Lemon Gingersnap Cupcakes

This cupcake recipe is one that I had been dreaming up ever since the creation of my S'more cupcakes.  Taking a flavor combination that you love like chocolate, marshmallow and graham crackers, then transposing that flavor profile into an entirely new form is a challenge that I happen to love.  For as long as I can remember, I have loved Carr's Ginger Lemon Creme Cookies.  The flavor combination of lemon and gingersnap is absolute perfection, so when I began to think about the possibilities for cupcake creations beyond the S'more, Lemon Gingersnap was a no-brainer.  

Beyond the fabulous taste of these cupcakes, I love that this recipe is a combination of both homemade and store bought (very Sandra Lee).  You are still achieving that homemade product, but saving time during the baking process by incorporating a few pre-made steps (love that!).  This is definitely a fabulous and easy dessert idea that I would recommend adding to your recipe arsenal.  A crowd pleaser for sure!  

Ingredients

For the Crust:

• 1 Box Nabisco Gingersnaps (*Set 10 cookies aside to use for garnishing)
• 3 Tbs Granulated Sugar
• 1 1/2 Sticks Butter (Melted)
• 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt

For the Cake:

• 2 Boxes Betty Crocker Super Moist Lemon Cake Mix
• Water, Vegetable Oil and Eggs (according to box instructions)

For the Frosting:

• 1 8oz Package of Cream Cheese (Softened to Room Temperature)
• 1 Stick Unsalted Butter (Softened to Room Temperature)
• 1.5lbs Confectioners Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• Zest of 1/2 a Lemon
• Juice of 1/2 Lemon (plus more as needed)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit and place oven racks on bottom  third section of oven
2. In a food processor, break down one box of ginger snap cookies until they reach the consistency of crumbs
3. Combine Crumbs, Sugar and Salt in a bowl with a fork
4. Once dry ingredients are combined, add melted butter and continue to combine until mixture resembles wet sand
5. Use a cookie scoop (or similar to achieve uniformity) and add one scoop (approximately 1 Tbs) to each muffin cup that has been lined with a  cupcake paper
6. Press mixture down to create a packed crust (I like to use a 1/4 cup measuring cup with a flat bottom because it fits the space perfectly and I don't have to get my hands dirty)
7. Bake in oven for about 15 minutes
8. While the crust is baking, make the cake batter per the instructions on the cake box
9. When crust is finished baking, remove from oven, move oven rack back to mid-level and increase baking temperature to 350 degrees fahrenheit
10. Fill each ginger snap crust cupcake cup with batter and then bake in oven for approximately 20-25minutes.  
11. Test cakes with toothpick for doneness.  When toothpick comes out clean the cakes are done.  **Note- Start with less time and then add extra cooking minutes as needed. You can always bake for additional time but you can "unbake" something that has been over baked.    

For the Frosting:

1. In a bowl, combine cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract with a hand mixer until smooth. 
2. Add Confectioners Sugar in batches until well incorporated (it will be a little thick)
3. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice
4. You want to achieve a thicker frosting so that it is easier to pipe, but if too thick/dry simply add more lemon juice (1tsp at a time) until you achieve a smooth consistency
5. Using a large spatula, scoop the frosting in a gallon size ziplock bag, cut the tip off of one corner of the bag and squeeze the frosting through that cut opening to pipe onto the cupcakes.  I didn't use piping tips, but if you have them, here is a video on how to use a piping tip with a ziplock bag.  
6. Garnish with a rustic piece of gingersnap cookie. 

Setting the Table

As you all know I love a good tablescape.  The decorations, flowers, table linen options, dinnerware, flatware and stemware…I love it all and of course the endless ways a table can be styled.  While I can certainly talk at length about the various ways to decorate a table, I wanted to focus today's post on the the actual mechanics of properly setting a table.  You have to learn to walk before you can run, right?!?

There are subtle differences between setting a formal dinner table and an informal table, and the placement of tableware pieces definitely matters.   Below I have laid out examples of each, along with additional tips/highlights to keep in mind for each type of table setting.

Informal

The Highlights….

• Commonly used for brunch, lunch and casual dinners
• Notice these meals typically do not have multiple courses, so setting out one simple set of flatware is plenty.
• Water and either a wine goblet or champagne flute, but this is casual so you do not need to set out every piece of stemware
• Knife blade should ALWAYS be facing inward towards the plate.  The logic behind this rule- to avoid having the server cut his/her hand when clearing the dishes from the table. 

Formal

The Highlights...

