This morning I made the Barefoot Contessa red velvet cupcake mix. I was so disappointed! I love watching her show and her recipe for her coconut cupcakes is the best ever. So I assumed that her mixes would be fantastic also.

First you cream 3/4 cube of butter with the cake mix. This caused quite a mess since flour and butter don't cream as well as say sugar and butter would have. I made sure not to over mix the batter as per the instructions but the cupcakes themselves were very tough and flavorless also.

As for the cream cheese frosting I creamed together 3/4 cube of butter and 8oz of cream cheese with the powdered sugar provided. It was a very greasy taste and texture so I added another two cups of powdered sugar to tone it down . Since I added the extra sugar I assumed that I would have extra frosting but it made just enough.

I found it interesting that the mix only made 10 cupcakes (instead of 12). It was $11.00 for the mix not including the cream cheese, butter and extra sugar I used.

Think I will make my cupcakes from scratch next time!

Lynn

La Nogalera Walnut Oil

We just added a new smaller size walnut oil to our store. Now available in 250 ml for $15.00. If you haven't tried La Nogalera Walnut oil, you're missing out! This is a very flavorful oil that is great with steamed vegetables, tossed with pasta, salad dressings or simply used as a dipping oil for fresh bread. Walnut oil contains no cholesterol and it is an excellent source of both omega-3 and omega-6 unsaturated fats. Read more about La Nogalera in the L.A. Times and Cooking Light magazine.

Try this delicious recipe at home:
Wild Rice Pilaf

• 1 1/2 cups uncooked wild rice
• 3 Tbsp. La Nogalera Walnut Oil
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• Salt, to taste
• chopped green onion
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts - chopped
• chopped parsley
  

Cook wild rice according to package directions. Mix, salt, walnut oil and lemon juice . Pour over cooked rice and mix in with green onion, toasted walnuts and parsley.