Red Velvet Cupcakes Filled With Cream Cheese Frosting

                            

Mmm... what says Happy Valentine's Day better than red velvet cake? Besides chocolate, flowers and jewelry...nothing. And what says red velvet cake better than cream cheese frosting? Absolutely nothing. I love cream cheese frosting. On red velvet cake. On carrot cake. Out of the bowl. I love it. I also love red velvet cake because it is essentially chocolate cake, but dyed red and is there really anything better in the universe than chocolate cake? I think not. 

I made these cupcakes for the guys (and the 3 ladies) at my husbands job. I'm pretty sure they loved them since all 30 of them were gone within an hour. I know, I know... I am awesome. 

Anyways, here is the recipe, and it's easier than pie (since pie isnt that easy) and it's delicious, and with cream cheese frosting it is heaven. Enjoy!

Red Velvet Cake by Kimba

Ingredients for cupcakes

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 bottle (1 oz) red food coloring
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions for making cupcakes

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. 
3. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. 
4. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. 
5. Mix in sour cream, milk, food color and vanilla. 
6. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended. Do not overbeat. 
7. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.
8. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely.

Ingredients for frosting

•  8oz package of cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 16oz confection sugar

Directions for frosting

1.  Beat cream cheese, butter, sour cream and vanilla extract in a large bowl until light and fluffy. 
2. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth.

Assembling Cupcakes

1. Make an indentation in the center of each cupcake using the handle of a wooden spoon or a straw, making sure not to break through bottom of cupcake. 
2. Spoon frosting into a cake decorating bag (or resealable plastic bag with a small piece off one of the bottom corners of bag cut off). 
3. Pipe about 1 teaspoon frosting into each cupcake. 
4. Decorate the tops of the cupcakes with remaining frosting. 

**Tips**

I used a smaller star tip to fill the cupcakes, and then a large one to decorate the tops. The cupcake recipe makes about 30 cupcakes, where as the frosting wasn't nearly enough. I ended up making 3 batches of the frosting recipe to fill all 30 cupcakes and then frost them. I had some leftover too so I would recommend using 2.5 batches of frosting.

Lobster Bisque

I have loved lobster since the very first time my parents took me camping and I tried it at the campground restaurant, I was 8 months old. Growing up in Maine lobster was a summer staple, to us its as important as burgers and hot dogs on the grill. Oh how I love lobster, and warm butter, together, oh.em.gee. One of my favorite ways to eat lobster is in a chowder. I love having a bowl of nice, warm, lobster stew and some oyster crackers. Is there anything better than lobster mixed with heavy cream? I think not. 

This past October we went to a friends wedding and as part of the menu they had lobster bisque. I died. It was so delicious. In fact, they're entire menu was delicious but nothing beats the lobster bisque! My husband has been dreaming of it sense too and begging me to add lobster bisque to the menu but I was very hesitant as lobster is not very cheap, unless bought off the boat. I decided to go ahead and add it to the menu for Valentine's day. My husband was excited to make it that even and needless to say, there were no leftovers. I kinda figured that would happen though!

Lobster Bisque by Fred McClelland

Ingredients

• 3 or 4 lobsters, depending on how much meat you want and the weight of the lobsters
• 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 leek, halved lengthwise
• 1 onion
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• grated orange zest (about half an orange)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/4 cup cognac
• 3 tbsp flour
• 4 cups heavy cream
• 1 tsp whole peppercorns
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Cook the lobsters if they are uncooked. You can do this by boiling a pot of water, adding the lobsters head first and cooking until bright red.
2. Let cool and then chop up the lobster; remove the claws and tail. Clean out the lobster meat from the claws and tails and chop it up roughly into bite sized pieces.
3. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and melt 3 tbsp butter in it. Add the chopped lobster bodies and heads and their juices, the leeks, onion, thyme, orange zest and the tomato paste. 
4. Cook for about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and carefully pour in 1/4 cup cognac. Ignite the cognac with a long kitchen match and let the alcohol burn off. Return to the heat, sprinkle in the flour, stir, and cook for another 2 minutes. 
5. Add water to cover and stir up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Immediately decrease the heat and gently simmer until the soup is reduced and thickened, about 30 to 45 minutes.
6. Strain into a clean pot and season with salt and pepper if needed. Add the chopped lobster meat.
7. To serve, ladle the bisque into warmed soup bowls and enjoy!