Cupcakes Doubletake.

Okay, so last week in the "sweet treats" week of blogs, I talked about Georgetown Cupcakes and their lavish deliciousness.

I have another cupcake bakery, or as many like to call it, "cupcakery" that I was notified about by a fellow sweet tooth.

Oh, and its local.

CUPCAKES ACTUALLY is located nearby in good ole Fairfax Corner (across from Chipotle to be exact).
The first words on their website reads: "Okay. We admit it. We are snobs. Cupcake snobs."

Now, that is my kind of place.

Cupcakes Actually opened up early this year in a prime location, making their snob-ish decadence something you can't miss. Hailing from the Detroit suburbs, Cupcakes Actually's cupcakes are the creations of the owner Sue and her love for frosting and cake batter.

There are three "classic" kinds of cupcakes that Cupcakes Actually produces and they are (dare I say it) better than Georgetown Cupcakes'...and closer.

• Actually Dipped Chocolate (devil's food cake topped with buttercream and dipped in chocolate fudge...OMG)
  
• Actually Dipped Caramel (vanilla cake topped with buttercream and dipped in caramely goodness)
  
• Actually Dipped Peanut Butter (devil's food cake AND peanut butter icing AND chocolate fudge...to die for.)

Some other interesting choices are "Let's Stay Awake, Cupcake (A rich, chocolate mocha cupcake, iced with a coffee buttercream)," "Razzmatazz (vanilla cake blended with a raspberry purée, iced with a rich raspberry buttercream)" and "Italian Stallion (butter cake, traditional iced with Italian butter cream)."

I gotta go get me some cupcakes.

PIE.

Not just any pie. Mom's Apple Pie Company's RASPBERRY AND PEACH PIE!

YUM.

Mom's Apple Pie Company, located in Occoquan, is nestled in the quaintest of riverfront areas and is housed in...well...an old-school house.

Their pie is banging.

My girl Emily hooked me up with a pie from them to do a little taste testing.

The taste testing will commence this evening and the detailed resulted will be posted on here tomorrow.

Stay tuned for the pie taste-off.

Breakfast for Supper

"But Paulie, It's your favorite!" -- Paulie Bleeker's mom in Juno

Yes, it may be Paulie's favorite, but its mine as well. I just devoured some chocolate-chip pancakes and now have inspiration to share with you a simply delicious easy-to-make breakfast dishes.

Crepes
A favorite of Le French, its a super simple recipe that can be put in the fridge for about a week. They're so easy to make you might as well keep some batter around for comfort food or when you don't feel like cooking.

• 1 cup all purpose-flour
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter

Next, whisk all the ingredients together while heating up a pan on medium heat. Pour about 1/3 a cup into the hot skillet and do a little 180 with the pan to evenly coat its surface. Cook for about 2 min on each side and top with strawberries, Nutella, or powered sugar.

photo courtesy of flickr user Luke H

Saturday, Rainy Saturday

There are very few comfort foods that rock my word.

That being said, I have a few favorites.

Pancakes.
Steak and Mashed Potatoes.
Steak and Cheese.
Quiche.
oh, and French Toast.

There are some very good places to get all of these, especially in the Fairfax, VA area.
And a really great website, The Loop, is a perfect solution for a food quandary

Hint: this where you should go check out the website.

But, to save you the clicking, at least for right now....

Pancakes and French Toast (I would say IHOP but we're talking quality here...)
- Metro Diner
- The Sweet Life Cafe

Steak and Mashed Potatoes
For Budgeters:
- Outback Steakhouse
- Damon's Grill
- P.J. Skidoo's
For Splurgers:
- Coastal Flats
- Ruth Chris Steakhouse
- Longhorn Grill

Steak and Cheese:
- Steak n' Things
- Elie's Deli

Quiche...well, for quiche you're kind of out of luck but there are simple recipes to follow.

Now in a mini!

