"Come quickly: I'm tasting the stars!"

That's supposedly what Dom Perignon said after he created his champagne. What a wonderful thing to say about food. It's romantic and beautiful and makes me want to pop open a bottle right now. There is something magical about stars and that magic translates to champagne (Mimosas while delicious do not count).

We tend to save champagne for special occasions. I don't know why. On the one hand, if it were an every day drink it would lose it's glamour. On the other, such a wonderful drink is meant to be enjoyed. So we compromise and can use it to cook with. We can eat the stars instead of drinking them, and save those sips for a truly special occasion.

I made these at the very beginning of law school and rekindled them with a new icing a couple of weeks ago for one of my very best friends birthdays. I combined them with a raspberry buttercream, but I imagine strawberries and a variety of other fruits would make just as good of an icing to pair with the cupcake.

The magical thing about these cupcakes is their fluffiness. This past time I think I used a tiny bit too much flour, which made them a little cakey, but generally they are a super fluffy cupcake that melts in your mouth. They make the perfect dessert for any occasion whether it be a birthday, wedding shower, or New Years Eve party! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

(Side note: who wants to teach me how to take better pictures of my food?)

Champagne Cupcakes w/ Raspberry Buttercream

For the Cupcake

2 3/4 c. Flour

3 tsp. Baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2/3 C. Butter

1 1/2 C. Sugar

3/4 C. Champagne (any kind will do)

6 egg whites

For the Raspberry Buttercream

Butter

Powdered Sugar

Raspberries (i used 2 6 oz. packages)

Milk, Vanilla, Food coloring as needed

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line or grease your muffin pan. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy (Advice: Don't skimp on this! Make sure it's really blended well). In another bowl sift the flower, baking powder, and salt. 

Step 2: Blend the flour mixture and champagne into the butter mixture. Start with a little flour, then add a little champagne, go back and forth ending with flour. 

Step 3: Put the egg whites in a separate bowl and beat (with a hand mixer) until stiff peaks form. (**Advice: this takes time!!! If you've never done it before you should be able to stick your finger in and pull it out, when you do a stiff peak will form. It shouldn't be gooey and it shouldn't collapse. If it does that then you aren't there yet!) It gets a little tiring but it's worth it!)

Step 4: Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter to soften it up, and then add the rest of the egg whites.

Try not to stir! You don't want to over mix, you want them to just gently be added.

Step 5: Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full, and then bake! They should take about 20 min., but keep an eye on them

For the butter cream

Step 1: Puree the raspberries until smooth. Run it through a sieve if you don't want the seeds, but it tastes great either way.

Step 2: Cream the butter. Then slowly begin adding the powdered sugar. Once blended pretty well you can add the raspberry mixture. 

Step 3 (OPTIONAL): I would not add vanilla for this recipe, but you could or you could make a plain buttercream using vanilla. If your icing is too runny keep adding sugar to thicken it. If it's too thick for you (this really shouldn't be too big of an issue) add a tablespoon of milk to help thin it out a little bit. 

Step 4: There are several ways to ice them. I am too cheap to buy good icing bags and tips. The more I bake the dumber that is. But assuming you don't own those things. Fill a ziplock back with the icing and cut just a small small bit of the corner off and use it to ice the cupcake however you want!

Enjoy!!!! 

xoxo <3 tan

Buffalo Chicken Cannolis

So I really debated posting these or waiting till football season, but I decided they were too good to hold off on. I've been going through a little of a spicy phase. I can't get enough! Especially jalapeños...don't know why, what an odd craving.

I found these little gems on one of my favorite blogs How Sweet It Is . They really have the best recipes ever! And these were no exception.

I personally thought these were a great week night meal, but they'd be great for game day. I wonder how buffalo chicken became a staple of game day flavors. I bet Hooters is to blame. Seriously though! So many recipes especially around football season use this flavor. Is it more "manly" to eat? Is it because it's spicy? Messy?

If this really is a manly meal I can't really complain my college roommate Allie and I are all about buffalo chicken or "buff chick" as we so lovingly refer to it. It's just so good! There was this pizza shop around the corner from our apartment in the bronx they had the BEST buff chick pizza. I'm pretty sure I have a picture of me eating a slice at 3 in the morning compliments of Allie...

no time to wait till I got home...

Anyway, I recommend EVERYONE try these cannolis and not just on game day.

Buffalo Chicken Cannoli

20 Flour tortillas (I bought fresh ones from Rosa's)

24 ounces Canola Oil (or whatever you like to fry things in)

2 1/2 C. Cooked chicken shredded or diced

1 whole large celery stalk, diced or minced

1/4 C. mayonnaise

1/4 C. Prepared hot wing sauce (more if you want)(I used Frank's Red Hot)

1/4 C. Blue cheese crumbles

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Black Pepper

Step 1: I just folded the tortillas over to make a shell and secured it with a tooth pick. (**advice: make sure enough of the toothpick is visible so you can get it out after you fry them!). 

Step 2: Use a pan or pot that can fit about an inch and a half of oil in it. Heat it so it gets super hot. You know it's ready if you can flick a tiny bit of water on it and it crackles and bubbles. Place the tortillas in the pan 2 or 3 at a time. The tortilla will bubble. I recommend taking it out popping the bubble inside the shell and putting it back in. You don't want to not be able to stuff the center. Drain them on a paper towel.

Step 3:  In a mixing bowl toss the diced chicken and celery. In a second bowl mix the mayonnaise and hotwing sauce together. (This is the stage you can add more hot wing sauce to get a spicier or more mild flavor). You do want to try to make it a little hotter than you actually want it because this taste will mix with the chicken and celery which will minimize the heat. When it's where you want it mix in with the chicken and celery. Stir in some of the blue cheese if you want (or you can just serve it in the left over hot wing sauce later).

Step 4: Stuff the cannoli shells with the chicken mixture. You will likely have to go from both ends to fill the shell. Do your best to push it to the center. Then you are done!

I served mine with bell peppers but you could make any side to go with them, or put them on a try with hot wing sauce and blue cheese in the center!! 

Enjoy!!

<3 Tanner