Delicious Nutella Cupcakes

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one of my favourite cupcakes to make - everyone loves them!

This is definitely a crowd pleaser, in my experience, regardless what time of year - it always seems to be the season of Ferrero Rocher.  Everyone seems to love the delicious combination of chocolate and hazelnuts (and Nutella!), so I’ve combined them into one of eveyone's favourite desserts - cupcakes! 

Thanks to the olive oil, this cake has a slightly nutty flavour which I like to enhance by icing it with Nutella and sprinkling roasted hazelnuts on top. 

You can get raw hazelnuts at Bulk Barn and simply roast them in the oven with a bit of vegetable oil.  (Do keep an eye on them – they can burn very quickly!)  Once cooled, I roll them in a towel to get the dries skin off of the hazelnuts. I then crush them the old school way by putting the hazelnuts in a towel and beating and rolling them with a rolling pin. (Careful - this can get messy!) You’ll want to keep some of them whole or at least chunky simply for the aesthetics.

This is perfect for any occasion. My 9 year old nephew loves these cupcakes as he loves anything with chocolate – especially Nutella!

   Nutella Cupcakes

 

 

Makes: 24 cupcakes

Preptime: 20 minutes

Cook time: 40-45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup melted semi-sweet chocolate

3/4 cups good quality olive oil 

3 large eggs (room temperature)1 tbsp vanilla extract

2/3 cups sugar 

1/2 cup skim milk

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda 

pinch of salt

2 cups nutella

1 1/2 cups roasted hazelnuts

 

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F 
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, vanilla extract, and sugar and whisk until a bit frothy. Add melted chocolate, olive oil and milk. Mix well.
3. Combine flour, salt and baking powder. Add to the bowl of wet ingredients. Mix well. 
4. Pour batter into a lined cupcake tin.  Fill approximately halfway.
5. Bake for 40-45 minutes. 
6. Once well cooled, spread nutella on top of cupcakes and sprinkel hazelnut on top. 

 

Chai Tea Latte Cupcakes

The Lifestyle RSS

You can feel the crispness in the air that is fall.

When the weather starts to change, I immediately want food that is warm and comforting.  And now that I don't have to worry as much about summer's typical revealing clothes, I automatically eat more desserts!

One of my favourite drinks for fall is, hands down, a chai tea latte.  To this day, I can't, for the life of me, understand why anyone would want a vegetable flavoured latte! I can't stand anything tasting like pumpkin - especially that artificial pumpkin flavouring. yuck!

Back in high school, a friend of mine first introduced me to her homemade chai tea, and I fell in love. I love all the warm spicy goodness that goes in to it - cardamom, nutmeg, cloves and my personal favourite, cinnamon, of course. It was only a matter of time before I combined this amazing concoction together to create the perfect dessert.

These cupcakes makes the perfect dessert to any fall or winter occasion. It’s all those warm fuzzy feelings captured in a cupcake.

   Chai Tea Latte Cupcakes
   

Makes: 18 cupcakes

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup instant chai latte powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
Cupcake Instructions:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pan with cupcake liners
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy (approximately 2 minutes).
3. Add the chai powder, ginger, cinnamon, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
4. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt until combined. Beat until smooth.
5. Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 of the way.
6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Ingredients:
• 2 cups icing (powdered) sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 to 2 tablespoons cold water, as needed
Icing Instructions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, beat together all the ingredients until fluffy.
2. Spread on cooled cupcakes using a spatula or icing tip.

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Spicy Butternut Squash Soup

The Lifestyle RSS

Now that the weather is getting cooler, I have been keeping warm by making soups at home. And to suit the season, I decided the first soup of the fall season should be a butternut squash. 

I was never really a fan of soup - I only ate it when I was sick. But a little while ago, the Mister and I went out to dinner and I decided to try the restaurant's butternut squash soup.  I was hooked!

It's a flavourful, rich and hearty soup without any cream or dairy.

This recipe has just the right amount of heat- All the warm and cozy feelings of fall in your bowl.

   Spicy Butternut Squash Soup

 

 

Makes:6 servings

Preptime: 20 minutes

Cook time:40 minutes

 

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash, peeled, cubed, seeds removed

1 medium potato, peeled, cubed 

1 onion, chopped 

1 carrot, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

4 tbs oil (divided in half)

4 cups, chicken or vegetable broth

2 tsp garlic powder, divided

1 tsp onion powder, divided 

1/2 tsp thyme

2 pinches cayenne pepper 

salt and pepper to taste 

  

 

Instructions:

1. preheat your oven to 400 degrees
2. In a baking sheet or roasting pan, add your butternut squash, potato, oil, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes or until soft.
3. In a large pot, on medium heat, add oil, onions, garlic, carrots and celery.  stir frequently until vegetables are softened. Add salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder  and cayenne.  
4. Bring to a boil and lower heat to medium. Simmer until the sauce reaches desired consistency. 
5. Add broth to the pot and roasted vegetables. With a hand blender, blend until everything is smooth. (Alternatively, place ingredients in a blender and puree.) 
6. Dish out the soup into 6 bowls and garnish with black pepper and cayenne.
   

 

Roasted Veggie Pasta

The Lifestyle RSS

This is actually one of my favourite summer pastas to make. It's quick and easy.  Even better, it's full of flavour without being too heavy. 

I love the flavour of the roasted broccoli - it has a different kind of sweetness to it that you don't get from steaming it. And the roasted chickpeas adds a bit more texture to this pasta dish.  Nobody wants mushy chickpeas in their pasta. 

This is the type of summer pasta you can make this in big batches for any sort of summer get-togethers. 

I personally like smaller pasta shapes for this recipe, but honestly, you can use whatever you have. 

Roasted Veggie Pasta
 

Makes: 2 servings

Preptime: 15 minutes

Cook time:25 minutes

 

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked whole grain pasta

1 can chickpeas, washed and drained

2 cups broccoli, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

1 lemon, juice and rind

1 tbsp basil

1 tsp chili flakes

salt and pepper to taste

grated parmesan cheese, to taste

    

 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, add chickpeas, broccoli, olive oil, basil, chili flakes and salt and pepper. Mix well to get chickpeas and broccoli well coated.
3. Place seasoned chickpeas and broccoli on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper.
4. Place on the middle rack and roast for 15-20 minutes, making sure the broccoli doesn't burn.
5. Place on to a lightly greased baking sheet
6. Once veggies are roasted, toss with the pasta.
7. Add the juice and grated rind of 1 lemon and mix well.
8. Top with grated parmesan and serve.