 30 seconds. Stir it up and boom goes the dynamite.

I like to serve it with baguettes or sliced french bread. Triscuits are my second fave. If not though, chips will do.

 Ludwig out!

BITES: Chocolate Whiskey Ice Cream Balls

First, I'm really excited about December.

We have some really fun holiday recipes and gift ideas coming up for you guys!

Second, we're starting December off with a fantastic dessert appetizer for your adults-only holiday party.
The combination of chocolate and whiskey paired down into bite size treats make it the sweet tooth's (and her man's) perfect dessert.

I had the idea of doing chocolate whiskey candies while trying to figure out what to do for my Gifts for Guys guest post on Kojo Designs . So I bought all of the ingredients for it and was planning to make Chocolate Whiskey Truffles.

But as I was making them they didn't turn out like I planned

(I'm pretty sure it's because I added extra Whiskey).

I'm not telling you this to sell out my cooking skills,

Im telling you this because it's the fun part of cooking,

it's creative, and it's ok if it's not perfect.

In this case, I think these turned out better than I hoped!

OK, so if you want to make these Chocolate Whiskey Truffles turned Chocolate Whiskey Ice Cream Balls yourself, I'm going to show you how:

Here's what you need:

12 oz bittersweet chocolate chips (I used mini so they melted easier)

2/3 c whipping cream

1/4 c unsalted butter, softened

4 T Whiskey (or 5 for whiskey lovers)

Hersheys or Smuckers Magic Shell (ice cream topping that hardens)

Here's how to do it:

First, simmer the whipping cream over medium-high heat until hot.

Meanwhile, place the chocolate chips in a separate bowl.

When the cream is hot, pour over the chocolate, stirring until melted.

 Be sure to use a bowl that can tolerate extreme temperatures--I used a glass one.

Add in the butter.

And then the whiskey.

Stir until smooth.

(I put it in the microwave for 20 seconds just to finish melting the butter)

When it is all melted and smooth, put bowl into the freezer until it is firm and moldable, but not hard--about 30 minutes.

Then roll into 1 inch balls and place onto a cookie sheet covered in wax paper

Then put back into freezer to firm up again.

They will get messier and harder to form as you go because they're warming up.

Try to keep smoothing them out as much as possible, but they won't be perfect.

(Also, I didn't use all of the chocolate. If you have some left over, or want to make a double batch, set aside, not in the freezer, and I'll show you another great dessert to use it for, in the next few days).

 

When firm again, pour the Magic Shell topping into a bowl

Roll each ball into the topping until completely coated.

Set on the cookie sheet and place back into freezer until serving time.

 

So chocolatey. So rich. Sooo good.

BITES- cheesy potato balls

I don't know about you guys but around these parts most of our nights have been consumed with watching the World Series. (When your husband is from Texas and they make it to the World Series, you don't really argue.) So if you're like us and you're looking for an appetizer to pair with your beer for the big game, these cheesy potato balls (that the boys have nicknamed The. Balls.) are quite the crowd pleaser!

INGREDIENTS
8 baking potatoes
1/4 cup minced onion
8 ounces cream cheese
8 ounces sour cream
2 T butter, softened
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Bake potatoes at 350 for an hour and a half. Let cool. Peel and shred the potatoes (we used a ricer, but you can just use a fork if you don't have one).

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, shredded cheese, onions, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Add in shredded potatoes and mix.

Scoop out spoonfuls (you can use an ice cream scoop but we didn't). Roll in parmesan/corn flake mixture. Line up on cookie sheet.

Bake at 425 for 35 minutes. Pair with your favorite brew and tune in to your favorite team. In our case, GO RANGERS!