HappyTummy              

Happy New Year!

Wow…it has been way too long since I last posted. Why have I been away for so long?

Well, for about nine weeks straight, I had absolutely NO desire to step into the kitchen. I also had an incredible aversion to sweets of any kind. Can you believe it? Me? An aversion to sweets? Crazy, I know, but it’s true!

Have you guessed why I’ve been away? I’m pregnant! There is a bun in the oven! I’m so happy that I can finally let the cat out of the bag!

I’m now almost four months pregnant. While my first trimester was horrible—24/7 nausea, food aversions, heartburn, extreme fatigue—I’m now feeling so much better! And I’m back in the kitchen!

But of course now, my spare time is spent thinking about the baby-to-be, so I’m not sure I’ll be posting to this blog nearly as much as I used to :) We’ll be finding out the sex at the end of the month, and we can’t wait. B and I are convinced it’s a boy… “Only a boy could wreak that much havoc on your body!” he jokes. But we would be happy with either a boy or a girl! No preference here!

In the meantime, try this recipe for white cupcakes! I frosted them with a delicious cream cheese frosting, originally meant for Red Velvet cupcakes, but equally as delicious with these. I brought these to work to announce my pregnancy—my coworkers decided they’d eat the cupcake with the frosting color corresponding to the sex they thought I’d be having. And wouldn’t you know it—the color that went the fastest by far was pink!

Recipe: Classic White Cupcakes
Adapted from MarthaStewart.com
Makes 12 cupcakes or 30 mini cupcakes

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or 1 1/2 cups + 3 Tbsp. cake flour)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) Smart Balance 50/50 Butter Blend, room temperature
• 3/4 cup turbinado sugar
• 2/3 cups Egg Beaters
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard (12-cup) muffin tin with paper liners. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until combined. Beat in vanilla.

With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in flour mixture and sour cream in alternating batches, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean and the top is springy to the touch, about 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely before spreading with frosting.

Recipe: Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from Pinch My Salt
Makes enough for 12 cupcakes or 30 mini cupcakes

• 8 oz. cream cheese (1 package), softened
• 1/4 cup Smart Balance 50/50 Butter Blend (half a stick), softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• Pinch of salt
• A drop or two of your favorite food coloring (optional)

With an electric mixer, blend together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Turn mixer to low speed and blend in powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Turn mixer on high and beat until light and fluffy. If desired, add a drop or two of your favorite food coloring and mix until well blended. Use immediately or refrigerate, covered, until ready to use. If refrigerated, the frosting will need to be brought to room temperature before using (after frosting softens up, beat with mixer until smooth).

Recipe notes: If you prefer a sweeter and/or stiffer frosting, more powdered sugar can be added. But remember, the more sugar you add, the less you’ll be able to taste the tangy cream cheese!