email

This is just a quick post to inform everyone how to contact me…

If you have any questions, need any help or just simply want to send me a message,

you can do so by sending  an email to maia@freakindelicious.com.

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I’ve made a new page with a contact form directing to this email.

So for a more simple and quicker way to contact me just click on the page link.

I just created this email address so, for now, everything is going slow.

Just send me a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

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Thanks,

Maia

1st

Sorry for taking so long to update.

The truth is, I didn’t really know what to post next!

Since Halloween is getting close I thought to myself, “it has to have something to do with the holiday!”.

The next time I post, it will be. :D

For now, here’s a little Bite From The Past recipe, you know, recipes that have been posted before in older

blogs of mine.

Not everyone read those blogs, so now, all my new readers can read recipes never before seen to them.

If your still a little confused read my previous post, “An Introduction To The Site” for more information

on the Bite From The Past posts.

Now, moving on to the recipe! This recipe was originally posted in February 21st, 2008.

I was a chocoholic at the time, always in need for something, anything, that contained all things CHOCOLATE.

So for an English project, where our class would have to make a TV channel, I offered to do a cooking show, of course!

The show was called “Cooking Like a Chocoholic” – I know, obsessed!

With the help of two friends, we filmed the show in my kitchen, where I made these Chocolate – Chili Cupcakes.

They were so good that my friends and I  finished them on our own before sharing it to the class. xP

For those of you who don’t know, my favorite combo of tastes has got to be Peanut Butter and Chocolate.

I guess you could say that these are my favorite cupcakes. The perfect balance of flavors and texture!

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INGREDIENTS:

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Cupcakes

150 g unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 cup boiling water

1/4 cup warm milk

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. finely chopped chili pepper (or 1 tsp chili powder)

2 sticks butter (200 g)

1-1/2 cups dark brown sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped peanuts

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Peanut Butter Frosting

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

3 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup heavy cream for beating

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DIRECTIONS:

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Cupcakes

Combine chopped chocolate and cocoa powder in a medium sized bowl, add boiling water

and warm milk, whisk until smooth, set aside.

Sift flours, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. Add the 1 tsp. of chopped chili, set aside.

In a standing mixer, beat butter until creamy.

Add the brown sugar and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

At medium speed, add eggs one at a time, beat well between each.

Add sour cream and vanilla and beat until combined.

Add about a third of the flour mixture, beat briefly until combined.

Add about half of the chocolate mixture, beat briefly until combined.

Repeat, adding flour, chocolate, then flour. Beat until just combined. Scrape down bowl if needed.

Fill cupcake papers about 3/4s full. Bake at 350°F oven for 25 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

For the frosting, beat in all ingredients, starting with creaming the butter with the peanut butter.

Once it’s smooth add in the rest of the ingredients.

2nd

Peanut Butter Frosting

Beat in all ingredients, starting with creaming the butter with the peanut butter.

Once it’s smooth add in the rest of the ingredients.

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3rd

Let cupcakes completely cool, frost with a piping bag, and sprinkle over with chopped peanuts.

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Makes 30-35 cupcakes.

cookies

Who says gingerbread is only made for Christmas?

I say gingerbread is for any occasion and not made just as gingerbread men.

Gingerbread for Halloween!

Gingerbread ghosts, pumpkins, cats and bats. Whatever Halloween cookie cutter you have.

Cookie cutters are great because they’re easy to use and the finished product is always super cute.

Especially if you decorate them with icing and color.

For my last year’s Halloween party I served a couple of these super cute cookies you see above.

Everyone loved them, although, later the pizza got all of the attention. :)

If you don’t have any Halloween cookie cutters, there are plenty of places you can buy online.

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Places like:

Cakes, Cookies and Crafts Shop

The Cookie Cutter Shop

Shop Baker’s Nook

Sugar Craft

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Not only do they supply a large range of Halloween cookie cutters, but edible decorations and

decorating supplies.

I used a simple icing recipe and added a few drops of food coloring.

To obtain my black I made a mixture of red, green and blue, adding many drops of each to obtain

a strong dark color, black!

I used chocolate chips for the ghosts eyes, this all took me about 30 minutes to frost 45 cookies.

So for this years Halloween why not make some Gingerbread Halloween Cookies?

