Peanut Butter and Julie

Berry Yummy PB&J Cupcakes

What. A. Weekend.

My Friday started out quite pleasantly.  It was one of those mornings where I was in Super-Productive Mode, crossing things off my to-do list at a Usain Bolt-worthy level of speed.  I was so darn efficient in fact, that attending an 11:30 a.m. yoga class (as opposed to my planned 3:30 p.m. class) was indeed do-able.

The class was GREAT......well, as great as a hot yoga class could possibly be.  The teacher kept the room nice and hot, so I felt like I was really burning some calories, and I started to make notable progress on my Standing-Head-To-Knee pose.  Yes, it was going to be a spectacular weekend, and I was going to get tons of things accomplished.

As I headed out to my car, pondering the various possibilities for lunch, my eyes fell upon the rear driver's side window of my car.  Correction:  The smashed rear driver's side window (and the large mass of scattered shards on the ground.)  Apparently, my car alarm is not quite as efficient as I thought.  Crowded parking lot.  Car parked right up front.  Broad daylight.  Who woulda thunk?

It wasn't until I opened my door and searched for my well-hidden purse that it hit me.  I'd been robbed.  Purse. Wallet. License. House Key. Credit Cards. Phone. Very very favorite lip gloss.  #&%^$@!!!!  On the bright side, the criminals left my spark plugs, running shoes, and he/she/they/it was nice enough to break the opposite window from the one which I had JUST GOTTEN FIXED.  What do you want to bet that the repair cost of the window will be the exact amount of my deductible?  Ya think??

So I went back into the studio, still in shock, and the second that I started relaying my situation, my eyes started welling over with tears.  Stop it, Julie!  You're already a mess from class, and now you're a crying mess.  But I couldn't.  Maybe it was because I couldn't call anyone without my phone because I don't have anyone's number memorized.  Maybe it was because I was envisioning the jerks having a field day with my Amex.  Maybe it was because I realized that a trip to the DMV was inevitable.  Whatever the reason, I wasn't happy.

It didn't help when both the male owner of the yoga studio and my husband's first question to me was "Why did you leave your purse in the car?"  Not really the time for that question fellas.

So, after a weekend filled with police reports, lock changing, canceled cards, DMV camp-outs, and insurance estimates.......I needed some comfort food, the CHAMPION of comfort food to be exact.  Whether you've lost your homework, skinned your knee, or been victimized by some low-life who will likely never be caught, nothing picks you up like a good ol' PB&J........except for maybe a cupcake.  So what better way to raise my spirits than with a PB&J inspired cupcake?   These cupcakes were really easy to put together.  All of the ingredients were already in my kitchen, and they were finished and ready to enjoy in less than one hour (I could have made about 100 in the time it took me to get my new license.)  I don't eat a lot of desserts, but I felt that I'd earned this one, and it did end the weekend on a positive note. 

Oh, and there will be some upcoming good news to counteract all of that aforementioned bad news, some yin to the yang if you will.  Stay tuned for my newest flavor of Julie Anne's Granola announcement.  I've hinted at it already.  What could it be?

Here are my extra tips for making these nutty, jelly-filled treats:

• If you use a natural peanut butter in the cupcake recipe, be sure that it is one that you do not need to stir.  My favorite brands include Jif Natural, Smuckers, Sunland, Trader Joe's, and Smart Balance.  You can use a crunchy version for the batter, but don't use one for the buttercream if you are piping it on the cupcake.  The small bits of nuts might clog the piping nozzle!
• I don't recommend using a low-fat peanut butter, as it will likely change the flavor profile and texture of the resulting cupcake and buttercream.
• Certainly feel free to replace the red raspberry jam with whatever flavor is your household favorite.  You could also use fruit butters or even Nutella for an extra rich cupcake!
• If you don't have a piping bag or a squeeze bottle, try this method for filling the cupcakes:  Using a paring knife, remove a cone-shaped portion from the top of the cupcake.  Place about a tablespoon of jam in the hole and cut off enough of the cone shape so that the "lid" can be placed back on the cupcake without the jam oozing out.

