Banana Carrot Cupcakes + Maple Mascarpone Frosting

These cupcakes were inspired by a carrot, old banana, and mascarpone surplus. When ingredients are sitting around for a while, they scream to be used for something.

I remembered this carrot cupcake recipe from Pro Bono Baker and another carrot cupcake recipe from Pictures & Pancakes. I printed out both recipes and started looked for the similarities and differences. Then I started marking them up with my pen, figuring out what I had available and had a taste for, then created a new recipe based on the two.

I loved these cupcakes! So did my parents and my brother. These may be the best cupcakes I've ever made. They're fairly quick to make except for the carrot peeling. But with all the time you spend on the carrots, you can feel good about eating these cupcakes. You're getting your veggies! And with the bananas, some fruit too. What's not to love? I hope you give them a try.

Banana Carrot Cupcakes
(Inspired by Pro Bono Baker and Pictures & Pancakes)
Makes a dozen cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil (I used grapeseed)
2 ripe bananas (mashed)
3 medium carrots (about 1 cup peeled and finely shredded)

Place baking cups or liners in a muffin pan. Set oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl combine ingredients as you like. Part of my baking philosopy is that most recipes are very forgiving. Many cookbooks insist that you mix things in a particular order, but I'm not too keen on that. If I had to follow all the directions to the letter, I would hate baking.

So if you're a new baker, relax. If you prefer some direction, I combined the bananas, eggs, sugar, and oil, then mixed well. I added the carrots and mixed again. Then I measured and added the nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Stir well again. Then I added the flour and stirred until combined well.

Pour the mixture into the lined pan and bake for about 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Maple Mascarpone Frosting

1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
1/8 cup maple syrup
pinch of salt

Combine these ingredients in a small bowl until creamy. Frost cupcakes after they have cooled. Enjoy!

*Updated 11/13/09* I just learned about Bon Appétit's Blog Envy Bake-Off and decided to submit these cupcakes. They are pretty festive after all. Wish me luck! : )

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The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook Winner Is...

Eve! Congratulations to you!

With all your entries, the odds certainly were in your favor. Also maybe your spreading the word on so many contests generated extra good karma.

Well, whatever the reason, your number came up! It was the facebook entry that did it. I'll be contacting you by email to get your address and send you the cookbook.

Again, thank you to everyone who participated! Best of luck next time. Remember there's still another contest going on here. You can still enter to win a $150.00 Spa Gift Card. You have until November 30th to enter.


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A Steamy Cookbook Giveaway

*Updated 11/13/2009*
Please note that the giveaway has ended. The winner was Eve!

Several blog posts ago, was the Supa Dupa Giveaway Part 1.

I was holding off on Part 2, which was the cookbook part, because I wanted to make sure that I had the cookbooks to actually give away.

Well, one of the cookbooks arrived! And I remember exactly when. It was last Tuesday, November 3rd, which was Election Day. It was warm out, so I had decided to walk. I saw the UPS truck driving around, but didn't think much of it.

It turned out that one of the deliveries was for me! I returned home to a box from Tuttle Publishing! Part of my BlogHer Food '09 swag included a coupon for a free copy of Jaden Hair's new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook. This was it!

I also got a really cute green tote bag. While I'm keeping the tote bag, I'm giving away the cookbook to one of you lucky readers.

On her blog Steamy Kitchen, Jaden describes her cookbook as "stuffed with dozens upon dozens of foolproof Asian recipes that are quick and easy to do—all in time for tonight’s supper!"

Just from quickly looking at the book, the pictures are beautiful. Not only are there amazing food pictures, but there are lots of pictures of Jaden and her family sprinkled throughout.

Another nice blogger that I met at the conference, Jackie of Foodie Reflections, recently blogged one of the recipes from the cookbook -- Quick Shrimp & Pea Omelette. It looks really good!

*Updated 11/11/09* While blog hopping, I found another recipe from the cookbook. Helen aka Tartelette just made some Chocolate Wontons. Also, here is a cookbook review written by Elise of Simply Recipes.

So if you'd like to win the cookbook for yourself, please let me know!

The Rules: All you need to do is to leave a comment here letting me know that you want to win. You need to be at least 18 years of age and a U.S. resident. I will do a random drawing for the winner.

If you want an extra chance at winning, you can tweet, facebook, or blog this contest for additional entries. Just come back here and leave the urls for each of them in a new comment. I do check! Please also make sure that I have an email address where I can reach you.

Oh, and this Steamy Contest is a quickie! You have until 11:00 pm EST tomorrow, November 11th to enter. So act fast! I'll announce the winner by Saturday, November 14th.

Thank you Jaden and Tuttle Publishing!


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Bloggers In Boston

Thursday night, I finally got the chance to meet Carol Gillot, the blogger behind Paris Breakfasts, one of my favorite blogs.

She had the opening reception to kick-off an exhibit of her paintings called Paris Façades at the French Library in Boston.

Paris Breakfasts was one of the first blogs that I discovered. I remember looking at her paintings wishing for one. Then a couple of years ago she did a swap. I traded a tea cup for an original watercolor. I love it so much!

And last night it was such a joy to finally meet Carol in person. She was so nice to take time out to sit and talk with me, when so many people wanted to see her. It was a beautiful exhibit and I recommend taking a look if you're in the area. If you love Paris, then you really should see Paris Façades , which runs through November 28th.

