Root Beer Float Cupcakes Recipe

The Cherry on Top Ice Cream Float Party was full of great details as well as great recipes! Pulling together themed sweets is one of my favorite parts of party planning. I didn't find just the right root beer float cupcake recipe, so I adapted a recipe from Life Love Liz for the cake. Then, I modified my absolute favorite buttercream recipe for a Root Beer Buttercream that is both great for piping and delicious.

Adorning the root beer cupcakes with cherry sours and paper straws makes them extra festive. Besides root beer, the other special ingredients for adding flavor is root beer concentrate.

Root beer floats have a nostalgic feel to me. They aren't a treat we enjoy as a family regularly. Of course, that may change after the having this party. A cupcake version of a root beer float is new way to enjoy the flavor combination associated with root beer and vanilla ice cream.

Find the easy to print recipe here.

Root Beer Float Cupcakes

makes 32 cupcakes

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Ingredients

1 ½ cup unsalted butter, softened

6 eggs

5 cups all-purpose flour

5 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

3 cups sugar

2 tsp root beer concentrate

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups root beer

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pans with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, stir flour, salt, and baking powder together. Cream together butter and sugar in a mixer until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time beating until combined. Add root beer concentrate and vanilla. Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the root beer. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat. Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 full.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.  

                                                                     

Root Beer Buttercream

Ingredients

2 cups unsalted butter, softened

1 cup shortening

3 lbs. powdered sugar

½ cup root beer

2 tsp root beer concentrate

½ tsp vanilla

Pinch of salt

Instructions

Cream butter and shortening with an electric mixer. Add vanilla, root beer concentrate, and salt. With the mixer on a low speed, gradually add sugar, one cup at a time. The mixture will appear dry. Add root beer and beat on low until combined. Then, turn up the mixer to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Pipe on cooled cupcakes.

** This post contains affiliate links. By purchasing through my links, I receive a small compensation which I will in turn use to share more inspiration with you.**

Roasted Asparagus with Goat Cheese

We’ve been enjoying a little spring green by way of asparagus lately. Since my daughters helped devour this recipe, I thought I would share.

First, rinse and trim the woody ends off the asparagus.

Arrange the asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet. Coat the asparagus with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper.

Bake the asparagus for 12 minutes or until tender in a preheated oven at 400 degrees. Meanwhile, melt 2 Tablespoons of butter and 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar together in the microwave or on the stove.

Transfer roasted asparagus to a rimmed serving platter and top with balsamic glaze and goat cheese crumbles.

Delish!

Jello Clouds

When I set out to make the Jello Clouds for the Mary Poppins Party, I could not figure out what to use for the cloud. I knew I wanted the end result to be something like this. At first, I thought I would try a 7-minute frosting, but I like to get all my food prep done ahead of time. I think that frosting is meant to be used immediately. The Pin that provided the inspiration sent me on a hunt for ready made marshmallow clouds. No luck!

Not to be detoured, I set out to make my own. I didn’t take many pictures along the way, but I will give you the gist of how I did these.
First, I lined my pans with parchment paper. I drew the outline of the top of my glass on the reverse side of the paper to know what size dollops I was aiming for. I sprayed the parchment paper with non-stick cooking spray. Then I made the marshmallow recipe at the bottom of this post. Working quickly, I put the marshmallow mix in a piping bag (or ziploc) and cut the tip end off. I squeezed the dollops by keeping the piping bag close to the base at first. Then, I released pressure and pulled up on the bag.

As, the mixture starts to set, it is harder to control. This recipe made a ton of dollops, so I just used the best ones. Once the marshmallows set, I rolled them around in powdered sugar to store.

Prior to placing them on the jello, I dusted off as much powdered sugar as possible.

