Peach Cupcakes with Ginger Peach Buttercream

Using leftovers to create something new and wonderful is an art form (in my humble opinion). With an ear of cooked corn, half a grilled chicken breast, half a can of refried beans, part of a block of mozzarella, and some flour tortillas, I can make you a delicious Mexican dinner. It's a way not to waste food and also to not be eating the same meal for a week just because it made a ton.

Last week I showed you a delicious recipe for ginger brandy peaches. Those peaches (and their delicious syrup) play a role in this weeks recipe: Ginger Peach Cupcakes. I admit that these weren't so much leftovers as they were something I forbade Nathan from eating because I knew I wanted to make them into cupcakes. But that's not the point! The point is that I used one food on this blog to make another and that deserves recognition and, dare I say, praise.

Ginger Brandied Peaches

Growing up, I was allergic to chocolate (and tomatoes). When people find this out, they react in one of two ways. 1. "I wish I was allergic, then I wouldn't eat so much!" or 2. "I would die". In reality, as with other allergies, I simply worked around it. I didn't miss chocolate (or tomatoes) because they weren't a part of my life. I discovered other foods that I liked that I could eat. My mom made carob-chip cookies and my brothers had to trade me all their non-chocolate Halloween candy for all of my chocolate candy.

Classic Zucchini Bread

This summer in our new home, Nathan planted a garden. From the garden we got a lot of zucchini. More zucchini than two people can reasonably eat. Some of the zucchini have gotten very large with the largest I'm guessing at about 7lbs. Now some people will tell you that once the zucchini get too big that you should just chuck them or put them in the compost or whatever. If it's a REALLY large zucchini (like our 7 pounder) you can always skin, seed and then use the zucchini. It freezes well and can be used later in soups or shredded in bread.

If it's large, but not too large, just shred the sucker and use it in some zucchini bread! If you don't like zucchini, still make zucchini bread because it's mostly delicious.

Baked Beef Taquitos

Taquitos are a pretty great but as I've mentioned so many times, I have a fear of deep frying things. Thus, I have never tried to make them before despite the fact they are delicious. This baked version really isn't any healthier--it uses quite a bit of oil. The warm oil makes the corn tortillas flexible enough to roll tight and to make them crispy when they're baked.

Bacon Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs are one of those classic party foods. Whenever I see them, I think 50s housewife making appetizers with mayo. The fact of the matter is that they're super tasty, relatively easy, and inexpensive. I wanted to do a twist on the traditional deviled egg with the addition of bacon. It makes these eggs less healthy, but I think the bacony goodness makes up for the increase in calories.

Thai Chicken Satay with Peanut Dipping Sauce

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This is a recipe that Nathan has been asking me to make for a while. I didn't for a couple of reasons. The first is that while I generally enjoy peanut butter and other peanut flavored items, I have not generally enjoyed bottled peanut sauces and wasn't sure where to start with making my own (or if I would like it all). The second is that, until recently, we didn't own a grill.

Now that we've bought a new grill, I was able to try out making satays.  I based my recipe on the about.com recipe with modifications made based mostly on what I had available in my pantry. They turned out truly delicious! I think that there was more marinade than necessary for the chicken.

Asian Themed Bridal Shower

 

the main food table

I wrote this post a few months ago, but was waiting to get some photos back from the bride and other bridesmaids. Since then, my wonderful friend has gotten married, gone on her honeymoon and celebrated a month of marriage! Even so, please enjoy this non-recipe post of how I threw an Asian-themed bridal shower.