The day before, I met another blogger for lunch. Mary Kate, writes the delicious blog Kitchenbelle. Even though she lives in the Boston area, I didn't meet her until attending BlogHer Food '09 in San Francisco. She was one of the first people that I met. Such a small world!

We had a quick lunch at L'Aroma Cafe on Newbury Street. The seafood quiche and my chai latte were really good. They didn't announce our food as it became ready and was put out on the counter, so that was odd, but other than that, I really liked the place. Everyone was very nice.

Mary Kate and I had a great conversation about blogging, writing, work, and how the economy has changed. She even saw another food blogger that she knew of, but didn't end up talking with her. L'Aroma Cafe was just teaming with food bloggers!

I also found out that Mary Kate interned at Flour Bakery and did recipe testing for Joanne Chang's upcoming cookbook. I love Flour Bakery and previously did an email interview with Joanne for my old blog, And Razzleberry Dressing. She was so nice and gave me a wonderful bread pudding recipe. When I spoke to Mary Kate about it, she knew the recipe! Again, such a small world.

Well after our lunch, we parted ways and I met up with a non-blogging friend. On my way to meet her, I walked through Boston Common.

There were so many squirrels scurrying about in the fallen leaves. I had to take a few pictures.



Well that's it for now. I was going to add more to this post, but I'm beat. Have a great weekend everyone!

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Macoun v. Braeburn: The Results

Before I get to the taste test, let's look at some more pictures of fall here in Massachusetts. So pretty!





And now to the apples. I'm not a huge apple fan. I like them. I know they're good for me, but berries are really my fruit of choice.

But it's apple season. So I'm going with the flow. Both Macoun and Braeburn taste pretty good.

Ultimately, my vote has to go to Braeburn. Side by side, I noticed a clear difference in taste.

Braeburn apples are very sweet. And for someone with a sweet tooth like me, they hit the sweet spot perfectly. Next time I get some apples, I'm going for the Braeburns.


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Tasty Treats & A Spa Giveaway

Recently I had the chance to try something new from Pepperidge Farm. Read my BlogHer review of these new treats and find out more about my giveaway by clicking here.


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Apple + Yogurt Breakfast

Apple + Yogurt Breakfast
Originally uploaded by anali02170

It's fall. The trees are changing and apples are everywhere. There are so many different apples out there. I decided to experiment a bit.

Red + Gold Delicious, Gala, and Macintosh have become old hat. So I figured that I'd give Macoun and Braeburns a try.

I'll be blogging the results soon!


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Falling For Fall

Fall is all around us. Though I've lived through dozens of autumns, I'm still astounded by the beauty each year.

From that first time in late August, when I notice the newly filtered look to the sun. The slight chill in the air in the mornings and evenings in September. To that one day in October, when suddenly leaves look like flames.

The scent of smoke in the air from indoor fireplaces instead of outside barbecues.

I'm not a fan of cold weather, but there's something special about the fall. Apple cider suddenly appears in grocery stores. Along with winter squash, pumpkins, and eggnog. Although, you can make your own eggnog.

Last weekend, I begrudgingly switched my closet from summer to winter. Pulling out my warm clothes, blankets, and flannel sheets. Then putting away my shorts, tank tops, and flip flops. The seasons changed again. From out of the summer blue.

Then Halloween and that weekend when we fall back. For those of us in the United States, that's this weekend. We all get an extra hour! I'm not sure what I'll do with mine this year. But I'm going to try and make it really count. What about you?

This lovely black cat always wonders around my neighborhood. I choose to believe that when it crosses my path, that it's very good luck.

Enjoy your weekend everyone! And Happy Halloween!

*Updated 10/31/09* - Carve your own virtual pumpkin here. It really is kind of fun.


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Still Loving The Single Layer Cakes

This summer, I confessed my crush on a single layer cake, which was my adaptation of Gourmet's Raspberry Buttermilk Cake.

The Swedish Visiting Cake is a classic too. One that I'll be baking for years to come. But there's a new cake in town.

The Norwegian Apple Cake. I discovered it on Tracy's blog last week.

Another wonderful single layer cake. I baked it this past weekend. It's gone already. G asked me to bake it again. It's quite possible.

I had planned to take a picture of a whole slice of the cake. But before I had a chance to, I realized that there were only a few crumbs left!

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The Creativity Of Others

One of the best things about blogging are the connections that you make offline. Through conferences, meet-ups, or just hanging out with one new blog friend, real people are the best part of blogging.

Recently, I've participated in the Kindness Swap and the Gift of Jewels project. The beautiful picture above is my "Gift of Jewels" from Christina. The Gift of Jewels exchange was created by Se'Lah from the blog Necessary Room. The event was a huge success with dozens of participants from all over the world.

The colorful collage below is from KT, and my second postcard as part of the Kindness Swap. Thank you both for the beautiful works of art!

There's a beautiful passage written on the other side of the postcard. Here's an excerpt.

"To vibrate, to accept, to expand ... this is the new duty.

To give oneself as one is, to let life meet us as it really is.

To live for the moment and extract from each moment all that it holds of truth, beauty, and goodness without scruple, without vain questioning...

In childlike purity of heart ... to be able to be oneself.

To dare to be happy and at last allow one's soul to spread its wings." -Jeanne de Vietinghoff

What are the things that you like most about blogging? Have you had experiences meeting other bloggers? Please share in the comments!


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