Vanilla Marshmallow Recipe
Adapted from Martha Stewart

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 3 (1/4-ounce) packages unflavored gelatin
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Confectioners' sugar for coating
• Piping Bags

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and lightly spray the parchment paper with cooking spray. Lightly spray the inside of the piping bag with cooking spray. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water; let stand for 10 minutes. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water. Place saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil; boil rapidly for 1 minute. Remove from heat, and, with the mixer on high, slowly pour the boiling syrup down the side of the mixer bowl into gelatin mixture. Add salt and continue mixing for 12 minutes.
Add vanilla extract; mix until well combined. Spray a rubber spatula with cooking spray. Transfer gelatin mixture to the piping bag. Pipe dollops onto prepared parchment paper. Let stand for 2 hours.
Place confectioners' sugar in a large bowl. Carefully remove marshmallows from pan. Add marshmallows to bowl and toss to coat.

Graham Cracker Caramel Crisps

I’ve given you a couple of my favorite savory tailgating recipes like the sausage cheese balls and the hot cereal mix, but I have yet to post the perfect sweet tailgating treat. And, you know I’m all about the sweet!

The first time I made these were for a care package for my now husband who was away at training while we were dating. I think they at least ensured the long distance commitment if not more. They are that good! Did I mention how easy they are?!? Keep these ingredients handy, because you will be reaching for this recipe again and again!

Lay out your graham crackers as closely packed as possible, so they get covered in the gooey goodness. A few extra marshmallows never hurts!

The melting butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla will get your mouth watering.

Pour on that caramel mixture and top with almonds and coconut. You barely even know those graham crackers are there!

Let it bake until lightly browned and extra gooey.

Slice into delightful bars.

And watch them disappear!

Graham Cracker Caramel Crisps

(from Land O Lakes Treasury of County Recipes)

• 12 double graham crackers
• 2 cups Miniature marshmallows
• 3/4 cups butter
• 3/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup flaked coconut

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 15”x10”x1” jelly roll pan with graham crackers. Sprinkle marshmallows evenly over crackers. In a 2 quart saucepan combine butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until brown sugar is dissolved and butter is melted. Pour evenly over crackers and marshmallows. Sprinkle with almonds and coconut. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely and cut into bars.

(Store in an air tight container with wax paper between the layers.)

Fresh Corn and Goat Cheese Stuffed Peppers Recipe

These tasty little mini-peppers were on sale the other week at our grocery store, and I had some extra ingredients left over from this amazing grits recipe. I decided to combine the two, and the result was delicious. These make a great healthy lunch or side dish. Frozen corn may be substituted as well.

Fresh Corn and Goat Cheese Stuffed Peppers

• 1/2 bag mini peppers, sliced in half, seeds removed
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• fresh corn kernels from 3 ears of corn
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 3 ounces goat cheese
• 3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
• 2 tsp lime juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add garlic, corn, salt, and pepper. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until corn is warmed and softened. Remove from heat and stir in goat cheese, lime juice, and cilantro.  Fill each pepper half with 1-2 Tbsp of corn mixture. Place peppers on a cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until peppers soften and the corn mixture is warmed through. Top with extra cilantro and chopped scallions if desired.

Sausage Cheese Balls Recipe

I realize this is totally a photo of pancakes here, but I really didn’t have the energy to bake up another batch of the sausage cheese balls just to get a styled photo. So, just imagine a nice photo of those yummy cheesy balls peaking out from the top of this photo.

This recipe has been a go to appetizer for our family as long as I can remember. It’s always present during Thanksgiving and Christmas, and it makes the perfect football game snack. I can pretty much guarantee any male in your life with love them!

Sausage Cheese Balls

• 1 pound sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 pound hot pork sausage
• 3 cups buttermilk biscuit mix (such as Bisquick)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix shredded cheese, uncooked sausage, and biscuit mix in a food processor until well blended. The mixture may seem dry at first, but will come together.  Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place on parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Serve warm or at least room temperature. Yield: Approx. 6 dozen.

tip: 1.  I find the pre-shredded and packaged cheese make this mixture a bit dry. I recommend buying the block of cheese and shredding it. 2. These freeze great. Pop them in a Ziploc and freeze up to a month. Thaw in the refrigerator and heat them up in a microwave.