Berry Yummy PB&J Cupcakes

Makes 12 Cupcakes

For the cupcakes

6 tablespoons butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, preferably natural

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup sour cream

1 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the buttercream

1 cup creamy peanut butter

10 tablespoons butter, softened

2 cups confectioner's sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4-6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1 cup red raspberry jam

Chopped peanuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and line a 12-cup cupcake tin with paper liners.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.   Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Beat in the vanilla and the sour cream.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until combined.

Divide the batter among the prepared cupcake liners.  Bake the cupcakes for 18-22 minutes, until they are puffed and golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean.  Allow the cupcakes to cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Prepare the buttercream: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment,  beat the peanut butter and the butter until light and fluffy.  Add the confectioner's sugar and the salt, and beat until well combined.  Beat in the vanilla and enough of the whipping cream to achieve your desired piping consistency.

Place the jam in a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip, or place it in a squeeze bottle.  Insert the tip/nose of the bottle into one of the cupcakes and gently squeeze about 1 tablespoon of jam into the center.  Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.

Pipe or spread the buttercream on top of the cupcakes and place a small dollop of remaining jam onto the center.  Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and serve!

Homemade Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels

Ow.

You know how some people think that yoga isn't a real workout?  They envision a glowing candlelit room full of chanting, hemp-clad, dread-locked hippies, who are all moving slowly to the beat of a  soothing gong?  Well, these are the smug folks who I just loooove to bring to my hot yoga and hot pilates classes.  Soothing?  Not exactly.

  For those of you who don't know, hot yoga, sometimes called Bikram yoga, is a 90 minute class that takes place in a 105F degree/40% humidity room.  The class consists of a series of postures that are held for 1 minute each before moving to the next posture. Easy enough, right?  No so much.  A typical pose will have you balancing on your left leg as you reach behind and grab your right inner ankle with your right palm.  Then, you extend your left arm straight up in the air so that your fingers point to the ceiling.  Now, still holding your right ankle, you kick your right leg back and charge your left arm forward so that your body resembles a bow.  Be sure to keep that left leg straight, class!!  Hold for one minute while trying to ignore that guy in front of you who just fell over and messed up your balance.  Repeat.  25 more poses to go!!  Easy, right?

You know that a class is going to be tough when you start to sweat before it even starts.  You learn to leave your pride at the door because, trust me, you have never seen such an ugly, red-faced, drenched group of people as those who have just finished a hot yoga class, many of whom are muttering things like "I can't believe I just paid for that".  Once, after a 5:30 a.m. class (which I'm not crazy enough to take often), I obviously left a little bit too much of my pride in the studio, because I decided to pop into Starbucks for a latte.  The freshly-showered-and-business-clad line of customers immediately started to inch away from my sorry-looking self.  O.K.  So I look like I just went through a car wash.  Sorry. But at least I worked out, Mrs. Glazed Donut and Venti Mochaccino Extra Whipped Cream. 

From then on, I decided to take the drive-thru.

So the other day, my curiosity got the best of me, and I decided to try my studio's new, "Hot Pilates" class.  Yes, it's still in the 105F degree room, BUT this class is only one hour, so it's probably a cake-walk, right?

Sure.

Apparently, torture is "in" with the Las Vegas crowd, because my fellow classmates and I were packed like sardines, just waiting to be in pain.  This class makes hot yoga look like a lazy Sunday stroll in the park: push ups, lunges, squats, crunches, more push ups, leg lifts.......over, and over, and OVER again.  Dripping with sweat, I looked up at the clock, hoping that the halfway point was near.  Six minutes had gone by.  Are you kidding me?  It was pure agony......but oh yes, I will be back tomorrow.  And why not?  It's such fun, and so soothing.

P.S.  Mr. Big Hairy Sweaty Grunting Guy with the circa 1982 Olivia Newton John workout gear:  Don't ever place your mat next to mine again.  Never. Ever.

One technique that helps me get through the various poses is to let my mind wander so that I am not counting down every remaining second.  Most of the time, I end up thinking about food (surprise, surprise):  what I'm going to have for lunch, which restaurant I want to try, or what I should blog about next. 

It's probably no coincidence that, as I situated my body into a twisted and uncomfortable pose that resembled a human pretzel, the idea of making homemade soft pretzels came to mind. I'm not kidding.  I had tried making them several years ago, but the recipe used a different method.  This recipe is an adaptation of Martha Stewart's version, which boils the pretzels, similar to bagels, prior to baking them.  I decided to make the pretzel dough partially whole wheat, and I also created a sweet cinnamon-raisin version.  Although they may not soothe my aching muscles, they were a nice (and fairly healthy) reward for all of that hard work.

