Bengal spice cupcakes recipe

(Photo credit: Alegrya)

Several football seasons ago, I stumbled across Bengal Spice Tea by Celestial Seasonings while grocery shopping. Being a Cincinnati Bengals fan, curiosity got the better of me and I snatched up a box to try. I'm glad I did! It is a tea that will awaken your taste buds as well as your nose. Ever since the first taste of this tea, I have been trying to figure out how to incorporate this tea into my baking recipes. After much brainstorming, I decided to stick with a winning formula and model a recipe after my Earl Grey Cupcakes. The day I made these, I was in a time crunch, so I cheated and used a cake mix instead of making the cake from scratch. The resulting cupcakes were no less delicious. I present to you my recipe for Bengal Spice Cupcakes. Make 'em as minis and serve them for tailgating!

BENGAL SPICE CUPCAKES

• 1 boxed white cake mix and the required ingredients to make the cake as directed EXCEPT the water
• 1-1 1/3 cups strongly brewed Bengal Spice Tea (whichever amount your cake mix calls for)
• 1 can cream cheese frosting
• contents of one additional Bengal Spice teabag, finely chopped
• 1 capful of cinnamon flavor oil from LorAnn's

Directions
Prepare the cake mix as directed by the box, substituting strongly brewed tea in equal amounts for the water. Bake as directed. While cake is baking, empty a second teabag and finely chop the ingredients. Empty the can of prepared frosting into a bowl and stir in cinnamon oil and chopped tea. Stir well to completely blend. When cupcakes have completely cooled, frost each with a generous amount of frosting. For a little extra zip, you can dust each cupcake with a hint of cinnamon or clove. Dust lightly-these should have a delicate flavor with a little kick at the end.

Cheddar ranch dip recipe

Royal Cheddar Cheese (Photo credit: artizone)

This savory dip goes well with chips of all kinds, veggies, bread sticks and more.


CHEDDAR RANCH DIP

• 1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
• 1 (1 ounce) package dry Ranch-style dressing mix
• 1 (3 ounce) can bacon bits
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions
Thoroughly blend sour cream and dressing mix. Add bacon and cheese and stir well to distribute. Chill for at least an hour before serving.

Homemade salsa recipe

Tortilla chips, salsa, and guacamole from the Restaurant Weisshorn, Zermatt, Switzerland (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Super Bowl is right around the corner and now would be a good time to start planning your party menu. You can't go wrong with salsa and chips, but take it up a notch this year with homemade salsa. It tastes so much better than what you buy from the grocery and you get to control how spicy it is.

HOMEMADE SALSA

• 4 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• zest and juice from a lime
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions
In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to fully develop. Serve with tortilla chips.

Cook's Notes-this recipe is easily adapted to your individual tastes. If you want a hotter salsa, use a hotter pepper or more jalapeno. If you like it milder, use less pepper and more tomato.

Coca Cola meatballs recipe

English: Coca-Cola 375 mL cans - 24 pack (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Are you having an informal gathering this New Year's Eve and trying to keep your food options under budget? Here is a delicious and affordable recipe for BBQ meatballs that I have adapted from Allrecipes.com. You can easily double the sauce if you choose to make a large batch of meatballs (the original yield for this recipe is 36). This sauce also works well with kielbasa. Enjoy!

Coca Cola Meatballs
Ingredients

• bag of frozen meatballs
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup Coca Cola
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions
Mix all ingredients except the meatballs in crockpot and stir until well blended. Add meatballs and stir to coat. Cook on low 3-4 hours until ready to serve.