Southwest Burgers

These have become a favorite in our house! They are healthy, full of flavor, easy to make! 

I doubled the recipe to make enough for leftovers.

3/4 cup Salsa (reserve 1/4 cup for sauce) 
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese 
3 tsp. paprika 
1 tsp. oregano 
1 tsp. ground cumin 
3/4 tsp. sugar 
3/4 tsp. garlic powder 
1/2 tsp. dried thyme 
1/4 tsp. salt 
1/4 cayenne pepper 
1 pound extra lean ground beef  
1/4 cup sour cream 4-6 hamburger buns 
1/2 cup torn endive avocado slices 
1 medium tomato, chopped 


In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup salsa, cheese and spices into the crumbled ground beef. Mix well and shape into burgers. If grilling burgers, coat grill rack with cooking spray. Grill covered over medium heat. Or, you can broil 4 inches from the heat for 7 minutes on each side, thermometer should read 165 degrees and juices run clear. In a small bowl, combine sour cream and salsa. Place burgers on the buns and top with endive, avocados, chopped tomatoes and sour cream mixture.

Homemade Whole Wheat Bread

Recipe's from Shar are one of my very favorite things! Here's a link:

http://www.sharskitchen.com/recipes/recipe.php?id=166&rec_cat=bread

If you are missing any ingredients, such as the dough enhancer you can order products from her site as well.

Perfect Every Time!

Made from 100% fresh ground whole wheat!

Ingredients

6 cups warm water, approx. 115 degrees

2 tbs. Sea salt

2/3 cup canola oil

2/3 cup honey

3 tbs. Dough enhancer

2 cups high gluten bread flour or 1/3 cup vital wheat gluten

3 tbs. Saf instant yeast

6 to 8 cups of fresh ground flour (to begin with) (10 to 11 cups of un-ground grain will make enough flour for this recipe)

Directions

Use the momentary switch (m) to mix well. Turn the machine to speed 1 and continue to add wheat flour only until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. When you can see the sides pull clean as well as the dough coming clean from the bottom of the bowl you know you have enough flour. (do not add too much flour) the dough should be very sticky and does not come together at this point, but the bowl is clean.

Knead on speed 1 for 8-10 minutes or until the gluten has been developed. If you feel your dough is too dry, simply add a few tablespoons of water to moisten. (always pulling the sides clean) if dough starts sticking simply add a little white flour to take up the moisture. (remember your bosch has 700 watts of power and a reset button.)

Oil your hands, remove dough from mixer onto a slightly oiled counter, divide your dough with a dough divider into 4-5 large loaves depending on your pan size. (we like the 8 ½ by 4 ½” pan, and we usually get 5. However, because we never measure our flour exactly, sometimes we get 4 ~ it will depend on the weather and the climate outside.

Shape loaves, and place in a well greased or sprayed (pam) pan, never use oil. Cover with a dry towel and let rise until dough has risen double or approx. 2 inches above the rim of the pan. This will take from 30 to 60 minutes depending on the room temperature.

Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until the inside temp. is 200 degrees. An instant read thermometer is very useful in telling whether your bread is done. Tests after baking time is complete by taking bread out of its pan and pushing the thermometer into side or bottom of loaf. If not 200 degrees, place back in pan and bake another few minutes.

Cool on cooking racks before putting into bread bags. The bread can be frozen up to 30 days without freezer burn.

Enjoy!

Cupcake Pops

Cupcake Pops and Cupcake Bites

1 13X9 baked cake (from a box cake mix or from scratch … any flavor)

1 can cream cheese frosting (or about 2 cups equivalent from scratch)

1 flower shaped cookie cutter (1.25″ wide X .75″ tall)

1 package chocolate bark or chocolate candy melts

1 package pink candy melts or white chocolate bark

bowls for dipping

wax paper

aluminum foil

lollipop sticks

sprinkles, m&ms or something similar for top of cupcake

small plastic treat bags and ribbon to package the Cupcake Pops

candy cups and truffle boxes to individually package the Cupcake Bites

styrofoam block

1.  Bake a cake from a mix or from scratch and cool completely.

2.  Crumble cooked cake into the food processor until it is a fine consistency like dirt.  Yes dirt

3.  Add can of cream cheese frosting or homemade frosting and blend together using the back of a large spoon or your hands. Blend thoroughly.

