Coffee Cupcakes & Birthday Giveaway!

Recipe or Not turns one today!

We’re going all out to celebrate this birthday with:

– Coffee cupcakes!

– A brand new design!

– Recipe or Not’s first giveaway!

Let’s start with the cupcakes, shall we?

It seemed only fitting to make coffee cupcakes since A.) my first post was about iced coffee, B.) I can’t get enough coffee, and C.) coffee goes perfectly with cupcakes so why not put it IN the cupcakes?

Snag the recipe for these scrumptious treats at the end of the post!

I couldn’t believe it when I realized it had almost been a year since I published my first post. To be honest, I didn’t realize what I was getting into when I started. All I knew was – I wanted a blog and I wanted to share recipes so I jumped in with both feet and created Recipe or Not! Since then it’s been lots of learning, lots of experimenting, and lots of dirty dishes.

Along the way I’ve shared my favorite recipes with you and have had a blast learning how to cook and develop recipes. I still have a long ways to go but am excited to see Recipe or Not continue to grow and get better!

Which brings us to the new design! I’d been itching for a change and when the one year anniversary came speeding up, I knew it was time to make it happen. It’s simple, sleek, and I LOVE the new logo. Hope you like it as much as I do!

Aaaand now for… THE GIVEAWAY!!!

I am so excited about this giveaway because 1.) it’s my first one! and 2.) I LOVE Anthropologie aprons – they are the most adorable things. I just knew it had to be my first giveaway item.

One lucky winner will get cookin’ in style with this cute, darling, lovely, charming, and beautiful apron! (Is that too many adjectives? I can keep going.) :)

HERE’S HOW TO ENTER:

For new readers:

If you are new to Recipe or Not, you can enter to win by subscribing (for free!) to Recipe or Not by entering your email address under Follow Recipe or Not at the top of the sidebar to the right.

For current readers:

If you are already a subscriber to Recipe or Not, you can enter by leaving a comment below answering this question: What has been your favorite recipe on Recipe or Not?

You have until midnight CDT Tuesday, August 27th to enter! The winner will be announced here on Wednesday, August 28th and I will contact the winner for their mailing address to send their brand new apron!

****** CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. ******

Congratulations Kelly C., for winning the Anthropologie apron! A big thank you to ALL that participated! I’m looking forward to seeing you around Recipe or Not!

Happy Cooking! :)

Coffee Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream Frosting; adapted from Cupcakes from the Primrose Bakery

makes 12 cupcakes

Cupcakes:

8 T. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/4 c. brown sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. pure vanilla extract

1 T. instant espresso powder

1/2 c. milk

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 12-cup muffin pan. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together with an electric hand mixer until mixture is smooth, 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing for a few minutes after each addition. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a separate bowl. Whisk the vanilla extract and espresso powder with the milk. Add 1/3 of the flour to the creamed mixture and beat well. Pour in 1/3 of the milk and beat again. Repeat adding flour and milk until all has been added. Spoon mixture into the cups, filling them about 2/3 full. Bake for 25 minutes until slightly raised and golden brown. To test, insert a toothpick in the center of one of the cupcakes – it should come out clean. Once they have completely cooled, frost with coffee buttercream frosting.

Coffee Buttercream Frosting:

makes enough to frost 15-20 cupcakes

10 T. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 T. milk

2 t. instant espresso powder, dissolved into a small amount of hot water, cooled

3 1/4 c. powdered sugar

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, milk, espresso mixture, and half the powdered sugar until smooth with an electric hand mixer. This may take several minutes. Gradually add the remaining powdered sugar until it has all been combined and has reached a smooth consistency.

Quesadillas with Roasted Poblanos & Onion

We never buy the magazines at the checkout line of the grocery store.

But recently, we purchased a copy of Fine Cooking magazine on a whim and while flipping through the pages, we did a complete stop, stare, and drool when we came across this recipe.

For one thing, the photo could have stopped traffic it looked so good and for another, we absolutely love quesadillas.

We HAD to make this recipe.

And we had to share it with you! It totally lived up to our expectations.

Quesadillas with Roasted Poblanos & Onion; Fine Cooking

Serves 4 as a main course, 6-8 as an appetizer

2 small fresh poblanos

1/2 large white onion, thinly sliced

salt & pepper

4 eight-inch flour tortillas

2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

Salsa, pico de gallo, or guacamole for topping

THE PREP: Roast and peel the poblanos following the directions below. Slice them into 1/4 inch wide strips, set aside. Heat 1 T. vegetable oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and lightly browned, 3-5 minutes. Add the poblano strips and season with salt & pepper, cooking until peppers are heated through. Heat oil or butter in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add one tortilla and scatter over it a quarter of the cheese and a quarter of the peppers & onions. When the tortilla seems to be toasting, fold it in half and press with a spatula to flatten. Repeat with the remaining tortilla shells. (Tip: heat oven to 150 and place quesadillas on a baking sheet and keep in the oven until ready to serve.) Cut the quesadillas into wedges and serve with salsa, pico de gallo, sour cream, or guacamole.

Note: For a punch of protein, we added a finely diced, cooked chicken breast.

Roasting Poblanos; Fine Cooking

Use a gas burner, hot grill, or oven broiler

Blacken the peppers. Turn a burner to high and char the poblanos directly over the flame, turning them until fully blackened. Or use a hot grill or the oven broiler, turning the peppers until they are charred. Immediately after roasting, put the poblanos in a bowl, cover, and set aside to steam and loosen the skins. When cool enough to handle, peel the charred skin off with your hands or a small paring knife. Pull out and discard the stems and seed clusters.