• Commonly used for fancy sit-down dinners.
• Stemware- Water goblet at the top, then red wine glass in the middle and white wine glass in the lowest position.  Once the guest selects their wine, clear away whichever wine glass isn't being used. 
• Flatware- Include all flatware needed for the number of courses you plan to serve and place them in the order you plan to serve the dishes starting with the outward most utensils and working your way in. As you can see from my setting, I plan to serve soup, followed by salad, then a main course and a dessert that requires both a fork and spoon (positioned at the top).
• Place cards always go to the upper left hand side, in between the bread plate and water glass. 
• For a detailed layout of both an informal and formal table setting, I would recommend checking out this Huffington Post article.  They have a fabulous infographic. 

Additional Etiquette Tips

Whether I am hosting or attending a dinner party (heck, even just going out to dinner) here are a few of my top etiquette tips I keep as my top of mind reference when dining.  This is not meant to sound stuffy, rather it is just a nice guide for how to properly conduct yourself at the dinner table.  

• Flag Down- I think I wanted to start with this one because it is my ultimate pet peeve when people leave their spoon (aka flag) in their soup bowl.  Resting or finishing, the soup spoon (flag) should always be down at rest to the side of your bowl.   
• Look to your Host/Hostess for Cues- When attending a sit-down dinner, you should look to your host/hostess for cues as to when to place your napkin in your lap and when to begin and be finished eating.  Your host/hostess sets the pace for the table. 
• Treat your napkin with respect- think of your napkin like a lease…normal wear and tear is fine, but using your napkin to say, blow your nose, is unacceptable (yes this has happened to me).  Lovely dinner napkins are not kleenex nor are they bounty paper towel rolls, so please do your best to treat them with respect. 
• Bread- when it comes to eating bread at the table, refrain from taking a bite straight out of the piece that has been served to you.  Rather, consume by breaking off small pieces from the roll. 
• Salt and Pepper-  It doesn't matter if a fellow diner asks to pass the salt, pepper or both, you always pass them together.  Think of the salt and pepper as a married couple who should never be divorced. 
• Never reach across the table- I don't care if you are trying to avoid inconveniencing someone by grabbing an item yourself instead of having it passed, always ask someone to pass it and never reach.  The likelihood that you will knock something over in the process of reaching is pretty high
• Utensil Placement: Done vs. Still Eating- This is an easy tip to remember and helpful for those around you (especially waiters) to know if you are done with your dish or still working on it.  When you are still in the midst of consuming a dish, you can rest your utensils face-side down, crossed in the center of your plate (pictured below).  When you are finished with a  dish, utensils should be aligned parallel to the right hand side (also pictured below).

I swear, table étiquette has enough content to fill book three times over!  At it's core, I personally feel that the information I have shared with you today are the essential nuts and bolts.  Manners and traditions (like properly setting the table) are important and something that I certainly appreciate.  Whether you decide to apply some or all of these tips in the future, you now have access to what I would consider to be the necessary information for properly setting your table and being a guest at someone else's table.  

As always, if you have other etiquette questions not covered in today's post, feel free to contact me via my contact page or email redefiningdomestics@gmail.com.  Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Tips & Strategies for Hosting a Weeknight Party

Last night we hosted my husband's uncle for cocktails and dinner at our house.  While    it would have been easier to simply go out to dinner, I wanted to host him at our house because: a) he had yet to see our new home, b) he and his wife have hosted us numerous times, so naturally I have looking for an opportunity to reciprocate, and c) the Pope is in town, so traffic throughout DC is a nightmare.  

Hosting a cocktail and dinner party on a Tuesday did get me thinking about how I go about preparing for weeknight entertaining.  Weeknights are typically viewed as more difficult nights for hosting because you are at work all day with a very limited amount of party prep time and often a feeling of fatigue from spending the day using your brain at the office.  On weeknights, relaxing on the couch with dinner and a favorite TV show couldn't be a more perfect way to spend my evening.  As wonderful as it may be to relax at home after work, there are occasions where hosting on a weeknight is necessary.  So today I wanted to show you that despite being at work all day, coming home to host a weeknight dinner party is not as hard/impossible as you might think. Here is a breakdown of my process for successfully hosting a weeknight gathering.  

Create a To-Do Timeline

The key to successfully executing a weeknight party is organization - lists and timelines!  The more that you can prepare in advance of the party, the easier it will be.  