Here are some extra tips for making these tasty twisted treats:

• The pretzels are best served within several hours of baking, but they will keep for 1-2 days, tightly covered at room temperature.
• I suggest that you serve the salted pretzels with assorted mustards.  I love a coarse dill mustard made by East Shore Specialty Foods.  Seriously, I order it by the case.  All of their mustards are wonderful.
• For the cinnamon-sugar-raisin pretzels, you can enjoy them as they are, or you can drizzle them with a glaze made from confectioner's sugar and milk.  Allow the glaze to set for about 15 minutes before serving.
• The pretzels can also be prepared using only all-purpose flour.  If you do this, you likely won't need any extra water during the mixing process.  Whole wheat flour tends to soak up more water, which is why you might need the extra few teaspoons.
• Flipping the pretzels in the boiling water can prove to be a bit tricky.  I only boiled them in batches of two, and I used a wide spatula for flipping.  After a few duds, I finally got the hang of it!

Homemade Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels

Makes 12

Ingredients:

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup warm water (105-110 degrees)

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons butter softened and cubed

1/4 cup raisins (optional)

Cinnamon Sugar Mix

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter, melted

3 tablespoons baking soda

2 teaspoons coarse salt

In a small bowl, combine the yeast, salt, and sugar.  Add the warm water and whisk until the sugar dissolves.  Let the mixture stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix both flours with the cayenne pepper.  Add the butter and mix until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  While mixing, slowly add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture, mixing until well combined and adding more water by the teaspoon if the dough is too dry.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half.  Cover one of the halves loosely with plastic wrap.  Knead the raisins into the other half until they are well distributed and the dough is no longer sticky.  Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap.  Knead the other half of the dough until it is no longer sticky, about 5 minutes.  Recover the dough with plastic wrap and allow both halves to rise for 30 minutes.

Cut one piece of dough into six pieces.  Roll each piece into an 18-inch rope.  Form a U-shape with 1 rope, and twist the ends together twice.  Fold the twisted portion backward along the center of the U-shape to form a circle, then gently press the ends of the rope onto the dough to seal.  Transfer the pretzel to and oiled baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough, including the second half, to form 12 pretzels.  Let rise for 20 minutes.

Make the cinnamon-sugar butter.  In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon, salt, and melted butter until combined; set aside.

Preheat the oven to 450F degrees.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the baking soda.  Boil the pretzels in batches until puffed and shiny, about 1 minute per side.  Transfer the pretzels to wire racks to drain.  Return the pretzels to the baking sheets.  Brush the pretzels containing raisins with the cinnamon sugar butter and sprinkle the other pretzels with the coarse salt.

Bake the pretzels until they are golden brown and cooked through, about 15 minutes. 

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Mousse Shots

So I get to gloat for at least one more day.  Gooooo  Duke!!

Before I head over to Buffalo Wild Wings this evening to watch the final game, I have about a bajillion (give or take a million) things to do.  BWW is where our local alumni club has decided to hold all of its game-viewing-get-togethers for the NCAA Tournament.  The sheer fact that I am even stepping into a Buffalo Wild Wings for a second time is a true testament to my team loyalty, seeing as there is absolutely nothing on their menu that appeals to me (I'll bring a granola bar), and when I asked the waitress what kind of wine they had this past Saturday, she looked at me with an expression that said: "Girlfriend, this is a sports bar.  Only weirdos order wine in a sports bar.  Suck it up and order a beer."

It's amazing that one look can say so much, but Tiffany managed to accomplish this feat with flying colors.

We didn't have a very large showing of support on Saturday night, but West Virginians are apparently moving to Las Vegas by the truckload.  That, or it could be that 99.9% of the country would prefer that any team other than Duke wins the tournament, even if it's Northwest Central Tech Las Vegas Valley Community College.  It appears as though they grow them mighty big in West Virginia, judging from the table of linebackers next to me, all of whom were decked out in Mountaineer garb and who were scarfing down enough wings and pitchers of Bud to ensure that BWW stays in business for years to come.  Not wanting to anger my fellow sports fans, I kept my cheering to an under-the-table-golf-clap minimum.....at least until they realized that defeat was inevitable.  Good game, fellas.  Better luck next year.