4.  Roll mixture into 1.25″ – 1.5″ size balls and lay on wax paper covered cookie sheet. You might have to rinse and dry your hands off in between it's pretty messy.

5.  Cover them with foil or plastic wrap and put them in the fridge for a few hours or the freezer for about 15 minutes.

6.  Remove. Begin to shape into cupcakes using a small flower-shaped cookie cutter. The one from Williams Sonoma is the best - see below

 Take the chilled ball and roll it into more of an oval and then slide into the flower cookie cutter. Push it into cutter until about half fills the cutter and the rest sticks out of the top in the shape of a mound. Then push the shaped cupcake carefully out of the cookie cutter from the bottom. Set right side up on a wax paper covered cookie sheet. Continue with remaining balls.

You can also just roll into balls and dip - that is the easiest way.  They look cute either way!

7.  Once shaped, cover and return to freezer. (5-10 minutes)

TIP: You can leave them covered in the refrigerator overnight if you want to do the dipping on the following day.

8.  While cupcake shapes are chilling, begin to heat up your chocolate bark.  Brown chocolate bark for the bottoms. Pink, white or red chocolate for the tops.  Follow the instructions on the package for melting. Most recommend heating for 30 second intervals at a time and stirring in between. You can also do the double boiler method.

9.  When you are ready to dip, remove from freezer and set up another wax paper covered cookie sheet.

10.  Take the cupcake shaped mixture and dip bottoms into the melted chocolate – just to the point where the mounded shape starts. Then lay on the wax paper upside down. If you want them to be lollipops, then go ahead and insert the lollipop sticks while the chocolate is still wet. Continue with rest of the cupcakes. You can also leave some without the sticks. They’re just as cute as Cupcake Bites. 

TIP: Dip end of your lollipop stick in the melted chocolate before inserting into chocolate bottoms. Not sure if this helps a lot, but it couldn’t hurt.  DON’T – get water in the chocolate. Make sure your hands are completely dry. Water will cause the chocolate to separate and mess up all your hard work

11.  Dry completely. (15-20 minutes)  Once dry, dip the tops of the cupcakes in the pink or white chocolate. You may need to move it around a little to cover all the exposed areas.  
TIP: Let the colored chocolate sit for a few minutes after heating to thicken. This will help it from dripping down the sides of the cupcake 
TIP: You can use a toothpick to help cover any areas the melted chocolate didn’t cover.

*For the Cupcake Bites – just turn right side up and rest on the wax paper. Then go ahead and put a m&m on the top and add sprinkles while wet.

*For the lollipops, Continue holding and place an m&m on the top and add sprinkles. Let them dry in a styrofoam block that you have already poked holes into.

*When completely dry, cover the lollipops with small plastic treat bags and tie with a ribbon. 

Makes about 50.
You can store these in an airtight container and they will last for several days. You can also store in the refrigerator if you would like them cold.

recipe courtesy of www.bakerella.com

Mini Maple Chocolate Chip Pancake Muffins

Taylor was in the mood to shake things up for breakfast so she made these. 

After this I may turn the breakfast cooking over to her.  They were that good!

Generously grease a 24 cup mini muffin pan with non-stick spray.

Mini Maple Chocolate Chip Pancake Muffins.

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Sift together with a wire whisk.
• In another bowl, stir buttermilk, egg, maple syrup and melted butter until just combined.
• Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir with a spoon until combined.
• Stir in chocolate chips. Reserve a few chips to sprinkle on the tops.
• Bake for 8-9 minutes.

Makes 24 mini pancake muffins.

Let cool slightly and remove from the pan. You may need to use a toothpick around the edges to separate the pancake muffins from the pan.
Serve immediately with warmed butter if you like or dunk in maple syrup

Chicken Enchiladas

This is my family's favorite Chicken Enchilada recipe. It has a smooth, mild flavor so children like it as much as the adults.

