Meal ideas

Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes

~ SL

Just because fall in creeping in, it doesn’t mean fresh summer flavors have to disappear. One of my favorite summer treats is an orange creamsicle, so I decided to replicate those creamy, juicy flavors in a cupcake! This weekend, I turn 41, while I also celebrate Too Busy Livin’s first official year in business.

Photos by: Gabrielle Touchette Photography, Food styling by: Josée Trudeau
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Making the cupcakes

These orange creamsicle cupcakes are light and fluffy with a pop of citrus flavor. Whipping up the egg whites and folding them in at the end creates that fluffiness.

Getting help from the kids

There are quite a few jobs that kids can do to help out with this recipe. Younger kids can help with pouring, dumping, stirring and placing cupcake liners in muffin tins, while older kids can squeeze the oranges, crack eggs and practice using measuring cups and spoons.

Substitutions

If your oranges aren’t very juicy, you can definitely use orange juice from concentrate. You can even make lime or lemon flavored cupcakes by replacing the orange juice with either lemonade or limeade, and the zest with either lemon or lime zest.

Frosting the orange creamsicle cupcakes

I love a great store-bought shortcut, especially if it is as creamy and delicious as this frosting! To make this frosting, all you have to do is use a package of vanilla pudding, and replace the milk with 35% whipping cream. The frosting recipe comes from Two Sisters blog. They use white chocolate pudding, but you can use this method with any pudding flavor. Whip it up into a thick, creamy frosting and slather it on the cupcake with a spatula, or pipe it on like I did here. Be sure to store frosted cupcakes in the fridge so the icing stays firm and doesn’t spoil.

Garnishing the orange creamsicle cupcakes

I chose to garnish these with gummy orange slices, but you can also use:

  • Orange ju-jubes
  • Jelly beans
  • Sanding sugar or sprinkles
  • Dehydrated orange slices
  • Fresh mandarin orange segments

If you’re want to try another delicious cupcake recipe full of summer flavors, these S’more Stout Cupcakes are reminiscent of eating s’mores around a summer bonfire.

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Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes

A fresh citrusy cupcake with a thick and creamy frosting

Course Dessert, Snack
Keyword citrus, creamsicle, cupcake, orange, whipping cream
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 18 cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 4 egg whites
  • 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar Use 1/2 cup for whipping the egg whites.
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 zest of one large orange
  • 3/4 cup orange juice freshly squeezed or from concentrate
  • 3/4 cup milk

Creamy Vanilla Frosting

  • 4 cups 35% Whipping Cream
  • 2 102g boxes instant vanilla pudding

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

  2. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.

  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add 4 egg whites.

  4. Using the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until they begin to foam.

  5. Gradually add 1/2 cup of sugar, while continuing to whip. The egg whites should be opaque white and form soft peaks.

  6. Transfer whipped egg whites to another bowl and set aside.

  7. In the bowl of the stand mixer, add 1 cup of sugar and butter.

  8. Use the paddle attachment until the sugar and butter are combined.

  9. Add the orange zest and vanilla. Continue mixing until combined.

  10. Alternately add some of the flour mixture, the orange juice and milk, mixing constantly until a uniform consistency is achieved.

  11. Fold in the egg whites using the paddle attachment at the lowest speed, or by hand with a spatula.

  12. Use a large, triggered ice cream scoop to portion out the cupcakes into liners. If you prefer to skip the liners, grease the muffin tins with cooking spray.

  13. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes. They are ready when a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Creamy Vanilla Frosting

  1. Combine pudding mix and whipping cream in the bowl of a stand mixer.

  2. Using the whish attachment, whip until the pudding mix and cream are fully combined and you have a fluffy, spreadable frosting. If you mix it too much, you will end up with butter, so watch it closely.

  3. If you like a thinner frosting, you can add more whipping cream to thin it out.

Recipe Notes

Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting them. 

Frosted cupcakes must be refrigerated. 

Simple Slow Cooker Applesauce

~ SL ~ 1 Comment

It’s always nice to know people who have apple trees in their yards who are willing to share! My grandma and my friend give me apples every summer so I make applesauce to use in my baking year-round.

