What Thanksgiving Tastes Like

Today's goal was to make a Thanksgiving inspired cupcake. I decided to make a list of the first five flavors I associate with the holiday. Here's how the list shook out: salty, sweet, sage, citrus, and maple. As a non-baker trying to make a cupcake, I started with a boxed yellow cake mix to which I added fresh sage and orange zest. Homemade maple buttercream was in order to counteract my previous shortcut. Perched on the fluffy icing was a small piece of bacon that delivered the final salty punch. All in all, not a bad little cupcake.

Citrus Ginger Smoothie

Wrap your taste buds around this:

citrus, ginger, cinnamon, and vanilla.

While mimosas are the usual suspect for Easter brunch, this year I wanted to try something different. Keeping it citrus based was part of my plan since a healthy dose of vitamin C helps keep those spring sniffles away. I started with the juice of two tangerines and one lemon. Next I added ginger, cinnamon, and whisked in a half a cup of vanilla yogurt. The result was sweet and spicy. The ginger and cinnamon added a wonderful depth to the flavor while the 2 types of citrus balanced each other out. The smooth and creamy texture of the yogurt made these tasty drinks absolutely divine. What a great way to start a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Happy Easter!

Recipe:

2 tangerines

1 lemon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 C vanilla yogurt

YIELDS: 2 smoothies