Despite my fierce Blue Devil loyalty, I will say that it was heartbreaking to watch the events surrounding Mountaineer De'Sean Butler's injury.  You never want to see something like that happen to any player, especially a senior with huge prospects for a future professional career.  I thought that WVA's Coach Huggins handled everything so well, and you could really see the mutual respect between these two men.  Here's wishing De'Sean a full and speedy recovery :)

While I'll be toughing it out in the culinary nightmare that is BWW, there's no reason why you home-viewers can't prepare these deliciously decadent treats with a hoops-themed title.  As I previously mentioned, I've had peanut butter on the brain lately.  What goes better with peanut butter than chocolate?  O.K., jelly, but other than jelly, what goes better with peanut butter than chocolate?  (Pssst.....the correct answer is "Nothing.")  Both of the mousses in this recipes are extremely easy to prepare, and the entire treat can be made in advance and chilled.  Individually-sized desserts are tres chic right now, so these would also make a perfect addition to a dessert table at a wedding, cocktail party, shower, etc.

Just one little disclaimer:  Yes, I do realize that there is a massive amount of cream contained in this recipe.  Keep in mind that the recipe prepares enough for about 40 people, and that each decadent serving is more than enough to satisfy even the sweetest sweet tooth.  It ends up being about 2 tablespoons of cream per serving......so skip the half & half in your coffee in lieu of skim milk, and you're good to go!  Here are my extra tips for making these sweetly sinful shooters:

• Plastic shot glasses should be available at your local party supply store (I found mine at Party City), in the same aisles as both the plastic champagne glasses and the bachelor/bachelorette party supplies.
• If you can't find the plastic shot glasses, you can always use mini souffle cups, small champagne flutes, etc. You could also layer the two unchilled mousses over a crust in a springform pan to make a Chocolate & Peanut Butter Mousse Pie!
• Both of the mousse flavors can be prepared and chilled up to one day in advance; however, it is easier to layer in the glasses before it is chilled, as the thicker mousse makes it more difficult to form smooth layers.  If you have chilled the mousse, stir it a bit prior to adding it to the piping bag.  This will help to loosed it up.
• The espresso powder in the chocolate mousse is an optional ingredient.  Its purpose is to provide the chocolate mousse with a deeper chocolate flavor.  I purchase mine from the King Arthur Catalogue, but most specialty foods stores will carry it.  The cinnamon in the peanut butter mousse is also optional, but I just love a little cinnamon in my peanut butter :)

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Mousse Shots

Makes 35-40 Shots (depending on the size of the glass)

Ingredients:

For the Chocolate Mousse

3 cups heavy cream, divided

1/2 teaspoon espresso powder, divided

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons Kahlua or Bailey's Irish Cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

For the Peanut Butter Mousse

1 1/2 cups peanut butter chips

2 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided

3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons sugar

Peanut Butter and regular Whopper candies for topping

Prepare the chocolate mousse: Bring one cup of the cream and the espresso powder to a simmer in a medium saucepan, stirring to dissolve the powder.  Turn off the heat and immediately add the chocolate, vanilla, liqueur, and salt.  Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth.  Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Beat the remaining 2 cups cream with the sugar in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. Carefully fold the chocolate mixture into the whipped cream in three additions.  Cover and chill until ready to use.

Prepare the peanut butter mousse:  Microwave the peanut butter chips and 1 cup of the cream in a large microwave-safe bowl at medium heat in 30 second intervals, stirring each time until the chips are melted and the mixture is smooth.  Whisk in the peanut butter, cinnamon, and the vanilla.  Allow the mixture to cool until it is lukewarm.

In a medium bowl, beat the remaining 1 1/2 cups cream with the 2 tablespoons sugar until stiff peaks form.  Carefully fold the cream into the cooled peanut butter mixture in three additions.  Cover and chill until ready to use.

Spoon the two mousses into two large piping bags fitted with plain medium tips.  Pipe the mousses in alternating layers into plastic shot glasses.  Smooth the top layer with a knife or an offset spatula and top with a Whopper (regular or peanut butter flavor.)  Chill for at least 2 hours.