One Pot Salsa Verde Chicken Recipe

When I saw this recipe over at Kevin & Amanda, I knew I would have to give it a try. Amanda is so right about the ease of making this one pot meal. To truly have a one pot meal for us, I needed to include a few veggies. I swapped out some ingredients and came up with the perfect meal for us. It’s been a hit with our whole family with the exception of one teething Tandy that nothing seems to satisfy at the moment.

These are the ingredient substitutions I made.

My mom introduced me to the Cookwell & Company Green Chile Stew, and I love it’s versatility in recipes. Yum! A can of white beans and frozen corn make a great veggie combo to add to this dish. Beans are an easy way to add in fiber as well. I’ve been cooking whole chickens in my crock pot then shredding and freezing them. I’ll have to save that for another post.

Don’t those dumplings look delicious. You really need to check out Amanda’s amazing pictures, but I warn you they may make you hungry.

 

Salsa Verde Chicken

Adapted from Kevin & Amanda Salsa Verde Chicken.

For the Sauce:
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups Cookwell & Company green chili stew
1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk 
2 cups cooked, chopped chicken

1 can white beans such as northern or navy beans
1 cup frozen corn 

For the cornbread:
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallion greens

1. Prepare the Sauce: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Melt butter over medium-high heat in a large oven-proof skillet or dutch oven. Whisk in the flour to make a paste. Add broth, salsa verde, and evaporated milk and whisk vigorously until thick and bubbly. Stir in chicken, corn, and beans. Turn heat to low to keep warm.

2. Prepare the Cornbread: Meanwhile, heat milk and butter in a small saucepan until melted and steamy. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and scallions in a separate bowl with a fork. Pour in milk mixture and stir to form a thick dough. Drop spoonfuls of dough into the skillet with chicken mixture.

3. Transfer skillet to oven and bake at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, until cornbread is cooked through. Serves 6.

Cranberry Orange Baked Oatmeal

I’m still playing around with my baked oatmeal recipe, and I think I have another winner. I had some cranberries hanging out in my freezer left over from Christmas. I love the cranberry orange combo, so I thought why not! I chopped one cup of the frozen cranberries.

Add added the zest of half an orange.

I always keep the bananas in the recipe because there is just something about the taste and smell of baked bananas that I can’t get enough of.

Baked and delicious!

Cranberry Orange Baked Oatmeal

• 1/2 cup applesauce (natural, unsweetened)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanillla extract
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp milk
• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup whole cranberries, chopped
• 2 bananas sliced
• zest of 1/2 an orange
• 1/4 cup flaxseed (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8”x8” baking dish and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk applesauce and eggs together. Add honey and brown sugar and blend well. Add the vanilla, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, zest and milk and blend well. Stir in the oats and flaxseed and mix until evenly distributed. Fold in the bananas and cranberries. Pour mixture into greased dish and bake for 35-40 minutes or until set.

Tips:

• If you find this too sweet, omit the brown sugar.
• If you like to dice and freeze ripe banana, they work great in this recipe.
• You can prepare this recipe the night before and bake it in the morning, just refrigerate it overnight.
• This recipe makes 9 servings.
• Check out this post for the Apple & Banana version.

Apple & Banana Baked Oatmeal

Did you know that January is National Oatmeal Month? It is! I really do love to eat my oats, and ever since we had to get Avery on a higher fiber diet I’ve found a great way to get her eating oatmeal too. (You can read more on Avery’s diet changes here.) The best thing is that this recipe makes 9 servings, so it’s enough for Avery and I to eat throughout the week. I love that I can prep this once a week instead of slicing fruit every morning to keep the fiber count up on a bowl of cereal.

There are so many fruit variations with this as well. In the summer we used strawberries or blueberries and banana. This version has apples, bananas, and dates. You can use fresh, frozen or dried fruits to your hearts delight.

We like to serve it with a bit of milk and heated in the microwave. Sweet comfort food!

I really need a crash course in food photography. Please trust me and try this out even if those aren’t the most appetizing photos.

