Fresh Citrus Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream

Another cupcake recipe from Southern Living! Yield: 6 dozen miniature cupcakes



1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 Tbsp orange zest
2 Tbsp fresh orange juice
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
Orange buttercream

Preheat oven to 350. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Stir in orange zest and orange juice.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients. Gradually add to butter mixture alternately with sour cream, beating until blended. Spoon batter by rounded tablespoonfuls into lightly greased miniature muffin pans.

Bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 5 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely (about 30 minutes). Spread cupcakes with orange buttercream.

Vanilla Buttercream

This recipe comes from Southern Living. Yield: 3 cups



1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (3 oz) package cream cheese, softened
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 (16 oz) package powdered sugar
3-4 Tbsp milk

Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.

Gradually add powdered sugar alternately with 3 Tbsp milk, beating at low speed until blended and smooth after each addition.

If desired, beat in remaining 1 Tbsp milk, 1 tsp at a time, until desired consistency.

Bite Size Sour Cream Pound Cake Cupcakes

This recipe comes from Southern Living, one of my favorite magazines! This will make 6 dozen miniature cupcakes.




1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 (8 oz) container sour cream

Preheat oven to 350. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients. Gradually add to butter mixture alternately with sour cream, beating until blended. Spoon batter by rounded tablespoonfuls into lightly greased miniature muffin pans.

Bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 5 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely (about 30 minutes). Spread cupcakes with desired buttercream. (I use vanilla buttercream with this cupcake.)

Chicken and Dumplings

Both of these recipes come from Southern Living.



Classic Chicken and Dumplings

1 (3/4 lb) whole chicken
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 1/2 tsp salt, divided
3/4 tsp pepper, divided
1 tsp chicken bouillon granules
3 cups self-rising flour
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/3 cup shortening
2 tsp bacon drippings (2 tsp butter plus 1/4 tsp salt may be substituted)
1 cup milk

Bring chicken, water to cover, garlic powder, thyme, 1 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper to a boil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 1 hour. Remove chicken; reserve broth.

Cool chicken 30 minutes; skin, bone, and shred chicken. Skim fat from broth. Add chicken, bouillon, and remaining 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper to broth. Return to a simmer.

Combine flour and poultry seasoning in a bowl. Cut in shortening and bacon drippings with a pastry blender until crumbly. Stir in milk. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll to 1/8 inch thickness; cut into 1 inch pieces.

Drop dumplings, a few at a time, into simmering broth, stirring gently. Cover and simmer, stirring often, 25 minutes.


Easy Chicken and Dumplings

1 (32 oz) container low sodium chicken broth
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 (10 3/4 oz) can reduced fat cream of chicken soup
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning
1 (10.2 oz) can refrigerated jumbo buttermilk biscuits
2 carrots, diced
3 celery ribs, diced

Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Increase heat to a medium-high; return to a low boil.

Place biscuits on a lightly floured surface. Roll or pat each biscuit to 1/8 inch thickness; cut into 1/2 inch wide strips.

Drop strips, 1 at a time, into boiling broth mixture. Add carrots and celery. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent dumplings from sticking.

Pizza Dip

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz) jar pizza sauce
1/4 pound pepperoni sausage, diced
2 cups shredded mozarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400. Spray bottom of 9-inch pie plate with non-stick spray.

Spread cream cheese on bottom of pie plate, and spread the pizza sauce over the cream cheese. Sprinkle with pepperoni and top with mozzarella.

Bake 20-25 minutes.

S'more Dip

1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
1/2 cup marshmallow creme
1 box graham cracker honey sticks

In small microwaveable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and condensed milk on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chips are melted. Stir to mix well. Pour into 9-inch glass pie pan, spreading evenly.

Drop marshmallow creme by tablespoonfuls randomly over chocolate mixture. Microwave on High about 30 seconds or until marshmallow creme is softened. Immediately with knife, make several small swirls through marshmallow and chocolate, creating a marbled appearance.

Serve immediately with graham sticks for dipping.

S'more Cupcakes

This recipe comes from the Bakerella website. Enjoy!



1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup cocoa
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup oil
6 jumbo marshmallows cut in half
graham cracker crumb topping (recipe included)

Graham cracker crumb topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda together with a wire whisk. Separate the mixture in half into two bowls.

Stir cocoa into one bowl and the graham cracker crumbs into the other. Add 1/2 cup milk, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 cup oil to the cocoa mixture and beat on medium until combined. Repeat adding the same ingredients to the graham cracker crumb flour mixture.

Prepare the graham cracker crumb topping. Add the brown sugar and crumbs in a small bowl and pour on the melted butter. Stir until combined.

Pour a little graham cracker cake batter into the bottom of your baking cups and then sprinkle the topping mixture lightly on the surface. Place a marshmallow half on top and then cover the marshmallow with the chocolate cake batter until it is about 3/4 full. Sprinkle with more topping mixture.

Bake cupcakes for about 15 minutes. Place a cookie sheet underneath when you bake just in case.

*When you take cupcakes out of oven, use toothpick to separate any of the cake from the edge of the pan while they are still warm.