Winstead Wandering

Prone to Wander

Strawberry-Filled Vanilla Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

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What happens when you combine homemade strawberry filling, moist vanilla cupcakes, and decadent cream cheese frosting? You get Strawberry-Filled Vanilla Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.

What happens when you combine homemade strawberry filling, moist vanilla cupcakes, and decadent cream cheese frosting? You get Strawberry-Filled Vanilla Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Look, I’m just as eager as the next person for the arrival of fall. Probably more eager, actually, because a lot of people don’t live in the sweltering humidity of summer in Mississippi. But while I’m 100 percent ready to embrace sweatshirts, football, and all things pumpkin, there are at least a few parts of summer that I’m not quite ready to let go of.

Case in point: strawberries, particularly when they’re in these Strawberry-Filled Vanilla Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. These little beauties are a twist on a cake I’ve been making for years, which is a twist on a cake my mom has been making for years. I’ve yet to share that cake recipe because I can’t seem to keep it around long enough to get photos. Moist and delicate cake, fresh strawberries, and homemade cream cheese frosting? Yeah, you can see why the cake disappears to quickly.

What happens when you combine homemade strawberry filling, moist vanilla cupcakes, and decadent cream cheese frosting? You get Strawberry-Filled Vanilla Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.

These cupcakes are simply the cute portable version of that family favorite. I do my usual jazzing up of a store-bought cake mix, which results in fluffy cupcakes. Instead of layering sliced berries between big cake rounds, I make a fresh homemade sauce that’s packed with berry flavor. The thickened sauce gets spooned into a little pocket in the center of each cooked cupcakes, but it seeps into the cake to create an incredibly satisfying flavor combination. Neither the cake or the filling are overly sweet because the whole shebang is topped with the lightest, most decadent cream cheese frosting.

While you’ll certainly find me baking my fair share of pumpkin cupcakes and scones, you’ll also see me clinging to the last days of strawberry season, mostly in honor of these must-make cupcakes.

What happens when you combine homemade strawberry filling, moist vanilla cupcakes, and decadent cream cheese frosting? You get Strawberry-Filled Vanilla Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.

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Mexican Street Corn Salad

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With sweet and smoky charred corn, cool sour cream and citrus, and the perfect notes of spice, this Mexican Street Corn Salad will be a year-round hit at your house!

With sweet and smoky charred corn, cool sour cream and citrus, and the perfect notes of spice, this Mexican Street Corn Salad will be a year-round hit at your house!

I first made this Mexican Street Corn Salad a few months ago for guests. The adults and the teenagers all raved about it, and not in a just-being-polite kind of way, either. In fact, at least a couple of them went back for seconds and thirds. I made it recently for a church potluck and, again, the salad got rave reviews.

With sweet and smoky charred corn, cool sour cream and citrus, and the perfect notes of spice, this Mexican Street Corn Salad will be a year-round hit at your house!

It’s not hard to see why this recipe is such a hit. With the sweet and smoky notes of charred corn, the hit of spice from chipotle chili pepper and jalapeños, and the cooling notes of sour cream and citrus, you’ve got a perfect summer salad that will transition right into fall. Sure, grilled corn is typically a summer staple, but the beauty of this recipe is that you capture all the favorite flavors of Mexican street corn without leaving your kitchen.

With sweet and smoky charred corn, cool sour cream and citrus, and the perfect notes of spice, this Mexican Street Corn Salad will be a year-round hit at your house!

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Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting

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Perfectly sweet cupcakes with a ribbon of creamy filling and a topping of decadent frosting. You’ve got to try Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting!

Perfectly sweet cupcakes with a ribbon of creamy filling and a topping of decadent frosting. You've got to try Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting!

A friend asked me recently to make cupcakes for a wedding shower she was hosting. Because I’m always up for spending time in the kitchen creating decadent treats, I immediately said yes. And then I spent the next couple weeks narrowing down my flavor choices.

