Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting

These chocolate cupcakes with strawberry frosting start with moist, fudgy chocolate cake. Then they’re topped with creamy strawberry buttercream made from real strawberries.

Chocolate and strawberries – could there be a better combo? There’s just something about fudgy, creamy chocolate and fresh, sweet, juicy berries that go so perfectly together. And when Valentine’s day rolls around, these chocolate cupcakes with strawberry frosting are the perfect thing.

I always get really excited for Valentine’s Day, and I love the idea of taking a day to appreciate the people we love – and after cold, dreary January, I think everyone can use something to brighten their day.

I don’t typically buy gifts or do anything too fancy for Valentine’s Day – but I love to make a special treat to celebrate. And these chocolate cupcakes with strawberry frosting are great for February 14th, or whenever you’re looking for a chocolate cupcake recipe that’s just a little extra special.

How to Make Chocolate Cupcakes

The chocolate cupcakes are moist, fudgy, and have a perfectly soft cupcake crumb. Oil keeps the cupcakes moist. Then we’re using buttermilk for a soft, delicate cupcake crumb. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand – you can make your own with vinegar and 1% or 2% milk. Then for a super fudgy rich chocolate flavor, I recommend using dutch process cocoa.

Start by whisking all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, cream together all the wet ingredients. Then add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Spoon the batter into a cupcake pan lined with cupcake liners and bake. Let them cool completely before adding the frosting.

How to Make Strawberry Buttercream

For the strawberry frosting, we’re using real strawberries. You can use fresh or frozen berries – but if using frozen berries just make sure they aren’t packed in syrup or sugar.

First process the berries in your food processor or blender, and then put the juice through a metal sieve to remove the seeds. I usually do about 1/2 at a time and push the mixture through using the back of a spoon. It can be a little tedious – so if you don’t mind seeds in your frosting, you can skip this step.

Then boil the juice down until it’s thick like jam, and place it in the fridge or freezer to cool. After this is done – making the strawberry buttercream frosting is straight forward. Beat the butter until fluffy, then slowly beat in the powdered sugar followed by the cooled, boiled down strawberry puree.

PRO TIP: If you really want to amp up the strawberry flavor (and color), pulverize a half cup or so of freeze-dried strawberries, and mix those in.

What Piping Tip to Use on Cupcakes

You can either frost the cupcakes using a piping bag and tip (I used a 1M) or simply frost them with a knife.

You’ll

Easy 3 Ingredient Chorizo Potatoes

We went to Mexico a few year ago and these easy 3 ingredient chorizo potatoes had to be recreated for a savory breakfast or side!

We had the most amazing meals while staying in Mexico. Maybe the location helped a bit, maybe it was the sun, the pool at our side and the absolute peace of having nothing on our schedules to distract us from just loving and being together, but either way these Easy 3 Ingredient Chorizo Potatoes tasted like one of the most simply delicious things ever. We just had to recreate them!

Let me tell you a little bit about what I’m talking about. Cade and I did a speaking tour a few years ago. It was amazing. Have you heard of Time Out for Women before? It really is the most amazing weekend to go and fill up your tank to be a better person.

However, when you’re one of the speakers that comes with an extra load to carry as it means finding sitters to stay with your kids while you fly out of town. Praying and writing to come up with the best talk to give to the women who have sacrificed time, money and efforts to be there. It means staying up late and getting up early, worrying and working through nerves, etc.

It was the best experience of our lives, but by the end of the tour we knew we needed to get away as a family. And get away we did!!

San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico

We are going to be writing an entire post on why we chose the location we chose, where we stayed (Casa Mariposa is already being booked by our family for next year it was seriously that amazing!!!!) and what we did, but for now let me say this, it was everything you’ve always dreamed a vacation would be.

At Casa Mariposa there is a small staff to help you with what you need, the concierge is Carlos and Lupita does all the cooking. I’ll be honest with you, I thought for sure that we wouldn’t use them. Cade and I are so easy going and we love to cook and go out to eat so why would we need anyone?

We were wrong.

Lupita cooked breakfast and lunch for us every day, and it was not only delicious but made for an unforgettable experience. One morning she made us these easy 3 ingredient chorizo potatoes with simple huevos rancheros and I’m pretty sure Cade fell in love.

Easy 3 Ingredient Chorizo Potatoes

So what are Lupita’s papas con chorizo (or chorizo con papas)? Well, to be fair, we forgot to ask her how she made them, but I carefully ate them, savoring every bite and while our chorizo probably isn’t as good as theirs I’m pretty sure hers was the same as this recipe, or only slightly different.

All you need is 3 Ingredients:

1. Yukon Gold Potatoes
2. Minced, Fresh Garlic
3. Chorizo

How to Make Chorizo Potatoes

These potatoes are first pan fried creating a roasted, caramelized flavor on the potatoes, and then spicy chorizo is thrown in along with a little garlic to bring out everything you’d want in a simple Mexican breakfast. Here is a little more detail:

1. Place a large skillet over medium heat, add a drizzle

Crunchy, sweet and salty old fashioned Haystacks bring my Grandmother’s kitchen to mind every time I make them.

Haystack Cookies

Haystacks are a treat my Grandma used to make for us when we visited. They often appeared on her Christmas cookie trays and in our treat bags when she packed lunches for us.

Are they candy? or are they cookies? I never can decide! They’re certainly sweet enough to be considered candies, but they remind me more of no-bake cookies. Whatever you call them, they are much enjoyed.

