Quick Bell Pepper Pickles

Looking for a quick and colourful condiment? Here ya go!

Ingredients:

2 medium bell peppers, sliced

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 tbsp pickling salt

1 1/2 cups vinegar

3/4 cup sugar

3 garlic buds, crushed

1 1/2 tsps mustard seeds

1/4 tsp celery seeds

1/8 tsp ground turmeric

8 black peppercorns

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tbsp water 

Mix the sliced bell peppers and onions with pickling salt in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours, then rinse in a colander and drain. Combine the remaining ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil then simmer for a couple of minutes to dissolve the sugar. Add the peppers and onions to the pot and bring back to a simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Using tongs, place pickles in a sterilized jar then pour in the brine leaving 1/2" head space. Cap and leave on the counter for 2 hours.  Once the jars have cooled on the counter they should be refrigerated. And ready to eat after being chilled. Makes just less than 1 quart, depending on the size of your peppers.

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Small Batch Lemon Surprise Cupcakes

Zingy!
The only word to describe these lemony cupcakes!

For 6 medium cupcakes:

4 tbsps butter or marg, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup + 2 tbsps milk
1/4 tsp lemon extract
1/2 tsp lemon zest 
2/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder 

lemon curd (recipe link to follow)

In a mixer bowl, beat butter and sugar together until creamy.
Add egg, milk, lemon extract and zest.

Mix flour and baking powder together and add to the wet ingredients. Mix until smooth.

Dollop into prepared muffin tin and bake at 350 F for 20-22 minutes.

You can use store bought lemon curd or, while the cupcakes bake, you could prepare this easy microwave curd.

http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.ca/2016/05/microwave-lemon-curd.html

Once baked, cool completely on rack.
Using a melon baller scoop out the middle of the cupcake...

 fill with lemon curd and frost.

Lemon Frosting:

1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1  1/2 cups icing sugar
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp lemon extract
1 tbsp lemon juice
yellow colouring (optional)

Sugar sprinkle

Cream butter, zest, extract and juice together.  Gradually beat in the icing sugar then, if using, add a little bit of colour. 

You can also make a yellow sugar sprinkle by simply mixing about 1 tsp sugar with a drop of yellow colouring. Mix well and sprinkle on top of the frosting.

Bite in and prepare to be zinged!