I knew right away I wanted to do some sort of spin on my to-die-for Triple Chocolate Cupcakes, and I knew I had to a berry version with cream cheese frosting. It was only at the last minute that I decided to whip up these Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting, too.

Perfectly sweet cupcakes with a ribbon of creamy filling and a topping of decadent frosting. You've got to try Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting!

The pumpkin in these cupcakes is subtle, but not underwhelming; they’re perfect for those who haven’t yet seen the light when it comes to the magic of pumpkin desserts. Plus, nothing helps win over pumpkin skeptics quite like a ribbon of rich cheesecake filling. Top the whole thing with made-from-scratch salted caramel frosting, and who can resist?

Whether you’ve got a fall party coming up, or a tailgate to attend, or you just want to surprise your coworkers or family, these Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting are the perfect treat.

Perfectly sweet cupcakes with a ribbon of creamy filling and a topping of decadent frosting. You've got to try Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting!

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Two Ingredient Low Carb Whipped Chocolate Mousse

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With just two ingredients, this Low Carb Whipped Chocolate Mousse is the perfect treat to satisfy your sweet tooth without ruining all your hard work.

With just two ingredients, this Low Carb Whipped Chocolate Mousse is the perfect treat to satisfy your sweet tooth without ruining all your hard work.

Since my gluten-free experiment morphed into low-carb eating (it seemed to make the most sense), I haven’t had too much trouble curbing my sweet tooth. That’s not to say I haven’t craved sweets at all because, well, duh. Clearly I love chocolate. My solution to the need for chocolate? This stuff right here.

When we were in Oregon over the summer, my sister-in-law requested a low carb/ketogenic dessert to celebrate her birthday, so I made this Two Ingredient Low Carb Whipped Chocolate Mousse. To make it a little more special, I turned the mousse into parfaits. I layered it with sliced strawberries and topped it off with homemade whipped cream that I made using the leftover cream and a little sweetener (I used a sugar alternative, but I can’t remember which one).

It was a huge hit, even with those of us who were still regularly indulging our sweet tooths (sweet teeth?). The mousse was so good that I made it again during that visit, and now I’m making it at home. This mousse is the perfect evening treat to keep in the fridge. A little goes a long way due to its richness, so a batch lasts me about a week.

With just two ingredients, this Low Carb Whipped Chocolate Mousse is the perfect treat to satisfy your sweet tooth without ruining all your hard work.

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Dr Pepper Barbecue Sauce Grilled Chicken + Tailgating Tips

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GrillGatingHero #Grillgating

Dr Pepper® Barbecue Sauce Grilled Chicken is a fun, unique twist on a favorite game day dish. This sweet and tangy sauce is guaranteed to be the MVP of your tailgate.

Dr Pepper Barbecue Sauce Grilled Chicken is a fun, unique twist on a favorite game day dish. This sweet and tangy sauce is guaranteed to be the MVP of your tailgate.

I love just about everything about fall, but I especially love that it brings college football season. This is The South, so you know we value our football as much as we value our food. In fact, I’d say the two are synonymous for a lot fans. Any self-respecting southern college football fan has been to, and likely hosted, a tailgate. It really isn’t too hard, but it’s important to strike that balance between having enough fun, football-worthy food and doing so much that you don’t get a chance to enjoy your own party.

Dr Pepper Barbecue Sauce Grilled Chicken is a fun, unique twist on a favorite game day dish. This sweet and tangy sauce is guaranteed to be the MVP of your tailgate.

Today I’m spilling all my best tried-and-true tailgating tips, including my recipe for – gasp! – Dr Pepper® Barbecue Sauce Grilled Chicken. You might be tempted to scroll right to the bottom for that gem, but I promise you there’s plenty of goodness up here, too.

Tailgating Tips and Tricks

Don’t underestimate the power of simple sides

A few more time-consuming sides, like Brown Sugar Bacon-Wrapped Sausages or Cheesy Mexican Corn Dip, are great. Don’t forget to rely on the classics like carrots and Hidden Valley® Ranch or sliced cheese and RITZ® crackers. They’re both classics for a reason, and your guests won’t care that they required minimal prep time.

