Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

Welcome Economy Bites viewers! We're so happy to be back RIGHT in time for Valentine's Day! Single or coupled, Valentine's day is a time for love...and SWEETS! So today we're celebrating with something sugary and pink: fresh strawberry cupcakes!

Our cupcake recipe comes from Little Cupcake Bakeshop, the first and only carbon-neutral bakery in New York (SoHo to be exact). The Bakeshop is a beautiful family owned joint  in a great location that serves some of the best treats this side of Willy Wonka (blue velvet cupcakes? YES PLEASE!) Whenever you stop in for a cupcake, piece of pie and/or cup of coffee, you're doing the environment a big favor, PLUS you're getting a treat made from only the freshest, seasonal ingredients. That makes you feel a little better about an afternoon cupcake, right? RIGHT!

Go there now! On my last trip, I got some tasty snacks and a lesson on proper cupcake frosting technique. Take a look my friends, try not to salivate!

Andie's Bubbie's Lasagna

Cook on Sunday, Eat 'til Thursday!

This episode is dedicated to Andie, a longtime friend and supporter of Economy Bites. Andie's Bubbie (yiddish for "grandma") passed this recipe down to Andie who passed it over to me.

One thing I love about this episode is I feel like I was extra crazy the day we filmed it. Maybe I was just really excited about lasagna...or maybe I was just at 11, who knows.

Important note: I use a jar of sauce in this recipe. People don't always love it when I do that, but here's my reasoning: this recipe isn't mine, it's Andie's Bubbie's, and I wanted to stay as true to it as possible. Plus, don't lie, sometimes you use jarred sauce. It's not really the end of the world, especially if you take the extra minute to buy the one made with all natural ingredients. If you'd like to substitute home-made sauce, I'll direct you here for a recipe.

yumz! I hope you love this episode as much as I do. Thank you to Andie and her bubbie for sharing their recipe with us!

INGREDIENTS

-1 lb lasagna noodles

-1 lb part-skim Mozzarella cheese, sliced

-1 lb ground beef

-1 Tbsp garlic powder

-1 Tbsp Italian seasoning

-salt and pepper to taste

-1 jar marinara sauce

-1 lb small curd dry cottage cheese

PROCEDURE

-Preheat oven to 375

-Slice cheese and set aside.

-Cook noodles to package directions until al dente

-Combine beef with spices. Heat a pan on the stove on Medium. Once hot, add a swirl of olive oil. Once olive oil is hot, add beef and sautee until browned, about 5 minutes.

-In a large baking dish, layer the lasagna in the following order:

-Sauce

-Noodles

-beef

-cottage cheese

-parmessan cheese

-mozzarella

-sauce

-noodles

-mozzarella

-sauce

-parmessan cheese

Bake in the oven, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until cheese is bubbly

ENJOY!

Red Beans & Rice

Cook on Sunday, Eat 'til Thursday!

I come from Texas and in Texas we care about our neighbors. One of our favorites is Louisiana, our buddies to the east. Since Louisiana is so close to the Lone Star State, it makes sense that we tend to share things: our men go to LSU, their ladies come to Texas, it's all in the family. Primarily, what we love to share is food, and today's dish - Red Beans & Rice made Tex-Mex style with spicy chorizo, is a perfect example of that loving relationship.

Don't get me wrong, there's much to be send for traditional Red Beans & Rice made Louisiana style with the proper Andoiulle sausage, and I'm aware that I'm toeing the line of sacrelige by playing with it, but like I said, I spent 20 years as a Louisiana neighbor, so I think I've earned the right to tinker. Plus, Andoiulle, for better or worse, is not readily available in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, so I opted for a tasty substitute. You are welcome to do the same.

Enjoy!