This recipe is so easy to make because you don’t have to peel the apples. Simply cut around the core, fill your slow cooker, add a bit of water, and let it cook on low for 4-6 hours. Puree the sauce once the apples have softened. The peels give it a peachy-pink color and the applesauce doesn’t have any added sugar. You can of course add sugar and cinnamon to taste if you plan on eating the applesauce as-is.

How to store your applesauce

I like to freeze it in 1-cup portions in small freezer bags. One batch of applesauce will yield about 9-10 cups of applesauce, depending on the size of your apples. Let the sauce cool completely before portioning it into freezer bags. Lay the bags flat on a cookie sheet before freezing to save space. I like to portion in one cup portions because I mostly use this apple sauce in these Healthy Banana Muffins with Applesauce, or these Oatmeal Applesauce Muffins.

If you have some time on your hands, you can also can it to make it shelf-stable. The National Centre for Home Food Preservation is a great resource for safe canning practices. Follow the instructions for canning applesauce here.

How to use your applesauce

As I mentioned, I like to use mine mostly in baking. There are a few of my go-to muffin recipes on my Tried & True Pinterest Board. You can modify most muffin or cake recipes to use applesauce as a substitute for butter or margarine. For one cup of butter, use 3/4 cup applesauce and 1/4 cup canola oil. Using applesauce makes cakes moist and more cost-effective, as the price of butter is rising by the day. You could also use it as a topping for oatmeal or as a substitution for an egg in your favorite muffin or cake. If using as an egg substitute, use 1/4 cup applesauce for one egg.

Preventing food waste

Even if you don’t get a load of apples from a tree, you can set aside bruised apples from the store and freeze them until you’re ready to make a full batch. Again, slice around the core and place in a freezer bag. Keep adding to the bag until you have enough to make a batch of sauce. For more tips on preventing food waste for a variety of ingredients, see page 64 of your Ultimate Guide.

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Simple Slow Cooker Applesauce

This three-step recipe is easy to execute and virtually hands-free.

Course Breakfast
Keyword apples, applesauce
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours
Servings 9 cups

Ingredients

  • Apples
  • 1/2 cup Water optional

Instructions

  1. Cut around the core of the apples and fill your slow cooker.

  2. Add 1/2 cup water to large slow cookers, and 1/4 cup to smaller slow cookers.

  3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, until apples break apart when you stir them.

  4. Puree the sauce with an immersion blender.

  5. Cool completely before portioning and freezing in bags.

Recipe Notes

Adding water creates steam and helps speed up the process but is not necessary. 

If you are canning the sauce, fill hot, sterilized jars with hot applesauce and follow the guidelines from the National Center for Home Food Preservation for safe canning practices. 

Freezer Breakfast Burritos

~ SL ~ 1 Comment

Breakfast burritos are an easy meal to prep and freeze for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I like to make these assembly-line style to save time. Use your favorite fillings to customize them to your taste and follow the same process to make burritos for lunch or dinner.

A person holding a cooked breakfast burritos with the filling showing.

Breakfast burrito basics

You can use almost any vegetable or protein in your breakfast burritos. You will absolutely need:

  • large flour tortillas
  • eggs
  • seasonings
  • protein and veggies
  • cheese

How much do I need of each ingredient?

The guideline I typically use is 2 eggs for each large tortilla. The rest of the ingredients, you can adjust according to how big you want your burritos to be. This recipe is extremely flexible. If you don’t have quite enough eggs, add more protein and veggies to compensate for that.

Seasoning the eggs

Seasoning the eggs is an important step to adding flavor to your breakfast burritos. I like to use Epicure dip mixes, like French Onion, CCB or Garden Vegetable to add flavor. Onion powder or flakes and garlic powder are also great additions to use. If you’re using dip mixes, you’ll want to scramble the eggs and let the seasoning rehydrate in the eggs before cooking.

Prepping the toppings

You want to cook the toppings, before adding the eggs. This allows the vegetables to release their water, preventing a soggy breakfast burrito. Here are some combinations I like:

  • Broccoli and cheese
  • Sausage & peppers
  • Mushroom, peppers and real bacon bits

I also like to add pickled banana peppers to all of these combinations for an extra kick. Basically, any topping you would put in an omelet would work well in a breakfast burrito.

Assembling the breakfast burritos

Using an assembly line to prep these breakfast burritos is quick and helps ensure all your burritos are the same size. Spread out all the tortillas on the counter. You don’t need to warm them, unless your tortillas are really dry. The heat from the filling will warm them slightly, making them easier to roll.