• Week Before-Decide on a Menu.  Regardless of whether you are hosting a cocktail or dinner party, make a list of what you plan to serve that evening.  Detail out every ingredient that will be used to create your spread (even if a recipe calls for olive oil to grease a pan, include it in the list!).  Then take your complete list and cross reference it with what you already have in your pantry.  That way you can come up with a fine tuned list to take to the grocery store.  
• Weekend Before- your golden opportunity to get the bulk of the grunt work prep done.  Here are the major areas to focus on: 
  • Cleaning - The deep clean of your home should occur the weekend before when you have the most time.  Cleaning the floors, deep cleaning the guest bathroom/powder room, dusting and polishing should all take place over the weekend. 
  • Grocery Shopping- Purchase your entire grocery list for the party over the weekend.  That way if one store doesn't have a particular ingredient you may need you have time to look for that item at another grocery store.  The only item I would really advise against purchasing until the day of is fresh bread from a bakery.  If you are planning to serve a sliced baguette or dinner rolls, purchase those the day of during your lunch break or right after work.  
  • Applicable Food Prep- If you are serving cookies for dessert or a homemade dip during cocktail hour, this is the perfect opportunity to get these items made and off of your to-do list.
• Night Before- this is probably where the heaviest lift in terms of party prep occurs.  You need to make sure that the majority of all work is completed by this point in time, because the night of the party you are going to need to be with your guests and won't have very much time to take care of any prep work aside from setting out
  • Prep all food - any and all food prep should be taken care of the night before.  Your dessert should be ready to go, all veggies should be chopped and all work for your main course should be complete minus actually cooking it.  
  • Set Out Serving Pieces- by setting out all of your serving pieces the night before you can eliminate the last minute scramble to figure out which food with go in which dish.  Once I decide on which food to serve in which dish, I label the dish with a sticky note that details the food assignment. 
  • Set the table- Whether you are setting up a cocktail or dinner table, have everything assembled and laid out the night before.  You don't want to find out moments before your party is set to start that a glass needs to be washed or your linens are wrinkled and in need of ironing.  Give yourself piece of mind and additional time to focus on food and your guests by taking care of the table setting the night before (or earlier if possible).  
• Morning Of- this is the time when you want to take care of the last minute details aside from food prep and plating.
  • Give the bathroom one last clean up
  • Make sure all food is defrosted and ready to go
  • See my post on 5 Ways to Prep Your House for Entertaining

Flowers

Fresh flowers are an entertaining must in my opinion and the timeline for prepping the arrangement(s) is circumstantial.  

• If you are opting to use a more low maintenance flower like hydrangeas, carnations or stock greenery, you can prep your flowers more than a week in advance of the party (just make sure to keep the water looking fresh by changing it every 2 days).
• If you are planning on using lilies or roses, you will need to buy and arrange them at least 3 days prior to your party in order to give them ample time to open their blooms.
• If you are looking for great last minute flowers that are ready to go, but need to be purchased within a day of your party, I would recommend either calla lilies or zinnias.  Both are sold in bloom and easy to arrange last minute.    

Menu Ideas

• Dinner Party- my mantra for a dinner party menu is simple…"Heat and Serve."  For last nights dinner I served the following menu:
  • Homemade Lasagna- this is a great entree that can be made ahead of time and quickly popped into the oven when you get home from work the day of the party.  Here is a link to my all time favorite lasagna recipe. 
  • Simple Side Salad- Make the dressing the day before and have all the veggies chopped and ready to go.  This way, the only thing you have to do when you get home from work the night of the party is throw everything in a bowl, toss it all up and serve.  
  • Warm Homemade Apple Pie Ala Mode-  I made my favorite apple pie recipe over the weekend, lightly covered it with foil and placed it in the refrigerator.  Before we sat down to eat dinner, I heated the oven to 250 degrees fahrenheit and placed the pie (still lightly covered in aluminum foil) in the oven to warm up while we dined on our main course.  When it was time for dessert, I simply removed the pie from the oven and served it up with a scoop of ice-cream. 
• Cocktail Party- I am a huge fan of Ina Garten's philosophy on cocktail party food featured in this House Beautiful Article.  In sum, she state the following:
  • 1 Specialty Cocktail and 1 Hors D'oeuvre if planning on serving a full dinner as well.
  • If this is strictly a cocktail party, 4-6 hors d'oeuvres (ex. 1 chicken, 1 fish, 2 vegetable and 1 starch).  
  • For additional ideas and information on cocktail party preparedness, see my previous posts here and here. 

Regardless of weeknight or weekend, party prep at its core is all about organization and planning ahead.  In the end, the goal is to create an evening that is enjoyable for both you and your guests.  When you take the time to put the necessary pieces in place in advance of the event, you can rest assured that your party will most likely run smoothly.  Take time to think through the logistics and you will easily be able to host a dinner or cocktail party any night of the week.