Apple & Banana Baked Oatmeal

• 1/2 cup applesauce (natural, unsweetened)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanillla extract
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp milk
• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 apple chopped but not peeled
• 2 bananas sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped dates (optional)
• 1/4 cup flaxseed (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8”x8” baking dish and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk applesauce and eggs together. Add honey and brown sugar and blend well. Add the vanilla, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and milk and blend well. Stir in the oats and flaxseed and mix until evenly distributed. Fold in the fruits. Pour mixture into greased dish and bake for 35-40 minutes or until set.

Tips:

• If you find this too sweet, omit the brown sugar.
• If you like to dice and freeze ripe banana, they work great in this recipe.
• Add diced nuts for another variation.

Presenting Pumpkin Pie

This post was inspired by the dessert table I did for my daughter’s recent shabby chic pumpkin first birthday. With Thanksgiving and Christmas around the corner, I put together a few new ways to present the traditional pumpkin pie. This is just a new spin on a classic.

Materials Needed:

• Prepared pumpkin pie – I simply mixed and baked the pumpkin pie based on the directions on the can of pumpkin puree. The only change is to omit the crust. Bake the pie filling in a greased pie dish without a crust.
• Cool Whip
• Packaged roll out pie crust
• cookie cutters
• push pop containers (you can find these here)
• canning jars (I used 4 oz. regular mouth jars)
• piping bags and large round tips
• cookie sheets

The three techniques I will show you are cracker style, push pop pie, and pie in a jar. For each technique I baked the crust before assembly. Let’s get started!

Roll out the pie crust on a floured surface. Cut the dough into your desired shape. For the cracker style, I used a flower cutter and a round cutter around 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter. If you cut these too big, the flaky crust may not hold up to the topping. For the push pops, use the container to cut the crust circles. For the pie in a jar, use the canning jar ring to cut larger circles.

Cracker Style:  For the cracker style and push pops, lay out the crusts flat on a cookie sheet. For the pie in a jar, press the crust discs to the bottom and slightly up the sides of the jars. You will bake the crust in the jar. Prick the crusts with a fork. Bake the crusts at the recommended temperature but reduce the time. For me, the cracker and push pop crusts took about 8 minutes, but the jars took the full recommended time. Let the crusts cool.

Fill your pastry bags fitted with large round tips with the baked pumpkin pie and Cool Whip.

For the crackers, pipe a small dollop of pumpkin pie on the crust.

Then top with Cool Whip.

Push Pop Pie: For the push pops, begin with dropping a crust disc to the bottom of the container. This disk may be slightly large for the bottom of the push pop. As you can see in the photo, I gently broke up the crust a little to get it to lay flat. (Don’t worry, no one will notice!)

Pipe in the baked pumpkin pie and Cool Whip layers. Top with another crust disc. This one should fit just fine. Repeat pumpkin pie and Cool Whip layers ending with a nice swirl of Cool Whip.

Pie in a Jar: For the pumpkin pie jar, pipe in a thick layer of the baked pumpkin pie, and top with a nice swirl of Cool Whip.

Do one variation or all three. Either way, guest will be pleasantly surprised by a unique presentation. By the way, these help with portion control too! Most importantly, enjoy!

Tip: Keep the Cool Whip piping bag chilled in between use. By the time I got to the pies in jars, my Cool Whip did not stay quite as smooth.

Spinach and Sweet Potato Quiche

So, I just had to make this quiche in an adult size version as well. This is complete with a brown rice crust to amp up the fiber factor. I loved this crust so much, that I’m not sure if I’ll go back to a traditional pastry crust for a savory dish.

I found the idea for the rice crust here.

Brown Rice Crust

• 2 cups cooked brown rice (use the package directions including salt)
• 1/4 cup grated cheese of choice (I used Mozzarella)
• 1 egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix the rice, grated cheese, and egg in a bowl. Press the rice mixture into a pie plate. Bake for 5-7 minutes.

Spinach and Sweet Potato Quiche

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 peeled and grated sweet potato (med to large)
• 6 oz spinach leaves
• 4 whole eggs
• 3/4 c greek yogurt
• 1/4 c grated parmesan
• 1/2 c onion

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add grated sweet potato and onion and saute over medium heat for 7 minutes or until tender. Add the spinach leaves to the pan and saute an additional 3 minutes.