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INGREDIENTS:

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Gingerbread Cookies

3 cups (420 grams) all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar

1 large egg

2/3 cup (160 ml) unsulphured molasses

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Icing

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

3 tbsps milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp butter

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DIRECTIONS:

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Gingerbread Cookies

In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), with the paddle attachment,

cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the egg and molasses and beat until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture

beating until incorporated.

Divide the dough in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two

hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside while you roll out the dough.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch.

Use a gingerbread cutter to cut out the cookies.

With an offset spatula lift the cut out cookies onto the baking sheet, placing the cookies

about 1 inch (2.54 cm) apart.

If you are hanging the cookies or using as gift tags, make a hole at the top of the cookies

with a straw or end of a wooden skewer.

Bake for about 8 – 12 minutes depending on the size of the cookies.

Small ones will take about 8 minutes, larger cookies will take about 12 minutes.

They are done when they are firm and the edges are just beginning to brown.

Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for about 1 minutes.

When they are firm enough to move, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

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Icing

In an electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth and well blended.

Add the vanilla extract.

With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beater.

Add the milk and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes).

Add a little more milk if too dry.

Tint portions of frosting with desired food color.

Use a small spoon to place the icing on the cookie and spread carefully with a knife.

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Makes about 45 cookies depending on the size of cookie cutter used.

toppost

Most of you might know that recently I have been obsessed with the 3 time Emmy award

winning series, True Blood.

Its an amazing series and unless you’ve been living in a cave, you’ve heard about it or seen

it to know what I’m talking about…

So for this years Halloween I’m hosting a True Blood themed party, full of the shows props and

decorations made by myself. Hopefully it will be awesome.

You just can’t go wrong with True Blood.

For drinks I was thinking of something… Bloody, but pretty and easy to achieve at the same time.

So here it is:

Blood rimmed glasses filled with a red cocktail blend. I got the idea from the Hostess with the Mostess.

…and this cocktail will be the Tru Blood drink for my party!

I’ve printed out the Tru Blood labels and sticking them to big glass bottles.

Don’t these just look awesome!?

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INGREDIENTS:

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Blood Dripped – Rimmed Glassestooopost

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup. Karo syrup/glucose/light corn syrup

1/2 cup water

red food coloring

cinnamon (optional)

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Vampire Elixir

2 parts vodka

1 part grenadine syrup

lemon juice

soda water/ginger ale

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DIRECTIONS:

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Blood Dripped – Rimmed Glasses

Combine sugar, syrup and water. Cook without stirring to hard crack stage.

Add food coloring. (Optional: Cinnamon may be added for flavor.)

Turn off heat.

While the mixture is still hot, dunk the top of the cocktail glass into the mixture to create the red rim.

If you need to do several glasses, keep the mixture hot so it lasts longer, by leaving the heat on low.

You can go anywhere from just along the very tip of the rim to part way down the glass.

Flip the glass right side up to cool.

The thick consistency of the mixture will cause “drips” as it hardens on the glass!

This rims approximately 8 glasses.

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Vampire Elixir

Using a cocktail shaker, add in some ice and all of the ingredients.

Shake vigorously, until well blended .

Give it a taste to see if you want it sweeter and pour it gently into your “bloody” glass half way.

Fill it to the top with some soda water or ginger ale.

topost

Cookies

Here it is, my first actual recipe post to this new and improved site!

Halloween is getting close and most of you know or should know that its one of my fave

holidays, second to Christmas. :P

..and most of you know or should know that one of my fave veggies is pumpkin/butternut squash.

Lets combine the two, shall we?

…and you get Halloween themed pumpkin cookies!

There are so many things that can be done… Like a Pumpkin Bread baked in a round cake tin,

covered in chocolate ganache with a white chocolate spiderweb drawn on top. Hmmm…

Now that I’ve mentioned it, I just might make it for the big day.  :)

These cookies are easy and fun to make, call over a friend to help you make the silly skulls, spiders,

spider webs, go nuts!

Another thing you can do to get that Halloween orange and black decoration theme, is by simply

dipping the cookies half way into dark chocolate.

Another idea I just had for all you milk and cookies lovers is by adding green food coloring to the

milk just to make it look gross! Dip in your spooky cookies and you got yourself a tasty Halloween treat. :)

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INGREDIENTS:

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Cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

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Icing

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

3 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

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DIRECTIONS:

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Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon,

nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/4 cup of butter and white sugar.

Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy.

Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.

3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.

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Icing

1. To Make Icing: Combine confectioners’ sugar, milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

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coookies

Makes 40 cookies