Are you looking for a fast breakfast on your way to your 10:30 am class and you're already late?
Ooohhh, that was a little Alanis Morrisette. I apologize.

Regardless, there's one thing you need to know: mini frittatas.

Better than fried egg with cheese, better than microwaving your scrambled eggs (gross), and better than frying some bacon on the side.

It's all in one.

A frittata is an unfolded omelet that has veggies and meat in it.

In my version, I use eggs, cheese, and bacon. AND cook them in bite-size eatable pieces by putting them in a mini muffin tin!

Here's the ingredients:

• 8 large eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk (2% works well too, if you're watching calories)
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
  
• 6-8 strips of bacon baked at 405 degrees for 7 minutes (tried and true, this is the perfect temperature/time balance to achieve supreme crunchy flavorful bacon)
• parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

The steps are really easy, make these frittatas ahead of time and zap them in the morning for a good-to-go meal. To start: preheat oven to 375 degrees

1. Add eggs, milk and cheese together and whip until well blended
2. Crumple the bacon into tiny pieces and drop into egg batter
3. Stir in salt, pepper, parsley
4. Pour entire mixture 3/4 of the way full into muffin tins
   
5. Cook for 8-10 minutes.
   

To get a little fancy try adding different ingredients like bell peppers, spinach, and ham for a low-fat option.

photo credit: Me!

Chocolate-Chip Brownie Muffins

Yes. Brownie. Muffins.

To finish off this week's guilty delights features I'm giving you the recipe that will be melt in your mouth delicious.

There are two ways to make this happen -- the box way or the homemade way.

I fancy the box way, just because you add your own little touches here and there and essentially cut the prep time in half. Oh how Sandra Lee would be SO proud!!

But here's the basics for the easy peasy way to brownie muffins. Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees F

• one box store-bought brownie mix (the fudge kind is really good)
• one large egg
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup water
  
• milk chocolate chips
• 12 muffin cups (or you can just spray the inside of the muffin pan with PAM)
• one muffin tray (12 cups)
  

1. Mix together the brownie mix, egg, oil, and water.
2. Spoon mixture into the muffin cups 3/4ths full.
3. Drop in milk chocolate chips, as many as your little heart desires
4. Bake for 15 minutes or until done, since some ovens are faster than others.

To top it off....make a simple chocolate ganache by melting dark chocolate bars in the microwave but be careful! Chocolate, like butter, burns very quickly. Once the brownie muffins are done, dip the tops into the ganache and let it set.

And a pat of butter and you're in for a muffin that looks like its from Willy Wonka's factory.

photo credit: twisted_karolina

Fortune Cookie? Try Nutella Wonton.

What is the perfect end note to a Chinese food meal?

If you're old school and ordering take-out, its usually fortune cookies (that may or may not be stale).

But, with some simple steps you can have a nice twist on a Chinese favorite: the wonton
.


My favorite treat from delivery places like China Garden or Eastern Cafe is a crab wonton (sometimes call rangoon) which is essentially a deep fried concoction of crab meat and cream cheese. This is NOT a low-fat dish, but it's well worth the calories and the hour you'll spend at the gym the next day.

The dessert version is the same concept: Nutella Wontons

**NOTE: Nutella is a chocolate hazelnut spread that's from Europe but can be found in any grocery store. The French typically spread it on croissants for a chocolatey breakfast.**

1. Take some wonton wrappers (also can be found in any grocery store, in the Asian aisle), the number depends on how many individual wontons you want.
   
2. 1 tbsp of Nutella spread, plop smack dab in the middle of the wonton. Seal edges with water, form into triangles.
   
3. Heat a frying pan over medium heat, fill with 4 tbsp of vegetable oil (NOT BUTTER! Butter burns too fast)
4. Drop 1-2 wontons in hot oil, fry for 3-4 minutes.
5. COOL COMPLETELY and enjoy!
   

Psst! For an extra treat, sprinkle powdered sugar on top to give these a little more sweetness.

photo by Kali Meadows