Dr Pepper Barbecue Sauce Grilled Chicken is a fun, unique twist on a favorite game day dish. This sweet and tangy sauce is guaranteed to be the MVP of your tailgate.

MVP Tip: Top RITZ crackers with shredded Dr Pepper Barbecue Sauce Grilled Chicken (recipe below) and a drizzle of extra sauce. The combination of the salted cracker and the sweet and tangy sauce is a certain touchdown.

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Homemade Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

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Homemade Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting is quicker and easier to make than you think, and it is oh so worth the effort. You’ll never go back!

Homemade Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting is quicker and easier to make than you think, and it is oh so worth the effort. You'll never go back!

I’ve posted a lot of homemade frosting recipes because I’ve shared a lot of cake and cupcake recipes and I never use store bought frosting. I know, I know, that sounds snobby, but it’s true; homemade frosting is just too easy and too dessert-altering to settle for anything less.

It occurred to me a while back, though, that I never shared my recipe for Homemade Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting. It’s a recipe I’ve made again and again to go with things like Double Chocolate Brownies and Loaded Candy Bar Cake, but I never got around to sharing just the frosting here.

Today I’m changing that. If you’ve never made homemade frosting because you always figured it was too difficult, or because you think the pre-made stuff in the jar is just as good, I’m begging you to make this recipe. It’s fluffy and rich, smooth and decadent, everything a homemade frosting needs to be.

And if you aren’t into cream cheese frosting (make this anyway; it just might change your mind), you need my Homemade Chocolate Buttercream recipe.

Homemade Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting is quicker and easier to make than you think, and it is oh so worth the effort. You'll never go back!

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Pasta in Roasted Poblano Cheddar Cream Sauce

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Pasta in Roasted Poblano Cheddar Cream Sauce is easy and quick enough for a weeknight meal, but flavorful and fancy enough for guests.

Pasta in Roasted Poblano Cheddar Cream Sauce is easy and quick enough for a weeknight meal, but flavorful and fancy enough for guests.

I’m in the middle of a month-long gluten-free eating experiment. To be honest, I’m equal parts hoping it will resolve some health issues and also hoping it doesn’t so I don’t have to give up all things gluten-full. I don’t want to buy a lot of expensive (holy cow, gluten-free products cost a lot) gluten-free products, but I knew I needed to have a few things on hand for quick meals.

One of the things I bought was gluten-free pasta so, naturally, I had to make this Pasta in Roasted Poblano Cheddar Cream Sauce. The sauce is thickened with starchy pasta water instead of flour, so it doesn’t get thick and gloopy, rather it stays the perfect consistency to carry the roasted peppers and coat the pasta.

Pasta in Roasted Poblano Cheddar Cream Sauce is easy and quick enough for a weeknight meal, but flavorful and fancy enough for guests.

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Main Street Made Easy Custom Disney Itinerary Review

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Whether you’re traveling with adults or kids, a big group or a small one, getting a Main Street Made Easy Custom Disney Itinerary is one of the best decisions you can make.

Whether you're traveling with adults or kids, a big group or a small one, getting a Main Street Made Easy Custom Disney Itinerary is one of the best decisions you can make.

Kayla of Main Street Made Easy was generous enough to give us a complimentary custom Disney itinerary; however, all the opinions expressed below are mine alone.

From the moment I found out I’d be taking a group of students to Anaheim for a school trip, I knew we had to visit Disneyland and California Adventure. After all, for those living outside California, Disney and Anaheim are practically synonymous. I had a few students who had never been to a Disney park, so I was thrilled that I’d be the one to introduce them to the magic.

When I began planning our trip, I did what anyone does when vacation planning: I crowd-sourced on Facebook. I asked for general Disneyland and California Adventure tips, but my friend Kayla from Main Street Made Easy offered to make us a custom itinerary. We only had about a day and a half total to visit the park, so I wasn’t sure Kayla could help us much, but I accepted anyway.

