Ham Sandwich Indicted!

It's probably a little ridiculous to post a King Cake recipe the day after Mardi Gras, but I didn't get my pics off my camera until now. The King Cake is (I think) a lot like Christmas fruitcakes--they start popping up in grocery stores at one particular point in the season, and are never as appetizing as advertised. It's one of those traditional foods that people seem obligated to buy, but no one is really ever super excited about it. (I'm sure there are New Orleans residents who would beg to differ with me on that point.) Anyway, I think they're kinda tacky--slathered in high sugar glaze and festooned with an explosion of sprinkles...they're like the over-forty cougars in miniskirts at the bar...trying just a little to hard to get noticed. All that being said, this year I decided that they are probably better if made from scratch, not sealed in a plastic and cardboard box, and so I pulled a recipe from epicurious and made a couple King Cakes for friends an...

It's Ash Wednesday--a day of fasting and restraint, which means it's the perfect day to post a recipe for the cupcakes I made for a friend's birthday a couple weeks ago. Chocolate and peanut butter. There's really not much else to say. Reese's Cup Cupcakes (recipe modified from this NYTimes recipe) Makes 16-24 For the cakes: 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch process) 5 1/3 ounces (10 2/3 tablespoons) sweet butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 3 eggs 1 cup milk 1/2 cup sour cream (plain yogurt would work, too--so would mayo) For the peanut butter frosting: 12 tablespoons butter, softend 1/3 cup heavy cream/half & half/milk 1 1/2-2 c. peanut butter 2 c up powdered sugar 1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tins with cupcake liners. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder and set aside. Using a hand or stand mixer, cre...