1St Blogiversary! ... & Barefoot Contessa's Kokosnoot Cupcakes To Celebrate


Today is The Kitchen is My Playground's 1st blogiversary.  Wow, what a yr it's been!  I persuasion it would hold upward fitting, on this day, to percentage alongside yous the storey of how came to be.

It all started alongside a snowstorm.

As accept several large changes inward my life.  For example, that's how I ended upward moving to North Carolina.  See ... I had every intention of moving dorsum to Vermont afterwards finishing graduate schoolhouse inward upstate New York.  Then it snowed.  In belatedly March.  Enough to completely bury my car thence it wasn't fifty-fifty a slight bump inward the vast bounding main of white.  In very.  Late.  March.  Now I alive inward North Carolina.

I jurist snowstorms brand me think.  Or laissez passer on me fourth dimension to think, perhaps.  That's belike to a greater extent than the case.  Plans together with normal routines larn position on hold.  And there's time.  Time to produce what yous weren't planning to do.  During i such snowstorm belatedly concluding January, this was the instance for me.

Trapped inward my trouble solid yesteryear a freakishly large tempest for North Carolina (that led to schoolhouse beingness cancelled for a week, heed you), I watched the moving painting "Julie & Julia" - yous know, the i close a adult woman named Julie who decides to create her agency through Julia Child's cookbook together with start a weblog close it?  Well, I had but published a household unit of measurement cookbook together with given it every bit a Christmas acquaint to all the ladies inward my family.  Inspired yesteryear Julie, I decided I should create my agency through my ain family's cookbook (though non every bit ambitiously every bit Julie, who solely gave herself a year!). 

To larn myself started, I made a listing of recipes to larn to during 2011 (my "50 for 2011" list) together with shared it out alongside my Facebook friends.  They then, inward turn, requested updates together with that the recipes hold upward shared every bit I worked through them.  I tried sharing the commencement span of recipes (that really same calendar week - yes, quick turn-around, but retrieve schoolhouse was canceled for a calendar week together with I was leap to my house), and, good ... decided perchance a weblog would hold upward a improve way.  I mentioned the persuasion to a few friends, together with they whole-heartedly encouraged me to start a blog.  I wasn't nevertheless convinced.

On the level of Feb 5th, 2011, piece watching TV alongside my husband, I decided to but poke closed to Blogger for a chip together with explore these things called blogs.  I clicked a few blueprint buttons ... thought, hmmmm, I mightiness hold upward able to figure this out ... thought, I wonder what this push does?  Thought, what would I telephone yell upward my blog?

Around 10:00, my married adult man Mark said goodnight.  I replied, "I'm going to play closed to alongside this weblog materials but a footling chip more.  I'll hold upward up soon."  At close 3:00 inward the morning time of Feb 6th, was born.  The first post? ... "50 Recipes for 2011" Project - I improve larn cooking!

Now, though I haven't done really good working through my "50 Recipes for 2011" projection list, I've had tons of fun taking on many other cooking adventures throughout 's commencement year.  I've had tons of fun ... and, sometimes, a chip of frustration (especially alongside the photography part!!) ... trying to figure out this run a endangerment called blogging.  I've had tons of fun 'meeting' readers together with other bloggers.  Thank yous thence really much for reading my footling infinite inward blogland.  And give thank yous you for all your wonderful comments.  I genuinely read together with appreciate each together with every one, together with treasure them similar gifts.  I'm excited to consider what adventures 's 2d yr holds!

Now, let's celebrate 's commencement blogiversary alongside cupcakes!  Barefoot Contessa's Coconut Cupcakes, to hold upward exact.

These are a moist, decadently rich, together with deliciously coconutty cupcake selected from my "30 Recipes for 2012" Project. Loaded alongside butter together with sugar, I wouldn't consider them to hold upward "everyday cupcakes" ... I would relieve them for to a greater extent than of a special occasion. I persuasion my 1st blogiversay was but such the perfect special occasion! And oh. my. goodness. - these are thence good. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 non bad alternative for my celebration!  I beloved that there's kokosnoot both inward the batter itself together with on the locomote yesteryear of the frosting.  Yum, yum, yummy.  And the hint of almond extract gives these a fabulous flavor. 

So, if you've got a special occasion coming upward or but experience similar indulging inward some kokosnoot deliciousness, I highly recommend giving these beauties a whirl.  Thank yous for joining me on my blogiversary!



Coconut Cupcakes alongside Cream Cheese Frosting
Source: Adapted from  The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook yesteryear Ina Garten
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
3/4 lb. (3 sticks) unsalted butter (at room temperature)
2 c. sugar
five eggs (at room temperature)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
iii c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. buttermilk
xiv oz. bundle sweetened shredded coconut, divided

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 lb. cream cheese (at room temperature)
3/4 lb. (3 sticks) unsalted butter (at room temperature)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 1/2 lbs. confectioner's sugar


Directions
Prepare the Cupcakes:
1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line 2 muffin pans alongside newspaper liners.

2.  With an electrical mixer, cream the butter together with saccharide until calorie-free together with fluffy, close five minutes.  With the mixer on depression speed, add together the eggs i at a time, scraping downwardly the bowl afterwards each addition.  Add the vanilla together with almond extracts together with seven oz. of the coconut; mix well.

3.  Fill each cupcake newspaper close 3/4 total alongside batter.  Bake for 25 to 35 minutes until the tops are calorie-free dark-brown together with a toothpick inserted inward the optic comes out clean.  Allow to cool inward the pan for xv minutes.  Remove to a cooling rack together with cool completely.

Prepare the Frosting:
4.  With an electrical mixer, blend together the cream cheese, butter, together with vanilla together with almond extracts.  Add the confectioner's saccharide together with mix until smooth.

5.  Frost each cupcake generously alongside cream cheese frosting together with sprinkle alongside the remaining seven ounces of coconut.

Enjoy!


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