Chicken Enchiladas

3-4 Cups Shredded Chicken (I buy a Rotisserie chicken and pick off all of the meat - you can also cook a couple of large chicken breasts in a skillet if you would prefer)

1 cup cheddar (or a cheddar mix) cheese

1 small can of diced green chilies

1 pint sour cream

2 tsp. chicken base (or powdered bouillon)

1/2 can of canned milk

Tortillas 12-14

Mix in a medium bowl, the sour cream, canned milk, and chicken base. In a separate bowl, combine the chicken, cheese, and diced green chilies (I chop up the chilies even smaller so my kids don't notice them and say "Ew what's that green thing?"). Add about half of the sauce to the chicken mixture and mix together. Place about 3 Tbsp. chicken mixture in the middle of a tortilla and roll it up, then place in a 9x13 pan sprayed with cooking spray. Continue with the rest of the tortillas. Pour the rest of the sauce over the top of the tortillas. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, depending on how crispy you like it. The last ten minutes add a couple more handfuls of cheese over the top. You can serve these plain ( because they are good enough) or you can top with sour cream and salsa. Enjoy!

Breakfast Squares

This is a recipe from my mother-in-law. This is a food traditionally served Christmas morning. I love that it can be put together the night before, and then baked the following day.

Grandma's Gingerbread Recipe

Decorating Gingerbread houses is an activity my children look forward to participating in all year long! My all time favorite recipe is this one from Wilton - 'Grandma's Gingerbread Recipe'. It is truly a perfected piece of work! Now days, most craft stores have cookie cutters for sale that are the perfect size for small gingerbread houses.

Jenna is busted! Nothing like a little (or a lot) of sugar to really get things moving!

Grandma's Gingerbread Cake Recipe

Instructions:

Tools:

Cookie Sheet

Gingerbread Cookie Cutters

Royal Frosting

Ingredients:

5-5 1/2 cups of flour

1 t baking soda

1 t salt

2 t powdered ginger

2 t cinnamon

1 t ground nutmeg

1 t cloves

1 cup solid vegetable shortening

1 cup sugar

1 1/4 Cus unsulphured molasses

2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven 375 degrees. Thoroughly mix flour, baking soda, alt and spices. Melt shortening in large saucepan. Cool slightly. Add sugar, molasses and eggs; mix well. Add four cups of the dry ingredients and mix again.

Turn mixture onto lightly floured surface. Knead in remaining dry ingredients by hand. Add a little more flour, if necessary, to make the dough firm. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to a 1/4 inch thickness and cut out cookies with Metal Gingerbread cookie cutters.

Bake 6-10 minutes for small to medium size cookies and 10-15 minutes for large cookies. Longer for bigger sides of the house.

If you are not going to use your gingerbread right away, wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate. Refrigerated dough will keep for a week, but be sure to remove it 3 hours prior to roling so it softens and is workable.

*Substitute 1 1/4 cups light corn syrup for molasses to make Blond Gingerbread.

Makes 40 medium cookies.

Royal Icing

When I was 17 I broke my Mom's Bosch mixer trying to achieve the stiffest peaks possible. Ooops! Be careful, and add a drop of water if you need to! The frosting should be soft and easy to spread... there is no need to have it be terribly stiff.

Ingredients:

3 level tablespoons Meringue Powder

4 cups sifter confectioners' sugar (approx. 1 lb.)

6 T water

Beat all ingredients at low speed for 7-10 minutes (10-12 minutes at high speed for portable mixer) until icing forms peaks.

Yield 3 cups of icing.

Decorating Instructions: Ornaments With royal icing, pip outlines and facial features using Tip 3 and Disposable Decorating Bags. Use Wilton's Icing Colors to create different looks. Attach candy canes with royal icing.

Gift Tags Pipe outlines and facial features using Tip 3. Attach real ribbon bow with royal icing. Cut a tag from lightweight cardboard and punch a hole to attach to bow.