DIY Packaging for Fall Baked Goods

Fall baking is something I have already started enthusiastically embracing (see this post and my instagram page).  Since apples are just coming into the peak of their season this month I have been focusing on an assortment of apple-based treats.  While my various baked goods have turned out beautifully, my challenge has been the packaging/presentation.  I will spend the time to make a delicious dessert and to have to cover it in either plastic wrap or aluminum foil for transport just seems wrong.  When you go to a lot of trouble to bake a homemade dessert, the last thing you want is to have the treat encased in packaging that isn't reflective of the treat.   

Recently while perusing The Paper Source (love this store!), I came across the most adorable Kraft paper berry baskets by Meri Meri.  These baskets were absolutely adorable and immediately became the inspiration for this post. Best part? They are actually part of Meri-Meri's summer collection so I was able to purchase them on sale! (**you can too!--link below) 

To Make these Goody Baskets:

• Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Mini Muffins
• Mini Muffin Baking Pan
• Meri Meri Berry Baskets
• Cellophane Wrapping Paper
• Raffia
• Gift Tags
• Gold Pen

To create these festive Fall treat bags, I started by baking up a delicious (and healthy!) batch of fresh Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Mini Muffins. Once the muffins were baked and completely cooled I lined a berry basket with a sheet of the red and white checked parchment paper (sold with the baskets) and carefully filled the basket. (*these baskets can hold more than a dozen mini muffins, so if you want to stretch your batches of mini muffins a little further add tissue paper to the bottom of each basket).   

Once the basket was filled with muffins I wrapped them with clear cellophane paper so the contents of the package would still be visible and tied it all together with natural colored raffia ribbon for a rustic Fall touch. The chalkboard gift tags were then personalized with a note written in gold pen, which gave these little treat baskets a final finishing touch.  I love the way they have  turned out and I am thrilled to have a packaging that is both pretty and festive for sharing these delicious fall treats! 

Healthy Balsamic Stuffed Mushrooms

Every time I visit my parents in Florida, it never fails that I find myself making at least one or two trips to the most fabulous local market near their house.  This market has the most impeccable produce, an extensive cheese selection and a mouth-watering prepared foods section.  All items are at great prices, so as you might have guessed it is ALWAYS packed with customers (I mean complete chaos every time I go there).  Of course it is totally worth fighting your way through the crowds, because of what you can get from this market.  

Among my favorite go to items in their prepared section would have to be their stuffed portobello mushrooms.  I really look forward to these mushrooms every time I visit my parents because they are that delicious!  Lately I have been missing/seriously craving those mushrooms, so I decided to try my hand at recreating them.  The result?  Major success!  So much so that I have decided to share this latest recipe creation/recreation with you all today.  

This is a great way to expand your culinary horizons and venture beyond the typical steamed vegetable side dish. Plus-- This recipe is packed with flavor, easy to make and a great side or main dish to serve at your next dinner party or family dinner.   I will definitely be serving up this delicious side/taste of home at my next gathering and I hope you will too!

Ingredients

• 5 Portobello Mushroom Caps (cleaned with stems removed)
• 2 5oz-Bags of Baby Spinach
• 3 Cloves Fresh Garlic, Minced
• Crumbled Cheese (Feta, Blue or Goat)
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt
• Fresh Cracked Pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit
2. Brush the tops of the mushroom caps with olive oil and lightly sprinkle with salt
3. Place the the oiled caps on a parchment lined baking sheet top side down
4. Drizzle about a teaspoon of olive oil on bottom side (which should now be facing up), then add a tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar to each cap and a sprinkle of salt and pepper 
5. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes
6. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat
7. When the oil is flaccid, add the minced garlic and cook until just turning brown (approx. 2-3minutes)
8. Once garlic begins to brown, add the spinach and teaspoon of salt and allow to wilt down, stirring occasionally (*2 bags may seem like a lot but it reduces down to a very small amount)
9. Once spinach is wilted, remove from heat and set aside
10. When the mushrooms are done cooking, remove from oven and up the oven heat to BROIL
11. Transfer mushroom caps to an aluminum lined baking sheet, shaking off the excess liquid prior to transferring
12. Evenly divide spinach mixture onto the mushroom caps and sprinkle crumbled cheese on top (I opted to use Feta, but all three cheeses listed in the ingredients work well with this recipe)
13. Place the mushrooms back in the oven for 3-5 minutes until cheese is slightly melted/turns golden brown
14. Remove from oven, serve and enjoy!