Transfer the sweet potato mixture to a food processor (or blender) and pulse and few times to break up the pieces. Add the yogurt and parmesan cheese and stir. Stir in the eggs and mix well.

Pour mixture into rice crust and bake in oven for 40-50 minutes or until golden and set.

Spinach and Sweet Potato Quiche Cups for Baby

Tandy is all about finger foods these days. It’s exciting to watch her grow and form opinions, but it sure was easier to grab those packaged baby foods for many of her meals. Not so fun to have her try to swat the spoon out of your hand though. This recipe I tried out yesterday was a hit. I’m thinking of making it in a large size with a brown rice crust for the bigger kiddo and adults too.

Adapted from this recipe.

Spinach and Sweet Potato Quiche Cups

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 peeled and grated sweet potato (med to large)
• 5 oz spinach leaves
• 3 whole eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 3/4 c greek yogurt
• 1/4 c grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add grated sweet potato and saute over medium heat for 7 minutes or until tender. Add the spinach leaves to the pan and saute an additional 3 minutes.

Transfer the sweet potato mixture to a food processor (or blender) and pulse and few times to break up the pieces. Add the yogurt and parmesan cheese and stir. Stir in the eggs and mix well.

Divide mixture into a greased muffin tin and place in oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Makes 12 quiche cups. Freezes well.

Chocolate Banana Ice Cream

At first I would buy bananas, then when they reached a “riper than we like to eat” stage, I would cut them into chunks and freeze them. Now, if you want a fresh banana in our house, you better grab it quick. I love using frozen bananas so much more now that they hit the freezer quick. You pretty much don’t even need ice when you make smoothies from these frozen banana bites. Well, a couple of weeks ago I found this fat free chocolate banana ice cream recipe. Yum-o!!! It comes out about the consistency of a Wendy’s Frosty, but nice and rich. So far I’ve used vanilla and honey flavored yogurts instead of plain, and I use 2 frozen bananas. (I freeze my bananas in baggies of two.)

Just so you don’t think I’ve ventured too far into a health kick, (this is sweeter than cupcakes after all) I’ll let you know about tonight’s little variations. Throw in two Tablespoons of peanut butter and you take it up another decadent notch. Then I topped it off with a few of these fun mallow bits. Yep, leave it to me to fatten up a perfectly good fat free recipe!

I’m thinking cinnamon might be another tasty alternate. This is a perfect summer night treat!

Breakfast for Dinner

Do you ever make a meal and before you are finished eating it, you can't wait to make it again? I do. Tonight's meal was one of those experiences for me. We had breakfast for dinner inspired by some recent pinning on pinterest. For the main meal we had these brunch stuffed peppers. Bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, cheese, what's not to love. (Note: Mine took longer to bake than the recipe. It ended up being about 1 hour.)

Source: pauladeen.com via Courtney on Pinterest

Then for dessert, we had cinnamon roll pancakes. Melt in your mouth sugary, buttery sweetness. The cream cheese "syrup" just seals the deal.

Source: recipegirl.com via Courtney on Pinterest

Indulge!!

Surgery and Smoothies

Sweet Avery is scheduled for surgery on Monday. She needs to have her tonsils and adenoids removed and tubes put in her ears. It is all out patient surgery, but it raises our concerns all the same. Please keep her in your prayers for a quick recovery.
In the meantime, I've been collecting a few smoothie and milkshake recipes to soothe and nourish her during the healing. We actually tried this banana peanut butter one out today, and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

Source: thischickcooks.blogspot.com via Courtney on Pinterest

I'm loving the rainbow of recipes here too.

Source: gimmesomeoven.com via Courtney on Pinterest

I've started a smoothie and milkshakes pinterest board to keep up with some of the recipes, so check it out if your looking for something sweet and refreshing. Send along any of your favorite recipes as well.

Shaved Asparagus Salad

You've really got to give this one a try. Todd referred to it as his favorite way to eat asparagus yet. Check out this recipe for the asparagus salad here.