Start by sprinkling a small layer of shredded cheese on the tortilla. You will do this again on top of the filling. Adding the cheese on the top and bottom helps seal the tortillas while they bake and holds everything in.

Then add a large scoop of filling to each tortilla. You are aiming for about one cup of filling/burrito.

Once you have distributed the filling to all of the tortillas, ensure they are approximately all the same size and make any adjustments if necessary.

Next, add the pickled banana peppers if using, then top with another layer of cheese.

Tortillas spread out on a table with piles of filling on each one.

Folding the breakfast burritos

When you are folding, move the filling to the middle third of the tortilla. Fold in the sides first, then, fold up the bottom and roll the rest.

A hand folding in both sides of a tortilla over the filling.
A person rolling up a tortilla from the bottom, with the sides folded in.

Freezing the burritos

Once you have rolled all of the burritos, line them up on a parchment covered baking sheet, seam side down, and freeze them before storing in a freezer bag. Alternatively, you can wrap them individually in plastic wrap or foil, then place them in a freezer bag, if you don’t have the freezer space to freeze them on a baking sheet first. Use this same process to roll up leftover burrito bowl fillings to have for a quick lunch or dinner.

Rolled burritos on a baking sheet.

Reheating the burritos

You can reheat these burritos a few ways, depending on how much time you have. I like to defrost them slightly in the microwave for about four minutes, before either broiling on each side until browned, or baking for approximately 20 minutes. If you don’t defrost them in the microwave, you can simply bake them for about an hour. You can also place foil wrapped burritos on a campfire or BBQ if you are taking them camping. Check out my tips for packing for camping here.

Serving your breakfast burritos

The burritos will be hot when you take them out of the oven, so let them rest for 5-10 minutes before digging in. Add your favorite hot sauce, guacamole or salsa while you eat or try my favorite, chili crisp as a spicy topping.

If you still have some toppings left after making your burritos, try this breakfast pizza for another easy breakfast option.

two breakfast pizzas side by side
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Freezer Breakfast Burritos

Breakfast burritos are an easy meal to prep and freeze for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Make these assembly-line style to save time and use your favorite fillings to customize them to your liking.

Course Breakfast
Keyword breakfast, burrito, double-batch, eggs
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 10 burritos

Ingredients

  • 10 large flour tortillas
  • 20 eggs
  • 2 tbsp seasonings of your choice Epicure dip mixes, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, onion flakes
  • 5 cups filling peppers, onions, mushrooms, broccoli, bacon bits, ham, sausage
  • 2 1/2 cups shredded cheese Use 1/4 cup per burrito. 2 Tbsp. on the bottom, 2 Tbsp. on top of the filling.
  • pickled banana peppers (optional)
  • salsa, hot sauce, guacamole, chili crisp (optional)

Instructions

  1. Chop vegetables and protein you will use for the filling. If using sausage, remove from casing before cooking.

  2. Scramble and season the eggs.

  3. Cook the protein and vegetables until the water has evaporated.

  4. Add the eggs and continue stirring until cooked through and the filling is dry.

  5. Lay out the tortillas and add 2 Tbsp. shredded cheese to each one.

  6. Top each tortilla with approximately 1 cup of filling. Once you have topped all the tortillas, adjust to ensure they are roughly all the same size.

  7. Top with pickled banana peppers if using.

  8. Add 2 Tbsp shredded cheese to the top.

  9. Place the filling on the bottom third of the tortilla. Fold in the sides, then roll from the bottom.

  10. Place seam-side down on a parchment covered baking sheet and freeze.

  11. Store frozen burritos in a freezer bag.

Reheating burritos from frozen (long and lazy method)

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the burritos in the oven while it is preheating and continue baking for approximately one hour, or until burritos are browned.

Reheating burritos from frozen (standard method)

  1. Place burritos in the microwave for 4 minutes.

  2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the burritos in the oven while it is preheating and continue baking for approximately twently minutes, or until burritos are browned.

Reheating burritos from frozen (quick method)

  1. Place burritos in the microwave for 4 minutes.

  2. Broil burritos for about 5 minutes on each side, or until browned.

Recipe Notes

The filling recipe is flexible! If you don’t have 20 eggs, add more protein and veggies to compensate for that and vice versa.