If I haven’t said it before, I love to cook when I can. I love entertaining, as well as making & trying yummy recipes. I usually never get the time to try things on a regular basis though, because I’m always so busy! But special occasions (like someone’s birthday ;)) will always have room for special treats like these. :)

The pie I first spotted on Jamie at Home, and watching him make it looked SO good, so I attempted to tackle it after buying the ingredients at the grocery store. It was SO much fun, but: 1) I forgot the flour in the stew, so I sat there, staring at my beef “stew” wondering why it wasn’t more “stew”-like for about 20 mins. Zach wanders in saying “Did you put flour in?”…. “FLOUR!!!” I gasp. Um, yea. When making stew, flour is important. 2) I could not for the life of me, figure out if the bowl I bought would be big enough for the pie. I figured no before the sauce thickened, so I put the crust in another bowl. But once I started filling it, I realized that I COULD use the nicer bowl that I bought, so you can imagine what it was like trying to transport a soggy crust half-filled into a new bowl.

5 hours later, we were dining on delicious pot pie. :)

Luckily, the cupcakes weren’t so awful long & hard to make! lol

Here are the rest of the photos of the process & recipes. :)

The stew in the oven!

my apron

Ready to bake!

It was seriously soooo good.

Steak, Guinness & Cheese Pie with Puff Pastry
from Jamie at Home

Serves 4-6

Olive oil
3 medium red onions, peeled and chopped
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
30g butter, plus extra for greasing
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 sticks of celery, trimmed and chopped
4 field mushrooms, peeled and sliced
1kg brisket of beef or stewing beef, cut into 2cm cubes
a few sprigs of fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 x 440ml can of Guinness
2 heaped tablespoons plain flour
200g freshly grated Cheddar cheese
500g best quality ready-made puff pastry
1 large egg beaten

Preheat the oven to 190C (375F/gas 5). In a large ovenproof pan, heat a glug of olive oil on a low heat. Add the onions and fry gently for about 10 minutes – try not to colour them too much. Turn the heat up, add the garlic, butter, carrots and celery and scatter in the mushrooms. Mix everything together before stirring in the beef, rosemary, a pinch of salt and pepper.

Fry fast for 3 or 4 minutes, then stir in the flour and pour in the Guinness and add just enough water to cover. Bring to a simmer, cover the pan with a lid and place in the preheated oven for about 1 1/2 hours. Remove the pan from the oven and give the stew a stir. Put it back into the oven and continue to cook it for another hour, or until the meat is very tendr and the stew is rich, dark and thick. A perfect pie filling needs to be robust, so if its still quite liquidy, place the pan on the hob and reduce until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in half the cheese, then season carefully and leave to cool slightly.

Cut about a third of the pastry off the block. Dust a clean work surface with flour and roll both pieces of pastry out evenly with a floured rolling pin to the thickness of a pount coin. Butter an appropriately sized pie dish, the line with the larger sheet, leaving the edges dangling over the side. Tip the stew into your lined dish and even it out before sprinkling over the remaining cheese. Brush the edges of the pastry with a little beaten egg.

Cut the other rolled sheet of pastry to fit the top of the pie dish and criss-cross it lightly with a sharp knife. Place it over the top of the pie and fold the overhanging pastry on to the pastry lid to make it look nice and rustic. Brush the top with beaten egg, then bake the pie directly on the bottom of the oven for 45 minutes, until the pastry is cooked, puffed and golden. Delicious served simply with peas.

Fresh out of the oven!

Chocolate Cupcakes and Peanut Butter Icing
from Barefoot Contessa

2 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
2 tablespoons brewed coffee
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup good cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Kathleen’s Peanut Butter Icing, recipe follows
Chopped salted peanuts, to decorate, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until blended. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it’s completely blended.

Divide the batter among the cupcake pans (1 rounded standard ice cream scoop per cup is the right amount). Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Frost each cupcake with Peanut Butter Icing and sprinkle with chopped peanuts, if desired.

Kathleen’s Peanut Butter Icing:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy creamPlace the confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.