Can I just say that was the best. decision. ever.

Why You Need a Main Street Made Easy Custom Disney Itinerary

You’ll Get Insider Tips

I’ll be honest: I’ve been planning my family’s future Disney trip for a few years now. I’ve got a Pinterest board dedicated to tips and tricks and I’ve even read a couple books on the subject. I thought I could do a pretty job getting us around the park. I’m sure I would have, but I wouldn’t have done nearly as a good a job as Kayla did.

Whether you're traveling with adults or kids, a big group or a small one, getting a Main Street Made Easy Custom Disney Itinerary is one of the best decisions you can make.

In addition to an itinerary of which rides to do when, Kayla included all sorts of insider info about the best places to eat, where to rest, and how to snag prime parade and fireworks watching spots. You may think you’re prepared for your trip, but it’s likely Kayla has information you don’t.

Here’s an insider tip from me: before entering the park, take a photo of the ticket(s) for everyone in your party. Disney is great about replacing a lost ticket, but they need the serial number in order to do that. The fastest way to find the number of the missing ticket(s) is to have a photo.

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Roasted Poblano and Onion Quesadillas

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They be simple to make and require only five ingredients, but these Roasted Poblano and Onion Quesadillas are full of mellow vegetables and just the right amount of melted cheese.

They be simple to make and require only five ingredients, but these Roasted Poblano and Onion Quesadillas are full of mellow vegetables and just the right amount of melted cheese.

My local grocery stores don’t always have a large variety of peppers to choose from so, when I saw the crate of poblanos the other day, I grabbed a few without giving any thought to what I’d make with them.

I immediately roasted most of the peppers because I knew I’d want them that way for pretty much anything I would make. I ate some in a potatoes-and-eggs breakfast bowl and added a little more to a sandwich.

And then I made Roasted Poblano and Onion Quesadillas. The idea wasn’t original, since I make fajita quesadillas all the time. I decided to keep these a little simpler, though, to let the veggies shine. Now I’ve made them three times in the last week. Okay, fine. Four times.

I just.can’t.resist. Poblanos aren’t spicy; sometimes they carry a little heat, but mostly they’re just full of flavor. In addition, onions are probably one of my favorite vegetables. Add in a little cheese, plus the crispiness of the corn tortilla, and I could eat these things all day long.

They be simple to make and require only five ingredients, but these Roasted Poblano and Onion Quesadillas are full of mellow vegetables and just the right amount of melted cheese.

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Chewy Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Cookies

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You won’t miss the flour in these delightfully chewy, perfectly fudgy, beautifully crinkly Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Cookies. With just six ingredients, you can whip up a batch in no time.

You won't miss the flour in these delightfully chewy, perfectly fudgy, beautifully crinkly Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Cookies. With just six ingredients, you can whip up a batch in no time.

I first made these Chewy Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Cookies about six years ago. We were living in Oregon and I baked frequently for my coworkers, one of whom had celiac disease. I often tried to bake something gluten-free (like Homemade Peanut Butter Cup Bars) along with something gluten-full. At the time, I didn’t know it was possible to make good tasting cookies without flour and I figured, if it was, they wouldn’t be as mind-blowing as these cookies are.

You won't miss the flour in these delightfully chewy, perfectly fudgy, beautifully crinkly Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Cookies. With just six ingredients, you can whip up a batch in no time.

These cookies are the perfect example of gluten-free not being deprivative (confession: I had to google “what’s the adjective for deprive” for that one). Even those who regularly eat gluten will go crazy for them. The cookies bake into chewy, crinkly bites of paradise, with fudge-like centers. They’re awesome at room temperature, but they’re indescribable when warm. Either way, you’ll want to have a glass of milk handy.

You won't miss the flour in these delightfully chewy, perfectly fudgy, beautifully crinkly Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Cookies. With just six ingredients, you can whip up a batch in no time.

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