Place Cards Ice area where the name will go. Add name and trim with Tip 2. ipe outlines and facial features using Tip 3. Bake a small triangle shaped gingerbread piece to prop gingerbread cookies up. Prop upright by attaching triangle to back of gingerbread cookie using royal icing.

This is Wilton's famous Gingerbread Cake Recipe, and it is truly a perfected piece of work!

The items listed above, including the meringue powder can be purchased at Michael's. Enjoy!

Peppermint Fudge

Peppermint Fudge

Fudge layer:

2 ½ teaspoons butter, softened (no substitutes)
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 cups confectioners’ sugar (powdered)
6 Tablespoons baking cocoa
2 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cups nuts (optional)

Peppermint layer:

2 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 ½ teaspoons milk
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
¼ cup crushed peppermint candy

Line the bottom and sides of an 8 x 8 pan with foil. Grease foil with 2 ½ teaspoons butter; set aside. For Fudge Layer: In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar, cocoa, milk and vanilla. Stir in nuts. Spread into prepared pan. Chill for 1 hour or until firm. For Peppermint Layer: beat cream cheese in a small mixing bowl. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar, milk and extract. Stir in peppermint candy. Spread evenly over chocolate layer. Chill for 1 hour or until firm. Using foil, lift fudge from pan. Gently peel off foil. Cut into small squares. Store in refrigerator.

Chocolate Souffle

My 14 year old son found this amazing recipe online, and made it himself. It is an easy to follow, delicious recipe! This is one of our new family favorites!

Chocolate Souffle

From Food Network Kitchens

Prep Time:

30 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

20 min

Level:

Intermediate

Serves:

6 individual servings

Ingredients

7 ounces finely chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus for preparing the molds

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 large egg yolks

3 tablespoons warm water

1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons

8 large egg whites, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Confectioners' sugar for garnish

Directions

Brush 6 (6-ounce) ramekins with soft butter, then coat with sugar. Put the prepared ramekins in the freezer. (This can be done a day ahead.)

Set an oven rack in lower third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.

Put the chocolate and butter in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with an inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Set aside.

Combine the egg yolks and warm water in the bowl of a standing mixer or large bowl and beat until frothy. Gradually add 2 tablespoons sugar, and continue beating until ribbons form, about 5 minutes. Very lightly fold the yolks into the chocolate mixture. (Rinse the bowl well, if using for beating the egg whites.)

Remove prepared ramekins from freezer. Put the egg whites in the bowl of a standing mixer, or large non-reactive bowl, add the lemon juice. Beat on medium until frothy; then gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and increase speed to high. Beat until the whites hold a stiff but not dry peak.

Working quickly, fold about a third of the egg whites into the chocolate to lighten; then fold in remaining whites until blended. Gently ladle or spoon the souffle mixture into the ramekins, and place on a baking sheet. (Level off the surface with a straight edge, scraping any excess mixture back into the bowl.)

Immediately bake until the souffle rises about 1 1/2 inches from the ramekins, and the tops are touched with brown, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven, dust with confectioners' sugar and serve immediately.

Copyright 2007 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.

Cookie Party

SUGAR COOKIES
2/3 cup shortening (1/3 cup butter crisco, 1/3 margarine)
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
4 tsp milk
2 cup sifted flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Cream shortening, sugar, vanilla. Add egg and beat until light and fluffy (2 minutes) then stir in milk. Sift all dry ingredients then add to the wet. Divide dough in half and roll in saran wrap and chill for 1 hour. Roll and cut - only 3-4 times on lightly floured surface 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Bake on greased cookie sheet 375 for 7 minutes.

Rachel had an awesome cookie party last year! The kiddos went crazy decorating! She sent out evites, and got busy baking (it helps that she has two ovens and dishwashers). All her guests enjoyed their creations along with hot chocolate. Her sugar cookie recipe listed above really is amazing! So, treat your neighborhood to a 'cookie party' this year!

