The Mother of Invention: Devil's Food Cupcakes with Baileys Buttercream Frosting

I had an English teacher in high school who admonished her students not to use absolutes in their writing—and she was, in fact, absolutely right. Because when I said I always had eggs in my fridge, I now realize this can't be true. There was at least one time where I had none, when at the same time I had an overwhelming need for chocolate cake. I also had no intention of leaving the house to get eggs. I quickly studied some recipes, calculated the ratio of liquid needed to make up for the missing eggs, and created these cupcakes. And they worked! The frosting, of course, is in honor of St. Paddy's being just around the corner, but I've listed some alternate suggestions below in the Notes. So, if you're egg-free, or just don't have any on hand, this is absolutely the cupcake for you :-) Enjoy!

Devil's Food Cupcakes with Baileys Buttercream Frosting

For the cupcakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons butter, softened
4 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup plain, whole-milk yogurt (or 1 cup whole milk with a splash of vinegar added to sour it)

For the frosting:
4 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon Baileys (or other) Irish Cream Whiskey
Chocolate sprinkles or chocolate for grating (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt until combined. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, then stir in vanilla extract. Starting and ending with flour mixture, blend in batches alternately with yogurt/sour milk until you have a smooth batter. Divide batter evenly among cupcake liners (about 2/3 full each) and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

In a small bowl, combine frosting ingredients and blend until completely smooth. Frost using roughly a heaping teaspoon for each cupcake. Top with chocolate sprinkles or grated chocolate, if desired.

Notes: Instead of Irish Cream in the frosting, use any liqueur you enjoy that pairs well with chocolate, such as Grand Marnier, Chambord, Creme de Menthe, or Kahlua. If you prefer not to use liqueur, simply substitute vanilla extract. This amount of frosting is enough for a thin layer on each cupcake, which is plenty for me—however, if you like to pile it on, go ahead and double the amount!

>o<

Peas on Earth: Mashed Peas with Butter and Lemon

I must say, peas are not a favorite among most of my family members, but I quite enjoy them. I'm not sure what the others have against them—but even liking them myself, I still need to breathe new life into them every once in a while. This is my version of "mushy peas", a traditional side dish in Northern England, typically served with fried fish. With their heavily-lemoned accent, I think mine go well with chicken and pork, too. Now, I won't lie: they're not the most photogenic item in the world, but they'll give you something different to try while you're waiting for fresh peas from the garden!

Mashed Peas with Butter and Lemon

Ingredients:
2 bags (about 10-12 oz. each) frozen "petite" or "baby" peas
4 Tablespoons butter
Juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon dried tarragon, crumbled (or your favorite herb, such as thyme or rosemary)
Salt and pepper

In a large saucepan, simmer peas with some water (about 1/4 cup), covered, until hot, then continue to simmer uncovered until almost all the excess moisture has evaporated. Turn off heat and smash with a potato masher (they will hold together, but still have plenty of texture). Stir in butter, lemon juice and tarragon, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot!

>o<

The Seedier Side of Life

With Spring planting just a few weeks away, I'm of course very excited to get back out in the yard and start my garden. In preparation, my first task was to sort through the seeds I already had, and determine what I would need to buy for this year. Although seed packets are dated and expected to be used within the year they're issued, I can't bring myself to throw unused seeds away - it feels too much like throwing food away. I store them in resealable bags in a cool, dark, dry part of the house, and so far they haven't let me down!

As I posted before, my garlic is already in the ground percolating, and I know that my cherry tomatoes will gleefully volunteer themselves all over the place once the soil warms up sufficiently (Who said tomato plants were delicate? They lied). I found I had a number of greens already in my collection as well, plus an abundance of carrot seeds in a separate container:

This year, I want to devote one of the garden beds entirely to edible flowers. I'm planning an outer border of nasturtiums, an inner border of chamomile, with taller borage to fill in the center:

What was left to buy? The one thing I really still wanted was zucchini - and not just any variety, but my all-time favorite, Romanesco:

I may buy single seedlings of a few other vegetables later in the Spring, but the seeds I already have will form the basis of my crops this year. Now, if only all that snow would melt so I could see the ground!

>o<