Haystacks

Are you wondering exactly what these weird-looking cookies actually are? They’re little haystack-looking mounds of deliciousness that are made from either melted chocolate or butterscotch mixed with peanut butter and crunchy chow mein noodles.

I typically make mine, like Grandma did, with melted butterscotch chips. She often stirred a handful or two of peanuts into hers and I’ve seen them made with coconut too. They’re pretty adaptable little cookies.

The name of “haystack” is because they look a bit like haystacks as you drop them onto the baking sheet to cool. They’re super easy to make (a perfect kid-friendly recipe) and they have proven irresistible to snack on when they’re in our house.

We love the addition of a sprinkling of Maldon salt over each haystack. That salt balances the sweetness nicely and, as you know, I love a good salty-sweet treat.

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Pasta Primavera Recipe

This delicious and easy Pasta Primavera recipe is perfect for a weeknight meal. Loaded with fresh veggies, flavorful herbs and tossed in a creamy sauce, it’s a crowd-pleasing and healthy dish that the whole family will love.

This last weekend I really wanted something light, but still yummy, and this Pasta Primavera Recipe was perfect. We are huge asparagus fans so anything with asparagus gets us excited. Although the dish has no meat, I really don’t think you miss out on anything. In fact, the husband and I like having meatless meals every now and again as long as all of the flavor is still there. I bet you could throw in some grilled chicken or shrimp for protein and that would be sooooo good!

What Makes Something Primavera?

Primavera is an Italian word that means “spring”. In the culinary world, primavera means a dish served with a mixture of fresh seasonal vegetables usually paired with a pasta and creamy sauce.

Ingredients for Pasta Primavera

I’m going to give you a list of the fresh vegetables that we like to use in this pasta recipe, but this is definitely a dish that you can make substitutions with your favorite veggies. Here is what you will need:

• Penne Pasta: Any bite-sized pasta can be used, other good options would be orecchiette, rigatoni, farfalle or fusilli.
• Vegetables: Asparagus, Yellow Squash, Matchstick Carrots, Red Bell Pepper, Red Onion, Grape or Cherry Tomatoes, and Peas
  • Other options: Broccoli, Green Beans, Spinach, Brussels Sprouts, or Zucchini
• Sauce: Butter, Garlic, Lemon Zest and Juice, Pasta Water, Heavy Cream, and Parmesan
• Seasoning: Dried Italian Seasoning, Red Pepper Flakes, Fresh Basil Leaves, and Fresh Curly Parsley

The measurements and details for all the ingredients in this recipe can be found in the recipe card down below.

How to Make Pasta Primavera

1. Boil: Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and add a handful of salt.
2. Cook: Add the pasta and cook it until al dente. Do not drain! We will use the pasta water later for the sauce.
3. Sauté: Using a large skillet, add some olive oil and add the asparagus, onions and peppers and sauté until slightly tender and move to a plate.
4. Cook: Add the squash and carrots to the skillet, season it with salt and pepper and cook until tender but still crisp. Move the veggies to the plate with the asparagus.
5. Bloom: Add the butter to the skillet and add the garlic followed by the lemon zest, Italian seasoning to bloom the flavors. Add the tomatoes and cook until they start to brown.
6. Simmer: Add the pasta water and bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer until the tomatoes start to burst. Then add the peas.
7. Stir: Pour in the cream, lemon j

Honey Garlic Butter Roasted Carrots

Elevate your vegetable game with these delicious honey roasted carrots with garlic butter. Easy to make and packed with flavor, they make the perfect side dish for any meal.

They are the new favorite in our house and even the kids can’t get enough of them!

Other than salad, mashed potatoes, or sweet potatoes I never know what in the heck to do for delicious side dishes. Those three all have great recipes and variations out there, but don’t you ever want something else for a veggie?

My mom used to make creamed carrots for Sunday dinners and while I’m totally wondering why I haven’t posted that recipe yet I do have one for honey roasted carrots today. They are simple enough to make for a quick weeknight meal but fancy enough to be a side dish for a holiday feast.

The biggest reasons I love this recipe is, A. it’s crazy easy, and B. you can actually prep everything including partially roasting the carrots in the morning and then finish them off before everyone arrives. Just make sure you don’t overcook them because no one wants bitter carrots.

What Do I Need to Make Oven Roasted Carrots?

Carrots are a great vegetable! They are budget-friendly, kid-friendly, and they will last in the refrigerator for weeks. You only need a few ingredients for this honey roasted carrots recipe. Here is your shopping list…

• Baby Carrots: whole carrots can also be used if desired
• Olive Oil: neutral flavor is perfect for roasting
• Kosher Salt: adds flavor
• Black Pepper: adds flavor
• Butter: adds richness and helps the carrots get golden roasted
• Garlic: adds flavor
• Honey: adds natural sweetness, maple syrup could also be used
• Lemon Flaked Salt: regular flaked sea salt will work great as well

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to Make Honey Glazed Carrots in the Oven

This recipe is super easy and comes together in less than 30 minutes. And most of the time time is just roasting the carrots in the oven. Roasting carrots brings out their natural sweetness and is one of my favorite ways to enjoy this classic vegetable. Here are the steps:

1. Boil: Place the carrots in a large pot of boiling water and boil them until almost tender. Drain the carrots.
2. Preheat: While the carrots are boiling, set the oven to 450 degrees F.
3. Toss: Add the olive oil, salt and pepper to the carrots and toss to coat.
4. Roast: Place the carrots on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil and put them in the preheated