Savory Chicken Cordon Bleu

6 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts
6 thin slices of deli ham
6 slices of cheese (swiss, provolone or pepper jack)
2 t sage
1 1/2 c fine bread crumbs (seasoned or plain)
1/2 c parmesan cheese
3 T dried parsley
4 T melted butter
Toothpicks

Place chicken breast on cutting board, cover with wax paper and pound lightly with meat mallet until breast is approximately ¼ inch thick.  (Be careful not to punch holes in the breast)

Place a strip of ham and one slice of cheese on each breast.  I used swiss cheese on 3 of the chicken breasts and pepper jack on the other 3.  Tuck in sides and roll up jelly roll style.  Secure with two or three toothpicks.

Combine bread crumbs, parmesan, sage and parsley in a medium bowl.  Dip chicken rolls in melted butter, then roll in crumb mixture until well coated.  Place in a shallow baking pan coated with nonstick spray.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 – 50 minutes.  Recipe courtesy of Kristen Harris

Eggs Benedict Stacks

This easy but elegant twist on an old breakfast tradition looks and tastes gourmet.


Eggs Benedict Stacks

Ingredients:

6 large eggs, divided
2/3 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 English muffins, cut in half
Easy Blender Hollandaise Sauce (see below)
8 slices Canadian bacon

Directions:

In a pie pan, whisk together 2 eggs, milk and salt with a fork. Soak English muffin halves for 1-2 minutes on each side. Heat a small frying pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray over medium-high heat. Cover and cook soaked muffin halves one at a time for about 2 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. Place cooked muffin halves on a plate and set aside. Cook the remaining eggs individually as desired. To assemble stacks, toast 2 muffin halves in toaster for 1 minute, or until lightly crisp. Place 1 muffin half on a plate and then spread with a tablespoon of Easy Blender Hollandaise Sauce. Place 2 slices Canadian bacon over the sauce. Place a cooked egg on top and then drizzle generously with more sauce. Lay remaining muffin half on top and serve. Makes 4 servings.

Easy Hollandaise Sauce:

Ingredients:

3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 cup butter

Directions:

In a blender, blend egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and white pepper. Melt butter in microwave until sizzling hot. Turn blender on low and slowly pour in all the melted butter. Serve warm. Store inthe refrigerator 3-5 days. Makes 1 cup.

This recipe is from Donna Kelly's 'French Toast' cookbook.

Southwest Chipotle Burgers

Southwest Chipotle Burgers

Burgers:
1 1/2 lb ground chuck or ground sirloin
1 chipotle pepper canned in adobo sauce  (1 chili or less for kids, 1 1/2 for anyone who likes it spicy)
1 1/2 T adobo sauce (from the chipotle chili can)
1/4 C grated onion
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t cumin
1 1/2 t kosher salt
1/4 t pepper

4-6 good quality buns
1 tomato
1-2 avocado
lettuce
optional: jack, cotija, or queso fresco cheese

Chipotle-lime Mayo:
1/2 C Mayo (light works fine)
2 t lime juice
1 t adobo sauce (from the canned chipotle chilis - not the chilis, just the sauce)
2T chopped fresh cilantro

Start by making the sauce.

Place mayo, adobo sauce, lime juice and cilantro in a small bowl and stir together then chill.

Now place the beef in a bowl and gently crumble with your fingers. Add the chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, grated onion, garlic powder, cumin, kosher salt, and pepper. Use your hands (yes, your hands!) to gently mix things together. If you go crazy and over-work ground beef it gets a yucky texture. Just mix it enough to distribute the ingredients and call it good.

Divide into 6 patties and place on a preheated grill, indoor grill pan, or skillet.

If you want to top with cheese, do so in the last few minutes of grilling. Use jack  cotija, or even some queso fresco. While the burgers are cooking, toast buns and spread chipotle-lime sauce generously on each side of each bun.

When the burgers are done to your liking let them stand for 5 minutes off the grill/pan and then pop onto your prepared buns. Top with tomato slices, avocado slices, and a crisp piece of lettuce.

If you made extra sauce, serve it on the table so people can slather it on every bite.

