Hey Cupcake!

Over the years my husband has learned that I love little surprises. His usual surprises include flowers - which I adore! But this week he got me an extra special surprise - Hey Cupcake!

If you aren't from Austin or you haven't heard about this place, Hey Cupcake is a cupcake stand on S. Congress here in Austin. A cupcake stand! What an ingenious idea - why didn't I think of it??? And to make it Austin-y...it is in an Airstream trailer!

I've been dying to go to Hey Cupcake since the radio started talking about it months ago. And one time a few months ago I actually got Chris down there - and I kid you not - the people right in front of us got the last of the cupcakes! NOOOOOOO. I was heart broken. No really - even Amy's Ice Cream wasn't able to make me happy!

So I was so happy this week when I finally got to stuff a Hey Cupcake in my mouth. And boy did I! Chris decided that we needed 2 of each kind!!!! Apparently he forgot we're on diets.....

So was it worth the wait? OH HELL YEAH! Their cream cheese frosting is awesome and I loved the carrot cake the best (of the ones that I've tried). It is definitely my new guilty pleasure food.

And now since you can't taste how fabulous these babies are...you can at least indulge in the yumminess of the photos (sorry I'm not a better photographer...).

I've got to go...the Chocolate with Strawberry frosting is calling my name....

Herb Cheese Shells

My best friend Lydia introduced me to the yumminess known as cheese shells about 4 years ago. The best part is that it is a WW recipe - and probably my favorite WW recipe. I love making them during Lent because it is meatless and quick for a Friday night. I've heard from others that they also freeze well and taste even better later. I plan on making some and freezing for my brother and sister-in-law since they don't have much time to cook these days dealing with the my handsome 2 month-old nephew Gavin. :) So it is also a great dish to make and give to others as a "thank you," "get well," "congrats" or "I'm sorry."



Herb Cheese Shells
4 shells is 7 WW points

Ingredients:

16 shells uncooked jumbo shells
15 oz fat free ricotta cheese
1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 Tbsp milk (I use fat free half and half)
1 large egg, beaten (I use 1/4 cup of edd substitute)

Spaghetti sauce (see recipe below)

Directions:

Cook the shells according to package directions. Drain and rinse briefly under cold running water to stop the cooking.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, milk, egg and Italian seasoning. Stuff 2 tablespoons of the mixture into each shell and set in the baking dish. Pour warm spaghetti sauce over the shells and spread evenly. If you'd like, add some cheese to the top. Cover with foil and bake until hot and bubbling, about 30 minutes.

Spaghetti Sauce

I always make my own spaghetti sauce. Ever since my friend Lydia showed me the light back in college - I've shunned jarred sauce (yuck!). Making your own sauce is so easy and quick - and used in soooo many different recipes.

Since I use it in so many recipes, I feel like I have to put it in the blog. The problem is that I just sorta throw stuff together so its hard for me to know real measurements. These are just loose measurements - feel free to play with it yourself. But I feel like the vinegar and the brown sugar take it to a whole new level of yumminess. It doesn't need much - just a little!

Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:
15 oz can of crushed tomatoes
8 oz can of tomato sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp white vinegar
1/2 cup of onion, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped
Italian seasonings to taste (or mix of oregano and basil)
1 tsbp of olive oil

Directions:
Cook onions and garlic with olive oil in medium sauce pan. Once softened, deglaze pan with vinegar. Then add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer. If you need more sauce, add some chicken stock. If your sauce is too thin, add some tomato paste (this adds great taste too!).

PBJ cookies

Two desserts in a row on here is bad - especially considering I'm on WW. But I can't help myself. I actually made these awhile ago and they were really yummy, I just hadn't had time to post about them. I am a lover of peanut butter and when a saw this recipe on Rachael Ray's web site I had to try. They aren't the lowest point dessert (thanks to the peanut butter), but they are lower points than normal peanut butter cookies and taste just as great!


Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies
Each cookie is 2 WW points

1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup of egg beaters (or 1 large egg)
1/4 cup jam (I used strawberry rhubarb because its what was in the fridge)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet with PAM. Combine in a medium mixing bowl 1 cup smooth peanut butter, brown sugar, baking soda, and egg. Roll into 20 balls and evenly space on the cookie sheet. Slightly press cookies down and make a small indentation with index finger. Place about 1 teaspoon jam in the indentation. Bake cookies for 15 minutes. Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes and transfer to a wire baking rack to cool completely.