Forty & For You

First thing's first. Let it be known that I am not nearly as old as my hubby. There. I've said it. Now, I can move on.

Of course, I had to make hubby a lunch today. Oh, and cupcakes, which he's supposed to be sharing at work, except for those few extras I hid saved for us at home. I have been so busy watching our daughter grow up, I forgot that means we are busy growing old .. well, at least he is. Did I mention I made cupcakes? They are Chocolate Kahlua cupcakes, at that. I found the recipe at Glorious Treats, and after only one tiny edit, I believe I may have found the chocolate cupcake recipe from this day forward (recipe below). Yum!

Whole Foods sesame tofu, strawberry Greek yogurt w/ strawberry pieces, blackberries, Trader Joe's dried coconut strips, Angry Birds graham crackers, cucumber, tomatoes, baby bell peppers, and Russian dressing in the container to accompany his salad, and a #40 sandwich with pepper jack cheese and TJ's whole grain dijon mustard.

The kiddo got a somewhat '40' inspired lunch today, too, which happened to be '4 U' rather than '4 Zero'. Hey, worked for me!

Cantaloupe, blackberry, oyster crackers, Graze's Marvelous Macaroon, cottage cheese w/ sprinkles and sharp cheddar, baby bell peppers, and provolone cheese on multi-grain bread.

Now for those cupcakes...
Chocolate Kahlua Cupcakes with Kahlua Frosting

Ingredients (cupcake) - 2 c sugar, 1 3/4 c flour, 3/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, 2 eggs, 1 c whole milk, 1/2 c vegetable oil, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tsp instant espresso powder, 1 cup boiling water, Kahlua for basting.
Ingredients (frosting) - 12 Tbsp butter, 4oz cream cheese, 1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder, 4 c powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 2 1/2 Tbsp Kahlua, 1 Tbsp whole milk (or heavy cream)

For the cupcakes, line a muffin tin with paper liners and heat you oven to 350 degrees. In mixer bowl, blend the first 6 dry ingredients. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla, and beat on medium for one minute. Dissolve your espresso powder in the boiling water and stir this into the batter. Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. (mine took exactly 20 on each batch to be perfect) Let cool slightly, then prick each cupcake 7-8 times with a toothpick. Using a pastry brush, brush Kahlua onto each of the cupcakes. Let this set for a minute or two, then brush on some more. Don't be shy! Now, let them cool completely before you frost them.

For the frosting, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the cream cheese and beat until smooth. Add the cocoa powder and blend to combine. Then, add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until it is incorporated. Finally, add your wet ingredients, and blend thoroughly, scraping down as needed. Spread or pipe your frosting onto your cupcakes and enjoy. These were to die for still slightly warm, but I imagine room temp or chilled would be great too. Enjoy!

In these lunches...