Recipe from www.ourbestbites.com

Whipped Honey Butter

Honey Butter 

2 cubes real butter, (close to room temp- works best when slightly chilled still.)
2/3 C honey
¾ C powdered sugar

(If your butter is too soft, you'll end up with a gooey mess, so I just leave it out on the counter for about 20 minutes or so before beating and it turns out nice and fluffy)

Just place it all in a bowl and beat with an electric hand-mixer for about 30 seconds.  You can use a Bosch or a Kitchenaid but it turns out better with a hand mixer.  Serve at room temp with warm rolls, irish soda bread, scones etc.

Thai Peanut Noodles

Thai Peanut Noodles

1/2 c. chicken broth

3 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter

1-2 tsp. Sriracha chili sauce (1/2 tsp is best for kids, 1 is mild with a bite, 1.5 is medium, 2 is hot)

1 1/2 Tbsp. honey

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh minced ginger

2-3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

8 oz. Udon or linguine noodles

Chopped green onions

Chopped cilantro

2 limes, cut into quarters

Chopped peanuts

Cook noodles in salted water. In the meantime, combine chicken broth, peanut butter, chili sauce, honey, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk until smooth and remove from heat. Toss cooked noodles with sauce and divide among 4 bowls. Sprinkle with green onions, cilantro, chopped peanuts, and garnish each serving with 2 lime quarters. Before eating, squeeze lime juice over noodles and stir to combine.

 *If desired, you can add meat to this dish by stir-frying shrimp or very thinly-sliced chicken (partially freeze it first) in some olive oil with a couple cloves of garlic, some fresh ginger, some green onions, soy sauce, and a small squirt or two of Sriracha chili sauce.

recipe courtesy of www.ourbestbites.com

Candy Corn Cupcakes

Candy Corn Cupcakes

1 18.25-oz. white cake mix

1 c. sour cream

1/2 c. vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 tsp. almond extract

Yellow and orange food coloring

A double batch of Perfect Cupcake Frosting and Filling (see below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 24-cup muffin tins with white paper liners (although you may not make it to 24 cupcakes). 

Combine all ingredients except for food coloring in a large bowl and beat on low speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then beat on medium for 2 additional minutes.

Divide batter equally into two bowls; you should have about 2 1/4-2 1/2 cups of batter in each bowl.Mix about 1/2 heaping tsp. of yellow coloring into one bowl of batter and 1/2 heaping tsp. of orange coloring into the other bowl.

Divide the yellow batter evenly among the muffin tins. I used a standard cookie scoop, which measures about 1 Tbsp. Holding the edges of each pan firmly, bang the pan a few times on the counter to level out the batter. Repeat the process with the orange batter. 

Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes in the pan and then allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.When ready, frost the cupcakes and garnish with a candy corn. When you cut them open, they look like this:

Perfect Cupcake Frosting and Filling

6 T Flour
1 C milk (whole milk is best, but I used non-fat or 2% when it's all I have and it's actually fine)
1 C real butter
1 C granulated sugar
2 t vanilla extract, or other flavor if you wish.

Whisk together the flour and the milk. Heat in a small sauce pan on medium heat.
Whisk continuously until it starts to thicken. Let it cook, while stirring, until you can start to see the bottom of the pan. The INSTANT you see the bottom of the pan remove from heat and start straining over a bowl.  I used a rubber spatula to push the liquid through.  This is a fast thing so go quickly.

You should end up with a nice, smooth mixture. It's almost like

 pudding before it's set.

Put this mixture in the fridge and let it cool completely, it's fine if it stays in there long enough to get chilly, you just don't want it warm at all. When it is chilled, you can move on to the following step.

It an electric stand mixer, beat the butter and the sugar for a minute or two until well combined and fluffy. You'll want to use the whisk attachment on a stand mixer, not the flat paddle. Then while beating, add in the thickened milk mixture and the vanilla. Beat to combine and then scrape down the sides. Don't be scared. It's going to look like a goopy mess. 
 Beat on med-high for 7-8 minutes. I know it is a long time but I was promised it would turn out and it did!

It should turn out light, silky and oh so good!  If it isn't light and silky, try beating it a little bit longer.

For more details on any of the above go to www.ourbestbites.com and look up candy corn cupcakes.  You will love EVERYTHING on their site!