ali-martell-straight-up-with-a-twist

These super-delicious cupcakes are sure to be a hit on St. Patrick's Day whether you taking them to work, or serve them up to eat at home. The moist chocolate cake is not too sweet and is perfectly enhanced with a touch of Guinness. Paired perfectly with cream cheese frosting, it's hard not to eat the whole lot at one time. Topping them with some St. Patrick's Day themed decorations really puts the cuteness factor over the top. They'll be gobbled up faster than you can say "They're magically delicious!"

St. Patrick's Day Guinness Cupcakes

Servings: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

1/2 pound butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 2/3 cups flour

3/4 cup cocoa

1 cup Guinness stout

6 eggs

Icing:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 pounds confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Toppings:

1/4 cup green sprinkles or sugar crystals

1/4 cup clover marshmallows (hint: steal from your kids' cereal box)

Preparation:

In a bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars. In another bowl, mix together the baking powder, cinnamon, salt, flour and cocoa. At the very last moment, add the Guinness to the eggs. (Don’t let it sit too long, or the alcohol will begin to cook the eggs!)
Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture and blend, then add half of the wet ingredients. Repeat this process until all the ingredients are combined.
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F, and prepare 24 muffin tins with liners. Divide the batter evenly, filling each to two-thirds full, and bake until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Remove cupcakes from tins and cool on cake rack for about 10 minutes. Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
In a bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until mixed, then beat in the sugar. Finally, add the vanilla.
Fill a bag with icing and pipe onto each cupcake starting on the outer most edge and working towards the middle in a circular pattern. Roll cupcake in plateful of sprinkles and then top with marshmallows.

originally adapted from Oprah.com

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Category:

Food - Recipes

Tags:

St. Patrick's Day cupcakes

Guinness

dessert

gav martell

Roasted Potatoes with Cremini Mushrooms and Green Beans

I'll be honest, when I was asked to review McCain's latest entry into the frozen vegetable aisle I was super skeptical. I've always had a problem with vegetables from the freezer. Not in a 'oh-my-gosh I'm SO above eating anything that's not fresh' kind of way but, really, it's just that I've just never enjoyed them. I have been served many a stir-fried rice ruined with frozen peas and corn, insulted by restaurants who serve freezer-burned carrots, terrorized by mushy piles of defrosted broccoli. As I said, skeptical.

McCain Harvest Splendour Medley’s are available in four varieties: Potato and Carrot, Potato and Broccoli, Three Potato, and Yukon Gold Potato and Mushroom. I was really intrigued to see the mushroom medley as it isn't a vegetable I normally associate with the frozen variety. Since I knew the potato half of the equation should be a cinch, I was really interested to see how the rest of the vegetables came out.

One of the nice things with these side dishes is there isn't much fuss or worry. Tossed in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, it's a super-simple way to get a healthy side dish on the table to go along with any dinner.

The vegetable medley came with its own seasoning pack and just needed to be tossed in a bowl with a light drizzle of oil. It included Yukon Gold potatoes, roasted cremini mushrooms, green beans and red onions. It smelled absolutely delicious as we pulled it out of the oven, and I was really hopeful when I saw how appetizing the roasted vegetables looked. Just the right caramelization level on the onions and the mushrooms hadn't disintegrated despite being in the oven long enough to cook the potatoes.

I can't say I ate too much of the dish, as my daughter Emily absolutely devoured it. My initial thought was that if you hadn't told me it was a frozen vegetable product, I wouldn't know it. And really, what more can you ask from a dish from the freezer? It was tasty, nutritious and entirely consumed. I'm sure we'll be adding these into our rotation as an easy side dish option at our dinner table.

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McCain® Harvest Splendour™ Medleys are breaking with tradition and bringing potatoes and other vegetables together, creating the perfect side dish solution. If you're ready to 'break with tradition' take the pledge and visit www.facebook.com/mccaincanada for a $1.00 off coupon to try the new McCain® Harvest Splendour™ Medleys. Limited quantity of coupons available. While supplies last.