Butternut Squash Lasagna, two ways!

Okay, yum! I've already made this about three times and for the most recent adventure I used sweet potatoes instead of squash and super yum!! 

This recipe originated from a bridal shower I attended earlier in the year and once I tried it I HAD to make it! My parents came to visit soon after and it was a perfect lunch - and they are honest guinea pigs.  The backbone of the recipe is from Giada (host of Everyday Italian on the Food Network).  Her Butternut Squash Lasagna is delicious and combine a host of some of my favorite flavors.
An advantage to trying this recipe is that I've never cooked with squash before, it's not a huge hit in our house and I've never had a reason to go through the process of peeling, seeding & chopping - it's quite the chore!

Once you have diced the squash (or sweet potatoes) follow the directions in the recipe and consider using cracked black pepper and sea salt for the flavor.  It really goes a long way.  Once you have sautéed the veggies and mashed them all up the recipe calls for a crumbled cookie...a cookie that I couldn't find in the grocery store.  A good substitute: Stella Doro cookies with an almond flavor, it does the trick!  I forgot this step when I made it the last time and honestly, with sweet potatoes, you don't need it.

While the sweet potatoes and/or squash is sautéing consider starting your basil-cream sauce. So yum!  I bought a basil plant for this as it was past season for my basil plants outside.  If you're local to the Seacoast area I recommend using Olivia's Garden Basil, it has a great peppery flavor and will last a decent amount of time in your kitchen - away from moisture.
It's important to follow proportions when making a sauce that involves butter, flour and milk!  BTW, if you find yourself nearly out of milk, you can easily substitute your coffee's half & half to make up the difference, it actually makes a thicker sauce.

When blending the basil into your sauce, if you have a hand-held blender I highly suggest it (this one is similar to the one we have).  This way you can avoid having to dirty up another appliance and it's more efficient.
Be sure to use fresh mozzarella with this recipe, it really makes a difference in flavor and the moisture helps with the no-boil lasagna noodles (I love these!).  When you remove the foil for the last 15 minute bake, add some freshly shredded (not grated) parmesan cheese, it makes a nice crust and presentation on the top of the lasagna.  This would be a great meal for after Thanksgiving when you're sick of turkey but still in the mood for some fall flavors!
Last but not least, Enjoy! 

Honey, I shrunk the cupcakes...

Mini-cupcakes, absolutely one of my favorite things.  I've been working on fairly decadent cupcakes recently and I find that it might be best for all involved if I make them smaller.  Plus, they are just so much cuter!

Because I had been going a little crazy with the cupcake baking - and I don't like to waste anything - I had some extra Raspberry Triple Cream Frosting, enough ingredients to make Lemon Drop Frosting, and an extreme need to figure out how to make Orange Chocolate Frosting after making a batch of the Orange Chocolate Scones.

Once again I used cream cheese as my base for this frosting.  I wasn't sure at first but it provided a nice tang and compliment to the orange flavor.  Simply a combination of powdered sugar, dutch cocoa (I prefer Ghirardelli), butter, cream cheese, milk & orange juice.
Chocolate sprinkles add a nice touch and texture to these cupcakes!

I changed the Lemon Drop frosting a bit and added lemon zest to enhance the lemon flavor!  These cupcakes were a last minute treat for a girls night in...basically, a baking friend is a good friend.

Raspberry Triple Cream Cupcakes

Okay, well yum.  Really the only way to describe these cupcakes.  I made these cupcakes for a bridal shower and I went raspberry because it just seemed so delicate and pretty! Everything a bridal shower should be...bridal shower, not bachelorette ;)

It didn't hurt that raspberries were on sale at my favorite local spot either!  Here is a recipe similar to what I did.  As you may know by now, I use cream cheese as a base for most of my frostings, I really like the way it holds shape and provides a tangy background.  Basically, these cupcakes were dubbed triple cream because they include, butter and a double-dose of cream cheese, uh Yum!

So this is what happens when you are delinquent on your blog...you can't remember the recipe! I'm pretty sure I chicken scratched it down somewhere whilst in the middle of creating some of the best cupcakes ever - I mean truly some of the best frosting I have made to date.
I do remember that I used a cake box mix due to the lack of flour in the house at the time.  I have since gone through my trusty supply of boxed cake mix and now I ONLY bake from scratch using King Arthur Flour.  If I'm going to perfect my recipes the only way to do it is from the basics. 
Frosting: cream cheese, butter, pwd. sugar, and a raspberry goodness of some kind or another.  Experiment on your own, but make sure to add powder sugar slowly and by the cup-full, you'll end up fighting for the right consistency and flavor if you're not careful.


I'm still getting a hang of just how much batter to put in my cupcake pans - it really seems different with each kind of cake!  You can see with the photo on the left that there is a slight brown to the top of the cupcake, that comes from the cupcake overflowing onto the top of the pan and cooking at a higher temp.  My current ice cream scoop is not an exact science because it tends to build up batter under the scraping mechanism, making it difficult to continue with exact proportions in the pan.  Come to think of it, I have a small and a large scoop, it might be time to try another size.  


Basically the vanilla cake and decadent frosting are an excellent pair.  I'm a sucker for garnishes, plus I had extra raspberries.... :)

Enjoy!