Lemon Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting & Bobby's Goulash

Tomorrow my daughter is Star Of The Day at school and we have to bring the snack. We are supposed to bring healthy snacks, but because her birthday is on Sunday the teacher said I could bring homemade cupcakes! I had to check about the homemade part because at the public schools here you have to bring store-bought only. The only warning I got was that they could not contain any peanut product, so I thoroughly checked the boxes and I am safe. I am using Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Lemon Supreme cake mix for the cupcakes and making the frosting myself. Here is the recipe I use:

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CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
2 sticks butter, softened
1 - 8oz. package cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

With hand mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter, cream cheese and vanilla. SIFT the powdered sugar into the mixture about 1/2 cup at a time, beating well in between each addition.
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Sifting the powdered sugar will give you a nice smooth frosting. I also use food coloring to tint the frosting, usually pink since that is my daughters favorite color. I also have colorful flower shaped sprinkles and the cupcake liners have Disney Princesses on them. She is definitely a girly-girl! I make these every year for her birthday. I have a cool, chrome 3-tiered tray from the 1950's that I got from my great aunt's estate that I serve them on every year, but I won't be bringing that to school.

Dinner last night was leftovers. My husband didn't get home from work until 6:45pm and I was not in the mood to cook. Tonight I am going to make Bobby Deen's Goulash. My husband is going to have another long day at work, but this recipe can sit for awhile and still be good. I am only making half this recipe; it says it makes 8 servings and that is way too much for us.

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BOBBY DEEN'S GOULASH

2 lbs. lean ground beef
2 lg. yellow onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups water
2 - 15oz. cans tomato sauce
2 - 14.5oz. cans diced tomatoes
3 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. Italian seasonings
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp. Paula Deen House Seasoning (or 1/2 tsp. each garlic powder & pepper)
1 tbsp. Paula Deen Seasoned Salt (or your favorite brand)
2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked (or your favorite small noodle)

In a 6-quart Dutch oven, cook ground beef on medium-high heat until no pink remains, stirring occasionally and breaking up meat with a spoon. Drain off fat. Add onions and garlic to beef, and cook until onions are tender, about 10 minutes.
Stir in water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, soy sauce, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, House Seasoning, and Seasoned Salt; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir elbow mac into beef mixture and simmer on low, covered, for 25 minutes longer or until macaroni is tender, stirring occasionally to prevent macaroni from sticking.
Remove Dutch oven from heat. Discard bay leaves and allow beef mixture to sit about 30 minutes before serving.
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They suggest serving this with garlic bread and a tossed salad, which I will do, except I have garlic breadsticks. I will also be using little shells ILO the elbow mac. It's a bit warm here to be making such a hearty dish, but I have to use the ground beef. Last week, when I planned this meal, it was much cooler here. Oh well! I'll just crank up the AC - haha!

Happy eating!