It's All About Cupcakes!

Is it me or are cupcakes a serious fad right now?! With an enormous increase in cupcake shops and bakeries across the nation and awesome shows like Food Network's Cupcake Wars, I think it's safe so say that everyone loves cupcakes! There is something about their miniature and adorable shape and stature that is just so inviting and appetizing and let's be honest...cupcakes are cute! I am a huge cupcake fan, they look cute and are great for portion control. This recipe shows how I've really taken the cupcake fad to heart, proving that everything is better when made in a cupcake pan!

These are my pizza cupcakes--I wouldn't exactly call them a savory cupcake, rather just everyday pizza ingredients baked into a cupcake pan and into a perfectly portioned meal! These miniature pizzas aren't mini when it comes to flavor--they pack a serious and delicious punch and the best part is that each one is only around 115 calories!

     Ingredients: 

• Pizza Dough (chose your favorite! it can be homemade dough or store bought. I was feeling lazy and went with a Pillsbury store bought dough)
• Approximately 1 Cup Pizza Sauce (again, chose your favorite--anything will work!)
• 1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese 
• Toppings-- chose your favorite toppings! Top it with ingredients you love! 

For the toppings, I actually chose to incorporate some of them into the dough itself, since there is such a small and finite surface area on these little cupcake sized pizzas. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease or spray non-stick cooking spray like Pam in each slot in the cupcake/muffin pan. 

Place your pizza dough into a medium sized bowl and add your desired toppings to the dough. I chose to use fresh basil, fresh baby spinach, and turkey pepperoni (yes there is such a thing and it is delicious and healthy!). Once you have mixed in and incorporated the desired toppings to the dough, roll out the dough and cut it into 12 equal squares. Place and therefore mold the squares of dough into the cupcake spots in the pan and press the dough down firmly to cover the entire space and so the dough comes up the sides of the cupcake slot. 

Add about a tablespoon of the pizza sauce and about a tablespoon of mozzarella cheese to each (you can eyeball this). I also added a pinch of italian seasoning just to add a burst of flavor but it's totally optional! In addition, I added a couple extra turkey pepperonis to the top of each just for good measure :). 

Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

Blueberry Yogurt Bark

Treat yourself to blueberry yogurt bark! These cool and refreshing treats are great, healthy, snacks and the best part is that they are easy to make and they require about five minutes and just two easy ingredients! All you need is yogurt and blueberries (and a freezer!). 

     Ingredients 

• 1 cup fresh blueberries 
• 6 oz (one container) yogurt, either French Vanilla or Lemon Burst flavored 

For the yogurt, I prefer and would recommend Yoplait, Yoplait Light, or Yoplait Greek-- I would avoid the Yoplait Whips simply because it is too thin and airy to coat well on the blueberries and hold a solid shape. I used french vanilla in one particular batch I made and then used lemon burst in another batch and I loved both. Both the flavors vanilla and lemon marry well with the bursting flavor of fresh blueberries. 

First, rinse the blueberries and remove any and all stems from them. Place them in a medium sized bowl. 

Next, spoon out the yogurt into the bowl of blueberries and stir until it is blended and mixed evenly. 

With a cookie sheet, coat in parchment paper for easy cleanup and so the bark does not stick to the pan and spoon out approximately 1x1 in dollops of the blueberry and yogurt mixture and flatten with the spoon to create the bark-like appearance. Place each piece of bark about a half of an inch apart from the next. 

Take your pan to the freezer and let the bark set and freeze for approximately 90 minutes. These snacks are meant to be enjoyed cool and frozen and will thaw if they are left out of the freezer! Store in an air-tight tupperware container with parchment paper separating layers of the bark.

Enjoy!

Welcome to Kristin's Kitchen

Welcome to my blog! A space devoted to cooking, baking, and anything else you could possibly think of that involves food! I'm no culinary expert, or formerly trained chef, just a girl who's got some serious enthusiasm for food! I've been cooking for years and I'm here to share with and inspire you to get into your own kitchen and start creating! I'll be sharing my favorite recipes and ingredients, and show you how to make some delicious eats for you and your family and friends to enjoy!

This site is under construction! Be patient, photos and MORE recipes coming soon!